THE MINISTRY OF TREES TO SHRUBS

From a work in progress by Leona Choy:
PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM AND OTHER IMAGINEERED ALLEGORIES
* See note below


"Phew! It's hot and dry!" Green Tree shrugged the dust from his leaves
with a swish. "Time for another drink." The ground crackled as he
stretched his roots imperceptibly deeper under the earth toward
riverbank. "Ahhh!"

Parched Shrub, drooping nearby, shook his brittle branch stubs and
glared up at Green Tree whose leaves were verdant and healthy. "You
think you're somebody special, don't you? If you were down here close to
the hot sand you wouldn't act so high and mighty."

"We're in it together, friend," replied Green Tree surprised. "My roots
are in the same desert. Besides, I'm nearer the sun and that's even hotter."

"Well, I'm waiting for Mortal Man to water me. He promised to come when
I needed him. He'll probably arrive by Prosperity Bus," mumbled Parched
Shrub.

"How late is he?"

"Oh, a few months--give or take a few weeks."

"We live in Uninhabited Salt Land," reminded Green Tree. "Didn't you
remember that Prosperity Bus stopped running the Good times route a
long time ago?"

Parched Shrub was silent for a long while. Only his wheezing breath
broke the stillness of the desert. Finally, "How do you get along so
well through the drought? I even see fruit up there in your dense foliage."

"My hope is in Lord God," replied Green Tree. "He told us when He
planted us that we shouldn't trust in Mortal Man. He said He would look
after us Himself and never forsake us. He...."

"There you go being preachy," coughed Parched Shrub. "You Green Trees
are all alike. You think you're better than everyone else--some kind of
special apples in God's eye."

"That's not true. Lord God doesn't play favorites or keep secrets. He
told all of us Greenery Things, you included, where to send our roots."

"Aw, I just don't trust 'im. I gave up that stuff when I was little."

You're still little," observed Green Tree, not intending offense. "I
started out your size. You too can...."

"Preaching again?" Parched Shrub pretended to be angry, but one hot tear
trickled down his bare branch, splashed on the sand and rapidly soaked in.

Green Tree was moved with compassion. He bent his chlorophyll-laden
leafy branches low over Parched Shrub. "Come under my shadow, friend.
I'll shelter you from the hot sun. It's really not far under the desert
to stretch your own roots to Riverbank. You can do it, I know you can.
Lord God pointed us in the direction of water."

Parched Shrub snuggled up under Green Tree's luxurious foliage. "You'd
help ME? Even though I've made fun of you and turned away from Lord God
so many times? Do you think there's enough water for both of us?"

"Absolutely! Lord God said that Rivers of Living Water, cool and pure,
flow nearby."

"Oh, I'm dying of thirst!"

"Come on then! Come to The Waters!"

"Do you have to pay much?"

"Naw, Lord God paid for it. It's free now!"

"Let's go then," Parched Shrub's prickly stubs stirred with new hope.
"Don't leave me, though. Show me The Way...."

**********************

A personified allegory based on Jeremiah 17:5-8 from various
translations and versions of Scripture. Also reflective of Psalm 1:1-6;
Revelation 22:17; Isaiah 55:1.

"Thus says the Lord, cursed is the strong man who trusts in mankind,
in frail, mortal man, and makes weak, human flesh his strength, and
whose heart and mind turns away from the Lord. For he will be like a
bush or stunted shrub in the desert, like a person naked and destitute,
with no hope for the future. He will not see when prosperity comes and
good times pass him by forever. But he will live in stony wastes, in
parched places in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitants.


But most blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope and
confidence are in the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the
water, along a riverbank, that extends its roots by a stream, and will
not be bothered when heat comes, nor anxious in a year of drought, but
goes right on producing luscious fruit."
--------

*The above is one selection from my unpublished book manuscript.
I use the format of parables, allegories, fables, dialogues with God and
personifications in prose and verse. I coined the term "imagineerings" since
I develop them from metaphors and similes, essentially symbolic narrative.
They are life-contemplations that carry subtle spiritual applications which
are hopefully obvious to the reader. These pieces reflect my personal responses to life and to God. I create my own style to express principles and truths from the Scriptures by making use of humor and contemporary analogies, interweaving narrative and modern verse in sense lines. For each piece I offer a single life-topic and tie it to relevant biblical references or foundational truths which are generally the sources for my ideation.

