New Sermon - "The Body Of Christ" - I Corinthians 12

Last Sunday I had the privilege to preach at Crosspoint Community Church  on 

"The Body Of Christ" - I Corinthians 12

You can listen to the sermon audio at:  http://www.crosspointcommunity.com/sermons/

To live and Pro-Life in Anchorage (Remix)

" But I tell you to love your enemies, and pray for those that persecute you"
- Jesus (Matt. 5:44)

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse."
- Paul (Rom. 12:14)

In light of the headline on the cover of today's (Aug. 24, 2015) Alaska Dispatch News that reads "Anchorage Gunfire: Four incidents leave 1 dead, 2 teens in critical condition" I am re-running this post from 2/17/15.  
To date, there have been 18 homicides (five more than in all of 2014) in Anchorage in 2015.  
- JK

Violence and death seem to be everywhere these days, or at least it feels like that to me.  2015 has opened with the national and international news being filled with ISIS beheadings, terror attacks in Paris and Copenhagen, the "war" on terrorism, and the residual coverage of  Ferguson and Eric Garner.  The local news in Anchorage hasn't been any better.  Daily it seems the we hear of a new shooting or murder in the city.  In fact after 2014 being the lowest year for murder in Alaska's largest city in 20 years (1), 2015 started with 31 firearm incidents with "credible evidence," 11 shootings, and 4 murders (all in one week) in January (2).  As of this writing the city has seen 10 homicides this year after a total of 13 last year (3).  It has been a violent year around the world, and close to home.

How do we respond to all this violence and death?  It is a question I have been asking myself a lot in recent weeks.  I have watched online where the typical (maybe even the prevailing) response seems to be the establishment of blame.  I have overheard the citizens of my city recoil in shock that the gunfire has erupted in their neighborhood.  I have noticed the tendency to quickly dismiss the departed as drug dealers, gang members, terrorists, targets, or Muslims.  In each case the "othering" of the victims and/or those doing the shooting has left me feeling empty.  The reactions that support the idea of redemptive violence do nothing to fill the void.  The trite dismissal of those departed as getting what they deserve only makes the chasm in my soul larger.

I grew up in a world were I was taught to be "pro-life."  In the context of that upbringing this meant believing that life starts at conception and that no baby should be aborted - something I still believe.  Also while I was growing up I was taught that we didn't just kill animals unless it was for population control (deer) or they were raised for the purpose of food (cows, chickens, etc.).  I was taught that all life sacred and not disposable.  However, when I think back to those formative years, and reflect on what I'm hearing now, it seems that those of us who would say we are "pro-life" often value life more in some circumstances than others.  It appears to me that if you are a fetus the value on your life is high, but if your a 14 year old kid shot in a drug deal your life is less valuable or even expendable.  If you are a person of authority (solider/police officer) your life is deemed more important than others.  I get the feeling that if your a Christian your life is somehow more valuable than a Muslim.  It appears to me that we are often/always ranking the value of other peoples lives.  What changed since conception?  Does personal choice, circumstance, beliefs, or position change the value of ones life?

How should we be responding to the violence in our world and our city?  Is the biblical response distancing ourselves from those involved based on proximity, perceived guilt, difference in beliefs or color - in short their "otherness."?  Is the righteous response more violence, with the hope that it will bring about an end?  Is the correct response to just continue on like nothing has happened?  How do we live a life, and faith, that is holistically pro-life?

In Genesis 4 we read about the murder of Able by Cain.  A couple things in that passage cause me to wonder about our response.  First of all God does not kill Cain.  Cain is punished, but God does not enter into redemptive violence.  Furthermore, God marks Cain so that no one else will kill him for his sins either.  God does not see the answer to Abel's murder to be more violence.  Second, Abel's blood cries out from the ground and God hears it.  How often are those that are killed in war, in terrorism, in a parking lot in our city just a news story to us?  Who often do we see the death around us as a statistic?  Do we stop to hear the blood of those slain crying out to God, and to us, from the ground?

