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The Truth Of The Matter is Episode 187 : Special Guest - Virginia Jones
39 Plays21 days ago
“The truth of the matter is” podcast is all about providing an honest, contextual, historicized, Philosophical and Psychological view of the Bible through the use of Hermeneutics, while sharing some personal experiences from myself, Daniel and on occasion our special guest. We believe in sharing practical ways of applying God’s word to everyday life. Today I had a conversation with Virginia Jones who is a woman of many talents; she knits, cooks, tends to a farm and is the creator of the vintage café podcast. I enjoyed my conversation with Virginia and felt that this would be beneficial to listeners as well. Check it out!
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Transcript
Introduction and Purpose
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to a special edition of the truth of the matter is podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan, and I'm here with our special guests. But before we introduce and welcome her in appropriately, let's begin by recognizing and appreciating all of our new and consistent listener.
00:00:23
Speaker
We thank you all in advance for continuing to press play at your own convenience. Now, if this is your first time listening to the Truth of the Matterist podcast, we want you to know that it's all about providing an honest, contextual, hysterized, philosophical, and psychological view of the Bible through the use of Herman Newick's while sharing some personal experiences from myself, Daniel, and on occasion, our was special guests.
Virginia Jones' Testimony and Farming Insights
00:00:47
Speaker
We believe in sharing practical ways of applying God's word to everyday life. And today we will praise God for another new testimony that you will hear. We hope after hearing this woman of God, that you will see and be encouraged and uplifted, that an encounter with Jesus is Christ would guarantee that your life will not be the same. Now, without further ado, let's welcome in our guests, Virginia Jones. Good morning. How are you doing this morning? Good morning, Jonathan. How are you?
00:01:18
Speaker
I'm all right. How are you doing this morning? I am doing well. That's good. So something we've added into our podcast is we kind of reflect over the weeks and we ask ourselves what is one of two ways we believe that the Lord has blessed us. So if you don't mind, can you share one or two ways you believe the Lord has blessed you?
00:01:42
Speaker
ah wow that's to boil it down to just two wow um i feel like the lord has blessed us right now we're we're working with our farm and trying to build our farm and i feel like the lord has blessed us and you know attaining knowledge to be able to help others, not just in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense as well. We've been going through um Bible prophecy and and just learning so many precious things from the Word of God. But me personally, I recently finished the book of Isaiah.
00:02:19
Speaker
And wow, what a book. It's just an amazing book. So I feel like God has blessed me and and being able to retain you know the understanding from the Word of God and having that passion to be able to share it with other people.
00:02:40
Speaker
Nice, nice, nice. So before we dive in a little bit and obviously have a conversation here on the Truth in the Matters podcast, we believe in praying first and foremost and allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell within our conversation.
Prayer and the Importance of Fellowship
00:02:53
Speaker
So we'll start off by doing that. So every Father, Lord, every Father, Lord, in Jesus name, we want to thank you so much for this opportunity that you've given the Truth in the Matters podcast to have a conversation with Virginia Jones.
00:03:06
Speaker
We pray that through this conversation, people will be uplifted and inspired to not only search you out Lord, but to study that themselves approved upon you Lord. We hope through this conversation, not only would people be motivated, but people would understand the importance of not just studying the word of God, but also, you know, fellowshiping with others.
00:03:29
Speaker
Right? This example we're setting by just fellowshiping with one another is to bring the best, not out of ah just at ourselves, but also to lift you and glorify you Lord in all possible and amazing ways. Lord, we hope that through this conversation, that those who are on the brick, on the gate between leaning into you and placing faith in you and then to abandoning and walking away, we'll see the value and importance of not just fellowship, but also the importance of being able to just have conversations, Lord. Through conversations people can learn, through conversations people can be inspired, through conversations people can not only get clarity, but any sort of misunderstandings that they may have, it will be brought to the forefront because we know that you are truth, we know that you're the way, we know that all things that are created, they're created under you, Lord. So we pray and we hope that this conversation uplifts you, we pray and we hope
00:04:27
Speaker
that people leave different than where they were upon listening to this conversation. And most importantly, we pray that in this conversation, that the information that is brought to the forefront will be of some value to those who are listening and taking the time out, because no one wants their time to be wasted. And Lord, we say these things with surety and honesty. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Sustainability and Community Support
00:04:54
Speaker
So, you know, last time we spoke, you you you had a podcast called Ventious Cath Podcast, right? I am also a friend of you on Facebook. This you're a woman of many talents, right? You knit, you cook. I saw you canning. That's something that my mom does quite often. You just mentioned that you you tend to a farm to, I guess, kind of talk a little bit about some of these things that you enjoy doing and why does it bring upon happiness to you and Why do you think people should do them more often or they're neglected?
00:05:27
Speaker
Well, we started our farm about three years ago, I think. And the reason we started was because we saw the craziness going on in the world. We saw how you know the prices of food and and gas and and everything has gone up in huge spikes. So we really wanted to be more self-sustaining And because I am a veteran homeschool mom, I also wanted to use it as a way to teach people. So I do canning, I do knitting. I i love photography. I love, you know, working on the farm. I was thinking the other morning, actually, I went out to do the farm chores and
00:06:18
Speaker
I'm just standing in the doorway of the barn and I'm looking out and we have a couple of goats. We have about 20 chickens right now and I'm just watching them and just thanking the Lord for the ability to have this because even as a little girl, I always wanted to have a farm. I just I love it. It's just something You really have to love doing it because it is a lot of work. um And so in the beginning, when we first did the farm, I had called it Barton Cottage Farm because I'm a Jane Austen fan. I love Jane Austen novels, but it just didn't seem to fit. And so um I renamed it ah Blessed Acres, but then i kind I came to find out that somebody already had that name, so I had to change it.
