The Life of a Garden..The Life of a Believer

The garden in Autumn was not much more than an imagination. The ground was made fallow and the compost was added and dried bulbs were put in shallow graves and covered with dirt. Only in the mind of the gardener was there anything of beauty. What was seen by others was a rotting, decaying compost. The death that would bring life lay quiet and cold for the long winter.
The garden in March was that of the stirring in the earth.Delighting with the first warmth from the early Spring sun the first bold daffodils raised their heads to sing. Their new life exciting and vibrant and calling to it's friends who are still burried in death. The daffodil heralds the message that there is more..more..there is life in death. The zeal of the daffodil calls the others to dance her dance. To take their rightful place in the garden dance.To rise up from their tombs and dance.That was the heart of the Gardener for them.
The garden in April sings with color of laughter.Bobbing and bowing to the rhythm of the April showers.
With May comes the more delicate of hues and the garden fills in to a fuller mature landscape. Each blossom unique in it's own right but complementing and encouraging it's friends to sing now in a more perfect harmony holding each other up straight and strong.
In June when the temperatures climb some colors fade..a bit..but the beauty is still sweet.Some of the dancers fade away..
In July..the weeds sneak in first on one side..then the other..encroaching here and there until they think that this is this place was created for them. The flowers helpless to defend themselves without the Hand of the Gardener.
August the sun and the heat and weeds try to choke out the beauty and that which was a delight is now a blight. Dried vines and mildewed stems. The flowers surrender to the hand of the Gardener. The pruning painful but necessary.Unable to care for itself she accepts that which was bringing death needs to be removed.
In Sept when the heat subsides the blossoms rally for a last sweet dance. Not the same one as they danced in Spring. Not loud and bold. No, not loud, but clear. Ready for the offer the seeds of her life for her love for the future generation that they may dance...
And the Gardener fallows the ground.

Lessons From My Garden

just kidding...it's too late to start a blog..but it's simmering and i have to write it..and not forget all the things that God is teaching me..

Baggage

I am not really sure where this post is going but it has been haunting me for days now. So maybe it's time to work it out in words.
This weekend I met some new friends. Justin and his wife Christine arrived on Friday with their three beautiful daughters for the weekend. Justin was here to help me work through some business ideas and real life decisions as I approach retirement age. I invited the family for a beach/work weekend that worked very well. I have the beach Justin has the brains and the guts as well. I am creative and I like people but I don't like all the nitty gritty business number crunching type of thing. But.. I digress.
I was outside with the children and Christine. The kids were riding in our big circular driveway on an array of riding toys and bikes that I keep here for my grandchildren.Three bikes, a hot wheel trike, a scooter, a John Deer tractor with a trailer (a really cool old one) and a peddle fire truck that I got one year for my grandson Micah. Chris my son in law tricked it out with cool lettering and Micah's name. I have lots of cool stuff. Actually if the truth be told I have way too much stuff.
The mosquito's started to reveal themselves in tiny welts on my ankles so I made the call. It was time to go in. Christine stopped at her car to get her luggage. I asked if I might help her carry and she said "No thanks. I only have one bag."
I was dumbfounded. One man, one woman, three little girls, two days and one bag. One small bag. Like a carry on that would fit in the over head compartment on a plane. I have never seen anything like it! When my family or friends have arrived in the past it takes several trips to the car and my house is swallowed by more stuff. Now I am not saying that is bad. I expect that. I am not a heavy packer but I do like to cart some 'stuff' with me when I am on the road.
This small suitcase got me thinking about all the other 'stuff' in my life..If I were to get rid of half of my clothing would I even miss it? How about half of my pots and pans or towels or sheets or even half of the canned goods in my pantry?? I like my stuff but maybe I would like what was left more if I got rid of the other half of it...
In Haiti, Gwenn's living room has a simple sofa, 2 simple chairs, a simple coffee table, a shelf for the TV and few nick knacks that her staff gave her. That's it. And she has ten kids...I saw one toy box but never saw the toys come out of it. How did I (we) get this way??
I think Christine is on to something....

Give Me Your Eyes.