Around the globe and around my city there is blood crying out to us from the ground.  What is it saying?  How do we bear witness to those departed?  How do we honor life, and life lost?  Can we choose to mourn those who have died without establishing blame...just mourn that a human life - a life created by God in in His image - that has ended?  When was the last time we stopped in our Sunday worship services, or in our daily lives, to pray for the people we often think of as crime statistics? Can we open up our eyes and hearts to bear witness to the violence around us?  Can we pray for the victims and the perpetrators?  Can we cry out to God to make it stop?

Joel K

"War what is it good for?  Absolutely nothing"
- Edwin Starr


(1) - http://www.adn.com/article/20150103/anchorage-sees-13-homicides-2014-fewest-2-decades
(2) - http://www.adn.com/article/20150129/spike-violent-crime-be-met-police-shakedowns
(3) - Number based on a search of http://www.raidsonline.com linked from the Anchorage Police Department website.

Like Painting a Mustache On the Mona Lisa

I have noticed a somewhat disturbing a trend in worship music for a while now - the addition of new words or choruses on older songs. In particular hymns seem to be getting these re-writes. Let's take a look at an example.

Most Sunday's during my formative years the church service in my tradition ended with a four line song people referred to as simply "The Doxology."  The real title was "Praise God, from Whom all Blessings Flow" which in reality is the last four lines of a longer hymn ("Awake, My Soul, and With the Sun"). The words of the "The Doxology" were written in 1674 by Thomas Ken and put to a tune from the Ge­ne­van Psalt­er (Old 100th) that was composed in 1551 by Lou­is Bour­geois.  Thus, "The Doxology" has been serving the worshipping church for 340-465ish years.

In 2008, another Thomas - Thomas Miller - decided, that after continual service for longer than the United States has been a country, that the "The Doxology" needed new lyrics. Mr. Miller penned a new set of words, in particular a chorus made up mostly of "Praise God" and then copyrighted it. Let's notice two things here.

First, is the audacity that it takes to re-write a song that has stood the test of time - a LONG time. It is very much like someone deciding to paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa. Who, after 500 years thinks, "I don't think Leonardo da Vinci got it right, I need to fix his painting"?  So it is with "The Doxology."  Why does a classic, used for over 300 years, need a re-write and who has the guts to say "I can improve on this masterpiece"?  We don't let people paint over masterpieces of fine art (or even touch them, or stand too close to them) - we leave them as the master works they are so that people can enjoy and admire them. We don't allow people to take large chunks of another person's writing and create a new work (which is plagiarism in the literary and academic world) that can be published or copyright protected.

Second, is the very matter of these hymn re-writes being under copyright. It smacks of pure profiteering for praise song writers to take a well known and popular hymn, tweak it (often slightly), and then be able to list it as an original work in order to receive royalty payments. Re-writing a popular song is a guaranteed way to get your work attention, it is a bit like rappers that sample in parts of other songs that are easily identifiable (they pay the other artists). The re-working of a hymn is sure to generate a ton of interest, use in worship, and if protected by copyright in your name, a pretty good revenue stream.

Maybe I'm too cynical, but I'd love to see priceless works of art, literary genius, and age old hymns left in a preserved and original state and not re-done for profit. Maybe I'm too idealistic, but I'd like to see our songwriters craft their own classics that can serve the church for 300, 500, or more, years. So here's to history and creativity!

Straight Outta Dimond Estates...the Clash, Rob Bell & a sense of place.

Should I stay or should I go now? 

Should I stay or should I go now?

If I go there will be trouble

An' if I stay it will be double

So come on and let me know

Should I stay or should I go?

- The Clash

I have been thinking about place a lot lately. Part of it has been in relation to the work I'm doing for school - thinking through cities as places and what makes a city. But more acutely I/we have been thinking about my/our physical place in this world. Nine years ago, armed with little more than good intentions, my family and I moved into Dimond Estates trailer park. As I woke up every day that summer my mind would flood with the thought "Crap, I live in a trailer park."  Something about moving into a home that has wheels and a title filed with the Department of Motor Vehicles brought me face to face with some basis and feelings I didn't know had woven into my psyche.

Over the years I learned to love our neighborhood. It is a multi-cultural urban environment tucked away in South Anchorage's commercial district (a seemingly endless landscape of strip malls). On the other hand the park is a ramshackle collection of over 500 units of mostly sub-standard housing. There in lies the battle of place that has been raging inside of me. I love my neighborhood but I have developed a disdain for my house.

