“. . . Just remember, in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snow,
Lies the seed that with the sun’s love
In the spring becomes the rose.”
–Bette Midler

Summer has long been my favorite time of year – singing in the sunshine, tending flowerbeds, swatting flies at family picnics and rolling in the ocean surf.

But spring, to me, is the most miraculous season of the year.

After enduring months of freezing temperatures, barren landscapes, short daylight hours and long stretches of darkness, signs of change slowly but surely appear: snowdrops and crocuses peek through the crusty soil, the first robin offers its stouthearted solo, buds swell on green-tinged willow tree branches, the mercury hiccups a 20-degree spurt on the patio thermometer.

Jim Bishop

Spring approaches – with its awesome promise of new life. Winter can’t hold us in its icy grip forever. Hope springs eternal.

It’s easy to let myself get stuck in the muck of daily hassles and exigencies. When tough situations arise, hope sometimes becomes the prime force that keeps me motivated and moving.

‘Affirmative words’

Just last week, I was allowing several personal problems to run interference on my usual optimistic attitude. Right in the midst of my personal pity party, a work colleague stopped me on the stairway landing and told me that a recent column “spoke” to him. That same morning, a letter came in the mail from a lady I don’t know with affirmative words for several of my articles that she could identify with.

Such serendipitous moments served up a munificent ration of hope and reminded me of the larger picture – that indeed, my life is running over with daily bountiful blessings.

These incidents underscored again that we need to offer words of encouragement when we see someone else caught in a web of melancholy or despair. It may be someone who is experiencing a long-term illness, dealing with a fractured relationship, severe financial stress.

A supportive word and gentle touch of grace may make all the difference in helping someone see “new possibilities,” a turning point just ahead. I also must recognize that it’s not a sign of weakness or inadequacy to simply admit that I’m struggling with a problem and go seek assistance.

Revive and Renew Yourself

Spring may seem a natural time for the human spirit to be revived and renewed, but this sweet season can happen year-round when we breathe a breath of warmth on frozen countenances – both on ourselves and others.

Sometimes, however, we must first pass through the refiner’s fire of testing and trial. The rainstorm must preceed the rainbow. Before the joy and gladness of Easter, there is the solemnity, pain and alienation of Good Friday. This is the memorandum of spring and of the Easter season that is such an integral part of it.

Look – the newly-opened daffodil getting a suntan.

Look – long-shuttered windows are opening to let in the fresh air.

Look – the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty.

Look – a new creation.

Jim Bishop is public information officer at 草莓社区, Harrisonburg, Va.

It’s still cool, even wintry-like at times, but change is happening – slowly, quietly, surely.

Around our house, daffodils and tulips force their way through the crusty mulch, testing conditions, deciding whether to thrust forth with confidence or retreat to whence they came.

Fat robins cavort in our yard, breaking forth in song one minute, shivering the next.

The calendar declares it, the great outdoors seconds it – Spring is in the air.

Indoors, an amaryllis plant that I potted at Thanksgiving is starting to put on a Technicolor display. I start one each November in hopes of the large colorful blooms cheering up the often bleak month of January.

This time, nothing seemed to happen in spite of lavishing extra attention on the dormant bulb. Christmas came and went with no indication of green shoots or a flower stalk imminent.

Several times I came close to pitching the stubborn plant, then recanted. Apparently the contrary plant decided to give up growing for Lent, only to strut its stuff for Easter.

Stubborn flowering plants act a lot like people, but we shouldn’t give up on them either.

I also purchase an Easter lily each year, enjoy its beauty and fragrance, then plant it outside and watch for it to spring up again the following year.

An obstinate amaryllis at the Bishop residence waited until Easter to break forth with joy.
Photo by Jim Bishop

Easter weekend comes especially early this year, at a time when the weather remains unpredictable and uncertain.

It’s a time of promise, of newness, of renewal and hope. The long dark nights and desolation of winter are passing. But wintertime’s hibernation and dormancy spell is necessary in order for new life to burst forth again.

