good evening...
i had a "divine appointment" while sitting at the king corona cigar bar in ybor city last night...
[i was drinking UNsweet cafe con leche...NOT cheating!!!]
i was studying some notes for a class over at the tampa underground...
you know me -- i was pretty focused on my task -- intensely preparing...
as i was sitting at this table adjacent to a nice man from west FL -- he started a conversation...
i sensed god was up to something...
there are times when the "interuptions" of life ARE the main point...
this was one of those kairos moments -- a timely time...
so i put my notes aside and had a delightful conversation with CS about what was going on in our hearts -- what was REALLY going on deep inside...
some testing of our hearts...
checking out the health of our internal "soil"...
what's REALLY going on inside my secret place???
this all started for me a couple of weeks back while riding the train to NJ...
[a real blast -- i love trains!!!]
late at night, bouncing along in the dark, i could not sleep, so i got out my bible...
i read the parable of the sower...
a real misnomer for me -- it is really the parable of the SOIL [not the sower]...
jesus is always the SOWER -- the SEED is always his word and his person -- the SEED of intimacy and relationship...
he keeps coming to us -- offering himself to us -- wanting to fully invade our innermost regions...
never satisfied with just the religious -- or the external -- he craves spiritual intimacy -- he wants to "know" us and be "known" by us...
the variable is the SOIL...the environment...
four different soils...four different environments...
the HARD soil...a HARD heart...
the SHALLOW soil...a SHALLOW heart...
the CROWDED soil...a CROWDED heart...
the FRUITFUL soil...a FRUITFUL heart...
i kept reading this parable of jesus...over and over and over...
in matthew 13...
in mark 4...
in luke 8...
i sensed god speaking a couple of things to me...
first a question for ME -- which soil type describes MY HEART right now...
some heart and soil testing was in store for me as advent rolled around this year...
secondly, i was to share this thought and ask this question of MY family as they are all gathered for thanksgiving...
as the servant leader of the family, i was to ask each of them to test their hearts -- "where are you right now???"
but, i didn't know that there would be MORE...
a conversation, and challenge, to CS...
now, for you...
will you join me in this reflection over the next few days???
i would enjoy our journey together...
please read the storyline from one of the gospels...
pause and reflect...
let's look at each of the four soil types over the next few days in our advent meditations...
OK???
blessings...
guy
YES, Jeep and i made three miles again today...
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