Tag: Holy Spirit

Holiday Spirit

Are you listening to carols on the radio? Have you bought all your presents? Are they wrapped? Are you headed to a Christmas party or luncheon or gathering? Do you have your festive clothes laid out? Have you made cookies? Is your mantle decorated? Are you in the Christmas spirit?

I am exhausted just writing this! Do I have time to write this? Do you have time to read it?

We all know that this is not what the true Christmas Spirit is, all this hustle and bustle and decorating and eating and gifting. But the pull is strong. We remember our friends and family and want to celebrate with them. We want to hear that glorious music, and the fun, silly songs as well. We want to cry when Clarence gets his wings and laugh at the leg lamp. We want to make those cookies with Grandmother’s recipe. We want to don our red and green attire and sip champagne.

All of this is wonderful if exhausting.

There have been Christmases when I was better at finding the quiet moments to contemplate the incarnation of God. There have been Christmases when I never found that moment, never took that moment.

I was at a lovely Christmas luncheon the other day and a young couple was entertaining us. In the middle of their rendition of “All I want for Christmas is You,” a wave of grief overtook me. Fortunately, all eyes were on the singers as my throat constricted and the tears threatened to roll down my cheeks. I can’t have what I would really like, at least not in this life. My husband is gone; my heart is broken and empty.

Perhaps that’s what all this merry making is about, filling the void in our hearts.

“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”
– Blaise Pascal, Pensées VII(425), 1672

This was true 350 years ago and it is true today. We cannot find happiness with the Spirit of Christmas. We can only find happiness, joy, and meaning, with the Spirit of Christ.

We will put our holiday decorations away in a few weeks, send our families back to their own homes, and try to lose the extra pounds we gained eating all those cookies. We’ll shift our thoughts from commemorating 2025 to embracing 2026. But that hole in my heart will still be there unless I invite His Holy Spirit to fill it.

Do you sense Him calling you? In the middle of all the celebrating and hustle and bustle, do you hear the still, small voice of God calling you?

Listen! I am standing at the door knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come into you and eat with you and you with me. Revelation 3:20.

And not just for a Holiday meal, forever.

And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20.

Are you in the Christmas Spirit? Take a moment this season and let the Spirit of Christ be in you. That is the only way that the infinite abyss of our hearts can be filled.

Love in Christ, Betsy

A Mouse in the House

I was watching tv the other night when a mouse ran across the hardwood floor in front of me. I froze. My blood pressure skyrocketed, and I felt my heart in my throat. Disgust gripped me over this two-inch mammal. It had to go.

For years I had cats. To be fair, I probably had mice then too, but the cats kept them at bay. When my last cat passed away at nineteen, I chose to replace my living room floors and furniture instead of replacing her. I finally have a fur and scratch free living room, but I also have a mouse.

I put out those friendly traps that supposedly poison the rodents, but this one seems immune. (At least I hope it is only one, although that sounds naïve.) I put out the ‘humane kill’ boxes and baited them to no avail. Every day I looked for signs of its presence and cleaned more of my kitchen, my closets, any potential hiding place.

And still, I would catch glimpses of it running down the hall, triggering my panic response. At night, my dreams would be nightmares of mice. (If only a nutcracker prince would kill them all!)

I finally laid down those sticky pads in multiple corners and around all the bait traps. It worked, but slowly. What a horrible way to die. Despite my aversion to rodents, I felt sorry that it had to die that way, stuck in place. But nothing else worked. And it had to go. For my sanity; for the cleanliness and sanctity of my home.

Do you think God looks at our sin that way?

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family. Proverbs 6:16-19.

Do you think He tries to rid His house of these things? Not just his church, but me, one of the houses where His Spirit lives? When I look at another with ‘haughty eyes,’ with disdain and contempt, does His pulse race and His stomach turn? When I ‘embellish the truth,’ does He set out traps to catch me in my lies? And when I ‘outsmart God’ in His attempts to humanely rid my life of sinful ways, is He left only painful and miserable ways to get rid of them?