00:07:09
Speaker
So, I was in prayer one day and I'm just thinking, you know, Lord, what can we do? What is our goal, you know, for this farm? What should be our goals for it? And so I came up with the name Crazy Times Farm. So, you know, we're kind of living in those crazy times where everything is so uncertain. Everything has just been flipped upside down. And so I got looking on ah Google and i'm I'm scrolling through, you know, seeing who has, you know, this name. Well, some people had it with the time spelt like
00:07:45
Speaker
Time like, you know time of your watch or something, you know, so I'm like, huh, what can I do? You know, and then I thought how, you know, I'm trying to raise herbs and I have a garden and you know do stuff like that. So I thought that's a perfect. you So I got asking people what they thought about it. And they're like, that is so cute. You know, it's such a cute name, but but it kind of wraps up.
00:08:13
Speaker
everything that we want to do because we we have a home church and so we've been just studying line by line, precept by precept and just getting in and digging out those gems in the word of God and and you know then being able to take that word and teach other people and so we're also trying to raise our own food but you know it's not good enough just to do for yourself. I mean, i we do want to take care of our families, but I don't know if you remember the story in the Bible where the man had a barn and and he was harvesting his his produce or whatever.
00:08:56
Speaker
And he said, well, you know, my barn's full, so I'm just going to go and build a bigger barn. And the Lord said, you know, this night your soul is going to be required of you. Well, why? Why would God say that to him? And it was because he wasn't taking what he had and helping other people. And so that's what I want to do at Crazy Times Farm. It's not just about us raising our own food.
00:09:21
Speaker
But we're raising spiritual food too to help people and then not just taking that physical food and helping but teaching them how to raise their own food And so those are some of the goals, you know that we have for the farm and everything. So it's just it's such a blessed life, you know to be able to to have a farm and to be able to home church and To be able to share your knowledge with people and I was actually just asked um To give a talk next may on foraging because I also do that So we have different things right in your own backyard that you can grow That you might think is a weed But it's it's sustaining for you. And so those are all kinds of things that i'm learning But what good is knowledge?
00:10:15
Speaker
if you don't pass that along to someone else, right? You want to be able to learn those things, but then to be able to pass them on. And you mentioned canning. You know, a lot of people, a lot of homesteaders are getting back to canning, raising their own food, making their own clothing. And, you know, I'm afraid in the times we're living in that that is going to become more and more important as we go along.
00:10:42
Speaker
Yeah, so there's there's a passage in Corinthians that says that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. So I really appreciate the sentiment that you're trying to stress about, hey, that if I take all this knowledge that I have, but then I don't share with other people,
00:10:59
Speaker
then I think I'm sort of doing harm, right?
Sharing the Gospel and Overcoming Challenges
00:11:02
Speaker
i'm trying It's almost like trying to preserve the gospel message, not realizing that it's not just a personal transformation, but it's a public and community reform, which means when Christ came individually, his goal was to impact the society at large, not necessarily just the people that he he knows. And if we sit back and withhold the gospel message or charge people for the gospel message,
00:11:28
Speaker
then we're not really preaching or sharing the gospel at all, right? It's there was it sort of like this this this research I did when I was doing a philosophy and one of the things we studied or one of the things I did independent study was John Locke. A lot of the schools of thought in that time was that they thought the gospel measures should be reserved for those who are financially well off.
00:11:54
Speaker
and that the gospel message didn't deserve to be shared to those who are less than. And unfortunately, we know that Jesus was very clear in Luke 9 when he talks about that he did not come to take lives, but to save them. And we need to understand that any knowledge and information that we have that can be a use for somebody else, we should be open to sharing it, right? I think that's very vital.
00:12:22
Speaker
Right. There's a passage in Galatians 6-9 where it talks about, don't become weary in doing good for you or Reaper harvest if you don't give up. So kind of, are there any stories that you have when you've attempted to plant something and no matter how much you've tried, it hasn't grown or hasn't blossomed into what you were hoping to get out of it? And were there any additional steps that you took in order for, in hope that it would produce or you have any stories of that sort?
00:12:53
Speaker
Oh, absolutely. We have had a crazy year in Maine. It has been absolutely the the strangest year I've ever witnessed in Maine. So we have a garden that's probably, I don't know, 25 by 50 feet or so. And my my youngest daughter really planted more than I did this year. I was kind of lazy a little bit.
00:13:19
Speaker
But um we had a lot of rain and then it got really hot. It just it's almost like it went from winter right into summer and it was super hot. We got a ton of rain. So a lot of people lost their gardens this year. They lost their hay fields. I mean, they lost, you know, food and everything else.
00:13:41
Speaker
So I've been out there trying to you know get the garden ready for next spring. And you know we did get a few things from the garden, but you know you work hard and you try to get in there. and And it seems like you want to grow vegetables, but you end up growing weeds more than anything else. And so, yeah, we we have a lot of weeds out there. But um I actually just put in ah two beds of garlic. We do raised beds for our garden.
00:14:10
Speaker
So I put in a couple of beds of garlic for next spring and then I'm hoping to do some more. um I also want to do flower bulbs as well. So and talking about that in a physical sense, you know, ah sometimes you work hard and you you try to do your best and, you know, the weeds just creep in.
00:14:31
Speaker
But then you have to go back to your why. And this ties in you know with no matter what you do, am my gardening, my podcasting, our Bible studies, um you know you're providing for your family. You're trying to to provide for your family. And so it's like, OK, get your second wind, go out there, and that's what I've done. Kind of got my second wind, go out there and tear the weeds, put the raised beds in.
00:15:00
Speaker
So in a spiritual sense, um you know, we've had Bible studies in our home, goodness, probably a combined, goodness, I'm going to say maybe 15, 20 years, something like that.
00:15:17
Speaker
And you have people that will come and go. And, you know, the Bible says to go um in the word gospel to go to sow the seed. You know, it's not our job to save them, because some plant, right, some um sow the seeds, you know, some water, but who gives the increase is the Lord, right? So, you know, in in In sowing that seed, you do get discouraged. you know and And the devil will throw in things. He'll throw in those weeds and try to entangle people. And you know you just sow that seed with prayer. You just keep sowing the seed. And some will fall on fertile ground. Some is going to fall on thorny and stony and all that. But it's our job to sow that seed. And so you go back to your why.
