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A Tiny Seed is Planted…

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He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.

He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private. ~Mark 4:26-34 (NAB-RE)

Today’s reading from Mark shows Jesus trying to teach us that great things can come from tiny little beginnings, even if you’re not sure of the steps in between. Of course, that’s really not your job to know the full process. You plant the seed, tend it and God will take care of the growing. That’s what Jesus was doing in his ministry: planting the seeds that would ripen into the kingdom of God. It started with just him and his small group of disciples… and look at it now. According to the quick internet search that I just did, almost 1/3 of the world’s population are Christians. In 2018 that equated to 2.2 billion people. Think about that fact for a minute… throughout the majority of the last 2021 years news has traveled at a very slow pace. It’s only since the onset of the internet that we can get information from across the world as it happens. So how was it that one guy could show up and seriously impact 2.2 billion people almost 2000 years later? Only God knows.

This is still happening in various ways. Think of everything that influences you or that you come into contact with on a daily basis. They all started as ideas in a person’s head and grew from there. Just because that happens, though, doesn’t mean it’s part of God’s kingdom. Anything that deals in terror, violence or evil is not of God. I’m talking about the ideas that started out small and grew into something so much bigger than the person themself. Let me give you some examples.

If you’ve read my blog Kerry’d Away then you’ve seen the blankets I’ve made for Project Linus. The first part of their mission states, “Provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.” This is a national organization that donates thousands of blankets each year to help children who might be in need of a hug or something secure that they can call their own. Project Linus started when one lady, Karen Loucks, read an article about a young chemo patient who took her security blanket to each treatment and it helped her to be brave. Ms. Loucks wanted to do this for other children in her area, so she made blankets for a local Cancer Center and the organization was born. One article about one little girl planted a seed and look what grew out of it.

You might not be familiar with the company Duck Commander, but you may at least recognize the faces behind it. A few years ago the family was on A&E with their show Duck Dynasty. They were the bearded duck hunters from Louisiana and the show was very entertaining. Well, Duck Commander is the company that Phil Robertson created after inventing a duck call that actually sounded like a duck (no, that wasn’t typical at the time). The idea started as a little seed in Phil’s head. He knew that duck hunters would be more successful if the calls actually sounded like the ducks they were trying to attract to their hunting spot. With the help of his family, Phil built the calls and sold them to local sportsman’s stores. They kept plugging away and slowly the business took off. The company is very successful nowadays, but that’s not why I’m bringing them up in relation to the reading from Mark.

The Robertson family is very faithful. They are true servants of the Lord. They agreed to the A&E show because they hoped it could be a way to spread the message of Jesus as far as possible. Unfortunately, Hollywood doesn’t really like to have anything to do with God or Jesus (gee… who would have guessed) so the show was mostly about entertainment. However, they did manage to get it okayed that they could end each show with the family sitting down to a meal and saying a prayer. There’s the little seed… now, pay attention.

Fast forward to today where the Duck Dynasty show has been off the air for a few years. What has happened? Well, just like planting mint in your garden, the faith of Duck Dynasty has taken off and spread all over. I’m sure that the Robertsons truly have no idea just how many lives they’ve helped to Save (as in people coming to Jesus) or how many have found new hope in their faith. People will travel from all over the United States to go to Louisiana so that the very people who introduced them to Jesus can be the ones to baptize them. Phil and his sons, Al and Jase, also host a podcast called “Unashamed” where they talk about Jesus, the bible and other topics of faith. These guys are real and authentic, which is why so many people listen to what they have to say. God is definitely growing this plant for his kingdom, but it doesn’t stop there…

You’ve heard about the people at fast food places who pay for the person’s order in line behind them. This is commonly referred to as “paying it forward” (which really doesn’t make sense since they are actually paying it backwards…). Your hope is that by doing something like this, the person in line behind you will also want to pay it forward/backward and thus the chain keeps growing. Another advantage to being a “celebrity” is that you can pay it forward as well. If we go back to the Robertsons I want to introduce you to Jase’s daughter, Mia. She was born with a cleft palate and lip. When Jase and his wife, Missy, were trying to navigate the waters of this new territory there wasn’t a whole lot of information or resources. To fix a cleft palate requires many surgeries, treatments, and procedures. It’s unbelivable what these children (and families) go through in this process. During the run of the show Mia wanted to tell her story. Out of this sprang a desire to help others (which was already there, but now she had an outlet) and the Mia Moo Fund was born. This fund helps to inform, inspire and improve the quality of life for children with a cleft palate/lip. This organization is still growing, but they are putting out so much good in the world. And all of this started with a duck call…

You don’t need to be a billionaire to grow God’s kingdom. You don’t need a million followers on social media. You don’t even need a corporate sponsor. What you need is to plant a seed in the ground, tend it, and have faith that God will not only help it grow, but will help it to flourish. Have faith in the Lord, love Him with all of your heart and love His people. That’s all you need. The rest will take care of itself.

civilwarrose5

From Despair to Hope

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Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. ~ John 21:1-14 (NAB-RE)

The disciples have just watched as Jesus was scourged, crucified and placed in a tomb. All of their hopes and beliefs from the past several years were suddenly gone. What were they going to do now? Half of them were still shut up in the upper room, full of fear as they hid from the Jews. Emotions were raw. Fear. Anger. Despair. Devastation. Maybe even some numbness. What do you do when you don’t really know what to do next? You go into autopilot and fall back into an activity that is almost a habit. For Simon Peter, that was fishing.

And yet, out on the water, he still couldn’t get away from the memories and the thoughts. He was fishing when he first met Jesus. It was in a tempest-tossed boat that Peter watched Jesus calm the seas. Then Jesus had tested Peter’s faith by telling him to walk on the water. Peter had failed that test. And in his heart he kept hearing Jesus’ voice telling him that he would deny Jesus three times before the cock crowed. His despair, regret and bitter pain over having done just that was weighing heavily on his heart. He tried to stay busy to keep the thoughts from coming to the surface. But every pull of the net was as empty as his heart.

As dawn was breaking there was a figure on the beach. Nobody knew this stranger and were probably irritable when they were asked about their catch. The next words, though, would kindle a spark in Peter’s heart. He had heard them before. “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” Hope started to radiate as they strained to pull the fish-laden net up to the surface of the water. Could it be? He had said he would see them again, but could this really be? Was it too much to hope for? “It is the Lord,” could have been Simon Peter’s heart singing out for all he knew. It WAS the Lord, and without thinking, Peter tucked his garments in and jumped into the water. His only desire was to be THERE with the Lord.

Truth be told, that is the Lord’s desire, too. He just wants to be with YOU. Even if we deny him and turn our backs on him he is still there waiting for us. He never gives up on us. All you have to do is ask for forgiveness and it will be given. How wonderful is that?? God knows that we are imperfect. He knows that we are going to make mistakes. And He loves us anyway. He loves us so much that he gave us the Holy Spirit to remind us of his love and his teachings.

It is often when we are feeling as Peter felt that morning out on the sea, that we need to look deep into our hearts and find the Holy Spirit. Let his love and life give you hope. Even if you are still struggling, just keep holding onto the hope because Jesus is right beside you every step of the way. And he loves you so very much!