Introduction Part 1 - Polarization, Brain Rot, and Blog

As we introduce our new blog Bees & Our Story - A Story in Every Spoonful - let me first introduce myself. My name is Jeff, and I am married to my lovely wife Kristy. We live in Clovis, Ca, and have 4 kids, ages 20, 5, 2 and 4 months old. And yes, we have quickly learned that parenting is no joke! It is a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for checking out our first Blog Post. Now that formal introductions have been made, let's move on to some fun trivia.

Can you guess what the Word of the Year was in 2024? According to Merriam-Webster, it was Polarization. Yikes! (gulp.) This is not too surprising though since last year was when the presidential race was happening, and there were heated debates and opinions on all sides of political camps and perspectives. In fact, I think (and in a blog, you get to share a lot about what you think), this is a fitting word that describes the current state of our country.

Photo taken from Merriam-Webster article 2024 Word of the Year.1

What about other "credible" sources? Well, according to Oxford University Press, which apparently also has a big say on the "Word of the Year" conversation, the word for 2024 was.... guess it (hint in title)... you're right! Brain Rot. They say this word was chosen "to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media."2 So not only are we as a nation polarized, but also experiencing concerning levels of "brain rot" because of the excessive amount information we consume. What a sad testimony to where we are at as a society. But unfortunately, most of us word agree there is much truth in these two words.

How about 20 years ago, you may be thinking... what was the word of the year back then? You guessed it! In 2004, Merriam-Webster chose the word Blog "recognizing the increasing prominence of online personal journals, or "weblogs," and their growing influence on mainstream media."3 That begs my next question, are blogs still a growing source of influence, or a thing of the past? (Feel free to comment below on that one.)

So what do all these words have to do with Bees and Our Story? Well, first of all, bees don't discriminate. There is no polarization happening there. Regardless of your skin color, political views or religious beliefs... if you walk up to a bee hive, they will sting you. Or at least try to, depending on if you're wearing a bee suit or not! And second, these words capture the impetus behind both this blog and Gathering Table's story. Let me explain.

A close up in one of our bee hives. Can you spot the queen?

Some of our bee hives pollinating an Almond orchard in Clovis, Ca this February 2025.

Our story of how Gathering Table began goes back almost 7 years ago, when my wife and I went on a 3 day retreat at the Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort on the way up to Yosemite National Park. We were newly weds full of faith, hope and love, with the whole world before us with lots of questions and anticipation for what comes next. Have you ever had these moments in life, where everything seems to converge and you are starring at many different paths ahead? This is where we were. Should we have kids together at this point in our lives? Should we attempt to move and buy a house? Should we start a farm and ministry together? And if so, what should its focus be?

A snapshot of the beautiful scenery of the Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort.

After lots of coffee, seeking God through his word, and many conversations together, I remember leaving that little retreat in the Winter of 2018 with pretty much every "Next Step" question we had as being a definitive "Yes." This is where we came up with the name Gathering Table Farms, and began to really explore the purpose and vision of the ministry that God had put on our hearts. I am so grateful for that retreat together, because little did we know that our decisions and resolves would be greatly tested in less than two years later.

The year 2020 needs no introduction. It hit everyone around the world by surprise. Merriam-Websters word for that year has no sugar coating. It was Pandemic.4 In reflecting back 5 years ago, it was not only a pandemic of sickness, but of pain, loss, fear and isolation. Devastation is a word I remember feeling toward the end of 2020. This is where we as a ministry, along with many others, saw a dramatic shift take place. In 2021, Gathering Table took on a new face and we treaded lightly into hosting community Pop-Up Dinners as a way to push against the polarization and isolation that seemed to be plaguing our nation, even at home in our city. This was our drive for starting the dinners. For empathy to grow instead of hatred. Connection instead of isolation. To see people who are different from one another in race, demographics, beliefs, age and political perspectives gather around one common table and share our stories over a meal together.

One of our first Pop-Up Dinners in 2021 at Roeding Park in Fresno. At this point, we didn't have table legs built yet, so we ended up hanging the table from the Pergola. It was one of our best dinners yet!

At each Pop-Up Dinner, guests are given the opportunity to share their story, including hardships they have faced and challenges they have overcome.

Our prayer for this blog is for it to be more than just meaningless "brain rot" noise on the internet, but that it stimulates fruitful thinking and even at times challenges the reader in a good way. That no matter what background or life story you come from, you are welcome here. We may not agree on every matter, in fact we may disagree on most. But what we both have in common is our humanity. It is our belief that you and I, and everyone for that matter, are made in the image of God.5 And it is out of that belief and the love God has for us in Christ 6 that we started both this blog and the ministry of Gathering Table.

Of course we plan to have lots of fun content as well about bees and life! So please continue to hang around and read our posts. Feel free to comment below anytime. You are also welcome to come to our Pop-Up Dinners anytime, you can reserve a seat on our website. We'd love to hear your story and get to know you.

Thank you again for checking out our Blog.

Stay tuned for our "Introduction Part 2" post to hear how bees relate to our story!

Blessings, Jeff

1 - 2024 Merriam-Webster Word of the Year https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year

2 - 2024 Oxford University Press Word of the Year https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/

3 - 2004 Merriam-Webster Word of the Year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_Merriam-Webster%27s_Words_of_the_Year#:~:text=The%20Word%20of%20the%20Year%20for%202004%2C%20'blog'%2C,began%20to%20influence%20mainstream%20media.

4 - 2020 Merriam-Webster Word of the Year https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year-2020-pandemic

5 - Genesis 1:27 Made in God's image https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%201%3A27&version=NIV

6 - 1 John 4:19 God's love for us in Christ https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20john%204%3A19&version=NIV