Green Babies

I cannot remember that I have ever before planted seeds rather than buying young plants—not since I received the kids' one-cent packet from the Henry Field Seed Company when my parents placed their order each spring. How excited I was with my assortment of seeds! My brothers and I each sorted our personal bounty carefully: peas, beans, carrots, radishes, corn. We planted them in short little rows, watered, weeded and watched until they had produced a harvest.

I lost to the extreme winter weather the ground cover seeds I had planted last summer, so I decided to begin early with seed-starter kits by a sunny window inside. Little peat pellets which expanded when I added water were the medium in which I deposited the tiny

, tiny little seeds. I placed a plastic dome over the top of each tray to hold in the moisture, and in five days little sprouts were pushing up their leaves! I can't really be proud, since it is God that makes things grow when we co-operate by providing a suitable environment, but maybe I can say, “Look what we did!” I checked, and my thumb isn't green but I am awfully pleased all the same. I can see why they call garden centers “nurseries.” Those little green babies are just so cute!

I never cease to be amazed by the faithfulness of the seasons—God's faithfulness. Each spring I marvel, as though I had never before seen the greening of the earth after a cold, dreary winter! I never tire of this season of the year, although I know we are probably healthier and happier for having the variety that follows these beautiful days.

Praise our good Provider! And enjoy!

MaryMartha

 

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Build on Rock

Recently, some of the home owners in one housing development in our city have found huge cracks developing in the walls, floors, and driveways of their homes. The houses were not cheap when purchased only a few years ago, and now people are faced with repairs that amount, in some cases, to half the original price. When the owners' complaints were investigated, it was found that the houses had been built on

 unstable soil that expanded as it absorbed water and contracted as it dried. The structures were on shaky ground—clay and insufficiently compacted fill dirt. One foundation repair company reported that their crew had to drill down 45 feet to reach rock solid enough to support the crumbling foundation.

This reveals again Jesus' wise words about building on the Rock. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

I've always supposed Jesus meant that we had to search and find the rock on which to build, spiritually, in a world full of “sand.” But what if there is no rock to be seen and we have to dig deep to reach anything solid? He did not guarantee that rock would be there just for the taking, without any additional effort. It may require us to do some spiritual “drilling.”

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Family Resemblance



Some day our digital photos
will look just as quaint!

 Last week I spent time with members of my extended family, some of whom I had not seen for a number of years. We were gathered to memorialize the life of an elderly aunt who died the previous weekend. Although we felt the loss, our being together again was like her parting gift to us. We laughed and hugged, shared pictures and memories, and ate and sang, all the while being aware of how much she herself would have enjoyed this family celebration!

I was struck by the family resemblance I see on the faces of my cousins, now that they mature. They actually look more like their fathers or uncles than they look like each other. And they tell me too, that now I look like my mother whose features are clearly seen in our other aunts. Indeed, we do look like the family we belong to!

I wonder if that is true of us as Christians? As we mature, do we look more like the family of God? Do our lives bear resemblance to our Elder Brother and to the Father Himself? He would be so pleased!
 
MaryMartha
 
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Planting for the Future

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. ~Greek Proverb

My father was not an old man when he helped plant a row of trees along the south end of the schoolyard where my siblings and I attended our early grades. He was a young father, but he had an eye on the future. He would never enjoy the trees, but he knew his kids would. Now many years later, the tiny saplings are thirty or so feet tall and line the property of the homeowner who converted the schoolhouse into a private dwelling. I wonder if they ever think about the person who planted those big trees so long ago.

There is a lesson about hope here. Planting trees for another generation is not the only action that anticipates the future. We do many things with vision for what lies ahead: we make long-term investments in our homes, in our education, and in our family relationships. We must also take into account what happens if we fail to act in ways that preserve our resources.

If you want a tall tree, the best time to plant it is twenty years ago. The next best time is now. (from a Chinese proverb) If you want a life of integrity, the best time to begin forming it is twenty or thirty or sixty years ago; the next best time would be now. "Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34:12-14)

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Getting to the Root

The weeds in the cracks of the sidewalk look almost as healthy as they did two days ago when I sprayed them with Weed B Gon Max®. That doesn't concern me as I have used this weed killer before and know that it takes up to fourteen days to do its job. That's because it doesn't just wilt the leaves. It goes down through the plant and destroys the roots, and after that the withering and browning appear above ground. The plant cannot live without an adequate root system.

