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Lessons from My Garden

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Plop them into the boiling H2O, wait 45 seconds, remove and plunge them into cold water, peel, cut, and squish out all the seeds by squeezing them between your hands. It’s a yearly ritual at our house-preparing the tomatoes for whatever my wife Roberta wants to create with them.

We are blessed to live in an area where the soil is as black as coffee grounds, and as fertile as anywhere I’ve ever personally witnessed. I’m not known for my “green thumb,” but it’s a simple process to grow things in the dark, rich earth next to our home. Just plug in the seedlings, do a little weeding from time to time, and harvest the abundant crop that inevitably grows each and every season that we put the garden in.

This year has been an exceptionally good one for tomatoes, and I have pulled (at least) a couple of bushels of red-orbed beauties from the eight plants that we put into the garden. It’s a kick for me to go out and pull fresh produce from the meandering vines, and this year has been a banner crop. I thoroughly enjoy trotting out to the tomato patch, pulling the various-sized fruit, loading them into cardboard boxes, and bringing them into the house to show my wife. That’s where the excitement ends though!

Once we’ve separated the “really ripe” ones from those that will be “really ripe” within a few days, it’s time for the yearly exercise that I really disdain:

Plop, remove, plunge, peel, cut, and squish.

Plop, remove, plunge, peel, cut, and squish.

Plop, remove, plunge, peel, cut, and squish.

It’s not nearly as rhythmic as it looks on paper. I always dream of a huge crop, and then when it arrives I disdain the idea of the drudgery in the “plop, remove, plunge, peel, cut, and squish.”

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23, NASB).

Often, it’s difficult to enjoy the thought that the “plop, remove, plunge, peel, cut, and squish” is part of my work here on planet earth. It’s not glamorous, enjoyable, or satisfying…but it’s needful. My wife works hard to save money, and feed a family that enjoys her home-canned salsa and tomato sauce. The least I can do is to lend a hand.

Michael Temple writes from North Dakota.

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The Costs of Obesity

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In December 2012, the New York Times reported that the obesity rates among children are starting to drop. New York reported a 5.5 percent drop, Philadelphia a 5 percent drop and Los Angeles, 3 percent. Even the state of Mississippi is showing a reduction of weight. This is really good news! The rates have been steadily climbing over the past 30 years or so and presently, there are about 12.5 million children struggling with weight in the United States.1 Health professionals and researchers have been overly concerned with staggering numbers such as this.

Earlier this year, Home Box Office (HBO) aired a two-part series called, “The Weight of the Nation.” This report accurately described the full effect of obesity. A book, released with the same title, reported that collectively, we carry more than four and a half billion pounds of body fat.2 Each pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories our bodies store on our stomachs, backs, legs and anywhere else our genes dictate.

This extra body fat can stress our bodies and we suffer from heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. And if we don’t continue to make positive changes, the rate for these chronic diseases will increase. The Center for Disease Control reported that if we do not make changes, there could be as many as 7.9 million new cases of diabetes each year compared with the current rate of 1.9 million cases per year. The rate of heart disease could grow from the current 1.3 million new cases a year to 6.8 million cases.

These diseases impact the overall health care cost in the U.S. Currently, we spend about $147 billion on health expenditures. If we added $66 billion because of obesity-related costs, the burden of mostly preventable illnesses will cost $210 billion.3

With the new reports of weight loss coming to our attention, perhaps these numbers will never become a reality. Perhaps if we all made up our minds to support healthy lunches at school, grow gardens and introduce various fruits and vegetables to our youth, then we can look forward to a healthy generation to take their place as leaders.

Pamela A. Williams writes from southern California.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

The Mightiest Sword

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On Oct. 2, 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV barged into an Amish one-room school house in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania brandishing a gun. His ensuing shooting spree killed five girls, age 6 to 13. To finish off, he took his own life.

That very day, a grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls warned some young relatives not to hate the killer, saying, “We must not think evil of this man.”  Another Amish father said, “He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he’s standing before a just God.” Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster County, explained: “I don’t think there’s anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts.”

Hours after the shooting, an Amish neighbor comforted the Roberts family, extending forgiveness. Amish community members visited and comforted Roberts’ widow, parents, and parents-in-law. One Amish man held Roberts’ sobbing father in his arms, reportedly for as long as an hour. About 30 members of the Amish community attended Roberts’ funeral. A short time after the shooting, the Amish set up a charitable fund for the Roberts family.

These are snapshots of forgiveness.

I’m a big advocate of all forms of justice—social justice, distributive justice, procedural justice, and even retributive justice. On the latter, I recently co-wrote a book called A Deep but Dazzling Darkness, which presents a case for the increasingly unpopular notion that God will actually punish the wicked (I break into a micro-sweat even writing that, so acute is my awareness of some people’s reactivity.). What I mean to say is that I have a solid appreciation for God’s wrath and the constellation of traits that accompany it. Without divine retributive justice, the gospel message loses tone and vigor.

But when I read stories like the one above, I vow never to become such a justice junkie that I forget the point of justice—that in our case, God averted it. By taking our due Himself, He justly forgave the human race. He absorbed the pain, embraced it even, and then disposed of His right to pass it on. Likewise He calls us to embrace the Cross of pain and release our “right” to exact revenge. The Greek word for “forgiveness” means “to send away.” I love that analogy. When my ruminations begin to boil over with a never-ending litany of wrongs suffered I purposely, consciously, “send away” the revenge my natural heart craves. And it’s a blessed relief.

