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On the Road with Dan May 2020

by | May 4, 2020 | North District Notes, Conference Newsletter, North District Web Page

When the heat’s on — the flowers bloom.

When traveling the roads across the district in springtime, I marvel at the desert in bloom.  God’s creation is spectacular.

Yellow Flowers

In this season of isolation, when I am now “off-roading,” I have been enjoying the spring flowers which bring fresh life into the landscape of my backyard. They represent hope and rebirth. I find it good for the soul to dig in the earth (OK chisel) and nurture forth life in the garden.

Then, this year, the temperatures suddenly spiked; jumping to the century mark sooner than usual and higher than wanted. In the southwest, the temperature came up against, and in some places exceeded, a record high earlier in the year than ever recorded.

When the heat hit, something happened in the garden, which is always a marvel — new flowers came into bloom. Yellow Jubilee Bells. Chaste Bush. Lantana. Brakelights Yucca. Hotlips Salvia.

We complain as the temperatures climb and the heat is on, while the desert plants open up in brilliant blooms.

When the period of isolation began during Covid19, our churches ceased in-person worship. However, our churches did not close-up, but opened-up in new ways. Beautiful, brilliant blooms began to present. Innovative ways of worshiping on-line and at-home were immediately created.

It is remarkable what disciple-leaders do in the face of adversity and challenge.  Disciples rise to the new day with a  prayer — “OK God, what new thing are you calling us to today?” In reality, it is not as smooth as pushing a spade into moist, soft soil to plant new seeds. We are accustomed to needing to do some chiseling in the hard soils. In the first days and weeks of isolation, as we learned and re-tooled, it was especially challenging and wearisome. However, we now see the new blooms.

It is remarkable how the Spirit works in such times of adversity. Perhaps it is mostly due to the reality that it is not until the challenge is before us and the heat is on, that we are willing to adapt to something new which the Spirit has been calling us into all along. I have understood that the expression, “necessity is the mother of invention,” means that people are more inspired to create something new when they have to, rather than when they simply desire to.

Perhaps digging into what motivates and inspires is deeper than we can go at this time on the road with Dan. Only you can go into your heart and soul for that discovery.  Or… on this coming Mother’s Day — ask Mom. Plato said that she is the source of invention and ingenuity.  Or, maybe it was SchoolHouse Rock that gave that interpretation — Schoolhouse Rock  Mother Necessity.

How does the Spirit inspire you into blooming when the heat is on? Is it through Mom, Key Scripture, the Deadline, Necessity, Faithful Friends, Prayerful Pondering…

In the Fragrance of Christ,
dan-signature

 

 

Dan

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
(2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

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Author: Dan Morley

The Desert Southwest Conference is a diverse and loving organization with open doors to a variety of people and partners in ministry. Celebrating our connection and diversity, we offer various resources. Content on this site includes information from other organizations that may not reflect the official policies or Social Principles of The United Methodist Church or the Desert Southwest Conference.

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