Gardening the Soul, Part 1

Drink Up!

Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota has become a watering hole for many western family vacations. The store built its business by advertising free ice water to thirsty tourists. (Did other establishments charge for it?!) God has a similar offer:

 

Come, all you who are thirsty,

  come to the waters;
and you, who have no money,
  come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk,
  without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
  and your labor on what does not satisfy.
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
  and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
  hear me, that your soul may live. (Isaiah 55:1-3)

I am repeatedly invited to "come", to drink from these free waters. These waters expand into a banquet—the richest of fare. A number of years ago while living in Tampa we were invited to a lavish, end-of-year party at one of the city's country clubs. What a feast! There were bowls of fresh fruits—cantaloupe, strawberries, pineapple; freshly baked breads and muffins; bowls of diverse salads—a tangy potato salad, an exquisite crab salad; plates loaded with crisp, southern fried chicken; a rack of medium-rare prime rib; numerous vegetables: steamed broccoli, honey-glazed carrots. But the prize for my palate was the seafood: mounds of boiled shrimp, steamed crabs, even broiled lobster tails. As a guest it was all free, with only one limit—the size of my stomach!

But God calls us to come to an even more extravagant feast: eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. This “soul food” is eternally more delectable than that all-you-can-eat gourmet buffet. It alone will quench my deepest thirsts. 

Isaiah's invitation is sent to all you who are thirsty. Though all human seedlings are thirsty, not all recognize their thirst. A few years ago I was explaining the course requirements for Intro to the Bible class when one of the students asked: "Why do I need to study the Bible? I figure that on a scale of one to ten, I am about a six or a seven. Why do I need this book and this class?”  What a challenge! I was requiring these students to sacrifice their Saturday mornings, to read large sections of the Bible, to write a lengthy research paper. But if I couldn't explain the relevance of this work, I would have lost one student, and possibly, many more. I screamed a silent "Help!" toward heaven. God brought this answer to my mind: "During the early years of my marriage I thought I was a pretty good husband. If I had graded our marriage I would have given it about a "B"—that was averaging my "A" and Cathy's "C"! Each time we had a conflict, Cathy ended up tearfully confessing her faults. I graciously accepted her apologies and promised to pray for her! But during my second year in seminary, I enrolled in a course on family life. And as I was confronted with what the Bible taught about marriage, my prayers began to change. `Lord, I am the one who is most parched. Change me. Apart from regular drinks from God’s word I can be deceived. I may think I am a 6 or 7. But in reality I may be only a 2 or 3.

 

Gardening the Soul: Intro

Gardening on the northern plains has unique thrills. I suspect southerners don't experience the same euphoria that we polar gardeners do when spring arrives. The snow and the cold have imprisoned us for so long, that we become down right giddy when a shovel will slide into frost-free ground.

But the high doesn't last long. After spring's initial rush, we have to hunker down into the drab, daily grind of tending the garden through the long, languid summer. The problem with life is that it is so "daily"!

A couple of summers ago I stopped by a parking-lot greenhouse to select a few more annuals to fill out our garden. It was early Monday morning and dour-faced workers were scurrying around in a chaotic frenzy—whoever was responsible for the greenhouse over the blistering weekend, had failed to water the seedlings. There were thousands of stressed seedlings, sadly hanging their heads. The staff had begun the joyless task of throwing out tray after tray of scorched seedlings.

The life and productivity of every living plant is dependent upon water. Though newly sprouted seedlings and one hundred year-old oak trees have somewhat different needs, each would die without water. Knowing my plants' need for water and the uncertainty of timely rains in South Dakota, I spend considerable time analyzing the moisture in the soil, listening to weather reports, eyeing the sky, praying for rain, checking my rain gauge, and watering. During the growing season our yard is frequently criss-crossed with hoses. I recall only once asking God to halt excessive rains. He did—and it didn't rain measurably for the next three months. (A South Dakota native should know better!) For this plains’ gardener, a moderate, all-day rain is a great joy!

The ancient Israelites—who also lived in a rain-marginal land—understood the blessing of ample rain. And they used the watering of the land as a metaphor for God's watering of their lives:

 

Let my teaching fall like rain
    and my words descend like dew,
 like showers on new grass,
   like abundant rain on tender plants. (Deut.32:2)
   

When summer rain arrives after a dry period, the tender grasses and plants lap it greedily. Within hours they are greener, taller, livelier. It is the same for me. When I lap up God's “teaching” and his “words”, this tender plant shoots up as well.

