Sowing seeds

A lot of what anyone sharing the good news of Jesus is comes down to sowing seeds. Although I have never been a Gardner and certainly do not have a green thumb, I can understand when Jesus talks about a sower sowing seed in a field. But there are many different ways to sow. 

One of the things that is true about this picture is that it requires some perseverance and plenty of patience. I feel like I am pretty good at the first, but I have definitely had to learn the latter through the years. I, like many in this life, want things to happen quicker and to be visible. But God works with lives. And lives develop through time. My life in Christ did not just spring into being, although I had a moment of birth, for sure. But God has taught me, formed me and shaped me through the years and all of the experiences He has given. 

This is also how things are with the people we are working with, the people with whom we share this wonderful news of a new life in Jesus Christ. We do not always see immediate change. Although often some change is more visible by some than by others. That is now down to us. God gives the growth - we sow the seed. 

Some of this sowing has to do with what we say, talking about our life in Jesus and about how to meet Jesus. Many of the people I have worked with started by learning about the Bible and how to read it. Although many people, certainly here in Western Europe, will say that they know about Jesus, most have never read the Bible. Most see the Bible as a large book written in the past which tells some weird stories and also has some stuff about this Jesus. 

I have always tried to teach people that the Bible is a remarkable library. It is not a book, but a library of books, a compilation of all sorts of different literature. This helps many understand immediately that it must be read in a different way than a book would be. But I emphasize that it is a remarkable library - a collection that could not be possible if it did not come from God. 

Besides helping people see what kind of library they have at their disposal, I take time to help people learn how to read the Bible so that they can get to know who Jesus is. It is in the Bible that we truly get to meet Jesus and see what he really said and did. Unless we go to the Bible, we cannot say that we know anything about this Jesus.

This is one of the things that I have done throughout the years with some of the Catholic kids in our villages. Years ago our colleagues were asked if they would help with the local Catholic confirmation kids. Our colleagues are known in their village as the people who know the Bible. So through the years we have tried to make sure that these kids-becoming-adults (12-13 year-olds) are not only presented with the Bible, but are taught and shown how to read it. We try to take away a bit of the mystery and strangeness and teach them how to become familiar with what is there. 

In the coming month I will be able to revisit some of this teaching when these kids organize a reunion. We are interested to see where they are now and to remind them of how good God can make our lives, remind them that at a time in their lives they made a choice. We would like them to remember this choice and consider an even more momentous choice for their lives. 

We will also begin another course of “Getting to know Jesus” in the neighborhood of where we meet in Maastricht. We never know how many people will be interested or challenged by such a course. We invite people and know that God is calling those who are ready at this time to hear. Then we try to not only pass on the information, but to live the true life that Jesus gives us so that people can see that the seed actually bears fruit. 

We have no idea how long we might need to wait to see if any of this seed grows in the hearts of the people around us. We may never see the fruits in that sense. But we trust the grace and might of God in doing what He is doing. I may not have a green thumb (or green fingers as they say in Dutch), but I know that God is the one bringing growth and He is truly mighty. 

Whensday: Ice Saints

When can you start planting your flowers and plants? Well, the wise advice here talks about waiting until after the “ijsheiligen” - the ice saints. These are special religious holidays named for certain saints, but ending with May 15. An easier way to remember it is to think that planting should wait until after Mother’s Day. 

Mother’s Day in Belgium used to refer to Mary, the mother of Jesus. But the celebration of motherhood that other countries recognize soon took over, as did the commercialization of the day. The day itself is often just a little different. In The Netherlands, Belgium or the US, the day can vary by a week. 

Still, if you are going to get mother a plant, she may have to wait just a bit before putting it outside. That is because it technically could still freeze outside, killing the poor plant. So everyone is taught to wait patiently. Just as every good mother tries to teach their children the same thing. 

This year, we did not get any freezing weather near May 15. And Mother’s Day was celebrated on Sunday, May 12. Shirley got flowers sent from Sean and calls from both of the boys (yes, they are still our “boys” and always will be). I called my mom as she is getting ready to make a major move across the country in the coming month, starting a new season of her life. 

