Dirty Imaginations

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!