Hold On
A few years ago I had the opportunity to meet my husband, mid-deployment, in Bali. While there, we were given “Sea Walker” tickets; basically pseudo-diving for amateurs. A heavy helmet was placed on our heads and we were submerged 30 feet to the ocean floor. We were then free to roam around, looking at God’s spectacular underwater tropical creation. The key though, was that we had to hold onto a maze of pipes that would keep us close enough to the boat above to maintain oxygen flow and protect us from the unregulated Balinese speed boat tours on every side. The beauty of God’s creation was right in front of us; we just had to choose to hold on, with both hands, to the right source of protection.
There is a lot of discussion these days about “detachment”. We are instructed to detach from the world, detach from technology, detach from our desires. This is all good, but what if we focused instead on what we should be attached to? When we have two hands holding tightly onto God, it is difficult to try to grab onto anything else. Jesus says in John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
Today, the world is pressing in more than ever; we are tired, and we long for security. Holding on to what the world says is secure is such a huge temptation. It is easy to consider just letting go of what we know is good for what looks intriguing. But holding instead onto God, the source of our strength, will provide security, growth and a more clear view of the beauty that may be waiting right in front of us.
As you start, or finish your day, pray this Scripture back to God; holding onto his promises and continuing to dedicate your life to him:
Ephesians 3:14-21: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Lynette Fuson
Director of Women's Ministry
Resiliency
I’m not a farmer. My father was not a farmer. But my grandfather was a potato farmer in Minnesota. I learned a little from Grandpa Gus during the summers when we would travel to his farm along the Red River. He was very patient with me, as I rode on his tractor and learned what I could comprehend from him during those visits. One thing he emphasized was not to worry about the harvest until it was time. Then all would get sorted out.
Jesus is instructing this very principle in this passage in Matthew 13. Let it be. The strong seed will grow. It will be resilient and resist the influence of the weeds and the weather. Good seed, if tended well, will have the ability to grow. As in the song by David Wilcox below, “All the Roots Grow Deeper When It’s Dry” ...
Summer lasted a generation
A generation -- and then the winter wind
The bounty harvest that seemed so endless
It seemed so endless until it gave what it could give
Prosperity will have its season
Even when its here, it’s going by
And when it’s gone, we pretend we know the reason
All the roots grow deeper when it’s dry
It looked so easy, we change the weather
We would turn this world ourselves, our world so small
But slower rhythms, still unheard of
Said that every blessed summer someday has to fall
We are definitely in a dry season. We are facing a deadly global pandemic, a serious national economic and financial crisis as well as national social unrest. Yes, change is happening fast. We are all forced to evaluate how we are learning and growing, even though we are growing alongside individuals and groups who do not understand us or our Lord.
One way we may know we are growing as believers who have been planted alongside other "weeds" is that we may bear fruit. Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. One of the definitions of resiliency is the ability to recover from or adjust to adversity or change. These past few months have forced us to grow deeper roots of faith and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit and hopefully develop true resilience. How resilient are you these days?
Chip Whitman
Pastor, Care & Counseling
Like Trees Planted Along the Riverbank
What a beautiful description of a godly life, joyfully planted along the riverbank bearing an abundance of fruit each season. The storms of life might come, but the tree stands strong and prosperous.
How can we make our roots grow deep so we’re not “like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind”? Re-read verse 1. Are you seeking out godly advice? Are you joining in with mockers, who cast unloving remarks to those who hold differing opinions?
Re-read verse 2. Take a minute and ask yourself what you delight in. What makes you really happy? Would you say that you delight in God’s Word?
The passage talks about meditating on God’s Word day and night. How easy or difficult is this for you? Is there a small step you can make today to help keep God in the forefront of your mind? Maybe it’s setting an alarm for every hour or two that you’re awake. Or maybe it’s taking a screenshot of the YouVersion verse of the day and reading it at breakfast, lunch and dinner, letting it soak into your heart and mind. Ask God to show you how you can meditate on God’s Word throughout the day.
A PRAYER FROM PSALM 1
Oh Lord, help me be aware when I am following the advice of the wicked or joining in with mockers. May my heart and mind delight in you and your Word. Help me to meditate on it day and night. Forgive me when my mind wanders to the ungodly and unloving things of this world. Lord, there are so many distractions vying for attention. Empower me to keep my focus on you so that I can be like a tree firmly planted along the riverbank, bearing your fruit each season. No matter what storms come my way, may I consistently bear the fruit of your spirit, providing nourishment for our broken world and lovingly pointing people to you.
