Swales and Mounds

i have been a bit detached the last year, both technically and socially. Just been gardening, and helping others build their's.  i hope to share   more soon and catch up.  God Bless, ~antbrother

The Barn - Dun, Da, Da, Done

  Have you ever been faced with a task that at first became an positive opportunity and was soon revealed to be something completely different?  Maybe this task was more of a challenge than anticipated and something you had to stretch a bit, maybe a bit more... more, dig deep, and put yourself on the line to complete.  Despite all odds against you, people talking in one ear and matching that defeatist voice from within, you knew deep inside, i mean really Knew that you had to see it through even if it would cost you more in time, money and actual blood to finish what was started.  Yeah, me too.  Lol...  After a month on this "challenge" i am about a day away from finishing the work at hand and i have pulled off the job for a little bit to make billable hours and catch a bit of sanity and repose.

  When i started, i felt that "Finally" i was about to get a break and maybe not have to rely on the front yard garden for food - though that is not a bad thing (another lesson, another post perhaps), i had to step back, pause and regroup.  But each day has shown it's own path even if i happened to make plans for what might come of the day.  Man, and woman, make their plans and God directs their steps.  At first i was pretty thrown off, and understandably upset, though i know better than to open my mouth and let that out.  i learned to listen, observe, and most importantly to ask God what was going on, and what i should do.  He definitely directed my steps - mostly up and down a ladder a thousand times (so grateful Jesus is a Carpenter) - and He took care of me and provided just what i needed, just in time.  He also revealed to me the hearts of people, their motivation, and what was lying just underneath that thin facade, mostly rotten wood, hung nails, and no structure.  i would call this experience an eye opener in one respect and a faith builder, in a more important respect.  It also showed me that i was willing to give blood, sweat and tears for Jesus, and it certainly made me stronger Spiritually and physically. 
  It is a year of restoration for many of us - accept it and own it.  That means we have had to tear out the old, the rotten wood, the unbraced structure, the crooked and untrue and to tear it down to the bare structure at times so that we might rebuild on the solid foundation and set the Cornerstone, straight and true, perfectly plumb, so whatever we erect from this point forward is perfect.  It also means our eyes are open, our steps are directed, and we're not here as targets to be used any longer - accept that and own it.
  i just wanted to share that with whoever is still out there reading this blog and let them know to keep true to God, ask Him to direct your steps and you will be rewarded above and beyond material things.  He has your back, front, and sure footing even twenty feet up on a ladder in high winds.

Love and Blessings,

~ Anias (Chris, antbrother)

Building a Mystery - Welcome to My World ~ Ramble

300 climbs of a ladder per day build some strong legs with which to carry you.

i love reunions and catching up with old friends that have disappeared into the fray of the busy world around us.  Some have been separated from us for a time, and a purpose we often do not understand until we are reunited, others were always there, close to our hearts and minds and yet, The Lord has His purpose in separating us for a time as He needs, based on the divergent and unique path that each of us has been assigned to.  i had an awesome day today!!!  Awe inspiring and just humbling is the best i can describe.  i just got back from a three hour "chat" with my close friend Stephan. You remember the Deutsch Holzschnitzer, The Carpenator?  He's the one on the left.  Well, as i was walking back to the repair shop to pickup the new/old truck, Fury, that i was blessed with, i spotted his truck and trailer at a local Mexican restaurant. And The Lord said, "Stop by on your way back and say hello to your friend," ... Lol.   i did, and then we met again this evening and talked and talked and... reveled in the walk of the Spirit and shared much about the last five months that we have been apart.  i missed him, a real friend.  You see, we are at times separated for a reason as our time together has reached its conclusion, its purpose, and we are set on a new path of this amazing Spiritual walk, only to be reunited again and catch up on where we have been, what we have learned, and "What's Next?".  Such was the case with Stephan and i, as he is my Spiritual brother.  Although the outside circumstances may appear as if there was something between us, as a boss fires his apprentice, but the real reason was the unique purpose that God had in mind for each of us.  We had our time together and grew and learned from each other and it was time for him to awaken another sleeping soul and it was time for me to Simplify, Focus and Believe - and to learn some more stuff.

