If you know how a rain barrel system works, you know how to get ahead financially. In this episode, Tim shares 3 simple steps that you can apply to see your family's "financial barrel" steadily fill up until it eventually starts to overflow. 

 What do your smartphone habits say about you? If you traveled to a faraway land and met a society of people who knew nothing about email, social media, or podcasts, what conclusions would they reach watching you constantly swipe at your phone? In this episode, Tim talks about the conviction he felt while reading Jonathan Swift's classic satire, Gulliver's Travels, when the main character gives the wrong impression to his Lilliputian hosts as they observe him constantly looking at his pocket watch. 

 Should you attend a large church or a small church? Is it more honoring to the Lord to serve in the city or the country? In this episode, Tim shares his heart as a pastor for small rural churches pointing out, with Scripture in view, that the size and location of a church is less important than the faithfulness of the pastors and members serving there. Both young aspiring pastors and laymen searching for a new church home should not assume that smaller ministries are necessarily of smaller significance. 

Is "prepping" biblical? Should a Christian invest time, money, and energy into making provisions that could significantly lessen the hardships faced in possible future trials and worse case scenarios? In this episode, Tim seeks to answer the question by looking to none other than the Bible and pointing out important factors and principals that must first be considered to properly answer the question. 

 As a son, brother, husband, and father of certain ladies in my life partial to the story of "Anne of Green Gables," I've read the classic book and seen the popular 1985 movie. While I don't get very sentimental when it comes to the "coming-of-age" story of a somewhat awkward, freckle-face, red-headed orphan girl who always has her head in the clouds dreaming about poetry, flowers, bosom friends, and kindred spirits, there is something about it that grabs my attention. It's the character of Matthew Cuthbert, who, in more ways than one, shows a kind of Chirst-likness in his management of his farm and his display of Gospel-like grace to little orphan Anne. I confess, it's the kind of mindset I wish I saw more evident in myself. 

 I have a lot of respect for artisans who can make beautiful-looking soap.  The colors, textures, and shapes that I've seen some of them produce are truly pieces of art, worthy of being showcased in a professional gallery.  These soaps make excellent gifts and decorative additions to any home.  However, when I shop for (or make my own) soap for everyday use, I don't need something to hang on my wall, but a "work horse" I can use to get a specific job done.  Rather than worrying about bright colors and fancy fragrances, which may also be harmful to your skin, I want quality ingredients that are both healthy and functional. 

 Does the Bible speak toward how Christian Farmers are supposed to do agriculture? In his book, "Born-Again Dirt," Noah Sanders argues the answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!” In this episode, Tim reviews Noah's book pointing to the biblical methods, the biblical manner, and the biblical motive that are necessary layers to cultivating a biblical vision for God-glorifying agriculture. 

Resources:

Blog Article: https://www.thekinnardhomestead.com/2020/07/23/born-again-dirt-book-review 

Find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Born-Again-Dirt-Farming-Glory-God/dp/0985131543

Find more materials by the author here: http://www.redeemingthedirt.com 

 If you know a good deal when you see one, you can can a good deal!  By combining one of Amy's earlier posted grocery-saving tips along with pressure canning, you have the ability to save even more in your family budget.  Amy shares two cost comparisons of buying bulk raw ingredients and canning them in your own kitchen vs. buying pre-made store items. 

Resources:
Canning Chicken: https://www.thekinnardhomestead.com/2018/10/07/canning-chicken 

Canning Dried Beans: https://www.thekinnardhomestead.com/2018/08/23/canning-dried-beans 

Whether you are picking beans or preaching sermons, you will always have a mingling of critics and supporters offering their two cents about your methods.  In either case, you can get distracted from the work you are doing by pausing for too long to listen to either opinion.  To remain focused on the task before you, it's best to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the competing voices whenever possible, and to reflect instead on the Lord's voice as spoken though the Gospel. 

Resources:

"The Blind Eye and the Deaf Ear" in "Lectures to My Students" by Charles Spurgeon http://www.thekinnardhomestead.com/the-blind-eye-and-the-deaf-ear-charles-spurgeon

 "The Cross and Criticism" by Alfred J. Poirier http://www.thekinnardhomestead.com/the-cross-and-criticism-alfred-j-poirier

 The old Victory Garden slogan, "Eat What You Can, and Can What You Can't" teaches the lesson of good stewardship when it comes to gardening and preserving your own food. In this episode, Amy shares the cost breakdown and comparison of growing and canning your own tomatoes to make salsa vs. purchasing store-bought salsa as one example of how a family can save money in the grocery budget.