00:16:12
Speaker
Why am I doing this? Well, because the Lord saved me. You know, God died for me. He gave his life for me. And because he did that, he gave me a message. He gave me the gospel to be able to share it with other people. So just like in my podcasting, I mean, I've gotten so discouraged lately. I actually took a little bit of time off.
00:16:33
Speaker
um Because we had talked earlier about Podmatch. And by the way, Podmatch is a great site if you want to go on there and and meet people. And I have met hundreds of people on Podmatch. It's just amazing. So I may get back there
Podcasting Journey and Messages of Hope
00:16:49
Speaker
eventually. but I took a little bit of time off and um because I wanted to reevaluate. I wanted to go back to my why. Why am I doing podcasting? I'm doing podcasting because I have a message. I have a message I want to share with people. I have a heart to to say to people, no matter what you've gone through, no matter what you're going through right now,
00:17:14
Speaker
You can make it and there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the Lord has made a way for us to go through everything You know, I became a Christian when I was about 15 years old. I came out of um a very abusive dysfunctional family my parents were divorced around the age of 11 when I was about 11 years old and My mother was the abuser mentally physically um And many times when you're in the midst of something like that, you're like, why God? And forgive me for being emotional. I'm sorry. No, it's okay. You know, you you ask God, why? You know, why am I going through this? And, you know, why?
00:18:02
Speaker
and And you're wondering where God is in the midst of it. But looking back, God was with me through that whole entire thing. He was with me through everything I went through. And you know I'm 52 years old now, and unfortunately, I still struggle with it. I don't think mental abuse is something that the Lord will carry you through it. Unfortunately, but you know you do still struggle with it a little bit. um But you the Lord carried me through that.
00:18:36
Speaker
Well, why did he allow me to go through that? Because he saw something in me. He saw something in me that could help somebody else. And so, you know, that message of, you know, whether it's mental or physical abuse, whether it's a divorce or whether it's addiction, if you call out to the Lord and you reach out to Him, He is already reaching out to us. He he is there for us waiting.
00:19:06
Speaker
for us to call on him. And when we do, he's right there to carry us through it all. And so, you know, that, that why you go back to the why, whether it be, like I said, whether it be, you know, your homesteading or your podcasting or your doing ministry, you got to go back to your why, why am I doing it? And that I think is what inspires you to inspire other people.
00:19:35
Speaker
Uh-huh. Something I want to ask in the midst of it, how did you know God was with you? What kind of indication do you believe that he provided to you in that moment? And the reason why I asked that is because, so when I talk about the points of reflection, right? And when we started at the top.
00:19:54
Speaker
I would sit back and I would say in the midst of the issue, it felt like God wasn't with me. But then if I sit back and I reflect and I think about what transpired, I'll later realize that he was and I'll give you an example. So recently I had some huge issues going on with my car to the point that I had to get a whole engine change and had to get a whole situation where I had to get a U-Haul and I had to do quite a bit. And in the midst of it, I was like, how was God with me during this moment? And what I recognized was when I want to get the U-Haul, I parked my car. So in New York, we have these signs.
00:20:33
Speaker
And these signs would say no standing zone or we have something called alternate side parking. So if you park a car in the wrong zone and you leave it there, you get a ticket. So I left my car and it was interesting. I'm driving around looking for somewhere to park so then I can get the U-Haul so I can go to the destination and get the engine. And I leave the car to no standing zone. In New York, that's $115 ticket.
00:21:03
Speaker
And I didn't know that until I got back. Now, when I got back, I looked up. I'm like, you're right. so you that You're parked in a no standing zone. And I didn't get a ticket. So I'm like, that's God right there. I should have got a ticket, right? Everything says you should have gotten a ticket. I'm like, God was there because clearly I was giving grace at a moment that I was so eager and probably stressed that I missed the opportunity to see that God blessed me.
00:21:33
Speaker
for whatever reason not to get the ticket. Another portion that I feel like God bless he's with sometimes is in the midst of it, there were other issues that got corrected while something else was getting corrected, right? Because nobody wants to go back and forth for little things to get corrected. But to kill three burns with one stone in that moment, right, lack of a better term for the phrase.
00:21:57
Speaker
it got corrected. So yeah, ultimately, a lot of money was kicked out. But problems that were resurfacing, issues that weren't being resolved, everything got corrected. And it wasn't like separate prices as if you were coming back. It all got corrected because it was it was a total job. So I saw that God was there. So I guess I asked you the question, now that you're 52, you talked about what you went through at 15.
00:22:26
Speaker
What were some indicators that God was with you that you recognize now when you look back? Well, I remember specifically one occasion where um it was when I was in Florida and I was just crying out to the Lord. And, you know, my my mother, you know, would send us to church or, you know, we would go to you know a church wherever we lived. And we lived in several different states.
00:22:55
Speaker
But you know you can have religion and then you can have a relationship with the Lord. It's totally different. yeah And so I knew that religion wasn't doing it. It just wasn't satisfying what I was needing. And so I you know i was just crying out to the Lord.
00:23:15
Speaker
and We ended up moving to Maine and I'm like, why are we moving here? you know But the Lord began to put me in contact with people that began to put something into my life. And so looking back, it was It was almost like, you know, baby steps to where I am today. And, you know, like you said, I mean, in the midst of it, you don't understand, you don't see, but the Lord knows our hearts. He knows what we can handle. He knows how um big of a step we need to take in something. And at that point in my life,
00:23:54
Speaker
Baby steps was all that I can handle I couldn't handle a big giant leap into something you know I had to go slowly into something and so you know I began to be in contact with people that began to enrich my life and to be you know, they began to show me. um And so I remember one night um after we had moved to Maine, we went to this country gospel concert, and I will never forget it. And I just, in the midst of that concert,
00:24:28
Speaker
It's like the Spirit of God just began to touch my heart. And I didn't understand what was happening at the time. But all the way home from that concert, I just couldn't stop crying. I just i just felt God's presence. And years later, um you know I ended up going to this fellowship. I was filled with His Spirit. um we I was baptized in Jesus' name. And the Lord just began to work in my life.
