BY GREG MILLER
One of Pastor Larry’s favorite summertime hobbies was caring for the garden he planted adjacent to his country home.
Pastor Larry planted a variety of vegetables, including beets, corn, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans. The pastor was depending on the Lord for adequate rain and sunshine for his crops to grow into the healthy, tasty veggies his family loved.
“Lord,” he prayed, “please send the proper amount of rain at the correct times for these crops so I can harvest them when I need to do so. And give me the strength to pull the weeds and provide the additional care the vegetables need until I harvest them.”
Pastor Larry realized that, just as there were harvests of vegetables to be gained from his garden, spiritual harvests of souls were available for the church he served as pastor. “Lord, give me the strength to cultivate the church garden so that a proper spiritual harvest can come forth,” he prayed.
Just as Pastor Larry prayed for rain for the crops in his garden, he prayed for God to send the rain of the Holy Spirit to water the congregation with His presence. He also prayed that the light from Jesus, God’s son, would shine forth from the congregation and touch the community so many more people would accept Him as their savior.
With God-given rain and sunshine, the vegetables in the garden next to Pastor Larry’s house grew rapidly. Each vegetable was harvested in gigantic amounts, enough to supply the pastor, his family and the entire neighborhood with healthy food throughout the following winter.
Every member of Pastor Larry’s family was partial to a particular vegetable. The pastor’s wife, Loretta’s favorite vegetable was the cucumber. “I love to mix cucumbers in my salads at lunch,” she said. “And cucumbers made into pickles are a great complement for any sandwich.”
“Green is my favorite color, so naturally, peas and green beans are my go-to vegetables,” said Lorna, the daughter of Pastor Larry and Loretta.
Lorna’s sister, Lana, said red tomatoes were her favorite vegetable. “Tomatoes are so tasty and juicy,” Lana said. “And red reminds me of Jesus’ blood that was shed to save me from sin.”
Pastor Larry’s favorite vegetable was corn. “There’s nothing like an ear of crunchy yellow corn on the cob to satisfy my hunger,” he said.
“Plus, sometimes I like to tell jokes that not everyone thinks is funny. So my preference for corn is perfectly natural, since some people think my humor isn’t funny. They say it’s actually pretty corny!”
(To contact the writer of this column about speaking engagements (in the U.S.A.), including Christian Comedy Fundraising Outreaches, Christian Creativity Seminars and/or puppet ministry, please type “Speaking Engagements” in the subject line and e-mail raysofson@gmail.com, kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com or ministry4jesus@yahoo.com.)