I hope the story never gets old—that astonishing embrace, the father’s widely enfolding welcome to his returning son. Destitute and down-and-out, yet mindful of his father’s decency, the son returns to his father’s estate in hopes of taking a small place among those who care for his land. There, the son determines to be grateful […]
Cultivating cucumbers this summer? Two of our three cucumber vines recently succumbed to the stress of our brutal heat, yet the third is thriving, a steady producer, surprising me every several days with a new fruit (vegetable!) revealed somewhere under the broad, sheltering leaves. Happily we are enjoying a constant supply of Cucumber Salad on […]
Garden tools serve as handy metaphors for the disciplines of the faith. Just as tools help cultivate a garden, faith disciplines help us nurture a relationship with God. Though often they amplify the heart cry for God to fix things! Likewise, today’s featured tools help highlight and reinforce the cultivating, nurturing, coaxing, waiting, tending nature […]
When it comes to eaglewood in God’s Word, take the day off, dear gardener! Also called agarwood or aloes, this amazing aroma comes from exotic trees growing in near and southeast Asia, Aquilaria agallocha or malaccensis, trees that are not cultivated ornamentally. Furthermore, even if one was to locate a commercial source for seeds or […]
These days, the trends of “grow your own,” “locally grown,” and my favorite, clever catch phrase, “eat the yard,” have added such flourish to the idea of eating fresh, that “vegetables” and “love” are commonly found in the same sentence. It is no surprise, then, that Vegetables Love Flowers, Companion Planting for Beauty and Bounty, […]
The days are fewer and fewer until the devotional essays of God’s Word for Gardeners Bible are published all new—in a revised, illustrated format. What fun it will be to enjoy glorious scenery and botanical flourish on the pages of plants and Words from Scripture, an inspiring daily dose of God’s beauty from His holy […]
Double duty herbs: A charge easy enough, as herbs are appealing, beautiful garden plants by their nature, all the while spicing up home life in everything from hand soap to pasta dishes. However, let’s face it, we are a multi-tasking people; most activities with a slightly slow-pace have been adapted to include email-checking, photo-editing, or […]
It stands to reason that conquering doubt in the faith life is a constant, for God is always interested in expanding our “trust territory,” so to speak, the places where we will not waver in relying on Him. If we can resolutely say this here— Thus far the Lord has helped us 1 Samuel 7:12 […]
Garden “volunteers” is a term with two meanings. Surely, we are fortunate when others volunteer to help us with our work in the garden! However, horticulture holds its own unique definition, describing with quaint expression a subtle yet delightful discovery: seeds lingering from last year’s annuals sprouting and growing all on their own, poised to […]
In the afterglow of resurrection celebrations and the bright delight of our Lenten look at “flowers of the field,” I thought we all might be ready to rest in tranquil green leaves. As florists regularly practice, it brings beauty to set dazzling blossoms against a verdant backdrop; it seems King Solomon thought likewise in his […]