By Cyndie de Neve
Senior Creative Director
Rooted
It simply can’t be overstated that a strong root system is vital to the survival and growth of a healthy plant or tree. Leaves and fruit identify the plant and help to determine it's overall health. In fact, there is a group of quaking Aspens in south central Utah called Pando (lit. “I spread” or “quaking giant”). This group of trees is known as the single largest living organism in the world -- a clonal colony, bound by one massive root system. Aspens have the unique ability to produce genetically identical offspring through offshoots from their roots. It is said their leaves change color and fall off, all at the same time.
If one really wants to know how a plant or tree is doing, they check the roots. A strong, established root system provides stability and is the primary way a plant receives nutrients, moisture and even oxygen. It is said that roots make up half of a given plant and it’s the same with the follower of Christ. Some doubt their belief in Christ simply because they neglect their root system or their life in Him. We speak a great deal about Christ living in us, but it’s equally vital to consider that we are in Him as well. In Ephesians 3:17, Paul prayed that believers would be strengthened with power in the inner man, through the Spirit “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love [emph. mine] may have strength to comprehend . . .” I am in Christ, and Christ is in me.
As soon as you professed faith in Christ as Lord and received His saving grace, His Spirit re-created you, His life was infused into your spirit and you were born again (John 3:5-6). You were planted in his life and love. You are now invited into that life everyday, dying with Jesus so that you might be raised up with Him; drawing life from Him and growing in Him (Eph. 2:21 & 4:5). You were also born into a family, united and bound together in a community of faith.
The daily disciplines of growth and faith come alive, as you meditate upon and receive nutrition from the Word of God (Psalm 1:2 and Mathew 4:40). You are hydrated, animated and oxygenated by His indwelling Spirit (John 7:37-39, Job 33:4, John 20:22). Most of all, your faith in Christ is strengthened within the community of others, and His grace is shared among the Body (Hebrews 10:23-25).
I dare you to try to obsess about and overdo this aspect of the Christian life. When the heat of day bears down, the storm rages or the wind of every doctrine tries to carry you away, you will be firmly grounded and established, because your roots will run deep and wide in the love and knowledge of Him.
Pastor Dave Hook
Worship Arts Ministry
Leave the Weeds to God
This past week was a significant one for my husband and his family. For generations they have grown oranges at the base of Palomar Mountain. Yet times have changed, and so this past week I went for a walk to see the end result of six months of intense planning and hard work. A few acres of orange trees had been removed, and in their place I saw row after row of freshly planted coffee plants. I stood there with my husband and asked him about what they needed most. Careful, consistent watering, he said. Each and every plant, thousands of them, would need to be checked regularly to see that they were receiving adequate water.
In the months and years ahead, the primary focus would be on the health of each plant. A strong and healthy crop does not mean that there are no weeds. An abundant crop is the result of providing for the plant what it needs most, proper water and nourishment. Weeds are inevitable, but they are not the primary concern.
In the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus spoke of the enemy who came and sowed weeds. Our enemy, the devil, is still sowing weeds today. The weeds he sows are intended to rob us of the beauty of the life that Jesus came to give us.
The new coffee crop reminded me again of the reality that in this world, our “fields” will never be free of weeds. Our lives will always be challenged by the weeds that the evil one sows among believers, weeds that threaten to weaken us, to divide us or to discourage us as we seek to keep our eyes on Jesus, and to walk in his ways.
Jesus said, “Let them both grow together until the harvest” (v. 30). At the time of the harvest, he will deal with the weeds that have grown in our midst. We can wait patiently for him to right the wrongs, to deal with those who have intended to harm us, to bring dissension and strife. It has not been assigned to me to do those things. What I can do, what each of us can do today is spend time with our Savior, delighting in him, learning his ways, and putting into practice the things he has called us to be and do. This is the “water” that will help us, as God’s “wheat” to grow healthy and strong. Ask the Lord today to give you patience toward those in your world whose lives are in opposition to your own. Ask him to help you walk in his ways and his peace while you wait for him.