I've been thinking about how important our faith root system is also. The Apostle Paul prayed that from God's "glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong." (Ephesians 3:16, 17) Our strength as Christians depends on the roots going down deep. If we are content with shallow roots or we permit something to poison them, we lose the ability to give freely of love in our outward life. The "leaves and fruit" wither and die because we are not deeply rooted in God's love.

God's enemy Satan—our enemy too—would try to apply Faith B Gon, Love B Gon, and Hope B Gon to our lives. He attacks us in outward ways, so that the damage can go down, if possible, into the roots where we dwell in God's love. Beware his poison!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

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No Turning Back

I remember singing often, while I was growing up—as we rode in the car, or at youth services,

I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me,
The world behind me, the cross before me,
The world behind me, the cross before me,
No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow,
Though none go with me, still I will follow,
Though none go with me, still I will follow,
No turning back, no turning back.

--Attributed to Sadhu
Sundar Singh, India, early 20th c.

I could sing that very earnestly. What was there for me, after all, as an eight-year-old or a fourteen- or seventeen-year-old, to turn back to? Now, with advanced age and much more experience, I still ask, "What could there possibly be that is worth turning back to?"

The children of Israel, faced with the uncertainties involved in taking over the Promised Land from the giants who lived there, lamented to Moses and Aaron. "Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. 'If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!' they complained. 'Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?' Then they plotted among themselves, 'Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!' ” (Numbers 14:1-4)

Those who had gone ahead to spy out the land returned with proof that the land was fabulously productive. Two men of faith assured the people, "The countrymen there are powerful, but we are well able to overcome them!" Still, motivated by fear and a complaining spirit, the Israelites began to talk of stoning their leaders—until the Lord intervened and sent them back out into the wilderness to wander for forty years, one year for each day the spies had spent exploring the good land ahead of them.

We wouldn't deny our Savior, but we might cringe at the prospect of change. We might pull back when faced with challenge. What if Columbus had not said (in the words of American poet Joaquin Miller), "Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!" What if Winston Churchill had not given the commencement address that has inspired various valuable (mis)quotes? "Never give up! Never give up! Never, never, never!" What blessing and provision we miss, if we close our eyes to what is before and us and turn back to what is only safe and familiar!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

How Does My Garden Grow?

MaryMartha, MaryMartha,

How does your garden grow?

With moneywort and bleeding heart
And pretty rocks all in a row.

– My version of the old nursery rhyme.

When the trees are fully leafed out, my front yard—I won't dignify it by calling it a "lawn"—is in deep shade. When I first lived in this home, the trees were still small and didn't prevent sunlight from reaching the ground. Now it is a different story; the grass won't grow. Well, yes, the folks at the garden center told me there were actually grasses that would grow in the shade, but I would be constantly re-seeding. (Besides mowing!) So I decided if I can't grow grass, I will grow rocks. I am deep into the project of placing pebbles and rocks and plants that love the shade.

The people who know about such things say that gardening failures are mostly due to the gardener expecting things to grow under conditions that are not suitable. Like shade for a plant that needs lots of sunlight, or too much sun for one that likes to be kept cool. Like poor soil for plants that need lots of nourishment. Like sub-zero winters for tender perennials. If I know what certain plants need, I should be able—barring things like hail storms—to grow them successfully.

While I was working today, I remembered an old quartette song written by Mosie Lister, "My Jesus knows just what I need." He understands exactly what will stimulate my growth and make my life "bloom" with Christian virtues.

MaryMartha

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More Pruning

I have been pruning my old rose bush this morning. It is the size of a small tree, much taller than I—although that's not saying a whole lot! I've never see a bush (tree?) quite like it, loaded throughout the summer with pink blooms. Because it is so tall and so wide, I've never given it much care other than to cut off the long canes that were in the way when mowing. Today I decided to do some real pruning. I cut out a lot of dead branches, and some green ones too because they tangled with others. A third of the bush, perhaps, is gone now.

It isn't easy for me cut away living parts of plants. "I'm cutting off future flowers," I tell myself. "This twig is alive. So what it it's in the way? It might be beautiful eventually."

