Deep Roots

Minor Minor Roof Leaks? Roof Leaks? CALL US! CALL US!

A couple of years ago my son Jonathan acle I wanted did not come. its pages. Again, I want to invite you to taste and (who was about three years old at the time) and I were headed outside on a summer day to do some routine chores. As we strolled past the dog dish, Jonny nonchalantly bent over, grabbed a handful of dog food, and popped it into his mouth. I was stopped dead in my tracks, eyes and mouth wide open, and Jonny kept right on going. I quickly attempted to gather my wits and catch up to him as I shouted,”Jonathan, you can not eat dog food!” He looked at me and with a furrowed brow DEEP ROOTS By Whitney Nesse I wonder if there are any who, like me when I saw Jonny eating dog food, look at Jesus and think, no thanks. Maybe you have been hurt by the church, experienced insurmountable losses, endured devastating heartache or just never took interest. But, like Jonathan, I exclaim, “Why not? He’s good!” I want to invite you to taste and see. It could be that it starts with a simple prayer or a dusting off of the Good Book and reading some of see that the Lord is good! I still have no plans to try out the dog’s food, but I do plan to continue to taste of the goodness of the Lord. I am going to start by thanking Him that Jonny lost his appetite for dog food! Whitney Nesse is a sixth-generation livestock farmer who is deeply rooted in her faith and family. She writes from her central Minnesota farm. v said, “Why not? It’s good!” I immediately began to question my parenting Registration open for Virtual roundtable skills — or lack thereof. Questions raced through my mind: Where had I gone wrong as a mother? Is my cooking that bad? Will he actually get worms from eating dog food? I was praying he had not shared his acquired taste for dog food at school out The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation has scheduled a virtual roundtable diving into key considerations for farmers seeking to adopt climate-friendly carbon sequestration and other practices. arise? What are some of the burdens or challenges involved, and what practices or measured outcomes are required to be met to enroll in a program? The virtual event will kick off with an overview of fear I would get a call from the teacher! IFBF’s “Carbon Credit Markets: What Farmers from American Farm Bureau Federation economist, As I continued to try and compose myself, giving myself the reminder that all of my other children had eaten a kibble or two and nothing happened, I explained to Jonathan that dog food is for dogs just like people food is for people. He shrugged his shoulders and we continued to finish up our chores. Later on I was retelling the earlier events to Karl in a very animated fashion. We both laughed hysterically and agreed that neither of us really knew Need to Know” virtual roundtable will help answer questions and provide valuable insight as farmers seek to reduce their carbon footprint and navigate the ever-changing agriculture environment as private-sector companies present new opportunities and federal programs are developed. The roundtable will take place July 14, from noon- 2:30 p.m The virtual roundtable will answer farmers’ quesShelby Myers, and Dr. Joe Outlaw, professor and extension economist at Texas A&M University. The topic overview will be followed by a roundtable discussion with representatives from companies currently offering carbon credit programs. Participants will also have an opportunity to submit questions prior to the webinar. The roundtable is free for Farm Bureau members and $50 for non-members. whether or not dog food actually tasted good tions including: What do carbon credit programs mean For more information, visit the IFB website at because neither of us had tried it! I guess the mys- for farmers in terms of cost and commitment? What www.iowafarmbureau.com. tery of how tasty dog food is will remain as I have yet to allow dog food to fancy my palate. does a farmer need to share, and how long is a farmer locked into an arrangement, if new Federal programs This article was submitted by the Iowa Farm Bureau. v

Psalm 34:8 brought the story of my Jonny to mind. “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!” I have, metaphorically speaking, tasted of the Lord’s goodness. I have tasted the Lord’s goodness in a broken marriage being restored, five beautiful children, peace in times of trouble, clarity in the midst of chaos, friends in times of loneliness, healing of emotional wounds. These are just a few morsels of the ways I have tasted of the Lord’s goodness.

Some of the aforementioned came all at once — like being served a heaping dose which left me feeling full and satisfied. Others were more like serving myself ice cream — the strenuous work of scooping the rock hard goodness from the ice cream pail, then enjoying one small bite at a time; not too fast or the result will be brain freeze, yet not too slowly or the whole thing will melt.

I can also recall times when I felt as though the Lord was giving me tastes of cocoa powder, bitter and dry, coming in the form of prayers unanswered, untimely deaths, and loneliness that could not be shaken. Yet at just the right time, God would take something bitter and dry and create something sweet — like taking a motley crew of women and turning them into my best friends; or opening my eyes to see everyday miracles even though the mir-