WOODSTOCK, Md. (OSV News) ─ Erik Christensen apologizes for cutting his interview short. It's time to take 11 goats to the butcher.
With eight children to support, the parent of five girls and three boys -- including two sets of twins -- ranging in age from nearly 2 to 16, has always expected life to be a challenge.
So Christensen, a parishioner of Mount Calvary Catholic Church in Baltimore, has extended his life into both music and what's known as homestead farming. Hence the goats.
His six-member folk-country band, in which he plays rhythm and lead guitar, is made up entirely of Catholics, although "it's not an exclusively Catholic sound"; the band is perennially in search of playing dates. He sees that venture "as a way of adding beauty to the world," he said, so that the hearts of his listeners "can be more open to an encounter with God."
Christensen, 40, hopes to grow the band, although the music business "is very different than it used to be," and will depend on online curators on Amazon and Spotify adding his music to their online playlists.
With children that young, farming has only been a part-time venture so far. Christensen also works for a company that assists hospitals with the appeal process when health insurance companies deny patient claims. His wife, Kim, is the primary educator in their homeschooling family.
The Christensen homestead in Howard County, not far from
Baltimore, is small at just five acres.
"It's not huge," Erik Christensen conceded. "A couple of big
farms are on either side of it," with one side abutting 18 wooded acres.
Homesteading emphasizes raising small animals such as goats and chickens. For chickens, "it only takes 11 weeks to raise meat breeds," Christensen observed. "It's amazing what you can do on a tiny piece of land."
In addition to the livestock, he grows fruits and vegetables, including peaches, plums, pears, figs, blackberries, squash, pumpkins, potatoes and yams.
"The idea is to give our kids the healthiest possible food we can," he told the Catholic Review, Baltimore's archdiocesan news outlet.
He's an eager evangelist for homesteading and sustainable agriculture that doesn't require chemicals.
"I really enjoy seeing the soil being rejuvenated," he said. "Part of the homestead lifestyle is raising healthy soil."
Is he looking to be entirely self-sufficient?
"No, because I don't think that exists," he said. "You can get close, I guess. The more I grow, the more I realize God didn't set me up that way. We all have different strengths."
The Christensens dole out various chores and responsibilities for their children, all of which must be completed before play. Some help chop and stack wood that is used to heat the home in winter. Others help tend the animals. Rebecca, the eldest child, will be responsible for developing meal plans on Wednesday nights this winter.
A roving goose patrols the property and acts as an unofficial watchdog, protecting the livestock.
Part of the reason the family homeschools is to reduce the expense of educating their children. Kim is a former English teacher at Frederick County High School.
"Erik and I want them to learn about truth and goodness," Kim explained, "and to appreciate where beauty and goodness come from."
She noted that school days start with prayer at 9 a.m. In the winter, the family gathers to read a novel that's an age-appropriate level for all to enjoy. No video games are allowed, and only the eldest child has a cellphone.
"It's not just about passing grades," Kim said, "but mastering the schoolwork."
The Christensens said living close to the land helps the family learn about creation around them. Their faith journey, as Erik tells it, is entwined with their marriage of 18 years. Erik grew up in a nondenominational church; Kim is a cradle Catholic, also from the Baltimore area.
"She never asked me to become Catholic," he said. "We were both rediscovering our faith at the same time. We'd been dating since we were 15." Four years into their marriage, he was accepted into the faith at St. Agnes in Catonsville.
He made a point of studying his faith.
"I didn't find unity in other denominations," he recalled. "I remember being convinced that Jesus truly wanted the church to be one."
The key to the experience he said, was leading with his heart. As easy as that sounds to express, Erik noted, most people are the opposite -- they lead with the head.
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Kurt Jensen writes for the Catholic Review, the news outlet
of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Contributing to this story was Kevin J. Parks,
visual journalist on the Catholic Review staff.
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