Skills for Life

Gardening

Creating space for grace in your life is essential to walking with God.

Parable of the Sower and the Seed

Christianity as a lifestyle requires giving all of your life to God.

Constantine as Emperor

A Rule of Life

The Trellis and the Vine

John 15:4–5 ESV

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

The trellis isn’t the vine.

Every vine does better with a trellis.

Everyone has a rule of life. It’s how intentional and self-aware and God-filled it is.

Creating Space to Experience Grace

Ephesians 1:3–6 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 4:12–16 ESV

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Being too busy vs. doing what you love

Soccer and church and home and work...

Not recognizing your limits vs working within your limitations

A garden can’t grow everything at once

Grieving and Rejoicing

90s vs Now

Who are you?

Who is God?

Days/Weeks/Months

Prayer

Rest

Relationships

Work

Start where you are. Seek your union with God.

Dancing the Balance in Walking with God

No one is perfectly balanced. A ball

Spontaneity vs Structure

You need to explore the space.

Serving vs Receiving

Work vs Rest

Relationships vs Prayer

A Rule of Life

What’s your garden like?

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.