Someone said that to bear a grudge is to drink poison hoping to kill someone else. For those who long to “send away” some wrong suffered, I’ve developed a worksheet I’d be happy to e-mail to you. Let me close with some poignant words from the musical Jane Eyre:

We must not hold a grudge
We must learn to endure
Then as God is your judge
At least your heart will be pure

When they bruise you with words
When they make you feel small
When it’s hardest to bear
You must do nothing at all

Forgiveness, is the mightiest sword
Forgiveness, for those you fear will be your greatest reward

Written by Jennifer Jill Schwirzer

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

Understanding Motives

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Why do people do what they do? If we could figure this out we would be God. Think about your own reasons for doing things. Very seldom are we motivated by a single, obvious reason. If we decide to mow the grass, we are probably doing it because it needs to be mowed. Right? Or, are we doing it because we know it annoys our spouse when we put it off? Or, are we doing it because the HOA requires us to keep the yard mowed?

When we finally decide to act, how do we decide when to do it? If we decide to mow the grass today, is it because of a conversation we had with our spouse, or are we are worried about it raining in the afternoon? Or, do we just want to get it done so we can watch football? As we go through each day, we are guided by scores of calculated decisions and refined conclusions that motivate us. Whether they are verbalized or consciosly thought about or not, most of us have reasons for what we do and when we do it?

When someone is charged with committing a crime, one of the first things the court tries to identify is the likely motive. What motivated the person to do what they did?

Think about the complexity of motive that is surely at play when someone decides to quit a job, go back to school, get a divorce, stop seeing a friend, attend church, etc? The motives behind the actions we take are fraught with more complexity and calculation than most would expect. Any way we look at it, life is complicated, which is why Jesus said we are not to judge the actions of other people!

“‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ Do not think yourself better than other men, and set yourself up as their judge. Since you cannot discern motive, you are incapable of judging another. In criticizing him, you are passing sentence upon yourself; for you show that you are a participant with Satan, the accuser of the brethren. The Lord says, ‘Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.’ This is our work. ‘If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.’” 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 Cor. 11:31 (Desire of Ages, p. 314).

Hmm. I think I’m going to mow the grass!

Rich DuBose writes from Northern California.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

The Cult of Speed

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In this hurry-up and get everything–and more–done society, researchers have found that American adults actually overestimate the number of hours they work and underestimate the amount of free time they have. While people may have more free time than they realize, most report feelings of what is called time-famine, “Too much to do and not enough time to do it.”

Many are living life as if it were an emergency: texting while waiting in the ski lift line, paying the bill and calling for a taxi while eating dessert at a restaurant, leaving a sporting event no matter how close the score is to get ahead of the traffic. It seems so clever, so efficient, to do two things, or more, at once. However, multi-tasking often means doing two things, or more, not very well.

In his book, In Praise of Slowness, Carl Honore stated, “In this media-drenched, data-rich, channel-surfing, computer-gaming age, we have lost the art of doing nothing, of shutting out the background noise and distractions, of slowing down and simply being alone with our thoughts. Boredom — the word hardly existed 150 years ago — is a modern invention. Remove all stimulation, and we fidget, panic and look for something, anything, to do to make use of the time” (pg. 11).

So what are we to do? This is our American culture? We have so much to accomplish! We can’t help but be irritated when others are so slow, or situations arise that keep us from getting things done!

Here are a few ideas to consider: Are you are living as if your life is an emergency? How is this working for you? Our children are adversely impacted by our negative emotions and reactions to our own frustration of a world filled with so many demands. They are all too often pushed to do more and more themselves.

Recognize that feelings of time-famine, while genuine, are not necessarily related to the actual number of free-time hours available. What do you want to do differently? You can choose to consciously appreciate the simpler delights of life as they occur. That’s time-savoring! You can enjoy the taste of good food, the warmth of the sun, the presence of good company, and the delights of fun and silliness, in others as well as yourself. Time-savoring moments can be found in the smaller chunks of free time that perhaps are now being used by cooling out in front of the TV or catching up on the computer.

Of course, we have the Sabbath!* At least some do. Can it help one experience the attitude of rest that is so badly needed? Why or why not? Could it be a matter of your own perception?

Could the cult of speed be influencing how you approach the Sabbath? How we pace ourselves during the week is directly related to how we spend Sabbath. Is it time to re-align some priorities? Could a Sabbath rest include shutting out the background noise and distractions, or simply slowing down and welcoming a time to be alone with God and your thoughts? Could a Sabbath rest also involve more time-savoring (and meal-savoring) times with friends and family? I invite you to think about it, and I wish you many blessed Sabbaths!

*Sabbath is a biblical concept where God invites people on a weekly basis to spend 24 hours with him in nature, in helping other people, in worship, and in spending time with family and friends. It is supposed to be a time of rejuvenation and healing.  

“Slow Me Down Lord. Remind me. . .that the race is not always to the swift, that there is more to life than measuring speed.” W. A. Peterson

Susan E. Murray writes from Berrien Springs, Michigan.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

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