Full bins and empty tanks

We all have things that we don't like to do, things that bother us more than normal. You might call them your "pet peeves". For me, I don't like styling my hair in the mornings, I don't like teabags being left in the sink and when people say "whatever" as an answer for everything.  They are often not big things and basically we often just need to get over them and move on.  But two of "peeves" that really affect me are filling up my car with petrol and the fact that the bins in our house are always constantly full and overflowing.

When it comes to filling the petrol tank I avoid it as much as I can, even to the point of planning it that so when the levels get low, I plan it so someone else drives the car, so they have to fill it up for me.  Also, I ever go to drive my husband’s car, and it needs petrol, I will change plans or drive another car just to avoid the process.  I actually find that holding the pump in his big car hurts my hand, how pathetic am I? Pretty sad right!

As for the bins in our house, it seems that no matter how hard I try to keep the bin empty, it is always full. This is not about avoiding the process of emptying the bin, but quite the opposite, we empty it every day, it is not a hassle, it just seems like it never really makes a difference.

I was reminded just recently that God doesn't waste anything. When our eyes are open He can teach us something even through "full bins and empty tanks". This was certainly the case recently. The light was on, the fuel gage was flashing empty and I knew that I HAD to fill the car with petrol. But, I also had to be somewhere and so I thought I would be smart and just stop and put $10 in the car. This way I wouldn't be late for the meeting and I wouldn’t have to spend as much time holding the pump. I was thinking I was being clever. Yes, I got to my meeting on time, but of course the next day the tank was heading toward empty again. I thought to myself "I was just here yesterday, do I really have to do this again?”  I got home to start some work only to find the bin was full again. As I was out at the bin, mumbling under my breath about the wasted morning of filling tanks and emptying bins.... I hear His voice, that still quiet voice. The one that says, "Hmmm...something to think about Tammy, why is it so hard for you to fill your tank?  The car will not run well unless it is full. Why is it so hard for you to take the time to do what is best for the car and ultimately for you? Then, why do you need so much junk? Is it all necessary? What really is necessary?

Ok, ok, ok I got it. Lord, help me change my attitude. I should be happy to fill the tank. Why do I have so much junk and waste piling up so often? Help me switch my perspective, help me see what is really necessary, help me to refocus.

 Of course there is a spiritual process here. The filling process is not a waste of time, it is vital. I know how much I love to spend time with my Father In heaven, but I have to admit, if the bin is full and I am sitting down to have time with God, I am tempted to empty the bin first, or empty my email box of junk mail, or tidy my desk, or tick something off my “to do list”, or just look at that Facebook notification of someone posting a picture of a random meal they ate. How easily we are distracted with the unnecessary instead of focusing on the necessary. I can actually justify the importance of crossing things off my daily list as more important than spending time filling my tank from the one who gives me life and purpose.

I am reminded of when Jesus went to visit Mary and Martha and way Martha fussed and Mary sat at His feet amidst all that was going on. Jesus says to Martha "you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing, One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it- it's the main course and it will not be taken from her" (Luke 10:42, The Message). Mary chose to fill her tank and disregard the many other things that could clutter that moment.   

We seriously have way too much rubbish and clutter in our lives.  Often the things we need most, that would give us the energy to continue on in life we are constantly running low on. What's in your rubbish bin? Is it always full? How is your spiritual tank? Does it need refilling today?

Catching frogs and building cricket farms.

 The Cambodian village is full of life. In this village, the church is a vital hub of the whole community, a true place where people gather, play and worship. Every time we go there I am presented with a picture of true community, with all the joys and sorrows that it brings. We arrive there on a Sunday. The community worship God together, and then after lunch together we have work to do. This year’s project was to build a cricket farm for the pastor and his family to be able to survive financially so they can continue to minister in the village. In Cambodia "crickets" are a favoured snack to eat, like we would eat chips and chocolate. The Cricket farm will give them a good income as the demand is high for a good cricket snack.

It is hot and the rain is a welcome friend as it cools the air, but it creates mud. This makes building the brick farm more of a challenge. As we arrive we find pastor pip's whole family and some friends building away in the mud. We begin to help and the mud between our toes adds to the fun and challenge, if you are willing to see it that way. There are all ages, from 8 - 66 year olds all pitching in, brick by brick, filling the gaps with cement and carrying the bricks from one place to the other.  This is community, this is life. In the background there is music from a funeral coming from one end of the village and music from a wedding coming from the other end. You cannot escape it, it is all around us. Life, death, work, play, laughter and hardship all mixed together. The mud gets thicker and a group of people get together and fix the road so cars and bikes can drive in and out. Whatever needs to be done, will get done and it will get done all together.

We finish work as the rain gets heavier and makes it hard to continue. But when it is raining, it's the best time to go frog and crab hunting. Nothing like going out together for an adventure to catch crabs after a good days work! All ages join together, young children, youth and oldies alike, the pastor brings up the rear and the race is on to see who can catch the most crabs and frogs. People join from all over the village as the word gets out that crab hunting is on. All are included and welcome. The Oldies have the Wisdom to know where to best catch the crabs. The young ones have the small hands to go deep into the mud holes and grab the crabs. 

There is team work everywhere, some hold the buckets, some shovel mud, some are brave enough to put their hands down the holes, some are washing the crabs and some are squealing as they get bitten but continue to go back for more even though being bitten is inevitable at some stage.  After about 2 hours we catch about 120 crabs, it is not raining hard enough for frogs today, but the crab hunting team are very proud.

