Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World | Part 3 | Growing Peace Within | Michelle Snook

Growing Peace Within
Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World
June 19, 2022 

The Willamette Valley in Oregon is known as the grass seed capital of the world. Not so good news for those of us who suffer with allergies to grass pollen, this time of year can be downright miserable! But did you know that the Willamette Valley is perhaps the most diverse agricultural region on earth, producing more than 170 different crops? In addition to grass seed, the growing conditions of our area are also excellent for a wide variety of vegetables, tree fruits, berries, hazelnuts, wine grapes, hops, grain, hay, peppermint, and Christmas trees. In other parts of Oregon, crops such as pears, apples, wheat, corn, watermelon, sugar beets, garlic, onions and cranberries are produced.
 
But did you notice that certain things grow better in certain areas? And nowhere on the list of crops in Oregon will you find things like coconuts, pineapples, oranges, papayas or mangoes. That’s because the conditions in Oregon aren’t naturally suited to producing those things.
 
A friend of mine has a greenhouse on his farm where he is growing and harvesting Meyer lemons, limes, and tangerines. He’s made the effort to create the right conditions to produce fruit, even when the environment isn’t hospitable to growing them. It didn’t happen by accident; he intentionally designed the conditions needed to produce what he wanted to grow.
 
We are in week 3 of our 4-week series, Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World. I invite you to join us this week as we take a look at what it means to cultivate the right conditions for peace to grow in our lives. Yes, the Holy Spirit gives us peace; but there are also ways that we can intentionally arrange our lives to be more conducive to experiencing peace regardless of our daily circumstances.