00:24:56
Speaker
A few years later, you know i I met my husband who I've been married to for now 34 years. um and The Lord just knew what I needed at the time that I needed it. so you know Sometimes we feel like and coming to the Lord that God is just going to take all the pain away and He's going to you know, just quickly deliver us from something and and sometimes some people that that happens but other people he knows that it's just not what we can handle we have to take baby steps and it's okay if
00:25:41
Speaker
Just make sure you're going forward and not backwards,
Sharing God's Work and Scientific Validation
00:25:44
Speaker
right? You don't want to go back. You know, I have no desire to go back to what I what i came out of. The Lord has blessed me. And, i you know, I mentioned going through Isaiah, and I can't remember what chapter it is. It's in the 60-something. I can't remember now. um But in there it says that we are clothed with salvation. He has clothed us in righteousness.
00:26:10
Speaker
It's not us who have that righteousness, but He has it and He has chosen us for a special calling. He has clothed us in His salvation and in His righteousness, like you've already mentioned, not to just sit here on the pew, but we need to go and we need to so to take what God has done in our lives and to share it with other people.
00:26:39
Speaker
yeah amen right so ah a similar passage i think that you're speaking about i'll read it i think it's second creating chapter five he says this
00:26:56
Speaker
Let's start at verse 16. So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view, though we once regarded Christ in this way. We do so no longer. Therefore, if any anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here. All this is from God who reconciled us through himself, through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
00:27:24
Speaker
Not counting people sin against them and he committed to us the message of reconciliation We are therefore Christ ambassadors as though Christ were making his appeal to us We implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. So that's something I always talk about as well, is that I think people miss the fact that Christ is righteousness. What makes, what enables us to come to the throne of grace is that Christ is righteousness has now been clothed in place on us, which allows us to not only be unashamed, but gives us the motivation and encouragement to speak our mind, right?
00:28:12
Speaker
So anytime we're approaching the throne we have to understand that Christ's righteousness is what God sees, not necessarily our own, right? Because if it was based upon our own, we don't you know have ah righteousness. So I think that versus Paul was close to what you're relating to. And it's actually interesting because something that I learned recently is that Paul tends to cite a lot of Old Testament scripture. he's He's actually like recycling what was mentioned in the Old and bringing it back to the New Testament and a lot of the things that he says.
00:28:44
Speaker
which is which is pretty unique. it It shows his study, but it also shows, as you mentioned earlier, the Bible is full of patterns and you mentioned earlier precepts. And because the Bible is full of patterns, principles and precepts, it allows us to see that the Bible is ah is loose literally a complete book.
00:29:02
Speaker
just wrapped up with different authors, but it's all influenced and Holy Spirit breathed on. So ah let's talk a little bit about, so you mentioned the ah podcast. So what inspires you to create the podcast and what was some of the most joyful experiences you had doing the Vintage Cav Podcast?
00:29:25
Speaker
Well, um my youngest daughter graduated in 2016. And so being a homeschool mom, being a mom, you wear many hats. And so those was that was one of the hats that I wore. So after she graduated, I was like, ah what am I going to do with myself? But I have no idea. So I started a YouTube channel. And where we live in rural Maine, our internet speed is terribly slow.
00:29:53
Speaker
So that did not work out. And so I happened to be listening to a podcast and they mentioned um a podcast host by the name of Anchor. And as I'm listening to this commercial, I'm like,
00:30:10
Speaker
I could do that. You know, that sounds pretty cool. I can do that. So I started um I think it was called The Vintage Lady. It started out with and I would get on and I would talk about Regency fashion or I would talk about social issues and stuff like that.
00:30:28
Speaker
And so then I had something called, um, Oh, I broke it into two, actually, I've broken into two. And the second one was called the cafe manna. So that was more, you know, all Bible and stuff like that. But where I'm doing this by myself, it was a lot of work. I felt like I had too much on my plate. So then I'm like, okay, what can I do? You know, how do I rename this and everything?
00:30:55
Speaker
So it ended up becoming the vintage cafe manna ah The vintage cafe podcast. I'm sorry. And so I I had that name for quite a while But then we started our farm and so I'm like Okay, we're gonna change it around again um And so that's where I came up with crazy times farm because I'm you know wanting to wrap all of this up and and stuff so it has been I feel like such an honor to be able to sit here in my little craft room and every week you know I bring some inspiration. I try to bring some education across the airwaves.
00:31:41
Speaker
And one of the things that, one of the reasons I guess also that I have done this podcast is because the Bible says that Satan is the prince of the air. And so for the most part, he rules the airwaves. But if we as Christians can make our voice be heard in whatever platform that we can,
00:32:06
Speaker
We give glory to God and we kind of push back that darkness. And so i I really get on here every week, you know, to try to bring inspiration and to try to, you know, just encourage people. um I have had some issues with being late i like this week. I haven't got one up yet.
00:32:27
Speaker
um And you know, it is tough being a solo podcaster, you know, because I'm I'm recording and I'm editing and I'm doing all this stuff by myself and I'm trying to monetize, you know, advertise or whatever. But it is when I have guests on my show, I've had you on my show, which was truly an inspiration. I've had other people on my show who You know, we we sometimes um have tunnel vision, and like we we only see what our little part of the world is. And when I have other people on my show who share their testimony of coming out of such deep darkness and being able to to express that over the airwaves, that is ah so amazing to me.
00:33:17
Speaker
And you know, it's amazing that my little podcast here in rural Maine has been heard all the way over in countries like Nairobi and Australia. And I'm just like, ah wow, you know, that's really cool. And so one of our highlights of the podcast was um we had wanted, well, I had wanted um for quite a while to have someone from Answers in Genesis on.
