Abiding in Christ

My heart and my mind are still transitioning back to work. Going almost four months without doing my normal work responsibilities was a great time of rest, but also got me out of my element. Being back for not quite a month yet, I'm already sure that there's no going back to the way things were. Working a job and being a husband and a parent are now things that I will need to balance in my life. I am now in charge of raising this little baby while also making sure my wife feels loved, and on top of all that, I'm working to raising leaders in our neighborhood to love God and love others. It all can seem overwhelming at times...that is, until I consider the big picture, the Big Guy doing all the growing.

I'm not much for gardening. I remember growing up at our old house in West Allis, WI, my mom had a small garden between our garage and the neighbor's garage and occasionally we'd go out and pick tomatoes that were ripe (and sometimes not ripe). I never really did any of the work, maybe I put a seed or two in the ground, and maybe I even watered the plants on occasion, but the grunt work was done by my green-thumbed mother. I didn't really know how to take care of any living thing. I came to AP Biology class the first day with 10 pillbugs (our assignment), but I didn't put holes, grass, or anything in the old sour cream container. Short story even shorter, they died fast. Advanced Placement. Ha! Considering that class, I think I'm taking care of Max a little better.

Our neighborhood does not have good access to healthy produce. Our grocery stores often haven't nearly rotten vegetables, and for those who can't get to a grocery store, a bag of chips at a corner store is a much more convenient way to stifle temporary hunger.

For the past few years, 2nd Mile Ministries has really pushed health education in our programs, partnered with a nutritional garden not two blocks from our current facilities, and even won a grant from Aetna in order to fund this aspect of our ministry. As part of Aetna's campaign in Jacksonville, they made a video that includes our ministry and initiative. Check it out!

Pretty sweet, huh? I recall a trip to Disney's Epcot and one of the rides was on a slow moving boat that showed passengers new and innovative ways of growing vegetables. Food seemed to grow right out of pvc pipes in the most efficient looking farming process I'd ever seen.  You may have noticed a version of this in the video behind one of the people being interviewed. How awesome it would be for every family in Brentwood to learn how to grow their own food in their own backyards, or at least close to home!

On occasion, I paint pictures. Painting helps me visualize what's going on in my head and my heart. They often incorporate a tree. Trees symbolize life to me. In many ways we are like trees. I'll let you come up with your own reasons why that's true. Even Jesus agrees with me in a sense. He uses trees in many of his parables and other teachings.  In John 15 he describes a life abiding in him. He is the vine and we are the connected branches. Detached from the vine, we can do nothing. We are connected to the vine to be fruitful, more fruitful, and to have much fruitfulness. That is our purpose. However, only through Christ (the vine) can we have the ability to bear fruit.  For the past few months, I've been reading Andrew Murray's Abide in Christ as well as his Humility, (a book of which my wife jokingly told me, "That's a good book for you.") Haha, I agree. Anyway, Abide in Christ is a devotional of which Murray emphasizes Christ's second big command for the life of a Christian, "Abide in me." (The first of which is his saving call to, "Come to me.") Abiding in Christ is an every day, every moment call to put your life inside the will of Lord, resting in Him, obeying Him, being yoked to Him. There is not a moment where He is not with you, so to not acknowledge Him throughout your day is to act as a detached branch, unable to do anything. Abiding in Christ is also an act of humility. Allow me to share a powerful excerpt of the devotional.

"He that believeth in me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to the Father." He no longer thinks that He cannot have a blessing, and must be kept unfruitful, that he may be kept humble. He sees that the most heavily laden branches bow the lowest down. Abiding in Christ, he has yielded assent to the blessed agreement between the Vine and the branches, that of the fruit all the glory shall be to the Husbandman, the blessed Father.

What does my branch look like? Is it fruitful? If I'm asking these questions of myself, I'm probably not bearing fruit, especially if that fruit is more important than the abiding in the Vine. Even if I were bearing fruit, I can only delight in the Vine which allows me to be fruitful.

In regards to gardening, 1 Corinthians 3:7 says it all, "So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters in anything, but only God, who makes things grow." Let me say that again. In regards to abiding in Christ, discipling others, doing ministry, praying, loving others, the results are not a product of our own efforts. The growth belongs to God. Therefore, yoke yourselves to Christ, for he is gentle and lowly (humble) in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. No need to strive to produce good things, just remain in him. Walk with him daily. While you're cooking dinner, walk with him. Thank him for that food. When you go into work tired and frustrated, be with him and follow his lead. Work as towards the Lord.  I guess what I'm saying is, take that living water and water your relationship with the Lord in order for him to produce something beautiful in you, for His glory, not yours. Go too long without that water, and you know what happens; the leaves get all dried up or the produce gets rotten and then your BLT relationship with God becomes just a bacon sandwich, which sounds delicious, but will eventually clog your arteries and send you to the hospital, of which God is the owner, the top donor, and head of physician, and will cut off those branches that do not produce fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23, says that the fruit of the Spirit (not the fruit of Andrew's hard work) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Peace out, Oxygen!

Praise God for:

-Max is finally off oxygen completely!

-There is nothing wrong with my heart, just some inflamed cartilage in the rid cage.

Please pray for:

-My continued transition back to work, it's difficult to control myself from playing games and helping lift and move things around (gotta take it easy if I want my chest to heal)

-God to grow those in our community to love Him and others more and more

-The health of Brentwood's people, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually