Productive or Fruitful?

Do you have a garden? We have had one the past few years and have enjoyed growing varieties of tomatoes, artichokes, peppers, herbs, potatoes, and some fruit. Gardening has forced me to be more patient because no matter how hard I work, I can’t make the vegetables grow any faster. I can now see why there are so many analogies in scripture about farming, gardening, and growing. But for many of us, our lives are just the opposite. So often life lends itself to a lifestyle of “production” where hard work and long hours equate to success. The problem, of course, is that when we have a lifestyle geared towards production, we tend to view our spiritual life along those same terms: “If I try harder and work harder, I can be more successful spiritually.”

Spirituality works differently. The goal, like in gardening, is to be fruitful, and there is only so much we can do to get that to happen. No matter how hard we try, we can’t control the process. We can’t force the Holy Spirit to work in us or through us. What we can do is cultivate an environment where we can listen to what God is saying. We can prepare ourselves by recognizing that God has control, not us. What God has in store for us is a mystery, so we need to learn how to partner with that mystery. When I garden, what I can do is prepare the soil, water the seeds, and put them in a position to get sun. But there is still a level of mystery over which seeds will grow that is totally out of my control. How similar is that to our Spiritual lives? We don’t have control of what God is going to do or send our way. What we can do is put ourselves in a position where, when given the opportunity, we know how to respond and our response is automatic. Cultivating such an environment means we are not waiting for the Holy Spirit to do it all for us. It does not mean that we take it all on ourselves. It means that we have an ongoing relationship with God so that we can listen to what He is saying and partner with Him. Such a partnership makes us stronger than we could ever be on our own. Our relationship with God, as with any relationship, grows and changes over time. We have to be intentional about cultivating an environment for the relationship to be healthy, and we have to set aside time to spend together in the relationship.

When we go to Thailand, we cannot force people to put their faith in Jesus. No matter how much we talk or how much time we spend with some people, production is not the goal. Our role is to be fruitful: To partner with the mystery of God and be prepared to respond. People need to experience God on their own; our role is to create an environment where they will recognize God's presence and know how to respond when God works His mystery in their hearts.

Things have been non-stop here with Team Juanes! I have been sick the last few weeks (and not quite feeling like myself yet). As a result, Alise has been visiting churches and Bible studies solo. This month she shared at the Bay Area Christian Homeschool (BACH) Global Culture and Mission Night at Community Baptist Church in San Mateo; at her friend’s Bible study group in West Sacramento; and at American River Community Church in Carmichael. This past Saturday we were able to share with Fill My Cup, a local mission support group, and on Sunday we were thankful to be back at our home church, Crosswalk Community Church, to give an update and celebrate missions' month! It was great to celebrate with our home church family. We are currently enjoying a time to meet church leaders and receive encouraging teaching at the Growing Healthy Churches Leadership Retreat in Cambria. Thank you to GHC Executive Director Tim Brown for putting this retreat together.

What else has been happening? On Sunday, April 9, we were at the Church on the Corner in Albany. After that we will be packing the minivan and heading to Colorado Springs for language and culture acquisition training. This is a month-long training session for the whole family, where we will all be trained on how to learn a new language and how to adjust to a new culture. We are looking forward to the road trip, and are planning to meet up with friends along the way to explore the United States while we can. Please keep us in your prayers for this adventure, and for the road trip we are embarking on. The kids are excited, but also a little apprehensive about living elsewhere for a month. This is the new adventure we are on and they are learning to adapt! We thank God for His faithfulness and for your love, financial support, and prayers!    Partner with Us