Starting last fall, when a broken shower fitting leaked water all over our bedroom and enhanced by a broken sewer line this spring, a discussion has been ongoing about moving into a new house. Our youngest daughter, who can't remember living anywhere else, has repeatedly stated that the trailer is home while my wife endlessly browsed for a new home on the Internet.  Meanwhile I became the living embodiment of The Clash's song Should I Stay, Or Should I Go?

Nearly two weeks ago we looked at a house (this was the only house I personally have been interested in during this entire process due to the fact the Anchorage is LOADED with UGLY homes that cost a TON of money). The house was one of the 10 oldest homes in Anchorage. Built in 1914 to house government employees that had been brought to Anchorage (fresh off their work building the Panama Canal) by the federal government to build the Alaska Railroad. The house was awesome! A cute 960 square foot, two story, house on the bluff above Ship Creek in the oldest neighborhood in Anchorage.  My historian side was alive, but my practical side won out. We simply could not move 5 people into that tiny house after living in our palatial 1300 square foot double wide (450 square feet ends up being a lot). So in the end that dream died.

This past Monday night I went for a run.  As I stepped out the door I clicked on the newest episode of Rob Bell's (1) Podcast - The Rob Cast - as my workout soundtrack.  Rob was talking about being from where you are.  He was unpacking the idea of loving the place you are in, and if not moving.  It was a version of the struggle my soul has been engaged in for nearly a year.  As I ran, and listened, I was washed over with the feeling that our 1973 Kentwood doublewide is still home.  I was baptized into the idea that we can stay - we can continue - we can love the place we are from.  

Facebook this week has been loaded with images like the one above generated by a website promoting the upcoming movie Straight Out Of Compton and Beats Audio.  I've seen a good many friends generate images declaring their pride in place.  So I guess, in the end, what I'm trying to say is that I'm straight outta Dimond Estates...


(1)  Ok, I know I just lost a bunch of readers right there because I mentioned Rob Bell.  I'm coming out of the closet.  I like Rob Bell.  I'm not interested in debating Rob's theology (especially with those who have not read his books - in particular "Love Wins") with anyone so I won't be responding to comments posted about that.  

I have learned a great deal from Rob over the years.  At points in my life his teaching has rescued me from despair and given me hope, and frankly isn't that is what pastors/teachers/preachers are supposed to do?  So I said it, I like Rob Bell. 

How dare you? (part II): Thoughts on Jeb Bush & Donald Trump

Tonight is the first Republican Presidential debate. While I will not be tuning in, I find two of the personalities debating to be very interesting. (1) 

The first candidate is Donald Trump. Trump has been gaining a great deal of attention because he has been leading in the polls.  Let's be honest, The Donald would be getting attention no matter what. If you saw a guy with that hair in the grocery store it would get your attention, as would anyone who yells most everything he says and spouts off racist and objectionable phrases. Trump just gets attention, sort of like a screaming toddler at the mall or a car on fire next to the highway.

However, Trump has been getting a bunch of attention not just for his unique look or his paint stripper like personality, but because of what he has been saying. While announcing his candidacy he stated, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people." (2) The Donald lost some business from that statement, notably Univision and NBC's contract to air the Miss USA pageant. (3) Trump hasn't just been out spoken about Hispanics, but also has stated that John McCain was not a war hero (4).  There has been plenty of other criticism of Trump, but I'd like to contrast him with another candidate on the stage tonight, Jeb Bush, on the issue of Hispanics and race in America.

Jeb Bush (Jebcito as he's known) is fluent in Spanish.  NPR notes that he, "grew up in Midland, Texas, he summered in Maine and went to prep school in Andover, Mass. And it was in high school that his path home really began. He met his wife, Columba, on a high school exchange trip to Mexico. In college, he majored in Latin American Studies. He converted to Catholicism, and he worked briefly in Venezuala. But the place he chose to put down roots was Miami." (5) By the mid-1980's Bush was viewed as "one of the most prominent members of the Hispanic community." (5) If Trump is firing his verbal weapons at Hispanics, Bush, by contrast has moved into the neighborhood drawing fire.

