Every farm has a shop. This is where everyone assembles at the beginning of the day. In the winter dad would bring the equipment in that needed repairing or updating. The shop had all the necessary tools and equipment to make the repairs throughout the year. My favorite tool was the acetylene torch. When a bolt could not be budged with a wrench, I was quick with the striker, lighting the cutting torch and off it came.

It was at the shop where the fuel was stored in large tanks. We would line up each morning to fuel up before going to the field. Some of the tractors and combines ran on diesel and some on butane. I remember in the hot summer we would take our water jugs and spray them down with butane. Butane is liquefied gas, so it freezes when it meets the air. We had instant ice water. This was just one of the many stupid things boys do on the farm…but it worked.

While we were waiting to fuel up, we would get the grease gun, (not an actual gun) go on the dirty adventure trip of finding and greasing all the grease fittings on the tractor and pieces of equipment. The equipment is heavy iron & steel; its movements create heat & friction. If not routinely greased there will be costly repairs and delays. It’s a dirty but necessary job.

The shop was also a place where we got to know each other. While we were getting ready for the day, we would visit, joke around, and maybe have a cup of coffee. Sometimes, if the field were close by, we would take our lunch inside the shop where it was cooler. This was my favorite part of the farm… but it only lasted a few minutes because nothing got planted, watered, cultivated or harvested in the shop. I remember my dad sounding like Gil Favor on Rawhide, “It’s time to get to the field.”

You know, the Farm Shop is a lot like church. My Spiritual Shop is FirstNLR (First Assembly of God, North Little Rock). This is where I go to get repaired from the wear and tear of life. Where caring Pastors, with Biblical Principles guide & counsel to restore value. Forever Free, a recovery ministry of FirstNLR is effectively returning men & women back into the community… the field.

I get fueled up each week through the Bible teachings of an incredible team of Pastors lead by Pastor Rod. This is high octane fuel from God’s Word, “The Guidebook For Living,” for everyday life. Systematically delving deep into God’s Word to make “Lifelong Followers of Jesus Christ.”

There are ample places to get greased up for the friction & heat of life through the Connection Classes, Iron Men and Bible Study Fellowship. I have learned that if I lather myself in the grease of His Word, life is much smoother.

And finally, the fellowship. Being together… getting to know each other… sharing, caring, and laughing is a basic need. It’s those few minutes that make the rest of a lonely day in the field tolerable. I can only imagine what it must have been like when Jesus and His guys (Disciples) gathered at the campfire in the early morning and at the end of the day. There were serious moments, but these were also men… and that means there would have been some humor. Maybe like the time one of the guys put a rubber snake on the truck seat of a man taking a nap in the shop. Just things guys do. Ya know, God does have a sense of humor.

While the shop is very important for farm & church work, it’s not the destination. Nothing gets planted, watered, cultivated, or harvested in the shop. While training, preparation & organizing is vital, it is the field where the crops are grown. Jesus told us in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Like my dad said, “It’s time to get to the field.”

Jesus has a assigned us our job (Jeremiah 29:11). Are you ready to go to the field?