Thoughts for Life: A TOWER GARDEN

A TOWER GARDEN

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5, NASB).

Mary Southerland- "Anyone who knows me well also knows that I can kill any plant. If you are thinking you have some foolproof gardening tips that can help me, think again. Trust me when I say that I have already heard and tried whatever tip or technique you believe will transform me into a master gardener. It won’t. Tower garden (Not her garden)

But I am not a quitter! What some might call stubbornness, I prefer to call perseverance. And that perseverance has finally paid off! I am now the proud owner of a tower garden.

A tower garden is a vertical aeroponic growing system that allows me to grow up to 20 vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers in less than three square feet—indoors or out. So it’s the perfect solution for people like me who do not have a green thumb. You simply fill the basin with water, add the liquid nutrients that come with the garden, and pop in seedlings that sprout and grow within a matter of weeks. No dirt. No digging. No green thumb required!

When my tower garden arrived, I quickly put it together and placed it on our deck. As Dan inspected my new adventure, he smiled and said, “Well, good luck, honey.” I could hear the doubt in his voice, but refused to let it deter me from my goal to become a real live gardener.

I was so excited that I even took pictures and sent them to our children. Our son texted back, “Seriously, Mom?” Our daughter at least tried to be a little more encouraging with, “Interesting! Good luck, Mom.”

I read and carefully followed the step-by-step directions as I planted my first set of seedlings, giving each one a loving little pat while praying they would flourish. The thought that I could actually provide food for my family was mind-boggling! Every time I walked by the tower garden, I prayed that the seedlings would grow.

After one week, the seedlings doubled in size! What? And then they took off, growing and producing tomatoes, peppers, squash, lettuce, and various herbs. The cherry tomatoes confiscated an entire corner of the deck. We couldn’t eat them fast enough, so I used them to make salsa and marinara sauce! Me! I did that! At long last, my dream had come true! I was a gardener!

I sat on the deck one evening, listening to the water flow through the tower, bringing nourishment to the roots of each plant. It occurred to me that I am much like that tower garden … or I can be.

When I plant the seeds of God’s Word in my heart and mind, He promises to make them take root and grow. My job is to pray, while lovingly and faithfully tending those seeds of truth with prayer and service to Him. And one day, they will produce fruit that will not only feed my heart, mind and soul, but the heart and mind of those God chooses to place in my life as well.

Kansas summers can be brutal. During a particularly hot stretch of days with temperatures soaring into the upper nineties every single day, a summer storm rolled through our neighborhood. We lost power for several hours. It did not occur to me that a loss of electricity would turn the water pump off - until I saw the wilted leaves hanging from the tower. I scrambled to get the water pump going again and managed to save most of the plants. But I lost some. The same principle applies to my life.

When I fail to nourish my life with God’s Word or time spent in prayer, my spiritual roots will begin to whither and my life will bear little fruit.

Scripture tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. When we hear those words, we assume the Bible is describing the kind of faith we read about in the lives of the disciples as they healed the sick, made the blind to see, and performed miracles in the name of Jesus. It is! But that faith began with a tiny seed.

Jesus tells us that we don't need a lot of faith to produce great results. We just need to be sure where that faith is planted. And once planted, it will grow if we faithfully feed and water it. The Power of Prayer

Today's prayer-

Father, I want to learn how to plant Your truth in my heart so that the roots grow deep and strong. Teach me how to nourish that truth through time spent in prayer and in service to those around me. Let them hear You when I speak. Let them see Jesus in me as I yield to the Holy Spirit’s work in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

#119 Testimony- Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill is also known for telling people to never give up, as he urged people on October 29, 1941, during World War II. As his words ring true in fighting evil, too, when it comes to prayer: “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

My weekly advice from the book, "We All Married IDIOTS, by Elaine W. Miller:

(p 93) "God never intended one of you to live on the moon and the other to live here on earth. No, you are to be each other's oasis in the desert of life. . . When one of you is down, that is when the other needs to step it up a notch. There is no competition because you work as one. When you encourage your mate, you build up the team. When you slam your spouse, you both fall down."

1646-1650 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

1646- Ps. 11:4 "The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his

eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men."

1647- Ps. 119:162 "I will rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil."

1648- Is. 14:27a "For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall prevent it?"

1649- Prov. 14:2a "He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD."

1650- Jer. 51:36a "Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause."

#119 Hymn- Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Robert Robinson had a rough beginning. His father died when he was young, and his mother, unable to control him, sent him to Lundon to learn barbering. What he learned instead was drinking an gang-life. He suggested that he and his buddies go to the evangelistic meeting being held by George Whitefield.

Whitefield was one of history's greatest preachers, with a voice that was part foghorn and part violin. That night he preached from Matthew 3:7: "But when he saw many of the pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

Robert immediately sobered up and sensed Whitefield was preaching directly to him. The preacher's words haunted him for nearly three years, until December 10,1755, when he gave his heart to Christ.

Robert soon entered the ministry, and three years later at age 23, while serving Calvinist Methodist Chapel in Norfolk, England, he wrote a hymn for his sermon on Pentecost Sunday. It was a prayer that the Holy Spirit flood into our hearts with His streams of mercy, enabling us to sing God's praises and remain faithful to Him. "Come, Thou fount of Every Blessing," has been a favorite of the church since that day.

Some encouraging words-

"In prophetic prayer one does not passively resign oneself to the will of God, rather, one actively seeks to discover God's will in heartfelt supplication. There is a time for submission, but this is viewed as an active surrender rather than a passive compliance. The Christian places himself at God's disposal and asks how he can best fulfill the divine imperative." (p. 114) The Struggle of Prayer by Donald G. Bloesch

Church Notes: TODAY!

Do not harden your heart!

Jesus was and is better and superior to Moses.

Moses dealt with a disobedient people.

Jesus leads a faith-generation to a rest, present and future.

The 40-years the Hebrews spent in the wilderness was because of their unbelief.

They provoked God, so they weren't allowed to rest in the promised land.

They were tested, and went astray because of their hard hearts.

They died in discouragement, as, where their hearts went, it was their destiny.

Where are our hearts? Beware, be careful, be obedient.

We're to exhort one another daily.

Christ was faithful to God.