Five birds were sitting on a telephone wire. Two decided to jump off and fly to the river for a drink. How many were left on the wire?

I used to get excited when I helped lead people to the point where they decided to get a drink from the living water of Jesus Christ. Truth be told, I still get excited about this. However, something has become all too clear to me as I pray about the lack of long-lasting results. Of the five birds on that telephone wire, there are still five birds on the wire! Why? A decision does not mean that action was taken or maintained. Even if those birds jumped and flew to the river, were they able to drink fully? Did they return to the river again and again?

Whether it’s the pulpit, a Bible study, or one-on-one spiritual direction, I see the same problem being played out over and over. Good preachers, teachers, and directors scatter good seed to many types of soil, but little takes root.

Often we say things like, “You never know when the scattered seed will take root and grow.” While true, I feel like this sentiment can also be a crutch we lean on when it feels like what we have taught is not producing lasting effect in the lives of the hungry.

Certainly, there are those whose lives represent rocky ground, thorny land, or a hard packed path. However, there are many whose lives are already good soil. Still, so little of the fertile soil has plants growing, and of these plants, many are not bearing fruit. I believe that what is happening is that the soil is not being cultivated and watered.

As an example, I can spend an hour teaching 100 people about Lectio Divina, a method of prayerfully meditating on the Holy Scriptures. I can even give them an example of what listening to God in Lectio might look like in my own prayer life. Every student might excitedly agree that the teaching was exactly what he or she needed. However, unless I help those listening actually practice Lectio Divina, I would guess that 1 or 2 out of 100 might actually go home and try it for themselves.

If we gather those same 100 people and we:

1. a)   take 20 minutes to teach them about Lectio Divina,
2. b)   then lead them in 20 minutes of personal time with the Lord, having them practice this model of prayerful meditation, and
3. c)   conclude with 20 minutes of small and large group sharing about what the Holy Spirit spoke into their lives

THEN, we see much more seed take root.

I would estimate that about 10 or 20 of those 100 people are going to go home and continue to practice this method of prayer. Why? They not only heard the Holy Spirit speak into their lives, but they have practiced a tangible method for how they can hear the Holy Spirit speak again, and again, and again.

From 1 or 2 people to 10 or 20, this is a 1,000% increase in effectiveness! We can’t just settle for good teachings any longer. We cannot be assured of maximum effectiveness just because 99% of a crowd gave positive reviews of the conference or retreat on their survey. If the hearers of the Word do not become doers of the Word, we cannot simply blame it on rocks, thorns, and hard-packed paths. Sure, the rocky soil does exist, but so does the nutrient-rich soil. I believe God is asking us to stay with our pupils, water the seed, and help protect it while it takes root. While it is God who makes the plant grow, He asks us to be the farmers who not only scatter seed, but also cultivate the ground.

Next step: Mentoring. Stay tuned for the difference a spiritual mentor can make in the next blog post.