I AM the Vine and You are the Branches

I graduated!  I had stopped writing this blog because of school.  I am now done with school and was thinking maybe I would get back into writing this blog again, for the third time.  Not sure what I am going to write about, but I am going to write not to get followers but rather to explore the inner thinking of my head.  To also help in my writing.  I was told that my grammar is so bad that I could not possibly be a good pastor.  I find that interesting since the scriptures do not say anything about proper grammar for the making of a good pastor.  Wasn't Paul considered to have a speech impediment?  Did not Moses have issues with his tongue?  How many of those in the Bible actually wrote for themselves?

My first post of the new era:

I always find it interesting the "coincidences" or God moments in my life since starting seminary.  When I first started to think about going to seminary it was while I was studying in Scotland for the semester.  The time I spent in Scotland studying was based upon 2 passages.  Those passages were Psalm 1 and John 15:1-17.  Returning home from Scotland it took me 4 more years to actually go to seminary and while sitting in orientation the first day the two passages they used for orientation were Psalm 1 and John 15:1-17.  Then came time in my seminary career for my field education.  This process was a disaster to say the least but was invited to check out a church that was interested in me coming to work for them.  I was sitting in the congregation and looked up to the front of the church where they had a banner hanging, John 15.  Then I finished up seminary and these two passages have always been with me.  Graduation came and the guest speaker preached a message and it was based on John 15.  While the passage was being read I just looked up and laughed.  How much more of a sign does one person need to realize they are following in the steps God has laid out for them?  Now I am confident in knowing what it I am to do, but I still am not sure where that is or how that looks.  I wait knowing that I am united with Christ in the Spirit for the Glory of the Father.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit —fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

Relying on God

I started to watch this show called The Wild Within hosted by Steven Rinella. After on episode I started to think about something he said about hunting. He said that most people have lost the idea of life and death when it comes to their food. They don't see how it is prepared and so they are detached from the animal that was killed so they could eat and they don't worry about whether they will have meat or not because they just go to the super market and buy it. This got me thinking, have we lost the ability to rely on God for our food. The first century Jews and those before them had to rely on God in getting their food, the first settlers when they came to america had to trust that God would provide them with food. We don't have this mind set any more. We never worry about if it is going to rain or not so our crops will be nourished, we usually care about the rain for our lawns. We never go into the woods wondering if we will come across anything so we can have meat for the long winter months, we just run out and get bread, milk, and toilet paper when we hear their is snow on the way. What would it look like to trust in God in providing for us? What if you planted a garden and planted crops so that you could have food for the winter? Hunted and fished for the sole purpose to keep meat for the winter? I think this would be an interesting idea to pursue and to see how in real life that the Trinitarian God is the God of all.

take 2

This is going to be my second attempt at doing this blog thing. The first time around I was doing to make a name for myself and that was not something I was really liking about why I was doing this. This time around I am using this more just to be able to clear some thoughts out and talk about things that mean something to me. They will range from religion, music, and movies. Maybe with in their hunting, fishing, and golf. Here's to a new year.