"Biblical Economic Development"    [Garden Variety Economics Series - Economic development Sub Section - Intro] (Matt. 11:28-30)

My info-chase on human-race and cash,
Got narrowed down when six more years had passed,
And I got working in a farming town
Or two – and noticed difference in the towns.

It took a while to grasp what I saw there,
As towns and districts’ lives I then compared;
Three out of four of digits I could see,
The fourth a friend then pointed out to me.

The upshot was that farming was a bust;
The cost-price squeeze for most was much too tough;
The rural-impact on economy
Was there, but also difficult to see.

I heard what he was saying but I knew
I had no gospel-word, or point of view
To help these people win in farming game;
The rules had changed, soon few would there remain.

The churches said, “Too bad you lost your farm;
But Jesus loves you; do not be alarmed;
Have you got any plans now farm is lost?”
To farming-types these wimpy words were tossed.

I was appalled – “If that’s all we can say,
Then best we close our mouths and walk away;
But if there’s more, then best we chase it down”–
And that’s how come this work I’ve been around.

I did my précis of the fifty-two
Approaches in the book we had to do,
But did it in the light of gospel quest
For insights on this scene – as base for rest –

Of where the gospel might in fact shed light
On troubled agri-scene to set it right;
It’s taken time and still there’s lots to do,
As I now shift to work I do with you –

As EDO within your company,
Within the global scene – it sets me free
To follow-up within a focus tight;
Within the larger discourse, global light.

The Redvers-Manor setting gives the range,
From marginal to wealthy in this change,
And that’s the context of our Westman space
With global Costa Rican agri-case.

This should be fun to work up through our days
As company – a dojo – single case,
And with an eye to context, and our role
Of making jobs, and sorties towards our goal.

Thanks Lord for all You’ve given us to date;
To all the rest You’ve given, keep us awake;
Help us to make Your contributions now
To business agri-issues here, somehow.

Thanks Lord for this.

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