No Fruit, Rotten Fruit or Good Useful Fruit

When I lived in Chattanooga, I had some really big Bradford pear trees in my yard. They were so overgrown when we moved in, one of my first yard work tasks was to tame them. So, I cut them way back. The next year they bloomed so beautifully.  But a week or two later the blooms fell off and began to stink.  They smelled like a cross between bad preteen-slider-eating-boy-in-plastic-shoes kind of foot odor and week old diaper genie bag sitting in a hot wet trashcan.  Those trees looked really good, but they produced no fruit and they smelled bad. It made you want to avoid being near them.

Since moving to Ohio, I have discovered that many yards have apple trees, many with big red, sweet and tart delicious apples.  But in several of the yards, the apples had just fallen to the ground, rotted and begun to smell.  Those trees were full of apples, but the fruit they produced had just been neglected and left to decompose on the ground.

My daughter, the paleo-test-kitchen-chef, who my other daughter says "is too skinny for skinny jeans," actually picked some of the apples off a tree and made wonderful-whole-house-smelling, delicious-can't-stop-eating, gluten free, apple pop-tarts and strudels. She completed the process, making the fruit nourishing and enjoyable to others.

So, where is this discipleship pastor going with this orchard observation?  You knew there had to be an illustration somewhere. Here we go: some Bradford pear churches look really good, but they produce no useful fruit, they just look beautiful for a while, but then drop their blooms and begin to stink... people eventually discover that the beauty is all a facade and stay away.  Other churches look good and produce good fruit, but then the fruit is left to rot and it is no longer useful... people come and have great potential, but there is no mentoring or discipling going on, so the fruit is wasted.  But some churches produce useful fruit and actually use it to make something wonderful, nourishing and enjoyable to others... people are discipled; they not only look good, smell good and taste good, they  really are good and do good. They are developed to make a difference in the lives of others.

Jesus gives a warning in one of His parables about wasting valuable fertile soil space in  Luke 13:6-9 ... “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. ⁷  He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil??’ ⁸
 “But he replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹  Perhaps it will produce fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.’”  

The vineyard owner was full of grace, he expected fruit every year, but for three years it never produced. The vineyard worker showed even more grace and said, "I will fertilize it." But after a total of four years and some extra attention, if it doesn't produce, it will be cut down.

Churches all over the US are closing their doors.  Some looked really good, "back in the day," but now they are producing little to nothing and/or what they are producing is going to waste.  Let's add some fertilizer, produce some fruit, make that fruit useful and see if there is some hope of production, before it's too late.

John 15:1-8 (CSBBible)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²  Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. ³  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴  Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. ⁵  I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. ⁶  If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. ⁸  My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

Farewell My Friend

While many men collect many different things. Jim had a different passion.

Some men collect golf trophies, hunting trophies and tennis trophies. Some even collect trophy wives. But Jim collected trophies of grace. He loved the Lord and thrilled to see people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Then he loved to see them grow up in faith. He loved to tell people that my wife was one of those trophies of grace.

Here is one story that could be repeated over and over by people all over the country. My wife Anita was new to Brentwood as a high schooler.  Jim was the minister of youth at Brentwood Baptist. Jim visited Anita's house and personally invited Anita and her brother to church and youth activities. At the same time Jim was discipling Allyson, who would soon disciple Anita and several others in Christ.  Allyson ended up at Seminary and is now serving the New England Baptist Convention as a Student Ministry specialist. She has now discipled many generations of students. Anita ended up at seminary with yours truly and she has discipled scores of people too. Jim loved Jesus Christ and the fruit of his ministry is being passed down from generation to generation.

I remember the first time I met Jim, it was before I went to seminary and Anita and I drove from Knoxville to Chattanooga. He had brought his youth group from L.A., i.e. Lower Alabama, to Covenant College to student camp. He was so encouraging to me and told me to definitely move forward to seminary.

The second time I met Jim was when Anita and I had gone to Southwestern Seminary, he happened to be in Fort Worth on business and took us to dinner at Joe T. Garcia’s. He loved his Mexican food. We had enjoyed the meal and he was about to pick up the check and I jokingly told him that God had told me to buy his lunch and I pulled out a credit card. He laughed and called me a liar and said God knows everything and knows that Joe T. Garcia’s doesn’t take credit cards.

I loved how Jim didn’t pull any punches, he always told it like it was. Even when it got him into trouble he was going to tell the truth about a situation. You always knew where you stood with Jim. He would call out your sin and laugh, but you also knew he loved you no matter what.

When he moved back to Nashville. He was looking for another ministry opportunity. I had just taken a senior pastor position and knew that I would love to have him help with the students even if we could only afford part time, while he continued his job search.The church voted on him and we got to watch as he loved those kids just like he had all the others before.

Jim  mentored me well for almost 30 years. Jim has spiritual children and grandchildren around the world who are pastors, denominational leaders, teachers, deacons, and strong Jesus followers in the secular world. 

Jim was not perfect,  he never claimed to be but he always pointed to the grace of Jesus. Jim's road was not easy, yet he always persevered. Cancer took him too soon, but we have to trust that God’s timing is always right. 

Jim loved students and loved to see them grow toward Christ. He especially liked the hard cases... those who were too cool, too shy, too messed up or too angry. Which is probably why he agreed to mentor me! He never gave up on anyone. He always had hope and gave that hope to those around him. He loved his Mexican food, his ministry and his Jesus. 

Jim,  We will miss you, but we are confident that the One who saved you has saved us too and we will spend all eternity with Him. Farewell my friend!

Parenting Safari

As our family grew I lost any of the coolness that I ever thought I had.  As more bundles of joy began blessing our home, the first thing to go was the sporty SUV.  We needed something much more practical, a Minivan.  We started with two old Chrysler Town and Countrys with wood panel decals, then finally a GMC Safari. That van had three rows of “don’t make me come back there” seating for 8. It was “so not cool”, but we discovered that the minivan was a great place to disciple our kids. They were captive in car seats, they had no control over the audio, and it was the first place Mom could help them process what happened at school, sports practice, or a friend’s house.

With four kids, we were always going somewhere… school, soccer, dance, swim, church and long trips to see the relatives. The minivan became a little chapel on wheels for our kids and their friends. We began with an opening prayer for a “hedge of protection” around our vehicle. As you can imagine, these preacher’s kids also had to listen to Bible Songs, Kids’ Praise music, and every episode of Veggietales. (And if you turned it up loud enough it would drown out even the most obnoxious whining.) When it was a bad day, conversations were steered toward God’s amazing love and forgiveness. When there were challenges to be faced the next day with a tough assignment or a difficult classmate, the discussion turned toward a Biblical life lesson. And when an ambulance came by we prayed for anyone who was hurt. The kids soon learned scripture and godly values as they rode around.

But don't get the wrong impression, just like most "churches," we also had our share of dysfunctional behavior in that van. Short tempered parents spewing angry outbursts at kids who were doing the best they could at the moment. Selfish choices to not share the snack or whatever. Sippy-cups thrown at siblings. Stopping at every other exit on a 2 hour trip, because, despite the warnings, at least one of them didn't use the restroom at the last stop. We definitely weren't the most emotionally or spiritually healthy van on the road, however, by God's grace He used it to help disciple all of us.

We were learning to share cheetos in that van, and to respect each other, and wait our turn to talk. We had a lot of joy in that van too... Singing together (we are definitely not the Von Trapp family) and we often got to hear the latest joke or funny incident at school.

Perhaps some of the most important discipling came during middle school carpools. My wife would sit, listen and gently steer the conversation back to something more healthy when the language took a turn for the worse.Once, my wife had a daily 45 minute commute each way to the gym with 7 middle school cheerleaders. She was not sure what kind of impact her driver’s seat discipling had made on these girls from various family backgrounds. But when one of them broke her elbow trying to do a handspring, they all ran straight to my wife asking for prayer and looking to her for support.  

Maybe that rolling Bible-to-life-lesson classroom in the uncool van did make a difference… our adult children still want to follow Jesus...

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (NIV) Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you go along the road... 

This article appeared in GoodNews Christian Magazine March 2018, Page 22. https://issuu.com/goodnewschatt/docs/chattanooga_march_2018

Sometimes God Has To Write It In The Sky

Our first (and only) time to go to Disney as a family, we had talked to all of our friends who were Disney fanatics. They told us how to make reservations to the resort and to the best dinner places around the parks, about the Disney dining plan, about how to ride all the best rides, how to make your dollar go further, what days to do the park hopper, where to see the fireworks and parades, transportation to the park, how to stay late, how to see the characters. These people knew everything. So, with much fear and trepidation I said, “okay Anita make the reservation.”

My wife did all her homework and made reservations for us. Of course, for the McGinnis clan we have to have enough room to sleep 6. So, Anita gets a really great Disney representative on the phone who set us up with adjoining rooms, a reasonable meal plan and park passes for 4 days for a reasonable price.

We always try to stay positive for our kids. When they are anxious we try to remind them of Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV), which says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” However, God usually has to remind me too.

 On the long drive to Orlando, I start getting anxious. I’m thinking, “We are going to get there and the plans are going to fall apart.” I was thinking “Wow, I am so Disney ignorant. What happens if we have a terrible time? I will have wasted all this money and all this time and we didn’t get any closer as a family.”

 We get to “the happiest place on earth” the night before our first park day. I get a few hours of restless sleep at the All-star Value Resort and the next morning I get up and go poolside to do my regular quiet time. So, in my journal I talk to God about my worries and anxieties about us going to the Disney parks for 4 days with 4 kids. Finally, in desperation I write, “Okay God, if this is all going to work out, You are just going to have to write it in the sky.”

 So, we get in the Safari van and head to the park. As we are driving into the parking lot, the kids say, “Hey dad, that airplane is writing letters in the sky.” It says, T.R.U.S.T and under it is says, J.E.S.U.S.” So, the rest of the week, I did. I had that peace that guards your hearts and minds. I didn’t need secret insider knowledge of Disney. All I needed was Jesus. Now, whenever I get anxious about anything, my wife and kids say, “hey dad, that airplane is writing words in the sky.”

This article appeared on page 24 of the GoodNews Chattanooga Magazine in May 2018, click here to see it.

PS.  My oldest daughter later returned to Disney for the Disney College Program.  She loved it and she was "friends with" Pluto, Cinderella, the Easter Bunny, and Rafiki.  She too had many opportunities to TRUST JESUS while she lived and worked at the Happiest Place on Earth.