Hope from the Harvest Fields: One Farmer’S Journey Through God’S Word

By Burdette Rosendale

Being a Christian and being a committed follower of Jesus Christ means having solid knowledge of the Bible and applying our understanding to our daily lives. Even so, many Christians in todays world have forgotten the Bibles stories and
their relevance to modern life. Remember: our efforts in Gods field open our hearts to His great and all-encompassing love; our faith reaps eternal reward.

Hope from the Harvest Fields: One Farmers Journey through Gods Word, by Burdette Rosendale, explores thirty-six significant stories of the Bible as they reflect on his
lifetime of experience, helping each of us nurture and grow our knowledge and our faith. From the story of Creation to Gods revelation of the promised land, the Bible stories in Hope from the Harvest Fields show us the joy of sweet surrender in Jesus Christ as well as the clear truth of reaping the seeds we sow. As a farmer, Rosendale understands very well that with even his best efforts, there are no guaranteeshe must have faith in a bountiful harvest. Just so, God challenges and rewards our faithfulness with hope, guidance, and love.

As the abundance of hope in Gods kingdom opens before us, we realize we have all we need to begin our own faith journey, to seek and live out the purpose to which God is calling us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462013814

Burdette Rosendale

As a full-time farmer, Burdette Rosendale is deeply connected to the land. As an active churchgoer and community leader, he is passionate about helping people develop the best in themselves. Burdette lives in Illinois with his wife of twenty-five years and their two daughters. This is his first book.

Book preview

Contents

Endorsements for

Hope from the Harvest Fields

MY STORY

INTRODUCTION

BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

AFTERWORD

APPENDIX I

APPENDIX II

APPENDIX III

Endorsements for

Hope from the Harvest Fields

Burdette’s passion for reaching people and helping them grow is evident in every chapter of this book. It will be a welcome companion for many who are striving to live more closely to God.

—Rev. Dr. Neil A. Salvaterra

What a wonderful read to take your faith walk to a whole new level.

—Bill McGrane,

President, McGrane Global Centers

From the harvest fields of his spiritual journey, Burdette offers wisdom that can be applied daily to a spiritual quest of your own.

—Brian Klemmer,

founder of Klemmer & Associates,

the premier leadership and character development company

Simple, refreshing and engaging. The work is genius as it joins the practical lessons of life together with the creator and His design.

—William D. Winship, CEO,

Winship Global Alliance

An inspired account of the personal faith journey of a man whom I know to be principled and Christ-centered. People of all walks of life will find through these readings that each one of us can be used by God in simple ways, if only we are open to hearing and acting upon His call.

—Kathy Holst,

Lay Speaker at Living Faith

United Methodist Church, Bowen, Illinois

MY STORY

Why is a farmer writing this book?

As a farmer I understand very well the concept of sowing and reaping. I plant seeds with faith that they will be watered and nurtured with sunshine so I can reap bountiful harvests. Even with my best efforts, there are no guarantees of the size, timeliness, or value of my harvest. As a farmer, I am totally reliant on God for the miracle of a bountiful harvest. As odd as it may seem, I fully believe that God called me to write this book even though I have never before written a book. To write this book I have had to exercise my faith in God’s harvest-making power. It is my hope to sow the seeds of faith and hope into the lives of others, similar to how I sow crop seeds into the painstakingly prepared soil. The publishing of this book will mark the completion of one of the first significant tasks that I believe has been impressed upon my humble spirit by the awesome inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit. And yet, it is merely one simple step toward what I believe is my life’s purpose of supporting others as they discover and live into their own God-given purposes. The overwhelming sense that I was to write this book was laid on my heart several months ago. But I waited until sufficient time had passed and I was certain that it really was the season for me to attempt a project so different from anything I had ever done before. I knew that unless this book was truly something that could speak from my years of walking with God and tending His harvest fields, then I really shouldn’t attempt to write it.