This old guy still looks forward to getting an Easter basket, joining with other family members in searching indoors and outside for the wicker container laden not so much with chocolate goodies as with small, useful everyday items. Finding this hidden treasure is half the fun.

Easter encompasses all that life is meant to be in its fullness.

In contrast, humanity seems intent on pursuing a path that leads to destruction – inflicting pain and suffering on each other to get what we want or to impose our will on others, whether on an individual level or broader scope.

I think of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and especially in Iraq, now two years old and counting.

Does Iraq have any connection with Easter?

I think so.

The Easter story is a violent one, full of trauma, injustice and death. One ends joyfully, triumphantly, the other . . . well, the verdict has yet to be returned.

We can use violent means to try to bring about change, between people and between countries, but it won’t change people’s minds or hearts. Only genuine love can do that.

Boundless love, reconciliation, life beyond the grave – that’s the message of Easter, if we are open to hearing and accepting it.

But, love our enemies? Here and now? Maybe the person next to you that you can’t stand, that’s a possibility. But our perceived enemies half way around the world? How absurb, even though the One who Easter is all about called us to do precisely that.

The cross, used by the powerful to suck the life out of the powerless, became the instrument that changed the world.

In the shadow of that empty cross, we can fully live – now and forever.

Jim Bishop is public information officer at 草莓社区. He can be contacted at .

Associate campus pastor Byron Peachey leads a commissioning prayer for the EMU cross-cultural group leaving for Latin America following the convocation address by President Loren Swartzendruber (standing, r.). Photo by Jim Bishop

People of faith, to be truly effective, should have

In his first public address as new president of 草莓社区, Loren E. Swartzendruber called on the campus community to embody both concepts in their daily lives. He took office on Jan. 1 this year.

Swartzendruber spoke to EMU students, faculty and staff at the opening convocation service Wednesday morning, Jan. 7, of the second semester.

“Faith that is tough minded, but not tender hearted, is ultimately parched and dry, a faith that withers on the vine. But faith that is tender hearted and not also tough minded is fragile and subject to the fads of the time. It wears thin in the valley of life,” Swartzendruber said.

What does this mean, in practical terms, at a Christian liberal arts university like EMU? the president asked.

“When in dialog, especially with someone with whom we disagree, we choose not to vilify the other. Shouting louder to strengthen an argument is not productive. Tender hearts respect the the other person, acknowledging that we both bring our life experiences and emotions to our conversations.

“Knowing what one believes and holding it firmly is the beginning point for healthy dialog,” the president stated. “At EMU, we are prepared to consider other points of view and welcome new insights, but we don’t enter into those discussions as an institution unclear about our identity.

“Tough minds also recognize that there are rarely just two points of view on a controversial issue. Reducing complex issues to either-or extremes is intellectually dishonest. It is not relativism to acknowledge numerous
points of view, but neither does that mean that all of them are equally close to the truth.

“Persons of tough mind and tender heart resist using overly simplistic labels such as ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal.’ These are not very useful in our life as a church or the larger society,” Swartzendruber declared.

As an Anabaptist-Christian university in the liberal arts tradition, EMU “holds to high standards of intellectual pursuit – developing tough minds to engage a world of fuzzy thinkers is a worthy pursuit,” he said.

“EMU is in the business of honing tough minds to confront difficult questions. In fact, it is our calling as a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition to celebrate intellectual achievement.

“EMU is also about the business of developing tender hearts. Our graduates are among the best in medicine, social work, teaching, conflict transformation and other areas of service around the world,”
Swartzendruber said.

The convocation closed with a commissioning for 22 EMU students who will spend the semester in a cross-cultural seminar in Guatemala and Cuba led by Nate and Elaine Zook Barge. Another group of 29 students, led by Linford and Janet Stutzman, will leave campus Jan. 10 for a semester-long study program in the Middle East.