Drying work boots over bricks on oil heater. :)

  Stephan shared with me tonight that he had taught me all that he could and it was time for me to move on and to become that Journeyman, elevated from the apprentice and entrusted to handle my own jobs.  An important point that he emphasized was that i just don't need to question that i am capable of handling projects on my own accord.  This is a natural questioning when one is given greater responsibility.  Wise and experienced words from an equally wise and humble man.  So when you are faced with "fixing" or finishing some project in the wake of those that have come before with less pride, less anality (is that a word?) in what they produce, have confidence and let The Lord Jesus be the Carpenter and you be the hands and the feet.  :)

Speaking of feet, these cold, muddy days in the field have shown me a new way to warm and dry my boots after a long day in the muck.  The simple oil heater, like an old-timey radiator heater, heat the bricks that the boots dry on.  Wet feet in cold weather are not fun and also radiate through the rest of your body. 

Ok, so on to reunions.  Funny how 2013 has spawned a few more connections from friends of the past, some that i mistakely thought had written me off, or had been turned of by the Spiritual walk and talk.  But i was pleasantly surprised to find that they have had their own trials and tribulations and come through with a close relationship with Jesus.  i mean, what else really matters in this world and how else are we able to cope with all the world throws our way?  So i was very happy to re-connect with "said individuals", close friends of the past from my time in Atlanta.  i assumed wrong and will not do that again as it is not my place to judge others.

i think this synchronicity of multiple reunions is perfectly timed in each of our walks and acts as a catalyst to motivate us toward, "What's Next?".  And besides that fact, it just makes me smile and know that God is in control of all of it, all of what we experience through these seasons of our lives.  Man, i am wordy tonight, but i had a lot to say.

So, Building a Mystery, what is that all about?  i don't know specifically, that's why it is a mystery.  All i do know is that i have been led on an amazing journey over the last ten years, i have been re-educated, and learned much that is important toward these future times and know that when the time is right, this mystery will manifest itself.  i am just the hands and feet, i am now the journeyman, and i do not walk to the left or to the right, but i stay on the path and the course that has been laid in front of me - before the foundations of the world were established.  i do know one thing though.  i know the thoughts that The Lord has for me...

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 
  
Love and God Bless,

~ Anias 

"All The Worlds Problems Can Be Solved In A Garden."

Front yard from May 2012

Yes, that's right!!!  All, not just some, but All the worlds problems can be solved in a Garden.  i came across this quote from Geoff Lawton after watching all the possible permaculture and homesteading videos i could and reading many articles over the last year.  i felt a bit more equipped to be that "Gardener" that God has purposed me to be for Him.  So all that was left was to take a little action, do some ant stuff and gather, pile, plant, build, wear out another shovel, etc.  Here's a bit of what has come out of my understanding through this research and a glimpse of my future direction and drive.
  i don't need to give you a lengthy definition of permaculture but will suffice to say that it is a way of life... "permanent culture" or "permanent agriculture."  The three most notable people that i have researched are Sepp Holzer, Bill Mollison, and Geoff Lawton, and each has had a profound impact on how many people now view and work agriculture.  i equate it to a revelation that brings people back to the Garden of Eden, and an understanding that God can provide all our needs as we keep and tend the Garden for Him.  (Genesis 2:15)  Through observation of nature, repeated failures and some successes, we learn what works, how plant guilds/families can support each other, how to store energy/gather yields, and the natural cycle of inputs and outputs.   ... If you're an optimist...

