For The Saplings by Jonathan Martin

Have you ever wanted to be grass?

Let's think about that for a minute.

Grass.

Grass is...

Green.

Grass grows rather quickly.

But then...at the same time...it doesn't really last all that long. It is either cut down or withers easily when out of season.

Speaking of seasons, grass does make your yard look good!!...but only for a season. Then it turns all brown and blah.

Grass provides nourishment for cattle, livestock and other creatures. That's good! Cows have gotta eat! ...it just stinks that in order for grass to be nourishment for another creature, it has to be consumed. Meaning, it is no longer. Dead. Gone. Bye-bye.

And so...a blade of grass also can't feed many...just one.

Nobody wants to be grass.

And yet...we are jealous of the "grass-like" ALL the time.

What do I mean?

In the Bible, the wicked are always compared to being like grass. David, in Psalm 37:1-2, feels the need to tell us not to be jealous of them.

Fret not yourself because of the evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

Or what about the warnings in Proverbs 24:1 and 24:19-20?

Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them...

Fret not yourself because of the evildoers and be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

So apparently, there is a need to warn us against being jealous of grass.

Why would we ever be jealous (or even fearful) of grass?

Because grass sprouts quickly!

Our producer (His name is Niko...how cool is that!?) is currently in the middle of growing a couple of apple trees.

The other day, it was beautiful outside here in Nashville and we were at Niko's house recording some vocals. We decided to take a break and head outside. Niko proceeded to show us his budding apple trees. They were maybe an inch tall. We responded with, "O! So cool! That's gonna be a big ole' tree someday! How long have you been trying to grow them?"

Niko responded, "Umm...about nine months."

"What? Nine-months! A baby grows faster than that!"

"Yea, I know! I actually found out that these trees won't even begin producing fruit until they are six years old."

Wow. That's a long time to wait for an apple.

That's the thing though. To be a tree takes a long time...and the righteous man is ALWAYS being compared to a tree.

The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright...”

Psalm 92: 12-15

And he [the one who doesn't participate with sinners, scoffers, or the wicked] will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields it’s fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does he prospers.

Psalm 1:3

Why are we (as men who are both declared righteous and being made righteous through Christ and by the Holy Spirit)...why are we potentially jealous and fearful of the wicked?

Because they grow so fast!!

The Word of God warns us that the wicked are going to sprout up quickly. Flourishing, 9-month old grass is going to seem massive, impressive, and intimidating to a small 9-month old sapling.

And it makes sense that the wicked would flourish here, right? I mean, the soil of this world is totally in favor of foul play.

It's not like it's hard to be bad here. I mean, come on! That's easy! It's easy to do the wrong things. We don't have to learn how to be sinful, and selfish, and prideful, and all that jazz. That stuff is easy.

On the contrary, it's HARD to do what is right. There are a lot of obstacles in the way of the righteous striving for further pursuit of righteousness. Obstacles from even our own flesh (for goodness sake!), obstacles from other folks, obstacles from culture, and then major obstacles thrown our way by a very REAL enemy.

It's natural for us to be jealous or afraid of the wicked sometimes. They seem to have it so easy. They flourish so quickly. All they have to do is use other people and sex to sell stuff and make money! All they have to do is lie and cheat and they succeed! All they have to do is say what people want to hear and they become famous and powerful! Arghh!!!

All the while, we feel sorry for ourselves sitting over here doing what's right and good. Obedient to God, our Father. Our growth is barely even noticeable from day to day.

That's when we need to remember Psalm 92:7

...when the wicked sprouted up like grass, and all who did iniquity flourished, it was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.”

Psalm 92:7

No, don't despair...one day you will be a tree.

One day you will be much stronger than any old blade of grass.

One day you will thrive and stand tall both in season and out of season.

One day the fruit you produce will feed MANY! And you will continue on! AND you won't be consumed!

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life... - Proverbs 10:11

The lips of the righteous feed many... - Proverbs 10:21

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom... - Proverbs 10:31

We are all at different stages in our tree-like development.

Some of us are saplings, and some are are like the six-years or beyond tree and already producing some fruit.

It's a little bit easier not to fear or be jealous of the wicked when you are taller and producing fruit of your own. It's easier to see the grass for what it really is at that point.

But if you are a sapling, be encouraged! Press on. Grow in the Word and in prayer. Trust God as He continues to grow you into a magnificent tree. He doesn't desire for you to be like the grass.

Who wants to be like the grass?

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. - Isaiah 40:8

Not me.

Listen Up" by Chad O

"Listen up."

A few weekends ago, my son played in a school soccer tournament. Their hard work paid off when they played the tournament championship match. As you can imagine, the stress level was high and they were nervous. As 1 of 3 coaches on the team, I had one simple piece of advice before they took the field. "Slow down and do the right thing all the time!" Listen in to the huddle talk.

