Rhonda Brooks

@BethMooreLPM Thank you!

Good morning, Loved of God. He will give you everything you need today. Practice your faith. Reject dread. Overlook offense. Choose joy. Take courage and be kind.

@BethMooreLPM Amen and amen.

I share this post in earnest and (what may prove a naive) hope that a few people caught in the situation I’m about to describe will hear instead of rushing to the usual tropes, criticisms and caricatures. For what it’s worth, I offer this in good faith. Between 2016 and 2022, I faced a test of the genuineness of my faith so large and consequential, I’m almost at a loss to think of the right adjectives to describe it. It might not have been so big to someone else but it involved so much of my Christian identity, it was all but existential. Well more than that. It was a dying. It is this test that helps me understand why people who seem deeply devoted to the Lord Jesus and hold the scriptures in highest esteem also hold to a system, institution or leader no matter what they do and defend a side or individual to a degree that is baffling. I can tell you why because I had to face every bit of it. Identity, community, camaraderie, what we’ve known and loved, what part of it we still love, the people we loved, the people we still love, reputation, what people will think, how you will be judged and condemned and thrown over to the other side who doesn’t want you either. And to whom you also do not align and would not belong. Friendships. How you will be misunderstood and misrepresented. How adrift and alone you will feel. How disliked. And then there’s this and it would be a mistake to minimize it: your JOB. Your source of income. Your vocation. This is the part of the crisis I most write these words to convey because I think they are most in play for many right now, whether in media, ministry or politics. Let me try to put this in the words that were constantly resonant in my spirit in those years. And to this day. Though you have no other place to go, Beth, and no place to fit and it not only MAY have financial repercussions but WILL have financial repercussions to the ministry and to your family and will also make them targets and none of it will ever look the same or be the same, will you choose what you believe to be right and put everything else in your vocational life at risk? This is what is at risk for many people whose professional reputations and positions are tied up with leaders, institutions and political parties. Mine was, too. The cost is enormous and the options are often untenable. And so there we are. Having to cast ourselves on the mercy of God. Not for a third way. But as THE ONLY WAY. The only truth. The only life. I’ve made multiple errors in judgment. Jumped too quickly to condemn. Spoken wrongly. Remained silent wrongly and confusingly. I never get it completely together. But what I will tell you is that I believe we are meant first and foremost to call out our own house, our own side, and our own identity group for its mind-boggling hypocrisy. These were my people. Evangelicals. Conservatives. Claim what you will but I know who I am: I am pro life from conception to casket. I am pro small government. I am pro godliness and the pursuit of a holy life. I am pro marriage and family and pro-those God calls to remain single and sanctified and I’m deeply thankful for them. I am pro traditional sexual ethics. I am pro love of God and love of neighbor and the dignity of every person as an image bearer of Christ. I am pro love all. I am pro church. I believe in the community of the saints. I am pro Bible study to the death and believe the aim of all discipleship is to know and love and follow and emulate Jesus Christ. I am pro gospel. Dear God in heaven, I am pro gospel. I believe there is one name by whom we must be saved. Jesus. What I am not is pro Trump. Wasn’t pro Clinton. Wasn’t pro Biden. But those were not the candidates many in the world that I loved so much were cheering on. I accept that Donald Trump is my president. I pray for him on a regular basis. I’m a law abiding citizen and pay my taxes. But I believe Trump fosters something in people that makes them lose their way.

@JasonSchley How'd this work for you in yield, Jason?

Opened the field I have been waiting for, this is the field with only 30 units of N applied to the soil. ROI field, learning to get better is always the goal. I can definitely say this is how we will farm now! Two years in a row, low inputs, better management has paid well here in SD!

Stop 9 in Carroll co Iowa. Ear length was not as impressive as the last stop, and some tip back. But, much higher ear count. Yield check 230 #pftour25

With the pro farmer crop tour about to kick off you might be asking yourself… what’s the f*cking point? I know. I do every year. This will be my 10th tour in a row, 11th overall. That means my 10th year in a row spending my birthday and my kids first day of school away from home. Every year I say… it’s too much. I can’t go next year. I put so much extra stress on myself (than most other scouts) by taking on media obligations to update you guys. To post on here. And to keep my clients informed and help manage their accounts. It’s not easy work. And it’s usually hot af and/or storming. And apparently I’m allergic af to corn dust. And last year I cut my eye on a corn leaf pretty F’n bad… But every year I sign up again. And every year I take on the same responsibilities. Why? Because it’s honestly the best way I know to get an understanding of this year’s corn and bean crops outside of the USDA. And I’ve made some great friends, you should come sometime. It might not be perfect. And yeah, (like last year) things can change dramatically after the 3rd week of August. But I’ve never once seen anyone on tour cherry picking just to push a narrative. What these guys do is legit. The best we can. So I hope you’ll follow along. We do it for ourselves but we do it for you too. It’s my most loved and hated week of the year. So please remember to cut me (us) some slack. God bless you and yours. @ChipFlory #pftour25

Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone impacted by the fires in California. If you’re a veterinarian affected by the fires, the AVMF is here for you and has disaster grants available. For the rest of us who want to help, visit avmf.org and make a donation today.

To better understand tick populations — and their impacts on cattle health — #Mizzou's Rosalie Ierardi spent her summer collecting ticks on farms throughout Missouri. What she found was a looming problem for cattle health in the Midwest. Read more: brnw.ch/21wBSVQ

Dick Wittman started the @FarmJournal Legacy Project today in Chicago. His advice: type up a family & business profile. Put it in a 3-ring binder, give it to your counsel for review before meeting. Savings: often $6,000+ and hours sharing that info verbally. #LegacyProject

Stick to your production #budget for #hemp, says Corbett Hefner, VP at Formation Ag. Here are seven other considerations. agweb.com/article/want-g… #hempcollege20

Want to grow #hemp? Work backwards--find your buyer first, says farmer Dion Oakes, as he addresses some "speed bumps" during today's @FarmJournal Hemp College.

It's a full house at the @FarmJournal #Hemp College today. Farmer Dion Oakes shares his experiences growing hemp. Check out what he says are the major factors to consider if you want to grow this #crop. #hempcollege20

Portia Stewart emcee, kicks of the @FarmJournal Hemp College in Chicago just now. There are all kinds of uses for #hemp. Check out her jacket--it's made from hemp.

Bayer executives say short stature #corn will be “transformative, a blockbuster.” Benefits: higher density=better #yields, reduced lodging, better nutrient use. #BayerFutureFarming

#Aphids are taking a huge bite out of June #corn in Illinois. Isaac Ferrie gives scouting advice for your #crop in the video embedded here: agweb.com/article/ferrie…

Right now, all of us are making the best guesses we can, and the average of those imperfect predictions is the market price. agweb.com/article/john-p…

Hemp is the biggest disruptor food — and agriculture — has ever seen, says Josh Hendrix of CV Sciences at #HempCollege

Each state has testing laws for hemp and they’re all different, says Matthew Smith of Hoban Law at Farm Journal’s #HempCollege19

“Don’t invest more than you can afford to lose,” says Dr. Bob Pearce, interim director of the hemp program at University of Kentucky, about hemp. #HempCollege19

Packed house today at our Farm Journal Hemp College in Lexington, KY. Great speakers. Practical topics. #HempCollege19

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