The Secret Wonder of Winter

                  The Secret Wonder Of Winter
Dear Friends,
        This first week of the new year someone looked at my garden  and made a remark about how it must be hard to write a garden themed blog during the winter.   I feel somewhat challenged and at the same time confident.  If you have ever read the classic novel, "The Secret Garden", you would know that the looks of a garden during the winter or one that has been left untended for a long time can be full of surprises.   The biggest problem I had today with writing this was finding the perfect picture.  The blue morning glories have been done blooming for quite a while but somehow they are perfect to go with my words today.  They seem to glow with hope and warmth. 
      The first snow that covered up my not so pretty garden didn't last very long.  Now the garden looks pretty desolate with mostly brown stems, vines and leaves.  The wrens and robins have left for warmer areas.   The sparrows use the tangled mass of leafless   honeysuckle vines to keep warm.  During the winter most of the beauty is hidden away in memories and in hope.
    With the start of the new year I am anticipating an abundance of beauty from my garden once the warm weather returns.  Fresh life will burst from the ground as soon as spring is here.  God made sure to set the cycle of life in motion.  Even though what I can see now appears less than beautiful, a lot of unseen activity is happening   The soil is building up nutrients and energy for the future.  The seeds that have dropped are resting for the right time to spring forth.  The tiny wrens will remember their home here and will return with their song in the spring. 
    If you are going through a time of loss and sorrow or other problems that try to pull you down,  remember the hope that God promises.   
Romans 12:12
"Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times."
Proverbs 23:17-18
"...always continue to fear the Lord.  You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed."
Psalm 62:5
"Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him."
    

The Path Of Remembrance: His Request

    His Request: The Path of Remembrance

Dear Friends,
    The cold weather is here now and my garden has a light blanket of golden brown leaves that have dropped from the tree.   
     Special times for families and friends get together come along with the cold weather.  Gathering together for meals is as important today as it was many years ago.  We can find a few examples in the Bible of times when Jesus shared meals with friends.  The expression "breaking bread" takes on a special meaning when we look at these examples and remember what He said about it.  Bread itself was an important part of the culture and we can learn so much when we see what He said about bread and what He did with it.
   We could call John chapter 6 "the bread chapter" since bread is mentioned so often.  It begins in the beautiful, grassy hills of Galilee.  A conversation came up between Jesus and Philip concerning the hungry crowd of people who were  following Jesus.  These  people were  hungry for real food as well as for the words of Jesus.  He used  five loaves of bread and two fish from a young boy's lunch to feed the multitude of hungry people.
     The miracle didn't end with the people being fed.  Twelve baskets were  filled with the bread and fish that were left after everyone was finished eating.  Jesus provides more than enough to satisfy us.  This miracle was a way for Him to say with actions that He is the Bread of Life.  
     He reminded  the people that His Father was the one who gave the people bread from heaven while they were in the wilderness.  The manna sustained them during the 40 year journey. 
     At the Last Supper as He broke bread with His apostles He said, "Do this to remember me." 
      I want to encourage you to look to Him for the filling you seek.  When you are in need and the the hunger you feel is more than physical bread can fill, remember His words.  
John 6:35
"Jesus replied, 'I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.  Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'"
John 6:48
"Yes, I am the bread of life!"
John 6:58
"I am the true bread that came down from heaven..."
  

The End of A Season

                               The End Of A Season
Dear Friends,
    I walked in my little cottage garden that is around the house and snipped these last blooms and mixed them with  fragrant basil, feathery fennel fronds and golden oak leaves.  This will be the last bouquet from my garden until spring brings me some new flowers.                   It's a time of mixed emotions.  I tell the perennials to rest well while I stay inside sipping hot coffee and reading things to nourish my soul.  The roots will rest under the ground that will soon be frozen and covered in a blanket of snow.  They will be fed gently and be slowly strengthened so they can grow strong and lovely in the spring.  
    We are told over and over in the Word of God that He is faithful, that He hears our prayers and knows the things deep inside.  We are encouraged to put on the whole armor of God in defense of the things that come our way.  
    As I clean and ready the garden for the cold weather, I remind myself and encourage you with these words.
Psalms 65:11
"You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance."
Psalms 91:4
"He will cover you with His feathers.  He will shelter you with His wings.  His faithful promises are your armor and protection."
     
     

Mystery In The Deepest Well

           Mystery In The Deepest Well
Dear Friends,
      I remember as a child leaning over the top of a deep well.  My feet were off the ground and I could only see a tiny glimmer of sunlight reflecting off the water.  Fairytale stories of frogs, princes and Snow White's song echoed through my mind.  Wells seemed to be full of mysteries.  Calling into the well and hearing the echo always thrilled me and fed my imagination!  
     A bucket on a rope is dropped into the well and fresh, cold water is brought to the surface.  Can our lives be like a well?  Jesus offered Living Water to a woman who came to a well.  He was a Well full of Living Water.  Wherever He walked, whoever He spoke to and whoever He touched was given Living Water.   He was the Well that had the Holy Spirit alive and working in His life.  When He left the earth the Holy Spirit was sent as the Living Water for us.  This Living Water provides more than a drink for us.  It changes us into a source of strength.  We become a Well, a place where people can receive healing.  He gives us the necessary resources to be able to provide a fresh drink for the thirsty.  This water is a drink of compassion, a thoughtful word, or a listening ear. It's a prayer for the hurting and fearful. 
    My prayer today is that we can be the Well that has life giving water for those who thirst.  May we seek God to fill us so that we overflow.   
John 7:38
" Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!  For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.'"
John 4:14
"But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.  It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."


