I stayed home from church today. Not because I didn’t want to go, but because I still feel like I was whacked in the head with a sledgehammer and look like a chipmunk after the first of my wisdom teeth got yanked on Friday (another one is coming out next Friday).

I spent some time in the morning working on my Hebrews experiment and then I went outside to potter around in my vege garden to see if I could take my mind off my face-ache. As I was getting elbow deep in fertiliser and making sure my little plants had what they needed to grow well, the most wonderful thing happened. God brought to mind a sermon illustration that I heard the other week. It was a talk given by a guy by the name of John Burke from the Gateway Community Church in Texas. His 45 minute talk revolved around the theme of preparing the soil properly in order to get great flowers to grow. My brain connected to this memory unconsciously when I was literally preparing the soil in my garden. I love it when that happens! I really appreciate it when speakers take the time to incorporate everyday things into their talks so that God can use my subconscious mind to make connections and continually remind me of things that I need to remember or learn. The brain is a fascinating beast

In this case I was reminded of a couple of things…firstly, that if I want to be effective for God, then I have to be willing to get my hands dirty, I have to be willing to get out of my comfortable little world and meet people where they are. The second thing that I was reminded of was that the branch doesn’t bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, so I need to constantly make sure I am connected to God. John Burke conducted an experiment with his congregation called the 60/60 experiment, where he challenged his people to be “radically responsive to God”. I have just discovered they have an interactive website to guide you through the experiment…I might just give that a whack…who can’t use more connection to God?

Anyone care to join me on the 60/60 experiment?

Michelle

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