Faith – gregoryjoel.com

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Part of the Body…

September 6, 2026 gregoryjoel

Happy Labor Day weekend to all. I’m sitting here at home enjoying the air conditioning and recovering from another surgery – this time on my left wrist for carpal tunnel. I assumed that such a minor procedure, after all it’s just a day surgery, was no big deal. I’d be able to return to the farm by Monday. My elbow surgery in July only kept me in for the weekend. It’s day two of recovery and I’m not so sure I’m going to be getting much done on Monday.

You see, the elbow, while sore after surgery, doesn’t require the same amount of care as the hand. The hand, on the other hand (pun intended), presents different challenges. I can’t pick anything up because trying to grip anything or lift anything causes severe pain. I try to be careful but sometimes I forget and believe me, it doesn’t hesitate to remind me that I can’t do that right now. One doesn’t realize just how important and how frequently we use our hands each day until their use is compromised…

Ironically, my meditation this morning was from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

“I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, no less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. IF foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings. I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so?… As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of… What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place… Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost. I don’t need you”… As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way – the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore more necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons…

The way God designed our bodies is a way of understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part; the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

You are Christ’s body – that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything.” (First Corinthians 12. 14-27 The Message Bible)

I know this was originally written to Christians in a church beset by “getting along” problems, but it’s a great reminder to all of us today regardless of faith tradition or lack thereof. This ancient wisdom is applicable to all levels of our culture.

Take immigration for instance. The recent suicide of Pierre Damas Bel, a young Haitian immigrant who recently lost his Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a prime example. This young man was an honor student who wanted to be a doctor. When the administration stripped Haitian immigrants of TPS, they were in effect saying “Get lost. I don’t need you!”. In fact, it not only reflects cruelty but reflects stupidity as well. Haitian immigrants make up a large portion of the healthcare industry, whether it be as medical doctors or home caregivers. Their impact in the community is to be celebrated and encouraged, not hatefully dismissed.

I find hope in the fact that other members of “the body”, neighbors surround the hurting member with their shared hurt, anger, and their healing. The folks in Minnesota who took to the streets despite severe cold weather to document the wounds to their neighbors and remove the cancer of ICE, took food to members to afraid to leave their homes, and support their community. I applaud the people of LA, Danbury, Connecticut, Springfield, Ohio, and countless other places that have shown the importance and care of all parts of the body no matter who and what they are.

Community, “body” – no matter what you call it you can’t ignore that each part is equally important. I’m an urban farmer. My job is to get fresh food from Opal’s Farm to our neighbors, to provide access to healthy food that impacts the health of the community. That’s just as important as the medical professional who treats the illnesses stemming from improper nutrition and the denial of access to it. Two sides of the same coin. Taking care of the other parts of the body – our neighbors and community members.

I’ve come to believe in the simplicity Jesus taught his disciples – Love God, love your neighbor, and everything else will take care of itself. Together we can take care of the “body”, one part at a time by simply doing our part.

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Just Thinking…

August 30, 2026 gregoryjoel

I rarely speak of my recovery from the disease of addiction. Addiction is almost always associated with drugs – as I know all too well – but it encompasses so much more than that. According to Wikipedia, there are over thirty distinct twelve-step programs based on the Alcoholics Anonymous model for a variety of addictive maladies. There’s even more loosely based on the AA program.

One of the main traditions of twelve-step recovery is that of anonymity so I rarely speak publicly about my own process unless it’s applicable to another hurting human being sharing the same struggles. What I’ve learned to share openly is that none of my recovery has been due to my own efforts. Healing has taken place because of the relationship I have today with the “God of my understanding”. It’s only through God’s love and spirit that I’ve not only stayed clean for over twenty years, but that I’m finding new life, and “life abundantly” as the Apostle John said.

I was having coffee and meditating while out on the porch this morning when I rediscovered one of the basic truths of my life today. Romans 8.5-7 says:

“Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them – living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters in a dead end: attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious free life.” (The Message Bible)

I struggled with addiction for many years even after I was introduced to recovery some forty years ago. I got clean and began healing from the disease of addiction when I finally stopped trying to do it on my own. I was fortunate to have a dear friend and mentor who stuck by my side in those early days. He frequently reminded me that I needed to keep it simple. “You can never be too stupid for this program, but you can always be too smart” he would tell me”. For me, the principle of K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Stupid – was a necessity in my recovery.

Simplicity has come to be the rule for me. I’m often reminded of a passage in recovery literature that says the core of our disease is our self-obsession and my friend’s wise words, “Do the opposite.” If the thing that makes my life destructive then the antidote lies in the opposite direction – serving others. Unfortunately, that runs against my very human nature and no matter how hard I try to do life differently I fail miserably – wrapped up in all the chaos, confusion, and worry that somehow how won’t get what’s mine. Everything and everyone else fall by the wayside. I’m not sure what “mine” is anyway because it’s all a gift.

