A while ago, as a high school student, I set off on this adventure to live for a summer in the mountains of Ecuador through a program called Amigos de las Americas.   Our goal in this small, 800 person town was to work with the local leaders in developing sustainable . . . → Read More: Grow soil, not crops]]>

My host town in Ecuador.

A while ago, as a high school student, I set off on this adventure to live for a summer in the mountains of Ecuador through a program called Amigos de las Americas.   Our goal in this small, 800 person town was to work with the local leaders in developing sustainable environmental practices.  In that particular place, the indigenous people had been forced up into the mountains (literally 10,000 feet above sea level) and were farming on insane mountain slopes.  A by-product of the situation was that the soil was eroding down the mountainside.  Continuing farming in that manner would eventually be unsustainable, as all the nutrients were literally rolling down the hill.  So working with local government agencies, we did workshops on terracing, composting, and other sustainable modes of farming.  That summer was one of the best experiences of my life.

Planting raspberries on a hill.

Along the way in my training before heading out to Ecuador, we had a workshop, and through that I got introduced to this book, How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons.  As Marcia and I start to explore how to live more sustainably in every aspect of our lives (a very kingdom-centered and gospel-oriented theme), we’re considering building a family garden.  So I pulled out this book.  And started reading about all sorts of stuff about biointensive farming.  One thing in particular stuck out to me in the introduction – we live in a world right now that is farming at an unsustainable rate.  According to their calculations, we’ll run out of usable soil at our current depletion rate in less than 100 years, as the way we farm just takes from the soil without giving anything back.  At one point, Jeavons exclaims, “We need to stop growing crops and start growing soils!“  As we farm in such a way to put nutrients back into the soil instead of solely trying to get crops grown, we actually experience a two-fold benefit.  First, the crop yield actually goes up.  Second, it provides nutrients for long-term sustainable growth.  How about that?

One of the noted shifts in the last decade or so is a re-embracing of organic analogies for the church and the kingdom of God.  In particular, many are experiencing a sense that there is tremendous benefit to thinking about what God’s doing in the world in terms of living organisms, alive, thriving, reproducing, and blessing the land instead of a more sterile methodological approach.  It’s challenged me a lot.  As I got to thinking about church planting and seeking the blessing of the cities we live in, and this idea: Grow soil, not crops – I think there’s much that can be cleaned from that farming principle.

If the church focuses solely on growing crops, and not on growing soil, then I think the result can be momentary surges of effort without long-term impact.  It’s so alluring to go for the instant results, the things that work right now, instead of really pursuing that which will build long-term effectiveness.  I think we’ve also gotten into a consumeristic mindset, capitalism bleeding into church mindset that has sapped energy from the advance of the kingdom.  We can’t keep pulling from the resources around us without putting anything back.  Consumerism asks for instant results, without looking at the big picture.  Consumerism is building bad soil for real growth and real kingdom explosion.  Growing soil means we need to be about the kingdom and what God wants for us, not about what works for me in the moment.  And I think that a big part of that means intentionally adding value to all the places we inhabit – local businesses, neighborhoods, roads, parks, apartment complexes, you name it – truly seeking the shalom of the city like it says in Jeremiah 29:7.

This applies for within the church and outside the church as we seek the blessing of the city.  Growing soil means fostering an environment that builds healthy disciples.  In this way, the focus is not so much on “how many people to I have as a part of my group,” but rather, “how I am contributing to a sustainable growth environment in my local church (or neighborhood or family or workplace)?”  It means not just adding more tasks or stuff to do, but thinking deeply about what will bring about real life transformation.  This growing soil mentality would bleed into every aspect of our lives.  Instead of just thinking about my own needs, my heart would be naturally inclined to building into others.  Instead of looking at how I can get the best deal in any given situation, I would instead be constantly looking for win-win situations.

I haven’t fully thought this out.  But I think there is tremendous value in thinking sustainably in everything that we do, especially as we consider Jesus and what it means to obey Him.  So I want to put this out there – how would your life change if you focused on growing soil, and not crops?

I love our little girl.  She brings a smile to my face when I see her, hear her, feel her claw at my face, laugh, and all that good stuff.  But recently, I had to say no to her.  I had to step into this world in parenting called . . . → Read More: Learning to say “No”]]> How could you say no to this face?

I love our little girl.  She brings a smile to my face when I see her, hear her, feel her claw at my face, laugh, and all that good stuff.  But recently, I had to say no to her.  I had to step into this world in parenting called “discipline.”

You see, I started it.  After her final milk of the night, we always give her a bath in this little tub that fits in the kitchen sink.  It’s a lot of fun.  She gets to lie there while we scrub her with soap and make her all nice and clean before we lay her down to bed.  Inevitably, she discovered the joy of splashing.  I thought it was hilarious, and laughed – a lot.  Seeing that I would react, she splashed more.  This went on for a few days.  Until I realized that ultimately this wasn’t going to be a constructive behavior (especially as her arms and legs got more powerful).

So, after a brief chat with Marcia, we decided that we had to put a stop to it.  So the next bath, when she splashed, I had to give her a firm No and not smile.  It was a horrible feeling inside, especially because every part of my being was telling me to laugh, and play with her, and have fun.  But in this case, the discipline was not to laugh, say no, and hold her arms for a second.  After that one incident, she basically stopped splashing in the bath.

I had to do something similar to that today, when she was reaching to pull an extension cord out of the wall electrical socket in our study.  I grabbed her arm away from the plug, gave her a very firm no, and pulled her up into my lap.  She was completely silent for about a minute.  Not a peep or a squirm, which is unusual for our little girl.  Maybe she got it, maybe she didn’t.  But as a father, her best interests have to be in mine, because I love her.

I’m a complete amateur at this dad thing.  I’ve often heard it said that it really helps to catch a smidgen of the Father heart of God when you become one yourself.  I have to imagine that includes the area of discipline as well.  For God’s discipline does not come out of spite or hate or anything of that sort, but out of a deep love that we can barely fathom.

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

- Hebrews 12:7-11, ESV

Nature Meets Civilization, Nikon D200, 17-35mm f/2.8D, 1/160, f/5.6, ISO . . . → Read More: Nature Meets Civilization]]> Went on a short local trek with Remy last week, found this spot. Electrical poles on the right, tree in the center, light poles on the right. Any guesses where we went?

Nature Meets Civilization, Nikon D200, 17-35mm f/2.8D, 1/160, f/5.6, ISO 100, NEF