Front yard Hugelkultur bed December 2012

  One of the initial aspects of permaculture i began working on is soil creation - start simple.  Being a landscaper, i have an abundance of yard wastes that i have composted over the last seven years.  If we consider a forest and how the soil is built up over the years and seasons of growth and die off we start to understand the natural process of the natural system free of any chemical or synthetic inputs.  Through using my yard "wastes" in composting, soil creation is accelerated just as in nature, and the soil health, with all the amazing micro-critters and worms, increases.  Healthy soil creates strong disease and pest-resistant plants.  A specific technique i have used unknowingly over the years is called HugelKultur.  It's like making a big soil lasagna using wood as a foundation.  As the wood decomposes, it creates a sponge that retains water and begins the amazing breakdown of organic matter and the increase in mycelium.  Here's an after pic of the front yard since May..and a close up of the bed.  i am also using a large root ball from a Dwarf Yaupon bush i removed from a landscape demolition.  This bush serves as a corner piece of this landscape bed.
  The bed that i am currently building up is also forming a swale to catch rain water, much like terracing on a slope.  As the swale retains water it allows the soil to slowly percolate the moisture into the surrounding beds and the downhill flow is gradual and consistent.  Here's a great description and graphic from Geoff Lawton on the benefits of on-contour swales.  Without slowing down the natural flow of water, it would merely run off and take many of the soil nutrients downstream, or in this case into the storm water system.  i will add a couple feet of soil over the top of the wood foundation, plant some raspberries, strawberries and blackberries and mulch the top.

  On another site, my landscape staging area, i began building a hedgerow out of brush and log cuttings over many years of work.  My next step on this property is to dig a swale on the uphill side of this pile and deposit the soil on top of the hedgerow to create a self watering planting mound.  Earlier in the year i also dug a swale on the upper gardening strip and i recently enlarged this swale to hold a greater volume of roof runoff.  i continue to buildup the soil with organic matter on the downhill slope to create the moisture retaining sponge.  Although the initial work required to establish these swales and systems takes a bit of effort, it will generate a self-sustaining garden, and a piece of "permanent agriculture" to produce fruits and produce for decades to come.
  So where is all this heading?  Abundance was my first thought.  The direction i am heading with this is to establish these working systems, food forests, plant guilds, etc. as an example of what can be done with permaculture.  In the past i have developed several local garden plans and designs for individuals and our small town of Amory, but this deeper lesson was not taken to heart, though the words and drawings were well accepted.  In essence, i have had to take action, and keep my words few, in order to better communicate this direction, drive and purpose/vision that i am so passionate about.  These foundational elements are merely scratching the surface of future potentials, but i do have to keep it simple, focus on what is before me, and believe and hope in this future.  i started composting seven years ago and have come full circle... back to composting, back to basics.
  Glad to be back and writing some.  i have the main website back online - look for more in the coming weeks... www.antbrotherfarms.com

Love and God Bless,

~ antbrother

New Seasons

Dual Blossoms

 Azalea- 12/31/2007 (Colored pencil)

 Medicine Stick and Strong Heart

 Strong Heart and Medicine Stick

Lord Bless Them and Keep Them!

And bring their Spirit of love and joy, kindness, their pure child-like nature, and compassion for the weak,  into the home where the dual blossoms are gifted.  Let your Angels share that love and heart in this home.
Thank You Father.  This i ask You In the Name of  Your Blessed Son Jesus (Yeshua).

Amen.

~ antbrother

977

What does it mean?   i was given this number over five years ago and had no idea of it's importance or timing.  i merely wrote the number down for keepsake and waited for the right time to start the countdown.  This sequence began when i began writing this blog and today is the day it has been revealed.

i received my answers in church tonight at the prison ministry.

Really great service tonight with the inmates and visitors and the regularly scheduled preacher was unable to attend so we received a great Word from one of the other preachers involved in this ministry work.  A good many of the testimonies we heard before the Word dealt with the loss of someone, recent deaths of a family member or friend. My adopted Grandma Burma died last Thursday and the funeral was yesterday.