Over the next several blogs I will explore the theme of how God waters our lives so that even if we live “in a sun-scorched land”, we “will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”  Is.58:11

Discovering Our Identity, Part 7

Most of us have identities that have been shaped, in part, by our earthly fathers. Who am I? I am Al Schock’s son. His life stamped my life in abundant ways. I still share his love for thunderstorms, weather, South Dakota, the soil, hunting pheasants, and politics. He was also a potent model of forgiveness, generosity, and care for others. At his funeral several people told me that working for Al Schock was their best and most enjoyable job.

As a child of God, I am called to develop and display God-like character in this godless world: Don’t complain or argue so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars. Phil.2:14-16.

During my college years, I played a lot of pickup basketball with the school’s coaches and wellness faculty. One day after a rather intense session, one of the coaches took me aside and scolded me: “Bernie, you are one of the best players on the court. But no one wants to play with you because you are such a whiner. You call little touch fouls, especially if you miss a shot. And you seldom admit you committed a foul when someone calls one on you.” Ouch! As a child of God who wanted to “shine like a star”, I had a lot of work to do. My star was clouded over by my obnoxious character.

Jesus proclaimed that love for our enemies demonstrates that we belong to the Father’s forever family: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven. (Matt.5:44)  During World War II, German pastor Heinrich Gruber couldn’t join his nation’s plunge into unspeakable evil. He observed that when his German brothers don their uniforms, they doff their consciences. But that didn’t stop Gruber from sheltering Jews and boldly sharing the gospel with many Nazis. When the infamous Adolf Eichmann asked Gruber why he wanted to help the Jews, Gruber bravely recounted Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan: “Once there lay on the Jericho road a Jew who had fallen among thieves. Then a man passed by who was not a Jew, and helped him. The Lord whom I alone obey tells me, ‘Go and do likewise.’” Though sharing the gospel with the Nazis greatly increased the risks he was taking, he “believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ was powerful enough to change the heart of even the most ruthless Nazi. Therefore he tried to approach every Nazi he met as someone who needed redemption.”

Discovering Our Identity, Part 6

I HAVE A NEW FAMILY

Jesus could be downright rude. When He was told that his Mom and his brothers had come to see him while he was teaching a crowd of his followers, he certainly offended them when he asked the crowd: ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’ (Mark 3:31-34)

Jesus’ birth family had planned an intervention. In their minds, the family’s oldest son was clearly delusional: When Jesus’ family heard about [all that he was doing], they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind”. . . (Mark 3:21) Their big brother had gone crazy. He needed to be rescued for the sake of himself and the family’s honor.

In the ancient Mediterranean world

the individual draws his honor from the group, and likewise, has the potential of dishonoring his family. How Jesus fares reflects on his family as a whole. . . If Jesus had permitted them to take control of him, he would have given into their agenda for the sake of family peace. . . . Jesus rebuffs his family by referring to a higher standard than family, to a different kind of family, a new community.”

Jesus did not bow to their will. This encounter shows that Jesus was advocating a new priority for his followers—faith family takes precedence over blood family.

Jesus was not a cult leader who wanted to cut his followers off from their families so he could control them. Jesus still believed that we should care for our relatives. When he was hanging from the cross and noticed his mother and the Apostle John standing there, he told his Mom: Dear woman, here is your son. And to John he said, Here is your mother. Though our faith family should be our first priority, we can’t ignore the needs of our biological family as well.

How do we live out this truth in practice? Who receives the bulk of your hospitality? Who do you vacation with? Who do you spend your holidays with? A simple way to begin living out this priority is to include people from your faith community when you celebrate a holiday or go on a vacation. Everyone will be enriched by the experience.

Discovering Our Identity, Part 5

“I Have a New Father”

The Sermon on the Mount is the longest recorded speech of Jesus. In that message he has a name for God which he uses again and again. In just over 100 verses he calls God “Father” 17 times. Who am I? I am a child of my Heavenly Father.

What kind of father is he? As I wrote this, Christmas wasn’t far off. So I wondered, What should I give my precious grandchildren? Then it came to me! "I will get a large box and fill it with rattle snakes. Boy, will that surprise them when they open it on Christmas morning and the snakes jump out and bite them!" 

Could anything sound crazier? Could there be a grandfather in the history of the world who would give such an awful gift? I hope not. Jesus explained:

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Our Heavenly Father, even more than our earthly fathers, delights in giving good gifts to his children. He is our perfect parent who is “faithful in love and care, generous and thoughtful, interested in all we do, respects our individuality, skillful in training us, wise in guidance, always available.” Wow! What a Father!