00:33:48
Speaker
And so we ended up having and my menopause brain just lost his name. So forgive me for forgetting his name just now. um But we had him on from Answers in Genesis and he talked about how He has done research um that takes him all the way back to Ham, Shem, and Japheth, and how you can you can find your ancestry all the way back there. And it it just it proves how ah solid the Word of God is, how it has been proven 100% accurate every single time. And it's so amazing that
00:34:34
Speaker
you can just share that with people that the Word of God is true. You can count on it. And He has done it scientifically to be able to prove that. And so that was a really cool highlight. The other highlight for me personally was when I reached 200 episodes, it was like, wow, I yeah know i never I never expected it to really go you know that far, but it's it's amazing you know that I have been able to reach different milestones. i've I've been able to talk with people all over the world and connect with people and share people's testimonies and and share the knowledge that the Lord has given me. and It's just is very humbling, actually.
00:35:26
Speaker
it It is really humbling to just be able to do all this. And I give all the glory to the Lord. And then, you know, as I was getting ready for this interview today, you know, I prayed and, you know, Solomon and forgive me for paraphrasing, but, you know, Solomon asked that he's like, Lord,
00:35:45
Speaker
i I don't even know what to say to these people. you know I don't know what to do. yeah God, please show me. And so I pray that, you know Lord, help me to be an inspiration to someone. Help me that your word, your word would be spoken through me to help somebody else. And so it is such an honor to be able to to bring that each and every week and to be able to share that inspiration.
00:36:13
Speaker
Yeah, i I also second the sentiment about just being an inspiration, but I think more importantly, I used to, you know, at one point in my life, when we're looking to measure success, a lot of us in the space of podcasting and YouTubing is all about the numbers. That's what most people are gravitating towards because they're they're looking to make money off of it in some capacity, in some way. Some of them are striving in that area where they're not only monetizing their podcast and promoting their podcast, but now they're able to quit their jobs and they're able to now do this full time. And when I started my podcast, it wasn't necessarily the focus was about
00:36:58
Speaker
striving to have a large podcast. I think what it was is that something that most people don't recognize is that when you're sharing truth, your audience is not going to be a large audience. Right. And the reason why I say that is because I think what it is is we we sort of gravitate to what is flourishing and what is working.
00:37:22
Speaker
And I said to myself when I started this podcast, one thing I was not going to do was I was not going to do reaction videos. I just I just never was interested in that. I like discussing the scriptures in the word and having and giving perspectives on that. But I feel like in a space now, everybody is reacting to other people's videos and giving their perspective. and And it's interesting because I'm like, I don't think everyone has a unique perspective. I think I think there are people that possess and provide you unique perspective, but i but I think that right now the pool is so large. where
00:37:57
Speaker
we're now in a place where people's opinion seems to matter across the globe. And that's, that's amazing. That's, that's great. I just think that when it comes to a certain point, for me, I just wanted to emphasize what God is doing, what the scripture says, and really how to just maneuver in life, right? How to take the scripture and apply it and how to read these things and and really see what God is doing. So I think the inspiration to me, which is why my podcast is still going, right?
00:38:27
Speaker
Well, we're striving one day to get to 200, right? Because that is an impressive feat, right? I think Jeremiah said it best, right? He was told to go out and and be a prophet.
00:38:44
Speaker
And at the end, no one repented. But in the audience of one God, he was seen great in God's sight. And I think that is what moon that is where my focus has been. The audience of one that really matters is God. The numbers and everything that comes along with it, if my focus is on that, then I'll get out of character and I'll start doing things that's counterintuitive to what I need to be doing and that's sharing truth.
00:39:13
Speaker
And truth prevails. It also is confrontational, right? So you sharing truth, you providing truth, there are going to be people that will go against that and come against that. But ultimately, it's not about that. It's about making sure that God is lifted up in every aspect of our lives and whatever capacity that we can do it.
00:39:32
Speaker
So now that I understand that, regardless of how many people press play, regardless of how many people I'm reaching, the most important thing is is that if the podcast continues to run somebody,
00:39:45
Speaker
might stumble across it. And that one person can be that one sheet right that God found right that came back. And we're all ambassadors and representatives of Christ. and And as a result of that, He's using us as instruments. So as long as we're sharing truth and we're making our God proud in the things that we do to glorify Him,
00:40:06
Speaker
that should be the focus, not the numbers and everything else that comes along with it. If it if it happens, that's nice, but as long as we're not motivated by that, then I think we're well on our way to doing something God wants. Yeah.
00:40:21
Speaker
Well, that's why I took a little time off because um you know I've gotten advice from you know several different people about the direction that my podcast should go and stuff. And one of them was having a newsletter and having people subscribe and and do a newsletter and stuff.
00:40:41
Speaker
Well for me personally It's just not working because I feel like it's it's just another thing that's added to my plate of already having a lot to do and so um You know through prayer and a lot of thought um I do have a blog on my website and so I want to get back into blogging but like you said, it's Even if one person listens to that podcast, you have impacted one person. And Alex San Filippo, who has created Podmage, he says that, you know, stop focusing on the numbers, stop focusing on, you know, getting a huge audience. Just go back to your why. Why are you podcasting? And just focus on podcasting.
00:41:32
Speaker
And, you know, maybe someday those numbers will come. Maybe they won't. But if I can reach just one person, then I feel like my podcast has been a success. Yeah, absolutely. So I want to kind of dial back and and ask some questions about the canning, right? What made you want to can and what have you can?