The Word was dovetailed into those messages in a way that was uplifting and testified that through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us all, while we were yet sinners, He conquered death for our sakes.  It is a time to "Come Forth!" and not remain asleep in your grave though you profess to be saved.  It is a time to walk the walk that has been laid out for you before the foundations of the earth were established.  It is a time to go and share the Good News, not wasting time on those that are not willing or able to hear.  It is The time to be who you are in Jesus.

Mathew 27:50-54
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,  and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;  and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”


Today, right now, is your Day of Salvation.

Come Forth, 

~ Anias 

 

40 Miles on Empty - 973

 

God certainly knows how to empty and fill vessels - ours and our gas tanks', often.  In returning from the land where i grew up, God's country in northern Wisconsin, He tested my faith just south of St. Louis during the second leg of the return trip.  Having limited funds to make it home, He asked me again to let Him take the wheel and to trust that the gas gauge reading past Empty does not limit His ability.   So just south of St. Louis, MO i prayed and asked for strength to trust Him.  He answered that prayer, reminded me not to worry (Phil 4:6-7), and took me exactly where i needed to be, humbled, relying on Him, and to the next available gas station somewhere around mile marker 185.  

  From the start, the trip was blessed and i was able to see my daughter graduate and spend a few days with her.   There are really too many things to recount, and most people would dismiss these "coincidental events", but if you have the eyes to see and the ears to hear, He is evident in all things and all events.  i would love to share many details but i have to head back to the garden this morning.  Suffice to say, my way was paid, and i did stay longer than i had expected which was prophetic a week before i departed.  What else would you expect from a perfect God that gives you a Buick La Sabre (The Sword) to drive, and guides you 2400 miles from the south to the north and back along "The Avenue of the Saints" (Hwy 61)?  Lean on Him and watch Him empty you of the unwanted and inhibiting while filling you with the blessed things of the heart - love.

Love and God Bless,

~ antbrother

p.s.  We are certainly getting much closer to 977.  :)  Let's see what happens.

Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House - 959

Cleo's Summer Hangout

No, just one cat in the yard and she mostly lounges on the trampoline.  This old house is from the 1920's i'm told, and as with anything old, it tends to sag and creek and have a lot of history worth uncovering under the aged exterior.  One of the windows was covered over in the master bathroom and the first step was to locate it and the second to cut it out to let the light shine in.  More light and airflow through these older houses are a must and this includes the inside, attic and crawl spaces.  Just some helpful knowledge worthy of passing on as i open this old house up.
  i was offered another "rental" house that was a deal hard to pass up - free rent for a year while i pay the utilities and insurance.  They needed a care taker for the property and i had grown to know this family over the last couple years.  As much as i appreciated the offer and trust with their house, i thanked them and told them that God had already provided what i needed.  A blessing of a place with need of some tender loving care, a lot of scraping and painting, new flooring and several new doors.  i have a deep purpose here in this place and i view it as analogous to my walk of faith with Jesus.  This restoration manifesting in this old house has taken place in me, in my heart.  i was surely in need of some repair and some tender loving care and restoring through the Holy Spirit.
  i haven't written much in the last year and a half, partly due to technology challenges and partly due to my increased work load.  i had written much about my spiritual walk on my website and almost chronicled the process in word and drawing, in projects and ministry outreach.  The antbrotherfarms.com site has been dormant for a while and i hope to concentrate on getting it back up, while this house comes back up to being habitable.  i think that would be a good groundbreaking and reopening focus.

Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House

Joshua 24:15
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Love and God Bless You,

~ antbrother

He is Risen! - 906

If you're an optimist... - 864

Excerpt - Interview with Bill Mollison: Permaculture

Alan: Let's get back to permaculture. What's your current best definition of it?
Bill: You could say it's a rational man's approach to not shitting in his bed.
But if you're an optimist, you could say it's an attempt to actually create a Garden of Eden. Or, if you're a scientist, you could liken it to a miraculous wardrobe in which you can hang garments of any science or any art and find they're always harmonious with, and in relation to, that which is already hanging there. It's a framework that never ceases to move, but that will accept information from anywhere.
It's hard to get your mind around it - I can't. I guess I would know more about permaculture than most people, and I can't define it. It's multi-dimensional - chaos theory was inevitably involved in it from the beginning.
You see, if you're dealing with an assembly of biological systems, you can bring the things together, but you can't connect them. We don't have any power of creation - we have only the power of assembly. So you just stand there and watch things connect to each other, in some amazement actually. You start by doing something right, and you watch it get more right than you thought possible....


..."Then I sort of pulled out for a while in 1972 - I cut a hole in the bush, built a barn and a house and planted a garden - gave up on humanity. I was disgusted with the stupidity of the University, the research institutions, the whole thing.
When the idea of permaculture came to me, it was like a shift in the brain, and suddenly I couldn't write it down fast enough. Once you've said to yourself, "But I'm not using my physics in my house," or "I'm not using my ecology in my garden, I've never applied it to what I do," it's like something physical moves inside your brain. Suddenly you say, "If I did apply what I know to how I live, that would be miraculous!" Then the whole thing unrolls like one great carpet. Undo one knot, and the whole thing just rolls downhill."

Source - Complete Interview : http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC28/Mollison.htm

Additional Links / Research - Building your own Oasis
Permaculture in Austria with Sepp Holzer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHkFG21mtcI

Permaculture: A Quiet Revolution - An Interview with Bill Mollison
http://www.scottlondon.com/interviews/mollison.html

2,000 Year Old Food Forest in Morocco with Geoff Lawton
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=E5120F998378156892BA39C1F9AE5F45

7 Food Forests in 7 Minutes with Geoff Lawton
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=33B3A51230BB04745756E3E88DFA81FC


God Bless and Good Growing,

~ antbrother

Compassion - 845

We had a great church service tonight in the jail and there were a lot of testimonies.  Both the inmates and the visitors are going through many challenges in their lives and because this church family is so close knit, we bring those things to others as a witness to what God is doing in the situation.  Encouragement for one another, directed prayer, laying on of hands, and anointing with oil are the natural things that come forth when we are in one accord, and when our compassion for one another is greater than our own concerns.  This is a changed heart that many described and one that we shared with each other.  God changes our hearts from cold stone to soft flesh.  Compassion for others is a result. 

We now get to keep our eyes open to watch the great I AM change things for good. 



God Bless You,

~ ab

Go To The Ant - 844

Proverbs 6:6-8
Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.

