Journal,
The following eight posts have been the ‘most read’ posts on my blog. If you would like to play catch up here they are in the order of their ranking:
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1. ‘In a Moment of Time‘ – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/02/in-a-moment-in-time/
2. ‘Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment‘ – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/11/mercy-triumphs-over-judgment/
3. ‘Honoring God With First Fruits‘ – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/12/honoring-god-with-first-fruits/
4. ‘Speaking in Other Languages‘ – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/12/speaking-in-other-languages/
5. ‘Centering on Kingdom Life’ – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/02/centering-on-kingdom-life/
6. ‘Jesus, the Wonder and Mystery of the Bible‘ – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/11/jesus-the-wonder-and-mystery-of-the-bible/
7. ‘When Our Words Return Home‘ – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/02/when-our-words-return-home-2/
8. ‘Which Bible Translation is Best’ – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/01/which-bible-translation-is-the-best/
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Now would be a good time to share a story with you that may speak to your life. Actually I’ve shared this story before. But now I want to take another look at it. This time let’s call it…
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The Parable of the Poplar Trees
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Each morning in my walk to church I pass by four poplar trees that Betty and I planted some time back. Every time I look at these four trees I get the feeling that these trees have a story to tell.
What was so unusual about these trees? Well, for one thing we planted them in a row of about 10 feet apart. They were all the same height as saplings. Yet now the further up the hill the tree was planted, the taller the tree had become. The highest tree is easily 40 feet tall. The next about 25 feet. The third 15 feet. The last one at the bottom of the hill about 4 feet tall.
That tiny tree that is at the lowest part of the hill looked so frail. It made my heart sad for it. On a search I went. Why were the trees so different in height? This is what I found: ‘Do not plant poplar trees in clay, the trees will die.’
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That was it! Poplar trees must have good soil to grow properly. Clay keeps water from the roots of the trees. That bit of information fit the picture of our poplar trees. The higher up the hill, the better the soil. It was a water and a soil issue. Further down the hill the ground had more clay in it.
So now — What was the lesson in this? Let me add another clue. Someone pointed out that the higher up the hill the tree was planted, this also put the tree closer to the church. (Christian Challenge.) That by itself is a spiritual lesson. Believers who distance themselves from the body of Christ, actually become weaker in their faith. (The lesson here should be obvious.) 
The Lord began to show me how these trees can easily represent spiritual growth in a believer’s life. The soil in which the tree grows speaks to two things. It can point to the condition of our hearts. But the soil can also represent the place where we attend church. Are you catching the gist about now?
What is it that stunts growth in any child of God’s life? If the believer is under the kind of teaching that genders to fear and condemnation, that believer’s life will began to wither and wilt. No one can grow in a fear dominated atmosphere. Those believers who are under the kind of teaching that continues to build them up in Christ, they will become strong fruit-bearing Christians.
OK, so much for the parable. A parable isn’t much good if someone has to fill in all the blanks for you. Think about it. Perhaps the Lord will share something special with you from the poplar trees.
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That’s it for now.
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Much love in Christ Jesus,
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Buddy
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