Then I remember: If I want more of that same satisfying beauty from the bush, it is important to free the plant’s growth energies. Removing the old and tired makes way for the new and fresh.

Gardening speaks God’s truth to me. Jesus said, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.” Much fruit, He said, or lots and lots of roses in the garden of my life. And does Jesus come walking through to prune the plants there, removing what is old and faded and drooping? Indeed, He does! "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:2)

I could understand if the Lord of my life lopped off the branches that aren’t bearing anything. That makes sense. But having fruit-bearing branches pruned is painful, and I've been known to argue!

-- “Lord, You were with me from the beginning of this project, weren't you? Why should I now turn it over to someone else, just when I’m beginning to see the results of my effort?”

-- “Lord, I’ve been involved for a long time now in this part of Your work. What will people think if I tell them I have shifted some of my priorities and I’m not able to serve in this particular way any longer?”

-- “Lord, You gave this work to me. What's the matter? Why aren’t You pleased?”

Then He reminds me, “I am not unhappy with what your life has produced. I am pleased with your love and service. I'm only encouraging further production!”

He'd like more roses, if you will. So then, I gladly trust my life to the Lord of Gardens. (He planted the very first one, after all.) He alone knows how to produce beauty and abundance in my life.

MaryMartha

You might enjoy reading "Pruning" here.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

The Life Inside

Just a few days ago, when I looked at the spot where I'd planted some new bulbs last fall, I saw nothing but bare dirt and brown leaves. Grass (and weeds too) were thriving nearby, but I was feeling somewhat anxious about the lack of new shoots where I expected to see them.

I shouldn't have worried! A few warm days, and they are now breaking through the soil. Hooray! I wrote about resurrection in my pre-Easter post, but this is different. This is brand new growth bursting from inside the dry-appearing, brown "clods" I buried months ago. There was life hidden inside, waiting for the right time to show itself. Growth is a mysterious process, isn't it?

We too have life hidden inside us, and it is even more exciting to contemplate. The Apostle Paul called it a "mystery," but he had a special grasp of its meaning to believers down through the ages. "This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. [He was writing to an audience who was not Jewish.] And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory." Paul was anxious to see growth too. "And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (Colossians 1:26, 27; 2:6, 7)
Although we may appear somewhat "clod-like" at times, let's remember what we have inside, waiting for the right time to show itself. Jesus, our Lord!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Mile-Pebbles

We call some of the outstanding events of our life "milestones." We were too young to comprehend the significance of some of the early ones, but our families celebrated for us when we took our first steps, when we started school, when we lost our first tooth. Later, in no special order, there were our first jobs, our driver's license, our first car, the first date, graduation from high school and perhaps from college. Marriage for some of us. Our first home. Parenthood maybe. A marked career achievement. A hard-won honor. Retirement. Life has a number of places where we stop and say, "Wow! Look at where I (or we) have been and what we've done!"

But life isn't only about extraordinary occasions. It's mostly about the "nitty-gritty" of day-to-day issues and tough decisions. Yesterday an advertisement in a magazine caught my attention. A financial company wants to help me reach all my milestones—and my mile-pebbles.

No matter where you are on your life-journey, there are still important goals at which to aim. Perhaps you have already arrived at many of the milestones you expected to reach in your lifetime, but don't stop there! Not every goal has to be so lofty that it takes a lifetime to achieve. There are many less-imposing but worthwhile things to do and to be. They don't all have to be momentous milestones.

Celebrate the mile-pebbles too!

MaryMartha

The ad is by Ameriprise Financial in the current issue of Time.
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Things Mama Taught Me: "You'll Spoil Your Appetite"

This is what my mother warned when we wanted a snack too close to supper time or wanted sweets instead of more nourishing fare. I never lacked appetite, so I don't know that her admonition was necessary; nevertheless, she had a good point. It's very easy to leave out foods that are important for the body's maintenance and growth by substituting what we call "junk food" for its lack of those valuable nutrients.

I think it's possible to dull intellectual, cultural, and spiritual appetites also. If the brain is never challenged to process things that are beyond immediate recognition, where will new ideas come from? If appreciation for the arts is dumbed down to awe of dazzling technological displays, what will feed our souls? If beauty is only superficial and goodwill is a commercial product, how will we recognize truth? If everything we read or watch is "mind candy," how will we grow in the ability to fulfill our responsibilities? If we are used just to nodding to God once a week, how can we know His voice on the day He wants to speak to us?