I hope that I can be diligent in cleaning out my internal closets and cupboards. I pray that God will show me the evidence, the signs of sin’s presence in my life. And having seen my actions through God’s eyes, I pray God gives me the strength to keep my sin at bay.

My apologies if you are one of those people who decorate for Christmas with cute little stuffed mice dressed in holiday garb. I know at some level that mice are just doing what they do, that they enter my home for warmth and food and safety from hawks. But this is not the place for them. My home will not be a sanctuary for mice.

And my life will not be a sanctuary for sin and demons. I want my life to reflect God’s love for me, for you. I, like those football players, want to say. “First, all glory goes to God our savior.” I want to get rid of my sin for my sanity, for the cleanliness and sanctity of my home.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in a way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24.

I may get a cat in the spring. I could use help keeping the rodents out of my home. I thank God for the Holy Spirit to help me keep the sins out.

Love in Christ, Betsy

Planting Garlic

I planted my garlic this past weekend. It’s got me thinking about the seeds we plant in the “off season,” when all the focus is elsewhere.

December is a time when I am consumed with gatherings – family, friends, every group of which I am a part gathers this time of year. Ostensibly to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ, but usually just for the opportunity to dress up and gather, eat, drink, and perhaps exchange gifts. It’s a time to celebrate here and now, our family and friends. Anything beyond the here and now tends to focus on the past, childhood memories, family traditions.

The church calls this time Advent, the coming, and encourages us to look forward. We are asked to prepare ourselves in anticipation of the wonders God is about to perform. He planted a seed, the unformed nucleus of God enfolded into a perishable body, which grew into a man and lived among us for thirty-some years. He gave us a small child who changed the world, whose Spirit continues to change the world.

The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the father’s only son, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

This is the week when I put away the pumpkins and fall colors and bring out the red and green. (I know, some of you are far ahead of me on this task.) And, in the middle of this, I planted garlic bulbs that I won’t dig up until summer.

Garlic cloves need to be planted after the first frost and before the ground is frozen solid. Like many bulbs, they need to spend a season underground in the cold, storing up nutrients and preparing themselves to grow. Unlike my sugar snaps and tomatoes, I need to plant garlic long before its growing season. I plant in the cold looking forward to the hot sun and lazy days of summer.

God planted a seed in my heart as well when I was cold-hearted and consumed with my immediate needs and wants. That seed took a long time to bear fruit in me. Now I think of the seeds that I have planted, that I am planting in my own life and in the lives of those around me. It may seem pointless, burying a seed in the cold and dark and trusting that God will transform it into fruit for His kingdom. But that is how seeds work.

Amid all our celebrating and gathering and living our lives, we can take a moment to plant a seed, a seed of love, a seed of kindness, a seed of connection. We can trust that God can transform that seed into a relationship with Him, even if we never see it or know of it.

This is Advent, the coming of Christ into the world. Not only as a one-time event two thousand years ago, but also as a daily event here and now. Christ comes to live with us, within us, within those around us. Perhaps all that is needed to sense His presence in the world is for us to take a moment and plant a seed.

You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23.

I hope to plant more than garlic this Advent season. I hope to plant love. I hope God uses me to answer someone’s prayer. I pray that another will see how much God loves them through my words and actions.

Gather in celebration this Advent. Gather in love and plant some seeds.

Love in Christ, Betsy

Give Thanks

I am grateful to live in a country that intentionally sets aside a day to give thanks. As humans, we often let the day devolve into a day of political arguments, old scores, and overdoing it. I. like the biblical Martha, tend to focus on logistics and preparation and miss the important thing.

God gives us this day, this food, our breath, what little strength we have. (Deut. 8:11-18) God gives us the opportunity to live in communion with Himself, the giver of all good things, the creator of the universe, and the Lord of heaven’s armies.

