It’s not very often that I meet another Rory. It’s honestly only happened a half-dozen times or so in all my days. So to meet one who is also lives on a farm. Who homesteads. Writes books. Loves the Lord. Has a wife named Rebecca (she goes by Becca) and an extra-special little one. And who has been given a platform, voice and heart to help families find their way back to a more home-centered life… well, it isn’t just a good thing, it’s a God thing.
I read Rory Groves’ book ‘Durable Trades‘ a year or so before I actually met him. It’s all about the importance of the family economy and what jobs or trades through the centuries have lasted the test of time.
We first met in-person last April when he and his family (they have six kiddos) made the trip down to Tennessee from Minnesota to be part of a couple of events (one of them was a small gathering at our farm) in support of the book, and of Gather & Grow, a non-profit ministry they run. And from the first moment we met, it was if we were long lost brothers from other mothers. Besides our Irish first names, we both had so many other things in common, and even more than that, our families hit it off and we all so enjoyed our time together, even though it was only for a day.
On that trip, since he was here at our farm, I asked Rory if he’d give a talk on ‘Artificial Intelligence, and the impact it’s having on work, family and community‘ in the concert hall, and lots of folks came to listen to what was an enlightening and powerful lecture you can watch or listen to HERE.
