Episode 34

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Published on:

16th Sep 2024

Seeds

I want to talk about “seeds” its spring time in South Africa- a time for planting. The seed has so much to teach us of the miracles and mysteries of God. And it's messy!

Transcript
Yeti X:

Sonny.

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Bunani my friends.

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Thanks for joining me on the

creative, spiritual journey podcast.

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Where Ghia and I share with

you, what's on our hearts.

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The joys we witnessed in

this season of our lives.

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Uh, and anything else we discover

along this wonderful journey of life.

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I'm Judy.

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Also known as sister Cooley

here in the Durban, South Africa

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mission for the church of Jesus

Christ of latter day saints.

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Wow.

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It's a lot of words.

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I am your host for this episode.

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Host is a curious word.

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It makes me feel all proper.

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Like I'm Julia Childs and I'm

hosting a fancy dinner party.

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When actually.

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I want this moment together to be

more like when a friend stops by

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and you share what's on your mind.

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While sitting at the kitchen counter.

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I love those moments.

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And I wouldn't just ask how you doing.

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But rather as a real friend, I'd

ask, Hey, what's on your heart.

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What keeps you awake at night?

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I hope this is that kind of

space where I can share with you.

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What's on my heart

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In hopes that it helps you

on your journey on mission.

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I've had many opportunities to

teach principles, to help change

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hearts and behaviors through

the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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We teach a 12 step course

for overcoming pornography.

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Uh, strengthening marriage class.

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And I teach a hope in Christ

healing course to women.

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What I'm noticing is a common thread.

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F how important it is to understand.

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Change.

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We all need a change of heart to

surrender our hearts to the savior.

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Repentance.

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Is change.

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Overcoming healing and

strengthening relationships

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cannot be done without change.

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The kind of change that

comes from his grace.

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And guess what?

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This is messy stuff.

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It is rough and tough on the soul.

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That's what I'm witnessing

change is not for sissies.

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Planting seeds for change and

nourishing and growing and becoming

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someone new to bring forth.

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Better fruit.

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Good fruit, delicious fruit in our lives.

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All of this is messy.

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Seriously though.

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Everyone.

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Every one of us are in a

constant change, growth and

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progression either for the better.

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Or for the worse.

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Life does not just

happen in a sterile lab.

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It happens more in the dirty

sandbox, full of microbes and germs.

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Right.

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It's the real stuff.

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I want to talk to you about seeds.

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It's springtime here in South Africa.

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And in fact today we just

had our first thunder storm.

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It is glorious out there.

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It smells like rain smells like spring.

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Spring is a time for planting.

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I love that Jesus compares faith.

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To a seed.

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Last weekend.

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I was in a training meeting for

the release society presidents.

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I love these sisters and we were

counseling together about what's on our

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hearts and what keeps us up at night.

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One sweet sister, a recent convert, and

now a newly called the relief society.

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President was talking to us about her

fears and how she felt overwhelmed.

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And.

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I doubted that she could do this.

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Yeah.

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Which I thought, yeah, I get that.

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Right.

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We've all been there.

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When another well-seasoned sister

who has been serving as president for

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years told her her story was the same

that she didn't feel educated enough.

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She was fearful.

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Very fearful of speaking

in front of people.

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And she was praying for

strength and courage.

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In fact, she even said

she had fasted and prayed.

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And she did say that she had always

loved gardening and she was confident

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about her gardening skills and she

knew how to plant and grow a garden.

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Then one night she had a dream.

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And in it.

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It was as if the Lord told her to

go to work in the garden to treat

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these sisters as she does her garden.

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She woke with new courage because

she told us she was confident

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in her ability to grow a garden.

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And she would just apply the same

care and love to the sisters.

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she does a beautiful job.

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Her branch is flourishing under her care.

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Many times I have thought about

this mission is planting seeds.

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Gardening.

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And who knows if we'll ever be

able to see the fruits of our labor

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and this side of the vineyard.

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Seeds.

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Fascinate me.

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That within.

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A tiny Appleseed.

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In that tiny little shell lies

all the DNA to make up a full

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grown fruit bearing apple tree.

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That is miraculous.

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I think of this one, I'm

planning a garden, looking at

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those tiny seeds in my hand.

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I admit.

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I'm kind of doubtful.

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This has gone to work.

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Have you ever looked a beet seed?

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Seriously?

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That bumpy Rocky looking thing

is going to produce a beat.

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This little thing can really

become anything is amazing to me.

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And come harvest.

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Uh, I'm proven wrong again.

