A crack in the sidewalk.

 Walking down the sidewalk one day, I saw something interesting: a tree was growing out of a small crack, and it was breaking the concrete itself. In what would seem to be the worst place ever, life was growing, and overcoming the massive odds against it.

In the parable of the sower, the man throwing seeds threw them on all the types of ground. (Luke 8) We should do the same spiritually, because no matter how unlikely the place looks, even if it's paved over with concrete, you never know when that one tiny crack will allow a seed to sprout up with explosive, abundant, powerful growth. Those with the most stacked against them can be the strongest examples. Give them a shot. 

It's all about the fruit.

The parable of the soil that I mentioned from Luke 8 is VERY interesting, but sometimes we can kind of think, "Ok, so the person who is baptized and confesses and yadda yadda, that's the best soil. That's what I'm lookin' for." For romantic interests, it can be tempting to say, "Ok, so I've gotta have this guy/gal become a Christian, then I know it's a definite match made in heaven!"

But the parable is actually a lot more specific than that. In fact, it mentions a rocky soil where there are those who, "when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root;they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away." (13)

So what is the result that God's looking for, and that we should look for in others and in ourselves? Well, the "seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance." (15)

It's all about fruit. If we always fall to temptation, if we never bear fruit for Christ, we're not what we need to be. So let's bear some fruit today! 

Winning people to repentance.

I have a very bad habit. I'm pretty chill in helping new Christians overcome sin, but when I encounter seasoned Christians who are still partying, cussing, or whatever, I lose my ever-loving mind. Yep. I go straight into "THAT'S-SO-HORRIBLE-HERE-LET-ME-BERATE-YOU" mode. Because everyone wants to repent when you clobber them with your own righteousness, right?

Wrong! God sets me straight by saying, "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Rom 2:4)

I want people to overcome, but by being hostile instead of kind, I just drive them away. If you're like me, join me in praying for opportunities to help people repent in the same way that God does—through kindness. Let's win them with kindness, tolerance, and patience. smile emoticon

Winning hearts and minds.

 A lot of wargames (like Axis and Allies) are fun when you totally stomp the enemies. A recent wargame about Vietnam has a feature that's a lot different than most, because it requires you to win "hearts and minds" in order to ever actually win. Basically, it teaches the player about converting the enemy into an ally. God says beautifully,

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit." (Pro 18:21)

We need to realize that our goal is to win hearts and minds—or rather, souls. While we have a "take-no-prisoners" attitude with Satan, we do take those he has as prisoner and help free them from his bondage. Winning souls requires that we win hearts and minds, because people don't care how much we know until they know how much we care.

(PS-This is, I think, my hardest struggle.)