Work - Blackberry Wisdom

Plant Based Diet – Greenhouse

on Sunday, March 31, 2019

I have enjoyed the new foods I have found and eaten on my plant based diet. I do like a good variety of fruits and vegetables. The only thing that will make me feel better about my plant based diet will be to eat the fresh fruits and vegetables from my own garden.

So to increase my possibilities of fresh veggies that I know are grown organically, I built my own greenhouse.

This rest of this post is to show some of the stages on how we built the greenhouse. I want to thank a few folks who helped make this dream a reality. My dad helped me more than anyone and worked tirelessly with me till it was finished. My son helped weld the cattle panels. And lastly I got the inspiration and blueprints from TexasPrepper2.

We started with a 2″x8″ foundation that is 16’x7′

The framework is made of 4’x16′ cattle panels

My son welded the 4 cattle panels together and then we stapled them to the 2x8s. I also have some rebar drove in the ground and attached to the 2×8 for stability.

We started our wooden framing with a window on the south wall and a door on the north. Notice we also have wood chips down so we can work without getting so muddy.

The trench for both water and electricity in the greenhouse.

All ready for the plastic! The edge of the cattle panels we cut a used water hose to be sure the plastic doesn’t get caught on the wire and tear.

Finished product! My dad and I spent over 12 hours building this greenhouse, and it ain’t perfect but it sure will suit my needs!!

Wisdom

When is a boy a man? Part 2

on Sunday, September 21, 2014

My last post covered Part 1 of what it means to be a man which was to accept responsibility for a will to obey.

1. Accept RESPONSIBILITY for a Will to Obey

The first thing to know is that as a man there are responsibilities we must accept. The first responsibility is for a will to obey.

The second quality of a man is to accept responsibility for a work to do

2. Accept RESPONSIBILITY for a Work to Do

When God placed man on earth He told Adam to work the land. Genesis 2:15 says that God took Adam to the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it. Adam had work to do! But it was not hard for Adam, it was a pleasure to tend to the garden the God had given him.

But when sin entered earth in Genesis 3, work that was such a pleasure became labor. It became hard. Work was not as pleasing then, but it had to be done.

Fast forward to today. Work is still needed, but it is not always fun or a pleasure. But as men of this earth, we were commanded to work by God.

How do we work today? What kind of work should we do?

I believe there are four places we should contribute to with our work.

Home

First as men we are responsible for the spiritual, mental and physical health of our home and family. It does not mean we cannot share some of the burdens with our wife and kids, but at the end of the day – the man is responsible as the head of the household.

Church

Men should be responsible for using our Spiritual Gifts to serve others in the church and to glorify God. I believe that by the time a boy is in high school, God has already given him his Spiritual Gifts if he is saved. You will not be given any of these Spiritual Gifts until you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and trust Him with your life.

Spiritual Gifts are mentioned primarily in three locations in the Bible: Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; and 1 Corinthians 12:28.

Job

In today’s economy I know it is sometimes tough to find a job, but as a man we are responsible for a steady job to pay for our expenses and be a witness for Jesus while there. As the leader of a family we are also responsible for income of the family.

Community

As a man I believe we are responsible for making a positive contribution in our community. Either as a school volunteer, youth sports coach, or community clean up, we need to make positive investments into the community where we live.

Positive Attitude Wisdom

Good to Great: look #1 into John Grigsby

on Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Good ————— > Great

Following up from my testimony post, I wanted to share other factors that make me the quirky guy that I am.

As far as I know, I grew up a pretty normal kid. I don’t remember anything that made my childhood either extraordinary or lacking. Nor do I remember being driven by any strong goals or passions. Just a simple country way of life with the same struggles most families had in the late 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s.

Let me describe a few events and seasons that I feel have shaped me to wanting my life to be counted as more than just good:

Army – I think my time in the Army did something to me I have never had in my life – it instilled in me a passion to be the best.

I think it started in basic training. I graduated with a full battalion of Infantry men with the 10th Mountain Division in Ft Benning, Georgia. Through basic I feel I did by best, and found most of the tests to be well within my physical abilities. At graduation I realized my scores were at the top of my company, but I was not selected as the top soldier. My best friend won the top prize and I was glad for him, but just wondered what more I needed to do. How much of what I thought was great was only really good. Through much contemplation I realized that although I met the physical requirements, I was not very outgoing and brought no positive attention to myself. So I set out to slowly correct those.

Other training and trials in the Army drove me to realize that I liked the feeling of being the best. Subconsciously I started striving to be the best in all my endeavours. I wanted to be the best mortar gunner, on the best squad in the best company of our battalion. I just felt a drive to be the best. I don’t recall a specific instance that developed my drive, but I think it was a gradual setting of my expectations by dialing in the passions I had deep down in my heart.

When I think of great soldiers I think of my buddy Wes who was that guy that did win the top soldier award at our basic training ceremony. Wes’ dad Jim and mom Brenda were Army veterans, and they set an example for Wes to follow when it came to Army life. Wes just sort of knew what to expect in the Army and it gave him confidence. He also was a go getter and would do the hard things that others would not – and that separated him in a good way.