END

UNTAMED SHOOTS IN MY LIFE

Excerpt from Leona's book:
LIVING IT UP! Prime Time is NOW
For a book review see Leona's web site: www.goldenmorning.com

Are you pruned regularly? No, I'm not asking if you eat prunes for
breakfast. I mean "pruned" in the way that the gardener clips shrubs,
grapevines, and especially fruit trees. He breaks off selected branches.

Pruning gets rid of unwanted extras, the undesirables. It is not because
the little sprouts or new twigs are not inferior or bad. They are healthy and
strong. But if the gardener allows all the natural branches to develop
simply because they look good, or he feels sorry to cut them off, he
limits the strong main growth. The life of the tree or vine would be
dissipated into too many branches. The gardener shows wisdom and skill
as he says no to certain shoots and yes to others.

Does it hurt the tree to be pruned? Certainly not in the emotional sense
of pain. The greater gain resulting from the elective surgery is worth
it. The gardener does a favor to the tree by his apparent rough
treatment as he breaks off little branches. If the tree could speak, it
might not say, "Thanks, I needed that!" when the sharp clippers nip off
an apparently healthy little branch. It might not understand the need
for such pain, perhaps even yelling "Ouch! What did I do to deserve that?"

Jesus illustrated the process in John chapter 15. He made the point that
pruning was for the flourishing, good vine, the already fruit-bearing
vine, not punishment for a bad vine. Pruning is done to produce more
fruit and then much fruit.

He applied the procedure to our spiritual lives. He said that God, the
Father, is the Vinedresser, the Master Gardener. Jesus is the vine, and
we are the branches. He taught that abiding in Him and He in us was
indispensable to fruit-bearing. Branches must have their wild shoots
dealt with. If they aren't pruned, the vine becomes a tangled mess of
unfruitful, unruly shoots.

What are these untamed shoots in our lives that must be broken off? They
are different in each of us. Some people have many popping out all over.
I do! Some have fewer. They may be good things in themselves: good
works, good ideas, good talents, even good ministries. But if we allow
all of them to remain and mature in their natural way, they will make a
jungle out of our lives and our witness for the Lord.

We do not always know which branches should be broken off and which we
should permit to develop. Only God knows. If we do not prune the
unproductive shoots ourselves, He takes over and breaks off certain
branches. Painful? Yes, often. Resisted? Probably. Not understood?
Generally.

The Lord breaks off our branches by closing doors of opportunity,
removing certain people from our lives, teaching us to say no to some
things which appear good but are not God's best for us. He provides us
with the gift of discernment to lay aside the unproductive. Sometimes he
lays us aside for a time to teach us how to get our priorities straight
so we can do His mainline will without wild shoots.

By submitting to God's pruning, we will joyfully flourish and produce
heartier fruit. So "Hey, look me over, Lord, and do what You need to
do to increase my fruit bearing for Your glory."

END

BOOK REVIEW and DISCOUNT OFFERED

Hospital Gowns Don't Have Pockets!

Why Me What Now?

Struggling with Physical Affliction

by Leona Choy

"Nobody doesn't need this book!" I may convince myself that illnesses, accidents and surgeries only happen to other people. However, most of us don't live out our lives without a hospital experience of some sort. Few reach Medicare age without outpatient or inpatient events--a biopsy, -oscopy, x-ray, blood profile or other diagnostic "goodies." It comes with the package of living our mortal life in our "Earth Suit".

Cheer up! Hospitals are ideal places not only for bodily repair but excellent classrooms for soul-searching and life evaluation.

This book explores meaning in physical affliction for the Christian. The principles are equally applicable to illnesses that don't necessarily lead to hospitalization. The author takes the reader from initial questions and struggles of illness through "hospital adventures" and the potholes and adjustments of recovery. At the end of each chapter, the author offers thoughtful "Personal Workout" questions for reflection or group discussion based on topics just covered. Ideal for a support group or personal study.

The reader will explore questions like: Who caused my illness, God or Satan? What did I do to deserve this? Can God heal me? Will He? Should I exercise faith, oppose the devil, and refuse to accept my illness? Could my life be over? Is this a test from God? What's the worst case scenario? For what purpose might God be bringing this experience into my life? Is my illness a friend or an enemy? Why does God seem so far away when I need Him most? What if I can't get through this?

