Rightful productivity is the result of right relationship with the Vine. The truly productive life is not marked by efficiency and accomplishment, but rather by careful listening and obedient response. This concept alone paralyzes the traditional values of productivity and replaces them with their sworn enemy: waiting. Waiting on God. Burying oneself deep with the nutrient-filled leaves of the Vine hoping to hear the whispered voice of the Gardener.

For it is in that song, the ever quiet hymn of the Divine that one will hear the call. The call which demands a response in which one must choose obedience or disobedience. There is no other choice. One can try to ignore the whisper, but the Gardener knows those who have heard it.  The longer one delays his choice, the closer one is to realizing that his delay forced a choice upon him. There are only two choices–no time to waste. Reflection must be quick, for immediacy refuses to be kept waiting.

The present hour waits for no one. In this way, one must dwell deeply within the Vine so that when the hour arrives and action must be taken, he can hear the whisper of the Gardener and choose the path of obedience.

Japan. I never expected to be here. Let’s be honest.

The Karate Kid 2 and Japan were always synonymous for me. When I thought of Japan, I thought of the Karate Kid 2. When I thought of the Karate Kid 2, I thought of meeting some awesome old sensei with a last name like Miyagi and going to Japan to save some villagers.

Now I’m in Japan. And I am not saving any villagers. I don’t know Karate. I know 10 words of Japanese, but not enough to have a conversation. It is a struggle, but a good struggle.

I found this flower with its backdrop of rust in a parking lot under a building on my way to work. Does the flower make the rust more appealing? Or does the rust bring out the color of the flower?

There is not much to say about this, except that I actually stopped and smelled the flowers on this day. In fact, I saw it but decided to keep walking. A minute later I turned around and decided to go after the perfect shot of that dang flower. This is my perfect shot.

It’s a new creation backdropped by brokenness.

Draw your own conclusions.