By Nicole Jiles
Director of Children's Ministries
You Can Slow It Down, But You Can’t Speed It Up
When I was in college I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with other students who were very mature Christians for their age. From my perspective they knew God better, they knew the Bible better, they prayed better, and their lives revealed more of the fruit of the Spirit than did mine. So, being the “good” Christian that I was, and with my understanding of how spiritual growth works, I set my mind to catching up to them. I decided that if they prayed 30 minutes, I would pray 60. If they had a 30-minute quiet time, I would have a 60-minute quiet time. I pretty much tried to apply this formula to all areas of what one does to grow as a Christian. And -- you can do the calculus on this -- I figured that I would eventually catch up to them. The problem is, I never did.
As I reflect back on those couple of years, I wonder if I didn’t slow my growth down in my feverish efforts to speed it up? I also sense that I was focusing on the wrong thing! I think I was all about the seed, when I should have been all about the soil.
One thing this parable reminds me of, thankfully, is that the seed will grow when the soil is healthy. I was so fixated on coaxing and cajoling that spiritual seed in my heart to grow faster than it was intended to that I neglected the soil of my heart and actually did not provide the optimal conditions it needed to thrive. I was frustrated that it (I) wasn’t growing faster, even as I didn’t give that spiritual seed what it needed to grow as fast as God might have wanted it to. You can slow it down, but you can’t speed it up.
The good news for us is that God has planted a spiritual seed in our hearts and that it will grow. We don’t need to concern ourselves with that. What we do need to tend to, as this parable powerfully points out, is the condition of the soil of our hearts. We can continue to cooperate with the Spirit to ensure that we are “good soil.” And as Jesus points out here, that means that we focus on hearing the word of the kingdom and understanding it.
So, if you’re a person who wants to keep growing and maturing, don’t worry about the seed, concern yourself with the soil. God, who is faithful, will complete the good work he began in you. (Philippians 1:6)
And remember, you can slow it down, but you can’t speed it up. And that’s okay.
Scott Smith
Pastor of Discipleship Ministry
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The Choked Heart
My grandma was going to pay me $20 and all I had to do was weed the side of a hill behind her house. This was going to be my biggest payday yet. I was trying to earn money to go to summer camp. The week of summer camp cost $70 and after grandma paid me for weeding the hill, I’d only need $15 more to be able to go. The job was supposed to take all day one Saturday. I was only about 30 minutes into that job when I realized that I hated to weed. For the rest of the day, I struggled to keep at it and through mumbles and outright curses in my mind I tried to foresee for myself a future where I would never have to pull another weed again.
"The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22)
The parable of the sower seems to describe four different kinds of people’s salvation (or lack thereof) experience; the four soils. Lately, however, I realize that the descriptions of what happens to the seed could apply to me at various moments or periods of time in my Christian life. There are times when the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth have choked out my fruitfulness as a believer, times when God has given me a seed of truth about his kingdom and I wasn’t even paying attention, times when I have received the word with great joy only to have my conviction about the message, or my commitment to change be short lived.
The goal of a farmer is to grow a crop and the farmer will tend the soil and scatter seed year after year. As an adult I find myself pulling weeds again around the house or the church property and despite my 9 or 10 year-old proclamations, not hating it. In fact, I’ve learned to appreciate the work. Preparing the soil before planting and keeping it healthy while the plants grow is a big job. What if we spent more time this week tending our hearts, the soil where God’s Word about his kingdom is planted. What if we dug out the rocks (ideas or false beliefs contrary to God’s truth)? What if the love of money does not win the fight for our attention? What if life’s worries were pulled from, instead of being allowed to grow in, and choke out our hearts? This job might be a lot of hard work, and maybe that’s partly why we keep putting it off, but doing nothing only lets more thorns grow and that keeps us from producing a harvest with our lives this season.
By John Riley
Junior High Pastor
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The Withered Heart
Have you ever become really excited about a hobby, activity, or something else that you thought would give you joy the rest of your life? A little known fact is that I was a bass player in a friend's band. I had talked my parents into buying me a guitar, and after two lessons and minimal practice, I thought I was ready for stardom. Apparently there really aren’t many famous bass players so my plan had some holes. Here is the point: As quickly as the excitement, fun and happiness came, it left just as quickly. People booing can have that effect on you.
In the story of the sower (Matthew 13), Jesus tells about how people's excitement in faith can grow and wither quickly just like a plant in real life. They experience something totally different than they are used to, maybe it's a loving community for the first time, new friends who act differently, a camp high at Hume Lake, serving others, or something along those lines. Quickly they want to be a part and join in many things. Then the rockiness of life reveals itself; health issues, work/school stress, distractions, dysfunction at home, and many other things distract and do not allow deep roots to grow. This is why we see people throughout the gospels leave Jesus, the excitement of the experience (a meal or a miracle) cannot sustain growth. Only with Jesus continuing to cultivate our hearts will that allow us to grow deep roots in faith.
