If you have never explored Bonnet Springs in Lakeland, you 100% need to add it to your family's must-visit list. With its rolling hills and towering trees, you'll feel like you've stepped into a different state.
One of the unique things about this park is the vast number of aged oak trees that cover everything in a blanket of shade. I love how each one tells a story. You can tell which one's are determined to grow strong and tall.
In this season, these trees are inspiring us to work hard on the things beneath the surface. You know, the things that nobody sees. The practices that may not be big and flashy, but matter for the long haul. I love how God promises that the things we do in secret will one day be rewarded, even more than those things we do for all to see (Mt. 6:4).
The secret things matter to God: The habits and disciplines we cultivate every day. How we talk and act when the world isn't watching. How we treat each other. The true intentions of our heart. What is motivating our decisions.
One day, we will all stand before God and give an account of how we spent our days, our energy, our gifts, and our words. These things matter. They make up the root system of who we are. We urge you to join us in reflecting on how well you are stewarding the secret things.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3
More than anything, we have felt a sobering tug from the Holy Spirit to spend these first few months of our new season strategic ideas from the Lord before we shift into second gear. Praying through what our root system will look like and managing the secret things well.
Thank you for joining us on the first few steps of this journey!
Love, The Barnoske's