tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4390243796512711685.post-74256611176402042852007-05-26T19:20:00.000-07:002008-12-12T23:57:58.615-08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7eXkm91de8w/Rljrf4TvDZI/AAAAAAAAABc/ISiDb-cyXi8/s1600-h/Jeunee+Phoenix+5-07.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#990000;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069060313529126290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7eXkm91de8w/Rljrf4TvDZI/AAAAAAAAABc/ISiDb-cyXi8/s200/Jeunee+Phoenix+5-07.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#990000;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;">Early in May, I was out in Phoenix teaching at the Episcopal Church's Start Up! Start Over! congregational development seminar, and I had some free time to go hiking in the desert. </span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;">The saguaro cacti were <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">fascinating</span> (Those are the kind that can look like cowboys with their hands up)... They grow so tall! I learned that they can live to be over 200 years old and don't even begin to grow branches until they are over 50 year old!</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;">While my friend Lydia and I were hiking I noticed how several of the saguaro had been damaged. Arms were broken off. Flesh was scarred. Sometimes they'd been hurt by forces of nature; a few had probably been harmed by vandals. For the most part, however, the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cacti</span> were still alive, just bearing scars.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;">One particular cactus really caught my eye. Two of its arms were broken, but not <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">completely</span> broken off. Then over the years, the arms had curled back up toward the sun, obviously still receiving nutrients and water. When I saw it, it was even beginning to flower. </span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;">(Hard to see with the image I got with my camera phone) </span></div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7eXkm91de8w/RljtpITvDbI/AAAAAAAAABs/sXFBcSqcJ4o/s1600-h/Cactus+3.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069062671466171826" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7eXkm91de8w/RljtpITvDbI/AAAAAAAAABs/sXFBcSqcJ4o/s200/Cactus+3.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069066489692098002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7eXkm91de8w/RljxHYTvDdI/AAAAAAAAAB8/WGIYxuJev0Q/s200/Cactus+1.jpg" border="0" /> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7eXkm91de8w/Rljt34TvDcI/AAAAAAAAAB0/hgTANqV1Vhk/s1600-h/Cactus+2.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069062924869242306" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7eXkm91de8w/Rljt34TvDcI/AAAAAAAAAB0/hgTANqV1Vhk/s200/Cactus+2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a> <div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;">Of course, to me, this just seemed to be another sign of God's redemptive power. You and I are often broken. The winds and storms of life tear us down. Sometimes others hurt us as well. But as long as we can stay connect to the "whole", we can still receive the water of new life, and continue to bear fruit. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;"></span></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7eXkm91de8w/RljxX4TvDeI/AAAAAAAAACE/m4wdXyZi2Og/s1600-h/Cactus+6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069066773159939554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7eXkm91de8w/RljxX4TvDeI/AAAAAAAAACE/m4wdXyZi2Og/s200/Cactus+6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#993300;">For Christians, that "whole" is Jesus. As Jesus said, "I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me, you can do nothing. (John 15:5) When we stay connected to Christ, and in the body of Christ, even when we are scarred and beat up, God can help us grow again, and even <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">blossom</span> beautifully. </span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4390243796512711685-7425661117640204285?l=saintgabriels.blogspot.com'/></div>Pastor Jeuneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291802003793774339noreply@blogger.com0