Matthew 5:13 is probably a familiar passage for most of us. Jesus tells his listeners during the sermon on the mount that they are the “salt of the earth.” You have likely heard many sermons on what it takes to be salt, how to be the salt, and how a little salt can make a big difference. Jesus goes on to say that without saltiness, salt isn’t good for anything. Just what is this saltiness he refers to? Continue reading
Category Archives: illustrations
Things that Grow in Tough Places
Pictured at left are my wife’s wildflowers growing in front of our house. I’ll get back to those in a minute.
I noticed something while driving this morning. They did some roadwork not far from our home earlier in the spring. The road was widened and a gravel shoulder was added on each side in case you did need to move over. A few feet over from the edge of the gravel there still stands a large mound of dirt that was either used in the construction or pushed aside, and there is grass growing in the in-between space. I noticed this morning that 3 large sunflower plants have come up seemingly on their own, in the rough dry soil next to what was a construction area just several weeks ago. Each plant was about 5 or 6 feet high, and had very large sunflower blossoms. The sunflowers my wife tried to grow at our house didn’t do nearly so well this year. We planted them in potting soil, watered them regularly, but they always look like they’re about to wither up. They put out sunflowers, but the plants always look like they’re suffering; not like the wild growing plants beside the highway just down the road. Fascinating.
Remember the wildflowers at the top of the page? Each spring we plant a variety of wild flowers in the beds around our home. We buy a mix of seeds designed to attract humming birds and butterflies. When we were dating, my wife made sure I understood she would rather have wildflowers than store-bought roses. She also prefers gemstones to diamonds; she says diamonds are boring, you could cut glass to look the same way.
We’ve all heard stories of a dandelion growing up through a narrow crack in the sidewalk, or a tree growing out of the side of a barren cliff. Why do you think God does that? When we see a flower growing right up through a crack in solid rock, you kind of say to yourself “Wow, that’s really something.” It’s nothing special when a plant grows in lush, fertile soil. That would be easy. I think sometimes God puts us in difficult places to grow, so that when we do grow he can say “Wow, that’s really something.” Growth in a difficult place means more than if everything were easy. My wife thinks wildflowers of many different varieties are more interesting than a dozen roses all genetically engineered to look the same. I think God raises Christians that way too. It’s often us who want all Christians to look and act the same. I believe God made us wildflowers.
On the lighter side…
The last couple of posts have been kinda’ heavy, so enjoy the following courtesy of Joke of the Day.
A Catholic school teacher was asking her students what they want to be when they grow up.
“I want to be a fireman!” said John.
“Oh, very good John. Community service for the Lord!” the teacher praised.
“I want to be a nurse!” said Jane.
“Excellent! You can be a healer just like Jesus was!” the teacher cooed.
Then little Mary stood up and said: “I want to be a prostitute!”
At this, the teacher fainted on the spot. After a while, she regained her senses. She marched right up to Mary and demanded: “WHAT.. DID YOU JUST SAY?”
“I said, I want to be a prostitute!” replied Mary.
“Oh, thank heavens! For a moment, I thought you said you want to be a Protestant!”
A Look Back: Read my blog – or not
I first began blogging in February of this year. Let’s be honest; I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. A lot of those first few posts were bad, but not all of them. It was okay, because there wasn’t really anyone reading my blog either. I’ve been going through the archives, and found a couple of gems. In response to another blog I read, I drew an analogy between blogging and gardening, and described how they’re both types of therapy for me. Unless you’re one of about 4 people, this isn’t a repost for you; enjoy it for the first time.
I just read a post on Internetmonk entitled “10 Reasons I Don’t Read Your Blog.” I just couldn’t say everthing I wanted to in the comment box. Then I remembered: I have blog. Perfect. Continue reading
When it rains, it pours.
Here’s a useful illustration you’re welcome to. Or perhaps just a funny story.
There was a family watching anxiously as floodwaters came up around their home. They had a great deal of faith, however, and trusted in God to save them. As the water came up into their yard, a 4-wheel drive truck pulled up to their house, and told them it was time to evacuate. “God will take of us,” was the father’s reply, and the truck moved on to help other families in that same neighborhood. As the waters came into the first floor, the family moved upstairs. A boat came up to one of their windows, and warned that the water would continue to rise. “God will provide,” was the only response the father would give, and finally the rescuers moved on to search for others in need. At last the family climbed onto the roof, and a helicopter tried to pick them up. After much argument with the reluctant family, the helicopter moved on as well. The flood water continued to rise, and all the family members drowned. As they stood before God, the man was confused and distressed. “I told all of those people that I trusted in you to save us. Why did you let us perish in the flood?” God replied “I sent you a truck, a boat, and a helicopter. What else did you want me to do?”
Even when opportunity knocks, we must open the door.
Romans 8:28 -or- Mom’s Buttermilk Biscuits
“And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (ESV)
That’s not exactly how I first memorized that verse 20 years ago in the KJV, but it’s close. Romans 8:28 is one of those verses that can easily be misunderstood and/or wrongly interpreted. What does the verse not say? It does not say everything that happens will be good. It does not say that. All things that happen work together for good. It’s not the same thing. Some things that happen in life are great. We can see the blessing in them right off. Some things are painful, traumatic, or sorrowful, and we rely on God to know what he’s doing and see us through. Most days fall into the category of ordinary. They just get lumped into the pile of just another day. But God uses every event – good, bad, and whatever – to our ultimate benefit. Think of Romans 8:28 like baking biscuits. Continue reading
Sowing Gospel seeds
I’ve written before about gardening, and I’m getting excited because it’s almost that time. I enjoyed the hours last summer I put in, but reaping the harvest was also nice. Ministry is not always like that. There are times we see immediate results, or perhaps see results of our efforts at length, but not always. I teach at a Christian school, and some of our students will leave us soon and never return. Many will graduate, and keep in touch for a while. After a year or two of college they get busy with new friends and activities, and that’s the normal way it should be. Some of our students will simply not return to us next year, either enrolling in public school or in some cases, a different private school. At any rate, in most cases we will not see the end result of our work in ministry. I am definately not the same person I was in high school, and realize that our students today are not the mature adults that (we hope) they will grow into. Paul said that he plants, another waters, but it is God who gives the increase. Our job is to sow the seeds of the Gospel, then let nature take it’s course. Sometimes we will see immediate fruit from our labor. Other times the “fruit” doesn’t come about until years later. We’ve all heard stories of an adult, perhaps with children of their own, introducing themselves as Sunday school or youth group members from decades past. In Jesus’s parable of the sower, he talks a lot about the type of soil, but seems to automatically assume that good seed is being sown. In his example, good seed is a given. When we sow good seeds of the Gospel message (and live the life that bears witness of the Gospel) it is not up to us to make the seeds grow. We can’t artificially speed up the maturation process. In my garden, I know the number of days each fruit or vegetable is expected to take to reach maturity. God’s time table often does not follow our guidelines, so instead of making demands, we really need to just move on planting seeds. The Bible teaches that the Word will not return void. We sow in the faith that the one who created seeds, soil, sun and rain knows what he’s doing.
The Master's Table 