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Break Up Your Fallow Ground – But be careful!

/ Bill Jones / Leave a comment

Break Up Your Fallow Ground – But be careful! (Facebook folks, click on the link to see the entire post)

wheat and tares phlox 2

Here’s some fallow ground that needed breaking up in late winter. Looks like I could just go in and turn over everything and get ready for Spring. But if you look closely you see some things that aren’t weeds. So I had to be careful breaking  up this fallow ground.

This reminded me of Jesus’ Kingdom parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30). There was a field a man planted with good seed (wheat) and at night an enemy came and planted bad seed (tares) in the field. When the field hands saw it (later, when both had grown enough to recognize) they asked the owner if he wanted them to pull the tares up. The owner’s reply was to wait, since pulling up the tares may also pull up the wheat.

While, I had to be careful what to pull up, and pulling some of the weeds actually unrooted a good plant, it was clear enough I could pull the weeds and leave the plants. I’ll leave it to you to study more on Jesus’ parable since it goes deeper than good plants and bad plants. But, I’ll leave a warning that we be careful when breaking up fallow ground – whether physical, spiritual, or relationships. Be sure to look closely for the good and not take it away with the bad.

It’s summer now, and here are the white phlox that were hiding in the weeds.

Phlox in bloom

You Are the Light of the World

/ Bill Jones / Leave a comment

harbor lights

There’s a song our choir sings titled Be Ye Glad (Michael Blanchard) that has the line “So, be like lights on the rim of the water, giving hope in the storm of the night”. I’m not sure exactly what Mr. Blanchard meant but I imagine it’s close to what I think of in this photo.

The lighthouse shines brighter than all the other lights and is the true one to follow. But, the lights along the shore are also helpful and make the journey safer and easier. They show where and where not to go as we focus on the lighthouse.

The lighthouse, of course, represents Christ, Who outshines all others and is the Way, the Truth and the Life. But we’re in the picture, too. The lights along the shore represent us – the lights on the rim of the water that help others on their journey. This fact doesn’t diminish the brightness or glory of the true Lighthouse, for it is Him, our Savior, who gives us our light, and places us where we can best shine to help others.

“You are the light of the world.” Jesus’ words given in Matthew 5:14

So, let us shine.

 

 

The Parts and Purposes of Extras in Film, and in God’s Plans

/ Bill Jones / Leave a comment
Crowd of Hollywood Film Extras in the 1930's

Crowd of Hollywood Film Extras in the 1930’s

 

Sometimes, I notice an “extra” on a TV show – someone in a quick shot at a table in a restaurant, or, someone who walks by in a street scene, and I pause the show. I especially look for scenes that have the stars up close and the extra is off to the side or behind them. (You’ll see why in a minute.)

I check to make sure my wife, Sharon, is reading or on the computer, and not paying attention, then rewind it a bit. I excitedly ask “did you see that?” and start the action again. As she looks and the extra comes into view, I exclaim “See! See! There I am, There I am!”

She knows I’m pretending to be that person who has this very small part in a program, but still gets excited and wants to show someone. That’s why the scene with the star up front is most effective. Viewers hardly notice anyone but the stars in those shots (“See, you can see the back of my head over her right shoulder!”). But, that extra has a part and a purpose, and I imagine their excitement bubbling over. Even though they won’t even get into the credits, there will be a sense of triumph.

Sharon and I usually then talk a bit about “extras” – their motivation and how they might get a particular part, the large quantity needed for some scenes, etc. (And, she’s so sweet, she’s never told me to stop bothering her with such silliness).

There are stories around about many big stars’ early “extra” days in show business. However, the vast majority of extras remain extras. And, because they do have a part and a purpose, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The same goes for us as Christians. Most of us won’t be famous. Most of us won’t be “stars”, especially in the world’s eyes. But, the Lord has given each of us a specific part and purpose. It won’t be just sitting at a table – but, it might be sitting at a table praying and studying His Word; or sitting down with your family to enjoy the meal you just prepared for them; or having a cup of coffee with someone who needs a good listener or comforting words.

It won’t be just passing by – but, it could be going out of our way to give someone physical assistance; or visiting at the hospital; or it could be figuratively “walking a mile in another’s shoes” to help us develop compassion for their burdens.

We can, and should, get excited about the parts God gives us. But, announcing it to the world with a “See! See! There I am!” isn’t an appropriate response. Simply and humbly telling others how God has blessed us to glorify Him is always correct. And, we should remember where our parts and successes come from.

            As the Psalmist says, all of our triumphs are through the work of God’s hands. “For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work. I will triumph through the works of your hands” Psalms 92:4

Out of the Billion, Where Did Mine Go?

/ Bill Jones / 2 Comments

US_Nickel_Reverse

Twenty years or so ago I collected 1964 nickels – to no avail. I kept noticing them in my pocket change every few days, thought it was interesting, and began gathering them. There were no clues why there were so many of them and I wondered what was so special about that particular vintage. Two separate stashes held the collection. One was in my chest-of-drawers at home and the other was in my desk drawer at work.

The one at work was growing impressive (for a pile of nickels, at least). Then, one day, I noticed the familiar “clinks” were silent when I opened the drawer. I looked down and saw the nickels were gone. Someone had taken all the nickels. I don’t say stolen, necessarily, because they left three one dollar bills in place of the coins.

While maybe not technically stolen, it sure felt like they were. The “perp” probably had no idea of their perpness. They needed some change so they swapped them out – equal value. Actually, the bills they left were probably worth more than the nickels they took. Of course, as I asked around, folks could tell I was aggravated and no one fessed up. No one ever did – it has remained a mystery.

I did finally research it and discovered the reason I found so many of that particular vintage. I found so many of them because there were so many of them – the mints produced tons and tons of nickels that year. And, for some reason, they kept the 1964 date in the minting on into the middle of 1965, which added to the total. The primary cause for the nickel explosion was there was a silver shortage that year, making some dimes and quarters cost more to mint than their face value. The answer to that was to decrease their numbers and increase the number of pennies and nickels. There were around one billion 1964 nickels minted, so it’s not unusual to find one from a billion chances, even now, fifty years later.

I still have a few rolls of the nickels in the chest-of-drawers. They’re not really a collection now since my thoughts have changed. I mainly just haven’t gotten around to cashing them in for what they’re really worth – 5 cents each.

That’s the story. I’ll leave it to you to think of some lessons. There are several.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 ESV