"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;" John 15:5a (NKJV)

Lately, I have found myself reading and thinking about the Gospel of John 15:1-17. The passage describes the relationship between a gardener (God), the vine (Jesus), and the branches (the followers of Jesus). Each has a specific task to accomplish. The gardener cares for the vine and the branches by providing the best in all that is needed for the branches to be fruitful. The vine supplies the nutrients and the very essence of life to the branches, again in order to benefit the branches fruitfulness. The branch is to be fruitful, and all the branch has to do is “remain” in the vine in order to accomplish its’ task. As long as the branch “remains,” fruitfulness is a guarantee.

According to this passage there appears to only be two kinds of branches, those that bear fruit and those who do not. It also indicates the plight of those that do not bear fruit—they are drastically pruned back and destroyed.

So, why would a person choose to be barren? It does not make sense that a person would willingly choose to be barren. I suppose that is it possible that a person could feel that it is a mistake to trust the gardener. If a person felt that the gardener was not truly a caring, loving, giving, gardener than they would try to find someone or something to provide what they need. When a gardener prunes a branch he does so with the best in mind for the branch. The idea of being cut and pruned does not sound pleasant or helpful in the short term, but it is the only way to ensure a healthy branch. A careful reading of John 15, yields an understanding that it is the one who “remains” that is fruitful, and that the one who lives apart from the vine (15:5b), is the one who can do nothing. We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. It is only when we break out of our own little world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him that we understand His true character and His desires for each of us. Only by investing in a quality relationship with Him will we come to understand what it means to be fruitful.

One of the unique and wonderful things about Fairview is that everyday our staff and faculty invest in students and families. Everyday we pray that the gardener would do exactly what needs to be done in order to have a fruitful harvest. Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.

Thanks for reading.

“For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6

There is no question about it; we live in the age of information! We are continually being bombarded with words, images, thoughts and ideas. Computers, cell phones, ipod’s, PDA’s, and televisions are just a few of the ways in which information is shared and conveyed. Some research done by a group at the University of California Berkeley in 2003 estimated that currently the world’s total yearly production of print, film, optical, and magnetic content would require roughly 5 exabytes of storage (the prefix exa means one billion billion). To try and understand the amount of information we are talking about would be the equivalent of 37,000 libraries the size of the Library of Congress which holds roughly 17 million books containing about 136 trillion bytes of information. Wow—that is an incredible number to think about!

The impact of information and knowledge upon our lives, however, no matter how intelligent we may be, no matter the ease with which we assimilate all data, means nothing without wisdom and understanding. What choices do I make given the facts I know? On what foundation are my values built? Where or to whom do I go to make sense out of all the jumbled bits of information that press in on me each day? How do I sort out that which I should retain and that which I should discard?

The Bible says that God alone gives wisdom. He alone makes plain the incomprehensible and sets our priorities straight. His “Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” May you find your way through the maze by first seeking His wisdom.

Thanks for reading.

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others." 2 Corinthians 1:4a

Do you remember the game “Hide-and-Seek?” We used to play a version of it that included a tin can and the phrase “Olly olly oxen free.” I could not find a historical reference for the phrase, though it might be from the German, ‘Alle, alle auch sind frei” or literally, “Everyone, everyone also is free.” Adults do not play hide-and-seek anymore - at least not for fun.

We would try and get every kid in the neighborhood to play. It was a blast. First we filled the tin can with a few rocks so that it made even more noise when kicked. There were hiders and one seeker. The one seeking would try and find the hiders. When a hider was found, they would have to go and wait by the can. If a hider could sneak up and kick the can undetected by the seeker, then all those who had been found could go hide again. We would play for what seemed like hours during the long and warm summer nights in eastern Washington. There was only one thing that seemed to ruin the game and that was the one kid who hid so well that he/she could not be found. We were sure that they had violated the rules and gone inside for some ice cream or something. Sometimes even after the “Olly, olly oxen free” phrase was shouted this kid would refuse to come out. This eventually led to an argument where the person who was not found would be called a cheater and accused of playing unfairly and threatened to be branded eternally “it” if they could not play fair. Many wished that the kid would just get found so that the game would not be stalled. So often this meant our game turned into “Hide-and-Seek-and-Yell.”

Lately, I have been reminded how well people can hide, and how easy it is to overlook the people around me. There are probably many reasons why people choose to hide. Especially when life has been hard, lonely, or when difficult circumstances have brought hurt, sadness, and pain. There are those who often prefer to be overlooked, unseen, hoping to go unnoticed. These are the kinds of people I wish could get found.

I know a few people who are dealing with some tough experiences right now, and sadly they keep the secret. Some marvel at the strength of the person who keeps it going and bears the burden alone. Others are sad and disappointed because they can offer help and are not allowed for these people hide too well. Getting found would force them to stay in the game. Hide-and-Seek grown-up style - wanting to hide - needing to be sought - confused about being found. “I don’t want anyone to know.” “What will people think?” “I don’t want to bother anyone.”

It is time to change the game. Let’s move on from hide-and-seek to sardines. Sardines is a game where you go and find a person and then hide with them. I think God is a sardines player. He wants everyone to be free so that when “Olly-olly-oxen-free” is in the air everyone gets found.

Thanks for reading.

“When he (Jesus) had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”” Luke 5:4(NIV)

Happy New Year! I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas break. Most of the time off was enjoyable to my family and me. We had a great time playing board games, going to the movies, spending time with family and friends. There was only one catch. I needed to work a few days over the break. Just take care of a few items and prepare for some extra duties. During one of those days I spent between 6-8 hours preparing some work that in the end was fruitless—A big waste of time. The information that I was working with was outdated and useless. I felt sick. Have you ever felt like you worked hard on something and then got nothing in return?

In Luke 5:1-11, there is a story about some fishermen who had been up all night working hard and in the end felt shortchanged. These men were on the shore cleaning their nets when Jesus approaches with a crowd of people following. The passage tells us that the people were “pressing” Jesus for more of the Word. They were hungry for a connection with God. Jesus asked one of the anglers, Simon Peter, to allow Him to use his boat. After teaching the crowd, Jesus asked Peter to take his boat out to the deep water and to let down the nets for a catch. Just in case you do not know, the kind of fishing that Peter and the others did was done in shallow water in the evening or early morning. Their equipment and technique were not suited for deep water fishing during the day or anytime. Even though Peter relays their previous unsuccessful attempts to Jesus, he complies with Jesus’ request and is surprised at the catch. In fact, so many fish are caught that it took two boats to bring them in, and the boats almost sink in the process. After this event, the men end up becoming Jesus’ disciples.

Sometimes we have the best plans, and even after much work, things do not work the way we think they should. This time of year is unique in that it is one of the few times that many people become contemplative about the past and the future. What thoughts, challenges, opportunities await you in the coming year? How are you preparing yourself to meet them? I would encourage you to make 2008 the year that you go into deep water with God. Allow Him to reveal to you new ways of living your life. I promise you, you will be amazed at what He can do!

with expectation...