So how do I “do the opposite”, that thing so contrary to my nature? I rediscovered the answer this morning – allowing God, allowing love and grace – to take up residence in me. The ancient wisdom found in Romans 8.9-14, says:

“But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells… you yourself experience life on God’s terms… So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!” (The Message Bible)

I’m not trying to preach or proselytize. I can only tell you what has become true in my life and in my home. I see the division, selfishness, and lack of concern for others and the common good of all. I’m bombarded daily with everyone’s opinion, rather from the Right and the Left, how all can be made better. The talking heads go on and on and nothing changes.

My friend once asked me how I expected to solve my problems with the same brain that created them in the first place. Maybe I need to stop trying to fix the situation and rely on the constant help God has so graciously provided. Maybe that’s an answer for all of us. Simplicity. Do the opposite. Maybe instead of right and left we’re all asking the wrong questions. Perhaps the more accurate question is about right and wrong; especially when it comes to helping others and living together as was intended for us all along. The same old, same old hasn’t worked too well.

I still attend recovery meetings all these years later (although not as frequently as I did in the beginning of my recovery). I still need to be grounded and centered from time to time. Sometimes, I just need to be reminded to K.I.S.S., live the life that’s been so freely given to me, and share with you all…

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Grateful for Iowa…

August 16, 2026 gregoryjoel

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning here in Fort Worth. The weather folks are predicting hundred degree-plus temperatures for the next ten days, but the porch was blissfully peaceful and cool in the early morning. Every August I’m determined to retire from the farm, but it’s time for Fall planting so I’m once again dreaming of getting the Fall crop to our neighbors and getting back to work.

Margaret and I spent a week with my stepson Paul and his wife Nicki in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Our vacation got off to a bit of a rough start when I had to spend our first night there in the ER. It turned out okay and we were off the see Northeastern Iowa where my wife had lived and Paul grew up. It’s beautiful country although I was thinking to myself “if you’ve seen one field of corn or soybeans you’ve seen them all”. Then we came to the bluffs overlooking McGregor, Iowa and the Mississippi River. The vista before me was unexpectedly beautiful and made the long drive well worth it. I’m a lousy photographer but I took a lot of pictures to remember our time there.

I’d originally intended to write about our travels while Nicki and Margaret were having their “girl’s day out” the next day. Unfortunately, my laptop crashed while I was in the middle of writing and left me unable to get online. I was extremely displeased with the situation at the time, but as the days went by, I discovered what a blessing it is to be unplugged from my devices for a week. No daily bombardment with depressing news stories and no interruptions and distractions – just enjoying time with my family, listening to great music, and relaxing.

It was a fifteen hundred mile round-trip, and I spent the drive time talking to Margaret and reflecting on the many blessings that have showered down from, as St. James says, “from the Father of Light”. Gratitude has become a staple in my life. I’m under no illusions that I’ve “made it on my own” or that what I’ve been so graciously given that I’ve worked for. It’s all a gift, and an undeserved gift at that. That’s how grace is defined and everything is grace. How can I be anything but grateful?

I’m not oblivious to the fact that we’re living through exceedingly trying times. It’s a constant onslaught of division, attacks on anyone defined as the “other”, and difficult economic times brought on by people who could care less about folks like me and you. I’m not spouting some Pollyannish BS about how it’s all going to be okay, but gratitude reminds me that “it’s all going to be okay”. I’ve already been given so much more than I deserve or could have ever imagined. How can it be otherwise?

It doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do either. I’ve come to realize how many good people there are around me. It’s easy to forget that loud and hateful can be countered with quiet service to our loved ones and our community. We all have a part to play in building the community God intended for us. Part of that work is coming in November. One vote may not feel like it makes difference, but thousands of votes speak louder than one can imagine.

I’ve learned that gratitude isn’t simply a noun or a warm and comfy feeling, but a verb, a word that demands action. The more grateful I am, the more I love and serve others – the more I become a part of the community I live in. I’ve also learned the value of unplugging from the digital world and plugging into daily living and working with the other folks I’m so grateful for. Sometimes it takes a vacation from the day-to-day routine to remember that. Sometimes it takes a vacation to remember how important the work we all do is for each other.

In closing I need to say thank you to some special people who made this last week possible. Amir, thank you for taking care of the irrigation while I was gone. It’s been an unbelievably hot and dry August, and the farm never would have survived without your hard work. Amir has been a vital part of the farm for the last couple of years and I’m so grateful for your friendship and love for the farm. Jay and Vicki, thank you for keeping Opal’s Farm Stand open for business while I was away and for all the work you do to serve the Opal’s Farm community. Thank you to all who’ve chosen to be a part of Opal’s Farm family.