"They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong." Romans 2:15

Whether you're on the soccer field or someplace else, listen to your conscience. If you listen to your conscience, you'll do the right thing. God gave you something called a conscience: some people describe it as a little voice, but really, it's a feeling--it's a feeling that tells you whether something is right or wrong. Your conscience will usually tell you what to do and when to do it. Pay attention to that feeling and trust it.

If you slow down and listen to your conscience, you'll usually stay out of trouble. and if you listen to your conscience, it won't be so hard to control your own behavior. Why? Because most of the time, you conscience already knows right from wrong. So don't be in a hurry to do things. Instead of "jumping right in," listen to your conscience. In the end, you'll be very glad you did.

Well, they did and won in the end. The best part was the class they showed in winning. There is a message in this for us as well. Slow down, simplify the game of life and listen to our conscience. If you have a personal relationship with the Lord He will speak truth in love to those who will slow down and listen.

"I Did It Again" by Brad Hodges

RECAP:  Every couple at some point complains, “We do the same things over and over and over again!”  When a marriage gets wedged in a monotonous rut , the vacuum of intimacy sucks each spouse dry.  It is exhausting and draining.  

In these "marriage humdrum" blog entries, we’ll look at a bunch of different warning signs that will help us identify marriage pits that most couples drift into.  And, we’ll look at the decisions necessary to having fun again together.


Marriage Humdrum Part 4
I remember my sophomore year in college, my basketball team went to national playoffs.  We were the Cinderella team that squeaked by in last place.  We won three games in our conference tournament to earn our spot. (2 in overtime and one in double overtime!)

Our first game in the tournament was against the number 2 ranked team, and I consistently made mistakes throughout the first half.  I thought I'd tried everything.  Normally--being 6'8", quick, and a great shooter--I could shoot over, drive around, or step back and shoot a jump shop against my opponent with relative ease.  Not this guy.  7'2" with quicks!  He was completely throwing off my game.  Again and again I kept repeating the same mistakes.

Insanity is defined as repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Proverbs refers to this when it describes the disgusting habit of some of our pets:

"As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly"  Proverbs 26:11

Fools repeat mistakes and wise people learn from their mistakes. We all make mistakes.  The real issue is whether we will learn from them.

"I did it again!" 

Do you ever think that or say that?  I do.  It happens quite a bit in my marriage.  Couples will often say, "We've tried everything, but we cannot get any resolution to this issue.  We don't know what else to do."

We haven't tried everything, though.  More than likely we have tried a few things multiple times.  This pattern drains marriage of fun and intimacy.  You begin to think, "We've been down this road before, and here we are again.  Why can't we get anywhere with this?  Why are we still fighting over the same old issues?"

Parents and teachers share this tendency.  If you don't think your child or student is understanding, simply repeat louder.  Add passion or emotion.  Pound something... this almost never works.

Try something new.

For example: Communication in marriage.  When your conversations feel stuck with your wife, approach from a different angle.  Some kind of prop helps.  A kid's microphone, a piece of paper with rules, a toy, something.  Whoever has the prop has the floor and gets to talk. 

Conversations flow so much better when you listen more than talk. 

• Listen with your whole body. 
• Remove distractions. 
• Square off your body with your wife. 
• Make eye contact. 
• Focus on your spouse's words rather than formulating your next statement. 
• And by all means, keep your mouth closed. 
• Listen, understand, and validate.  Your wife wants to know, "My husband was here, heard me, and understands where I am coming from."

"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."  James 1:19-21

Men, when you get in a monotonous rut, making the same mistakes over and over, try something new!  At times it feels unnatural and forced, but let me tell you, it keeps our relationship more connected and fresh.  And, let God's Word take root and grow in your soul, because therein lies the power to be someone new!

Here's the rest of the story on the basketball game.  When my game wasn't working, I kept pulling out all the same tricks.  I finally realized, I have to do something different.  In the second half I tried to just draw as many fouls as I could on the behemoth and get to the line.  We had gotten down by 30 points in the first half and came back within 3 points with a shot at the buzzer...which we missed!  Lesson learned.

"Respect the Rules" by Chad O

"Respect the Rules"

When you're playing sports, do you try to obey the rules? When you're watching a sport played, do you get upset when the other team breaks the rules? And do you try to obey God's rules all day long every day? Hopefully so!

"It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your house, and don't take yourself too seriously--take God seriously." Micah 6:8

God has rules (which you should always try to obey) and so do sporting events. An attitude of obedience starts in your heart and works its way out from there. That's why it's important to listen to your heart when it tells you how to behave. When you do, you'll be happier, healthier, smarter and safer.

Although God causes all things to work together for good for His children, He holds us accountable for our behavior. "When the law of God is written on our hearts, our duty will be our delight." Matthew Henry. As parents, my wife and I don't just want our kids to obey because we said so. It's bigger than that. We want them to know that obedience is the outward expression of their love of God. That's a taller order but we really believe it's the best model.

So the next time you make a decision, there may not be a trumpet sound or loud applause, just a calm sense of resolution and peace. That's how you'll know it was a right decision.