In 2009 I attended Tim Kelley’s True Purpose class with a hunger to learn different methods of listening to that still small voice of the Holy Spirit within myself. It was my passionate desire, after almost 50 years of living, to uncover my life’s purpose. One morning during the course I awoke with the unshakable feeling that I was to write this book. Even though the inspiration seemed so clear to me at the time, my human nature continued to resist and procrastinate. Then, in the winter of 2010, I was working through Dr. Lance Wallnau’s book 21 Questions For 2010 That Will CHANGE Your LIFE. During that process I asked God to help me with direction and focus because I had been feeling overwhelmed by a long list of things I believed I was supposed to complete. That still small voice spoke to me and reminded me that I had a book waiting to be written.

When I finally got around to the business of writing and completed the initial manuscript, I had a feeling of elation. I could scarcely believe I had churned out over 100 pages of text. In fact, as I read through the manuscript the first time, I actually felt more like a co-author of the book than the actual author. It seemed to me that it had been the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that had made the words and concepts possible, and that I had been merely a willing instrument. It was all so strange the way the various thoughts had flowed from within me, through my callused fingertips, and onto the computer screen. It was an experience unlike anything I have ever had.

I am a farmer by trade, and always have been. It was about four years ago that I found myself looking in the mirror each morning and saying to myself, I’m not the person I’m supposed to be. I don’t mind telling you that is a scary place to be after nearly a half-century of life. But I did not feel I was serving my purpose or enjoying life to the fullest. Was I experiencing a mid-life crisis? One can only venture a guess. All I know is that it was at that point I knew I had to do something different because reading self-improvement books wasn’t giving me the help I was after. After speaking with some friends with whom I attend church, they recommended I attend a Klemmer & Associates Personal Mastery Class. Choosing to do something different to accelerate my learning has turned out to be one of the finest choices I have made. By doing so, my personal growth and spiritual journey have been greatly accelerated. Each day I am gaining new awareness about who I am as a servant leader in my family and in my community. I now have access to life principles and concepts that, to me, were unthought of just a few years ago. It was as if a whole new world opened before me as I was exposed to ideas and concepts that had the potential to make significant contributions to my life. In addition I have been enriched personally by the gracious and generous people who have come into my life over the past few years. None of these things would have been possible if I hadn’t taken a risk and done something very different from what I had been doing.

God rewards faithfulness in the life of a believer. When I began this journey, I wasn’t certain where it would lead me. All I was certain of was that God would direct my footsteps in the direction God desires me to go. I certainly haven’t mastered the art of walking exactly where God would have me go, but I do believe I am in a much different place than when I first started. God has rewarded my efforts with His inspiration and provision regarding this particular book. My reward for this writing effort is simply the knowledge that perhaps one life would be offered in sweet surrender to the Savior Jesus Christ as a result of reading this book. All recognition, and any honor and glory, belong to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to no one else.

It is my hope and prayer that through this book I am sowing seeds of faith into your life that will bear fruit as you live into your calling and learn to trust more and more in the one true Living God, as revealed in the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible.

INTRODUCTION

The basis of my faith and that of many others is found in the simple Bible stories historically presented to children. Although there are many stories found in the Bible, I am only presenting a few of those stories chosen because of their ability to illustrate the foundation and ideals of Christianity. In an effort to keep my discussions brief and enjoyable I will not indulge in an exhaustive interaction with each story, but simply explore each one with you, focusing on the major themes. In most cases I have included a simple story and then elaborated on some of the ideas in the Scripture readings as they relate to how we can view life and/or live a life of faith. I urge you to read the Scripture accounts in the Bible so that you may study and contemplate them in the context of the verses around them. If you wish for an in-depth study, all of these Biblical stories have volumes dedicated to them that are easily found on-line or in your local library or Christian bookstore. I encourage you to engage in further study of God’s written Word through personal study and by getting involved in a small group or through a local congregation.

BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

One of the things many children do in Sunday School is to memorize the books of the Bible. I have included a complete list here to assist you in finding the scripture references as you read this book and to provide an easily accessible place to work from if you choose to memorize them.

