Monthly Archives: March 2011

Growing weeds is easy

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By Gary D. Myers

Growing weeds is easy. If you don’t believe it, I’d like to show you my yard, my flower beds and my garden. Growing weeds is especially easy in the Big Easy. It’s barely spring and I already have a bumper crop.

But I have put my four years of FFA training and the peanut farming experience of my youth to good use as I battle weeds in Gentilly. I constantly pull weeds in my front yard … carefully removing the roots as well. I also put out “weed and feed” several times a year to kill the weeds and help my grass thrive. And my hard work and excellent training experience shows – a little. But my yard still has lots of weeds, because growing weeds is easy. If I left the weeds unchecked, they would take over the entire yard.

I love the way Proverbs 24:30-34 puts it: “I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”

Weeds are ugly, but that’s not the only reason we engage in this epic battle. Weeds are much more than ugly. Weeds will take over and choke out the good things we are trying to grow – grass, vegetables and flowers. So we pull the weeds and work hard to cultivate the good plants in order to achieve our desired results.

Growing “weeds” is easy in our spiritual life too. We want to produce fruit but often find the ground of our hearts is filled with weeds.

Salvation from sin is a free gift from God made possible through Jesus Christ. He calls us and He saves us. This relationship comes through faith. It is not something we can earn or lose. Once we have entered a relationship with Christ, though, our discipleship and growth requires discipline, diligence and obedience.

Just a little folding of the hands leads to a “weedy” life. Getting self-righteous, satisfied and complacent is dangerous. The weeds come in through sins of commission (doing what we know is wrong) and sins of omission (not doing what we know we should). Weeds also come when we allow the temporal, earthly things to consume our thoughts and distract us from our mission – “Go ye therefore …” We must pull the weeds daily by seeking God in the scriptures and by confessing the sins His Spirit reveals.

God’s Word is the best “weed and feed” available for the soul. Reading and meditating on God’s Word chokes out the bad stuff and helps the good things flourish. I find Colossians 3 and 4 especially encouraging on this issue. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul reminds us of what Christ has done for us and what we should avoid. But more than simply pointing out “thou shall nots,” the text is filled with purpose.

First Paul promotes spiritual growth for individuals and for the community of believers. It seems that our brothers and sisters play a role in helping us pull our weeds.

Colossians 3:12: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Colossians 3:15-17: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Then Paul asks for prayer as he seeks to spread the gospel.

Colossians 4:2-3: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.”

When weeds grow unchecked in our lives, they don’t leave much room for spiritual fruit to grow.  With our lives full of weeds, we’re not ready (or able) to proclaim the mystery of Christ to our friends and neighbors. But as we battle the weeds on a daily basis – as we pray, read, trust and follow – we develop a deeper, richer relationship with Christ. And that’s what it’s really about, living lives that bring glory to God and that offer a fruitful witness to those around us.

Lent: Spiritual Spring Cleaning

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By Byron Townsend

Byron Townsend

Editor’s Note: Byron Townsend, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, is leading his church family through a series of Lenten devotions. Lent runs this year from March 9 through April 24, Easter Sunday. This installment of Geaux Therefore has been adapted from Grace Church’s first Lenten devotional.

Spring Cleaning for the Church

Lent season is a built-in “spring cleaning” season of the Church. The word Lent comes from the Middle English word lente, meaning “spring.” Also, the word lenten means “lengthening,” a term used to describe the days becoming longer. As the trees and plants use springtime to recover from wintry death, so Christians use Lent season to recover from being in a spiritual rut. We examine, fertilize and prune the “fruit” of our heart. Of course, the Holy Spirit does the examining and pruning. Our part is found in “work our your salvation with fear and trembling.” The increasing awareness of our selfishness (sin) is painful, but as Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

‘Tis the Season

The Church calendar is divided into different seasons. The most common are Advent, Christmas, Lenten and Easter. The Church calendar is a great educational and devotional tool that provides a balanced spiritual diet for Christ-followers. For instance, during the year we:

(1) reflect upon and worship the God who delivers His people (Advent)

(2) celebrate that God has become human (Christmas)

(3) confess, repent and renew ourselves to God’s mission (Lent)

(4) celebrate the Resurrection and our role in God’s mission (Easter)

Fasting & Feasting

Beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on the Saturday before Easter Sunday, Lent season is 40 days long. The 40 days correlate with the 40 days of temptation, prayer, fasting and preparation Jesus endured (as found in Matthew 4). Lent is commonly known as a time when – in remembering our Lord’s fast – we fast or “give-up” an activity, food or drink. The purpose is not just to abstain, but to direct the desire normally reserved for that activity, food or drink toward communion in Christ. Sitting quietly in His presence. Listening to His voice. Examining ourselves. Confessing sin. Repenting of sin. Renewing our lives to following Him. Worshiping Jesus.