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Those seeds really did become the beets,

the squash, the beans, and the tomatoes.

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There's also those seeds.

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You know, those seats that are

created to be blown on the wind.

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They fascinate me too.

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They're created to have

this little parachute.

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To help them fly in hopes to be

carried to fertile soil, to grow.

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Like the dandy lion puffs.

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Do you remember as a child making wishes

and then blowing on the dandelion puff?

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Just to see its seeds scatter.

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This seems to be a more

haphazard way of planting seeds.

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less chance for it to land.

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On real nice soil.

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It'll more likely land on a Rocky

soil, or maybe not even soil at all.

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is a parable that Christ

taught his disciples.

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The parable of the sower.

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We, we all know it well.

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Yeti X-1: It is found in mark four.

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Verses one through 20 and Matthew chapter

13 verses one through 23 and Luke eight.

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For through 15.

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the parable is There is a sower that

goes about sewing fourths seeds.

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So he's scattering seeds.

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And he, so some by the wayside and

the fowls came and devoured them.

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Some fell on Stony places that didn't

have much earth and they began to

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spring forth, but they didn't have

the deepness of the earth, the roots.

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So when the sun comes

up, they're scorched.

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And because they have no roots, they

wither away and some fall among thorns

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and the thorns spring up and choke them.

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But others fell into good

ground and brought forth fruit.

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Some a hundred fold,

some 60 and some 30 fold.

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I love that.

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It seems.

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To me.

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That this gardener, our sower is just.

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throwing seeds.

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Or is he.

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Is it possible?

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This sower?

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No something.

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Maybe he knows a little something

about seeds and how seeds

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work, the secret of seeds.

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He trust the seeds.

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He trusts the soil.

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He trusts the sun, the shade.

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The clouds.

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And the rain.

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Yeah.

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He is participating in the process of

planning by throwing right and harvesting.

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He even pays attention to

the season and gets to work.

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When the time is right.

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But he never is under the

illusion that he is in charge.

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He knows that the growth comes from God.

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We tell the missionaries here all

the time, we can plant the seed,

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water, fertilize, and nourish,

but all the growth comes from God.

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And the miracles that are within the seed.

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There is a poem.

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I used to share in my yoga

classes in the spring time.

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It's written by Cynthia OCLI.

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Titled the seed.

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For a seed to achieve

its greatest expression.

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It must come completely and done.

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The shell cracks.

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It's insides come out.

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And every thing changes.

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To someone.

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Who doesn't understand growth.

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It would look like a complete.

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Destruction.

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Isn't that powerful.

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Let me repeat that again

because it's short.

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But this time.

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I'd like for you in your mind

to ask yourself what changes.

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Our growth are you experiencing

right now in your life?

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That look messy.

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For a seed to achieve

its greatest expression.

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It must come completely undone.

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The shell cracks.

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It's insides come out.

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And everything changes.

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To someone who doesn't understand

growth, it would look like a complete.

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Destruction.

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To understand growth.

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We need to understand the reason.

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For trials and tests and challenges.

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That is the lesson of the seed.

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Wherever you've been planted.

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For us to realize our full potential.

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We have to go through opposition.

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To gain that strength as we go

through those struggles, right.

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To reach for the light.

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To reach for the water.

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For our growth to become what God.

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Created us to become.

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Did you know that within

each of us, you know, this.

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That within each of us is the DNA of D D.

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We are seeds of deity.

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every living soul is created in the image

of God, the father and God, the mother.

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Yeah, we don't look or act much like them.

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He.

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Yet.

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We look more like the little sapling,

trying to push its root into Rocky ground.

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The full becoming as them.

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Isn't going to be

complete in this lifetime.

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But knowing this.

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Maybe.

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Maybe knowing this, that we are

seeds of DDT can comfort us when

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we're going through the growing

pains and life feels like a disaster.

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We can ask ourself.

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How is this bringing growth?

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What am I to learn from this?

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And then hold on.

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Sometimes.

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Where those seeds.

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They're just scattered in rough places.

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maybe we feel more like the little

seed lien struggling for light.

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We all will and have, if you

haven't yet we'll experience

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some really messy moments.

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Where like the seed,

everything is changing.

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Our children's grow up.

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Our bodies experienced sickness

and aging accidents happen.

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Our relationships change.

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Our environments change.

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Our purpose change, sometimes a loved

one, even dice changing the scenery.

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Some of life's lessons

will be difficult for sure.

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And we may be asked to face

more than we think we can.

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And certainly more than we want.

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We may want to scream out why me?

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Why again?

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Or I can't take it anymore.

