"Holy Waste" (Day 37)
Verse of the Day
“She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.” — Mark 14:3
I was born at home in Houlton, Maine, and grew up in Bridgewater. I was the middle child between two sisters. Life was simple, but good. I remember the farm most. We worked a potato farm, and I loved it. It taught me patience, responsibility, and how to stay with something even when it was hard.
For a while, I thought I would farm on my own. My father and I even talked about what it would take—$25,000. But that door did not open. So I went into the potato business instead. I learned to buy and sell, and over time I started my own work. I worked hard. That’s what I knew.
Then I met Diane. We met in college, in a microbiology class. One ride back to the dorm turned into a life together. Eight months later, we were married. We faced hard seasons, especially financially. There were times of uncertainty. But we stayed. We worked through it together.
Later, I began planting Christmas trees. It grew into hundreds of acres. It became a family effort. We worked side by side. One day, a meeting in the field led to selling trees to Walmart. That changed everything. Years later, we sensed it was time to stop. That chapter closed in peace.
Then something shifted in me. I had spent years buying low and selling high. But I didn’t want that anymore. I said, “Now I will give it away.” That’s how the jelly mission began. I made jars and gave them freely—to neighbors, church, anyone. Just take one, and share one.
Faith carried me through it all. Step by step. Not perfect, but good. And for it all, I thank God. – Brian Ketchum
Thought for the Day
On Holy Wednesday, Jesus received a gift that seemed wasteful to others—love poured out without measure, without calculation. Where in your life are you holding back, measuring, or calculating, and how might you offer something freely to God or to someone else this week, not because it is efficient or practical, but simply because it is love?
“She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.” — Mark 14:3
I was born at home in Houlton, Maine, and grew up in Bridgewater. I was the middle child between two sisters. Life was simple, but good. I remember the farm most. We worked a potato farm, and I loved it. It taught me patience, responsibility, and how to stay with something even when it was hard.
For a while, I thought I would farm on my own. My father and I even talked about what it would take—$25,000. But that door did not open. So I went into the potato business instead. I learned to buy and sell, and over time I started my own work. I worked hard. That’s what I knew.
Then I met Diane. We met in college, in a microbiology class. One ride back to the dorm turned into a life together. Eight months later, we were married. We faced hard seasons, especially financially. There were times of uncertainty. But we stayed. We worked through it together.
Later, I began planting Christmas trees. It grew into hundreds of acres. It became a family effort. We worked side by side. One day, a meeting in the field led to selling trees to Walmart. That changed everything. Years later, we sensed it was time to stop. That chapter closed in peace.
Then something shifted in me. I had spent years buying low and selling high. But I didn’t want that anymore. I said, “Now I will give it away.” That’s how the jelly mission began. I made jars and gave them freely—to neighbors, church, anyone. Just take one, and share one.
Faith carried me through it all. Step by step. Not perfect, but good. And for it all, I thank God. – Brian Ketchum
Thought for the Day
On Holy Wednesday, Jesus received a gift that seemed wasteful to others—love poured out without measure, without calculation. Where in your life are you holding back, measuring, or calculating, and how might you offer something freely to God or to someone else this week, not because it is efficient or practical, but simply because it is love?
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