A Farm Dedicated to Feeding the Hungry

“The very first time I had the dream,” Lori Birckhead recalls, “it was like someone had a video camera and they were spanning property, like from left to right, and I saw ponds and pastures and trees, and it was just very beautiful. And then at the end of this, this vision was just a voice, and the voice said, ‘buy land, grow food, and give it away’.” At first, Lori didn’t pay much attention to the dream she had in 2009. After all, she was never much of a gardener. But when it kept coming back over the next year, she became convinced God was telling her to start a farm.  Her husband, Jim wasn’t exactly fond of the idea. Lori says, “Jim, also being the logical man he is had said, ‘Lori, you know, that’s not a dream, that’s a nightmare’.”  Jim, dentist, had worked on a farm as a teenager. Jim says, “I don't think she had an idea of the amount of physical labor involved in farming. I knew it was an arduous objective.” Lori recalls, “The dream came back still. And so, by then my heart really started to change God was preparing me, you know, I was meeting people who were involved in agriculture. And there were other things happening too that kept putting me in front of agriculture.”

Then, Lori had another dream that seemed even more far-fetched than the first. She says God told her to sell their house and buy a farm – during a two-year slump in the real estate market. She remembers, “I woke up thinking, ‘no, I can't do that’. I felt like it was God, but I was still in barter mode. So, I test the waters a lot with God in prayer.” Still, they obeyed and put their house up for sale. Jim still wasn’t totally convinced this was God’s plan. Lori says, “He goes, you know, if this house sells, that's gonna be God saying, ‘go to the farm’. And we got a call from the real estate agent, and she said, we got a contract on your house with no contingencies. And that's when Jim, I believe, got chills and said, ‘I guess we gotta find that farm’. That is how God brought Jim on board, because prior to that, he was just too logical to think of doing something so illogical.”

A few months later, Lori and Jim purchased a 97 acre farm in Joelton, Tennessee that needed a lot of work; they named it ‘By Faith Farm’. Lori says, “I didn't know what, what exactly was ahead, but I did know that God was totally in this and that I didn't have to be afraid.” Jim continued to work full time in his dental practice, while working on the farm with Lori during his time off. That first year they had a small harvest they were able to donate to a local food bank. Jim says,  “When you give, the giver receives the best blessings and grace from God. And you were, you felt useful in God's mission because you were there to do it. So, I did get to see a lot of happy faces.”

Over the next four years, the farm, the harvest, and the giving expanded. By now, word of the farm had spread, and volunteers were coming in from all over to help, get a taste of farm life, and draw closer to God. Lori says,  “We're working together as a community to give back to the community, but we're also sharing our faith with one another, that's been the, the joy in all of this.”  Even through the storms, the farm would go on, like in 2016 when Jim shattered his hip and ankle in an ATV accident. It not only forced him to retire from his dental practice, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to continue helping with the farm. Jim recalls, “There was a kind of a pessimistic bewilderment of what's gonna go on now, you know, am I gonna walk the same? Am I gonna be able to do the things I want to do? Am I still gonna be able to help? So, I was kind of fearful and a little bit depressed.” Lori adds, “And I questioned, you know, is this the end of the farm? And I just thought, okay, I don't know how to do that. How do you sell God's farm, you know? I didn’t feel like it was mine to sell.”

Turns out, they wouldn’t have to sell. When folks heard about Jim’s accident, they showed up in droves and kept the farm going until Jim recovered from several surgeries and rehab. Then in 2020 when covid shut down the country, ‘By Faith Farm’ became a place of peace and renewal for volunteers who continued to keep the farm growing…  and giving.  Lori recalls, “I could come to the farm and put my hands in the dirt. It was very therapeutic for me. And then it became very therapeutic for many people because everybody wanted to get out of the house and be in a safe place so we could all be on our own row. You know, weeding, doing, harvesting, whatever we were doing at that time. And it was beautiful.”

The Birkheads admit that while answering God’s call was risky, it was worth it. To date, ‘By Faith Farm’ has donated almost 200,000 pounds of food to local charities and food banks. But to them, it’s more than that.  Jim believes, “When you help people by actually getting outta your comfort zone, God will bless you abundantly and when you think things are not going your way, that God will provide with his resources.” Lori adds, “I believe that the purpose of the farm is not just about feeding people's bodies. But we all need spiritual food too. And I believe that nature is the most beautiful place that we really see God and we get to know Him through nature. So, listen and then step out in faith and you'll be blessed abundantly.”