Be A Well Watered Garden

I recently heard a minister say that he was advising his partners not to take part in the recession. In other words choose not to let all of the news around you dictate your attitude and your actions.

I agree with this spiritual teaching. However, I would add this caveat. While we may refuse to let our individual lives be controlled by the changing winds and tides of the economy we must not ignore how these events are impacting our neighbors.

While some people are telling others to stop listening to the news, I encourage you to listen to more news, to listen closely -- listen and ask questions. And after you listen to the news, listen to The Holy Spirit, ask for discernment -- seek Wisdom.

Seek wisdom so you will not only have an answer for yourself but for your neighbor as well. It is not enough for us to know that we are flourishing. We are called to be fruitful ... to be "a well watered garden".

The Message (MSG)
Isaiah 58:6-12

"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.l
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

"If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people's sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again."


photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com

Experience Spring

It is so nice to have a real Spring season and not jump directly from Winter to Summer. Cool sunny days, birds singing and gentle rains.

If it's Spring where you live, let every blooming flower, budding branch, April shower and nesting bird bring you joy, renew your hope and remind you of God's enduring and limitless love for you.

Matthew 6:25-33 (NIV)

Do Not Worry

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The "Thank You(s)" that We Meant to Say

"There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation
in this world than for bread" -- Mother Teresa

Over the years there have been dozens of people who have played an important role in my life and to whom I wish I could turn today and say thank you. Sadly, sometimes I did not realize just how important they were until they were long gone. So in this post I'd like to publicly say a few "Thank You(s)" that I meant to say.

A Heartfelt Blessing from Kate Nowak

A Kind and Gentle Place

In the daily business of living, we are each thrown in with a wide cast of others, some of whom bless our lives immeasurably by tiny acts of kindness that impress and change and help us make a difference in the world. When we spend just a moment or two out of any given day expressing our appreciation to those who have gone out of their way to help us, we not only make them feel better, we change our own vibration, as well, raising it to reflect the goodness for which we are grateful. The first step in making the world a kinder and gentler place to be is to acknowledge the kindness and gentleness we've already been shown.

May you always be willing to show your appreciation.

And may you always be aware that you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to me.

Until tomorrow,

May your day be filled
with all things good

Kate Nowak

Live More Abundantly Productions, P.O. Box 58, Strawn, Texas 76475, USA

The following video was made for a thanksgiving luncheon for the parents of the youth group, Joy Fellowship.

" Have you ever wanted to say "thank you", but didn't? Next time, say it.."

This post is dedicated to Aunt Nessy, Addie Brown, Bernice Kemp Bell, Jack Butler, Anna Cooper, Sharon Johnson White, David Johnson, Milna Johnson, Barbara Demps, BJ Walker, Ellen Dubin, Jill Gabbe, Debra Iannotti, Daniel Bloom, Ruth Samzoric [ I know I just butchered your name :-) ], Elaine DiBonis, Lucille Lonardo and, the terrific Professor and Unitarian minister who taught "History of the Bible 101" at Emerson College in the late '70s.


If there are a few people who you meant to thank, why not add their name to comments.

and, THANK YOU TOO!


* updated 3/4/08

Cultivating Your Garden

graphic courtesy of Bella from Care2.com

I know that for many of us in the Northern Hemisphere it's still cold, and in some places, the ground is still covered with snow.

However, if you're a gardener you're beginning to imagine and plan for your Spring garden. In fact,you probably think about your garden all year long.

And to my friends in the Southern Hemisphere -- Enjoy your gardens.

A Harvest Story

At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.

"What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"

Why Tell Stories?

The disciples came up and asked, "Why do you tell stories?"

He replied, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it.

I don't want Isaiah's forecast repeated all over again:

Your ears are open but you don't hear a thing.

Your eyes are awake but you don't see a thing.

The people are blockheads!

They stick their fingers in their ears

so they won't have to listen;

They screw their eyes shut

so they won't have to look,

so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face

and let me heal them.

"But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance.

The Meaning of the Harvest Story

"Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

"The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

"The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

"The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams."

Matthew 13:1-23 (The Message)