The author maintains that God has a purpose for every experience He permits us to go through. She includes a "Back of the Book" section for readers to make sure their faith in God is intact when they march through hospital doors. Also included are forms for Living Will decisions and other valuable resources.

A major part of the book deals with the recovery period in which the author shares sound biblical, psychological and health counsel with a hint of humor. "What ifs" are met head on. No pussy-footing over questions like "What happens if I have to live an un-whole life without freedom from pain for the rest of my life?" "How can I please God and be useful to Him gazing at the ceiling from my bed?"

The author knows how to walk in hospital slippers. Her first encounter with the O.R. was a "biggy"--lung cancer surgery--"out of the blue." A life-changing learning experience, she claims in hindsight, that has proved invaluable.

The text is enhanced by the cartoon-like illustrations of artist Gail Waeber, who created "GG the Bunny" especially for Leona's book. He hops through the pages with the reader attended by "Miss Meow" the nurse--an charming, light touch for a book that struggles through serious matters.

Some chapter titles are: Jumping Over Hurdles; No Wheeling or Dealing; Dancing in Bed; Are We Having Fun Yet? Going Through Spiritual College; Is There Life After Hospital?; Oil in My Water; Bench Warming Lessons; Can I Add Cubits?

An invaluable volume for . . . everyone!

See Leona's new "A Taste Of...." book Are You Mad at Me, God? Jumping Illness Hurdles, setting forth important spiritual principles of working through an illness. These are excerpts from the first section of her book Hospital Gowns.

Available in paperback $16.95

ISBN 1-889283-04-5
Receive a 50% discount when you purchase this book this month!

E-mail Leona: leonachoy@comcast.net

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TODAY!

This great-grandma (me, Leona!) is headed “over the river and through the woods” to my newest
great granddaughter’s home in Baltimore today.  Makenna Lee Humes is my 7th GREAT-GRAND and is
about 6 weeks old. I haven’t seen her yet because of winter road conditions and transportation.  The second of
my four sons, Cliff, who is the “Grandpappy” of Makenna, will come from Frederick, MD to fetch me.
"If the crick don't freeze" and the weather forecaster won't be wrong as usual.)

              It is traditional to visit families with a new baby and bring them a symbol of the animal which is
being celebrated in the Chinese calendar of the current year.  That happens to be the "Bunny Wabbit"
for this year 2011!

               In Chinese mythology, the Year of the Rabbit symbol represents longevity and it is believed
that the Rabbit enjoys a close relationship with the moon. Westerners may refer to the  man in the moon,
but when the Chinese peer up at the moon, what they see is the Rabbit standing by a rock, holding a cup
that overflows with the elixir of immortality. /(Eternal life in Christ in Christian terms!) As symbols go, the
rabbit symbol is considered one of the finest.

               It is the custom for visiting guests or family to bring something RED to friends
at CHINESE NEW YEAR, for instance, something to wear or to eat.  TEA is also shared,
 especially flower-tea. Children are given small red and gold paper envelopes with money
as gifts. (Substitutions are acceptable--like greeting cards! )

                Instead of celebrating each person's birthday on his actual "birth" day, in China
 on CHINESE NEW YEAR everyone--child and adult, even a newborn baby--becomes one
 year older. (That messes up  birth certificates, passports and official documents!)  Well, we'll
see how far we can carry out some of these customs. I won't bring any firecrackers with me
though--another NY custom.

     Since VALENTINE'S DAY is so near, I guess we’ll also throw in celebration for that
day today.

     This will be Makenna Lee's (BTW, her middle name is after me, which is the nickname
 my friends called me in my school years) first Chinese New Year and first Valentine's
 Day. Woo-hoo!

"The celebration of the Chinese New Year is a centuries old tradition. It marks the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs. The Year of 2011 is the *Year of the Golden Rabbit*, which begins on *February 3, 2011* and ends on January 22, 2012. The Rabbit is the fourth sign of the Chinese Zodiac and is considered a lucky sign. As Christians we don’t pay attention to horoscopes, but it is generic fun to learn about cultural traditions.
According to Chinese tradition, those born in the Year of the Rabbit are friendly individuals who enjoy the company of good friends. They are good teachers, counselors and communicators, but also need privacy and their own space. According to Chinese tradition, the rabbit brings a year in which we all can catch our breath and calm our nerves. It is a time to focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children. Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise. (That's good, huh?) Sounds like a perfect year to appreciate the most important things in your life and to protect those closest to you. So be a rabbit this year and take a calm and introspective approach to the decisions you make."
(I stole the above wisdom from some Google web site! )

Oh! This is written in a hurry! I hear the toot of a horn—we are on the way! HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR again to all my blog friends. When we lived in China and other places in Asia, we celebrated it big time…in the West it is soft-pedaled except that folks may go out to a local Chinese restaurant and indulge in goodies. Good idea? Enjoy!

