You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. – Ephesians 5:8-9

Over the past few days I have tried to make good use of the cooler mornings by taking care of some of that long overdue weeding.

Then Saturday I started to wonder about how someone like Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn might turn such a situation to his favor.

“Get your premium landscaping weeds right here,” Huck would have said, “Free to a good home. Pick our own.”

I try it on with a guy passing by on the sidewalk. “Take as many as you want,” I say. But he doesn’t bite.

It’s not like I hadn’t already weeded both these beds back in the spring. I thought I had taken care of everything, but apparently it’s not enough just to pull stuff out then hope for the best. Ongoing prevention is key otherwise we are right back where we started. And we were, only more so.

Hence the mulch this time around. And more focused attention going forward. And the fresh supply of weed-killer from the garden supply store.

Because there is no such things as stasis in the garden. The garden is alive. What was I thinking! Change and growth are embedded in the definition of life! The work of a gardener is not complete after the first set of weeds are pulled any more than “doing” Christianity is something we can forget about the day after we sign on as a disciple.

Like, “I gave my life to Jesus 38-years ago, so I’m good to go.” No, you’re not.

And (note to my Baptist friends) this had got nothing to do with the debate around ideas such as “Once saved always saved.” Because “saved” is a fairly useless concept if our only agenda is getting to heaven when we die.

Getting to heaven when we die is not nearly so important as “Living like we mean it” today (because God certainly meant it when we were imagined, designed, created and then gifted to this Good Earth). Salvation is not something static and “done” but something alive and active; it’s about joining in with God, participating in God’s initiatives of love, light, mercy, grace, goodness, justice, healing and so much more….

So where was I? Oh yes, weeds! Sorry, at times I get a little sidetracked.

Anyway, there is no standing still in the garden and there is no sitting around in our lives as complete, whole, redeemed people. Waiting around for heaven later was never the plan. Participating in the good news story of light and love now is.

Sharing the Good News now! Today. This is it! – DEREK

Waiting around for heaven later was never the plan. Participating in the good news story of light and love now is.