Endless Summer Missions
The Summers Family: Missionary Associates to the PhilippinesArchive for Holy Spirit
Spiritual Peach Trees
Our back yard is full of planted peach trees. I think we have over 12. They had been planted there by the previous owner who loved any kind of vegetation and would stake and nourish any little volunteer plant that sprouted up. He placed these peach pits, from one original tree, around the yard and eventually they sprouted up. Here’s the thing, only the original tree is strong and actually producing fruit. The rest are stunted in their growth and look like they’re only in their first year of growth when they’ve actually been there for years. The reason, poor root growth and development. They have no foundation on which to grow. The life giving nutrients can’t be taken in to enable them to produce the amazing fruit they are supposed to. The whole purpose of that tree is to produce peaches, without doing that it’s just an average plant taking up space.
Christians are spiritual peach trees. We are either constantly growing and producing fruit or… we’re not. There’s not a whole lot of in between. Those who produce spiritual fruit have a strong foundation in Jesus Christ and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct their lives. They devote time in worship, prayer and studying God’s word to continually grow stronger. Their roots are fully developed and continually taking in the vital spiritual food to achieve the purpose God has made them for. Yet there are many who lack the desire to grow themselves, so they lack the ability to produce fruit, just like a stunted peach tree. In the same way that these second generation peach trees fail to produce fruit, those who have grown up in church can take for granted what it means to be a true follower of Christ.
The other day we dug up most of these non-fruit producing peach trees. It wasn’t hard because there wasn’t much to the roots to dig up and they were only a couple feet tall, thin and weak. The hardest part was making the decision that it was better for the yard as a whole if they were removed. In a couple days I’ll throw them into the fire pit with the other dead branches that fall off the large mature trees…
John 15:4-6 (The Message)
4“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
5-8“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.
A Big Day
Today was a very big day. We did something we have never done before.
We formally resigned from youth ministry at Dakota Ridge Assembly.
We have known this day would someday come. We didn’t know how, or when, or why, but now we do.
We are so excited about what the future holds.
God has placed a passion in our hearts to become misssionaries in the Phillippines.
Specifically the eastern Visayas, to the islands of Samar and Leyte.
We will be partnering with career missionaries of 20 years, the Alstons.
We’re looking forward to the coming weeks as we write the ending of this paragraph of our lives and prepare for the coming months of preparation, training, and raising support.
Thank you for your support, we need your prayers as we take this step of faith.
Heb. 11:1, 2 (The Message)
1-2The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
Would you know a Burning Bush if you saw one?
Mark Batterson in his new book “Wild Goose Chase” talks about what the Celtic people referred to as ‘thin places’. Where the natural and supernatural are barely separated. This is more than a place, but an awareness of God at work in our world and the relationship He desires with us and what He is calling us to.
There are many Bible stories that we’ve heard about but never really grabbed a hold of the Truth God is speaking though them, ie. the ‘Burning Bush’ that Moses encountered. As I read and reflected on this story I began to ask myself (w/ Batterson’s help) if I’m missing out on burning bush experiences.
Naturally, you would think, “How could I not notice a burning bush?”
But think about all the distractions we have in our day, think about the busyness, meetings, text messaging, phone calls, email, and Facebook time we have. Is it possible a bush could be burning and we simply could walk right past it without ever realizing it?
Check out Exodus 3
“There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
Notice that the bush catches his attention, he stops what he is doing, and goes and checks it out.
How often have we seen God reveal himself or seen Him moving but we think, “I’m going to have to check this out more sometime.”
Verse 4:
“When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
I know you’re with me now, once he stops, drops what he’s doing, only then does God speak. And then Moses answers in an amazing way, “Here I am.” Three seriously profound words that are easily overlooked. Words that speak of not just presence, but availability; openness.
Notice what happens next in verse 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
What’s so significant about this besides the fact that God is talking, which is just way cool to think about.
It’s realizing the environment that God is speaking to Moses, he’s at work. He’s doing his mundane, everyday job of tending sheep and God shows up. Not only that, God tells him that where he is working is a Holy place, why? Because of God’s presence. How often to we take for granted God’s presence in the mundane activities of our life?
And then God gives the command for Moses to take off his sandals. This is pretty much the modern day equivalent of God saying, “Turn off your cell phone, turn off your computer, I want to talk with you.”
Wow! Wouldn’t that be awesome? I would love for God to talk to me like that. But then again, maybe he wants to and is waiting, I just haven’t noticed the burning bush because I’m late to another appointment and I’m talking on my cell phone as I write an email that should have been sent yesterday…seriously, I’m really busy…
Endless Summer Missions 