Between the Seed and the Tree
by Virginia Knowles
A seed so small a mere breath might scatter it
Never to be seen again, lost on a barren path
Yet by some miracle, planted with purpose
Dry shell softens, releasing a pale root into welcoming soil
Down growth, up growth, green stem, leaves
What will it be? A tree? From this tiny seed?
The seedling grows, straight up, skyward bound
Up and up, empowered by life within
A tree to be, and already a tree
Defying doubt, this slender sapling shall someday become
A solid trunk with lush canopy of branches and leaves
A fruitful, sheltering garden blessing.
Though lost and fragile, once found by Love, we took root and grew
Now between the grace and the glory, still in the middle of the story
By faith, with hope, skyward bound
Springing forth from the first promise toward the full reality
Our destiny is unfurled in slow motion
Between the seed and the tree.
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:16-20
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7
~*~*~
The title and concept for this poem came to me as I listened to Dave Abney, a pastor at Lake Baldwin Church, talk about the parable of the mustard seed in his October 3 sermon. He reminded us of the apparent tension between what God has ultimately promised for the future and what we experience right now in our lives. It all starts so small and we grow into it, sort of like how Jesus seemed to have such a quiet, localized personal ministry, but it has grown to be a huge force all over the world. Someday, we shall see the fullness and magnificence of his Kingdom with the eternal glory of Heaven. Nothing we know on earth can even begin to compare to that! We just trust that it's coming, and that gives us hope for the here and now. The gospel of Jesus is simple, enduring, and beautiful. We are like seeds planted to become strong trees, his life within ours. We long to be like Jesus: loving, bold, servant-hearted, free, and yet sometimes the progress seems so slow. I've often thought of this as living "between the now and the not yet." But we are comforted to know that he is still at work in us, and his love is not dependent on our progress but on his grace.
"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." 1 John 3:2
Back to the poem a moment: A big thank you to Dan and Cheryl who helped me prune it in the middle of the "critique and tweak" phase. It's six lines shorter and the rhythm flows better because of you!
Dan's advice: "Here's an exercise: Go through the poem. Set aside form, rhythm and rhyme. Take out any word or phrase that isn't missed if it's gone. These often include our favorite gems--in everyone's writing! Being brutal pays off because you start to see the poem's essence and you get comfortable with making judgments that propel the essence. You save the reader from having to sort through. Fewer filters means the message is more apt to get through."
I hope you got the message! I wrote this poem to set the stage for a much longer (but soon to be pruned) article I am working on called "In the Middle of the Story" -- so send me your thoughts!
Dear friends,
I love hosting Thanksgiving at my home in Florida for my family and friends, but I sure miss being "up home" in Maryland for the feast with my parents, grandmother, siblings and their families -- especially since my sister-in-law Dana is an extraordinarily talented chef. She is fixing everything except for the turkeys! She jokes, "You might be going overboard with the holiday baking if you're actually wondering whether 20 pounds of flour is enough!" Since I can't be there with them, I asked Dana to share some of her favorite holiday recipes.
My daughter Lydia is making the carrot cake for Thanksgiving. Fortunately, Thad brought home some real maple syrup from his trip to New England last month! Enjoy!
Our menu for last year's Thanksgiving is here with several recipes linked to it.
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
http://www.virginiaknowles.blogspot.com/
Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups grated peeled carrots
- 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
- 2 Tbs minced peeled ginger
- Nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and other spices as desired
Icing:
- 10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 5 Tbs butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups 10X powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- Pecans for garnish
Directions:
Cake:
- Preheat to 350°F.
- Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans.
- Line bottom of pans with waxed paper.
- Butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl to blend.
- Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended.
- Whisk in eggs 1 at a time.
- Add flour mixture and stir until blended.
- Stir in carrots, walnuts, ginger and other spices.
- Divide batter between prepared pans.
- Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes.
- Turn out onto racks.
- Peel off waxed paper; cool cakes completely.
Icing:
- Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until well blended.
- Beat in maple syrup.
- Chill until just firm enough to spread, 30 minutes.
Redstone Cornbread with Maple Butter
Ingredients:
Cornbread:
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- 7 oz creamed corn
- ½ cup butter
Maple Butter:
- 1 lb butter, room temperature
- 1 cup maple syrup
Directions:
Cornbread:
- Preheat to 400.
- Combine dry ingredients and add wet ingredients.
- Pour into greased 8” or 9” iron skillet or a square baking pan. Bake 35 minutes.
Maple Butter:
- Whip butter.
- Slowly drizzle maple syrup into mixture until well blended.