Canning, Hobbies, and Long-lasting Marriage
00:41:58
Speaker
Okay, so I'm kind of a vintage soul kind of person. um I love the old ways of doing things. I make historical clothing. um i and I love to someday picture myself you know having my home be my business for my farm and everything and so we've recently well it wasn't recent and i've had it for a little while but we've recently we got a pressure canner so you have two different methods of canning you can either do a water bath
00:42:35
Speaker
which you know you just put your canner and you boil them in water and stuff or you have to do pressure canning so anything that doesn't have acid in it so if you're like canning meat or beans or you know soups stews things like that you have to do a pressure canner or else you get food poisoning So when I got my pressure canner, the first time I used it, I did bone broth and I about freaked myself right out because on a pressure canner, you know, you're building up pressure. And so I'm watching this needle move, you know, building up this pressure. And I'm like, it's not stopping. What am I going to do? And, you know, in the old days, you know, they did have accidents with them. You know, they didn't have safety measures on them um and they would explode. um
00:43:25
Speaker
But now they have safety valves and you know stuff like that So once I got done canning the bone broth, I'm like, oh, sho okay, I'm safe. But I also gained the courage to say, you know what, I can do this. This is not that hard. So my second batch of staff was I actually bought like 10 pounds of boneless chicken and I cut it up, just packed it in jars, put it in the canner and canned it for like an hour and a half. It takes about that long to pressure can it.
00:43:59
Speaker
But you've gained a new skill. You've gained something and you've gained the courage to be able to say, OK, next time is going to be easier you know to do this. And so to do canning and and to preserve your own food, you are creating for yourself basically a grocery store within your own home. And that's one of my things is you know we we live about 10 minutes from the general store.
00:44:28
Speaker
But every time you go to the general store, you are literally spending anywhere from 50, 60 to $100 every single time. And we go there several times a week. And it's a lot of money that you're spending on something that probably will be gone within a matter of days. you know you're You're just buying for right now. In canning,
00:44:57
Speaker
you're really preserving for future and so the other thing that I've done which I've gained a skill from is called glassing eggs and I actually did an episode on this where you're basically taking your chicken eggs it can be duck eggs it can you know you can use turkey eggs or But you you don't clean them off. I mean, you make sure they're free of, you know, chicken mess or whatever, you know, but you you put them unwashed into a jar and you add some um pickling lime to it and you just add water and you have your eggs, which would last probably a year in that jar on the shelf.
00:45:41
Speaker
And so in doing all of that, like I said, I mean, you're preserving for future. There's going to come a day when we can't get to the grocery store. There may come a day when groceries are so expensive that you can't provide for your family by just going to Hannaford or going to our local general store, but you, because of all the work you've done, now have a whole grocery store right at your fingertips, right? And so you're able to just go down in your cellar, get what you need, and provide for your family.
00:46:15
Speaker
Yeah, I agree, because my mom, I've seen her do the pressure cooker thing. You put it in there, you get it out, you wait for the top to pop, and you know it's sealed. So I've been there. I've seen it. She has these mason jars. She puts it in there. It's kind of cool. It's interesting. And then, hey, she's I've seen her can watch. She's done mixed vegetables. She's done sauerkraut. She's done meat. She's done jam. All these interesting things. She's made these juices out of it. It's actually pretty dope. so Yeah, she's into quite a bit of that too. I'll make sure I tell her to reach out to you. Maybe you guys could be so and it's just a conversation. So yeah, and and really, yeah shoot this yoga yeah, really think about to, you know, maybe in the midst of all that, you're thinking how hard of work it is. And and farming is hard work. But think about setting down to a table where you have
00:47:10
Speaker
food that you have raised yourself. That is really um satisfying to be able to know that this food, by the grace of God, you've been able to raise and provide for, it you know.
00:47:27
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So let me ask you this. So about the knitting, right? And I want to also ask you about photography knitting. ah Are you a solo as well? So if if you are, which one do you enjoy most and what about it do you enjoy? The the detail, the strategicness? Yeah, talk a little bit about that. um Yeah, I have knitted. I do. yeah I'm actually trying to knit myself a hat at the moment. um But I started i start with crochet, actually, when I was probably, well, my husband and I were dating, so I was 16, 17 years old. I learned how to crochet, and then I got into knitting. And like I said, I'm i'm kind of a vintage. My husband says I was born 200 years too late. ah um but So I enjoy like the old ways of doing things.
00:48:18
Speaker
Um, I think the most satisfying for me though is my sewing because I actually have next to me a dress that i'm working on from 1901 a pattern and When I make an outfit and I I dress in that it's like you're stepping back in time and it's just so I don't know, for me anyway, it's kind of satisfying. um And being able to have that skill to be able to sew. I mean, think about in history, ah during World War II, maybe even World War I, you know, they would take the grain sacks and make dresses for themselves and their daughters. They were able to have a skill
00:49:10
Speaker
that in times of ah desperation, in times of trying to find the word, you know, when there wasn't a lot to to gain, you know, they were able to make something by hand that they could wear that would last them for quite a while.
00:49:30
Speaker
and that's one of the things you know i I I want to pass those skills down because some of those skills we've actually lost and in this society I mean how easy is it really to go to a Walmart or to go to any dress store you know you just pick something off the shelf and wear it you know and you know once it's you know, done, you just throw it away. You know, we kind of live in a throwaway society, right? And so when you make something yourself, you're able to mend that you're able to make it stretch, you know, and stuff. So I think for me, the sewing is definitely something um I actually have an opportunity to volunteer at a fort that is in our state.
00:50:17
Speaker
And to be able to teach young people the history of our state, the history of our nation, the real history. I'm not talking about the woke stuff that they have now, but I'm talking about how was our country founded.
00:50:34
Speaker
What were the the um beliefs and and the ideas that America was founded on? You know, those are the things that I would love to be able to teach other young people and to be able to to dress and to reenact would be it's just a dream job for me to be able to do those things. Got you.
00:50:58
Speaker
Yeah, I agree with you. I remember my mom when she first showed us how to rip something, how to close it up, how to knit it back, right? It was like so time consuming, right? And yeah, she has like four or five solar machines, one of them like it's like an electronic one now to the degree that she for a gift of a friend of mine, my mom made her a jean jacket.
