LEARNING TO GARDEN

Growing some of my own food makes sense to me.

I could save money.  It would be fresh.  I could save

money.  It would be a good use of excess yard.  I 

could save money.  It would give me something

to do.  I could save money.  It would give me exercise.

 I could save money.  And if things ever get

real bad, I'd have food.  And I could save 

money.

But, I have a greasy thumb.  Not a green thumb.

And as you know, grease kills plants.  Consequently,

I  have spend a lot of time on the internet trying to learn 

how to garden, or be a gardener.

I think I have finally memorized the routine for 

growing anything.  It goes like this.

1.  Buy some dirt or potting soil.

2.  If you already have dirt.  Then buy

 lumber to make a bed with.

Or buy some pots.

Or buy some boxes.

3. Buy some tools to work the garden with.

4. Buy compost.

5. Buy mulch.

6. Buy seeds or sets.

7. Buy a book on how to do it.
8. Buy a garden planner.
9. Buy a pH meter.  That is so
someone can sell you some pH.
10. Buy fertilizer.
11. Buy Lime.
12. Buy landscape fabric.
13. Buy Miracle-Gro.
14. Buy bug eradicator.
15. Buy weed control.

16. Buy a freezer to put it in.
17. Buy freezer bags to keep it separated.
18. Buy, buy, buy, buy, buy, buy, buy.

Now, I am ready to save money on
a dozen home grown tomatoes.

But, I wonder how grandpa did it back in the great depression,

he did not have any money.  Or the pioneers, they could

not go to a store.  Nor did they know what pH was or how

to pronounce a fancy word like "sustainably" so people

would know they were smart.

In fact,

how did they grow anything before garden hoses

were invented??????

Now I am really confused.

HELP!

HOW TO BE FRUITFUL

Most Christians want to know

how to be more fruitful for

God. Not being an expert on

such matters I want to say,

"I don't know how. It beats

me."

However the Lord has drawn

several things to my attention

in the last few days. One is a

thought put forth by Oswald

Chambers. In part he said,

"The people who influence us most are not those who

buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their

lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field,

perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives

that mould us.

"If you want to be of use to God, get rightly related to

Jesus Christ and He will make you of use unconsciously

every minute you live."

-My Utmost For His Highest, p.101

That tree in the top photo

is not real, as you know. And

the "fruit" (Let's call it that.)

obviously is just "stuff" my

wife hung on it. (You know,

just like Religion.)

Not good to eat.

This next photo (Poor as

it and the tree are.) is

the real thing. A real

tree with real fruit.
 And the fruit would be eatable

- if you could stand it.

What did the tree do to produce fruit. Just

existed as a tree and the life of the tree flowed

through it producing fruit. To bear fruit for

God, we simply connect to him and let his life

flow through us. Then the fruit comes.

I want to relate one incident in my life that

illustrates how God can use us without even

trying.

When I was in High School a new boy moved

in the area. His family had been living out

of the country and returned home. So he had

some adjustments to make.

All I remember is I liked the guy. We were both

Christians. He was a nice clean cut fellow. And

when our little group would get together for

Bible study at school (Yes, back then we could.)

he would be, in my estimation, a spiritual

leader - if we even had one.

I had a car. He, didn't. I had a motorcycle, he

didn't. So sometimes I would be taking him to

various Christian functions in my old Ford. We

even cut class together one time. We took my

motorcycle and went up in the mountains. I

think we made it back before the next class. But

my transmission went out in the ordeal. Wow,

what fun for a couple of teenagers.

In short, we were just two Christian teenagers

having a good time together. He went on to

college and got smart. I got married. And of

course our ways parted.

I would hear of him from time to time. He went

on to pastor a church. Then got a doctorate. And

the last I knew was apparently a professor in one

of his denomination's colleges. [I don't know

what he professed. But that's what professors

do, isn't it? Profess.]

Fast forward about thirty five years.

One day leaning against my bench at work a

Christian brother, from another church, came

ambling across my work area. He called this

0ld friend by name and ask if I knew him. Yes.

He ask me if I would be interested in the paper

my friend mentioned my name in. Of course.

I want to quote most of his comment,

"I personally, as a high school student, moved

from the edge of tumbling into the wasteland

of becoming a drop-out into the rich and

productive life I have experienced as a minster

of the gospel, all because a ------ ----- gave me

the most priceless of human gifts - friendship."

Hey! I didn't even try. But God let me be a help.

Jesus said,

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who

abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears

much fruit, for apart from me you can do

nothing."

-John 15:5 RSV

There we have it. Just abide - stay - in Jesus.

Let his life flow through us and grow where

he planted us.