END

AN OVERVIEW OF LEONA'S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

You can SEE, HEAR, and READ some of my background life experiences leading up to the writing of my current book by following the links below.

I don't hesitate to tell my age. Long life is a blessing from God! I've lived under His loving, protective care through the ups and downs of life, times of adversity and times of joy and privilege for "80-something" years.

My 31st published book was my autobiography: CZECHING MY ROOTS—the heritage saga of my life and my ancestry, lived entirely in the evangelical Protestant context. I published it in when in my late seventies, so I thought I was finished with my life of adventures and spiritual service opportunities. After all, what more could I expect? Little did I know of incredible surprises and changes yet to come!

You may go to my publishing web site www.goldenmorning.com, then to "Biographies" if you'd like a review of my life story from the above book. There you will also find reviews of my other published books.

Upon returning from my promotional speaking tour for my autobiography, a surprise paradigm shift in my spiritual journey took place. It seemed that I was not finished living or writing after all! Eventually I would need to chronicle that spiritual tsunami experience and the reasons leading up to it for those who were as surprised/shocked as I was. My life story continued to unfold in wonderful, unbelievable ways until I was received to my great joy in 2005 into the Catholic Church—something I would never have imagined possible! Read a brief account of that experience by going THIS ROCK magazine: www.catholic.com/thisrock/2007/0709dr.asp The September issue, Vol. 18 #7 of Damascus Road carries my story.

To listen to my one-hour, live, international interview on one of the largest TV networks in the world click on www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp. My interview is #213, November 13, 2006.

If you'd like to view my JOURNEY HOME interview program, a DVD is available from the Religious Catalogue at www.ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com.

I completed writing the sequel to my original autobiography titled MY JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF MORE: Evangelical to Catholic. The book was published in mid-2010 by THE COMING HOME NETWORK P.O. Box 8290, Zanesville, OH 43702. Read the full story by ordering the book through www.chresources.com or 1-800-664-5110 or directly through me by e-mail: leonachoy@comcast.net, 540-877-1813.

In 2011, Lord willing, I’m writing another sequel to that book tentatively titled LIVING THE TREASURES OF THE LAND OF MORE.

The August 14-20, 2008 issue of the ARLINGTON CATHOLIC HERALD which covers 68 parishes in 22 counties of the Virginia diocese featured my story in their series "Journeys in Faith."

I welcome anyone who is interested to dialogue more with me about my faith journey and theirs. You can find my blog at www.leonachoy.blogspot.com. and I also blog on www.cna.com (Catholic News Agency) in their Catholic Womanhood department.

TRYING TO WALK IN SANDALS TOO LARGE

St. Francis de Sales

Patron saint of writers. The Feast Day for St. Francis de Sales was last week, January 24.

I never heard of Saint Francis de Sales, or any of the other Catholic saints during my evangelical lifetime. We had our Christian heroes who were eloquent preachers, missionaries, and writers, mostly of the last few centuries, but we didn’t call them saints. Upon becoming Catholic and learning about his story, I discovered a special kinship with de Sales.

Born in France in 1567, he is the patron saint of writers and those in media, whose name I chose at my Confirmation because of my own calling from God. It seemed a natural for other reasons as well. My father’s name was Frank (Frantisek), a derivation of Francis, my paternal grandmother’s name was the feminine spelling, Frances, as was my middle name and that of various aunts and cousins.

During the so-called Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, de Sales was known for his apologetic apostolate of preaching, publishing, writing letters, spiritual direction, and one-to-one witness. Coming from nobility he kept his call from God to the priesthood secret while he became a soldier and earned a doctorate in law and waited for God’s time to answer that call.

