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Planting Poppies and Other Acts of Faith
Faith is the hope of things unseen, the
Bible says. We gardeners know this to be
true—we watch tiny seeds turn into something
beautiful. We have a front row seat to the
miracle of transformation—a patch of mud and
dried leaves becomes a tapestry of flowers
and edibles.
I think faith is not just hoping, though.
It’s acting on that hope. When I have faith,
I walk forward, not knowing what the future
will bring, but acting as if there were a
reason to trust. Because so far, there has
been. My life has not been free of
disappointments, certainly. Very few can
claim that—unless they’ve become experts at
denial. But God’s been good. I try to focus
on the blessings, and trust they will
continue.
Today, I acted on faith by planting
poppies. It is still winter here in Chicago
(despite the occasional warm day). While
it’s way too early to plant anything else,
this is prime planting time for poppies. The
seeds are tiny—just like the poppy seeds
you’d find on a bakery roll. If I hadn’t
seen it happen every year, I’d find it hard
to believe that by late June, those tiny
seeds will become bright pink puffy flowers
the size of my fist, blooming on stalks two
feet tall or more.
The seeds were ones I harvested last year
from the plants—I’ve done this for years,
starting with some seeds given me by
gardening mentors.
To plant poppies requires faith. And
action. You simply scatter them on the soil
(in some years, I’ve put them right on top
of snow). The seeds need cold to germinate,
so I’m hoping I haven’t planted too late.
Optimally, I should have planted them last
month. But if I leave them in the plastic
bag on the shelf, they’ll never be flowers.
They’ll just be good intentions.
My second act of faith today was
finishing a book proposal and sending it to
my agent. Every time I finish writing a
book, as I did a couple of months ago, the
voice of doubt whispers, “you have nothing
left to say. You may have written a few
books, but you probably won’t write another
one. Give up, go apply for a job at
Wal-Mart—if you think they’ll have you.”
The voice of love says, “use the gifts
I’ve given you, and trust.” So I want to put
my faith in the voice of Love, which is
God’s voice. I want to follow God, listen to
his voice. So I don’t just sit back and
hope I’ll get another book contract. I
pray, I seek wisdom, I do research. Then I
write the proposal. I self-edit, hone the
writing. I send it to my agent so he can
help me make it even better. I trust, but I
also have to act.
Jesus often used seeds as a picture of
the kingdom of heaven. He was not talking
about a someday, somewhere else kingdom, but
rather, a present reality. In Mark 4: 26-32,
we read this about Jesus:
“He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom
of God is like. A man scatters seed on the
ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or
gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though
he does not know how. All by itself the soil
produces grain—first the stalk, then the
head, then the
 full
kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is
ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the
harvest has come.’ Again he said, ‘What
shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or
what parable shall we use to describe it? It
is like a mustard seed, which is the
smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when
planted, it grows and becomes the largest of
all garden plants, with such big branches
that the birds can perch in its shade.’”
Even when it’s still winter, I trust
spring will come. I trust God will provide,
and help the seeds I’m planting to bloom. To
take my small acts of faith, and grow them
into something beautiful.
Book Reviews
 A
New Kind of Christian
By Brian D. McLaren
Jossey-Bass
Retail Price: $14.95
Amazon Price: $10.17
This is an interesting book, written in
an odd format. It’s a theological treatise,
presented as a novel. The main character,
Daniel Poole, is a pastor who is questioning
his calling and even his faith. He meets a
Jamaican high school teacher named Dr. Neil
Oliver, who goes by Neo (his convenient and
symbolic initials—Neo, New, get it?). The
book is mostly about Dan and Neo’s series of
long conversations. They talk about
theology, postmodernism, what it means to
being a “new kind of Christian.” It’s really
an introduction to the theology of the
emergent church. It suggests that living our
faith is more important than just believing
the right things, and that institutionalized
religion can get in the way of the message
of Jesus.
He says some things that people won’t
like, such as the fact that the phrase
“accept Christ as your personal savior” is
not in the Bible, and that “all truth is
contextual”—so to understand Scripture we
must understand the historical and political
context. He notes that Jesus said the
kingdom of heaven was not a future reality,
but that it was “at hand”—at that moment.
McLaren criticizes conservative
evangelicals who he says want to hold on to
their modern world view in a post-modern
world. Those same conservatives have
criticized McLaren’s theology—even though
many of his ideas come from the writings of
C.S. Lewis—the patron saint of evangelicals.
I wouldn’t call myself an emergent
Christian, but I’m trying to understand what
this wide-ranging group believes. There’s a
lot I agree with in this book, but some
things I’m still not sure if I buy, or
don’t. I read it because I’m trying to see
what all the fuss is about among
conservatives who think McLaren is a
heretic. Like any book, this one should be
read with discernment. Even if you don’t
agree with McLaren, it’s worth reading.
Quotable Quote
“From that time on Jesus began to preach,
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come
near.’” (Matthew 4:17)
Deeper Connection
What step of faith is God prompting you
to take? Are you hoping for something but
afraid to take action?
Connecting with Keri:
Keri will be speaking at the Northwest
Christian Women’s Conference, in Stanwood,
WA, April 17-19, on “Rest: Living in Sabbath
Simplicity.” Email:
NWChristianWomen@yahoo.com
Check out Keri’s blog, Deep Breathing for
the Soul, at
www.keriwyattkent.com/soul/ You
can read Keri’s latest musings on the
connection between faith and real life, you
can post a question about any of her books
or other writings.
Keri is on Facebook and Twitter! Friend
her, follow her, send her a message there.
As always, Keri’s monthly “For Your Soul”
column can be found on the Today’s
Children’s Ministry website. Check it out at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/childrensministry/features/foryoursoul.html
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