The Lord Tends His Garden - Guest Post

Note: For anyone wondering why there isn't a resurrection post this weekend, please know that we look to the Jewish calendar, rather than the Roman Catholic, one to determine when Resurrection Sunday should be observed. Passover is not until April 22nd, so my resurrection posts will be on the weekend of April 28th. :-)

John 15:1-5 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

The Lord Tends His Garden

The vine of impatience is overgrown,
The weed of self will is making shown,
Poison leaves of distraction tempting and fair
Choking fruit of my heart, and leaving spots bare,

Come and tend Your garden...

Continue Reading.

Guest Post - The Parable of the Lavender

The Parable of the Lavender

By an Anonymous friend
2023

Proverbs 3:5-8 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Editor's note: Sometimes one of the hardest things we have to deal with in life is being content where we're planted. It is so easy to look back at some place in the past where we think life was better, or to look at someone else's life and think that it is better. It can be a real temptation to imagine, when things are hard, that we would do better in a different situation, a different location, different circumstances than where God has us.

 

A friend of mine was struggling with just such discontent when the Lord prompted her to think about this parable. She is not a gardening expert, so some of the flowers don't necessarily grow together normally, but I think you can still get the message.

 

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

   

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Once upon a time, God planted lavender in a garden and she thrived. She grew and flourished and loved her neighbors - the beautiful smelling rosemary and the hydrangea with her giant purple blooms, much larger than her own. Each morning their master would come smell lavender and hydrangea and pick a few sprigs from rosemary for his meals. Daily, lavender, rosemary and hydrangea would talk of the ways of God and encourage each other to stand up tall, soak up the sun and be the best they could be to delight the God who planted them there and bring their master joy.

As lavender settled into this routine, she began to notice the plants in the field across the way.  It was much greener over there - a far contrast the the browns that surrounded her. The papyrus, marigold and blue iris were surrounded by deep greens and tall horsetail. What diverse colors they had! Surely she could plant herself in that field and serve God there - after all, they were all once together and so close. They were family whom she dearly missed each day of her life. She remembered vividly their beginnings long ago in the greenhouse and did not understand why God separated them.

Continue Reading here.

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More Lessons from the Garden.

Worth Repeating: From Mom's Collection - What If It Were Today?

This was first posted on the blog in November 2018, but I reread this last week and it seemed appropriate to repeat it now.

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

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It has been quite some while since I posted anything from my mom's collection of old bits and pieces. Recently, in sorting through a box that contained, among other things, some resource materials for the web page and blog, I ran across some pages that had been taken from a ring binder. On these pages my mom had glued many poems and some short thoughts - mostly of spiritual encouragement. I didn't even remember that I had them! It was a lovely little surprise. :-)  Previously I was posting these items mostly here on the blog, but I have decided to put them at the web site now instead.

Having had some unexpected challenges this weekend, I am sharing just a short thought. It seemed useful, and I hope you find it so as well.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

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What If It Were Today?

A traveler chanced upon a beautiful villa situated on the shores of a beautiful lake in Switzerland far from the beaten track of tourists. The traveler knocked at the garden gate and an aged gardener undid its heavy fastenings and bade him enter. The aged man seemed glad to see him and showed him around the wonderful garden.

"How long have you been here?" the traveler asked.

"Twenty-four years."

"And how often has your master been here meanwhile?"

Please Continue Reading

at my web site.

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Painting: Celia Thaxter's Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam.