Dwelling in LIFE!

I lay down my LIFE, that I might take it up again.

--Christ from John 10: 17b

Jesus' prophetic, startling and puzzling words to his generation. They suggested he had a devil, or perhaps he was mad. But Jesus, as his father did, knew all things. He knew what was in store for him in the very near future.

What man is he that desires LIFE...?

--Psalmist David, 34:12

The hopelessness of those who know not God's love and forgiveness. Life without God is truly an unfulfilled, unsatisfactory existence. Only with him is there true life, true peace and true joy.

God's gift to us is eternal LIFE through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

For God declared in John, chapter three, verse sixteen:

For God so loved the world (US!) that he (God) gave his only begotten son (Jesus) that he who 

believes on him, might have everlasting LIFE!

God's promise to us:

Take no thought for your LIFE...

Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass of the field, or what you shall eat or drink or wear...

for your heavenly father knows what you have need of. 

(paraphrased)

--Matthew 6:25-32

What do we do?

Seek God first and his righteousness. 

That's it. The simplicity of accepting LIFE.

Spring and the Easter Season is a wonderful time to reflect on what God gave us, the promise and assurance of everlasting life for such a small price from us.

Can we rejoice in LIFE today?

What blessings of LIFE do you appreciate and enjoy? 

How has God's assurance of LIFE affected your life?

ABOUT CAROLE:

Besides being an active participant of many writing groups, Carole is an award winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance and whimsy into her books, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons? 

Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Carole-Brown/e/B00EZV4RFY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1427898838&sr=8-1

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/browncarole212

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-brown-79b6951a?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Google+:    https://plus.google.com/u/0/113068871986311965415/posts

Word Sharpeners: https://wordsharpeners.wordpress.com/

Stitches in Time:  http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

Spring: A Time of Renewal

Sick of the cold, the snow, winter? Are you discouraged? Disheartened? Frustrated? Ah, winter is over and Spring is here!

Isaiah chapter forty and verse 30 says, “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.”  It may have been a long winter, but it’s over. We’ve waited and longed for Spring. God gives us gifts, and flowers are one of them. Springtime flowers are especially beautiful for they signal a time of birth. It’s a time of renewal for the land. Take heart and make it a time of renewal for yourself too!

Check out these thoughts and apply them to your life and see if you don’t begin to feel the stir of renewal in your heart. Smile.

• Apple blossoms: promise.  Who knows what will happen throughout the rest of Spring and summer? Exciting adventures? Interesting events? New friends? Reuniting with old friends? God’s promises are abundant in the scriptures. Cling to them and believe.

• Crocus: foresight. Have the foresight to look for greater things. Spiritually. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Plan ahead. Prepare. Organize. Whatever it takes to keep yourself on track. 

• Hyacinth: sincerity. Be sincere with God and others and most of all with yourself. Why deceive? It’s a useless effort and so much more rewarding to sincerely seek God’s will for your life. Dive into your work or your life with a sincere desire to make it the best you can. 

• Pansy: loving thoughts. Think Good thoughts. Loving thoughts. Don’t let bitterness or angry hold you chained one day or one minute longer. Give yourself permission to forgive the person who hurt you. Move away from the cause of contention and have peace. Pray. Trust. 

• Poppy: consolation. Give yourself permission to weep or mourn the loss of something dear. It’s healing. Then move on. God knows all about the hurts; he understands, and he is the one who gives us the strength.

• Iris: inspiration. It comes from everywhere. The scriptures. People and their actions and words. Books. Pictures. Nature. Life. Our own thoughts. Be inspired and let it’s energy renew your spirit.

• Hydrangea: perseverance. Hold the course. Don’t give up but fight on. Whether it’s volunteering in church or ministry, your career, or problems in life, watch for that light at the end of the tunnel. It’s there. Keep moving forward and you will soon see it.

• Violet: faithfulness. In whatever you do, be faithful. Be the person who is responsible and reliable. Dull? Boring? Not at all. You can have fun, be adventurous and the life of the party. But the faithful person knows when and where to call the shots. They know when it’s time for rest, relaxation, work, talk or quiet. Be your own person by having the confidence to be faithful. 

• Star of Bethlehem: hope.  Never give up hope. These beautiful tiny white flowers speak of hope and it’s an emotion that everyone needs. Hope for that contract. Hope for the return of the prodigal. Hope for a healing. Work toward and encourage, build and feed that hope. God will do the rest.

Let your spirit be renewed this Spring. When you plant a bulb or buy a plant, when you bend to smell the scent or gaze on the glorious beauty of a flower, remember some of these meanings. Take them to heart.


About Carole:

Besides being a member and active participant of many writing groups, Carole Brown enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense and tough topics into her books, along with a touch of romance and whimsy, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons? 

Connect with her here:

Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/browncarole212

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown

Check out her books here:

Amazon

Garden Memories

Right when you think winter will never end, God presses the reset button and a sprig of green pokes through barren earth. In perfect timing, spring announces the season of growth and new beginnings. The players seem to burst out on the stage overnight. In the south, they’re already everywhere.

Spring is a time of preparation and planning, anticipation and looking forward, but I always turn nostalgic this time of year. The reason is because my mother was a great gardener. I don’t know why her skill didn’t rub off me. Or why plants still cringe when they see me coming.

Mama certainly taught me everything to make a garden grow. We had a large garden away from the house, large in that it ran an acre or so, planted mostly in corn and peas, beans, okra, tomatoes, all those vegetables that would be frozen or canned. I was even allowed a couple of rows for my popcorn. Did you know it gets hot enough in South Georgia to pop corn on the stalk? I couldn’t find a picture of it, but take my word for it—it does.

The garden patch near the house was reserved for all the salad vegetables; lettuce, cabbage, carrots, radishes, beets, and scallions. I wasn’t too fond of eating those vegetables, so it’s no surprise I balked at working in the garden, especially on Saturday mornings when Bugs Bunny was on.

It wasn't bad enough I missed cartoons, but my mother seemed to make the whole thing harder than it should have been. She choose this spot where Bermuda grass loved to grow, and insisted we dig it up with a hoe, shake it until the dirt and worms fell out, and haul it off to be burned. Mama had a hate thing going with this Bermuda grass.

But she knew what she was doing. Her garden patch had no need for fertilizers or manure. We didn’t have to worry about additives. Yet that was the richest, blackest dirt on the face of the earth, and well aerated by earthworms too. The worms were usually deposited into a tin can for fish bait.

Mama couldn’t stand a blade of grass anywhere in her yard, and she kept the bare paths swept with brooms made of dog fennel. Every other square inch of the yard was filled with flowers, mainly annuals she sowed from seeds. You can’t get those seeds anymore except as heirloom. They’ve been tampered with in attempts to improve them—or keep people from growing their own—until they don’t grow from seed anymore. Pansies, petunias, daises, asters, marigolds, carnations, sweet-william. I can’t remember all the different ones.

Besides all the flowers and dirt paths, flowering trees of dogwood, red-bud, and holly were gathered from the woods and strategically placed around the yard. I Wish I could show you a picture of my mother’s front yard, but all that remains is in my mind.

The first stirrings of spring remind me of that garden. I wish my yards contained such beauty, or that I could grow such vegetables. But I know the hard work that went into them. I never developed a talent for gardening, and by the time I was in fifth-grade, my mother dismissed me from garden chores. Maybe because she was afraid I’d kill more plants than I helped, but I think it was really because she saw the value in studies, reading, and writing. She recognized that the seeds planted in my brain would yield more than those I managed to plant in the ground.

Is anyone out there an avid gardener like my mother? Do you have a garden that rivals yesteryear’s?