Tom's Good News

Blooming From the Gutter

Last week one of our members took this picture of a flower blooming out of a storm sewer on Park Ave. If you look closely, you will see it’s growing out of a nest of dead branches and leaves stuck in the opening of the gutter. Somehow a seed landed in the brush pile and grew to be a beautiful flower.

The member posted this picture on Facebook and shared that it was a God sighting for her. A friend of hers commented that they saw the flower as a sign from heaven. I smiled when I saw it, because I too saw God in it. What do you see in this flower blooming in the opening to the sewer?

I see that when life drags us into the gutter, and even if we get stuck there, we can still bloom! God places seeds of hope in our hearts, directs living water to renew our spirit, and shines the light of love upon us so that we can bloom wherever we are. We are never without hope or help.

Many people feel trapped and see no way to turn things around. Many are caught up in the belief that the grass is greener everywhere else. And everyone seems to have an itch for something they don’t already have.

We would be much better off if we learned to bloom where we were planted. Joy and happiness is not somewhere out there. We make our happiness through our choices, choices to make a difference with our lives, and choices to receive and share God’s love.

When we choose to bloom, we choose light instead of darkness, love instead of hatred, hope instead of despair, and peace instead of violence. Then when we bloom, we too are blessed. God blesses us to be a blessing.

Imagine what would happen if we all bloomed with God’s love. Imagine if we bloomed in our families, our jobs, our schools, and in our churches. I see God in this flower blooming in the gutter despite the storms, and I have hope for a better and brighter world.

I will see you in church, and remember, God loves us more than we can ever imagine, and I love you too. Bloom!

Tom

The Spice of Life

Christy and I love spicy food. Just this morning we prepared a large pot of spaghetti sauce from fresh ingredients that will simmer all day on the stove. I can’t wait to get home tonight to enjoy that meal.

So, it is no surprise that for Trunk or Treat we dressed up as the spices, salt and pepper, and our dog Storm, went as sugar. The vehicles around us were all decorated and most everyone wore costumes. If you missed the fun and fellowship you will want to come next year. We estimate over 100 children and parents were there.

Back to spices: “A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, berry, bud, or other vegetable substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring, or preserving food.” (Wikipedia) Spices make plain food more tasty and interesting. Some also help preserve food so that it lasts longer.

With those thoughts in mind, Christy made a sign for our car that said: “Jesus is the Spice of Life.” We wanted people to know that when we are in a relationship with Jesus, it improves the flavor of our life. Walking with Jesus, we travel on a more interesting and exciting journey. And certainly, his sacrifice and love preserves our present life and future.

Jesus also tells us, “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet.” (Matthew 5:13) Just as Jesus is the spice of life, we are called to be spicy ourselves. Jesus never loses his spiciness, but sometimes we do. Spices can lose some of their flavor over time, and we too can become less flavorful and preserving.

Jesus preserves our spiciness as we worship, study, and serve him and his teachings. Then we add spice to the lives of others by our attitudes and actions. Together with Christ we enhance the world around us.

Is Jesus the spice of our life? All it takes is a simple prayer. Are we spicy too? We can be. As for me and my household, we choose to be God’s spice. Please join us.

I will see you in church, and remember, God loves us more than we can ever imagine, and I love you too.

Tom