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Author draws spiritual lessons from growing Christmas trees

 


Author draws spiritual lessons from growing Christmas trees

LINK: Click to open full size version of image
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.

LINK: Click to open full size version of image
A UMNS photo by John Gordon

Lessons From A Christmas Tree Farm draws parallels between growing trees and nurturing the human spirit.

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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