A month ago I took an early summer vacation. One afternoon I took a walk in the woods behind our house (in a vain search for mushrooms) and found some year-old hickory sprouts. I carefully got my tools and transplanted the young trees to my yard. I’ve kept them watered and protected , but noticed the leaves were turning brown around the edges. Not wanting to lose them, I asked for advice from Mike Young, who once had a landscaping business. He advised me they had “root shock” and I should get some fertilizer for the roots, which I did.
I’m still watching for the results, but have been thinking about that all week. Perhaps what the Body of Christ needs is some fertilizer for our roots. We’ve been transplanted from the sinful world to a spiritual environment, and might be suffering some “root shock” until we get established in our faith. I believe its my role as pastor to apply the biblical ‘fertilizer’ that will help converts become ‘rooted’ in their faith. Pray that God will give me wisdom to accomplish that.
Last Monday Anita and I celebrated our 34th anniversary by spending the afternoon at Pokagon State Park, something we often did when dating. I needed to use the restroom and was informed that a large tree had fallen, taking the power out all over the Park, so they locked the doors on all the restrooms. Fortunately, there are a few outhouses up there and I survived the ordeal.
But it made me aware of just how dependent our entire culture has become on modern conveniences. How would we survive without automobiles, refrigerators or running water? We have eliminated the previous methods so we have no other means of getting these needs met.
Come to think about it, that’s the problem with oil these days. There is only a limited supply beneath the earth, but we can’t live without it. If Saudi Arabia’s vast supply is now 50% gone, yet the global demand for oil continually increases, what will the future hold? When will the next war to protect national interests be declared and by whom against whom?
Its time for thinking people to rethink everything we do on the planet. Perhaps Al Gore’s on the right track.
Tags: conservation, electricity, oil
The year was 1952 and I had not yet started Kindergarten. My parents had driven to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a vacation in our new 1951 Ford. Dad had driven down a remote highway along the coast of Lake Superior. We stopped the car and hiked through the dense forest to the edge of the Lake, a walk of about a mile. What a view and what an experience.
To this day, I still remember the cool breeze, amazing sights, and smell of evergreens. My mind still pictures the abandoned cabin we passed on that hike. For a young boy, that was a great adventure that was a defining moment in my life. And I’m thankful for my father providing that out-of-the-ordinary opportunity for me.
Perhaps you can reflect back to some memory your father provided in the early days of your life. And perhaps it would be a good time to express thanks to your earthly father for the investment he made in your young life. One of the foundational requirements of scripture is that we “honor our mother and father, that our days would be long on the earth”. The promise works for us, whether they deserve to be honored or not.
What is your memory?
Tags: Father's Day, gratefulness, honor, provision
Today is June 6. It is the 64th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy to take back Europe from Nazi control. It was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe, yet it took nearly a year to accomplish that victory.
God promised the Promised Land to the Israelites, but it took them awhile to take it away from the natives of the land.
Has God given you a good beginning but it looks like your spiritual life has bogged down? Remember that true liberation takes awhile. But we cross every bridge one day at a time. This is not a time to get discouraged and quit, like so many I’ve seen, when the going gets tough. We have marching orders to become overcomers. So, go for it!
Tags: D-Day, faithfulness, time
I just got back from a great vacation. Our daughter and her husband, who reside in Nashville, TN, went on a cruise to celebrate their tenth anniversary, and we watched our grandkids, Lauren, age 4, and Rueben, age eleven months. Its amazing how such little kids can wear us adults out.
Its good to spend time with children. When we’re around adults we tend to be so analytical and serious about life’s matters. But children are so simple and innocent in their ways. We went on a picnic one afternoon at a local Nashville park. We had just watched the DVD ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ the night before. Lauren noticed an old tree in the park with some holes in it. She walked up to the tree, looking up toward the holes, and cried, “Alvin!” Then she looked beyond the tree and noticed a house, and turned to me and said, “Grandpa, I just found Dave Sevelle’s house.”
Perhaps we need the simple faith of a child when it comes to relationship with God. Is He there or isn’t he? Do we have to see Him or understand Him for Him to be involved in our lives? Perhaps we need to grow up and have the faith of a child.
Tags: faith, grandchildren