We need him to prepare the soil of our hearts so faith becomes everything and not just a shallow, but fun experience (kind of of like me in a band). We need to listen and let Jesus speak to our hearts, minds, and souls so roots of faith can grow deeply with him.
Will you take a moment to live this out with me? Hearing is important, so either listen or read aloud John 3:1-21. Pick a translation you enjoy. Listen through the story and think about Nicodemus and how Jesus cultivates the soil of his heart. Invite Jesus to cultivate your heart today, set aside moments through the day to allow Jesus in.
By Jeremy Johnson
Pastor of Men’s Ministry
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What Was Once Shallow
Have you ever known someone who has had their seed snatched away? Do you have any family members or friends who have prayed to receive Christ as their savior at some point in their life and then later walked away from their faith? Unfortunately, this seems to be a pretty common story. However, I want you to know that it doesn’t have to be the end of the story. I know that because it’s my story as well.
I was raised in an incredibly loving Christian family. I not only heard the gospel from an early age, but that message was “sown in” my heart in a deep way. As a kid, I had every advantage that Christian parents could bestow on a child. I attended the largest and most historically faithful Bible church in the area. My parents loved each other and the Lord. My father was involved in ministry. I only attended Christian schools, listened to Christian music, and went to all the Christian camps. I memorized all the books of the Bible, even the ones that I couldn’t pronounce. I won awards for attendance at multiple churches. I can’t remember how many times I raised my hand when the preacher asked me if I prayed “the prayer” (definitely more than 30). I would have won the gold medal for how much I did If there were a Christian Olympics. (thanks be to Jesus that there is no such thing!)
In spite of the hard work and effort after the seed of the kingdom was sown deep within my heart, the evil one snatched it away and I walked away from Jesus. In fact, I not only walked away, I walked right into as much trouble as I could possibly find.
But here I am. By God’s grace that was not the end of my story. Anyone who knew me in those days is surprised when they find out I’m a pastor. Clearly, I can take no credit for God’s work. By the grace of Jesus, my once shallow, rocky soul now has ever deepening roots. I share my story to remind you that even a seed that has been snatched can be replanted. Let’s pray and be hopeful for that. Let’s give grace to people in our lives the same way Jesus does. It doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
Pastor Josh Rose
Adult Ministries
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The Inefficient Farmer
My Mother’s Day gifts this year were beautiful plants and floral bushes for our yard that my husband spent hours planting. Because some sections of our yard receive harsh sun and others full shade, we tried to be very strategic in choosing our new foliage. But even though my husband tilled our hard ground, carefully planted them and adjusted the sprinklers, there are still a couple plants that might not make it. It seems their roots just aren’t taking to the soil.
Reading the story of the sower in Matthew 13:3-8, I was reminded of my Mother’s Day gift. While we were very deliberate in choosing the location and care of the plants, the sower wasn’t. It’s almost comical thinking of him throwing seeds on rocks and a walking path, seemingly without any strategy or forethought, like a child throwing confetti. It seems wasteful and inefficient.
But then in Mathew 13:18-23, Jesus describes the path and rocks as conditions of the human heart, and the seeds as the “message about the kingdom” (NIV). Ah, that makes more sense! After all, how are we with mere human eyes able to know who is ready to hear about Christ and who isn’t. Instead, we shower Christ’s love on everyone, and pray that he softens the soil of their hearts.
Years ago as a young adult I went on a two-month summer mission trip. The organization I was with wanted my team to go door to door. Talk about feeling awkward! Thankfully, as an international group of students from the USA, Ireland, Poland and Canada we were a curiosity that people seemed eager to talk to. Some of our conversations or our seeds of faith fell on what the parable would describe as a path or rocks, but we didn’t know that God had prepared one specific woman to talk with us. The soil of her heart was softened and, while my friends back home were celebrating July Fourth, I had the privilege of leading a woman to Christ and connecting her to the new church plant we were helping start. Only God could do that.
So while we might think … what’s the point of sharing the hope we have in Christ if these seeds of faith just fall on hard paths or rocky soil, truly only God knows the heart. It’s his job to prepare the soil and our job to share Christ’s love to a hurting world.
By Cyndie de Neve
Senior Creative Director
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