Author draws spiritual lessons from growing Christmas trees
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon The Rev. Michael Kurtz wrote a book about his experience raising evergreens.
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon The Rev. Michael Kurtz wrote a book about his experience raising evergreens. |
Dec. 21, 2004 By John Gordon* CONCORD,
N.C. (UMNS) — Raising Christmas trees in the Appalachian Mountains for
nearly two decades, the Rev. Michael Kurtz learned about more than
trees. "In
nature, I see divinity," says Kurtz, pastor of Forest Hill United
Methodist Church. "In nature, I see God’s grace and God’s teachings." His experience on the tree farm—the careful planting, cultivation and pruning of Fraser firs—inspired him to write a book, Lessons From A Christmas Tree Farm.
The book draws parallels between growing trees and nurturing the human
spirit – "agricultural analogies" or "tree teachings," he calls them. "Christmas
tree farmers cannot expect a good crop of trees if they plant the
seedlings in the ground and ‘let ’em grow’ on their own," Kurtz says in
his book. Trees, like people, require years of careful nurturing and cultivation, he says. "It does take a lot of labor and effort," he says. "So the cultivation in our life takes effort." Kurtz
grew Christmas trees while he was a schoolteacher and coach in Ashe
County, N.C. He and two other teachers started a tree farm as a
sideline. The Fraser firs are often called the Cadillac of Christmas trees because of their shape and color. The
firs are native to the Appalachians and other mountainous regions of
the country, thriving at altitudes above 3,000 feet. North Carolina is
one of the country’s leading producers of live Christmas trees. The
process of raising the trees begins with seedlings, which spend several
years in a nursery. In his book, Kurtz likens that process to the extra
care sometimes needed by people. "There’s
times in our lives we go through a crisis – a hard, difficult time,
maybe a dark night of the soul," he says. "And we need … some of that
TLC, or that intensive-care, nursery kind of care." Tree
farmers may spend another 10 years cultivating and pruning the firs
before they are ready for harvesting and sale. Much of the pruning work
is done by hand.
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon Lessons From A Christmas Tree Farm draws parallels between growing trees and nurturing the human spirit.
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Raising
Christmas trees in the Appalachian Mountains for nearly two decades,
the Rev. Michael Kurtz learned about more than trees. Kurtz is now
pastor of Forest Hill United Methodist Church in Concord, North
Carolina. His experience on the tree farm-the planting, cultivation and
pruning of Fraser firs-inspired him to write a book, Lessons From A
Christmas Tree Farm. The book draws parallels between growing trees and
nurturing the human spirit. A UMNS photo by John Gordon. Photo #04-594.
Accompanies UMNS story #603. 12/21/04
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It’s another process where Kurtz sees a parallel in life. "There’s
a necessity of the master gardener to shear our life, if you will, or
prune our life," he says, "so we can cut away all that extra that’s not
needed." Kurtz
says the seeds for the book were planted while he worked on the tree
farm. He started writing it after he became a minister and spent three
years working on the book. All
the careful years of cultivation eventually lead to the harvesting of
the firs for sale as Christmas trees. Kurtz sees similarities in life. "I
think about harvesting here and now. I think about God using our lives
to do good things here and now in our world – justice and mercy,
ministries," he says. "But I also think of eternal life and the harvesting that comes to those who keep the faith." No
two trees are alike, Kurtz points out. Every tree is unique in size,
shape and color, he says, drawing another analogy to life. "To me, that again speaks to the diversity of people," he says. Church members say they are inspired by the book about Christmas trees. "It’s
sort of unique, isn’t it?" says Forest Hills member Frances Wade. "They
have life in them, and he tells about that when he’s writing it." Kurtz
has no ambition to become a best-selling author now that the book is
out. He would be satisfied knowing the book sparked some thought and
discussion about the relationship between people and nature. Besides
having appeal for study groups, the 30-chapter book can be used as a
month-long devotional resource by individual readers. "I
hope it will give them another window," he says, "another lens … to
look through to see God’s work and to hopefully see God’s work in their
life." Lessons from a Christmas Tree Farm: A Devotional and Study Guide Resource is published by iUniverse Inc. of Lincoln, Neb. For more information, go to www.iuniverse.com/bookstore and do a title search. *Gordon is a freelance producer and writer in Marshall, Texas. News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5458 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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