| Memphis School of Servant Leadership |
| Contact Information: Phone: (901) 320-7005 E-Mail: memphisssl@gmail.com |
| Soulword - Lead Story May 2008 |
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| God Is Good God named the dry ground ‘land’, and he said, ‘I command the earth to produce all kinds of plants including fruit trees and grains.’ And that’s what happened. The earth produced all kinds of vegetation. God looked at what he had done and it was good.” Genesis 1:11-13 I see God in nature, but spring SHOUTS God to me: The crocus that fights its way through the wet leafy ground way before anything should be blooming; the bright yellow forsythia (the first bush you see blooming while it’s still chilly outside); the tulips bright red in a not yet greened up yard. Spring is here and God is good. Spring has brought nesting robins, turtle doves and cow birds to ours and our neighbor’s yards. We have had robins for the last three years nesting on our gutter downspout and this year we were again blessed with four babies. It is amazing to watch them feed and be taken care of by their parents. The robins have nested again and will soon have a second brood. God is good. We planted a small vegetable garden in our Cooper-Young backyard last week. The robins were grateful for the un-earthed worm buffet available that day. The beans and sugar snap peas are beginning to creep their way up the poles and the tomato plants already have a couple of blooms; the new life of God’s creation just as He/She commanded. Nothing beats picking a cherry tomato right off the vine and popping it in your mouth. With a bit of luck, watering and weeding, we hope to have an abundance of tomatoes and bean and peas to share with neighbors. God is good. In the Binghampton area where I work, there are several ‘community gardens’. One, “The McMerton Gardens,” is next to the Servant Leadership School. A third of a parking lot and the entire yard across the street, are now filled with “box gardens” and rows of strawberries, beans, tomatoes, gourds, lettuce, broccoli, mustard greens and melons. God is good. Community gardens, of course, are more than just gardens. They often improve the looks of our neighborhoods by using a previously vacant and neglected lot. And…they can be places for building community, where friends and neighbors share in the work of creation and enjoy both fellowship and bounty. God is good. With the rising cost of food and fuel these gardens can save us money, but community gardens are about more than saving money or even the delight of growing our own, more tasty food. With the ecological costs of transporting food across the country, community gardening is also an act of care for the creation – the good creation – that God has given. Spring has arrived with birds, hopefully with bees, and with “all kinds of vegetation.” God is good. My hope and prayer is that we will receive these amazing gifts and be good stewards of both the earth and one another. Nancy Wiers |