Old Testament

New Testament

CHAPTER 1

The Creation Story

Genesis 1-2

This is the story of how the earth and the life upon it came into being: "In the beginning God created . . ." It is impossible for our minds to grasp the way that God brought the world into existence. In this account of God creating our world, notice how each of the daily creative acts begins with, "And God said . . ." God spoke what was on His mind and all of creation responded. The conclusion of this repeated process brought about the same response, ". . . and it was good." God does all things with excellence and it was no different when God brought the world into existence. The Bible says, God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. (Genesis 1:31-2:1)

One of the great blessings of being a farmer is that I have distinct advantage of being able to observe God’s good creation at work season after season. The magnificence, beauty, and complexity of our created world is a never-ending source of awe for me. I often find myself standing in the middle of a half-plowed field, gazing out at the distant horizon, and realizing that I don’t know how long I’ve been standing there in speechless prayer and worship.

I have to admit that there are those times when what I see on the horizon isn’t what I would choose for a particular time of the farming season. Sometimes the extremes in moisture and temperature wreak havoc with the particular farm work that needs to be done, and I can see potential profit disappear before my very eyes. What I have come to realize over time is that the unfavorable circumstances of nature for me might mean favorable circumstances for farmers somewhere else, and that in the great cosmic balance the forces of weather and nature will do as they please. I think Jesus alluded to this principle when he said of God, He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45) It is both humbling and awe-inspiring when you fully realize that our created world is one of the ways that God makes His divine grace and provision known to us. In my opinion it is very difficult to live so close to the earth as a farmer and not live very close to God at the same time. If you haven’t done it recently, I suggest you spend some time outdoors. Go out and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. Let the things of nature speak deeply into your soul and spirit. Paul describes the source of our awe: Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

How many of us and how many of our children are being starved of this powerful witness of creation because we are always stuck in front of a television or computer screen? It’s been said that the greatest show on earth happens twice a day and most people miss it. It happens when the sun rises and sets, and God’s amazing creative power is fully on display. Make time to allow God to speak His re-creative power into your life through the wonder and beauty of our world so that you too can stand back, take it in, and say, It is good.

From a little different perspective, let me share this. One of the aspects of farming I have always loved is working with livestock. In Genesis 1:20-25 God creates the animal life that is to inhabit the earth. Among those creatures are animals that were meant to be wild and untamed, and other animals that would one day be suitable for domestication. The animals that eventually became suitable for domestication have throughout history been a valuable source for many of the foodstuffs and items on which we continue to depend. These domesticated creatures have provided humankind with food, transportation, clothing materials, tools, companionship, and the power necessary to clear the land for farming and developing civilizations. These contributions from the animal kingdom have brought us joy, convenience and provision by which our lives have been additionally blessed.

In Genesis 2 we receive a second account of the origin of things which sheds more light on the specifics of the Garden of Eden and the creation of man and woman. The description of Eden is brief but it is nonetheless apparent that this place was created especially for human life. It contained trees and plants for food that could support human life, and apparently the garden lacked nothing that was necessary for human beings to flourish and find enjoyment. It’s reaffirming to know that God does intend for us to have the things we need for survival and enjoyment in this life. A real issue for many of us today is that we forget this principle and instead focus on accumulating too many of the things we don’t necessarily need for survival or enjoyment of life. This is not how God intended us to live. In fact God told Adam that there were certain trees in the garden from which he was not to eat. There are boundaries to our existence that must be heeded, or death shall surely follow. What God intends for us is that we live in ways that express our dependence on Him, our obedience to Him, and our joy of living in close fellowship with Him.

The other important detail we get in this chapter is the creation of Adam and the creation of Eve. Adam was created first from the dust and the breath of God. Eve was then created from one of Adam’s ribs. God knew that Adam would be lonely by himself, so it was only natural that God create a suitable helpmate for him. And while this order of human creation is often used to substantiate man’s dominance over woman, it seems that a proper emphasis should be placed with Adam’s assertion, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man. (Genesis 2:23) It certainly sounds as if Adam is affirming that Eve is fully equal with him in the life they will share and enjoy in the Garden of Eden.

One of the great blessings of my life has been the opportunities to work with my wife Lisa and my two daughters on the farm. One of my favorite memories is watching the girls, both with their bib overalls on, sit among baby pigs and giggle and play while Lisa and I were tending to all the details of maintaining healthy livestock. Our adventures into our own fields of Eden included looking for and finding mushrooms in the spring, raspberries in June, and blackberries in July. The birds