Today Jamie, our youth pastor preached at our church. He is a very good teacher, always well prepared and always using the word of God as the foundation for his preaching. He preached today about Jesus always finding the "one" to minister to. Once the woman at the well, once the woman with the flow of blood, once the man who was possessed by "Legion" the many demons. Jesus put himself in uncomfortable and unlikely places to meet these people. Jamie spoke of the importance for us to be available fot that "one". That we like Jesus would minister to that "one" even if it is not convenient. He touched on how the disciples would question the places where Jesus went and joked about their reluctance to follow. It was well spoken and all true but for me...When he showed the part of video the Man Named Called Jesus where Jesus touches the man with leprosy it pained me. I could see in my mind the children of Pichena (sp?) the tent city in Jacmel, Haiti. The children with scabies and TB and who knows what else. When he talked about touching the "one" I could see the eyes of the old men and women who lay on their cots with no provision and no hope. When the video clip rolled with the song Give Me Your Eyes by Brian Heath I saw in my head the prequake video that Leann Pye had made about Haiti.
The problem is that God has given me His eyes for these people and honestly I can say it is not always a good thing. No.It is always good. Not always easy. When God gives us his eyes then He also gives us a responsibility to respond to what we have seen. Had we not seen we would not sin when we pass them by and do nothing or worse, do a little something and pretend we have done enough. Having the eyes of Jesus and the heart of Jesus is so very painful..
So I caution..don't pray Open the Eyes of My Heart or give me your heart unless you are ready for the price..it is painful. But there is unspeakable joy when you can touch and not be afraid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvpWr2RtiWQ
Look down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight

Touch down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos

All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what’s underneath

There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work, He's buying time

Pre Chorus / Chorus

I’ve been here a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
I need a second glance
Give me a second chance
To see the way you’ve seen the people all along

Chorus

Look down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight

Touch down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos

All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what’s underneath

There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work, He's buying time

Pre Chorus / Chorus

I’ve been here a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
I need a second glance
Give me a second chance
To see the way you’ve seen the people all along

Chorus

Ouch!

What I share is what God is convicting me of. A personal journey of discovering what is the real truth and what is our American culture church truth.
I have heard and I have said "God has blessed me with so much." I look at my home, my car, my things and I am thankful. I have since I became a Christ follower in 1977 really had, I thought, a good understanding of the scripture that "all good things come from God." Why poverty still existed I guess I could chalk up to "The poor you will always have with you." What a nice tidy yet unfounded way to deal with this messy problem.
Last night as I looked around in the grocery store and then again at my home I had a revelation. How many shirts, shoes, dresses, pants, jackets do I have that I don't even wear? Every closet, drawer, shelf and cabinet in my home is full of "stuff". Much of it unnecessary to conduct my life in a comfortable way. This time when I looked at my "stuff" I saw it as sin and not as a blessing. For all these years I have lived with a sense of entitlement as an American and as a Christian. I am thankful that God has provided for me and my family. Very thankful. But what part of "give us today our daily bread" includes all this stuff? The blessing that are from the hand of God are those that sustain our lives. Food (not the excess of food), water, shelter. The rest is what I have stored for myself calling it from God so I may avoid my responsibility to the poor.
I am so deeply involved with my stuff that honestly I don't know how to stop this cycle. I hope that to see it for what it is will be the first step..
The Parable of the Rich Fool

13Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

16And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Worry

22Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Loosing it in the lettuce isle

I admit that I am a little unbalanced. A little OCD when it comes to Haiti. I like to call it passionate but really...well I'm a bit over the top. Why do I say this your might ask? Well tonight at Food Lion while walking down the produce isle I spotted it. A small cart at the end of the isle laden with fruit. No just any fruit but the fruits that are common to Haiti. I lovingly stroked the mango and with a tear in my eye I recalled Gwenn's boys gathering mangoes in their tree at the land whir Gwenn argued with this Haitin man about weather or not it was the right time for mangos.
Next, I noticed the plantains and thought about how good they tasted fried. There was coconuts and I closed my eyes and remembered Jean Louis at the top of the tree throwing Hugh coconuts to the ground.
The mangos that were free for taking on the land were close to $3.00/ea at Food Lion. I didn't buy any.If they had canaps well i would have skipped thinking about the price and they would have been in my cart (read mouth)
A few ilses later I had a conpulsion to buy Rama noodles. I havn't bought those in maybe 20 years.But we ate them in Haiti and I want to show the Manteo grandchilren how the Haiti grandchildren eat.
Over all, shopping was very emotional for me. I know..it's just not normal!

Just saying...

Jesus told us to care for the widows and the orphans. I am thinking that we Americans who follow the American dream are so stuck on entitlement issues that we believe that it's ok for us to have all this stuff when babies on our door step have no diapers. I include myself in this picture. I have far more than I need. I overeat. I overspend. What will Jesus say to me when He returns?( sooner than later I believe..) Will He find me about His Father's business or will He find me sleeping?? I know that this is born from my latest trip to Haiti and in time I will calm down. But should I?? Really should I?? What should the correct response be?? Not "Bless me Lord"> like in the Keith Green song.
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