headline hoarder confessions

i don't read books
definitely not fiction

but i do read headlines
and i do read obituaries
and watch reality tv

several years ago i was convicted
by the notion of fiction
why would we lose ourselves in fiction?
is there not enough going on in reality?
and at that point
i suspended my fascination with
CSI series, Law & Order series, and all things fiction

and now i can easily hold a conversation
about most any headline news story
i like to know what's going on
i was one of those kids
who always wanted to sit with the adults and listen
and it seems it's a legacy i'm passing on ;)

but this morning i was convicted

i'm super frustrated with our economy and government
and so many things that are directly out of my control

at 8:30a this morning
from the comfort of my kitchen
i listened to a similar story
from Luke 13:1-5
people came to Jesus
frustrated with the government
discouraged by senseless violence and killings
expecting that Jesus could and would do something about all that
...so true yet today thousands of years later

but Jesus response had nothing to do with the government
He didn't even acknowledge their headline frustrations

His focus was turned to them as individuals
the condition of their own heart

convicted

it's so much easier to talk about what's going on in the news
to listen to and expand upon those stories going on with others
rather than to listen to
reflect upon
and share our own stories

i love analogies
and Jesus shared so many of them (aka parables)

short stories packed full of relevant impact

Luke 13:6-9 i could relate too

i like to garden
in fact i was just looking through the spring catalogs
there was a flower i love the photo of
but then read that it wouldn't bloom the first season
ridiculous i thought! i'm not spending money on that!

in Jesus parable
He tells story of a tree that hadn't produced fruit for 3 years
note, it wasn't expected to bear edible fruit until after 6 years
so in total it hadn't shown any fruit for 9 years!
meanwhile it was sucking nutrients from the ground
taking those nutrients away from other vegetation
that's ridiculously inefficient
it was time to cut the tree down!
i completely logically agree
but the gardener said let's surround it with manure
and give it a final chance
give it 1 more year to turnaround and begin bearing fruit
or then chop it down. period.

how patient am i with God?
how patient am i with the people and relationships around me?
am i sucking life out of my environment while giving little in return?
what stinky shit has come upon me? did i use it to grow?
am i bearing fruit?
when given 1 more opportunity to turnaround, do i?
am i generously giving turnaround opportunities to others?
and as a headline hoarder
am i more concerned with other gardens?
or am i focused on my own?

one of our family devotion songs is "The Fruit of the Spirit"
below is what it looks like (and not look like) to bear fruit
Love (dislike, disregard, disgust)
Joy (sad, unhappy)
Peace (disagreement, fighting)
Patience (frustration, intolerance)
Kindness (harsh, mean)
Goodness (greedy, selfish)
Faithfulness (careless, apathetic, dishonest, indifferent)
Gentleness (impolite, hurtful, ungracious)
Self-Control (agitated, rash, indulgent, imbalance)

this week i'll focus on me
what would the tvz headlines be each day this coming week?
am i generating and sharing a harvest of fruit?

convicted & repentant,
tvz