“Buy a cheap tree, dig an expensive hole.” — Grandpa

The first tree I ever planted was with my Dad and Grandpa. Meg and I just bought a little house¹ and the yard was bare. So when they visited, Grandpa took me to a nursery. A skilled gardener, he gave me all kinds of pointers. Twenty years later, I have planted and transplanted trees and bushes, started gardens everywhere we moved, and Grandpa’s words continue to prove wise.

They are true especially as I look out at the Memorial Garden. You do not want to know how much we spent on three trees. We watered, we fertilized, but two died within the year warranty and the nursery replanted. Another died the following year, so I replanted it.² Digging down it was evident they simply dug a hole and dropped the tree in – – metal root cage and all. It was an expensive tree, in a cheap hole.

As we come out of the pandemic, everyone is talking about a new normal. Including me. I don’t want us to go back to the way things were at Chandler. In so many ways Chandler was a wonderful place, but I know God has a vision for growth. So I want us to be a church that digs deeper. My hope is that we will be a place for new and old believers to sink deep roots — to flourish and produce the fruit of the Spirit!

Church Council will begin a vision discussion next week. We are interested in your ideas — in your wisdom that helps the life of Jesus flourish. Contact me or anyone on the Council.

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Join us this Sunday at 10:30 (in-person with masks, or streaming on Facebook and Youtube). We begin a new series on axe Acts: “Fuel for the Fire”. In chapter 2 the Spirit descends as flames on each disciple. We will look at how the early church was consumed by God’s mission, and brought new life to the entire world!

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1. Little! The living room was only wide enough for our couch, a coffee table, and a tv stand. We could barely walk between the table and TV.
2. The other two remaining trees are not in good shape. The healthier one is pictured, the other I plan to replace before landscaping day (join us on April 24th, 9am).