Cocoons, Rocket Stove Research, and Other Natural Systems - 807.2011

Cocoons, now there is a natural system.  A system of rebirth, one of transformation from crawling to flying.  i wonder sometimes if the caterpillar ever gets depressed wondering if he will ever get out of this cocoon.  Do such thoughts ever enter into your mind or maybe that is just how we feel at times.  Will we ever get out of this constraining bondage, these closed in walls?  The cocoon as a natural system really doesn't care what the contents think or feel.  It is there, created by it's occupant to protect and sustain a process of transformation, a process of change, one that the caterpillar must go through and one we often have to go through ourselves.  The difficult time is in the bondage and times of walking through the valley.  Sure is quiet.  The time of rebirth and regeneration comes after one emerges from the cocoon.  Instead of crawling, it is a time to fly.  i also remember that we often create our own cocoons or walls in order to separate ourselves.  Time to ponder, reflect and hope for the future.
  One of the interests i have had over the years (pondering) is to research and learn the simpler ways, old technologies, time-tested methods, and this has sparked a renewed interest in researching additional pieces to a puzzle.  My love for good masonry and the fireplace as the hearth of the home lead me to find a European fireplace called a masonry heater.  Lately i've looked into simpler variations on this, something the common man may be able to build and afford.  The rocket mass heater surfaced and the many varieties of use were only as limited as the immense body of imagination out there.  Really amazing to see what people around the world are doing to survive and live with the basics, the inventive nature is very alive.  Several well outfitted, well financed examples of homesteading exist, but i have witnessed that many of the simplest solutions are the most elegant and easy to maintain. 
 i've had my head in various research on energy and natural systems, permaculture and wood gasification.  Real broad variety of sites and videos leads me to realize that there is a huge move in people to already be living a life different from where they once were and who they used to be.  There is a better way and a simpler life, within this beautiful creation, just open your eyes and watch it work, then borrow the beauty and truth of the natural system.  Permaculture is the best current description, with a pioneer Spirit guiding this new movement.
  There are the complex, expensive solutions, but my eye was always drawn back to naturally sustaining systems.  It was a real eye opener to see working examples of people helping the soil by rebuilding it and increasing the wormbed, organic matter, etc., the results are a whole host of changes in the natural system.  Grasses, weeds and trees find a fertile soil, birds and beneficial insects return, and what was initially planted takes a home in the naturalized landscape.  You help the soil and it returns the favor, ten to one hundred fold.  Creation of natural swales on a slope allow the rainwater to percolate into the layers as it drains into the hill rather than washing over it.  Building up the organic matter on these hills creates vistas of planting beds and the water allows the process of garden making to begin.  Makes me want to dig more, continue growing the compost and organic base.
  Beyond the land i am also looking back into a greenhouse that will morph out of and into some type of structure.  i've always seen this garden house as a hybrid of multiple natural systems and technologies and there may be one possible outlet to actually build something now that the idea is pretty ripe.

There is an amazing garden in a couple places that show what is possible with a little property and an insanity and love of growing, innovating, and making a whole lot out of a small lot.

One great example is from my hometown, Milwaukee, WI .  Growing Power 
Will Allen, Founder of Growing Power 

Path to Freedom Urban Homestead - Pasadena, CA

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and May God Bless You and Your Family,

love,  ~ antbrother

The Ways of The White Man - 757.1

  Once I was in Victoria, and I saw a very large house.  They told me it was a bank, and that the white men place their money there to be taken care of, and that by and by they got it back, with interest.
  We are Indians, and we have no such bank; but when we have plenty of money or blankets, we give them away to other chiefs and people, and by and by they return them, with interest, and our hearts feel good.  Our way of giving is our bank.

Maquinna

Nootka Chief

 Native American Wisdom

The Solution to the Economic Collapse - Oasis 11.11.11 - 757

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
      That there may be food in My house,
      And try Me now in this,”
      Says the LORD of hosts,

      “ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
      And pour out for you such blessing
      That there will not be room enough to receive it.
       “ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
      So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
      Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
      Says the LORD of hosts;
       And all nations will call you blessed,
      For you will be a delightful land,”
      Says the LORD of hosts.

~ Malachi 3:10-12

The Season of Building and Planting - 750

These are pretty amazing times that we are living through.

  The last month has held additional changes and challenges and has made me focus back to past directions as to why i am where i am.  i had gone through much paper work, cleaning and making room while organizing the new tree house space, and i came across a birthday card my Mother has sent me last year.  She went to heaven this year and memories of her bring a smile, a tear, and continue to motivate me in walking this path in which God has placed me.


"Just Think.
You're here not by chance,
But by God's choosing.

His hand formed you and made you the person you are.
He compares you to no one else - You are one of a kind.
You lack nothing that His Grace can't give you.
He has allowed you to be here at this time in history
To fulfill His special purpose for this generation."
How thankful I am that He has allowed me to be here at the same time you are!"

The rest of the card is for me alone - thanks Mom, Much love to you too.

  This morning i was making the staple peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch and i had some Proverbs time which always provides the spiritual food for consideration during the day.  Today's message goes directly with this season of building and planting.

Proverbs 31:8-9
Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

...and as it is said of wisdom...

