I was trying to ‘price’ the value of canning over purchasing canned fruits and vegetables.  If you must purchase the fruit or vegetable and you don’t consider your time or the electricity, or the getting started with purchasing jars – which are reusable if taken care of – it is close to a wash, maybe a little savings in the canning of in-season fruits and vegetables.

There is a big savings, of course, if you grow and can, dry or freeze your own product.  And you have the added satisfaction of knowing what it is you are canning, the quality and the knowledge you are, to some degree, not dependent on the system. 

You never know when weather might sock you in.  The first year we moved to The Dalles the Gorge was closed for over a week and going over the mountain was also dangerous.  Our shelves were empty by the time the truck came through, if it had gone on much longer some people would have been in trouble.

We have seen that happen everywhere through the years.  It pays to have a week or so worth of groceries (at least) in your home storage.  I think the rule of thumb with Red Cross is now three days, but it depends where you live – I don’t think that is anywhere near enough.  

Mathew 6:25-26  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

²⁶ Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

And

Verses 31-33 ³¹ Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

³² (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

³³ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

I received an e-mail this morning from a company from which we purchase some of our meats in bulk.  Their prices are always lower than the sales prices at the local stores, and the quality is VERY good but the quantities are such that they must be packaged by us and either frozen or canned.

Last month we ordered some chicken to be delivered in October.  The e-mail, this morning, apologized but, while our order would remain the agreed price, they had to raise the price for any new orders.  The new price was a 34% increase.  Noting the prices in the local stores I can understand.  They are still less than the stores, but 1/3 higher is quite a shock.

I am sure you too, have noticed that the price of food is going up, dramatically – along with other staples we must have to get us through our days, gas being the highest.  Insurance has raised dramatically – almost 100% in Carla’s and my case, in the past two years.  We, as many of you, are on a fixed income and these prices impact us much more than it did when I was working.

Belt tightening is the order of the day.  But for some families they are at the end of their rope and can’t afford any kind of increase no matter how small. 

Due to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of cattle last winter, due to the deaths of suckling piglets this spring and the droughts where the grains to feed them have gone up, the price of meat is going up, dramatically.  Because of the gas prices, the costs of other groceries are also going up.  Then you have the professionals that provide services such as medication that also must increase their prices to continue making a living.

Much of the world today looks at America and sees the wealth that we have; most of us have roofs over our heads and food on the table, we are clothed in decent clothing and can dress for the weather.  We drive automobiles, purchase electronic and other gizmos, eat out and do a number of things that people in other countries are amazed at.

Some people in other countries count their wealth by the number of eggs they have for meals that day, or how much rice or grain they may have when it is enough to feed their family for more than today. 

I remember talking to a man who had a recent down turn in his income.  He had to cut back, so instead of buying high priced meat, as he used to, he purchased a lower quality, but still had to have his steaks.  That was just an example; there were other things he did, thinking he was cutting back.  He soon realized he really hadn’t cut back, just changed a bit, but not enough.

In my own life I can remember the time when purchasing milk was important, but we had to count the cost, and other items could not be purchased.  I can also remember sitting in the bathtub, crying because I could not get some things for my daughter.  I can remember the time that Carla cried because she had spent hard saved money on a scarf and mitten set for our daughter and one of the mittens had been lost before she got home.

Yes, those were many years ago; but they among other memories are fresh in my mind when I think of these verses. 

We need to evaluate what is important to us – not for our pleasure, but for our life.  The milk was important.  The mittens were important.  The things I wanted to purchase and I cried about in the tub, were not, they were for Christmas and we didn’t need to get them to make a little girl happy.  And reminded me that I was losing sight of what Christmas really was all about.

How do we reconcile our needs to our desires; especially since we have had so many of our desires fulfilled and now they seem to be a necessity?  We can’t do without this, or that, when in fact we really can.

Those of us in America have been richly blessed by God.  Yes, there are those that are going hungry – and it is not their fault.  We have many that take advantage of the governmental handouts that could be working, but choose not to work.  But there are many who have no choice and many of them are hidden away where we do not see or realize their plight. 

But even our poor have things that Christians in other parts of the world cannot dream of, especially when they are not sure they will be able to eat anything today, their clothes are thread bare and they have nothing over their heads.

How do we account for the verses above by what we see is the ‘reality’ of the world?  We can become fearful of our own needs not being met and we try to cover every base. 

Why are Christians going hungry?  Part of it is because of the greed of man.  Those of us who can, are not giving as we should.  The countries that have Christians in such dire straight are either not searching them out, are deliberately persecuting them and withholding food and/or the country is misusing the foodstuffs supplied to them by the powers that be taking it for themselves or selling it at a high profit. 

But God can and does provide despite man’s greediness.  How does He do it?  We know He provided manna for the Israelites for over 40 years as they wandered in the wilderness, their clothing and footwear did not wear out over that time.  From a few fishes and loaves of bread He fed 5000.  God CAN and DOES provide, we must look to Him and let Him – but not tell Him how.  Frankly, those of us who have more are part of how He feeds those that are hungry.

As we need to evaluate our own needs and pare our wants down; we need to remember one of the first things the church was charged with: 

Acts 6:1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

As Christians we have turned our responsibility of taking care of the poor, the widows and the orphans to the state.  We often put them from our mind because the state has all these programs that they can apply for and receive aid.  It has become an unwieldy process rampant with mismanagement and abuse; and obviously not done as Christians would do it. 

I can remember listening to an Oregon Attorney General stating that the churches must step up and help government provide for the children in need – then went on to say, but they cannot preach to them.  We had a conversation about that afterwards.  He and I were of two different thoughts, he actually thought it would be better for all children to be placed in state institutions – taken from their parents – at an early age, 4-5 years, so they would be raised right and all their needs met.  To him, churches were no different than the Kiwanis, Lions or other civic organizations.

Many in government view us that way OR, as thorns in their sides to be bypassed, eliminated if possible and if not minimalized. 

We have accepted that mindset.  

In America, the Christian church has relinquished so much of its authority and responsibility to the state that we have allowed God to become a pariah.  It is no wonder even we as Christians are concerned that God can no longer take care of us; we have diminished Him down to a word; just a term, that has no power.  We have not had to depend on Him as many in other countries have learned to depend on Him.

More than one person has stated in adversity there is ability for God to work; because we must learn to depend on Him. 

Yes, the cost of living in America is going up and it could go up dramatically, but GOD really is here, He really does want us to become dependent on Him once again.  In His great love for us, this may be one of the ways He is bringing us back to Him and His commandments.     

The ultimate of all the needs we have are our spiritual needs.  They are, often times, the ones most neglected; and to Him, and what should be for us, the greatest and highest of all needs. 

Later Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again