Devotional

True Worship

False Worship

Reading this verse gave me pause to think there is actually a false way to worship God:

“The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭29‬:‭13)‬ ‭

A grave warning is given in this verse that it is possible to ‘worship’ God with our mouth and not our heart by following what is just prescribed or learned. This may be in the form of singing where we repeat the words of a great song but not consider the meaning of the words we are singing. This may also be when we just recite a scripture or prayer that we have learned but are not intent on processing in our heart what it says. We are called to meditate and not repeat God’s Word.

 “...but whose delight is in the Law of the Lord, and who meditates on his Law Day and night.” (Psalms‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬)

True Worship

Great news is that Jesus Himself defined for us what true worship is, in John 4:24:

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

There are two dimensions to worship we are given.  Firstly, worship is in the Spirit, Holy Spirit.  We need to let the Holy Spirit, who is in us, lead us into worshiping God.  As He moves and guides us, we can adore, honor and glorify God with expressions of worship which may or may not be words, but come from a surrendered heart.

Secondly, we are told to worship in truth.  No need to guess on this either, as Jesus declared Himself to be ‘the Truth’ in John 14:6:

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬)

So, worship in and through Jesus is pure truth.

Let's remember to be intentional in our worship of God.  Led by our heart and not our words or mind.

Financial Update

America's Beef Crisis: A Farmland Investment Opportunity

In one of our meetings last week, Errol and I were discussing a time in life, when at the age of 19, my desire was to be a chicken farmer. After quickly realizing how potentially unpleasant a fit that may have been for my personal preferences, that desire shifted into wanting to be a duck farmer. Regardless, given that conversation, I felt like the investment topic today, “America’s Farmland”, would be exceptionally fitting and timely. 

If you’ve been shopping for beef anytime within the past decade, you’ve probably noticed an increase in your grocery bill. Interestingly enough, it’s not just inflation; the U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to 86.7 million head, the lowest level in 74 years. We’re witnessing the market impact of a severe agricultural shortage that could reshape American farming for decades.

The price hike comes from years of punishing drought, rising costs, and an aging ranching workforce have thinned herds across the country. When pastures turn to dust and hay becomes prohibitively expensive, ranchers are forced to make difficult decisions. Many have sold off breeding cattle, the very animals needed to rebuild herds, just to survive. The result? The smallest U.S. calf crop since 1941.

The numbers tell a sobering story. Brazilian beef imports to the U.S. hit a record 197 million pounds in January 2025, up from just 7 million in January 2020, a staggering 28-fold increase. We're now importing nearly a quarter of our beef consumption, up from 10% just four decades ago. This isn't supplementing American production; it's replacing it.

America desperately needs its farmers back. In an age of time where it seems like everything has gone digital and automated, where it feels like tech companies and white-collar work rule the world, it is a bit refreshing to hear that the need for grass-roots blue-collar trades is returning (more to come on this in the near future).

Enter farmland investment. While cattle ranchers struggle, U.S. farmland values averaged $4,350 per acre in 2025, up 4.3% from 2024. According to USDA data, U.S. farm real estate accounts for $3.67 trillion in assets. Farmland delivers steady income through lease payments plus long-term appreciation. Over the past two decades, it has delivered average annual returns exceeding 12%, outperforming many traditional assets with low volatility.

For Christian business leaders, farmland investment offers a tangible way to support domestic food production while building wealth. Unlike speculative assets, you're investing in real, productive land that feeds communities. The sector's fundamentals remain strong: a growing global population, finite arable land, and increasing food demand create enduring value.

Current market conditions present unique opportunities. Direct farmland ownership, farmland REITs, and crowdfunding platforms have made this asset class accessible to everyday investors. Farmland offers inflation protection, portfolio diversification, and low correlation to stock markets.

The cattle crisis won't resolve overnight, industry experts say; rebuilding will take years. But for those willing to invest in America's agricultural future, the current shortage may represent the opportunity of a generation. We can either watch foreign beef continue displacing domestic production, or we can be part of rebuilding the foundation of American farming.

Tech Update

Space Based Solar Power

Space based solar power (SBSP) delivered to earth sounds like science fiction. In fact, it is in the R&D and demo phase now and could potentially be implemented in the next decade. The concept hinges on three key technical elements from what I have assessed.

Solar Generation

The first element is the harvesting of solar energy in space. It would be a 24/7 nonstop process compared to earth-based systems today that are limited during daylight hours, per geographical location, and under clear weather conditions.  

Massive solar panels in orbit would have almost constant exposure to the sun with up to 8-10x greater intensity compared to systems on earth that have the atmosphere as a filter. It is estimated that massive solar arrays could generate gigawatts of continuous free clean power from the sun, similar in range to a nuclear power plant today.

Transmission 

Some years ago, I worked for a microwave transmission company and learned of the power of line-of-sight microwave terrestrial transmission systems. On earth these systems can transmit over a few hundred kilometers and are mostly limited by the earth’s atmosphere and curvature.   Space based microwave systems would beam the energy at a high frequency (2.45-5.8 GHz) down to terrestrial receiving antennas, called rectennas. As the earth rotates, the solar generators in space would orbit to stay in the sunlight but would beam the energy to different collection point rectennas on earth based on time of day.

Deployment

While conceptually the technical elements to make this work are coming together, there is the reality of deploying it. The obvious challenge of getting SBSP systems into space is dependent on expensive rocket systems. Space X and others are leading the innovation into making this more cost efficient. A fun quick calculation estimates that 68 Starship launches would be needed to get the 100-500KG worth of equipment into space for a 1GW power station. Then there is the modular assembly in space that's needed. I’m thinking robotic systems will aid this in the future. With today’s current Starship technology, you’re looking at a multi-Billion$ transport cost alone.

SBSP systems are in initial demonstrations with Japan’s OHISAMA planned for launch this year.  Commercial-scale implementations are likely 5-15 years away.

Health Nuggets

Healing Leaves

I came across an interesting article in The Biblio Diet book written by Jordan Rubin. He shares that a vision was given to his wife that God would help him find a cure for cancer. After praying and researching, God gave him a scripture which is in Ezekiel 47:12:

Later on, God revealed another scripture which is in Revelation 22:2:

If you would like to learn more, I would suggest reading The Biblio Diet book. In it, Jordan shares a recipe that he uses to make HEALING LEAVES TEA/INFUSION.

Here’s a link to the “Free Healing Leaves” chapter and recipe (The Biblio Diet – Jordan Rubin — Jordan Rubin).

I’ve been trying it myself and this tea/infusion is so good, it’s almost addicting! Be healthy!

Note: Health Nuggets are opinions and not medical advice.

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