“So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all His creatures”. (James 1.16-18 The Message Bible)

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Remembering the Stone

April 5, 2026 gregoryjoel

A blessed Easter morning to all! I’ve been thinking a lot about Easter this past week. It was never a religious holiday in our home when I was growing up. My Church of Christ upbringing prohibited the celebration of “religious” holidays if the specific date wasn’t mentioned in the Bible. I pointed out to them that we knew when Easter was because of the Hebrew calendar and Passover celebration. They simply said the Bible didn’t say anything about “celebrating” Easter. Henceforth, since there was no such thing as a liturgical calendar (way too Catholic- those heathens!), Christmas and Easter should be relegated to Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny with no mention of Jesus. It wasn’t until many years later that my own spiritual journey led me to a much different view of such things.

Easter and the resurrection of Jesus began to take on true spiritual meaning for me some twenty years ago. That’s I found recovery from the alcohol and addiction that had plagued me for many years. I’m not one for “war stories” about the years prior to December 1, 2005, but suffice it to say that failure, degradation, separation from all things spiritual, and loneliness had become my way of life. Not for the sake of having tried to leave those ways behind, mind you. If I had a dollar for every time I quit or tried rehab, I’d be a wealthy, but probably dead man.

In the twelve step programs I’d tried they all talked about hitting bottom and I was there. A friend once asked me where the bottom was. When I replied I didn’t know, he said that it’s wherever I “put down the shovel”. So, I did. I simply quit digging. That’s when I learned what Easter is all about – resurrection.

I certainly don’t have all the answers nor the right to advise others on their spiritual life and a relationship with the God of their understanding, but my experience is that resurrection is real. I was dead, but now I’m alive. I’m alive because God loved me long before I loved myself. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead on that first Easter morning to offer new life to me.

I used to wear a cross necklace as if the cross and the crucifixion were the most important things to remember. I’m not talking smack about cross necklaces, but I think I needed a new perspective on my reality. It wasn’t the cross I needed to focus on (although that was a necessary step in the process), but the stone that was rolled away from the tomb to allow a new, resurrected life to rise for everyone. Unfortunately, a stone is a bit too big to wear around my neck. I should know. I wore several for a long time, just not the same reason…

Today I want to be an Easter person, a resurrection person. I’ve been blessed in more ways than I could ever imagine, and I get a chance each day to be a blessing to others. I can even love others and accept the love and grace of not just my friends, but of a loving Creator. It’s the new life I always dreamed of and could never have on my own. My prayer is that we all focus on the stone and the new life that awaits us all each day.

“We humans mistrust, murder, and attack. Now I see that it is not you that humanity hates. We hate ourselves, but we mistakenly kill you. I must stop crucifying your blessed flesh on this earth and in my brothers and sisters.

Now I see that you live in me and I live in you. You are inviting me out of this endless cycle of illusion and violence. You are Jesus crucified. You are saving me. In your perfect love, you have chosen to enter into union with me, and I am slowly learning to trust that this could be true.” Fr. Richard Rohr

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Ahh, February

February 1, 2026 gregoryjoel

It’s finally February. It usually isn’t my favorite month because, though it’s the shortest month, it usually feels like the longest. That’s not the case this year. January seemed like it would never end – the constant barrage of bad news wore me down. It started with military intervention in Venezuela, the alienation of our allies and friends (we’re not all crazy Greenland), and ended with two murders of US citizens by our own government. Come on, February. Maybe being the shortest month means less assaults on our collective souls. One can only hope…

Photo by Steve Wrzeszczynski on Unsplash

Tomorrow, the second of February, is Groundhog Day. Personally, I always get confused as to why a small, adorable rodent has so much power of weather forecasting based on whether he sees his shadow or not. I do, however, find the movie “Groundhog Day” one of my favorite films of all time. The idea that one gets “do-overs” until they get it right sums up what grace has come to mean in my life. I don’t get to go back and change the past, but I do have the opportunity every day to create a better me. That’s all because of grace.

I’d always heard that term “grace” growing up, but in a fundamentalist Christian home it tended to be more an abstract spiritual ideal rather than a physical reality. One could always “fall from grace”. God was kind of fickle, judgmental, and got pissed off easy, you know, and I was spiritually clumsy, falling a lot! After a while, I’d fallen so many times that I just decided to stay down and wallowed there for many years.

I won’t bore you with the details, but to suffice it to say that I found myself in rehabs and twelve-step programs many times over the years. It wasn’t until one day in December 2005 that I finally said, “God help me” and really meant it. I simply gave it all to him. I surrendered and really didn’t care what he did with me. Even death was preferable to the existence I was living.

To make a long story short…

That was my “Groundhog Day”. I didn’t get “do-overs”, but I did get to go back to those I had harmed and make amends – make things right to the best of my ability and live differently. In fact, every day since then has been Groundhog Day. I wake up each morning with the opportunity to make the future better for me and my community. It’s all because of grace – grace that’s real, not an abstract theological term. I guess in that sense it is a “do over” because I start each day with a clean slate. I can let go of a past full of doubt and live securely in the day I’ve been given.

I’m not perfect by any means. I try to walk in faith, loving God, and “loving my neighbor as myself. Thank God for grace and another Groundhog Day…