Spring has sprung and look at what seeds are flying around!
Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I enjoy working in my yard and seeing all of the bright and beautiful colors of the yard and ornamental trees in bloom. But wait just a minute…sometimes some of those blooms that are flying through the air aren’t as pretty as they may seem!
Take the dandelion for an example. The little seeds of the dandelion can certainly be pretty as they sprout out looking like a cotton ball or a snow-capped blade of grass, but boy oh boy, that first cranking up of the lawnmower or a nice windy day will stir those little white pods all over the yard, the windows, the doors, the car hoods, the…well, you get the picture. Those seeds go just about anywhere and everywhere, sometimes maybe where you may want them. Sometimes not so much.
Jesus talked about sowing seeds and how some would take root in certain types of soils while others just withered away. He used an analogy in a time in which people understood the essence of sowing seeds. Seed-sowing today has taken on such a new shape.
In the area of the country in which TGOC is based, we see a lot of crops being cultivated, sown, and harvested of many different varieties, but especially in the nursery industry. We see corn, vegetables, beans, and even a lot of alfalfa being grown for feed and agricultural crops as well. That doesn’t make everyone in this area a professional sower though, and this is certainly not my own strength either. I successfully planted some okra several years ago, and had a great crop in a small garden. The problem with that crop was that I could not tend it as it was growing faster than I had time to spend in harvest and maintenance. I saved a pod of that okra and thought I would try again the next year. When I moved from that home a few years later, I found that okra pod in my storage building all withered up and nothing but a useless pile of dust when I tried to break it open. The seeds were worthless at this point. I could have planted them; however, they never would have germinated or produced anything of value.
Fast forward a few years. I live in an area that is very wooded with a lot of shade and shallow dirt on top of bedrock. Part of my back yard has been barren to grass since we have lived there and probably many years before. I have lived here for over ten years now, and for several of those years, I spent a lot of money throwing seed out on this barren ground in hopes that some of it would “stick.” Sometimes in the early spring months, I would be so happy to see a bright color of green coming out of the ground, but only to find a month or so later a yellowing and drought stricken grass because there was no root structure, or possible elements to keep the grass growing.
What should I do? I stopped mass-sowing grass seed a couple of years ago because I felt it was a waste of time and money. There were simply no results, or if there were results, it would be short lived. Every once in a while, I would buy a small bag of grass seed and just toss it about sort of like those dandelion seeds floated around. I figured that if they could take root - and they certainly do - then surely some of my grass seed would too.
This morning, I looked out into the wooded area of my yard. It looks much different this year due to losing a few trees in storms or decay this past year. You know what? I have a very green area that I have never seen green before. You see, I have sown seed in that same exact spot for several years, but the conditions weren’t as favorable as they could have been (much like the soils that Jesus discusses in multiple accounts of the Gospels). I didn’t have enough sunlight maybe, or it was too rocky, or too dry or was trodden by deer and other animals to a point that it just wouldn’t grow. However, with a few changes this year - clearing out dead trees, a lot of rain earlier in the year, natural opening up of the area and so on…the seeds have taken enough root from past sowings it would seem that they are germinating. The result sure looks good, even though it took a few years to see it!
Sometimes, with our media side of the program, we experience some of the same types of analogies. We reach out in many different ways to try to “plant the seed” in as many places, and as quickly as we can. Sometimes that seed falls on heavily trodden ground and we hear some negative feedback from that. Other times, it may fall on the ground that will accept it, but it won’t take root. There are also times in which we find that our seed has been sown on ground that just doesn’t have all of the right elements to produce much. But then, there is that one soil that we often hit, and maybe don’t hear about it so readily where the seed has been planted, it took root, nourished, and has grown into a beautiful landscape - not so much as a lush green yard, but more so as a Christian.
Sowing seeds is not an easy task, yet, it is vital to a harvest. Sometimes the seed that is sown will flourish right away, other times it may never germinate because it is not watered, or it has fallen on bad soil. At The Gospel of Christ, we are constantly looking for areas to sow seed, but as Paul mentioned, that seed needs some water…and then God gives the increase! Will you help us water some seed? Together, our efforts might just result in seeing the increase of maybe just one new Christian…or maybe 100!
~Joey
It is an exciting time for the Media Ministry. This week marks two huge milestones for us.
We are back on Dish Network!!
You can find us on channels 94, 223, and 277 on Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. CST on a brand new network called RenewTV. We have aligned this offering in prime-time to broadcast alongside our DirecTV offering. This is very exciting for us, and we hope it is for you as well!
We are coming to Nashville!!!
For the first time ever, we will be broadcasting in the Nashville market on all platforms. This means that all cable and satellite, as well as OTA subscribers in Middle Tennessee will be able to find The Gospel of Christ. We will be broadcasting on the CW network (channel 58) at 10:00 a.m. CST every Sunday.
Also, we want to remind you that you can watch us anytime on Roku, AppleTV, FireTV, our Apps, or online!