Where would you be?

I had the privilege of attending worship last night at Luther Luckett Christian Church, inside the wall of Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in LaGrange Kentucky, and as always it was an inspiring experience as I sat side by side with inmate members of the congregation and other outside visitors. Last night a guest pastor from St. Johns UCC brought the message as our own pastor was on his way to the Disciples of Christ General Assembly in Nashville. Her text was the parable of sower, you know, some fell on rocky ground, some on thorny ground and some in fertile soil. Her question then, "which kind of soil are you?," was not as "in your face" as you may be thinking. This young black pastor, just out of seminary and excited about her impending ordination, reminded us that God just keeps tilling and fertilizing until we become that fertile soil where faith blooms. As I sit here writing this blog, all my muscles are screaming in protest of the garden work I inflicted on them this morning.  Made me wonder how God could possibly have the energy, not to mention the patience, to keep working in God's garden. I don't know about you, but my soil didn't start out all that good. There were quite a few times when God must have thought those rocks and thorns would never clear get cleared out.  But God's been working on me all these many years so that today my garden usually grows some healthy veggies and pretty flowers. Then I remembered the take-home message in last night's sermon. "Where would you be if God gave up on you?" If God won't give up, neither should we. Love your neighbor, visit those in prison, forgive your enemy, fertilize, fertilize, fertilize .... Niki