Clearing Some Space

I spent some time today at a friend's house, hacking at some serious weeds that had grown into the fence around this AC unit. I wish I had taken a before picture. It was over grown to the point that the fence was totally obscured. After I finished the parable of the weeds came to mind. 37 He(Jesus) answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. (NIV)

It took some serious effort to clear the fence. I left my friend the job of clearing the roots of the weed, because if they aren't cleared you just have to go through it all again. I looked at that pile of vines and thought how useless it is. It appeared to have a purpose while clinging to the fence, but it didn't belong, and because it had been left to its own devices, it simply took over. It made me wonder what I have allowed to take root in my life? What needs to be acknowledged, cleared away and thrown to the fire?

New Soil

I'll write more about this when I have time, but this little man is the latest thing when it comes to new soil in my life. Harry Oliver Freels, my grandson. Soil that I hope to be around to cultivate for many years to come. Soil that will at times receive the seed only to have it snatched away quickly. Soil that will at times receive the seed only to have it dry up under the heat of the sun. Soil that will find the seed choked out by competing weeds. Soil that will seem like a hard and rocky ground that won't receive the seeds at all. By the grace and mercy of God, soil that will be enriched and receptive and produce a harvest. I pray for the patience of a good gardener for his mother and for us all. He is rich soil indeed.

Great Story About New Soil

check out this link:
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/02/17/my-eureka-moment-from-wall-streeter-to-urban-farmer/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl17%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D136714

New Year, New House, New Dog, New Ministry,New Soil

It's been awhile since I've written. It's been a hectic couple of months, with little time for being still. When I'm not making space for stillness, I usually don't write. I think it's because I'm going and not as observant as I'd like to be.

In November, a few days before I was to take some time at Thanksgiving to visit family in S.C., my dad went into the hospital. He had suffered with cancer for the last few years and I guess it just became more aggressive and 2 weeks later my dad died. He was a great guy, a good man and a loving father, husband and grandfather. After that life was about my mom. They were married 54 years and she is having a pretty hard time.

We moved to new house the week after dad went into the hospital, so we were getting moved and settled in as all the above unfolded. We needed some space for the family, and with a grandson expected in March, space is crucial. We found a great place, an inviting space which has blessed us, and during this time we needed that blessing. The house seems like a Christmas gift from God. The kids have their own rooms and Kaitlyn has the space for her baby. I can't really describe the sense of peace I have here as I walk in the door, or when I hear Kaitlyn walk in from work and yell "hello family!". I've been able to have college guys over for small group around the fire, host Advent services, and have students come for meals and conversations and worship. Kaye loves this place too and that makes me smile. Now the back yard is pretty shaded, but I'm going to figure out how to garden here in the Spring.

We also got a puppy 3 weeks ago. We had a Lab for 13 years and Charlie was just the best yellow lab in the world. We've waited until we had a fenced yard to bring a new dog into the family and after searching for a golden or a yellow lab for a few weeks we found a 6 week old lab mix at the humane shelter. Maggie is growing and has gone from 5 to 10 lbs in the time she's been with us. The picture is from her first day with us.

The BIG NEWS....(drum roll here)
After 3 years with not even a nibble,our house in Florida has a contract on it! It's in the banks' hands now, but overall it's in the Lord's hands. We're praying it works out soon. We currently rent, but it might be possible to buy the place we're in now and that would suit us down to the ground.

Today Young Life started at the new L&N STEM Academy. Tim Teague and I went for a tour and saw this amazing facility in it's historic building The top picture). I'll be the team leader for the new club there as an outreach from our church, which will blend perfectly with my ongoing work with college students at UT. In fact the STEM school is on the edge of the UT campus.

That's a lot of old soil being turned over, and new soil to be tilled and planted and I look forward to sharing with you what the Lord is up to with me in the garden.

End Results

After a season of planting, watering , and waiting, the garden is done. It's bee awhile since I've posted so I thought I'd share the end results of the labor. Here are dinners making use of all those carrots and bread that Kaye used the Butternut Squash in. It was excellent.

From The Garden To The Table

The butternut squash came in and Kaye prepared it with butter in the oven. It was delicious! Especially good as it was grown and nurtured along the way in my back yard. The peppers are coming in and beginning to change color too. I love growing peppers. I like watching them take on their own unique and gnarly shapes and then comes the explosion of orange, green and red. The peppers and okra are all that are left from the spring planting. Soon I'll be putting in the spinach and lettuce for the fall.

Back In The Garden

Today I went to sort my garden out. I've included the before (with the waist high weeds) and after. I pulled all the carrots and corn and picked the okra and beans that were ready. Unfortunately in the process of mowing my onions are lost. I'm sure they'll resurface soon but I can't remember where they are exactly. That will be another surprise the garden gives me later. Another cool thing I discovered is that my peppers are coming in again. They really take some time and about half of what I planted has started to yield some fruit. I've learned this year as every year, some more about what I want to do next year, and what i don't want to do. More corn, smaller garden, and I miss pumpkins. Now that the garden is down to a manageable size I'm hoping to keep the weeds under control better. If that goes along as life does,I'll be wondering where my beans are by September.