"For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good." (Psalm 107:9) Let's not spoil our appetites!

MaryMartha


Scripture is from the New American Standard Bible, used by permission of The Lockman Foundation, http://www.lockman.org/


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Room for the New

For many people, the ending of the present year and the approach of the new signals a time for assessing one's progress—or the lack thereof. I suppose that if I were to gather all my old plans from years past and all the resolutions I was not successful at keeping, I would be overwhelmed! I could not possibly consider adding any new plans or goals because I would be so busy trying to re-do something from the past.

There is something to be said for persistence and for making another attempt at a previous goal. We must take into consideration, though, whether or not the old plan or aim is still appropriate. Does it fit our present life? Children outgrow their clothes, toys, and playroom furniture; sometimes we adults outgrow an ambition or a need or even a relationship. Trying to force ourselves into feeling the way we once did is something like trying to force a six-year-old to enjoy the rattle he liked when he/she was a few months old. Attempting to force-fit our lives into something we've outgrown is like trying to force the child into shoes that are too small. They simply don't fit any longer.

Is it failure to lay aside temporarily something we once thought was important—or even to give up on it entirely? Not necessarily. We can give our best attention to only a certain number of things. Circumstances change, and priorities can change. What was top-of-the-list a few years ago may be further down now, perhaps still on the list but not above everything else. We may decide that reading with the children comes before an immaculate house, and paying off the credit cards is more important than buying a new car but not as necessary as "Y" membership, and so on.

The coming of the New Year is a good time to re-evaluate our priorities. Let's not be bogged down with old plans so that we can leave room for the new!

MaryMartha

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Purging

Conventional de-cluttering wisdom says to get rid of anything that you haven't used in a year. Oh my! Once I started on the furniture re-arrangement project, I realized that I had boxes and boxes of stuff that had not been opened in several years; they were waiting quietly for recognition in the room that had become a catch-all, but is now going to have a more useful life. I had a hard time believing that just because I had not opened the boxes meant there was nothing of value in them. Hence the re-organization project with an actual designated place for what I must keep.

I did run across something helpful, notes from some wise person who said, "Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or precious." That seems like good advice. Lots of things were no longer useful to me, or even had never been; at one time I thought I needed them but they were still in their original packaging. Not too many things demanding to be kept were visibly beautiful, but some were beautiful expressions of love and understanding. And then there were the precious things: a four-year-old's crayoned drawing for grandma, crosses which I have been intending to display, brought back by friends who visited Belgium and Ireland and Israel, and those scrapbook pages and photos I mentioned in an earlier post. Even so, I still had the entire rear of my hatchback vehicle filled with goods to be donated. (And I have, in fact, already been there and done that.)

So I've talked about things to keep and things to give away, how about the things to throw away? Oh yes, big bagsful! And I learned something important when it came to that: Some things are not meant to be revisited. There were a bunch of old letters from an erstwhile friend, and I was tempted to put them aside to re-read, but I clearly felt that was not the thing to do. It is hard enough work lifting boxes and sorting through them without adding the burden of remembering a particularly difficult time in my life. "But what if I need . . . ?"

There is a good illustration for this: After a person gets better, he/she doesn't frame the bloody bandages from the accident or gold-plate the crutches used after surgery just in case they might be needed again. "Forgetting the past," the Apostle Paul called it, "and looking forward to what lies ahead." (Philippians 3:13)

MaryMartha

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Things Mama Taught Me: "It Hurts to Be Beautiful"

In my early childhood, I had long hair and a tender scalp. (I wonder, why do the two so often go together?) On Saturday night, my mother would roll all that hair up on rags so that I would have curls when I presented myself in Sunday School the next day. When she brushed my hair in the morning—oh my, how it hurt! I squirmed and whined, but she persisted, assuring me that "It hurts to be beautiful." (Not that any pain I endured seemed to help permanently in that department! Oh well . . . )

What was she really teaching me? That desirable results usually have a price. A few wonderful things are completely free—sunshine, a baby's smile, birdsong, sleep—but most of the things we want cost money, time, effort, or other personal resources.