In the meantime, we will consider which plants to plant. We are leaving in June for several weeks to visit our grandchild, so we cannot really plant a bunch of flowers we will not be able to care for. It is hard enough to keep up on mowing the grass in between the rain showers. So we will be patient and see what we can do in the summer. 

Gospel truths of a dog owner – Show me!

We had been pampered as far as dogs go. When we welcomed Snuffles into our home, she was already 5 years old and had been trained by her previous owners. Yes, she was basically blind, but she was house-bred, didn’t bark, and listened when you gave her commands. And she loved learning new things – and was very quick at learning.

We taught her to roll over, to play dead, to dance – as well as sitting, lying down and staying. She would stay at my heel when we went into high grass, knowing that she did not know where we were going (and could not see it). You only had to teach her a new trick a few times before she figured out what you wanted and did it.

Chester has been more of a challenge. He can play ball and has even become quite good at playing soccer with Sean. But that is a natural thing that dogs do. After our experience with Snuffles, we were a bit disappointed with Chester. He can sit, but won’t always stay if you turn your back on him. He can lay down, but he cannot turn over (maybe because of his body type).

More importantly, it takes a good while to teach him something new. As with any dog, he learns best when given positive reinforcement – being praised. He just wants to make us happy! In fact he tries so hard that he hardly listens to what we are saying or looks at what we are showing him. He just does whatever he figures will work – tongue hanging out and tail wagging so hard it looks like he is about to take of in a helicopter move.

But if you take the time, he can be taught. You have to slow things down. Show him one thing at a time. Repeat. Repeat. And repeat. And once he has learned it... he will forget it. But it will come back. He really does love you and wants to please you. He just has to be shown how to do that.

Now he knows lots of things. He know how each one of us (Shirley, Sean or Scott) take him out for walks (because we all do different things). He knows where he is allowed to sit, when he is allowed to eat, when he is allowed to bark (to let us know if someone is at the door). And he does all of this very well. He also listen very well when he is called.

But he learned all of these things. He did not know them as a matter of course. He had to learn them from us. Now, once again, I am not saying that people are dogs, nor that God treats us like dogs, but there are a lot of things we can learn from this. You see, we don’t simply know what makes God happy. We can think we know and just start doing things. But if we really want to make God happy, then we need to slow down, pay attention and listen to what he wants.

And we may have to try again and again (I still get too angry when I should not). And we will sometimes forget. But God is patient with us. And he is not going to just give up on us. So, what did you learn today?

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:3-6

Take your time

I need to be outside pulling weeds. Or in the pantry putting in new electrical outlets. I so like to have things done, but I hate doing the preparatory work necessary to get it done right. It all takes so much time! Although I must admit that I also dislike all the trouble that comes from a job poorly prepared. Then I just end up doing the job twice!

Most of the time my lack of patience means that I do not have the right tools at hand. Have you ever gotten up on the ladder and realized that the screw you need is down on the floor - somewhere among all those things? Then when you have gotten the screw and are back up the ladder, you realize that the screwdriver is down on the floor (you know where)! Or even worse, you disassemble the toilet to find out that the one piece of equipment you need to fix it (or even put it back together) is not in your toolchest at all. 

I know that I am not very patient. I like to think that I am fairly patient with people – although I know that I am the hardest on those closest to me (my children and my wife). But, as will all good work, building and maintaining relationships also takes some good preparation.

It is important, if I want to be able to encourage someone in their faith, to know who they really are and what they are actually struggling with. Simply tossing some scripture their way and leaving them to it is not going to help. And I don't always feel that I have the tools to help in every situation. Some things I can learn, others are out of my grasp. That’s why God put us in a family. We are then able to influence one another, use our talents and benefit from the talents of others as we grow together. But then I need to be willing to put the effort into those relationships.

I am thankful that God takes time to help me grow. I want to be willing to take time to help others as well. 

