Growth

there is a satisfaction or a frustration that arises with growth or the lack thereof. i guess that's my basic premise.

we've been filled with great joy this year that the garden has produced so bountifully, AND i've heard mother complain several times that she's never spending any more money on mums, cause they always seem to fail miserably.

when i stop to think about it, this is just what paul's saying in i corinthians 3... that some plant and some water, but only God can make it grow. why is the garden so much better this year than the last couple? because we did anything differently? no. the weather has been just about perfect. (we even had great corn!!!) are we doing something wrong with the mums? not really - it just may be that the name "hardy" is a lie. (and even this morning i saw that one of them is currently taunting her outside her window with it's full display of orange bloom that she doubted would ever come)

real life. my life. it's about pouring into people - teenagers mostly. let me tell you - tons of joy when there is growth and pain and frustration when there isn't. but i am reminded, God is in control of the growth. i need to stick to my part - planting seed, watering - and rejoice in the Lord (always) who is my strength. (rather than being angry about a vine like jonah)

apart from Him i can do NOTHING!

Beauty or The Ability to See Colors

one of the books that i have been reading is The Pleasures of God by John Piper. it's one of those books that you read little bits of at a time and just meditate on it for awhile. yesterday, i read this:

"...with God the honeymoon never ends. He is infinite in power and wisdom and creativity and love. And so he has no trouble sustaining the honeymoon level of intensity; he can foresee all the future quirks of our personality and has decided he will keep what's good for us and change what isn't; he will always be as handsome as he ever was, and will see to it that we get more and more beautiful forever; and he is infinitely creative to think of new things to do together so that there will be no boredom for the next trillion ages of milleniums."

the thought that came to mind is similar to what i was already thinking in this post. seeing God's creativity in His creation helps me to catch a tiny glimpse of His glory. awestruck. colors are amazing beyond words. try to describe color to someone who cannot see... think about what words you would use.

last night's sunset was amazing - offset by the rising moon in it's near full brilliance. our Creator is marvelous beyond words!

The Joy of Hard Work

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? Ecc. 2:24-25

Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Probably because of the way it depicts meaninglessness and despair - and yet comes through to point to the only ultimate meaning being found in God. Sometimes i feel that despair, and yet i find myself being a hopeful person. Why? Because God is in control!

So i like to work hard. I like to get really dirty. I like to feel bone tired at the end of a day knowing that something has been accomplished. In work, i find a freedom to think - a freedom to meditate, the noise of the world is drowned out and i am simply glorifying the One who made be by pouring myself into the task at hand.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:58

the random gardener

i am full of earth, You are heaven’s worth
i am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
the antonym of me, You are divinity
but a certain sign of grace is this
from a broken earth flowers come up
pushing through the dirt

i've been thinking a bunch since last week when i was taking pictures of flowers about how much i love flowers and why. i've also realized that it goes much deeper than that... having spent many evening recently skinning and freezing tomatoes and breaking green beans. maybe it's just a plant thing. cause then i started thinking about how much i enjoy mowing and pruning (although i'm not as keen on raking and cleaning up the mess that makes). couple that with the fact that i always answer that internet survey question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" - "a gardener," and i see that there are so many places i could go with this... (which definitely hasn't led me to sit down and type right away, but to contemplate for a week and find that it's becoming more and more complex... actually, they could all probably be their own little sub-blogs... lol - yeah, that's it - i'll put the titles here - and write those blogs one at a time ;)

the joy of hard work

beauty - the ability to see colors

the idea of growth

sowing/reaping

david crowder

sunflowers... (pictures now, words later)