Soul-Scrubbing Bubbles

Pond scum. It’s a very unpleasant combination of two words, isn’t it? I mean, when you hear these two, what comes to mind? Green, slimy, gooey, gunk that floats, creeping from the edges to the middle. Yuk.

Sad to say, but we’ve got a pond scum problem at Cross Street. Cross Street—you know our Cross Street Ministry Center near Community Hospital, where the Church Offices, Church Library, NorthKids Learning Center, and gymnasium all hug the shore of an idyllic pond, framed by the forest-bursting-into-spring-green on the other side.

Unfortunately, that “spring green” is growing on the pond, too. We’ve tried everything over the last few years to try and get that scum under control. Scum-eating carp, for instance. I know—there’s a more proper name for the swimming scum-eaters, but, that’s what they are: scum-eaters. But, alas, they can’t seem to eat fast enough. The pond scum prevails.

We’ve dumped chemicals into the pond, too, to make the water less hospitable to the scum. Yes, yes, it’s Earth Day and all of that—and yes, we want to be environmentally sensitive, and yes, the chemicals are to “balance” the water’s otherwise toxic twist, but, again, our investment as been in vain. More scum upon scum.

We’ve even been out in the canoe, trying to scoop the stuff up, cut it off at the root (it’s really growing from the bottom), and carrying it away. Snip. Splash. Swoosh. Snip some more. Scoop some more. It’s hopeless.

What’s the problem? Lots of theories here. Like mole hunting in the front yard, there are a hundred ideas, remedies, and explanations, depending upon with whom you talk. In a nutshell, the whole pond problem has to do with the run-off from surrounding farmland—all of those nitrates and fertilizers and who knows what else the farmers pour into the soil to grow things—which makes our pond water high in nitrogen and choked off from oxygen. Whatever. The pond scum flourishes because of the farmers next door. That’s one idea.

Maybe it’s the fact that the pond has no natural spring to feed it. Maybe it’s because the pond was artificially introduced to manage the run-off from the big paved parking lot out front. Maybe it’s because Al Gore was right, after all, and the climate is changing because of carbon fuel emissions in the Great Lakes basin. I don’t really know. I do know that pond scum is very unattractive. I know, because I’m looking at it right now.

What to do? The only “way out” seems to be a fountain. The kind of water spout that you see in retention ponds in many places—a jet of water that shoots out from the middle of a pond, creating an Old Faithful-like geyser and, at the same time, aerating the aqua. In this way, the water is “refreshed” with oxygen and circulates. Stagnant water is always trouble; moving, circulating water doesn’t give scum a chance.

Putting a water jet in our Cross Street pond is problematic (we don’t actually own the pond, we just look at it) and expensive ($2,000-$4,000). Oh well, it’s no big deal, really. The view is still lovely—and the pond scum does add some, shall we say, texture to the scene. There are bigger problems to tackle in life.

But, there is a lesson here. Every day, I’m reminded that I have to keep moving and exploring and learning and listening and changing to stay fresh and clean. I can’t stand still, become stagnant, just sit here and live. I need to be stirred up, aerated, if you will, with the oxygen of Heaven. I need to be stretched, circulated, and refreshed. There’s a lot of toxic run-off in this world that, inadvertently, finds its way into the basin of our souls. It can cause us to become stagnant and unclean. We must be intentional and take the initiative to combat the stuff, lest scum grows in our hearts. We need a fountain—of life.

There are a lot of changes swirling about us these days. The church is getting a new name and a new home. There are some exciting new ministry programs and alignments around the corner. The pool is being stirred, the water is being aerated. There is a fountain. And it’s beginning to flow.

We either become stagnant or we are stirred up for life. Don’t let any scum creep into your pond. Make sure the water is fresh and the world’s run-off is cleansed by allowing God to shake things up a little. For the good. For Heaven’s sake.

There’s a beautiful lake at Madison Park. Have you seen it? It covers eleven acres, it’s spring fed, and there’s not a trace of scum anywhere on its surface. We’ve tested the water and it is unusually pure. Pray that our congregation will be framed in the same way. Always springfed, always fresh, always a thing of beauty.

I am so very thankful to be a part of this church family at this most exciting time. Thanks, North, for your sacrifice, prayers, ministry, love, and spirit of adventure. That’s the stuff of Heaven’s fountain.