"CHOOSE THE LIVING" BY SHANE BARBER

Choices.....Here's to all the ag guys out there that have walked out of a season of cold, grey, sick, unrelenting winter....and wake to another morning of choices.
As I looked at the sunset and the smartphone time that said 9PM was coming soon, I had but a few quick chores before supper (mine..my family had to eat or suffer the never ending "wait till dad gets home" trauma). The chores were pretty straightforward: make and feed a bottle to a sick calf who was starving and suffering, and put another calf out of his misery because he wasn't going to win the battle. As my mind calculated the steps in the tasks, I asked myself, "Which one do I do first?" I knew it mattered little because the chances were very slim that one might be left undone, but philosophically : which comes first?.....the comfort of food to something living....or the humane act to a suffering creature.

The gravity in this question lies not in the answer, but in the reality that my brothers and sisters in the ag industry have had to make these kind of choices...and press forward each day. Sometimes it would help if there were a way to answer these questions and smooth the tiny crack that gets created in your heart, when you know you did your best, but you know it wasn't even close to enough. When you know it's not your fault, but you know things could have been different. When you're tough enough to handle it, but you're not sure if you can handle much more of it. 

The choice is made....The bottle....then the bullet. The calf gets some food and gains the hope of another day...and warmer weather...and I move on to finish task number two.

I arrive at the suffering calf to find my task already done. I'm too late. He's already gone....

Friends.....it's been a long season. You've been through a tough one....and spring is starting to break. You've got many choices ahead, but when it comes to the toughest ones...

Choose the living before the dead! You may have to walk through the hard and the impossible, but the life around you will continue to grow, and the death only decays. There is a time for both, but choose the living stuff first.

Update on Moisture

Just an update on the moisture situation here at the ranch. Even with the good moisture that we received in the past months, the evidence is obvious how dry our area was and is. Most of the water continues to go down rather than runoff. We believe the grass and hay situation will be much improved over last year... but this area still remains dry. Our hopes for more runoff into the Big Dam did not come to pass since so much soaked in. The rain that came this past few days resulted in .20" here. Please continue to pray with us that the water levels be replenished. It has been a long dry spell

CRANKY OLD MAN

SUCH A GOOD REMINDER
The poem itself has a long and obscure history. The original version featured an old woman rather than an old man and is sometimes attributed to English nurse Phyllis McCormack who reportedly penned it in the 1960's. The "old man" version of the poem was apparently adapted from the original by David L. Griffith of Texas and can be seen in its original context on the poet's website

What do you see? . . .. . .What do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you're looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . ... . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . .'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . ... lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking?. .Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse .you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .. ...Babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future ... . . . . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . And the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel.
It's jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. .... . ME!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON


"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON!"
We won't make too big of a deal about this, as that would not be in Danny's style. However Robin and I wish to make it known, how grateful we are to be Danny's parents. We so appreciate his unselfish willingness to make a difference in people's lives. And we love seeing growth in him. We are proud of you young man. May God abundantly bless you.

EASTER DINNER

We enjoyed this very special day with a special lady. Grandma Ellen Paulton invited the Reinhold family to her house for dinner... and a fine meal it was. We paused to take a pic before we left. We drove in rain all the way home from Hot Springs. We were surprised by how much rain we had received here on the Lonetree Ranch.... measured .62" of rain. Water continues to flow. :)... and grass is beginning to grow.

Facebook Post and comments from April 2019

Chuck Loftis Let the Man of God point out the worldliness in the local church and he is called a legalist; judgmental; a Pharisee. Let the Man of God be intolerant of sin in his church and his congregants flee to another church that preaches a cheap grace. Let the Man of God call for corporate prayer and fasting; instruct his church in how Jesus taught us to pray; hold weekly prayer meetings and he and the vast minority will remain quite lonely. Schedule a concert; host a comedian; throw a congregational party of some sort - with food, of course - and the building is packed. This is a.k.a., "How to increase your church attendance in the 21st Century."

  • Larry Robin Reinhold Wow Chuck... This nails it. We will be in prayer for you and your congregation today.

  • Chuck Loftis thanks a million! We've got a faithful bunch who call this congregation "home."

  • Denzel NonhofI have had many opportunities to visit various churches over the years, and I agree with you. Churches which will do almost anything to get the butts in the pews may be forgetting that it is the power of prayer and the dedication and witness of those in that church which is truly important. There is nothing as powerful for witness as a life transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

    Jim Petty also commented

    ...The organized CHURCH...has become benign...as STRONGLY evidenced by the moral and ethical decline in America!! Let us invite and allow the LORD JESUS to be the True Head of His 'church'...and, the Corporate Churches' throughout America!! The mandates and ideals of "man" are futile...and will ONE DAY BE JUDGED GUILTY!! So Sorry it is necessary, to make this comment...yet, it is TRUE!

Robin and I Invite You...

I was struck by the thought of resemblance of the beautiful moon in the night sky and the open tomb that remained after Christ's resurrection. Jesus death provided hope of salvation and the open tomb was proof that the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God was sufficient. The empty tomb is truly a light in the darkness.

***

JESUS DID NOT STAY DEAD... AND HE IS ALIVE TODAY.

***

If you have not turned to Jesus Christ for the hope of eternal salvation, Robin and I would encourage you to do so today.

***

GOD LOVES YOU

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

(John 3:16)

GOD HAS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

(John 10:10b)

BECAUSE OF OUR SIN WE ARE SEPARATED FROM GOD

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

(Romans 3:23)

THE PENALTY FOR OUR SIN IS DEATH

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Romans 6:23)

THE PENALTY FOR OUR SIN WAS PAID FOR BY JESUS CHRIST

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:8)

IF WE REPENT OF OUR SIN, THEN CONFESS AND TRUST JESUS CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR WE WILL BE SAVED FROM OUR SINS.

For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

(Romans 10:13)

...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

(Romans 10:9,10)

MY DAD AND SWIFT


This photo is Tige Reinhold on the Lonetree Ranch around 60 years ago. I love the bright color of this image taken from a 35 mm color slide. The horse's name is Swift. Pretty typical of the saddle horse of that day. Dad broke a lot of horses. Several of the Reinhold brothers had quite the reputations with horses. Except Carl, the oldest son of Emanuel and Hazel Reinhold, (my uncle) He told me that he lost his love for riding because in those early days there were no fences and when it was time to get the milch cows in...He would at times ride nearly to Elk Creek at times. That was six miles away... :) Carl, Uncle Dick, as I knew him was known to be quite a story teller. :) Earl (Tom) and my Dad (Tige) were probably the cowboys. To make a good horse...you rode. "Wet saddle blankets make good horses," Dad would say.

Lonetree Ranch
14666 Lonetree Road
Sturgis, South Dakota 57785

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