Tucson, located in
the Sonoran Desert, is generally blessed with good rainfalls, especially during
the summer monsoon season. One result is an overgrowth of weeds! It never
ceases to amaze me just how ubiquitous weed are here, and how fast they grow
after the slightest amounts of rain. Some can reach well over 30 inches tall in
a short time. Weeds, just like everything else in our world, seen and unseen,
come from seeds from plants nearby and far away, caught up in the wind, and
scattered across wide areas.
Perhaps you’ve
heard of the parable Jesus told of seeds sown that landed on different kinds of
soil. Some fell on rocky soil, produced a crop, and then withered in the hot
sun. Well, we must have smart seeds here
in Tucson, because many weed seeds that land on rocks and rocky areas curiously
find ways to establish roots and thrive! We even have weeds growing out of
solid granite! How come? Well, along
with the weed seeds, the wind also scatters dust, which settles everywhere,
including on solid granite. Desert plants, especially weeds, have apparently
developed savoir faire to establish
themselves in the slightest amount of dirt, then aggressively spread out in
search of moisture. With the slightest amount of moisture, they grow rapidly,
and in a short while, they’re spewing their own seeds all over the place. And the
vicious cycle continues from season-to-season.
Though weeds are
generally ubiquitous, there are places, even in my yard, where seeds
don’t/can’t germinate. These are places where the ground has been pre-treated
before the rainy season with pre-emergent chemicals that render the soil
inhospitable to a wide spectrum of seeds. While the results are amazing (and Amaze
is the name of a popular pre-emergent), widespread use of chemicals
(fertilizers, herbicides, pre-emergent, pesticides, etc.) is a growing concern
as their residues collected in water run-off, end up in groundwater sources.
‘Interesting tidbits, but
what’s your point, J! ?’
Does any of this
sound strangely familiar to you, spiritually-speaking? Here’s what I see.
We have all been
dealt a plot, not of land, but of imagination. It has very similar
properties as… dirt – rich in it’s
ability, and ever-ready to incubate, nurture and grow pretty much whatever
seeds find their way onto this plot. These seeds are mostly blown/sown onto our
plot from across our culture, and beyond. They also come from people in our personal environment who have well
established themselves, and are spewing out their ‘seeds’ (even as I’m now doing). The sources of moisture are the ‘Receptivity
And Intentional
Nods’
(R.A.I.N.) we individually and
collectively give to these seeds. Since no seed can grow without light from the
sun, we give these seeds ‘Support, Understanding and Nurturing’ (S.U.N.). Thus, they grow… like heck, typically much faster
than anything else we may be trying to grow in the dirt-like plot of our
imagination – our dirty imagination, if you will.
It takes a strong
discipline to identify and prevent cultural weed seeds from taking over our
dirt-like imagination. The most effective and proven type of pre-emergent
available to man is God’s Word, The Bible, daily and carefully applied to our
plots well before, during, and after our culture’s
‘flowering and seed-spewing seasons’. Daily application of this pre-emergent
helps to render the plot of your imagination inhospitable to deceptive weed
seeds, and prevents their germination.
WARNING: The application of this product (God’s
Word) will have ‘runoff’ (testimonials) during your rainy seasons, runoff that
our unGodly culture will quickly label as TOXIC!
Talk
of
the cross [X]
is caustic!
Truth
of
the cross [X]
is cursed!
Talk
of
the cross [X]
in church (only)!
Turn
off [spiritual]
x-ray
in [our]
culture!
Sadly, the synoptic
message of The Bible (i.e., that man is a
sinner who needs a savior, only found in Jesus Christ) is indeed toxic to
and within any human culture. Here’s why: Human cultures inherently
cultivate rebellion against God and anything/ALL He stands for and
requires.
Unlike most weed
seeds, cultural weed seeds are perennial.
No matter the season and time of year, they’re being blown and sown… by family,
friends, strangers, enemies, news and entertainment sources, etc. As they
undoubtedly land on the plot of your dirt-like imagination, test and see if
they pass the S.N.I.F.F test before
you allow them access to any moisture
in your life:
Study/see/smell Notions, If From Father [God]
By the way,
cultural revolutions happen when seeds are sown rapidly, and accepted widely and
readily. They happen both for the good and the not so good! Get
God’s Word inside of you in abundance, and then …start your own cultural revolution today!