The same is true of inner realities. Would we have beautiful character? The chances are, it's going to hurt some! That is why the apostles urged believers in the early churches to give attention to their spiritual development. Paul wrote, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." He also said, "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Peter advised, "Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 4:20-24; Colossians 3:9, 10; II Peter 1:5-8).

No effort of our own, regardless of positive results, will produce salvation; that is completely the work of Christ. But ongoing growth in spiritual graces requires intentional nurturing. Topsy (in Uncle Tom's Cabin") may have just "growed," but that's not the best way to develop either children or Christian character. It may cost us some healthy pain to be beautiful!

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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Harvest Time

Farmers in Kansas harvested wheat and other grains a few months ago, and now are beginning to bring in corn, soybeans, milo and other fall crops. As expected, they are garnering a yield of the same sort they planted; that is, if they sowed wheat, the return is wheat, if corn was seeded, corn is harvested. It has been so ever since God planted a garden in Eden. "Then God said, 'Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.' And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:11, 12 NLT)

Isn't it interesting that people depend on nature to reproduce itself in reliable fashion, but are slow to accept the corresponding spiritual truth? "Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds!" (Galatians 6:7, 8 MSG) I talked to an acquaintance recently who was distressed by some hardships he was experiencing. He had planted a dishonest, maybe even illegal action, and now was miffed because a superior had discovered the deed and there was unpleasant and inconvenient retribution. Weeds. What could he expect?

On the other hand, the Galatians verses give great encouragement also. "But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit." (vs. 8, 9) Although the good spiritual harvest may not come at the season we would like or expect, it will come.

No drought or excessive rain, hail, disease, bugs or worms, invasive grasses, or any other damaging element can prevent the spiritual crop from coming in. "No one makes a fool of God!" Whether it will be weeds or real life depends on what we plant, day after day.

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture marked MSG is taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

A New Point of View

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (KJV) I spoke with a fellow Christian who told me, "I thought being a new creature meant my old habits and hang-ups were gone, and I wouldn't have to deal with them any more." If only that were true, how much easier life would be!

There is no denying that many people experiencing Christ's salvation have a radical change in their attitudes, appetites, and ambitions. But there is no guarantee that well-established behaviors are going to suddenly vanish. The Apostle Paul wrote, "I discipline my body [which is, after all, the point at which a great deal of failure begins] and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." (I Corinthians 9:27 NKJV) Forgiveness is freely offered; a right relationship with God is the point His plan. But Paul found living righteously was not automatic.

"New creation" means, most of all, that the once-dead spiritual being has been brought to life. One of the evidences of this is in the mind. "We have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (II Corinthians 5:16, 17 NLT) At salvation, the new life has only begun; that is why we call it "the second birth." We begin then to live with more than just the human point of view, and to become mature in Christ, this new point of view must continue to expand throughout our whole faith journey.

God transforms us into new persons by changing the way we think. "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." (Romans 12:1, 2 MSG)

MaryMartha

Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture marked MSG is taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Fitted Together

One morning, I looked carefully at the stone wall that enclosed part of my vacation retreat. It is made of natural limestone rock, some pieces so large that it surely must have taken two men to place them, some small enough that I could have held them in my hand, and every imaginable size and shape in between. I noticed how the builder had carefully fitted the stones together. Where one jutted out at a sharp angle, he had placed another with an opposing angle next to it. If the shapes were not complementary enough, a small sliver of rock was slipped between them, so that no wide gaps had to be mortared.

My thoughts turned to the Church—the whole Body of Christ as well as the local congregation with whom I worship. There are some "pillars" among us, wonderful bigger-than-life leaders who are critical in holding together what we are building. A great many other people surround them, each of them lending beauty and strength to the work. Like the rocks in the wall I was examining, none are alike but all are important to the finished creation. What one lacks, another possesses. Where one is weak, another is strong. Where one's gift may not fit a task, another's is well-suited. I am encouraged by the fact that even small shards, insignificant alone, had a place of importance by fitting in where they were needed to fill the cracks. Pillar or crack-filler, we all have a part!