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Or does God really care about me?

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It's okay.

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And it's even human.

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To ask these questions.

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I know I have.

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you and I are in good company.

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King David asked.

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How long would the forget me?

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Oh, Lord.

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And the prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty

jail asked, oh God, where art thou.

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Even the savior himself in

excruciating suffering on the cross.

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Wondered if he too had been forsaken.

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But our loving father in heaven answers.

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to All these faithful souls

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Be still and know that I am God and

to you and I he'll answer all our

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prayers uttered in darkness of despair.

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he is always and ever.

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The same.

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he has not left us.

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We are not forgotten.

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His promises are sure his

arms are always out stretched.

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I even believe he knows.

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And he's aware of each seed.

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Us.

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We're replanted.

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And how we are growing.

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And Elma 32.

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Do you love Alma 32.

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It's so full of rich.

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Analogies of seeds.

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In verse 28, the seed is

compared to the word of God.

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No, I'm going to take some

Liberty with Elmo's words.

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Now if you give place.

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Make a place.

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That a seed may be planted in your heart.

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What kind of condition is

the soil of your heart?

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And behold, if it be a true seed

or a good seed, And if you do

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not cast it out by your unbelief,

Oh, the power of our thoughts.

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It will be began to

swell within your breast.

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And when you feel these swelling

motions, you will begin to

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say, this is a good seed.

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And that seed will begin to

enlighten your understanding.

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It begins to be delicious to me.

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Don't you love that?

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It begins to enlighten my understanding.

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It begins to be delicious to me.

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So ask yourself.

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Are you planting seeds of

fear, Or are those seeds of

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the fruit of the spirit joy?

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Faith seeds of love, seeds

of good works of hope of

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kindness, repentance and change.

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I invite you to pause and ponder

on the wonderful miracle of you.

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That's within your soul.

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That within your very DNA is a blueprint.

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Just like the apple seed.

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The blueprint of an apple tree.

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Yours is a blueprint.

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Of deity, your heavenly

father, your heavenly mother.

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A goddess or a God in embryo.

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And that might seem too

outrageous and farfetched for you.

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I know some days.

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I feel like.

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I'm having a hard time, even being

a little bit, Christ-like my words.

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Fall short.

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My faith waivers.

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I'm more fearful than faithful.

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And I don't even think

about my brother, let alone.

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Am I, his keeper.

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Maybe.

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some days.

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I'm more like the dandy lion seed.

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A weed.

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This leads me to one

more lesson of the seed.

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Patients.

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Patients and long suffering.

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Those.

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Our fruits of the spirit also.

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These things all take time.

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eternity kind of time.

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Eternal.

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progression kind of time.

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Thank Kevins.

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We have time to keep trying.

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And trying to make it right.

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And I also have learned

from gardening with seeds.

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not all seeds, bear

fruit at the same time.

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And there's different

times to plant those seeds.

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So be kind to yourself.

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As you would attend her little sapling.

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That's doing its best to grow and

change into that big apple tree.

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Let your roots sink deep into rich soil.

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And let your branches

reach high to his light.

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And then lean into the messy.

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Lean into the hard.

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Yeti X-4: Trusting in the great creator

or heavenly father and our savior.

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Jesus Christ.

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And the seed, the seed that

he has planted within us.

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Yeti X-1: And that seed will begin

to enlighten your understanding.

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It begins to be delicious

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Yeti X-4: Hey, if you know someone.

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That is struggling with.

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This process of changing and growing.

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Um, please share this message with them.

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Ah, gee, and I would

appreciate it very much.

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Thanks.

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My friend.

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For being here.

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With me on the creative,

spiritual journey.

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And.

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remember that's Zulu for, I love you.

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And I say these things.

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In the name of Jesus Christ.

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The great sower.

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And I will see you in the garden.

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About the Podcast

Creative Spiritual Journey
one small, deliberate step at a time
We are all on a journey—a journey home to our heavenly parents. Any experienced traveler knows there are days you laugh and days you cry.

We aren’t here to tell you how to live—we are here to share how we live—how we survive, thrive, and even find joy!

The journey gets messy with rainstorms and sleepless flights but the hard times—the miserable times—those make the best stories.

And the vistas, the sunsets, the little birds outside the window—those are the reminders that God is in the details, he is aware of us, he has trod the path before.

The Creative Spiritual Journey Podcast is hosted by Judy and Ghia Cooley—two sisters in their wisdom years—who love the savior and are dedicated to making this journey one small, deliberate step at a time.

Join us!

About your host

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Ghia Cooley