I also think of my platoon leader Sergeant Charles Lewis. When we went active in the 10th Mountain he was one of the seasoned veterans they assigned to us for leadership. SSG Lewis had combat experience so he would always give us insights to things we had no way of knowing or learning through exercise. He loved his job and wanted us to have that same passion.

Lastly I think of the guys who went through Airborne School with us. Going through such an intense elite school as the US Army Airborne school you see men and women who are dedicated physically and mentally to their assigned complex tasks. It takes courage and determination to be Airborne qualified, and those who successfully complete the course have unparalleled confidence in their ability to overcome any challenge.

After three years of active duty service I left the Army as an E5 Sergeant. I was proud of the accomplishments I had made and the quick rank I achieved. I felt when I left there were very few things in life that I could not accomplish if I put my mind to it!

College – In my second attempt at college (after my Army service) I found school work to be much easier. I worked at the community college in which I attended as a work-study student in the Information Services department, so my instructors knew me as a student but also someone who could help them. I found myself wanting to have just as good a relationship with my instructors, as I was a good student. Combining these two disciplines really made my time at college fun, rewarding and educational!

Work – When I started to work I found myself wanting to be the best at any position I held. Whenever I came into a new job I found out who the go-to guy was, and then I set out to be better than them. Not in a way of competition, but in a way to find out where to set the bar for my expectations.

Usually my jobs that have required me to be good technically and even better with customer relations. I have enjoyed the technical aspects of my jobs, but even more so enjoy the ability to help people and solve problems with the skills I have.

I read in the Bible where it calls us to be great at whatever we do. The Lord is just not pleased with our good works, He wants us to reflect Himself with great works!

There is none like You, O Lord ; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Jeremiah 10:6

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. John 14:12

Bible Positive Attitude Wisdom

Are you heartily at work?

on Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men – Colossians 3:23

Before sin came to our world there was work. Did you ever think of that?

In Genesis 2:15 we see that God put man in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. This means that gathering fruit and vegetables was work, but in a good way. Imagine loving to do work! It brought Adam joy, food for life and a sense of accomplishment.

Then when sin came along that same work became toilsome. In Genesis 3:17-19 God said that the ground then would produce thorns and thistles. You know what they are – competition for healthy plants. God also said that work then would cause us to sweat and make us exert a lot of effort. Sometimes work is physically hard and sometimes it is just mentally draining.

Most people in our American society look at work as something that is hard and a duty they don’t look forward to. Commercials, TV shows and movies all give work a bad name. But we should realize that God created us for work, and by realizing that is part of our human design accept work as a way of glorifying God!

In Colossians 3:23 we are instructed to work heartily – just as if working for the Lord instead of humans. To work heartily means with all your heart, to work genuinely, sincerely and warmly. Is there anything in your life you do this way? I know of people with a commitment to a team or cause with this kind of zeal, but not usually to work. If you think of it, the matter comes down to a heart issue. I think we need to work from our heart just as we love, play, sing or dance.

So when you work in retail you are obviously serving a customer, but you are also working to please God. If your job is to make widgets, then make them as if God paid you. At staff meetings, sales conferences, deliveries and while answering the phone see to it that you are pleasing God with your efforts. If mowing, cleaning, chores and the like is your thing – then do them all in a way that would be pleasing to God!

One of my favorite quotes gives a great description of what somebody looks like who is working heartily:

The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both. – James A. Michener

So – how heartily are you at your work today?

Bible Positive Attitude Wisdom

Yes, Work is good

on Monday, November 4, 2013

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters

Colossians 3:23

Before sin came to our world there was work. Did you ever realize that?

In Genesis 2:15 we read that God put man in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. I think God intended Adam to gather fruit and vegetables daily to provide for nutritional needs. Harvesting was work, but in a good way. Imagine loving to do work! Work brought Adam joy, food for life and a sense of accomplishment.

Then we see that when sin came along that same work became toilsome. In Genesis 3:17-19 God said that the ground then would produce thorns and thistles – competition in several ways for healthy plants. God also said that work then would cause us to sweat – to make us give a lot of effort. Those same fruits and vegetables now became more difficult to harvest because of the weeds choked them out.

Most people in our lifetime look at work as something that is hard and a duty they don’t look forward to doing. Commercials, TV shows and movies all give work a bad name. But we should realize that God created us for work, and by realizing that is part of our human design accept work as a way of glorifying God! Work is another way to worship God!

So if you work in retail you are serving a customer, but you are working to please God – that’s how He designed you. If you stack, ship, move or manage for a living – do your tasks to please God. If your job is to make widgets, then make them as if God paid you. If mowing, cleaning, chores and the like is your thing – do them all to be pleasing God!

Below is one of my favorite quotes that gives a great description of what somebody looks like that loves working and is bringing glory to God.

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.”

James A. Michener

Tag Archives: Work

Plant Based Diet – Greenhouse

Like this:

When is a boy a man? Part 2

1. Accept RESPONSIBILITY for a Will to Obey

2. Accept RESPONSIBILITY for a Work to Do