This is the true gift for which I want to give thanks:

The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the father’s only son, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself. Philippians 2:8

He calls us to “abide with him.” (John 15)

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:16,20.

So,

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him;

if we deny him, he will also deny us;

 if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13.

Thanks be to God! His faithful love endures forever!

Love in Christ, Betsy

Plans

I planned to plant my garlic this weekend, after the first hard frost. But a warm spell has made my iris come up, so I think I will wait. I fear if I plant them now, they will expend all their energy sending up scapes instead of developing bulbs.

Best laid plans. Man plans and God laughs. (Not an actual quote of Proverbs 16:9).

It’s got me thinking about planning. I do a lot of it this time of year. Planning for Thanksgiving, for holiday activities, for family gatherings, for next year. And planning for the garden. What to plant, where, and when. What needs to be done before I plant. Lots of planning and scheduling.

Where is God in all this planning? He must be front and center. He controls the weather, so I need to be flexible for when He brings warmth and frost, rains and droughts. All my plans may be sidetracked tomorrow by a sudden illness or accident.

I spent one December homebound with two sick children. Pre-internet or amazon, so gifts were sparse. Not what I had planned.

This fall, a group of women and I are discussing “respectable sins,” you know, those ones we often laugh about – irritation, frustration, cynicism, vanity, pride, fear, worry. At root is often a lack of faith in God, His love for us and His knowledge of what we need. Sometimes, we fail to cede our will to His and instead tell Him what to do and get upset when he doesn’t do it. We stomp our feet and hold our breath, figuratively if not literally.

My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want, but what you want. Matthew 26:39.

Can you imagine? And I think a delay in planting my garlic bulbs is inconvenient?

What would happen if I didn’t plant them until December? Until February? Never? What if I didn’t have cranberries at Thanksgiving or never decorated my mailbox for Christmas? Are any of these things worthy of irritation or anxiety?

I still plan to plant my garlic, serve cranberries, and decorate my mailbox. But if none of that happens, that is okay, too. (At least, I plan to be okay with it!!) Because none of those things are important in the big picture of my relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. What is important is that I deepen my relationship with Him.

Jesus tells us to “Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). I think of this as seeking first His presence. Not just first thing in our day, but also first in priority. More important than gardens, or menus, or decorations. More important than my plans. Easier said than done when I am caught up in the hustle and bustle of my desires.

Perhaps I will take a moment to wonder at the beauty of iris pushing through the ground and reaching for the sun in November. Maybe I will revel at the beauty of the leaves that still cling to the trees and feel the sun on my face. Perhaps none of my plans are as important as praising God for His goodness right now in this moment.

After all, who am I to questions God’s plans or think mine may be more important?

As God reminds Job:

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Job 38:4.

I’m inviting God into my planning this season. I’m asking Him what His plans are. I pray that I will conform my plans to His. Will you join me?

Love in Christ, Betsy

Garden Shoes

I first posted this in 2023. Couldn’t get it off my mind, so I am starting October with a first-ever repeat!

They sit by the back door expectantly, waiting for me to slip them on. Worn out, worn in, scuffed and muddy and comfortable, these are my garden shoes.

I slip them on before I head to the garden. The yard, covered in dew, strewn with grass clippings, muddy from the recent rains, and riddled with thorny plants and industrious bees, can be a messy place. Inside my shoes, my feet are dry and clean and safe.

Without these shoes, dedicated to this less than glamorous role in life, either my feet would be in peril, or my fancier shoes would be.

Their appearance in no way diminishes their importance, quite the opposite. It is their worn out, worn in, scruffy, muddy, comfortable countenance that gives them value, makes them perfect for the role of garden shoe.

But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 2 Corinthians 12:24-25.

Has God assigned you a less than glamorous role in life? Are you worn out, scruffy, and covered in yard debris? Do you feel like an “inferior member?” Haven’t we all felt that way at some point?

