A Story of Clay Soil and Spirit-led Hearts

‘[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us… For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. You will be productive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4-8).’

At one time we lived in Tulsa, OK. We saw homes with jagged vertical cracks; a crack in one home was several inches wide, exposing the room to outside weather. The walls had slowly shifted more over time because of clay soils in that area. Damage was due to a large content of clay minerals in the soil which act like a sponge and absorb large quantities of water that cause them to increase greatly in volume. When the clay minerals dry out, they shrink.

Knoxville, TN, is a beautiful location in the Smoky Mountains where my son and his family live. Red clay soil is also found there. A concern for gardeners is improvement of the soil. Recently, I helped my son, Dave, work in his garden.

We added peat to loosen the texture of the clay. Bags of black dirt with organic material were dug in. Green, mowed grass had been mulched at the side; soil microorganisms had been “eating”, or breaking down, the grass (organic matter) into a form plants in the soil could take into their roots for nutrition.

Dave mixed the clay soil with a pitch fork, changing its appearance dramatically. Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers were planted with all the conditions needed for life, goodness, and nutrition prepared. The gardener would faithfully take care of his vegetables, and share the excess with neighbors.

Is this not somewhat similar to the pattern of our life in Christ?

The divine power of God in Christ has given us everything we need for life when we receive Jesus as Savior by believing–the God-given faith to trust in Christ for salvation. We leave behind a life of cracked walls, and worldly actions and behaviors (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We recognize the Holy Spirit as the power of God who works in our hearts (Romans 5:5; Ephesians 3:20).

For this reason, we add to our life Christ-like qualities. They are added and mixed into the soil of our hearts. They are a recipe of love. We are given wisdom to use our virtues (James 1:5). They will produce a well-rounded life as we grow in our knowledge and love of Jesus Christ and the wonderful sense of having been cleansed from our past sins.

 

Hope Through a Storm

Massive tornados flatten neighborhoods into treeless scenes of debris; floods destroy homes and businesses; terrorists set off explosives at a national race; injuries, permanent disability, or death occur. Every day, news of loss leaves someone in distress.

In the midst of this, thanksgiving for God’s gift of life is given; material things can be regained. It is a matter of putting things into perspective.

But a long road lies ahead; what will instill strength into those who hope? What will bring hope to the hopeless?

The Apostle Paul describes the power of the Holy Spirit: “…his incomparably great power for us who believe…is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead…” (Ephesians 1:19-20).

He goes on to pray that you “may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:16-18).

Hope is God’s gift by his Spirit: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

The hope we have in God reminds me of the little floater devices we strap around children. In a swimming pool they play to their heart’s delight, with no fear.

It is no different with God. His security not only surrounds us, his powerful Spirit dwells within us.

Below is a portion of a poem called “The Storm” which I would like to share with you.

The Storm

Life-changing storms may strike with no warning,
to alter the course of our lives;
calamity may cross our paths
like a dam that fails in a flood.

We may feel like we’re drowning
as troubles rise over our heads;
The course we had set
is changed in a flash,
like lightning that crosses the sky.

The ways of the Lord are mysterious
like the potter who shapes his clay.
But he calls upon us to seek him
when our strength has vanished
like the mist in the morning sky.

When we pray to him for help,
cry out in desperation,
he has already heard us
long before our cry.

Though the way be long and hard,
the Lord never leaves our side;
his blessings will fall like a long gentle rain
that heals the earth after drought.

Carol Crouch
2012

 

Bumble Bee Road

When my grandchildren were big enough to walk, we went around their yard or neighborhood. I pick up things to look at. We examine a leaf for its shape or its insect damage. The kids run ahead to find treasures to take home. Sometimes we talk about the beauty God created.

Children can learn at an early age to observe carefully what they see. Alaina, five years old, had shopped for flowers with her mom. She was bursting with excitement about her selection of flowers, although she didn’t know their names. As soon as she got home, she called Grandpa.

“The leaves on this one are pointy and these leaves are round. The flowers on this one are a dark purple, but this is a lighter purple.” She went on with more description as she pointed out each plant at home.

Take a short excursion with us along a gently curving road with ample opportunities to find things of interest–and talk about God.

