Cultivate the Spirit

This is the theme for the year. This slogan will be used to help bring focus to all CSA will do.

When we hear the word “cultivate” we may automatically think of farming because cultivating means breaking up the soil to prepare it for planting and growing crops. This can be an analogy for our goals for this year. Farming is an in-depth process that requires much work to produce a fruitful harvest.

• Just as a farmer provides all a seed needs to grow (nutrients in soil, water, sun, protection from pests), God gives us the tools to develop. We should educate others and ourselves.
• CSA can be the soil. It can be somewhere for students to grow spiritually and socially.
• We can nurture and foster each other’s gifts and talents.
• Just as a garden is made of a variety of plants, so too are we a diverse group of people. It is the differences in color, texture, shape, and fragrance of the individual plants that grow together to make a more beautiful garden.
• We can each be fruitful and spread our knowledge, gifts, talents, and love to others.

Cultivating is loosing up the soil to allow fresh air to come in. It breaks up the weeds and allows a plant to grow. CSA can work to prepare others to be fruitful. CSA will work to educate, nurture, support, and encourage UT students. Cultivate is to challenge ourselves to be our best selves– to work towards becoming who God calls us to be.

The Parable of the Sower was told by Jesus to illustrate the different reactions to the Word of God. This parable can be found in Mathew 13, Luke 8, and Mark 4. What type of ground will each of us be?

From Mark 4: 3-8, 14-20
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.
The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.

Spirit can refer to the Holy Spirit, our personal spirit, and/or community spirit.
The dictionary defines “spirit” as
--- A vital force that characterizes a living being as being alive
--- Somebody’s will, sense of self, or energy for living
--- Somebody’s attitude or state of mind; a sense of enthusiasm and loyalty that somebody feels through belonging to a group
--- Something that is a divine, inspiring, or animating influence
We are called to Transformation.

What do you think “Cultivate the Spirit” means and how will you try to incorporate this slogan into your activities?