20
She extends her hands to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.


  Just what is needed in this time of upheavel and those changes that were part of the past campaign promises.  Unfortunately words cannot adequately describe the motivation that i've received in answer to prayer to keep me focused on His work.  As i've written a couple times, it is a season of building and planting for me and manifesting those things that have been put in my heart and mind.  i have fortunately been working with Stephan and enjoying the construction projects and hands on, as he too allows me the trust to take responsibility on more work. 
  One of the current jobs over the last month is a residence in Tupelo, MS that needed a solution for water problems in the basement.  The solution was excavating the foundation walls to the footings and installing drainage pipe and gravel fill.  The house also was never waterproofed at the foundation so i was awarded that messy  tar job...lol... see more trust to mop the right way and fill every single pore in that foundation wall.  The dirt had to be hauled out in five gallon buckets and the gravel had to hauled in with the same.  We have since moved inside and completed hardwood floors in the entire house, new trim, mirrors and base, as well as fixing a couple rotted thresholds.  The last part of this project brought us to the basement for tile work and new tile base.  It has been a great experience here and with a great variety of work.
  The next building and planting i am focusing on is how this experience can be used toward the prison ministry efforts.  i believe it is integral to helping both the poor and needy and teaching the paroles through building and planting.  We are beginning to search on a possible halfway house location near the Clay county jail and are beginning to talk to the county about this.  This is a natural extension of how to use those gifts for others and to reach out in that manner, one of action followed by words. 

  i'm off to check the garden and enjoy the sun shooting through the fog on  this beautiful day.  God Bless and Love as always,

~ antbrother

Behold, I Make All Things New - 717

Revelation 21:5-8

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”  And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. ⁷ He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.  But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”


  Nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make an old front door new.  i know that is a light-hearted comment to a scripture telling us of salvation and condemnation.  It is what it is. Open your ears.  Ideas and visions are flowing lately, that designers mind, creators mind is busy filling up notebooks again but we have several new tools to use during this season.  My humble abode definitely needs some attention and work but that just makes sense as this is a time for new thoughts and directions and for putting into action those things that have been placed in our hearts and at our feet.  For me, having taken on work with The Carpenator, this season is one of building and planting.  The ant has gathered supplies and scraps, throwaways and roadside trash to some, but "Behold, I make all things new."  Time to use what has been given to us.

  Part of the scrapping efforts have been collecting old hand tools and old kitchen utensils - no power needed.  i happened to stop by an estate sale Saturday and received a real blessing of several old saws, hammers, wrenches, etc., etc., some real deep boxes of what i remember seeing in old-timers shops.  i had been needing to get a hand saw for some new projects and knew that typically the older, "Made in the U.S." tools were of better quality than anything you can buy now, so i kept an antennae out.  Four boxes for about $10 a box and all i need is some mineral oil and steel wool to clean up the gift.  Thanks Father.  Another interesting piece, that i traded out for some work with one of my grandmas, is a Root & Heath Co. corn sheller.  i'll have wait till next seasons harvest to be able to try this one out.

Continued prayers to all in this coming time of change.  Listen to your heart and look at what has been placed at your feet, all blessings.

Love,

~ antbrother

The Carpenator - 708

My boss has taken on the title of "The Carpenator", as an adaptation of The Terminator genre toward his work in construction.  It's a determination mindset in regards to work and the jobs, strong work ethic and pride of work.  You have to have a sense of humor when you're replacing a rotten roof on top of the elevator equipment room of a 1926 building.  Seventy feet up has a nice breeze and a great view, one thing i love about working with my friend again.  The German and the Polish are back together - guess i'm the side kick and Stephan is The Carpenator... lol....  i'm the ant.
  After moving most of my lifelong possessions this year for work and home, i have consolidated, simplified and began a new focus in building and planting from what i have been given.  Still from scraps, but look what is possible with a bunch of leftovers.

  More forthcoming...  an update from the weedbed, i mean garden.