Red clover sometimes grows wild in the country. Off to one side is a plant in bloom to examine. The light purple flowers are edible and sometimes used for other purposes. Each purple blossom is made up of many tubular flowerets; one can eat the white base of a floweret filled with sweet nectar.

Bumble bees like red clover, too. A bumble bee is helpful because it inserts its long tongue into a tubular floweret to reach the nectar and collect it; short stiff hairs on its body collect pollen. The pollen brushes off on the next flower, pollinates it, and causes seeds to grow. Farmers may use the red clover for hay to feed the cows we see at their farm. The cows produce milk.

Children don’t make all the connections at once. God created very beautiful ecological systems in his world, a career an older child could be drawn into. We prepare our children for life by exposing them to multiple choices. God gave them so much talent and ability.

Psalm 8 rings in my ears: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place… O Lord, Our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:3, 9).

Psalm 104 is a hymn for the Creator: “…the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work” (104:13).

 

Gentle Strength

Friends confide the difficulties in their daily lives. Nancy struggles with depression. Sue and Jim think their teen-age son may be experimenting with drugs. John lost his job. The sink drain is plugged up. Connie has chronic migraines.

Sometimes they’re looking horizontally (using their own resources) for help and sometimes they look up and pray with God.

The Apostle Paul suffered from a ‘thorn’, an unnamed affliction. He asked God three times to take it away. But God replied, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul’s handicap provided opportunities for God to display his power through him.

The Spirit helps us in weakness when we pray. “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us” (Romans 8:26). God works for our good when we have faith (Romans 8:28). His love undergirds and strengthens us through trials. He is the God of comfort; we often find that we pass on the comfort with which he comforted us (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

James taught, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God…and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt” (James 1:5-6). Jesus instructed, “Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24).

God honors our dependence on him. Our heart opens wide like a flower in response to God’s love and our obedient dependence on him. But the flower slowly wilts as our heart hardens with independence; our spirit loses sensitivity to the love of God, and his voice, when we neglect him.

As we keep faith in prayer, as we trust God’s endless love, surprising results will follow.

Gentle Strength
Faith is like a plant;
it starts small like a seed.
Tender leaves press upward,
outward, to receive light.
A delicate root grows downward;
branches spread out
through the soil.
They probe deeper,
grow larger,
building strength.

Faith in Christ springs forth;
the heart opens wide like a flower.
It receives God’s love poured out
by the Spirit, given by God.
The roots of our spirit
grow down into the love of God,
this love that surpasses knowledge–
W I D E and
L O N G and
D
E
E
P–

An Eternal Foundation of Strength

(Romans 5:5; Ephesians 3:16-18)

Carol Crouch

 

The Missing Bridge

Have you ever narrowly missed being in an accident with your car? Or has there been some other incident in your life or with your family when you knew God was taking care of you? The Bible says, “Cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

We have often given thanksgiving and praise to God for his loving care for us–especially on a pleasant warm day in May several years ago.

We were driving to see friends in Wisconsin with no hint this would not be an ordinary trip. The country roads in southern Wisconsin are narrow with occasional sharp turns or curves. Drives in that area are always pleasant and relaxing as we enjoy the hills and valleys and picturesque farms.

We slowed for a ninety degree turn and began to pick up speed again. Almost immediately, only a few hundred feet ahead, we saw that the wooden bridge across a small river was missing. There was no warning sign or barricade; the road just dropped off at the edge of the bank.

The river was still flowing rapidly due to spring snow melting and to run-off from fields. Apparently, it was assumed that everyone in the area knew about this disaster waiting to happen; our road had turned to our right a few feet from the bridge (when it was present) for us to take an alternate way.

The distance to the river was shortening too fast. The end of the road was covered with loose gravel. I was praying. Norm’s mind was consumed with how to avoid a swim in our car in the river. There were only seconds to do something.

A moment before the big splash, Norm turned the steering wheel of the car abruptly. At the brink of the drop-off, the car did a 180 degree turn. Without hesitation, Norm stepped on the accelerator. The car moved quickly away from danger. Breathing prayers of thanksgiving, we turned left onto the existing road. We were shaken and talked about our close call with the knowledge that God had been in the car.

By time we arrived at our destination, we were able to laugh about our wild driving during our narrow escape, and even enhance it, as my husband is prone to do to get a good story.

