Cultivating Missional Life is Like My Ugly Garden

I changed my blog title.   I think I may change its purpose.  It maybe  my  last ditch effort to blog a bit more regularly.  I even made it ugly looking to resemble my garden. 

Here is why I am calling my blog the Ugly Garden.  My executive Presbyter called me the other day.  He wanted to talk with me because he had heard of a church in my area growing their youth group from 4 to 22!  Well he thought that must have been me.  Nice ego stroke.  I told him no, not us.  Then I thought I would tell him about how God is at work amongst us and likened it to the garden.  I told him all the great ways we are cultivating our soil.  When I paused, he said these words, "Well I don't want to keep you."  And the phone call ended.  No fruit, no time.  He called searching for measurable results not to hear about my ugly garden!

Here is what I submit.  Leading a church towards a missional future is like my ugly garden.  Last fall I had a friend who does yard work, drop off two truck loads of leaves on top of my garden.  I then piled on the sand from my failed sandbox that succeeded as a cat liter box.  I worked the sand and leaves into my garden with my old, handed down in love roto-tiller that it took me several days to get working.  I only got it working after I cleaned it out and rebuilt parts of it.  Then my garden just sat there all winter.  I could not see the leaves decomposing.  I could not see the worms feasting away.  I could not see the rain cleaning stuff out.  But I trusted I had done a good job cultivating my soil so that it will grow good stuff in the summer.

Once spring came, I put some old dirt I have been slow composting for two years in my new expansion row where I intend to grow tomatoes this year.  I then forked two rows to open them up and added some new topsoil mixed with peat moss to form two early beds.  My neighbor then brought over his roto-tiller and worked the other two-fifths of my garden.  I shaped the beds just the way I planned them earlier this spring.  I planted potatoes on the right day.  I planted my onion sets.  I even have carrots, lettuce, spinach, beets and radishes planted.  Then it rained the next day and everything is great!  It still is an ugly garden though when you look at it from the outside.  One might think I have not been hard at work.

Of course this is where the ugly garden metaphor breaks all down.  My church is full of beautiful people who love Jesus and have hearts for his mission in the world.  It is when we impose our lens upon church whatever it is,  our view is distorted and obstructed.  If you are a measurable results person who needs to see the fruit then you don't see and lift up my ugly garden.  If you are a horizon missional church thinker and have these really well formed and pure visions of what missional church ought to be, then you drive my house and think man that is an ugly garden.  People want the produce section of Whole Foods (add you local organic, healthy grocery store).  Right.  There you find piled meticulously and creatively high gorgeous vegetables that have been grown by the latest in organic farming.  Can you see the orange and red peppers shining like a shrine?  Can you see the red tomatoes and the cucumbers in all their splendor?  Why an ugly garden when you can get vegetables in such a produce section? Shoot, even at our local Walmart, they have all the vegetables you could ever ask for, why an ugly garden? 

Hear is what I know to be true about missional church.  Missional church takes patience because it takes time to transform culture formed over many, many years.  Missional church requires cultivating the soil with scripture, prayer, discernment and a whole lot relationship building through listening.  The fruit comes when the fruit is ready.  Missional church is like my ugly garden in that I believe all my work and effort is going to lead to some great tasting tomatoes, awesome fresh out of the ground potatoes, and right of the vine squash, beans, and peas.  In Missional church a lot of things fail like in my garden.  My squash plants get eaten by vine borers and die.  My tomatoe plants get eaten by deer.  My plants get mold.  Some seed never germinate.  Weeds grow faster than most vegetable plants.  But I water, I weed, I fertilize and make my own compost to fertilize.  I mulch, pick off bugs, put up a fence and much more.  Missional church takes hard work and you are not always able to manage and control the future outcome.  But I love gardening.  Some days I don't want to do it. Some days I think I have no clue what I am doing. Then there are days I  think I am way to obsessed with it.  I love learning from my neighbors who have been gardening for 80 years.  I love reading books and blogs on gardening.  In it all I discover  God.  I discover the Kingdom.  I discover the deep power of life with God.  Ugly as it may be (at times and seasons) it is what I do.  I don't need some executive Presbytr to be excited about our growth.  I hope and trust my efforts to lead people towards being God' s sent people into the world as witness to his redemptive rule and reign are pleasing to God.  God loves my ugly garden and so do I.

Comments

[Jerry Deck]

Great words Joel. It's interesting to think how much we as pastors are formed by whether we are merely fruit gatherers and "proclaimers" or whether we are content to dig in the soil, to not be in control, to allow God to bring in the harvest. As a vocation that is concerned with the spiritual lives of others, I'm not sure we spend enough time asking how God is shaping our own lives. I know that in those moments (as few as they may be) when I am content to cultivate I feel an incredible sense of peace. Rather than ravaging through the soil somewhat obsessively, hoping to see something sprouting, I simply rest, dig, listen to the rain, and wait. It is good for my soul.

[Dave Moody]

Great analogy...

reminds me of a Wendall Berry poem in his little book, 'The Country of Marriage' - Diary of a Mad Farmer (something like that)- the lines that come back are- 'plant sequouias' and 'practice resurrection.'

I suspect we need to wait until all things are made new, to experience 'Whole Foods'-- when all the wood hay and stubble is gone, and all that we see is the alchemy Jesus has done in us.

God's blessings to you!

[Doug Resler]

This post is refreshing, insightful, delightful, and convicting all at the same time! A veritable bouquet of grace that fills my soul and keeps me mindful that there is joy in tilling the soil for our Savior!

Persevering with you in God's grace!
Doug