Our weeds grow tomatoes

So here's the story. About ten months ago we moved in to our little home. The backyard was overgrown with weeds. We took about a day to clear it all out, and tried to plant our own flowers and plants to make it look a little nicer. The LA sun did not let anything grow, so after several months we gave up. Over the past couple months our backyard started to get overgrown again. Brynne kept on reminding me how we needed to weed, but never got around to it. Brynne went out one day and did a little trimming but nothing major. One day I decided I'd be the good husband and clear out the whole thing. To my suprise I found our weeds were growing fruit. I wondered to myself what kind of weeds grow fruit. Some magical weeds no doubt.

Finally, I bought a latice and Brynne and I took half a day pruning and propping up our little treasure.

Don't fear to tame or be tamed

Amazing Book! If you haven't read it, take a half hour out of your life and read it carefully and slowly. Through out the book there is a concept of being tamed and taming others. At the end of the book is one of my favorite lines

"You risk tears if you let yourself be tamed."

But its okay because you'll be consoled "everyone eventually is consoled."

After one is consoled they are glad they went through the experience of being tamed.

It makes me realize how worth it, it is to be tamed.

SOAP (John 6:8)

S - "One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?""

O - Everybody knew the situation. 5,000+ hungry people. It would cost more than 200 denari just to start the job. Then Andrew speaks up with a very unhelpful statement, "I have 5 loaves of bread and a couple fish." If it's not going to help why talk? I think Andrew didn't think that. I think Andrew knew WHO he was talking to. He was not offering his little to someone who could not do anything with his little. He was offering his little to someone who only needs a little from us.

A - I desire to have the same spirit as Andrew. Not embarressed with the little I have to offer. Not overwhelmed by the circumstances. Eager to offer all and whatever I can to Jesus. I want to give Jesus the opportunity to show off through my weakness.

P - Lord, you're astounding. Your wonders never cease to amaze me.

SOAP (Hebrews 12:15)

S - "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God..." Heb. 12:15

O - What a weighty responsibility!

A -I could only imagine, and will chose to, what it would be like to take that responsibility on personally. Especially as a leader over a group. The idea of seeing to it that no one in that group fail to obtain the grace of God is a tough pill, and chapter 13 says leaders will have to make an account for how they oversee. To expand the command to your social circles, your community, your passing interactions... well I better start somewhere. Grace be unto you (person reading my blog).

P - Lord how I love Your ways. Your ideas are so crazy they just might work. I love following You, You are the best leader, with the best ideas and ways to life.

Letters to Children

I picked up a copy of Lewis' Letters to Children for $4 the other day. It is amazing how well he relates to children. I imagine that Lewis is extremely in touch with the child inside of him. For instance he writes:

"I never knew a guinea-pig that took any notice of humans (they take plenty of one another). Of those small animals I think Hamsters are the most amusing--. And, to tell you the truth, I'm still fond of mice. But the guinea pigs go well with your learning German. If they talked, I'm sure that is the language they'd speak."

For anyone who has trouble relating with children, please read a few pages of this book, and rediscover the wonder that is waiting to be found.

Latest Books by compare and contrast

I read two interesting books over my vacation. I recommend both, but Ender's game firstly if you have limited time.

I only had one interesting thought which comes from how much these books complimented each other.

Outliers is "the story of success" why people are successful, how they got there and why other's didn't. Gladwell comes to the conclusion after a book-long argument that those that made it ought not be so cocky; they have a lot of people to give credit too: their birth date, birth year, their parents, their ethnicity, their culture, their economic status, their nationality, and their legacy. No one is born without these, and based off of your random God-selection of each helps shape how successful you will be. There is no one who can deny their context. People rise to the top because they were aided along the way.

In Ender's Game, the fictional context is created where none of that context matters. He was anticipated as an Outlier. From birth his context was manipulated to polarize him as the Outlier he was. But with that said Ender would not have been the commander that he was without his manipulated context. I wonder what he would have been like with a natural context. Probably always a second (or "Third") under Peter his older and dominating brother.

After reading these two books one after another I am left pondering 3 things: 1 what is my special context, 2 can I manipulate it to be in my favor even more than God has already set in course, and 3 ought I do the second?