Part 57 of 57In PursuitSweet news spreads the fastest. After years of waiting, your joint effort with Lenard's family has paid off. All of the work has now resulted in a massive crop of the sweetest fruit you've ever tasted. It turns out that Loola was right. With the first basketful of fruit, you are […]

Part 56 of 57In PursuitMany cringe when they are told to evangelize. I want to demystify evangelism and help you see a path toward evangelism that makes sense.  Step one is to attend a church that clearly expresses the saving message of Jesus. Many churches fall woefully short of clarity on this topic. However, if […]

Part 55 of 57In PursuitFor five Saturdays in a row, you've spent about an hour working side by side with Lenard to prepare his garden. It is exciting to walk through the steps with him, the same steps which Loola taught you. Though it was fun to learn them from her, you had no idea […]

Part 54 of 57In PursuitThe ultimate goal of your life is to experience abundant life in the Lord. To have that kind of life, you will need to be transformed. Prayer has a transformative effect, as does Scripture study. However, if you isolate yourself from other believers, you will be missing a piece of that […]

Part 53 of 57In Pursuit“Pretty much all fruit trees use the same rootstock,” you say as you dig your hands into the soil of Lenard’s backyard. “What does that mean?” “When I planted my tree,” you say with a laugh, “I didn’t know what I was doing. I just dropped a seed in the ground […]

Part 52 of 57In PursuitIt’s possible to go to meetings but not have fellowship. Fellowship in the original language of the Bible basically means "sharing." In talking about the early church, some Bible translations say, "They devoted themselves to… fellowship,” while others use the phrase,  They shared everything they had.⁠1 So fellowship means to share […]

Part 51 of 57In PursuitWhen Saturday comes around, you are ready. You are knocking on Lenard’s door as soon as the sun is up. He comes to the front dressed in overalls and looks as if he’s ready to work.  “Good morning,” you say. “I’m looking forward to planting that tree.”  “Oh, yeah.” His tone […]

Part 50 of 57In PursuitMany fruit trees must be cross pollinated. Most can’t pollinate if they are isolated. What’s interesting is that many fruit trees do not have to be pollinated by other trees exactly like themselves. They need a variety. If there are other compatible varieties of fruit trees nearby that bloom at the […]

Part 49 of 57In PursuitYou've pulled the weeds. You've cut out the thorns. You've mulched, watered, and fertilized at the right time of the season for a few years now. Since Aunt Loola's departure, you've done everything you could to bring the tree to fruition. Your tree looks like a formidable teen should; for a […]

Part 48 of 57In PursuitTo have abundant life, you need transformation. Transformation happens when your mind is set on things above. Studying God’s word gives you the thoughts you need to stay focused upon. When you’re mindset is right, God grows spiritual fruit in you. As the fruits of the Spirit grow inside you, there […]

Part 47 of 57In PursuitYou’ve caught up with the weeding duties and the garden is back on track. Loola’s chair sits open at the edge of your one tree orchard. For now, your tree is doing well, but you feel as if there are probably things you ought to be doing to ensure its health. […]

Part 46 of 57In PursuitYou may have become tired of Bible reading. You may have had Bible-thumping kill-joys ram it down your throat so much that you can’t stand the idea of cracking that dusty old book. Your mind might wander when you read your Bible. It might be difficult to imagine getting into the […]

Part 45 of 57In PursuitIt’s been days since you’ve worked in the garden. You peer out every time you cross the back window, but you can’t make yourself walk out. Even across the lawn, you see the weeds are returning. Instead of working on the garden, you opt for a half measure. You’ve tried already, […]

Part 44 of 57In PursuitWhy do we need Scripture? If you want to experience abundant life, you are going to need to get your mind in the right place. To maintain that fundamental mindset, you need to be taking in God's word.  The early church's believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching.⁠1 The Apostle’s teaching […]

Part 43 of 57In PursuitYou reach for the phone. You’ve dialed Loola’s number even before you realize what you’re doing. The phone beeps about the same time you remember that Loola no longer lives in your neighborhood. You set down the phone and glance out the window.  Your eyes fall toward the kitchen sink, and […]

Part 42 of 57In PursuitFor a gardening beginner, gardening books are a valuable resource. None, it seems, has spanned the test of time like the Farmer’s Almanac. In the standard format, you can find the information you need to become a successful planter, grower, and harvester.  In the story, the Gardener's Almanac is our allegory […]

Part 41 of 57In PursuitA few weeks of weeding has made a stupendous change in the look of your one-tree orchard. The fruit tree is finally beginning to grow. You've diligently dug up any weeds that are hardy enough to make it through the layer of mulch. Things are beginning to look respectable in your […]

Part 40 of 57In PursuitLife is packed with its little (and sometimes big) emergencies. Just like a sapling in a storm, sometimes we have to figure out how to graft our lives back together, or better yet avoid breaking down in the first place. How do we handle life’s emergencies? Jesus said we ought to […]

Part 39 of 57In PursuitThe wind whistles outside your bedroom window and the roof creaks with the howling blast. You sit up in bed and peer toward the clock. It’s dark, as is the entire house. Outside, a fierce crack punctuates the screaming bluster. You sneak to the window, as if the storm might discover […]

Part 38 of 57In PursuitLikely, no one likes confessing their sins. It’s for good reason that pruning is our analogy for confession. This can be an uncomfortable activity, but just like pruning a fruit tree, it’s absolutely vital. It helps us focus our spiritual energy on the things that need to be trimmed out of […]

Part 37 of 57In PursuitYou’re standing at your kitchen sink staring out at the lawn. What a splendid scene. The sun is smiling down; the grass is still shrouded with dew; the tool shed door is wide and tools are flying out. Wait, what? You set your coffee cup down next to the sink and […]

Part 36 of 57In PursuitMany people feel intimidated by prayer. They aren't sure how to start. In this section, I'd like to use Jesus' teaching on prayer as a beginner's guide. He tells us how to do it and even makes it easy.    I bet you know the Lord's Prayer. It starts off, "Our […]

Part 35 of 57In Pursuit"That's how it's done," Loola says from her garden chair. She's watching you remove weeds with your trusty hand shovel. The place that has been wild for so long is beginning to look respectable. For weeks now, you've removed weeds with careful yet thorough digging. "What a difference weeding makes!”  "Yeah. […]

Part 34 of 57In PursuitI used to meet with a group of men for lunch who were struggling with doubt. One of the repeated questions that came up was, "why are we supposed to pray?" There was a time in my life when I was asking that same question. I asked a pastor friend, "why […]