The Farm Paparazzi

I hope all you dads out there had a great Father’s Day! I certainly have one of the best.

I’m one of those incredibly blessed people who didn’t realize how incredibly blessed she was growing up. I definitely took my childhood for granted.

I took for granted that I had a loving mom and dad (who just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary this year!).

I took for granted that my parents were able to work together at home and were always around.

I took for granted that there were horses everywhere and I could ride anytime I wanted. Every little girls dream, right?

I took this view for granted. Chugwater is a lot of things, but ugly is not one of them.

I took for granted that my grandma lived right down the driveway and that I was able to spend every summer with my grandpa.

I took for granted that my parents are the best kind of people. They loved and cared for my brothers and I.

They didn’t push us to be someone we’re not, but expected us to be the best people God called us to be. They taught us about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They modeled faith, strength, kindness, dedication, independence, hard work, humility, selflessness, honesty and integrity.

I could ramble on and on about my parents. About the giving, compassionate, strong woman my mother is.

About the humble, courageous, smart and funny man my dad is.

But, I think the best testament to their character is that they raised kids who were ABLE to take our childhood for granted.

Instead of worrying, we were dreaming. Instead of crying, we were laughing. Instead of feeling lost, we were covered in warm embraces. My heart overflows with gratitude.

God Bless You and American Agriculture,

Liz

If you just read this post and thought, “that’s not even close to my experience growing up,” please don’t feel downhearted. Even if you had bad examples in your parents on earth, there is a Heavenly Father who is more than enough. He can fill your every need and you can lean on Him to be everything your human parents couldn’t be. To learn more, please visit http://www.sbc.net/knowjesus/theplan.asp, http://www.klove.com/ministry/why-jesus.aspx, http://rickwarren.org/know-god or read the Bible for free at http://www.biblegateway.com/.

I stared at the computer screen in disbelief. I must not understand. There has to be a mistake. She just e-mailed me a few days ago. A life so vibrant, vivacious and so admired couldn’t be suddenly gone.

But she was gone and whatever I’d gotten online to do, suddenly didn’t matter.

Tracy Alger

It’s strange to think that I received all the news of my friend Tracy‘s death on Facebook. In our social-media-infused lives her “wall” became a tribute to the amazing daughter, sister, friend, wife and mother she was. Friends and family shared stories, photos, memories and grief together. Funeral arrangements were announced, a memorial fund for her children was set up, a photo-book was created and everyone came together to reflect on this life that brought so much joy and did so much good.

Tracy loved being a mom. Send donations to the Tracy Alger Memorial Fund for Children’s Future: Harness Funeral Home, 351 N. Adams, Buffalo, WY 82834.

Although Tracy and I were just friendly acquaintances, I truly admired her and always looked forward to seeing her. We worked together one summer on the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and we were involved together in Wyoming CattleWomen. She was the person who always got things done. She was no nonsense when it was go time, and she was full of sharp wit and a big smile when it was time to play. We were pretty close in age (she was only 35) and had a lot of the same interests and a similar perspective on life. I had a lot of respect for her and thought we’d have fun getting to know each other better in years to come. Now we won’t have those opportunities.

The week after her death and before her funeral, I scrolled through Tracy’s wall daily. Reading the thoughts her loved ones posted helped console me. But as I read through all the lovely memories and comments, one question was left unanswered, “Is she a Christian?”

It was one of my first thoughts when I learned about her death and I’ve given it a lot of thought over the past two weeks. Was she saved? Will I get to see her again in heaven? I shed a lot of tears over the loss of such a wonderful woman and I shed a lot of those tears because I didn’t know if she knew Christ.

As I sat in that funeral surrounded by a lot of other young people who knew and loved Tracy, I felt such a heaviness in my heart. The heaviness of not knowing. The burden of wondering if God placed me in her life to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ and wondering if I ignored the opportunity.

Then the pastor’s words rang out. Tracy believed Jesus was her Lord and Savior. As the preacher explained the truth that Tracy knew, the tears flowed harder, but this time they were a mix of sadness and joy. Sadness at her loss. Joy for her new life in heaven.

Friends, here’s the thing. I don’t ever want to wonder again. I don’t want to read an obituary of a loved one and ask myself if they were saved. I don’t want to miss out on telling you the wonderful truth about Jesus.

So, I’d like to ask you; Do you know Jesus? Do you know what He did for you and what He offers you now? If you do, I praise God for that! If you don’t, will you please listen while I tell you?

It doesn’t take much for us to realize how broken the world is. Just turn on the news and you’ll hear heartbreak after devastating heartbreak. That’s because we live in a fallen world full of sin.

Heaven, on the other hand, is a completely perfect place. There is no sin, sickness, sorrow, hurt or turmoil. It is filled with joy, hope, peace and love. God couldn’t let sinful people (and I’m not judging; we are all sinful people) into this perfect, spotless place. But, God loves you and me so much and he wants us so badly to live in eternal glory with him.

So, he paid the ultimate price and sent his one and only son, Jesus Christ, to take on our sin. Jesus became flesh, lived a perfect life and taught us the right way to live. Even though he was guiltless, He willingly died for you and for me.

Then Jesus, being the Son of God, did the impossible. He conquered death. He rose again and ascended into heaven. God lives!

He paid this terrible price for us and He offers us forgiveness for our sins. We can’t earn forgiveness through good works, it’s a free gift only He can give. And He gives us this awesome gift if we believe in Him and ask for His grace and forgiveness. If we have faith that Jesus is the one, true, son of God, then we are assured salvation. We have the hope of eternity in heaven. We have power over death.

If you want to accept Jesus as your Savior, if you want to follow Him and have hope for tomorrow, you can simply ask Him for it. There aren’t any right or wrong words, but you can say something like this:

Whether you say a prayer of salvation right now, or not, you can learn more about God’s awesome gifts and promises here:

• http://www.rickwarren.org/know-god
• http://www.sbc.net/knowjesus/theplan.asp
• Read the Bible for free at http://www.biblegateway.com

Or I’d be happy to talk to you about my personal journey with Jesus as my savior and pray with you about your decision. I’m not a theologian or a Biblical scholar. I’m not here to judge or condemn. I’m just a believer who messes up a lot. But, I believe and I have the blessed assurance that, through Jesus, I’ll make it home to heaven when my time comes.

Tracy left a big hole when she left because she lived a great life, but for me, she also left behind a lot of hope. She believed and now she is experiencing an indescribable, wondrous, amazing life in heaven.

Goodbye, for now, Tracy.

God Bless You & American Agriculture,

Liz