While Jeb Bush's appropriation of Hispanic culture raises eyebrows a bit in the wake of Rachel Dolezal (see my post on her here), he does offer a stark contrast to Trump. With the racial unrest America has been experiencing in the recent weeks, months, years, and decades, (or past 200+ years for that matter), do we really need a casino building blow-hard campaigning on racist ideals, or someone who can learn a culture and learn from those different than themselves?  I am aware that at least one Christian magazine has promoted Trump as God's trumpet to the American people (6), but it is Jeb Bush that gives us a look into how one might live in a world with multiple cultures, and because of that, could offer a glimpse into what a plan forward might look like in a multi-cultural America.

There are signs all around us highlighting our inability to get along across racial lines - Charleston, Baltimore, Ferguson, etc.  Those images are in contrast to the Bible which shows us a vision of Heaven where every tribe and every nation is gathered around the throne of God. I'm pretty sure that we don't get to that reality by scapegoating anyone. I am sure that the diversity God seeks doesn't happen through shouting that those people over there - those people different than me - are rdrug-dealing, criminals and rapists (7).  What I do know is that if we want to make progress toward that heavenly vision, we better learn how to learn from those around us...no matter how different we think they are.



(1) I am in no way endorsing any candidate or political party.  Period.

(2) http://www.npr.org/2015/06/29/418641198/nbc-dumps-donald-trump-over-comments-on-mexican-immigrants

(3) http://www.npr.org/2015/06/25/417516490/univision-cancels-miss-usa-over-donald-trumps-mexico-comments

(4) http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/07/19/424382469/trump-doubles-down-on-mccain-criticism-refusing-to-apologize

(5) http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/15/413927208/he-was-born-republican-royalty-but-jebcito-is-from-miami

(6) http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/prophetic-insight/23916-prophecy-donald-trump-shall-become-the-trumpet#comment-2163756669

(7)  The historical precedent for this type of scapegoating shows that it doesn't end well by-the-way.  Hitler anyone?

What I learned (or Confirmed) by posting about Same-Sex Marriage

A month ago I posted my thoughts on same sex marriage. To date it is the second highest number of views this blog has ever had (the first being my thoughts on the passing of my father-in-law). The same sex marriage post drew over 400 views. I'm thrilled that many people wanted to read my blog, since I, like any writer, want readers. However, that post has confirmed something for me - issues of a sexual nature bring out people in droves.

The typical post on this blog gets and average of 73 views. It doesn't much matter what the topic is. Gun control, 69 views, identity issues 50 views, racism 74 views, violence in Anchorage 73, racial inequality in the church 94, theology of imperfection 78... you get the picture. Then, BAM, same sex marriage 400+ (see the above chart of this blogs activity in the past month). This is a trend I have been noting in real life (non-cyber) as well. Christians, in particular Evangelicals, seem to only show up on social issues related to sex and sexuality. I wrote about it in a paper a few years back, here are those thoughts:

"In Anchorage one of the largest barriers to promoting justice at the city-wide governmental and institutional level is a phenomenon in which the church only becomes mobilized on issues of a salacious nature. This pattern of the church appears particularly among evangelicals, but is not limited to them exclusively. As a case in point allow me to contrast two separate meetings in Anchorage both advertised to evangelicals. The first meeting was one promoted and hosted by Parachutes Teen Club and Resource Center, Crosspoint Community Church and Grace and Truth Community Church. Pastors and the members of their churches were invited to come to hear Tali Hairston, Director of the John Perkins Center for Reconciliation, Leadership Training, and Community Development at Seattle Pacific University, speak on “Reconciliation, Forgiveness and Love: An Open Discussion of the Role of the Church in Reconciliation.” The intent of the meeting was to open up a dialogue about racial reconciliation. The meeting was attended by the organizers and a couple more people. By contrast, in the spring of 2012, in response to an initiative from a group calling itself "Christians for Equality" that was pushing for a change in Anchorage’s discrimination law to include language making it unlawful to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation, local evangelical leaders filled a 250 seat theater for their meeting. The difference between the two issues is striking. The more well-attended meeting was about an issue that is sexual in nature and offers little risk for pastors in conservative congregations to protest. The meeting that was poorly attended was about an issue that makes people uncomfortable and would offer a risk to pastors from the evangelical churches in question (largely wealthy white churches) were they to become involved in protesting racism. So, in the end, opening up a dialogue in Anchorage on issues of race, poverty, and justice is impacted by the climate of the politics involved and will not be able to move forward until the leaders in the evangelical community discover the ability to take a stand on issues that present a personal and professional risk. While barriers to a discussion on poverty, diversity and justice exist in Anchorage there are hopeful signs as well. One evangelical group, Churches of Anchorage, has recently decided to focus its attention on the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, poverty and homelessness. One hopes that the influence of this respected group will foster conversations in the future that move beyond the tabloid fodder currently mobilizing the evangelical church in Anchorage." (1)

