A couple of months ago, we started an urban garden. I want to update you on the progress and some of the spiritual lessons I have learned in the process. We have planted basil, cilantro, spinach, parsley, thyme, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, garlic, bell peppers, and okra (can you tell we are from the south?). Our back deck is packed and our garden has spilled out on to the front balcony and the front porch.
We have learned a few things in the meantime. 1) Hail, diseases and bugs are detrimental to plants. 2) Not all seeds take or survive. 3) Gardens take time, work and the right mix of sun, water and fertilizer. As I think about these lessons, I view these things through spiritual lenses.
Here is how I see these lessons applied to my life and church planting. 1) The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. But so many times we forget the rest of that verse (John 10:10). Jesus has come to give us life and life to the full. We have an enemy but we have a Savior who is greater and gives life. We must turn to life, not death, and be willing to live to the full of all that Jesus seeks to provide.
2) Jesus speaks of a seed and the sower (Matthew 13:1-23). There are four types of soil discussed in this parable and though some seed falls on every type of soil, only one produces a harvest. We are to be spreading the seed of the gospel and allowing God to move and bring about the harvest.
3) Cultivation of relationships, gospel conversations, and making disciples take the right mix of time, prayer, communication, and God’s move in the lives of others. We are in the midst of this working and waiting process. The fields are being worked and we are seeking to provide all that needs to be given for growth and we know that God must bring the increase and the harvest.
I pray that as our urban garden grows and produces, so will our ministry. Pray with us to that end.