naming the farm

    Names, We all have them. As children we assign unknown or unfamiliar things names. God commissioned Adam and Eve to assign names to created things. It is part of us at a core level. We assess; we consider; we label; we name. So it has been asked, what is in a name? A name can conjure up memories both passionate and upsetting. A name can set a tone. If the the name is harsh or if the name gently rolls off your tongue matters.
    This weekend we attended a church service where a father was asked to name their child. It is an important task naming a child. It made me think of God, how the name of the Lord is a strong tower. I picture this hugh cliff like castle rock. This tower of stone with rough yet sculpted edges. A formidable tower, a mountain. Nothing that man could create by stacking stones but a true tower of refuge. I imagine the inside of this mountain tower to be warm and inviting. Often I think of towers and castles as damp, dark, musty with maybe an antler chandler and a bear skin rug. You seek refuge and safety in the tower but is no place for a picnic. This is not the picture I have when I think of God's tower. I do picture an impenetrable fortress but instead of an uncomfortable interior. I picture compassions that are new every morning. Mercy is abundant and never failing. The name of the Lord invokes these thoughts in me. Thoughts of strength and comfort in that strength.
It is with this mindset that we undertook the task of naming our farm. We knew that there is power in a name. There can be comfort in a name. Above all there is memory with a name.
    The process of buying the farm was definitely a providential God thing. It was a process that took a little over a month, a lot of prayer, and input from family. We bought 13.8 acres of land that was divided off a larger tract from a man that would not divide the land. We paid half the price he had to have per acre and we were blessed with the best of the land. The man we bought from expressed that he would sell us a section but is was not great land. The land was hilly, the lower area was soggy, and most of it was over grown. two years into this endeavor and the land is clear, the lower area holds promise of a large pond, and the hills provide micro climates for diversity of growth. The soil is even varied allowing great diversity of plantings.  The real bone chiller was when the man told me how he was going to draw the property lines. I had been praying over a napkin drawing of an obscure utah shape. When the man drew the lines I took out the napkin and the lines fit. It was providential to be sure. He expressed his disbelief as an atheist and could not understand how praying over a napkin drawing could be so powerful. I can, there is power when you call on thew name of God.
We have named the farm; Providence Mountain Farm because God providentially provided the land and the farm has since been blessed by God in many ways.