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22)

MaryMartha

Scripture is from the New American Standard Bible, used by permission of The Lockman Foundation, http://www.lockman.org/

On Being Whacked

A couple of nights ago, this area had torrential rain and sizeable hail. My beautiful big-leafed hosta are in shreds. I was bemoaning my loss to a couple of co-workers and one of them told me, "They'll come back. The year we had such a huge hailstorm here, I had my best garden crops ever. In fact, my mother told me it would increase the yields if you take a yardstick to your plants. Don't kill them; just give them a couple of good whacks!"

Oh, really? That sounds like something a great-grandmother told her daughter and she told her daughter and she told her daughter . . . Maybe that idea came from the tough pine trees that withstand storms on mountain terrain, or possibly it has something to do with pollinating certain plants. Anyway, I'm inclined to doubt the scientific validity—unless some of you gardeners out there have convincing evidence.

I do know, however, that it is possible for difficulty to make people sturdy and productive. Jesus said to His disciples at the Passover meal with them, "I have told you these things [about His return to the Father] so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble [whackings!]. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Holy, Holier, Holiest

How would a school get the reputation of being "America's Holiest University"? I'm reading a book written by a journalist who attended there, and that's what he called it. There were rules: no drinking or smoking, no cursing, no dancing, no R-rated movies, and so on. While many young people thrived under that careful discipline, does observing rules really create holiness in a university—or, for that matter, in a Christian?

In the eighteenth century, John Wesley and his brother Charles were leaders of a group of young men at Oxford University, derisively called "The Holy Club" by other students. They met frequently for prayer, study and discussion, and to question one another about their Christian duties and their motives for performing them. Yet even the methodical practice of "holy living" did not produce the genuine state in John; it was not until almost ten years later, on May 24, 1738, that John experienced conversion while listening to a reading of Martin Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans.

In the Old Testament, people and things were declared holy because of their relationship to a holy God. They were devoted to Him or dedicated to Him, and God desired them to demonstrate that relationship in practical ways. The New Testament understanding of holiness differs only in the fact that Jesus came to show how it is done perfectly. Without flaw or failure, He exemplified a holy, rightly-related-to-God character. All His conduct was that of a person separated from sin and consecrated to God. The Apostle Paul makes our own responsibility clear: We are to avoid relationships that are forged in darkness rather than light; we must refuse to be driven by values that are incompatible with our commitment to God. Then, "'I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty. Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (II Corinthians 6:17-7:1)

What was perfect in Jesus is for us a lifelong exercise in love. "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones." (I Thessalonians 3:12, 13)

So it turns out "doing holy," even with the best intentions, is not the same at all as being holy.

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Practice Makes Perfect . . . Sense

"Practice makes perfect," my teachers used to say. They wanted me to make, over and over again on my lined tablet, the ovals and strokes of the Palmer Method of Penmanship. I know I was very young; is it possible I learned cursive writing before or at the same time as manuscript? I understand that the inventor of the method recommended that it be taught exclusively, no printing first, so we dutifully practiced. My handwriting is legible— not perfect, but quite legible—and that came from that early practice

Ignace Jan Paderewski, one of the best-known musicians of his time (early twentieth century) as well as an influential Polish statesman, practiced his piano music endlessly. It could be argued that his performances were already "perfect," so why practice further? But he said, "If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it."

Doctors and other medical professionals and attorneys may have spent a lifetime in their profession, and what they do is still called "practicing." There are bad jokes, of course, about why their work is a "practice," but in this instance, the word is not to be confused with rehearsing so as to acquire a competency. It is the practical application of the theories and skills presented in their training; the professionals are putting into "practice" their knowledge.

I wonder why we hear of "practicing Buddhists" and "practicing Jews" and other kinds of "practicing" believers, but we may never have even thought of the term, "a practicing Christian"? What would keep us from "practicing"? Have we decided it's just not possible to be perfect? Is it too hard to keep at it every day? Have we not learned anything that we could put into practice?

Because organized religions have certain customs and observances associated with them, the followers who adhere to these actions are said to be "practicing" their faith. Christians profess to be following Christ, in personal relationship with Him. Wouldn't practicing Christians be actively doing just that? Maybe not perfectly, but legibly. Every day, too, because otherwise our audience will be able to tell. And applying what we've learned in our heads to the action of heart and hands.

Practice makes perfect . . . sense.

MaryMartha