00:51:22
Speaker
So she got some skills. She actually was able to make a jig jacket. So yeah, it's amazing, right? The skills that you can, you can build up over time. Now, photography, how'd you get into photography? Well, if I could just say one thing before we go on. um you know You mentioned yourself, you know sewing and these skills aren't just for women. Back during the Civil War, men would knit their own socks, they would mend their own clothing. So it is for men and women to be able to learn these skills and and to be able to make their own things. And yeah we think about, at least here in the in the state of Maine,
00:52:02
Speaker
I feel like we should bring back trade schools to be able to have something bring back apprenticeships to be able to learn these skills, because there's going to come a day, you know, like I've already mentioned, we live in a throwaway society.
00:52:17
Speaker
And many people you know have lost the skills of carpentry and plumbing and and electrician and and things like that. We're losing those, unfortunately. And I think that stuff that should be brought back, many of these skills should be brought back. And whether you're a man or a woman, they're great to learn.
00:52:37
Speaker
Yeah. And I think what's important is those particular jobs are always making money, right? Plumbing, always making money because everyone needs a plumber, right? Everyone needs an electrician. So I agree with you. I think trade schools do have its value. And I think it's a bit the difference because I remember graduating high school, there was no talk about trade school. ah found about I found out about trade school later on, but the people that I know that are involved in trade school, they make a decent living. And hey, they're working with their hands, they have a skill. And to me, that skill will always, always be needed. Right. So yeah, we're lying too much on the technology these days. It's kind of sad. So talk a little bit about what got you into photography, right?
00:53:23
Speaker
So my oldest daughter actually was the inspiration for that. um My oldest daughter is a portrait photographer and she graduated in 2011 from homeschooling and so she ended up getting into photography.
00:53:37
Speaker
And I've always enjoyed taking pictures, but my favorite format of photography is black and white photography. And I also love macro, which macro photography is like, you know, really close up pictures of things. So.
00:53:56
Speaker
um Several years after she Graduated she had you know, she was into photography and everything and I'm like, hmm, you know, I'd like to try that So, you know, I got my first DSLR On uncle Henry's for about 50 bucks. I ended up buying that and then my husband pretty much paid for my second camera um but I love being able to show people God's creation through my photography. You know, sometimes in life we just kind of rush by and we're just rushing through life and we don't stop to appreciate God's creation.
00:54:44
Speaker
and the different aspects of life. and And so for me, photography kind of brings that out. I enjoy the black and white. I do also color. But the name of my photography business is girl and gray photography. And so being able to to to bring things through the lens of a camera to the public eye, I think is is so inspiring.
00:55:11
Speaker
And to be able to stop and really appreciate an art form that, you know again, people are rediscovering these things. And I mean, there's always been photography. I mean, I can't remember. I think it was like I don't know the late 1800s I think my husband and I were actually listening to an audio book on Civil War history and it was specifically ah the military aspect of it and you know how the soldiers lived and different stuff like that and I think it was like the late 1800s when photography came in.
00:55:49
Speaker
And, you know, you're able to bring to the public eye things that they might not ordinarily see. And so I think that is so cool about photography. But yeah, my oldest daughter was definitely the inspiration for that.
00:56:05
Speaker
gotscha Yeah, I have a few friends, I have two friends that are super inta into photography as well. It's actually it's a very interesting thing. You you see the process and and like you said, the black and white concept and having to go into the closed room and kind of create it. and Right. I think anything would apply. I don't do that, actually. I do digital, um but it would be fun, though. It'd be fun to learn that that skill, because now, you know, we live in a digital age. There are some photographers who still do the um what do you call it? The black room or.
00:56:41
Speaker
I can't remember what they call it. so Yeah, I can't remember. But yeah, I mean, there are still some photographers who who go through that process. But yeah, it would be fun to learn that learn how to do that.
00:56:55
Speaker
Yeah. So I have one more question. I believe you, you and your husband has been married for 28 years. Do you have any pointers or any things you can suggest for people who cause it seems nowadays that mad people, the divorce rate is high. People are not sticking through and wanting to continue to be married. Do you have any pointers that you can suggest to explain why your marriage has been for so long and have you been able to sustain it?
00:57:26
Speaker
Well, it's it's actually been 34 that we've been married. oh
00:57:33
Speaker
um yeah one One of things um that we really promised to each other when we first got married was to communicate. And I think that that is one of the things people don't do today. They don't know how to communicate. If you're in the middle of an argument, and you know, in the 34 years, I think the biggest argument we've ever had was over cats. Because I'm a cat person. And we got in an argument once but, but you know,
00:58:14
Speaker
instead of yelling and screaming at each other, which, you know, I can't say I'm not guilty of, but, you know, ah stop and, and really think and, and, you know, go somewhere. If you have to cool off and then come back, because many times the stuff you're arguing about, you won't remember an hour or two later, what you were even arguing about, you know? Um,
00:58:41
Speaker
But ah one of the main things for us is the Lord. If God was not in the center of our marriage, we wouldn't have probably a marriage because we've been through a lot. um we've you know We have been you know, blacklisted by churches, you know, because of what we believe. ah We've had family, my family has has totally um cut me off because of where I stand and in the in my faith and stuff.
00:59:15
Speaker
And if it wasn't for God being the center, we yeah our marriage would not have lasted this long. and you But but you know one of the main things, communicate, really talk to each other, put away the phones, put away you know shut the TV off, you know spend time together. And one of the things that the other day, my husband and I were in town,
00:59:41
Speaker
And one of the things we've done our whole 34 years, even before but when we were dating, is we hold hands. And I know that that seems like, oh yeah, that's such a simple thing you or such a small thing. But it's so important because you're bonding. You're bonding with your spouse and you're connecting with them. And you know I love to see older couples who have, I mean, my my in-laws I mean they've been married for 56 years um and you know they still show affection to each other you know and that's the thing stop and and really connect with your spouse you know we get so busy
01:00:30
Speaker
in life, that even though you live in the same house, you can be in different worlds. and And then over time, if you continue to allow that, you lose that contact, you lose that affection, you lose that connectivity with your spouse. And you're correct in saying that the divorce rate is high in this country.