Maybe your infant has just thrown up on your one clean shirt, or your mom has wandered down the street in her pajamas looking for the dog that died three years ago. Maybe the dishes have piled up in the sink and toilet backed up in the bathroom. Maybe your boss has trashed your work and told you to start again, again. Maybe your body has failed you, leaving only wishes with no option of action.

You have a very crucial role in the kingdom of God. You are every bit as much a part of God’s garden as the ministers and the missionaries.

In a large house, there are utensils not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. 2 Timothy 2:20.

And all are valuable. Could you imagine using your silver goblet to measure flour? The silver goblet may be shiny and precious and placed where all can see, but the plastic measuring cup far more useful, more functional, more necessary, and more important to daily life.

I wouldn’t wear my garden shoes to a ladies’ luncheon, but I depend on them.

And Jesus tells us that God values the less glamorous servants highly.

Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Mark 9:35. (Also Matthew 20:26, Luke 22:26.)

Maybe in the tables-turned, topsy-turvy Kingdom of Heaven, God will give my garden shoes the place of honor.

Maybe in the tables-turned, topsy-turvy kingdom of Heaven, God will give the parent, the caregiver, the housekeeper, the worker, and the invalid seats of honor.

So the last will be first, and the first will be last. Matthew 20:16. (Also Matthew 19:30.)

So, if you are feeling like a worn-out pair of garden shoes today, take heart. If we are following Jesus, He will give us the work He needs us to do, glamorous or not. His Spirit within us will make us “dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21.)

My garden shoes wait patiently for me to slip them on. Just a little walk out to the garden, around and through it, then back inside. Job done; they rest. How happy these shoes make me, doing their little job so well. I do not see their age, their misshapen body, their dirty exterior covered in yard debris; I see their faithful, useful, service.

Well done, good and faithful servant, You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. Matthew 25:21.

 Love in Christ, Betsy

A Little Change

I made a little change in my garden to solve a nagging problem. Change can be hard, but what if God is calling us to do just that, change?

I’ve had a problem with my lawn service this summer. They come when I am not home. And their mower sprays grass clipping all over my garden plants.

If I were home when they were mowing, I would ask them not to do this. I’m not sure why this is even so much of a problem this year since it hasn’t been in the past. Perhaps they have a new mower, but the problem may be mine. Since I did not pull up all my landscape timbers last year, they have sunk lower into the ground. Several of them are rotting away. The accumulation of grass clipping has hastened this process.

I could text my mower about the problem. I considered replacing all the landscape timbers. But I decided instead to edge the garden with a taller “clipping barrier.” Of course, the stores don’t carry foot-tall edging, so I had to order a trial sample to see if it would work. I like the look.

This edging may help with critter control as well. It’s different. Time alone will tell if it’s better.

My daughter, who works with ministry innovators, often writes about how change often happens slowly, develops through necessity, and occurs when we are focusing on something else. I look at my garden as the sixth summer without my husband draws to a close and I see change.

The bones of my garden are the same. Same poles, same fence posts, same location. But I no longer dismantle it; I no longer let the garden return to grass every year. I have perennial fruit trees and herbs. I pay helpers to assist me. And now I have foot high edging. I am adapting, slowly, by necessity, to gardening without him.

All in an effort to bear fruit.

There’s a lot of discussion about change in the church. When is change necessary to bear fruit for God and when is it conforming to the world? Jesus was an agent of change. He ate with simmers, broke sabbath laws, and overturned the tables in the temple.

The pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:30-32.

The established church leaders didn’t like the change. And Jesus didn’t stop at changing the status quo. He sent the Spirit to live within us and change our focus, our attitudes, our actions, and our lives. He takes our established garden and slowly transforms it into a more gracious, more loving, more fruitful place.

Several hundred years ago, women who used herbs to cure ailments were considered witches. Now it’s a multi-million-dollar business. Most Christians have no qualms putting aloe on a burn, drinking chamomile tea to relax, or taking garlic to reduce cholesterol. Some Christians even advocate turning away from established medicine to more homeopathic remedies. They should be grateful the church no longer labels them witches for this.

