Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Birth
* Scripture: Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3, NKJV.

What a difference a little time can make! In an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, things can change forever. One form of existence can pass away and a new one begin. It may be the heavenly transfer by which we pass from this earthly life to that of eternity. It may also be the beginning of an earthly life, that marvelous transition from egg or womb that occurs at birth.
Marvelous as it may be, we pretty much understand the birth process and the changes that take place as the baby grows to adulthood. Jesus' use of the term "born again" puzzled Nicodemus, who envisioned a "replay" of that earthly birth, entering a second time into his mother's womb, to be born.
Jesus is talking about a spiritual rebirth, of course, but think how people not associated with the teachings of the church or the sayings of Jesus might interpret our common usage of the phrase "born again." Would they not look upon it much as Nicodemus did? We have some explaining to do, of course.
I question that even within the church the term is fully understood for what it really means. We ask, "Do you accept Jesus as your savior?"
"Oh! Yes! Sure I do!"
We see people accepting things all the time as their one and only:
"I use only (this brand) of pain medication."
"My favorite music group is 'Moobledy Moop'."
"I only root for . . . " (insert name of team or athlete.)
Well, there is some behavior modification involved here, but is that all that it is - accepting one thing above others?
Consider this: I have been associated with farming for most of my life. I have witnessed numerous births in fur and feathers, hair and wool. My wife and I are currently shepherds, keeping sheep. Most of the time lambs are born without any help from us, but now and then the ewe needs human assistance. We had such a case recently; the baby was not positioned correctly, and the ewe wasn't able to deliver by herself. But she wouldn't let us humans help, either. If we approached, she got up and ran off. We couldn't even get close enough to read her ear-tag number.
Finally, she stopped just long enough that we were able to catch her, and relieve her from her distress. The birth was a success; a nice, healthy lamb!
But in that instant, she changed. She became a mother. Her hormones kicked in, her full attention was on the baby, on nurturing and protecting it. No more running; nothing else mattered.
Think about this: when we stop and let Jesus relieve us from our distress, we "give birth" to a new spirit that we can not do by ourselves. Now, let those 'heavenly hormones' kick in, give that baby spirit your full attention. Nurture and protect it.
May 14, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Are We Flowing?
I did indeed pick up a few seeds to think about at the District Leadership Training day. One seed got me to thinking about the seas in Israel. Rain and melting snow from the mountains flows through the sea of Galilee, becomes the Jordan River, and ends in the Dead Sea. Now, think about the difference in the two seas. The Sea of Galilee is alive! Today, as in Jesus day, people live near it. Fish and other living plants and animals live in it. Why? Because there is a steady flow of fresh water coming into it, refreshing the lake, nurturing it. The Dead Sea has no outlet. The Jordan River flows in, the water evaporates, leaving behind salt and minerals that do not support life. It is dead. Now, think about the church. What caught my eye was this comment on the flow of a congregation. People come into the congregation from the community, are transformed, nurtured, sent back into the world to witness and serve, and return to the Christian community for a deeper relationship with God and growth in discipleship. Congregations that have the River of Life FLOWING through them live. No Flow, No Go! The result is stagnation, nurturing neither themselves, or the world. (1/19/1997)

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come; the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Songs, 2:11-12 NIV
*April showers will bring May flowers.*
We’ve had ‘em; We’ve got ‘em!!
What a beautiful time of year! A trinity of forces have combined to make the woods, lawn, and gardens bloom forth. Sure, it takes April showers to wash away the drabness of winter and soak the soil with the sustainer of life - water. As the length of the day increases, and the soil warms, the plants are triggered to once again thrust forth their leaves and buds. The force that leads all others is of course the position of the earth in relation to the sun. What a remarkable mechanism! The earth is actually the closest to the sun in the winter time, but in the northern hemisphere, the angle at which its rays hit the earth put us into the deep freeze. Our cousins south of the equator get their moment in the sunshine. The south polar region becomes the land of the midnight sun. The north pole barely sees the sun at all. Gradually, day by day, the earth moves in its orbit until that magic day arrives - the length of day and night are equal. The sun once again “crosses” the equator, and spring begins.
Nothing happens instantly, of course. It takes time. Only a minute or so every day, but the period of daylight lengthens for us northerners, and shortens for those south of the equator. Gradually, the temperature of our soil rises. So do our spirits. We cast off the winter blahs, and rejoice in the sunshine.
So it is the relationship to the sun that drives all the other forces. What a different world we would live in if that remarkable relationship did not exist. The life cycle of plants and animals would have to be different, because all life is dependent upon the forces engendered by that day to day relationship to the life-giver.
So, too, is our relationship to the One who gives life to even the mighty sun. God, in His Trinity - The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Are we close to the Son? Do we “orbit” Him? Are we in tune to His life-giving forces? Can we feel His power influencing our lives? I hope so!
Think about what a remarkable thing ‘life’ is. We can see the effects of life. We can tell if something is living or dead, but we can’t create life where life does not exist. We can nurture it, we can nourish it, we can destroy it, but only God creates life.
We need to also nurture and nourish the spirit, which God gave us. To do that, we need to be close to the Son. Is it springtime in your spiritual life? I hope so!
April 30, 2001, May Newsletter