Apparently de Sales was neither a natural pastor nor a gifted preacher. Some reported his ineptness to the bishop. De Sales turned his attention over the mountains to Switzerland which was Calvinist territory and planned an ambitious evangelistic expedition to try to bring 60,000 Catholic defectors back into the fold. Everyone thought it was a bad idea, and his entourage turned out to be only himself and his cousin. After three years of incredible hardship trudging through the countryside on foot and enduring personal suffering with doors slammed in his face and rocks thrown at him, even his cousin left him. Not a single person had converted.

Not one to give up, and since people wouldn’t open their doors to him, de Sales decided to reach them by approaching them under their doors. He copied his own sermons by hand (the printing press was only in its beginning stage) and slipped them under doors—he was the forerunner of modern tract distribution. People felt less threatened to read his apologetic truth in private, gradually responded enthusiastically to his message, and returned to the one true Church. He is said to have been the catalyst for the conversion or restoration to the Catholic faith of 40,000 (Butler’s Lives of the Saints says 72,000!) Protestant-Calvinists.

In 1604 his friendship with a godly widow, Jane de Chantal, who came to him for spiritual direction, led to both of them embarking on a deeper life of holiness and mystical union with God which gave focus and power to their personal lives and led to the establishment of an order and convent of Visitation nuns which continues to this day.

As I studied de Sales’ strategy of witness, I learned that with his gentle humility, sincere compassion, and genuine goodness of heart he poured himself out to the poor in spirit and the poor in worldly goods as much as he did to the noble in high places; he was as much at home in the courts of kings and princes as he was in the humble cottages of peasants. All were given his prayers and insightful attention and spiritual direction without measure.
It interests me that he influenced people primarily through writing letters, as I am doing, although I use e-mail and publishing. In fact, he wrote his most famous book, Introduction to the Devout Life, as letters to a Christian lady in the secular world to show that the pursuit of holiness applied equally to busy people in the mainstream of public life or involved in family life as to religious contemplatives in cloisters.

At one time he wrote, "I have more than fifty letters to answer. If I tried to hurry over it all, I would be lost. So I intend neither to hurry or to worry. This evening I shall answer as many as I can. Tomorrow I shall do the same and so I shall go on until I have finished." What a good example of patience and steadfast purpose! De Sales didn't even have a typewriter or computer, printer, copy machine, fax, ballpoint pen, e-mail, an Internet web site, blog, texting, cell phone, iPod or iPad or even a reliable snail-mail service. I believe he would have used all the modern technology and media if he were living in this age.

He is said to have been overworked and often ill because of his workload of preaching and instruction. He believed spiritual direction was his first duty as a bishop. His vigorous occupation didn’t weaken his inner spiritual life or disturb his peace. On the contrary, he believed that his mission from God was to encourage lay people whose lives seemed ordinary that they could and should live lives of holiness to the same degree as monks and nuns. He advised busy people, “Retire at various times into the solitude of your own heart and talk to God, even while outwardly engaged in discussions or transactions with others.”

He died at the young age of 55 longing for the contemplative life but more in demand than ever by the Pope and even by king Louis XIII.

Since I have begun my Catholic journey at such an advanced chronological age, I certainly don’t expect the spectacular results in my apologetic apostolate as de Sales had. Nevertheless, I ask for his intercession for my writing and publishing, that I might be granted wisdom to carry out my calling from God in my sphere of life and at my season of life. May I be as faithful in the opportunities God gives me as he was.

Saint Francis de Sales, pray for me.

One of my favorite pieces of counsel from Saint Francis de Sales follows:

Be at Peace

Do not look in fear at the changes of life;

rather look at them with full hope as they arise.

God, whose very own you are,

will deliver you from them.

Since He has kept you hitherto,

He will lead you safely through all things;

and when you cannot stand it,

God will carry you in his arms.

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;

The same everlasting Father who cares for you today

will take care of you then and every day.

He will either shield you from suffering,

or will give you His unfailing strength to bear it.

Put aside all anxious thoughts and imagination;

Be at peace.

END

IF YOU CRAVE CHOCOLATE AND LOVE JESUS, TASTE THIS

For your enjoyment in this VALENTINE MONTH go to the site below:

My Chocolate Heart: Unfailing Love and a Heart Like Mine

By Jennifer, a regular contributing writer for CATHOLICONLINE
From the blog: mychocolatehart.blogspot.com/2010/04