The Biblical concept of adoption also helps us understand the gracious goodness of our Heavenly Father. In biblical times people seldom adopted young children. They usually chose young adults who had shown themselves worthy to carry on the family name. In our case, however, God adopts us despite the fact that our character and record show us unworthy of bearing his name. “The idea of his loving and exalting us sinners sounds ludicrous, ...  more like a fairytale – – the reigning monarch adopts waifs and strays to make princes of them – – but, praise God, it is not a fairytale: it is hard and solid fact.”

 

Unfortunately not everyone is included in this heavenly family. Though God’s fatherhood is available to all, it is not experienced by all. We must be born into this heavenly family. John made this clear when he said: To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural dissent, not of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12,13). Thus, we become part of this eternal family “not through being born, but through being born again.”

When we are adopted into this Family, we aren’t simply a single ant in a colossal anthill. Nor are we a tiny drop of water in the celestial ocean (as the Hindus believe.) Unbelievably the God who created an infinite universe has become my attentive and loving Father who is concerned about the very details of my life.

Your Father is waiting. He wants to converse with you about the trivial and the eternal issues in your life. Will you talk with Him? Now?

Discovering Our Identity, Part 4

God Knows My Name

Names are special: “Nothing is as musical to the ear as the sound of one’s own name.... We yearn to be known and known by name.” In a world where we are known by our numbers: Social Security number, bank account number, customer number, credit card number, library number, and on and on, it is invigorating when we hear our names.

Amazingly, the Good Shepherd calls each of his sheep by name.(John.10:3) Who am I? I am Bernie Schock and my Creator knows my name. God is not an impersonal force. Not The Great Ocean of Being that swallows and abolishes our identity at death--as eastern religions believe. God knows my name and will call me Bernie Schock for all of eternity!

God often renamed people in the Bible so that the new name reflected a new or a heightened identity. When God changed Abram to Abraham, his new name pointed toward God’s earlier promise to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. His new name, his nickname was now: father of many. (This may have seemed like a bad joke to childless Abram!)

We also give each other nicknames. One of the boys on the soccer team that I coached for seven years affectionately called me “Snoop Bern Dog.” No one remembers how it started but it is alive today and reminds me of that mostly enjoyable experience of coaching boys.

I find intriguing a promise that God makes to some of his faithful: “To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” (Rev.2:17) Is it possible that when I stand before Jesus he will whisper in my ear a new, intimate name that will only be known by the two of us? What a wild thought!

Discovering Our Identity, Part 3

God Knows Me

 

God promised the aging Abraham and Sarah a son. But when God was unexpectedly slow in fulfilling his promise, Sarah came up with a ”brilliant” solution. She offered her servant Hagar to her husband as a surrogate child bearer. It didn’t take long for this harebrained plan to run amok. When jealous Sarah mistreated pregnant Hagar, Hagar ran away.

But God chased after Hagar, finding her in the desert. He asked her: Where have you come from, and where are you going? Hagar was stunned by this conversation: You are the God who sees me. I have seen the one who sees me. Hagar then gave God the name, You are the God who sees me.

Ben Patterson explains Hagar’s perspective: “For a slave girl who had no rights of her own, who was no more than a piece of property to her master, . . . there could  be no better name. He cared for her. He saw her. He saw her! To God she was not a slave, she was Hagar. Certainly Abram and Sarai had not seen her. But she was a person, and she now knew that God saw her as such and that what happened to her mattered to him.”

Similarly, when Jesus went to the home of Simon, the Pharisee, and a prostitute lavished her perfume, her tears, and her kisses on Jesus’ feet, Simon was horrified.  Jesus confronted Simon’s blindness: Do you see this woman? Simon could not see that woman. To him, she was a category, a classification, a kind of woman—a whore. She was not that to Jesus. She was a person, his sister, a daughter of God. Jesus has never seen a kind of person. He sees only you and me. To know that, to really be struck by that truth, is to be transformed.”

Who am I then? As David contemplated the glory of the heavens, the work of God’s fingers, the moon and the stars, he asked: What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? When we contemplate the vastness of the universe and an earth with billions of people, it is mind boggling to think about a God who actually sees me and knows me, a God who knows me down to the number of hairs on my head!

In other ancient Near East religions, the gods remained “remote and aloof . . . They created and observed, but they did not intervene in events.” The concept of a personal God who wanted to have a relationship with a servant girl, was wildly radical. Like Hagar, you may think you are disposable—but God doesn’t! He sees you. He sees you! He sees you!! And he wants to help you become the person he created you to be. God sent Hagar back to Sarah. Her God-given task was to serve Sarah and raise up her own son. She obeyed the God who had her in his sights.