"sitting in pastor's corner at masha hotel. drinking a grape soda and observing life. the clouds are far away and puffy, like big balls of cotton, they seem to have soakd up just a little water, they are gray on the edges. the birds are chirping and the ground smells like it has been raining to the point where it (the ground) has drank its fill and is satisfied. a few weeks ago the ground was dry and dead, brown with lack of life. Now it is green and full of water. a bit squishy when you walk on it, like spring in michigan. it shows its contentment by growing greener and greener like to a shade of green contentment. I slowly sip grape soda out of a glass bottle. the cool bottle feels nice while sitting in the shade away from the sun. I sit on a terrace on the edge of a cliff. the fence is two yards in front of me. It calls me to stay back, to peer through to the beauty beyond. 100 feet down is the road. the only paved road in the district. i watch, like a bird, as people drive, rid, and walk by, along the road. Beyond the pale ribbon of the road that snakes away down the mountain, i can see farm land. banana plantations and small houses, made of mud and straw. the green of the banana plantations and open land is quickly contrasted from the red squares of plowed farm land waiting for the perfect combination of rain and sunlight to bring seeds to life. I sit here and one thought comes bubbling to the surface of my mind. Matthews, indiana. For whatever reason, i am reminded of my grandmother's town. It is a small quiet town, with farmland and the smell of wet dirt in the air during springtime. Like a few other places in Indiana, some of my fondest memories come from matthews. Spring time spent there, exploring the banks of the river looking for tadpoles, running through the forest looking for mushrooms. Looking for easter eggs, especially the special one with a dollar in it! The wind through the wind chimes. Grandma fussing about little things. It all comes together like a grand symphony. Springtime and grandma's house, summer at prandpa's hous, thanksgiving spent with all the relatives. Fond memories from my childhood. You don't need money to be happy, you need love. Friends and family. The grape soda i'm drinking reminds me of summers at our lake house picnicing with family. Grandpa and everyone coming for the forth of july. I am so blessed with an amazing family. I knew it, but it never fully sank in until now. You don't realize how much you have until it's gone.
Our focus in life too often is aimed at things. Getting the right car, the right job, the right comforts. But, Jesus didn't focus on things, he focused oh people. He focused on loving people. There is something deep within our souls that only love can minister to, and by loving others, we also feel the ministry.If we focus on loving people because they are suppose to be loved, man, it would change the world. People matter, things don't.
Love is the basis for ministry. Imagine a tree. the roots are the way we love and the rest of the tree is our ministry. the life of the ministry comes from the roots. If the roots are damaged, the tree will die, if the roots are SHALLOW, the storm will come and knock the tree down. But, if the roots are strong, deep, the tree will withstand any storm and will draw water from the deepest source, the source of life, even in the times of droughts. the water we draw our love from, that the roots of life get their nourishment from is God's love. It is a deep, everlasting source, which will never dry up. Sweet water of life.
Amen.
psalm 98.
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