Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sowing for a Hopeful Harvest

Just in from a great morning of worship at Canton Baptist Temple; yet another blessing in so many ways.  The Pastor's sermon today was on the parable of sowing seeds, some of which landed on bad soil and some on good but only a few took root and bore a bounty. I have heard that parable about a million times but today the real message of the earthly story with a heavenly meaning, a parable, became especially personal to me. 

As I listened to Pastor Frazier deliver that message so eloquently, my mind began to really think about who had sown the seeds of God's Love on me that was then watered to allow a true touch of the Master Grower.  Many names raced through my mind and the special touch had on me but three stood out in my mind's eye as having really put a sense of direction into my life.  Those seeds at times did not come to me easily nor without frustration for the sowers but all were diligent in their respective gifts in how and when they cast their seed onto my soil.

Let me begin by stating that on August 15, 1960 at the Forrest Avenue Baptist Church in Gadsden, AL at the age of twelve, the seeds that had been sown in me were watered with that special water by an evangelist named Max Morris on very not night in an outside revival.  While there was much I did not understand, what I did know is that something very real changed in my life; it was called Salvation and I have never forgotten the swelling inside my heart that hot night. That night is as real to me as this being my daughter's birthday is today so it must have been very special to me now over fifty years later.

But let me talk about the sowers that led me to the harvest in that Summer of 1960.  There were three. All very unique. All very different. All very pure in their motives for wanting the best for me and from me. There were two women and a dear, sweet man.  Two were educated, one was not.  One was somewhat handicapped, two were filled with passion in their own regards and focus. All three were passionate about their church and their pastor and their Lord and all three were passionate about me!

Glen Avery, Ruth Epley and Zeddie Morton; a trio in a vast choir of voices the filled my memory band in so many ways but three very special voices that God used to move me toward that place that only He could lead me.  Mr. Avery was a kind, gentle man that I knew loved me even when I was a young very active little boy. Sitting in his Sunday School class making noise, leaning back in my chair, hands always active; I heard his stories of David, Samson, Jesus and Paul and many others.  He was a rural man that would use words in a very rural way but I knew from his gentleness and kindness toward me, he really loved me.  I realized years later just how much that amplification of love from an adult man was so important for that was never part of my life as I grew up.  I, like all I realize, yearn for that type of love even though we might not realize it at the time.  Mr. Avery fathered two wonderful, beautiful daughters, one of which is a great FB friend today.  Those girls were so blessed to have him as their dad but in a very special way, they have a brother in me for I considered Mr. Avery as that father I always wanted and needed. My only regret is that I did not have the opportunity to tell him all of this before he left this world. But because of him, I will have that chance one day; that I know! Mr. Avery, I love you for your Godly touch on my heart and my life. Whatever I have done in this world, you have great stake and contribution into that yield of this seed you sowed.

Mrs. Ruth Epley was a tough love, frank, focused lover of music that loved to teach the kids in the Junior Department the songs from the green song book.  It was from this ministry and her stern approach to doing it right that I realized I have a love for music and for singing. Of course, I was mortally scared to death of her and justifiably so but she never turned her back on me, never acted like I was not important and taught me to love music.  Every time I sing today, there is that moment when Mrs. Epley will flash through my mind. I mowed her lawn for several years a few later after the Junior Department and learned how much she and her husband, both educators, cared for young people and yes, especially me. We would spend hours after the grass was cut singing, talking about the Bible and how much we loved our church.  So the sowing from Mrs. Epley has resulted in singing many songs to many, many people through years but not about the singing but about the message of Jesus in the music. So my prayer is that with each song, another person is being prepared for service to the Kingdom one day.  Thank you, Mrs. Epley. We will do some duets again one day; promise!



So the question then is what seeds are you sowing? I have come to realize with each semester that that is exactly what God has both gifted me to do and positioned me to be able to do which is to sow seeds of hope to the hopeless, joy to the hurting and water to the thirsty in my teaching and in my singing ministry.  Mr. Avery, Mrs. Epley and Mrs Morton all are stakeholders to my ministry. There are so many others names like Mr. Berry, Mr. & Mrs. Cowan, Mrs. Baker; the list is long but today God brought the essence of the three I have written about clearly to my heart and I wanted this to be written on my daughter's birthday for some special reason.

God is so good! God has a garden so full of blessings if you seek the harvest but that harvest begins with the seeds and the sowing.  Are you sowing seeds of goodness, caring, hope and love?

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