Review: Inherit the Land

Several weeks ago, I received a preview copy of Inherit the Land, one of the newest videos from the studios from Franklin Springs. I had hoped to preview it with some friends of ours and then share our responses, but we’ve had to reschedule our preview twice so far, so I figured I better just go ahead and share from my perspective.

Inherit the Land: Adventures on the Agrarian Journey, introduces us to seven families who share the blessings they have found in a lifestyle “on the land.”

Our first family is the Wilson family living on 16 acres in eastern Virginia. Scott wanted to start a family business where every family member could have meaningful responsibilities; where they could all be working together. He found that farming was just what he was looking for - where even a three year old can be involved as the family egg-gatherer, and his more shy children can learn self confidence as they learn to excel in areas of the farm that are all theirs. Scott especially enjoys the way farming lends itself to developing mentoring relationships with his children. They see the Lord’s blessing as they are working together, laughing together, developing family unity and working together toward a common goal.

The next family lives on a fruit and grape farm near the Pacific Ocean. The Gerhadt’s father and father-in-law had both grown up on farms, and as the Gerhardts now raise their sons, they found themselves wanting to reconnect to farm life and the feeling of family gatherings they both remembered with their grandparents. They love to see their boys learning to take dominion and learning useful life skills that will remain with them throughout their years – ones they will be able to pass on to their sons. They declare that raising sons on a farm is a great thing!

We are then taken to Illinois where we meet three generations of farmers. The Houks farm over 3,000 acres -mainly corn. Although their farm is quite the contrast to what often comes to mind when one thinks of the agrarian movement, they share the same love for the land, seeing God’s goodness and bounty in bringing in the harvest, learning to trust in the Lord to grow that crop, and the joy of working and being involved with one's family.

Next time I will share with the other three families we meet and then conclude with our thoughts after watching Inherit the Land.