The Technicolor Gospel
Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Matt 6:28-30
More like, "O man of little faith" as I read this.
This whole portion of scripture, commonly called the Sermon on the Mount, is chocked full of such practicality for daily living that I frequently refer to it as my spiritual roadmap. It is unfortunate that I seem to forget my map reading skills at times.
Have you ever looked at the world around you...and it seems gray? Not the blackness that folks often describe during periods of deep depressive episodes, but just the dull, impersonal
drabness that sometimes is the product of the multiplicity of things, the worries associated with life, stress at work, small nagging issues that you know will need to be addressed...The color in our lives subtly fades into gray as our focus turns away from Christ and His words and we "take back" the worries that we somehow think of as our possessions. It is an easy trap to fall in, yet I find that even during these times, our merciful God offers sometimes very simple solutions to our failings.
Pulling out of the driveway at my folks this past weekend, I glanced to my left and I noticed it. The world reeked of color again. I threw my truck in park, left the motor running and grabbed the camera. The Camilla bush adjacent to the porch was in full bloom and it drew me like a magnet. I snapped a few pics, previewed them and thought I had a couple of good shots. I realized when I got home just how special those few pictures that you see here were. I heard the words of Jesus, "Consider the lilies..." The gray that had veiled my eyes began to lift, the beautiful reds of the state flower, the deep greens of the foliage, with the Magnolia leaves in the background was a pure southern delight to behold.
I began to think about just how many years that particular bush had been blooming in the dead of winter to remind people of this message of Christ, "Consider the lilies". This picture of my sis has to be close to 30 years old, and it looks like she got the message. How tiny the tree was then! Note to LeeAnn: "What are you doing in that Alabama jersey? You followed your middle brother (me) to Auburn, not your older brother to Tuscaloosa! The bush obviously has had an impact on my mom; I noticed several freshly cut blooms in a vase in her kitchen Sunday.
I noticed things for the remainder of that day after I "stopped to smell the roses". The sunlight peeking through my deer blind; had I seen a deer, I probably would have done nothing except shoot furtive glances his way. My hike to the blind had commanded me to a stop to take in the softness of the winter feathertop wiregrass rustling quietly in the afternoon breeze.
Oh Lord, how many are Thy works! In wisdom Thou hast made them all; the earth is full of Thy possessions. (Ps 104:24)
I love the fact that Christ spoke to the masses in ways they could understand. He frequently used the commonality that we all share to draw analogies and parables. The use of nature permeates His teachings in the gospels and I guess that is why I am so drawn to the lessons of His creation around me. The sermon ends with this verse:
The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitude were amazed at His teachings. (Matt 7:28)
Lord, please add one more amazed soul thirsting for Your grace-laden words into that multitude. And forgive me for substituting the glory of your technicolor creation with the banality of my world.
The greatest enemy of Christianity may be people who say they believe in Jesus but are no longer astonished and amazed. Jesus Christ came to rescue us from listlessness as well as lostness; He came to save us from flat souls as well as corrupted souls.
Mike Yaconelli
Dangerous Wonder
More like, "O man of little faith" as I read this.
This whole portion of scripture, commonly called the Sermon on the Mount, is chocked full of such practicality for daily living that I frequently refer to it as my spiritual roadmap. It is unfortunate that I seem to forget my map reading skills at times.
Have you ever looked at the world around you...and it seems gray? Not the blackness that folks often describe during periods of deep depressive episodes, but just the dull, impersonal
drabness that sometimes is the product of the multiplicity of things, the worries associated with life, stress at work, small nagging issues that you know will need to be addressed...The color in our lives subtly fades into gray as our focus turns away from Christ and His words and we "take back" the worries that we somehow think of as our possessions. It is an easy trap to fall in, yet I find that even during these times, our merciful God offers sometimes very simple solutions to our failings. 
Pulling out of the driveway at my folks this past weekend, I glanced to my left and I noticed it. The world reeked of color again. I threw my truck in park, left the motor running and grabbed the camera. The Camilla bush adjacent to the porch was in full bloom and it drew me like a magnet. I snapped a few pics, previewed them and thought I had a couple of good shots. I realized when I got home just how special those few pictures that you see here were. I heard the words of Jesus, "Consider the lilies..." The gray that had veiled my eyes began to lift, the beautiful reds of the state flower, the deep greens of the foliage, with the Magnolia leaves in the background was a pure southern delight to behold.
I began to think about just how many years that particular bush had been blooming in the dead of winter to remind people of this message of Christ, "Consider the lilies". This picture of my sis has to be close to 30 years old, and it looks like she got the message. How tiny the tree was then! Note to LeeAnn: "What are you doing in that Alabama jersey? You followed your middle brother (me) to Auburn, not your older brother to Tuscaloosa! The bush obviously has had an impact on my mom; I noticed several freshly cut blooms in a vase in her kitchen Sunday. 
I noticed things for the remainder of that day after I "stopped to smell the roses". The sunlight peeking through my deer blind; had I seen a deer, I probably would have done nothing except shoot furtive glances his way. My hike to the blind had commanded me to a stop to take in the softness of the winter feathertop wiregrass rustling quietly in the afternoon breeze.
Oh Lord, how many are Thy works! In wisdom Thou hast made them all; the earth is full of Thy possessions. (Ps 104:24) I love the fact that Christ spoke to the masses in ways they could understand. He frequently used the commonality that we all share to draw analogies and parables. The use of nature permeates His teachings in the gospels and I guess that is why I am so drawn to the lessons of His creation around me. The sermon ends with this verse:
The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitude were amazed at His teachings. (Matt 7:28)
Lord, please add one more amazed soul thirsting for Your grace-laden words into that multitude. And forgive me for substituting the glory of your technicolor creation with the banality of my world.
The greatest enemy of Christianity may be people who say they believe in Jesus but are no longer astonished and amazed. Jesus Christ came to rescue us from listlessness as well as lostness; He came to save us from flat souls as well as corrupted souls.
Mike Yaconelli
Dangerous Wonder
Mark
posted by Mark @ 7:17 PM
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