Love and Blessings,

~ antbrother

The Worker / The Warrior - 694

2 Timothy 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Indian Steel - Sorghastrum nutans

  There has been a bit of a drought on words here and on my main website this year, though the messages and work at hand have only multiplied over this year of changes.  i have many fronts to update on but will keep it simple and direct - the truth does not take many words though i will surely ramble on in a GoOD way.
  i have been moved into place as is typical with the children of God at this time.  We are positioned and enabled to do His work as the main spiritual preparation is complete and the Lord is now maturing us in His Ways - continually teaching His children.  You may have been relocated this year, through displacement or other factors, and you have been taught though this process why you are here and Who you serve - you now know your purpose and path.  Along the way we have all experienced the difference and separation between the sheep and goats and have learned to ask God in everything by prayer - just to make sure we stay on the path through His leading.  Who wants to be head butted by a goat anyway?  Do you really trust your own judgement and decisions in this time of upheaval?
  My heart wants to share so many things right now, but i will simply send it out in prayer and focus on the issue of working for the Lord through the Way of the Spiritual Warrior.  The nice clump of Indian Steel grass is an excellent example of what God can do and has done in us and through us.  This grass is one of many throw away plants that i have picked up on the side of the road (someone else's trash) and nurtured and planted in order to be restored to it's true beauty - an original prairie grass of North America.  That is what God did with me. He changed me from the dead clump of dried grass laying on the side of the road, and He planted me in Amory and fed me with His Word - He restores us to our true purpose.  i just love the way He works.

Herb Garden expansion

  This year i have been moved out of my apartment and into a "tree house" and the old office space has been taken over by a future retailer so there has been some definite consolidation between home, garden and office.  i have also been moved outside and have been nudged further toward being able to use what is at hand by scrapping, planting and building - firepit, root cellar.  i have a surplus of wood scraps and a healthy pile of bricks started, as well as doors, windows, shutters and scrap steel.  Healthy eating has been an integral part of this restoration as well and, in addition to growing organic food and herbs, i have also begun brewing my own organic kombucha tea.  This has really felt like an urban homesteading process and i know it will continue to be a more prominent focus as resources are taken away or become unusable.  Work continues in my landscaping and i am in full weeding mode on the gardens to get the fall crop planted.  The daily job has changed recently from working in the furniture frame plant to being back with my German friend doing carpentry and cabinet work.  The journeyman has been maturing with more hands on work.  My technical drawing has also been put to use recently.  The rebuilding and planning taking place in Smithville, MS (post EF-5 tornado that eliminated the town) has spurred me on to refocus on the community gardens i am slowly growing for Amory.  As markets crash, currency defaults, and industries struggle, the urban farmer and homesteader will be the real answer to survival, real sustainability and restoration.  We are to become an Oasis for others in Word and deed.
  Praying has been my foundation and has strengthened my relationship with Jesus in a profound way - a very personal, intimate connection and oneness is present daily.  The more time i spend in reading the Bible and in prayer, the closer we have become.  Jesus has been and is my refuge and peace within while He moves me through this landscape, teaching me and leading me to help others.  i look forward to each day and anticipate the full indwelling of the Holy Spirit coming forth for all of God's children.

Love and Blessings,

~antbrother

Working on the website link and information on the herbs i grow.

Genesis 1:29
And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.

The Ways of the Heart - 645

  My friends, how desperately do we need to be loved and to love.  When Christ said that man does not live by bread along, he spoke of a hunger.  This hunger was not the hunger of the body.  It was not the hunger for bread.  He spoke of a hunger that begins deep down in the very depths of our being.  He spoke of a need as vital as breath.  He spoke of our hunger for love.
  Love is something you and i must have.  We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it.  We must have it because without it we become weak and faint.  Without love our self-esteem weakens.  Without it our courage fails.  Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world.  We turn inward and begin to feed upon our own personalities, and little by little we destroy ourselves.
  With it we are creative.  With it we march tirelessly.  With it, and with it alone, we are able to sacrifice for others.

     Chief Dan George