This summer I spent a month taking a 5,000 mile road trip!

As I drove alone for 5,000 miles, a number of ideas popped into my head. Now that I’m back home in San Jose, I’m turning them into blogs.

As I drove through North Dakota, I could smell the smoke from distant wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.

My eyes burned. I sneezed. I coughed.

I thought of the ways that distant evils—distant fires—hurt us. (See my blog “Smoke from Distant Fires”).

But then, I thought about the potential “fire” that surrounded me in North Dakota.

What fire?

The fire from the nuclear-tipped missiles hidden deep underground. Out of sight. And far too often, out of mind.

Hidden not just by soil. But hidden by the beautiful life growing above the nuclear weapons.

The beauty of life distracts us from seeing the hideous death that lies in wait for us and for all Humanity.

The Deceiver—the Father of Lies—distracts us from death. (John 8:44).

The Deceiver does everything possible to keep us from seeing, perceiving, hearing, understanding, and feeling evils that lie all around us.

The Deceiver is like a magician who hides his tricks by distracting the audience with a gorgeous, scantily-glad helper.

The Deceiver camouflages Hideous Death with Fake Life!

As with nuclear weapons—and so many other types of weapons—hypocrisy hides death.

Too often, we boast hypocritically about the ways we are bringing life—instead of telling the truth about the ways we are bringing death. (Matthew 23:1-36, especially 23:25-28).

Fortunately, there is another potential “fire” in North Dakota—and across America and across all Humanity!

Fire from the Holy Spirit!

In many places, I saw abundant crops growing. In some places, I saw farmers already harvesting a few crops. Mostly though, the crops were still growing.

But then, I thought about how Jesus told his followers:

“I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35).

I thought about how Jesus went everywhere, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom [of heaven] and healing every disease and sickness—physical and spiritual. (Matthew 9:35; Matthew 5:3-10; Luke 4:16-21).

“When he saw the crowds, [Jesus] had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”—just like so many of us throughout America and all Humanity in the 21st Century. (Matthew 9:36).

And so, Jesus told his followers then—as he tells followers of the Way of Jesus today:

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:35-38).

I prayed for workers.

My spirits rose as I looked forward to the bounteous harvests that are soon to come.

Physical harvests. Yes.

Crops of wheat, corn and soybeans grown in the good soil of North Dakota. Yes.

But more importantly, crops grown throughout America and all Humanity in the lives of those who worship the LORD in Spirit and in Truth! (John 4:23-25).

Crops grown in the lives of those who hear the word—the message about the kingdom of heaven—and understand it. (Matthew 13:19,23).

Crops grown in the lives of those who do not fall away due to troubles or persecutions. (Matthew 13:20-21).

Crops grown in the lives of those who are not distracted by worries, by the deceitfulness of wealth, or by the desire for anything but to love the one and only LORD God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their strength and with all their mind. (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:37-38).

Crops grown by the Spirit of the LORD in good soil—in the lives of followers of the Way of Jesus!

Crops of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Matthew 13:23; Galatians 5:22-23; Isaiah 55:1-3,6-12).

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For additional thoughts arising from my 5,000 mile road trip in my car nicknamed White Lightning, please read my blogs “Lightning from East to West”, “Directions Along the Way”, “Delays Along the Way”, “Dangers Along the Way—Narrow Roads”, “Dangers Along the Way—Heavy Traffic”, “Hiding in Plain Sight”, and “Smoke from Distant Fires”.