    
     
     

    
     

Crisis In The Garden: The Rescue

       Crisis In The Garden: The Rescue

Dear Friends,

     There are songs that are written and sung because the artist had a message from God that needed to be sung.  Some books are written because a fire from God is burning inside the author and the book needs to be written so the message will be read.  God puts His message in hearts of His people.  He wants  songs to be sung and  books to be read to get His message out.  A book that I read with a message from the heart of God is, Rescue Me, by Cindee Martin Morgan.  Cindee wrote this book in time travel style to be a gentle way of teaching about God's view on life before birth. 

     The garden that is in a crisis now is the garden of the womb.  It is a garden that God designed to grow the seeds of human life.  The Bible mentions a tiny mustard seed and how it grows into a giant tree.  People talk about their family trees.  It's a tree drawn with their ancestry making up the many branches as far back in  history that they can find.  This tree had a beginning.  If the first seed hadn't been allowed to grow, if it had been dug up and destroyed each person making up the branches would never have had the chance to exist.  

     A lie has been spread like a wild fire.  The lie is destroying women and men every day.  It's also destroying the most innocent of all life, the life of the unborn.  These are the seeds of family trees that are being destroyed by the lie that they have no right to life.

    God's Word is alive and my prayer is that the message it contains will be a light on this lie.  God's love can bring healing to those who find that they were wrong.  He is ready to forgive and bring new life from this fire of destruction.  A wild fire in a forest does much destruction, but new life will spring up in the ashes.  Jesus holds the key to new life.  I pray for the end of the wild fire that is destroying life, and destroying family trees.

Psalms 127: 3

"Children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb."

Psalm 139: 13

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb."

   

Finding Sea Glass

                        Finding Sea Glass
Dear Friends,
     Today while I was working in the garden and meditating on the words that I had read during my quiet time, a message started to come to me that I want to share with you. 
     Some beaches and hidden coves are treasure troves of gorgeous, sparkling glass that has endured years of being washed against the sand and rocks by powerful waves. Things that had been discarded and broken have become treasure.  This beautiful glass is so sought after that in many places where it had been abundant in the past, it is now rarely found. 
    Each piece of sea glass is unique and beautiful.  When a beach is covered with this treasure it is like a piece of art work made by God.  Dale Chihuly  is a glass artist who has  a work called Persian Ceiling.  The colors he used created a masterpiece like a weaving or painting of  smooth, sparkling glass.  
     Because of Jesus and what He suffered in our place on the Cross we are remade.  Each of us is like a piece of this glass, blue, red, green, golden or orange that has been made into a beautiful and precious jewel for His glory.  
     When the sun shines down on a beach and a piece of smooth, sparkling glass is discovered, the one who is seeking the treasure rejoices.  Jesus rejoices when one of us realizes what He did for us and how much He loves us.
    You are a jewel and precious to Him.  He has called you to be His, a part of His masterpiece.
Romans 1:20
"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky.  Through everything God made, they can  clearly see His invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature.  So they have no excuse for not knowing God."
Ephesians 2:10
"For we are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." 

The Storm and A Broken Pot

                    The Storm and A Broken Pot
Dear Friends,
      The rain was wonderful for the garden but the fierce wind had knocked a pretty painted flower pot off of the patio table.  Although I was a bit disappointed that the pretty pot was broken, I was able to rescue the  plant and put it in another pot and I could use the broken pot as an opportunity to write my blog!
     I am reminded of a well known Winnie the Pooh story that has a lesson for children woven into it.  It was Eeyore's birthday and Pooh had a pot of honey to give him for a gift and Piglet had a big, red balloon to give him.  On the way to Eeyore's house Pooh snacked on all the honey and Piglet tripped and broke the balloon.  Eeyore's response was to turn the empty honey pot into a "useful" pot  to hold his birthday balloon. 
     Disappointments happen to all of us from time to time in different degrees.  People can often disappoint us.  How does God want us to respond to these situations?  
     I want to look in the Word of God and see how Jesus responded to the worst possible of  disappointments.  During the 3 years that Jesus was with the Apostles He spoke with them concerning His coming death and Resurrection.  He wanted them to be prepared.  In John 13 we read about the last Passover meal that Jesus was having with his closest friends.  He goes around the table bathing their feet and drying them with a towel.  This was a deliberate act of love toward them.  In verse 14 He tells them to do the same for each other.  In verse 21 we read, "Now Jesus was deeply troubled."  He knew that one of these friends would betray Him, and that Peter would deny knowing Him 3 times.  He was sitting with them and dipping His bread in the same bowl as Judas was.  Reading on, after Judas had left, in John 14:27 Jesus says, "I am leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give so don't be troubled or afraid."
    The example of Jesus is to love one another and be a servant to others, giving good gifts even during the most difficult and disappointing times.  
John 15:12
"This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you."