This is a long one. I couldn’t find a way to shorten the message. Grab a cup of coffee, get comfy!
Our German-style Bank Barn was built circa 1880. The copula adornments on the tin roof and the cement poured on the ground floor were added later, probably about 1910. It stands today as a majestic reminder of the choices we make over time – the stories within the stories, and the consequences of our decisions that influence generations. That’s what I see when I look at my old barn – because I know some of the story…
This sturdy barn was built to last through the ages with enormous hand-hewn summer beams bearing the unmistakable marks of the carpenter’s ax. Traditional mortise and tenon joints and wooden pegs join the thick Red Oak timbers. A modest grain crib was built into the west side of the barn to store wheat and/or corn.The hay trolley and wooden pulley system used to lift and move heavy hay bales remains intact and mounted to the ceiling. These details provide historical evidence of a strong and busy place, a place where people labored with purpose and fruitfulness.
While I can easily imagine the barn in it’s original state, the smell of the fresh cut hay, the voices of the workers, the squeak of the pulley wheel, the flurry of activity…that is not what we found when we purchased the property. At some point between it’s beginnings and our acquisition in 2011, the barn ceased being a productive, valued, thriving place. It sat idle for decades. Rain beat through the original tin roof and found it’s way to the proud timbers beneath. Water and insects ate away at the smartly engineered structure until parts of it gave way. The barn was used as storage and eventually a place to dump trash. Most people who looked at it, thought it should be torn down. It was no longer useful for anything more than it’s appearance as a huge “shabby chic” lawn ornament.
My husband and I used the last 8 years to rehab the barn, starting with digging out the layers of dirt and rot from the ground floor. The roof has been replaced. The entire east wall was removed and rebuilt. Rotten beams were replaced and reinforced. The main access doors for the barn were removed and new tracks and doors installed. This Fall we will add electricity to the barn – a modern convenience that will make animal management easier (for heated water buckets, lights and fans) on the lower level. It will also enable me to use the upper level for social events and for teaching.
These barn doors will be opened wide for His glory. The barn is being resurrected for new life and new purpose. It is going to be a place of labor, love and fruitfulness once again. Oh, I cannot WAIT for the new stories to unfold under this roof!
Jesus tells a parable of the “rich fool” in Luke 12:16-21. The farmer in this story was blessed with a bountiful crop so he decided that he needed a bigger barn to store his blessings. He decided that he would tear down his barns and build bigger ones so he could enjoy his life and good fortune. But God called him a “fool” because the man would be dead in the morning, never having the opportunity to enjoy (or share) his wealth.
YOU have “barn” doors to open wide! You have blessings to share. You have skills and assets and talents and time to give away. Re-gift your gifts. Share what you know, what you have, and what you love so that others see Jesus in you. Let the Holy Spirit in you, touch the lives of those around you so they too can know the love and grace of our Amazing God.
“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.” Isaiah 12:4