Let's get cookin'

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your prayers for Shirley. Her operation went well and she is recovering well at home. Probably the most frustrating thing for her is simply all the things she is not allowed to do: no reaching up, no bending down, no lifting of anything heavy (which I interpret for her to be anything). It is amazing how much of your normal daily life this impacts. And Shirley is a very active, very serving woman (as any of you who know her personally already know).

This means that she cannot have the dog, Snuffles, up in her lap in the morning, as she does almost every morning. She can’t put her own clothes on. When we go shopping she has to ask me to pick things up and put them in the wagon. And she can’t cook dinner - our refrigerator is low, which would mean bending down and lifting things out of the fridge. All of the cabinets are either high or low.

Perhaps that could have been a perk, but what it has meant is that I have to cook. Now, I have cooked before – I worked at Godfather’s pizza and Wendy’s, so I know how to throw some food together (sometimes literally). I was looking forward to learn some real cooking. But it has been a challenging week. Perhaps you know that a husband should not be the one to teach his wife how to drive. I believe some of the same dynamics come in to play when the husband is learning to cook. But we are surviving – and I am learning to cook.

This week Shirley will be allowed (she has 6 weeks of recovery) to do a little bit more. Tomorrow the stitches come out of her neck and she hopes to be a little bit more mobile. It is hard to be patient. She is chomping at the bit, ready to go. I am trying to be patient (mostly with myself) and starting to enjoy a lot of this cooking stuff. Pretty soon, together, we will really be cooking!

Automatic pilot

The Advanced Bible Study Series (ABSS) in Germany always sends me home with plenty of new thoughts and lessons on which to ruminate. Some of them even come from the teaching during the day, but often my most important challenges come from discussion in the afternoon during a walk in the snow, or from the activities during the day. This time a real chewy thought came from a basketball game.

Those who know me know that I love to play basketball in Gemünden at ABSS. Yes, this study week is always held in February in the Taunus area of Germany. This is also one of the other reasons I love to go – to get my “snow fix”. In Belgium we don’t usually get much snow. Gemünden does. So last year we played basketball on a court covered with about 5 inches of snow (imagine dribbling on that). This year the snow stayed away and we had a clear court.

It is always a challenge to find folks to play. Doyle Kee is always out there, and I am always ready to play, but finding others willing to test their bodies is usually a test in marketing skills. We play for fun, so those who don’t know how to play are always welcome. And that is where many of my lessons come from. Do I really play for fun? How fair do I play and when am I too competitive? Do I focus on what matters and on helping my teammates or on my own misgivings and failings? Sports are great for life lessons.

This year we had the pleasure of playing with someone who had only ever played rugby. I still remember the first time I learned about rugby (at our Bible camp in the Ardennes). I am from the United States, so I know a little bit about playing with a stange shaped ball. I tackled a guy running with the football and brought him down and was quite pleased with myself, until he simply got up and ran further, finally celebrating hysterically in the endzone. But I had tackled him! He was down! Ah, yes, but in rugby one does not stay down (oh – there’s a good lesson!). Which is why rugby players don’t just tackle you, they take you out! They don’t pull anything, but barrel on forward in order to stop any forward motion.

So, back to the basketball court in Germany, our new player (who has previously only played rugby), quite quickly understands that he must defend against the guy with the ball and keep him from reaching the basket. After a few rough exchanges and the explanation that basketball is a non-contact sport (in principle anyway) he tries to adapt his behaviour. But it is not easy to learn stopping on a dime, like basketball players do. It is especially hard when you have always been used to going full-steam ahead until the opponent stops!

By the third day things were working a bit better, but I was already churning through what might be an important lesson. Some attitudes and actions are highly and firmly ingrained into us from an early age. And the more we have “practiced” them, the more ingrained they become. Simply explaining to someone that things are to be done differently (changing the game rules) doesn’t change everything right away. The person might understand completely what they are to do, they simply can’t do it right away.

Am I then willing to be patient, even taking some rough hits, while my brother learns to adapt his behaviour? And then I thought about all the people who had been so patient with me (are so patient with me). Had I simply expected and taken for granted that they would be patient with me? Now there’s plenty to chew on. Thank you, those of you who have been patient, who are still putting up with me and who have taught me part of what is now starting to sink in.