Spring is arriving here in Spain, and I recently decided to plant some herbs in containers. I ventured out to a local “vivero de plantas” (plant nursery) and purchased a few varieties. After preparing the soil in a couple of pots, I began to remove the smaller seedlings for transplanting. I was struck by the condition of their roots – good and bad. Some were healthy, spreading nicely and ready for expanded space. Others were essentially “root bound” having tightly compressed and matted root balls.
While I’m no farmer, I do understand that roots play a critical role in the health of the plant. If they are growing in well-prepared soil with room for expansion and access to a good water supply, they are much more likely to thrive. If they are crowded and overgrown, it is hard for roots to provide a sufficient amount of the moisture and nutrients the plant needs to flourish.
What’s all that have to do with missionary media? Well, in the same way that plants in the natural world need healthy roots and good soil to prosper and grow, so do ministries, like IMM, require a strong root system to be fruitful.
At IMM, we are rooted in a conviction that people need Jesus and that media can be a powerful tool to bring him into their lives. We draw nourishment from the friends and partners who pray and give to help us put Jesus On Every Screen. We also recognize that sometimes we need “re-potting” in order to expand our efforts. That means embracing changing technologies and broader relationships in pursuit of new audiences still unreached by the good news of Jesus.
So, how are your roots? I pray as Paul the Apostle did for the church at Ephesus,
“…that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all
the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of
Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the
measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3: 17-19 NIV