Cottondale Christian Church

January 3, 2010 

Luke 13: 6-9: Patience and Manure            

They say that vegetable gardening’s not for the impatient.  I know because in a very minor way, I tried my hand at it behind the church last year.  I had a really attractive squash vine going, when all of a sudden, it started wilting.  Just when I started to get some fruit in early September, the once attractive leaves began to droop, and the fruit withered on the vine.  You might imagine my reaction.  All that work, watering it, taking care of it, only to find it all ruined at the last minute.  I was disappointed and just a little frustrated.           

But lest you think I’m the only one in that category, I talked to some of you in the church last year.  Brown Herron told me that he hadn’t had a good tomato crop in two years.  Some of Jim Harkins’ tomatoes stress fractured due to all the moisture, and lo and behold, his fig trees cracked and fell down.  And yet, the intrepid souls that we are, despite all of this, we’re going to try again this year.  And we’re even going to plant more behind the church with the children’s group.  For some reason, we have patience.  For some reason, we don’t just give up and quit.