So as I reflect back over the past month and the "success" of my post on same-sex marriage I'm thrilled to have had so many readers, but curious/conflicted over the nature of the response. Why do we as a people, as Christians, as evangelicals(?), seem to care more about salacious issues than we do other social issues? I know when I posted about same-sex marriage it was the hot button issue of the day and that everyone was looking for something to hold on to - timing is important - and I also have heard that people appreciated the perspective offered.  In that sense I am grateful for the response.  But I'm still left wondering...Why is it that we are so obsessed with issues that are in some way sensual, sexual or at the very least sensational?  For years evangelicals have shown up to support marriage laws, fight against abortion, and to make sure that homosexuals don't have equal rights.  But when have those same social warriors addressed poverty with the same veracity?  or US Imperialism? or a Living wage?  or Corporations buying elections (Citizens United, now there is a Supreme Court ruling to protest!)?  Racism?  Low-income housing?  

There is a dilemma here.  Maybe two dilemmas.  The matter of what social issues the church engages in, and a quandary for me as a writer.  

For Christians as a group, I feel the matter is simple and scary.  The Body of Christ needs to be engaged with a broad range of social change in the world, not just when it is convenient politically or risk-free personally, but rather specifically when there is a risk involved.  The role of the people of God in the world is to bring hope, and "Hope is the refusal to accept the reading of reality which is the majority opinion; and one does that only at great political and existential risk." (2)  What hope is there for the world, for us, when we appear to choose our issues in the same way as a supermarket tabloid?  

As a writer I'd love to have far more than 400 readers, but at what cost?  Do I choose a sensationalized tabloid approach to blogging?  Does sex sell even obscure blogs?  What is more important, issues and explorations, or exposure?

"But let justice roll on like a river, 

                             righteousness like a never-failing stream!"
                                                                              Amos 5:24

(1) Joel Kiekintveld,  Identity and Community: A Ministry Philosophy.  Seattle, WA: Bakke Graduated University.  Master's Thesis, 2012.  Pg. 94-95

(2)  Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press.  2001 - 2nd Edition.  Pg. 65

Thoughts on Dip Net Fishing, Parables & Justice.

It is fishing season in Alaska. While I sit at my kitchen table in the States largest city writing this post, my wife and oldest daughter are down on the Kenai Peninsula dip netting for Red Salmon (1). In fact it seems like most of South Central Alaska is standing at the mouth of the Kenai River netting fish.  So I've had fishing on the brain all week, but not because I have fish fever, but rather because of a parable.

If your talking about fishing with a net there are some parables and stories of Jesus that are natural fits. The parable of the dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50) springs to mind or the story of Jesus telling the disciples to let their net down on the other side of the boat (John 21) known as the "Miraculous Catch of Fish" (what fisherman doesn't what that?).  However, I have been thinking all week about the parable of the bumper crop (Luke 12:13-34)(2).  In that parable a man has a huge harvest and wonders what to do with it all since it is more than his barns can hold (3).  So he builds bigger barns to hold it all.  He then sits back to enjoy life.  Then God comes to him and says he is a fool because he will die that day.  Following the parable Jesus reprises the Sermon on the Mount telling his listeners not to worry about what they will eat, drink, or wear and to trust that God will provide for their daily needs.

As I read this parable a couple things prompt thought.  One the parable seems tied to the Exodus story about not taking more manna than you need.  The parable also seems to me to be, at least in part, about storing up more than you need, or greed.  It also appears to be a parable about generosity since the parable portion, before the Sermon on the Mount bit, ends with "This is how it will be with those who store up things for themselves but are not rich toward God."  We know from other points in Jesus' ministry that how we treat others is how we treat God.  So to be generous toward God is being generous with our fellow humans.  In the parable if the bumper crop we have a story about greed and generosity, but what does this have to do with dip netting for salmon?