Is God calling you to make some changes this fall?

Perhaps minor changes like a better edging around your garden space, a more sacred quiet time alone with the Lord, a more intentional effort to keep the litter at bay.

Maybe He is calling you to make a radical change, eat with sinners and social outcasts, try an herbal remedy, go against established church tradition.

I pray that God will always keep me open to the changes He calls me to make. I pray that He will continue to call me, sinner that I am. And I pray that He will bear His fruit in my life and in yours.

Love in Christ, Betsy

Still Growing!

The heat has decimated my tomato plants. They brought me plenty of tomatoes in July, but they are spent now, brown, sagging, and lifeless.

My cucumber plants, however, are still growing, still sprouting flowers, still bearing fruit.

Usually they too are brown, sagging, and lifeless by mid-August. But not this year. Although I can’t know for sure, I think the difference is that this year my creek has flooded – twice in the past six weeks.

Sudden downpours of heavy rain have overrun my little creek’s capacity and sent it across the yard dousing my cucumber plants in fresh water and leaving behind new dirt and nutrients. Far enough away for the current, the flood water in my yard accumulates but flows gently. As much as six inches of water may have flowed across my plants, but they were able to withstand its push.

And now they are bearing flowers, thriving in the warmth, revitalized by the water the storms brought.

Perhaps there is a lesson here.

Flooding can be devastating. We’ve been reminded of that brutally this year. We are reminded of that dramatically every few years. We were all stunned by the photos of farm houses floating down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in 1993. Nashville saw catastrophic flooding in 2010. More people die from flooding than any other weather-related cause except heat. Flooding is a serious issue; one we should not take lightly.

But not all flooding brings devastation and death. Most floods are less dramatic. Often, we have warnings that heavy rain is coming. We can usually mitigate the damage, get ourselves and our loved ones to safe places, prepare for the storm.

Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like the wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came. And the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. Matthew 7:24-25.

My landscape timbers are tied to the garden fence to keep them from floating away. Everything electrical in my garage is elevated above the “normal” flood line. Even my recycling is elevated, which would not be hurt, but it is a mess to clean up if water tips the cans over. And the water has gotten in my garage twice in the past six weeks.

Of course, flooding like what happened in Texas this summer, in North Carolina, what happened in 2010, and what happened in 1993 is beyond what anyone could prepare for. But they are not beyond what we can recover from. The Midwest has recovered. Nashville has recovered. North Carolina is recovering. Texas will recover.

My cucumbers recovered quickly. Thrived even. Healthier after the storm than before it. I find hope in this. When the storms come, and they will come, when the water rises, and it will rise, we can withstand, survive, recover, perhaps even thrive. It may be hard to believe when all you see is devastation. It may even feel insensitive to hope in the face of loss and destruction. But that is when we need hope the most, when we can’t see the reason for it.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1.

I don’t know what storm you are facing, or what floodwater threatens you today. God knows. He and His Spirit can help you prepare for the onslaught. He can help you withstand, survive, and recover. Perhaps He can even cause you to thrive in the aftermath.

Build on the rock and stand firm.

Love in Christ, Betsy

Rethinking No-Till

Weeds are taking over my garden. Sigh. For years I, well, someone (for years that someone was my husband), tilled the garden ground every year to prepare it for seeds and plants. For the past two years I have been trying the no-till method. Just cover the ground with cardboard to suppress the weeds. No arduous tilling required.

Guess what? It doesn’t work.

I had hoped that I could find one action that would keep the weeds from invading my garden. But tilling doesn’t prevent weeds from returning and covering them with cardboard doesn’t prevent them from surfacing. Weeds are only kept at bay by constant, consistent, and diligent weeding. Sigh.

The daily attention to keeping undesirable plants out of my garden is tiresome. The temptation to just let a few remain is strong. The problem is, soon the few become many and spread throughout the garden. Soon the weeds are growing among my tomato plants, stealing their water and nutrients.

