Jerry is in hog heaven! February isn't over and he's already got the gardens plowed and the first seeds in: peas, lettuce, and I don't know what else. He loves spring- can't wait to get his hands in that dirt. With years of composting and hard work he built up the two huge & beautiful black strips I gaze at from my window here in our cabin on the hill. This black mass will soon become our lush garden for the 2009 year.
Soil is so mysterious. Only God can create a substance from dung and dead materials that brings forth life and energy. When a tiny seed unites with moisture, sunshine, and this thing we take for granted, called dirt, it is a miracle!
I think of another sower of seed - "the Sower who went out to sow"(read it in Matt 13: 18-23) ... in casting seed, some fell on thorny ground.
Well, I once lived in Nebraska where there were nothing but "stickers" in my garden- we couldn't go barefoot anywhere on our property- and these things literally took over- unless you totally fumigated the sticker plants, they destroyed everything. We actually did that very thing. Afterwards, we were able to have a lush field of green grass- the children were finally able to run barefoot!
Some seed from the Sower fell over rocks and stumps "by the wayside." There the little seedlings struggled, but could not take firm root, so they died when the first drought or stressor came along. But the Seed that fell on "good soil" - their roots went deep, they sprang up and thrived! They produced much fruit for the Sower!
This parable is for us! We often have our minds set on too many other activities, projects. worries, or pursuits of pleasure that crowds out the Seeds of the Word of God. The thorns are like sins that we keep alive and growing until they are so thick they control us.
We must ask God to fumigate our minds and remove every evil thing. He will do it. We must cooperate with him in the process- removing all the rocks and logs. It is not easy work- (ask Jerry!) but God promises to give Power to accomplish this work! Thus we prepare the Soil of our Hearts to receive His word, then daily water and nurture it, so it will grow and become beautiful... Life and Energy inside us...we can then become truly productive for God in our lives.

Oh that our faces will turn to you Lord, as a plant strains up and toward the sun for its very life! Thank you Father for the lessons all around us in nature!

A Beautiful Weekend

Saturday A Beautiful Day

The weather was really nice today. I am anxious to get into the garden and do some things. A few months ago I would not have said this but we need a few dry days.

It has been a high day. The church service was very spiritual capped with a baptism. Esther went with her friends for the day. Connie & I went to see my sister in Greeneville. It was a good visit. We ate lunch, talked about our aliments, taxes, family and God- not necessarily in that order. Then we left and did some driving around & sight- seeing until it got dark. We ate a calzone then came home. That may seem boring but it was uneventful, stress free, and filled with Gods spirit.

Sunday

A very productive day! Although we slept late and took time to fix and eat an elaborate brunch. We had a productive day. Esther and I pruned several trees. I took the dead battery out of my sub-compact tractor and purchased a new one. I washed the van and did some grocery shopping while Esther and Connie went clothes shopping for Esther. I changed the HVAC filters after eating dinner which Connie prepared along with a butterscotch pie (yum).

I looked over the garden while I was out in the orchard. With a couple more dry days I think I can start preparing the soil for early crops. I would like to get peas, onions along with some cold weather greens in the ground. I plan on taking Tuesday off work (weather allowing) to work in the orchard I’m trying to hit the pruning early and hard this year. It will not be long before the trees start to bud. I’m very much looking forward to this years growing season.

What has God given you today? Are you ready to receive his abundance?

Matthew 25: 1-19

God be with you,

My friend Julie recently wrote a post about preparedness in connection to the recent winter storms. This evokes several thoughts and memories for me.

I have lived in this area most of my life and have only had to survive once. We endured being snowed in for a week. At the time I heated my house with wood so heat wasn’t a problem. We had camping gear, a gas stove, and lantern coupled with the wood stove. Cooking wasn’t a problem. Candles, kerosene lamps and the lantern provided what light we needed. We had produce from the garden stored, powered milk, cocoa and sugar along with other staples. At the time, we had 2 young children and an infant at home. It was one of the best vacations I ever had. It was 5 days before I even thought about trying to contact the rest of the world. We played in the deep snow and drank hot chocolate. It was a wonderful time of bonding with my children.

We had a mind set of preparedness then- extra blankets, tools, and food to last a couple of weeks. Water, electricity and heat weren’t issues at that time. Today they would be. I still have a wood stove and even if I didn’t have a reserve of wood I have the capability of cutting a tree down. Water would be a problem unless it was snow or ice that had us shut in. I still keep a couple of week’s worth of food around- staples, garden stuff and, yes, powered milk, cocoa, and sugar. We keep talking about getting a generator but haven't yet. Electricity would be a bigger issue now.

I do think it is important to do what we can to be responsible for ourselves. We can not rely on someone else (goverment) to meet our needs in the event of any catastrophic event either weather related or man made. The latter is my greatest concern.

I will turn the corner here. I truly believe we are in the end times as outlined in the Bible. It is time to turn back to the Bible where the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation describe OUR DAY. Our spiritual health is more important than how much food we have or whether or not we even have a home to heat at all. There will come a time when God will supply every material need, but today we must learn the daily lessons of obedience, faith and trust in Him. Without this, all will be lost.

Peace be with you