As Alaskan residents, my family of 5 is allowed to dip net a total of 65 fish.  If we limited out, that is more fish than we could use.  We are not alone.  I have heard people for years say, "I have more salmon than I can use" or speaking of their personal or family limit "it is more fish than I could ever use."  This is clearly the case because I have witnessed many times people with fish in their freezers that went unused from the season before, or even years before.  In essence they took more than they used.  When I read the parables I often try to think of what the contemporary equivalent of the story is.  I am not a farmer, and if I were I don't think I would be at risk of a bumper crop.  But my family is participating in dip netting - an activity where there is a strong pull to take more than you need or can use.  Is it possible that dip netting has a component of greed?  Is there a chance we can misuse the bumper crop of fish?  Is our personal use dip net fishing an modern parable?

While I think dip netting is an opportunity for us to reflect on what it means to take what you need and how that relates to not worrying about what you will eat or drink - trusting God to provide - it is not the issue with dip netting I have been thinking about the most.  What I have been thinking about is a matter of justice.

This is gonna be a bit journey, but stay with me I am going somewhere.  

I often hear people talk about the dip net fishery as getting "free fish."  This is simply not the case.  Dip net fishing has a cost.  You must have a fishing license and permit to dip net.  Since it is a really hard activity to do alone, you likely are buying two licenses.  That is $48.00.  You will need to drive down to the river.  If your traveling from Anchorage to the town of Kenai that is 160 miles.  At 20 miles per gallon using $3.50 a gallon gas you will spend $56.00 round trip - and likely more since the drive is through a mountain pass.  You will need a cooler or two.  If you need to buy one or two that will be around $50.  You will need chest waders and boots, another $100.  You will also need a net - $200.  So with just these basic numbers (I know you can borrow stuff and you don't need to buy gear every year and you can make a net...) the cost of the "free salmon" is $454.00 (if you need a freezer the cost is going to be much more).  If you have everything and just need a license and gas its $104.  But the real cost is much higher, and this is where the justice issue shows up.

Dip net fishing is a fishery based on privilege.  While it is open to all Alaskans, not all Alaskans are able to access it and those in the most need of a pile of fish are shut out.  Half the State population lives just 3 hours from the Kenai River in Anchorage, but in order to get to those fish you need a few things that those in poverty have little access to: reliable transportation, disposable income, and the ability to drop everything and get to the river when the fish are in.  

In simple terms, if you work a minimum wage job ($8.75 per hour) the $454 cost calculated above reflects 52 hours of work.  That is more than a weeks pay, not taking into account taxes.  Even if the cost is only $104, it would take a minimum wage worker 12 hours to raise the cost and that is assuming that they have a car that can make the 160 mile mountain pass drive to the fishing hole and then make it back.  It also assumes that when you get home you have some place to put the fish, like a big freezer.  Then there is the matter of time off.  You have to fish when the fish are in.  If you are working a minimum wage job it is not likely that you will get time off for fishing at the prime time or even be able to miss work because you need to work to survive.

The more I think about dip netting the more it appears to me that you have to be middle class or higher to participate.  It is because of this matter of privilege that dip netting becomes a justice issue on some level and a parable on another level.  Rather that those who are able participate in the fishery (people with the means to do it) packing their freezers with fish they may not be able to use, can't we figure out a way to help people who could really use those fish - those in poverty - get to the beach and get some fish?  What if instead of packing more fish into our "barns" we figured out how to help others access that same resource?  What if instead of joking in the lobby at church that we should have had services on the beach in Kenai because that is where everyone is anyway the church spent a few weekends each summer filling a bus with people and gear who would never go dip netting and helping them provide for their families?

The Kingdom of God is like a person that went dip netting...

(1)  That's how we do in our family...the girls go fishing and the guys stay home.  GIRL POWER!  

(2)  Your Bible likely calls it the Parable of the Rich Fool.  That name does a disservice to the story by giving you a set lens in which to read the parable.

(3)  As a kid that grew up in a farming community I can't for the life of me figure out why this guy is storing grain in a barn. Silos are where you store grain.