But the fact remains; we narrowly escaped a soggy, cold accident, most likely with injuries, by making an unpracticed and unforeseen turn with the hand of God in control of Norm’s hands on the wheel.

 

Of Tree Frogs and Spiritual Growth

Children love to hunt for green tree frogs, one inch long, that they find in moist grass or on tree trunks. After the young ‘scientists’ learn how the frogs live, they release them outside to watch them as they climb a tree using the sticky pads on their toes.

Frogs have a life cycle with four complete changes. The female lays eggs which fall to the ground. The male frog carries the tiny eggs, about 8 millimeters long with a sticky coating, on its back to where it can attach them to leaves above water.

A developing tadpole inside an egg has the ability to sense environmental conditions outside its shell and control its development until it can safely break the shell and drop into the water. It grows from a barely visible tadpole to the right size to metamorphose, or completely change, into a green tree frog.

A frog follows patterns ingrained into its brain. A frog tadpole does not deviate from the pattern. But it produces a beautiful green tree frog which was created for a specific purpose on the earth.

We have a mind and a spirit that enable us to communicate with God. He may grant us with a gift or skill with which to use our mind to do beautiful things. We can make decisions that lead to purposeful lives.

Parents and mentors guide our very flexible children as they mature and learn values, self-discipline and build their character. Children observe how their parents live and grow in Christian faith.

Second Peter 1:5-8 provides a list of seven virtues. He writes, “Make every effort to add to your faith (the beginning of Christian life) goodness (wholehearted commitment to what is right);

and to goodness, knowledge (practical wisdom acquired by learning God’s truth in the Scriptures and putting it to use);

and to knowledge, self-control (being in control of emotions; having self-discipline, the result of surrendering desires such as greed or excess to the Holy Spirit);

and to self-control, perseverance (not easily discouraged or tempted to quit; reliance on God’s grace for essential needs);

and to perseverance, godliness (God is always with us–we should live for God, not for ourselves. As our lives grow more God-centered [godly], we move upward in the process of sanctification);

and to godliness, brotherly-kindness (warm-hearted affection toward all in the family of faith; serving one another, sharing with one another, and praying for one another);

and to brotherly kindness, love (refers to God’s kind of love–originates in the one who loves God because he is love; reaches beyond the Christian community).

Paul closes his list by saying, “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” (2 Peter 1:8).

If we nurture all these virtues as a unit, they will contribute to our spiritual growth and in our knowledge of God.

 

Faith with Love

“If I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing… Love is patient, love is kind… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13: 2, 4, 7).

“Grandma, can I come to your house!?” The faces of the girls, five and three, are alight with anticipation. A day is planned; backpacks to stay overnight are packed several days ahead. As soon as Alaina has her little suitcase ready, she calls us, “Grandpa, I’m all packed!”

The details of what Alain and Lisee pack are checked by Mom; the girls tend to pick up whatever is handy. The ‘blankie’ and favorite stuffed monkey or unicorn of each one takes first place at the door, where it must be stepped over carefully.

‘Hands on’ activities creating good things to eat are important when visiting. Cookies are the best. Alaina, 5, is just strong enough to stir batter by herself. Lisee, 3, needs an adult bracing her hand on the spoon as she stirs the batter. Each one uses a smaller spoon to put globs of batter on her own pan–in odd spaced spots. Grandma’s job is to fix the spacing. The girls are beside the oven when the cookies are taken out.

Fresh cookies are the best ever–home-made, warm. smooshie, and Lisee’s mouth gets messy. What fun.

We play hiding games in a small home. The girls hide behind doors, under racks of clothing, under blankets, or furniture covered by a blanket. Lisee giggles and pops out too soon, to everyone’s glee.

Bedtime is a gentle time, with reading, telling stories from long ago, and singing special songs. They say their prayers, as at home. When they visit, they always request, “Grandma, will you rub my back?”

Happy memories are important. Our grandchildren are growing up in a loving home. But many children in our contemporary culture do not live in happy environments. Opportunities sometimes cross our paths to touch the lives of these children.

Many young teens work as service people in retail stores. To say a kind word that brings a smile to the face of a young (or older) person who looks tired or sad can take that person’s mind off hurting feet or problems for a moment. To say a silent prayer may prolong the smile, or begin to ease a problem.

God works through each one of us. Sometimes we may not know it until we are in Heaven. “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).