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A-maze-ing maze: Christian farmer plants maze in shape of Bible verse

Maze was kept a secret until pilots noticed it from above

In the New Testament, John 14:6 reads "I am the way, the truth and the life." Near Chiddingly, East Sussex, a Christian farmer used this verse to construct a hedge maze. The catch was that people who wandered in were unaware of the religious statement, which read "Jesus - I am the way, the truth and the life," and was visible only from high in the air. Pilots, along with people surfing Google Maps, gave truth to the farmer's intention.

'The idea just came to me one day. I am not even sure why I chose that part of the Bible, other than Jesus is saying a lot about himself in that passage,' a British farmer says.

'The idea just came to me one day. I am not even sure why I chose that part of the Bible, other than Jesus is saying a lot about himself in that passage,' a British farmer says.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Sixty-three-year-old Peter Gunner, a father of five, set out to construct the maze out of trees that would spell out the words of Jesus when seen from above.

Planting thousands of willows on a seven-acre field with the help of a few volunteers, Gunner carefully pruned them so their message would be clear. The maze went largely unnoticed, save for the few stray comments from pilots, until it was spotted recently on Google maps.

Residing with his wife Faith and their dog Peace, Gunner said that "the idea just came to me one day. I am not even sure why I chose that part of the Bible, other than Jesus is saying a lot about himself in that passage."
 
Gunner says that the plan finally made sense when he realized that "In a way the maze is a lot like life, nobody knows what it looks like from above.

"You can wander through life confused when in fact it does make sense from a different perspective."

Gunner said he only saw his complete handiwork after a police officer neighbor gave him a picture taken from a helicopter in 2005.

"There are a couple of things I would do differently and some tweaks I would make but overall I am happy with it," Gunner said.

He invites friends and people from the local church to use the maze, and there is a public footpath by the field so walkers can stumble upon his creation.

"Every time I see a plane go over I look at it and say a little prayer. I hope somebody sees the maze and feels inspired," he says.

© 2013, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention:
The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Maze, United Kingdom, John 4:16, pilots, topiary

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