Faith, Furrows, and Finding the Way

Pastor Vance

Welcome to Faith, Furrows & Finding the Way. I'm Vance Haywood—farmer, writer, pastor, and lifelong student of the lessons that emerge from ordinary life. Each week, I share reflections from the farm, stories from the blueberry patch and garden rows, lessons learned through seasons of change, and conversations about faith, purpose, resilience, and community. This isn't a podcast about having all the answers. It's about paying attention to the questions. It's about finding wisdom in hard work, hope in uncertain seasons, and reminders of grace in the everyday moments we often overlook. Whether you're tending a garden, rebuilding your life, wrestling with life's big questions, or simply looking for a place to slow down and reflect, pull up a chair and join me. There are stories to tell, lessons to learn, and a path forward waiting to be discovered. pastorvance.substack.com

Episodes

  1. Aug 22

    The Things We Inherit

    My grandmother died on August 6, and in the weeks since, I’ve been thinking about what remains after someone we love is gone. We inherit more than land, possessions, and family names. We inherit stories, values, traditions, expectations, wounds, and ways of seeing the world. Some of those things give us life. Others quietly limit us—and perhaps need to end with us. In this episode of Faith, Furrows & Finding the Way, I reflect on my grandmother’s remarkable strength, her decades of caring for our family farm, and the contradiction between the life she lived and some of the limitations she had inherited. I also consider what the church passes down: community, dedication, care, and love—but also conditional belonging, exclusionary practices, and traditions continued long after we have forgotten why they began. What deserves to continue through us? What needs to be transformed? And what should we refuse to pass to those who come after us? Listen to “The Things We Inherit.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorvance.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Jul 6

    The Front Porch

    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorvance.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Jun 21

    Faith, Furrows, and Finding the Way - Episode 1

    Episode Notes Welcome to the first episode of Faith, Furrows & Finding the Way. In this introductory episode, I share a little about who I am, the family farm that has shaped so much of my life, and why I'm starting this podcast during a season of rebuilding and rediscovery. We'll explore the meaning behind the title—Faith, Furrows & Finding the Way—and the lessons that can be found in gardens, blueberry patches, family stories, seasons of change, and the everyday moments that invite us to slow down and pay attention. Whether you're joining me from a porch swing, a tractor seat, your morning commute, or a quiet moment at home, I'm grateful you're here. In This Episode The story behind the podcast Why faith and certainty are not the same thing Lessons from a multi-generational family farm What it means to keep moving forward during seasons of change What you can expect from future episodes Questions for Reflection What season of life are you currently navigating? What wisdom have you inherited from those who came before you? What seeds are you planting today that may bear fruit in the future? Connect Subscribe to receive future episodes and reflections from the farm. Thank you for being part of this journey. Until next time, keep the faith, tend your furrows, and keep finding your way. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorvance.substack.com/subscribe

    Faith, Furrows, and Finding the Way - Episode 1

  4. Jun 21

    The Little Red Bird

    The Little Red Bird For the past several weeks, a little red bird has been following me around the farm. At least that’s how it feels. I’ll be working in the garden, pulling weeds from between rows of vegetables, and there it is. Later I’ll find myself in the blueberry patch, picking berries planted by my great-grandfather decades ago, and there it is again. On another day, I’m repairing something around the barn, checking on the chickens, or simply walking the property, and before long I’ll catch a flash of red from the corner of my eye. The little bird appears, stays awhile, and then moves on. Maybe it’s coincidence. Maybe it’s simply a bird whose territory happens to overlap with my daily routine. But when you’re alone on a farm long enough, you start paying attention to things. You notice the way the wind moves through the trees. You notice which plants thrive and which struggle. You notice the rhythm of the seasons and how little control you actually have over most of it. And sometimes you notice a little red bird. This has been a season of rebuilding for me. Not the kind of rebuilding that comes with blueprints and clear instructions. The harder kind. The kind where life takes an unexpected turn and suddenly the future you thought you were heading toward looks very different. The kind where familiar roles change, relationships end, plans shift, and certainty becomes a luxury you can no longer afford. I’ve spent a lot of time lately asking questions I don’t have answers to. What’s next? How will all of this work? Am I moving in the right direction? What does the future even look like now? The farm has become a place where I carry those questions. There’s something healing about physical work. Digging, planting, mowing, repairing, feeding animals—none of it solves life’s biggest problems, but it does remind you that growth rarely happens all at once. A seed goes into the ground long before fruit appears. A blueberry bush takes years before it reaches its potential. A garden doesn’t become productive in a day. Neither do people. Perhaps that’s why I keep noticing the little red bird. Not because it has some secret message for me. Not because I think every appearance is supernatural. But because it reminds me to pay attention. To slow down. To look up from whatever burden I’m carrying and notice that the world is still full of beauty. The sun still rises over the fields. The blueberries still ripen. The chickens still need feeding. The tomatoes keep growing. And a little red bird still sings from a nearby fence post. Life continues. Hope continues. Maybe that’s the lesson. Not every answer arrives in a dramatic revelation. Not every prayer is answered with a detailed roadmap. Sometimes what we’re given instead is enough grace for today. Enough strength for the next step. Enough beauty to remind us why the journey is worth continuing. The older I get, the more I believe that the sacred often speaks in whispers rather than shouts. Through a patch of blueberries planted by hands long gone. Through the quiet work of tending a garden. Through the companionship of a dog walking beside you. Or through a little red bird that keeps showing up when you need a reminder that you’re not alone. Whatever the reason, I’ve grown thankful for its presence. Because every time I see that flash of red among the green fields and summer leaves, I’m reminded of something important: Pay attention. There is more happening around you than you realize. And sometimes the reminders we need arrive on wings instead of words. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorvance.substack.com/subscribe

    The Little Red Bird

  5. Apr 19

    The Grief You Didn't Expect

    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorvance.substack.com/subscribe

    The Grief You Didn't Expect
  • 5 Episodes

About

Welcome to Faith, Furrows & Finding the Way. I'm Vance Haywood—farmer, writer, pastor, and lifelong student of the lessons that emerge from ordinary life. Each week, I share reflections from the farm, stories from the blueberry patch and garden rows, lessons learned through seasons of change, and conversations about faith, purpose, resilience, and community. This isn't a podcast about having all the answers. It's about paying attention to the questions. It's about finding wisdom in hard work, hope in uncertain seasons, and reminders of grace in the everyday moments we often overlook. Whether you're tending a garden, rebuilding your life, wrestling with life's big questions, or simply looking for a place to slow down and reflect, pull up a chair and join me. There are stories to tell, lessons to learn, and a path forward waiting to be discovered. pastorvance.substack.com

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