Hiding the weeds does not make them go away. Even the one-time upheaval of tilling will not keep them at bay forever. These weeds, which are prevalent and pervasive in my yard, want my garden as well. But my garden is set aside for a special purpose, and weeds are not welcome there.

And others are those sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. Mark 4:18-19.

I did not sow my tomatoes among weeds, among thorns, but weeds have entered my garden and are choking my plants. Am I letting the cares of the world choke the effects of the word in me as well?

Weeds are not bad things. They are, by definition, just plants growing where we don’t want them to grow. Cares of the world, the lure of wealth, and the desire for things are not bad. But my relationship with God is more important. And if I want that relationship to bear Godly fruit to share with the world, I need to weed those cares and desires from my life.

Covering them up doesn’t work. Even the one-time mass upheaval of repentance and revival doesn’t work. The weeds will return without constant, consistent, and diligent attention on my part.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24.

I don’t enjoy this process any more than I enjoy weeding. My ego would like me to believe that I don’t have any wicked ways in me. But who am I kidding? Those weeds are hiding just under the cardboard, seeking a weak spot where they can break through and spread across my life.

Sure, I can let a few remain. That would be the easy thing to do. The problem is, soon the few become many and spread throughout the garden. Soon the weeds are growing among my tomato plants, stealing their water and nutrients. Soon, I will be bearing the weeds of the world, wealth, and other things instead of bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Just as I water daily, I need to pull weeds daily. Just as I water the Spirit with prayer daily, I need to pull the weeds of worldly concerns daily. Because I am God’s garden, set apart from the yard to bear His fruit.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the might acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9.

I don’t want the weeds to choke that out.

Love in Christ, Betsy

Summer Harvest

Tomatoes! It feels like years since I have had a successful tomato garden. Oh, I have picked a few tomatoes and enjoyed them, but it’s been a while since I picked more than I could eat.

My daughter, Kat Bair, writes a blog as part of her job as a ministry consultant. She has written about me not giving up on having a garden just because I have had years of less-than-success with it. I’d never really thought about it that way.

Tomatoes will grow in my yard. I remember years of taking tomatoes with me everywhere I went to pass them along to others. My less-than-success has been due to learning how to do the things my husband used to do, trial and error, new methods, discovering the details that impact success. And the weather, which is beyond any of our control.

This year’s rain has really helped. The squirrels get their water elsewhere. The tomato and cucumber plants have ample water to refresh them on these hot days. Not the steady soaking showers of Spring, but the sudden claps of thunder and downpours brought on by heat and clouds.

If my soaker hose is analogous to reading the Bible and praying every day, these storms are like inspiration and direction from the Holy Spirit, sudden, unpredictable, powerful, restoring.

And the results are exhilarating. Tomatoes! Large Better Boys, Romas and Cherries, smaller Early Girls. Plenty for me and plenty to share!

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6.

It would have been easy to give up gardening over the past years. At times, the only thing that kept me planting and tending and watering was my commitment to you, readers, to write about it.

So, thank you. Your encouragement, your readership, has filled my tomato tray with fruit once more.

You, and of course, God, who sends the rains and the makes the sun to shine and enables the plants to bear flowers and produce tomatoes and cucumbers.

This fruit won’t last. It is here and good for eating for a limited time. I could preserve it somehow, and if food were scarce, I would, but I prefer to share my excess.

I pick out my best tomatoes and cucumbers and bag them up for the people with whom I will share them. A single tomato for those living in retirement homes, more for those at home with children.

I share because that is why God gives us excess – to share with those who need it and don’t have it, whatever “it” may be.

And if we preserve, continue working, continue praying, continue to be open to the soaking of prayer and the sudden storms of the Spirit, God will produce an abundant harvest in each of our lives.

So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9.

So here, in the middle of summer, persevere. Rest, rehydrate, and carry on. A harvest awaits.

Love in Christ, Betsy