A Few Mustard Seeds

What began as a few comments in a Bible study has now turned into a project. We were studying Luke 17 and verse six entered our study. The verse starts, “‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed...“ We began to talk about mustard seeds.

These seeds are small (Mt 17:20), but from them a tree grows which is large enough for birds to roost. (Mt 13:31-2). We wondered, “how small are these seeds?” A few of us who are gardeners then asked, “Will these seeds grow here?” None of us had ever tried to grow mustard before. We had never seen a mustard seed. And we just wondered.

So, I looked it up (step one of my project). There are several types of mustard seed. White Mustard (Sinapis alba) and mild white mustard (Sinapis hirta) grow around the Mediterranean Sea, oriental mustard (Brassica juncea) originally comes from the foothills of the mountains in India, and black mustard (Brassica nigra) which can grow up to eight feet tall. Several references told me the plant mentioned in the Bible is black mustard.

I dug deeper and found that black mustard seeds can be grown in North Carolina. Several nursery sites said these annuals do quite well in our climate. So I ordered a packet (step two of my project).

The seeds came last week. Indeed the seeds are small. One thousand seeds have been packed into a small plastic bag measuring one inch by one inch, with room to spare. There were no instructions with the packet, just the seeds, so I don’t know when to plant them. I will look that up (step four of the project).

But first I will distribute some seeds (step three of my project). A thousand is too many for me to plant, and it was the men’s Bible study which originally brought me to this project. I am giving several men packets as New Year's gifts. If we all plant them, I have faith someone in our group will succeed in growing them.

Black mustard is from the same genus of plants as cabbage, so they are planted in early Spring, about three weeks before frost. The Brassica juncea is also used in our area to produce mustard greens, so they can also be planted in the fall. For our usage of the plant we will let it go to seed, because it is the seed stalk which gives height and produces the seeds we desire.

It is said that black mustard seeds produce other seeds abundantly. They are used as the base for spicy mustard on our table. One recipe says to 1) grind the mustard seed; 2) add cold water and let stand for 10 minutes; 3) add vinegar (could be pickle juice) to seal in the flavor which starts as a reaction with cold water; 4) complete the mixture with a little salt, turmeric, paprika and garlic powder. Let the mustard sit in a refrigerator for at least a day to remove bitterness. The resulting condiment will keep forever.

I will sow my seeds indoors in mid-March (unless someone tells me differently, and I have enough seeds I can attempt to plant them several ways). I will move them outside once they are high enough, hardening them first, then planting them in my garden. I will plant them in faith they will produce.

I will also plant my seeds to teach me about faith in this new year. The year starts small, but within seven days it will turn into a week, and it will last for three hundred sixty five days (or 52 weeks). There are many things I hope to do in this new year. I will start several projects in faith this week, during the first few days of 2017, and pray they will be successful. I pray this year will produce abundantly for you (the reader) also.

Life in a Twitter World

A New Year is rushing upon us. What will it bring? Sanity, civility, and satiety in our lives or confusion, conflict and scarcity?

Will the New Year rush upon us, or will we rush upon the year? Will we find time for things of meaning? In 2016 a few things stood out to me. There are fewer book stores and they do not stock as many books. People are reading less and surfing more. In the National Gingerbread Competition the homes were noticeably less detailed, which means people who normally spend time on their hobbies did not put as much into the thing they love.

We allow our minds to twitter between topics skimming the surface and digging deeply in nothing.  We flit from topic to topic, activity to activity and thing to thing. People act on flashes of fake news tweeting threats and ramifications. The tenor of our civilization today is to tweet out mean statements, anger, ultimatums and not niceness. Our twitting has produced an uptight and defensive society.

There are more twits in our society than ever. Stop! Think! What is a twit? Merriam-Webster says, “a silly annoying person : fool.” Urban Dictionary says, “The kind of person that makes a retarded chimp look smart.” The Free Dictionary says, “A foolishly annoying person. A reproach, gibe, or taunt. To taunt, ridicule, or tease, especially for embarrassing mistakes or faults.” Oxford Dictionaries say the word in 1930 described a talebearer.

 Some have chosen to counteract taunting tweets with Bible tweets. Here are the top Bible Tweets. Here are Twitter recommended Bible Tweets. And this site gives Chapterized Tweets, now available in paperback.

But is this what God wants? Beyond the tweet “With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth,” (Ps 119:13) an oft quoted passage goes on to say, “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.” To meditate means: “think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence.” The Bible tells us to slow down.

The Bible tells us to take time to “delight” in God’s decrees (Psalm 119:16) and to “rejoice” in following the “statutes” contained in scripture “as one rejoices in great riches.” (Psalm 119:14) The Psalmist asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” The Bible says by taking time to memorize God’s word and by taking time to recount all the laws that God gives us.

The book of Psalms opens by saying, “Blessed is the one … whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.”

Will the New Year bring a rush for us or will it allow time to meditate on God’s law. Will this meditation bring tweets or the actions which bring real good to others? Let us make the most of the New Year and bring glory to the Great Name of God.