Wondering about the pumpkin patch

Where do they grow pumpkins? We take our kids to pumpkin patches each year. We run around doing games like stuff the scarecrow and blackberry mazes. We may pick a pumpkin out of a pile of pumpkins. Paint it or take it home and carve it into a jack o lantern. I don't think I remember seeing an actual pumpkin grow on a vine. All a pumpkin patch is anymore is a miniature carnival/ amusement park set up in the country for city folk to take a drive to the country.

I did see pumpkin vines. Did you know that when you pick a pumpkin if you let it get to hot then the seeds inside the pumpkin will start sprouting? Brought our overpriced pumpkins home from the pumpkin patch (I actually shouldn't say that I don't know how much my wife spent on the pumpkins. Although, I am sure she spent more than they would have been at HEB) opened the pumpkins up. Low and behold we had an entire harvest of pumpkin vines growing inside one of our pumpkins. Things you just don't know until you see them. 

What is the fascination with hay rides? I have to wonder this. You sit on square bails drive around a field at the break neck speed of 2 mph in ridiculously cold weather. And, why do we find this appealing? I hear people say all the time, "Hayrides are so much fun?" Really?  I love the people yelling at their kids not to fall out or the lack of feeling in my fingers when I am done. Sorry, just ranting a bit. 

I know that I may sound like I am complaining but all in all. A trip to the country to spend the day playing with your kids is a great day. Seeing them fish and run around with friends. Smiling and laughing as they try to rope different poles with animal pictures on them. Hanging out at the pumpkin patch (country six flags) is a great day. 

Parenting In Nature

I saw an article today showing great photographs in the wild. (http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/36760/rare+wildlife+photos+highlight+winning+entries+in+worldwide+contest/ ) Pictures of Lion's up in trees and alligators about to attack. One picture caught my eye as interesting. A picture of a young gazelle running away from four cheetahs. As they were looking on. You can see the fear in the gazelle's eyes. I think I would have the same look on my face if I was running from four cheetahs. As I read about what was happening, I found out that this gazelle was wounded by a mother cheetah. The mother didn't kill it but used this gazelle to teach her cubs, the four in the picture, how to hunt. I was blown away as I thought about the great wisdom in this. The mother cheetah understood her kids would need to be able to hunt for themselves one day. She understood that the best way for them to learn was by doing it. I was amazed at this. 

How often do we as parent's let other people teach our kids? How often do we just do stuff because we don't want to worry about it being done right? How often are we just so busy that we just do it for our kids because it takes to long? 

The majority of parenting is teaching our kids. I am not saying everyone needs to home school. I love home schoolers but I could never do that. THe people that do that successfully are amazing and have my utmost respect. I am saying we need to be involved in our kid's education and their development and not just the easy areas. It is to easy to encourage our kids to play sports or do well in school. When was the last time you encouraged your kids to read their Bible or pray? When was the last time your kids saw you read your Bible or pray? 

I remember as a kid at the beginning of each school year my parents would try and pull us in to pray before school started. It was hard for me and my sisters to take it seriously because it was never something we followed through with consistently. If we are as  dedicated to praying with our kids as we are to checking parent portal about their grades how much better would your child's spiritual growth be? If we spent as much time in God's word with our kids as we do throwing a baseball with them how much further along in discipleship would our kids' be? 

I am just saying, isn't it awesome how God has given us examples in parenting even in nature? 

But Lots wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19: 26

I grew up working on my Papaw's farm driving tractors raking hay. Basically, you take the hay and put it in straight rows for the person driving the hay bailer. The straighter the better, it helps the bailer pick up all the hay as it goes in to make bails. Every once and a while I would look back to admire work. As I turned my head, I would turn the steering wheel on the tractor too. Every time messing up the row that I was laying down. I had to learn, pick a point and drive toward it. If I did that then I never had problems with keeping the rows straight. 

We need to look specifically at Christ and use him for the point we are aiming towards. When God delivers us from something we have to take our selves and move on. God's view of stuff is straight forward. When we ask for forgiveness it is gone. As humans we can't just forget that easy.We have to make ourselves move to the next place in our lives. We say it is hard to move on. Yes it is hard to move on but nothing good ever comes from looking back on something God has forgotten. Look forward keep our eyes on the future God has for us. 

Lot's wife was to concerned with her past. She kept looking back at her life and what she had been delivered from. If she had kept her eyes forward we would probably know her as something besides Lott's wife. God has plans for all of us just keep moving forward toward him and you will make it. 

The Next Step

Moving forward is essential in everything we do. I had a teacher in high school, Mr. Hollis that once told me, "Darrell the day you quit learning is the day you are dead". I don't believe he was the first person to say that but he was the first person to tell me that and it stick. I think learning and just growing in general are important for all of us. We should always be trying new things. I believe God has called us to grow closer to him and try new things. It is important that pastor's remember growth is hard and setting people up to win is important. 

I was thinking about this the other day and how hard it must be for someone who has never volunteered in church to take the next step in volunteering. I thought about my years of ministry and how many people have come up to me and said, "Darrell, I feel like God is telling me to start helping in children's ministry". They fill out the applications and background checks are done. As you explain what the position entails you feel the excitement about growing closer to Christ and doing something for the kingdom. Then the first Sunday or Wednesday comes when the new volunteer is supposed to begin. You wake up sick or with a sick kid, get caught out the night before with some friends you haven't seen in a long time and you just can't get up, or you just can't take that next step. I am sure the Devil has no pleasure in anyone volunteering in their church. I believe that first month or two have to be super hard for someone who has never volunteered. You are taking that next step of growth. You are committing to do something that is gonna stretch you. You are committing to Jesus one more thing in your life. 

Look at Jonah, he was called to something he made up in his mind that would be impossible. He turned and went the other way from it. Finally, after he listens to God and does what he is told. He literally saves an entire city from destruction. Many times we think it is to hard to do the thing God has called us to do. We disappear in our churches on Sunday morning. Tell ourselves that the Kid's or youth pastor is to busy to talk about you volunteering right now. We can always come up with excuses and things that keep us from doing whatever it is that God has called us to do. 

I asked a Pastor once about a couple in the church that I had met but didn't know what part of the church they were plugged into. He responded that they were involved, they went to service every week and went to his Bible study on Wednesday nights. I responded with, "But, where are they plugged in?" He said they don't do anything they just attend. They were apart of the church but had not taken a step to volunteer. You will never truly get connected to God or the church until you take the step and volunteer. When you take and give more than just the required service times or even tithe you don't understand the blessings that come with that. 

All that being said, I hope you do something for your church. I hope you do something for Christ. I hope you do something to see people blessed. It almost sounds cliche  to say you will be blessed even more than them. It is true though. God has called everyone to something. God has called all of us to give something. Find that thing. Grow closer through serving. Expect it to be hard at first no matter what. Expect it to stretch you in ways you didn't even expect (even if it sounds easy). Know that you are doing something God wants you to do.