Things I learned from mowing my yard...

So I decided that my yard needed to be mowed. I mean, I mow it regularly but we have experienced some rain this month that triggers the fertilizer and makes my yard grow even faster. Now, it wasn't too hot...I mean, it is Texas and it is the Summer so there will be some heat. As I was preparing to mow, I noticed a couple of things that really caught my attention.

1. There were weeds growing with the grass and in my flower bed. Now granted, I haven't been giving the attention I need to, but I had no idea how quickly they can grow in among the things you want to grow.
Lesson: Your spiritual life is the same way...unless you give special attention to growing the things God wants for you, weeds will invade and take your attention away from Him.

2. I realized that the grass was greener and taller and standing up toward that sun. One thing I am sure of is that water brings grass to life. Gardening tip...if your grass is brown, add water. It was awesome! I love having a green yard and want to cut it so that it remains green. The grass loves the sun and without it the photosynthesis process could never take place. Okay, just so you know I understand what I am talking about...photosynthesis is a process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. How about that? Plants create their own energy and ability to live on a daily basis.

Lesson: Just as the grass stretches out toward the sun for life, we should stretch out toward the Son for life. We need to water our lives with the presence of the Holy Spirit daily and create a bond that creates a lifestyle that reflects the life God has given us.

3. The lawnmower needs gas to run and sharp blades to cut...oh yeah, and never forget to check the oil level. Even though oil is unseen, it is what keeps the lawnmower engine running and the blades turning. Now, couple that with gasoline, and you are all set to cut the grass. Like all plants and trees, pruning brings new growth. Pruning is painful for the plant. The process of pruning is finding the places that can be lopped off and done without yet making the tree or plant stronger and more beautiful.

Lesson: There are "things" in our life that could be pruned. Let's face it, there are some things that we think are vital to living, but in reality, we would never miss it if we did without it. Think back before cell phones...did you miss them? NO! Think about now...we used to be tied to pagers and thought we couldn't do without a pager...where are they today? They have been pruned! I had to ask myself the question...God, what do you want to prune in my life and when it is pruned, what NEW growth is going to come from it? Check out Psalm 139:23-24

4. I have a bag catcher on my lawnmower. I have to make frequent stops and empty the bag. I filled up an entire trashcan full of grass clippings. After I mow, I take this trashcan down to the curb for the trash men to pick up at the next scheduled stop. They empty the can and return it to my curbside. I think those clippings wind up at a landfill, discarded with other "junk" that people have discarded and designated to die and never be heard from again. When you think of your clippings this way...its kind of depressing. They are destined for death in a rubble heap. Yet, they served their purpose, have been pruned and now are gone.

Lesson: This reminds me of one of my favorite passages of Scripture...2 Corinthians 5:17 I love this passage! It is the grass clippings passage. No matter how many times life has mowed over you, how many times you have been put out and left for the trash heap, no matter what kind of shape you are in...God takes all of that away and says...I see new life! I see the things that can be great! I have a purpose for this person. And instead of us viewing ourselves and our current circumstances as trash destined for the curb, God sees us as the plant that has been pruned and will produce new growth and more beautiful fruit that is pleasing to Him.

If there is one thing that I have learned about God and His Word...

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”- Matthew 24:35

Maybe it was just the heat and I was delirious...

but maybe this was for someone out in the world of internet...

The Holy Spirit and "Unisex" Clothing

I know you are probably wondering about the title...pretty catchy huh? I hate to admit this, but after finding that my predominate spiritual gift is the gift of putting my foot in my mouth...not sure on the Scripture reference. Anyway, the whole 'unisex' clothing, cologne, names and pretty much whatever else you can think of, really is not a good thing for people like me.

A few months back, I went back to my hometown to visit. We were out and about and I ran into a friend that I attended High School with. After making the courteous restaurant table visit and catch up that is so much expected in the Deep South, the conversation turned to what we are doing now and how many kids we have. I, being the excellent father that I am, had a picture of my 2 kids(that was BK...before Katie). Then my friend announced that she had just had a child and just so happened to have the baby in the car seat on the floor beside her. This is when business picked up. I could feel it...my spiritual gift welling up inside and about to be exposed to the world.

The proud mother grabbe the handle of the car carrier and showed me her most cherished newborn. Now, to be fair to me, all newborns look alike! All of the them are kind of crinkly, red and slobbery. What sets some apart is that some have more hair than others. I know what you are thinking..."You didn't tell her she had an ugly baby." No, that was a different lady. Anyway, one of the first things I noticed was the UNISEX color of the carseat, the UNISEX color of the baby's blanket and matching beanie. So, what do I do now? No clues yet as to if it is a boy or girl. So, I reach in and kind of pull the blanket down to get a peek of the baby's clothes...guess what...the color is ambiguous. I have no clue what I am looking at other than it is a baby and a proud momma.

So, here comes the moment my spiritual gift is getting closer to public demonstration. I ask, "What is the baby's name?" The mom said, "We name the baby Terri/Terry. I know both men and women named Terri/Terry. Come on God, I need some help here...throw me a bone! So, I said to my friend and proud mother, "It sure is cute!" That was the moment you have been waiting for.

My friend, was incredibly upset at my choice of pronoun I used to describe her baby. She said idignantly, "IT! I will have you know that you do not need to call my DAUGHTER...IT."

So, I did what any good person would do...I tried to explain myself. However, I soon realized that you can't explain your way out of this type of thing and what was intended to be a very cordial moment with an old friend that I had not seen in years was now victim to me in all my glory. So, I apologized and quietly walked to my table with those in my party just shaking their heads in disbelief as to what happened. I even think I heard a random "Bless his heart" by some onlookers like they were on the midway watching the maneating chicken.

Then I thought, what if God has the same reaction to us when we call the Holy Spirit it. I wonder if He just shakes His head and looks at Jesus and says, "These people, they just do understand who He is."

The Holy Spirit wants to have a relationship with us, counsel us, give us divine wisdom, protect us and give us supernatural love, joy and peace. We just don't know what we have in the third person in the Trinity.

So, with that, pursue a relationship with the Holy Spirit...He will change everything.