Back when I was approaching getting married and becoming a "Brown", my high school students made us a chair with the name "Buster" on it as a shower gift! Well, it was intended for our first child and the suggested name was "Buster Brown." Well, we got our "Buster" this year but he is a energetic Golden Lab!
Our family started a healthy and much needed project - a family garden! We needed the family time and a way of supplying our needs during slim times. The only way to grow this garden was to make sure we mixed the right type of soil (expensive way I might add) and then make sure the garden was fed with proper water, sunlight and attention. The kids each have their own container garden and it's been fun!
The only problem with this type of project not working seemed to be the dogs so Daddy and little Jerry put up a fence to keep the dogs out. The latch was left open a couple times in the beginning and Buster got curious, even making his paw prints in the soil or tearing up the weed cloth in places. Eventually, Buster and Sweetie Pie (our Cocker Spaniel) understood the boundary or so we thought! This last week, the fence latch somehow got open and good old "Buster Brown" must have led a doggie field day! Check it out...
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| Why is this scarecrow still smiling? |
My Aunt Nanny had, from what I recall, something like a black lab and his name was "Satan." Yes, that was his name! I hadn't thought about that dog forever until this past weekend! I think Buster was our little Satan in our garden! You see, this whole garden thing has been teaching me something lately. I looked into it further as I remembered the Song of Solomon verse (2:15) that said, '
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes'." One commentary I read talked about it this way:
http://www.biblicalexaminer.org/m19990523.htm
The times that I have doubts or even leave a"fence latch" open to Satan can be the times when the "fruits" of my spiritual walk can be hindered or either destroyed. It's more important than ever that we (our family) remain in God's word and faithful in prayer so we can grow and not leave room for the enemy to distract or destroy the garden of our lives! I'm not a preacher but wow, no wonder Jesus used the garden in different illustrations - it's real and speaks to where I'm at today! Like this parable from Mark 4:4-8:
"And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
God is really dealing with me about having hope lately. Probably because I have been in such a place as to really giving up and losing it. In the middle of it, I have found God to be close and that He really is near to the brokenhearted. While I was blogging this (is that correct grammar?) I listened to a sermon and determined to click on the most recent one from Brooklyn Tabernacle. After all this time, only today I discovered that I could hear Jim Cymbala preach online! Anyways, wouldn't you know that the first sermon on the list was about HOPE! My previous post was about the same topic so you know God is really dealing with me on it! Even had someone call me to talk about it! I offer you a link and also my paraphrase below. "May the God of all HOPE fill YOU with all joy and peace as you trust Him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13. I also offer you congratulations and thanks because if you read all this long blog today - you are amazing!
"Don't Lose Hope" by Pastor Jim Cymbala of Brooklyn Tabernacle (9-21-10) Psalm 25:1-5, 21
"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long."
http://brooklyntabernacle.lightcastmedia.com/console_multi.php?u=3055&c=1027302573
No one who puts their hope in God will ever be put to shame (or disappointed)! Satan knows this and will overwhelm you in an area and try to kill your hope! If you have no hope in an area - it will lead to you not praying, losing your joy, you won't believe, you start losing your praise....You are in a bad state when you lose your hope! Have faith and put your trust in God - sometimes the answer doesn't come right when we want it. What it comes down to is the question: Will you still put your hope in God? Then maybe what you prayed about gets worse and voices tell you to give up? The Bible says that is the battle of faith! The hardest part of hope is the waiting! God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not ours. Our job is to wait on God and hope. The test of our faith (relationship with the Lord) is how well we HOPE! Check out George Muller - his ability to wait for God on behalf of the orphans he took care of... Gathered children into the dining room when there was no food. Prayed for the food when there was no food. God answered and food came to the door! Your promise - not one person who waits for Him will be disappointed! Keep a spirit of expectancy and not get angry or bitter!
Psalm 25:21 - "May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you." Guide me in your truth and teach me for you are my Savior and my hope is in You all day long! You are my Savior and who is do I have but you. Army chasing him so David waited for God to pull him through! You think God will fail any of us when we are busy reminding God of His promises and putting our hope in Him? Sometimes we give up and move on and end up missing the blessing that was coming if we had just waited! The hardest part of waiting is the "last half hour." No one at the end of life has ever said "I put my hope in God and man what a mess my life was." When you lose your hope, your flesh always tries to reassert itself so many tragic things happen. God's way and timing is the best! They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength! When you put your faith in the Lord - He will renew you when you are waiting on Him! God will strengthen your hope! No one has ever put their hope in God, waited all day long and seen God fail! It can't happen! AMEN!