The six Sundays are known as the Sundays in Lent. They do not count towards the 40 days. Sundays are a feast day, a day that Christians have been celebrating ever since the Sunday Resurrection of Jesus. If you are fasting from an activity, food or beverage during Lent, feel free to enjoy it on Sunday. You will find that as a result of your increased enjoyment of Jesus – the Eternal King – your delight in that temporary thing will be more meaningful.

Last year, I fasted from coffee. Because my body was accustomed to a daily (over)dose of caffeine, I endured an initial two or three days of painful headaches. I was able to use those headaches as a vehicle to contemplate the pain Jesus endured while on earth, ultimately being damned by God, bearing wrath for my sin – what a Savior! The six best cups of coffee I drank last year were on the Sundays in Lent. It wasn’t just a caffeine fix, it was an act that stirred my affections for Christ.

We Learn To Live When We Learn To Die

Traditionally, these 40 weekdays were used as a time of preparation for baptism candidates. The candidates would spend time in prayer and devotion, preparing to make their public confession of faith in Jesus. As the Scriptures teach, baptism symbolizes death – “Buried with Christ in baptism and raised to walk in newness of life.”

Eventually this time of preparation spread to those who had already made a public confession of faith in Christ. Hence it is also our 40 day journey into the wilderness, preparing ourselves for confession, repentance and renewal to God’s mission. We will end our journey at the bloody Cross upon which Jesus died. We will discover that life is found in death. Jesus said “you will not find your life until you lose your life for My sake.” Good Friday is a dark day. It is a difficult day. It is a day of death. It should have been my death. Instead, it was His death caused by my sin.

But through His death, Jesus lives. The Resurrection has occurred! The grave has been conquered! Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. With each passing day, the death of death becomes closer. In our earthly sojourn, we must die in Christ’s death in order to find life in Christ’s Resurrection. There is no Resurrection without a Cross.

It is impossible to fully celebrate the joy of Easter Sunday until we have fully embraced the reality of Good Friday.

The question to answer today is this: What thing (activity, attitude, food or drink) stirs my affections more deeply than my affections for Jesus?

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For a more detailed understanding of the Church year, check out http://www.crivoice.org/chyear.html. Grace Baptist Church is located at 630 Richland Avenue, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806. Follow Grace Church on Twitter @GraceBatonRouge.

Memoirs of a Mardi Gras maniac

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Mardi Gras fell on March 8 in 2011, which is the second latest day it can fall on.

By Frank Michael McCormack Jr.

I’m not ashamed to admit it: Carnival season is one of my favorite times of the year. Some of my favorite New Orleans memories and traditions are tied to Mardi Gras. And with Mardi Gras 2011 now in the rearview mirror, I’ve been reflecting on some of my Carnival memories from the past few years. These are just a few:

First impressions

For all the hardships faced in 2005, Jennifer and I will always remember that year for our first taste of Carnival. It was a season of introductions – to King Cakes, to parades, and to leftover bags of beads. Just going to the parades was an adventure to us newcomers, not to mention the colorful floats, awesome throws and epic people watching.

Ground rules

I had a professor once who, when introducing Mardi Gras to students from outside Louisiana, said, “When it comes to Mardi Gras, you find what you look for.”

Coconut, King Cake and lace

In 2006, though still exiled in Chattanooga, Tenn., we were determined to make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Just six months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans was still a wreck in February 2006. But Mardi Gras gave the city a chance to prove that things really were getting better, and it was a way for us to prove to ourselves that we were on the mend as well.

We set out that Mardi Gras day with one goal: to get a Zulu coconut. On Mardi Gras day, the Krewe of Zulu parades first and is followed by Rex, King of Carnival. Zulu is famous, among other things, for its painted coconuts that riders pass out.

Jen and I worked hard to talk rider after rider into bestowing upon us a blessed coconut. We were coming up empty. Jennifer tried to charm a six year old girl on one float. When a mischievous grin appeared on the girl’s face, we thought she was about to pass Jen a coconut. Instead, the little girl dropped some lacy Zulu underwear into Jen’s upheld hands. Not quite what she was expecting.