01:00:54
Speaker
ah The divorce rate actually is about the same percentage in the church as it is in the world. About 50% of people in the church are are divorced. um You know, not keeping God in the center of it, losing that connectivity. that And you know, and ah and in the midst of that, you know, the Bible says that we're to come together, you know, that Satan would not tempt us.
01:01:21
Speaker
You know, when you are disconnected from your spouse and and you're you're just going about your own things and you're not even paying attention to each other, that's like an open door for the enemy to come in and disrupt everything.
01:01:36
Speaker
The other thing that's so important, um, as far as family, um, and forgive me for not remembering who said this cause it's not my original quote, but you know, the best thing you can do for your kids is to love your husband, to love your wife, because your children will be solid in their relationships when they see that mom and dad are on the same page.
01:02:03
Speaker
when they see that your husband and wife, you know that you're walking the same line and you're loving each other, when they see that you know the husband and wife are at each other all the time and they're constantly arguing and they're just disconnected, it causes the family to to be disrupted and to tear apart. And you know coming from a divorced family, that was one of the things that I promised myself I'm not going to let that happen to me. I'm not going to go down that road. And so that is one of the things we talked about, you know, being in the midst of all that and then looking back and looking back. That was one of the things that I wanted was I don't want this. I don't want divorce in my life. I don't want my family torn apart.
01:02:52
Speaker
And so, you know, we have a lot of family traditions, we enjoy being with our kids, we enjoy being with each other. And, you know, we're going to be facing the empty nest, probably in a few years. And then it's just back to my husband and I and many times.
01:03:09
Speaker
ah families, you know, their kids grow up and once the kids sleep home, their marriage falls apart and they, you know, they leave each other. And that's one thing that my husband and I are not going to do, you know, because we've taken the time to build that relationship. Well, let's dig a little bit deeper in the spiritual sense, because I really feel like that this um should be expressed when you are Loving your husband and you're building in that relationship and he's building into you we are to be a reflection of our relationship with the Lord and if we're Just kind of treating our relationship with each other as husband and wife as just a nonchalant thing How is our relationship with Christ?
01:04:02
Speaker
You know, we're to be a reflection of that to the world and how are people in the world going to come to the Lord unless they see us loving each other, right? So we need to build that relationship, not just for ourselves and our kids, but so that others will come to the Lord and and be saved.
01:04:26
Speaker
Yeah, I agree with you 100%. Can't add anything else to it. So to sort of close things up here, I know you say you've been taking a break from podcasting and anything else, but any of your businesses is anything you want to put it out there for people who are interested in and want to and encouraged be encouraged by it or want to try it. Any Facebook groups, any of those sort of things you want to put out there, go for it.
01:04:51
Speaker
Um, yeah. Um, when I say I've taken a break, I haven't, what I mean by that is I haven't really taken on any new guests. I do have shows that I'm going to be putting out there and I have guests up until February and then I'll be kind of bringing a little bit more of my own topics on and not having as many guests on the show. Um, but yeah, um, my, the name of my podcast is crazy times farms. So as times as in T H Y M E S crazy times farm. So you can go to my website, crazy times farm.com, or you can find me on Facebook under that name. And I'm also on Instagram as well under crazy times farm. So,
01:05:36
Speaker
And yeah, i I try to post every week. um Some weeks don't work out. But um yeah, I try to post on there and I just try to reach out to listeners. And if you have any ideas or any comments you want to try to listen to a few episodes, just head over to my website and yeah, check it out. And again, thank you so much for for being on today.
01:06:05
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. One one more question. and When your parents decided to call you Virginia, you ever got any slack from it or you kind of embrace your name Virginia? Like, what are your thoughts on that? um When I was, I won't mention the word that they called me with that name.
01:06:26
Speaker
um Yeah, i I didn't like my name when I was a young person, a teenager. um But as you've mentioned, when we come to the Lord, we become a new creature. And you know, I had a lot of I had a lot of baggage, you know, when I came to the Lord, there was a lot of emotional baggage and stuff like that. But In the last several years, I feel like that I have gained more confidence in the Lord. I've deepened my walk with God.
01:07:00
Speaker
And I feel like that, you know, the Lord has called me daughter, you know, I am his daughter. I am an ambassador of Christ. And so I, I did used to go by gingerly on Facebook. And then when I got into podcasting, I'm like, well, I'd really like to be, and not that I want everything to be professional, but I'd like to be a little bit more professional. So I did start using my name, Virginia.
01:07:28
Speaker
And I feel like it's just, I'm stepping into a role that i'm I'm confident and I know what the Lord has done in my life. And I'm i'm not ashamed. you know I'm not afraid to be who the Lord has called me to be. so Yeah, I think it's kind of cool. Virginia Jones is kind of like, you know, one of those superhero names was like, OK, I don't know about superhero, but I don't know. It's like I embraced it like is definitely a unique name named after the state situation. So I'm like, oh, that's that's not it's kind of cool. Interesting. Right. So, yeah. All right. So if you don't mind, yeah. Closing out a prayer for us. Yeah.
01:08:17
Speaker
oh absolutely heavenly father thank you for your goodness and your mercy thank you lord jesus for your righteousness that you have clothed us with you have called us sons and daughters thank you lord for giving us this opportunity to just share your word and to share encouragement with jonathan and with his listeners lord and i pray that you would bless jonathan's podcast i pray god that You would just speak through the airwaves, Lord. Bless his ministry. Strengthen his his thoughts and his mind, O God, to just glorify you, Lord, and speak through him words that will not come back void. Thank you, Lord God, that you are faithful and just, that your word is constant in a crazy world that we live in, Lord. We can stand on your word and we can know, Lord, that you will not change.
01:09:12
Speaker
I pray, Lord, that you would just open more doors of opportunity for Jonathan and his family, Lord, to be able to share the gospel to people and just give him the courage and the strength and the boldness, Lord, to go where other people are afraid to go, Lord. God, we give you praise and glory. And thank you so much for the opportunity to just glorify you, Lord, in this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.