In this village this is not just for pure fun to fill the time, this assures that everyone will get to eat that night, fresh cooked crab and frogs will be on the menu. Life, fun and adventure are all integrated. There is certainly a sense of achievement when you have worked hard to catch the food yourself, especially as this a great way for the children to feel like they can contribute to the family by providing some food.

The day is full of worship, working, eating and playing together across the ages. Even though these people have very little, you get the feeling that time to be together, to love each other, to laugh and have fun, to being available and to serve each other is important to them. What a great way to spend a Sunday.

Next Sunday I will be home in Australia where we go back into our little boxes (houses) and many are way to busy to even gather together on a Sunday (in a bigger box) to worship our God, let alone go out and serve Him and enjoy being together in the community, for all the other things we MUST do that are so much more important.

As we leave the village the next day my kids almost cry, they don't want to leave. They sense something here that we just don't have at home. It's Interesting that I hear people say to me "oh that is just the country, you can't do that in the city" and yet we spend the next week In Phnom Penh experiencing the "same, same but different" things with a community of peoples in an inner city ministry called "Transform Cambodia" (but that's another blog)

Lord, help us to never forget what is important, and although the task may seem impossible in Western Culture help us fight as a family for TRUE community, TRUE Worship and TRUE family of God experiences, where Christ is central, passion is high and time and people are more precious than money and possessions.

So removed from the vine...

We tell our children to eat fruit because it is healthy, I was always taught that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". My son doesn't like fruit, but he devours fruit juice on the occasion that I buy it. It is sweet and it goes down easy. I wonder how many children think that fruit juice is just as healthy as actually eating fruit. I wonder which you would prefer? I remember when I was pregnant I drank a lot of fruit juice and the doctor told me I was putting on too much weight. When we discussed what I was eating and drinking, he said, 'Stop drinking the fruit juice. It's full of sugar.' So I did and it really helped. I know today we are all more aware of this and there are freshly squeezed options of fruit juices, but can it ever replace the piece of fruit?

So, let's consider the fruit. How often in my house do we throw away fruit? Is it just my house or does fruit just not last that long before it goes off. We live In a fast paced, processed world where the fruit in the supermarket is not always fresh. it's designed to last till we buy it and then it tends to go off in the next few days in the fruit bowl, not to mention certain fruit that never really ripens at all, but stays hard and tasteless. The challenge is that we don't know where it has come from and how fresh it is or whether it has been sitting in cold storage for 6 months.

It made me consider how far away we have come from eating the fruit of the true vine, what it means to bear fruit that is attractive, how to know where to get the good fruit! It challenges me to think about what kind of fruit are we giving to our families? Are we guilty of watering down the fruit till it is only experienced in a sweet, watery substance, instead of the original freshly picked fruit?

We are so far removed from picking fresh fruit from the vine and appreciating where it has come from and enjoy the nourishment of it!

It is true,  fruit once picked is not designed to last, but knowing when it is picked and where to go to get fresh fruit, would make a difference to the enjoyment of it.

When I think of the Christian life, I am challenged to consider whether we are we guilty of doing this as well.

The word says in John 15 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener (v1)."

The Greek word translated 'true' in that sentence means real, actual, not counterfeit but genuine. Jesus said: 'I am the real, the true, the actual, the genuine vine.'

There are many counterfeit vines in this world that we can attach ourselves to— But there is only one true vine who will enable us to bear fruit for God, and that vine is Jesus Christ.

Are we really empowering our families to be connected to the 'true' vine.  A topic today that creates so much discussion in the church is, who is the one who teaches and spiritually raises the child in the home? Biblically we know that God deemed this role for parents, and the community of faith is to support that. I hear from parents all the time, "we want to do this but we don't know where to start". For me, if we are the branches and He is the vine, and God is the Gardner, then it seems clear to me that we are called to live our lives close to him and draw others to Him. We are simply called to let him bear fruit in us, and allow the father to be the gardener in our lives.

Then our key role as leaders it to be firmly connected to Him and help others to be connected to Him so they can produce fruit direct from the vine.  I think as leaders sometimes we have fallen Into the trap of thinking we have to bear the fruit and then make it into juice so it is easier and sweeter for children and families to drink.

John 15 goes on to say "Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relationship is intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing.

Maybe we are not seeing the fruit of our ministries because we are not connecting our families and children to the 'true' vine, but rather a church service, a pastor, a leader, a children's worker, a program. As a parent, I don't want to ever give my children sweetened juice as an alternative to the fruit direct from the 'true' vine. I want to lead them to the 'true' vine and let them become His branches and bear fruit direct from Him.

For me that means I don't simply drop them off at a children's program and hope someone else shows them the way. It means that they don't just watch me serve and love Christ in ministry. It means that I have to create and empower them to connect with God themselves. It means that together we can learn and listen to God and share the faith journey in our very day life. To bear fruit, there must be daily growth. We must always be growing, as fruit once picked needs to be eaten quickly and more must grow in its place. This is more than a 'once week on a Sunday' kind of life.

It means we have to think about living Christian lives in a way that is less church structured and more about opportunities to connect with the 'true' vine in every day life and with others who desire to bear fruit daily. A place where we all  can serve, grow, honour the Gardner and bear fruit for His glory.

What a journey......hence we very rarely have fruit juice in our home today.