It is awesome to me that Adam and Eve were created to be “cultivators of the soil.” Farmers. That’s what they were. There is just something special about being out with nature.

Okay. By now you know, if you read my articles on a regular basis, that here comes another farm story. Better than that, another chicken story.

When I was a kid I remember when I was at my grandparents one summer, I was out in the yard taking a break from work. It must have been around ten in the morning. The chicken yard was in the back of the house. Something I had heard almost daily had now taken on a different sound. It had only been a few minutes since I was in the chicken house checking on their feed and water. I had noticed one of my little white hens sitting in the laying box in the process of laying an egg. They usually go in one or two at a time to do this job. All of a sudden, as if shocked into discovery, the little white hen let out the loudest cackling you’ve ever heard. I believe you could have heard it from anywhere on the place. After she had sung a few bars of the tune, all the other chickens, even the roosters, joined in the feathered chorus. Everyone in the chicken yard got involved. What an awesome sound!

As I listened to all this goings on, I decided to go out and inspect a little more closely what was happening. When I entered the gate, some of them lost their song. After all, I wasn’t singing their song, so some of them quit. As I entered the chicken house the little white hen was coming off the nest. Sure enough, there it was. A beautiful, perfect, white egg. By this time she was prancing back and forth singing at the top of her beak and the hens that were still in the house were singing backup. She was so proud! Every one of the other hens were just as proud. Everyone in the house was involved. What an awesome sight and sound!

Being of the inquisitive nature that I am, I decided to listen a little more carefully. When I went back in I noticed that one of the little red hens had taken her place on her nest. A few minutes later she broke out in song. As before, the whole crowd broke into their anthems of praise and pride. Once again the chicken yard was alive with joy over the accomplishments of one ole hen.

Repeatedly throughout the morning they sang these songs of joy with one another. Everyone got involved over the victory of the other. First the laying hen would announce her victory and instantly the rest of the family would get involved.

The other morning I was atthe church reading my bible. That morning for several hours I had been pouring myself into the Bible hoping to be led into a truth. All of a sudden it hit me. When I was a kid at my grandparents house, God was teaching me and my instructor was a chicken! A chicken, mind you! It all began to fit. That’s what God’s people ought to be like. When God gives us a victory we ought to cackle about it. We need to let the rest of the family know. Maybe we don’t praise Him enough as His family because too many of us leave our nest unannounced. If God gives me a victory and it is not enough to excite me, how can I expect others around me to get excited about it? If there is not enough appreciation within me to cackle about it, how will others know of the victory?

Here they are… some of the most unintelligent creatures on the face of the earth and they understand and practice something that we don’t. They know how to announce their victory. They know how to get praise going through the whole chicken yard.

Perhaps you and I need to spend more time around the chicken yard! Maybe they can give us a little help.

If God gives you a victory… cackle about it. Let you neighbor know. Break the sounds of silence. Who knows, if you cackle enough we too, might even get into it.

God Bless&GOOOOOOO DAWGS,

Rev. Marshall Murphy

Rev. Murphy is the Pastor at the First Christian Church in Demopolis. He can be reached at the church office at 289-3615 or by email at marshall@georgiadogs.com .