United in Christ – Our Mission: To Serve
Presbyterian Church (USA) and United Church of Christ
…you reap whatever you sow.
~ Galatians 6:7
As I was driving up the George Washington Parkway, suddenly I noticed spots of bright yellow along the side of the road. It's the last week in February and a field of daffodils is in full bloom. And then I remember one of my favorite inspirational books: The Daffodil Principle by Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards, illustrated by Anne Marie Oborn. This story of The Daffodil Principle is a reminder that we have the opportunity to plant and sow seeds wherever we go.
Jesus planted the seed of love wherever he went. What kind of seeds are you planting? Seeds of regret, fear, worry, anger, and sadness, or seeds of hope, peace, love, joy, and excitement?
In this season of Lent, a season of introspection and reflection, think about the seeds you planted this past week as you were driving, standing in line, talking with a friend or neighbor or co-worker, or others. What kind of seeds did you plant and where? What will be reaped by what you sowed?
For those of you are not familiar with the story of The Daffodil Principle, here is a version of it. It's been on the Internet for several years and tends to resurface this time of year.
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Every year, high in the San Bernardino mountain range of Southern California, five acres of beautiful daffodils burst into bloom. Amazingly, this special spot, known as "The Daffodil Garden," was planted by one person, one bulb at a time, over a period of thirty-five years.
The story begins: Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. "I will come next Tuesday, "I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car." "How far will we have to drive?" "Just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."
After several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the garage!" "We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." "It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read, "Daffodil Garden." We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.
It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns -- great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.
There were five acres of flowers. "But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. "It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.
We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster:
"Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking"
50,000 bulbs.
One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and very little brain.
Began in 1958.
There it was...."The Daffodil Principle." For me, that moment was a life-changing experience.
I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun -- one bulb at a time -- to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world. This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable (indescribable) magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time -- often just one baby-step at a time --and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world!
"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!
"My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask....
"How can I put this to use today?"
And so I ak you: How and where will you plant the seeds of love this week? The seeds of your faith?
Lenten blessings.
~ Rev. Jeri Fields
UPB Gap Minister
Office phone: 301-249-6411
On the web: www.unitedparishbowie.org
A LOOK AT SUNDAY, March 4, 2012: Second Sunday of Lent with Communion
Adult Education (9:45 AM)
Worship (11:00 AM)
Scripture: Mark 8:31-38
A LOOK AHEAD TO THE WEEK OF MARCH 5 – MARCH10
Tuesday, March 6 Men's Breakfast (7:45 – 8:45 AM): Bob Evans, 4308 Crain Hwy, Bowie, MD
Wednesday, March 7 Lenten Dinner Devotionals (Dinner at 6:00, devotional study at 6:45): See Lenten Series devotions listed below under special announcements.
Choir practice (7:30)
SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, March 10 Thank you to all who signed up to provide a portion of the meal for Warm Nights at Village Baptist Church, 1950 Mitchellville Road, Bowie. Please plan to drop off your food contribution at Village Baptist Church between 5:30-6:00pm on Saturday, March 10, 2012. Please contact Mary Jo Munnelly with any questions at mjmunnelly@msn.com
Sunday, March 11 Daylight Savings Time Changes (Be sure to get up at 2 AM to spring forward)
Saturday, March 24 Spring Clean-Up date
Thursday, April 5 Maundy Thursday Service (7:30 PM)
Friday, April 6 Good Friday Service (7:30 PM)
Monday, April 16 New Bible Study to begin (2:00 – 3:30 and repeated 7:00-8:30)
Weekday Bible Study for Men and Women: "Ten Keys for Unlocking the Bible"
The Bible is the greatest book ever! It is one harmonious story with one message that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of all mankind. While the Old Testament promises a Savior, the New Testament articulates the fulfillment of that promise. Have you ever tried reading through the Bible for overall understanding? Did you find some parts long and difficult to comprehend? Did you feel discouraged to go on? Did you wish that someone would give you a high-level overview of the entire Bible? If so, the Bible Study "Ten Keys for Unlocking the Bible" is for you.
The course material consists of a DVD and participants' guides. It is taught by Rev. Colin S. Smith, teacher and author, who presents the Biblical overview in an effective and easy-to-understand manner. He shows how the Bible points to Jesus Christ from beginning to end. Each session starts with listening to the 25-minute lecture followed by a small-group discussion. The class is for anyone interested in the Bible and does not require in-depth Biblical knowledge.
The 10 session course will start Monday April 16. You will have a choice of class times! Choose to attend from 2:00 – 3:30 in the afternoon or from 7:00 – 8:30 in the evening. You are welcome to bring a friend or neighbor. To get more information on the course, please contact Shirley Bickel or Nikki Hillary.
April 29 Talent Show: Do you or your child have a special talent you would like to share? Are you a juggler, comedian, magician, or musician? More details to follow.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Food Drive
To support the Bowie Food Pantry after the holidays when their donations tend to slow down, the Mission & Service Committee invite you, the congregation, to participate in a focused food drive. While we support the Bowie Pantry all year, this is an opportunity to put more focus on it for the next 7 weeks. To ensure a variety of items, we have designated certain foods for each week based on input from the pantry.
March 4 fresh fruit/fresh vegetables
Wednesday Evening Lenten Dinner Devotionals
We will be doing 24 Hours That Changed the World by Adam Hamilton. We will order the DVD and 8 books to be used with the group. Since we have 5 sessions and the series has seven, we will do the following:
Mar. 7 The Garden of Gethsemane along with Condemned by the Righteous
Mar. 14 Jesus, Barabbas, and Pilate along with The Torture and Humiliation of the King
Mar. 21 The Crucifixion
Mar. 28 Christ the Victor
Sunday Morning Adult Education
Adult Ed. is also going to use 24 Hours That Changed the World by Adam Hamilton. Their schedule will be slightly different.
Mar. 4 Introduction along with The Last Supper.
Mar. 11 The Garden of Gethsemane along with Condemned by the Righteous
Mar. 18 Jesus, Barabbas, and Pilate
Mar. 25 The Torture and Humiliation of the King
Apr. 1 The Crucifixion
Apr. 8 Easter! No Adult Ed.
Apr. 15 Christ the Victor
In case of inclement weather or an emergency, please follow our status on
· WTOP radio in DC
· WJLA – ABC 7 in DC
· WJZ-TV CBS in Baltimore
· UPB web site: www.unitedparishbowie.org
· United Parish of Bowie on Facebook
· Message left on church phone
· Other contacts include: Tom Chin, Robin Burgess, any member of the Board, or Pastor Jeri
Of course many of these contacts are dependent upon power, so when in doubt, use your good judgment and keep in prayer all those who are impacted by the given situation.
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