It Died

It died....

This first tree I planted...

I bought it. I dug the hole with my own strength. I staked it to support it in the wind. I made sure it would weather the storms. I nurtured it with my own effort. I watered it from my own hose...from my own house.

Then...

It died.

One year later, God carried a tiny poplar seed through the night on the wind. He planted it in almost the very same place where I had worked so hard. He sent the rain at just the right time. He brought the sun to nourish it. He gave it everything it needed to live.

I have done nothing... except smile and watch it grow.

Every day it grows a little taller, and every day it reminds me...

Life comes from Him.

It brings me joy, and I bring it nothing.

I simply stand in wonder and gratitude before a God who is mysterious and cosmic...yet deeply personal, intimate, and loving.

Life is His to do with as He pleases. I simply get to enjoy the goodness He continually pours into it.

If your soul is thirsty...if you're exhausted from carrying the weight of your own life...dragging your own shovel, your own hose, your own supports...reach out.

I'd be honored to sit with you over coffee, anytime, anywhere, and simply tell you about the One who met me.

I'll tell you what He has done in my life, and gently share why I have come to know that true freedom, lasting peace, and real life are found only in the One we know as Jesus Christ.