Farther down the parade route, I offered the same girl’s dad a King Cake in exchange for a coconut. Apparently they only had one left and it was one the little girl had decorated. So the dad handed the cake to the girl, who carefully examined it for a couple minutes, then gave an approving nod. Success! We had a coconut and some underwear to boot.

Familiar faces and places

So much about Mardi Gras revolves around family, friends and traditions. We only have seven Carnivals under our belt, but even we have a few. 1) Our parking spot. It’s amazing. Same spot every year. I don’t understand why no one else has discovered this spot. But I’ll never tell. 2) Every year we set up around the Lutheran church near St. Charles and Jackson Avenues. We see the same people each year, like the dress guy and his wife who knows everyone in Zulu, the Blues Brother, Captain America and Wonder Woman. 3) Our lunch spot: the Popeye’s on Paris Avenue. We love it because many of the Zulu paraders show up after the parade.

Spike Lee and Lombardi Gras

The Saint’s Super Bowl win in February 2010 jumpstarted a unique Mardi Gras. From the victory parade that featured signature floats from all the big parades to Saints coaches and players riding in the parades, it was a Carnival like no other. Mardi Gras already carries a spirit of unity among the paraders and people along the parade route. The Super Bowl championship only heightened that feeling of unity. Everyone came out to see “Our Boys” on parade. We even ran into Spike Lee, who was documenting Lombardi Gras.

From King Cakes to fried fish

Mardi Gras is also special for what comes afterwards, particularly with regard to the menu. Lent, which begins on the Wednesday after Fat Tuesday, signals seasonal Friday fish fries and superb St. Patrick’s Day parades. At the Irish, Italian (and Islenos) parades, watch for flying potatoes, cabbages and other produce. You can eat for weeks off of what you catch. Look for a fish fry at your neighborhood Catholic church.

Connecting Carnival to Lent

Mardi Gras may be one of my favorite times of the year, but it’s Carnival’s place in the broader liturgical calendar that I especially enjoy. I love having so much of the year organized around the story line of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.

When it comes to Mardi Gras, though, people too often settle for one of two extremes.

On one side are those who object to Mardi Gras altogether and believe that any parading puts you on the path to personal disaster. These people often claim they’re pro-Lent but anti-Carnival.

On the other side are those who revel in Mardi Gras with no observance of Lent.

I for one think the two go together quite well. It’s hard to observe Lent – a time of introspection, penitence and self denial – without first feasting. And the Carnival celebration lacks much of its meaning without being juxtaposed with a sober appraisal of one’s relationship with God.

The power of both lies in the contrast of one to the other.

For those who wholeheartedly object to the feasting and revelry of Mardi Gras, let’s just be honest: For most of us, everyday is Fat Tuesday. We all live indulgent lives compared to most of the world. Maybe it’s good to revel in that for a season each year to remind us of our tendency toward greediness and also to celebrate how precious life is.

After all, each day we live in a world where Jesus was born in a manger, yet we set aside a specific season each year to commemorate it. And each day we live in a world where Jesus was raised from the dead, yet we dedicate one Sunday each year to celebrate it.

And each day we live in a world full of sunshine and friends and food and family – all of which are priceless gifts from God. With that in view, Carnival season takes on a much deeper meaning, especially when teamed with Lent.

On the other hand, many shy away from dedicating the 40 days of Lent to serious, honest, inward examination and some kind of self denial. Seeking to see ourselves as God sees us, after all, can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable. But Lenten introspection should also remind us of God’s love and motivate us to a deeper relationship with him.

During Lent, some people deny themselves a favorite treat, like chocolate or ice cream. Others fast from all food or from meat on Fridays. Those things are certainly admirable (and often very difficult), but don’t forget to connect the spiritual dots. We deny ourselves simple pleasures during Lent to point us to Jesus, who “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross,” as Philippians 2 says. Lent leads us first to Good Friday, then to Easter Sunday.

So as we embark on this Lenten season, consider this challenge from New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond. Archbishop Aymond has called Christians to a threefold observance of Lent this year. First, identify something from which to abstain. Second, identify a new action or discipline to begin that will deepen your relationship with God. And third, devote time to pray specifically for the issue of violence in the New Orleans community.

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Click below to see some sights and sounds from Mardi Gras: