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Volunteer Tomatoes

Volunteer Tomatoes

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) Earlier this year, I wrote about my garden’s blessings, which included thirty-seven tomato plants, grown from seed. I delighted in each phase of their growth – lovingly staking them up as they became taller – taking …

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We win

We win

Today is my birthday. While I strive to make such occasions momentous to others, I prefer to keep the day low-key, myself. I tend to do a lot of self-evaluation on this day – remembering where I’ve been in years past, reflecting on those who have come and gone in my life, and contemplating what …

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Finding God in the stillness

Finding God in the stillness

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) Every one of us needs to step away, on occasion, to let our everyday work go. We need this time to find solace, gain perspective, and remember that there is much beauty in the world, just waiting for us to rest in it. Such artistry …

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Happy are the hexhausted

Happy are the hexhausted

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 19:25) Merriam-Webster defines the term “hangry” as “irritable or angry because of hunger.” I’d like to suggest the adoption of a …

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Victory through surrender

Victory through surrender

Sometimes, our most significant victories are won when we fully surrender – not to our enemies, but to God.  Two weeks ago, I was ready to walk out the door of my workplace and never look back. After three days of eleven, thirteen, and twelve-hour days, respectively, I was burned out. With more work than …

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In adoration of my mother

In adoration of my mother

I thank my God every time I remember you. (Philippians 1:3) Today is my mother’s birthday. I’d mention what precise birthday this is, but the number has always been an unmentionable part of the remembrance. Since it’s her birthday, I’ll respect that wish and simply say that her years have made her all the more …

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Whatever controls you wins

Whatever controls you wins

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (Hebrews 12:15) We spend most of our adult lives in the workplace. Our understanding, intellect, and energy are infused into our jobs. I’ve always believed in the Biblical directive …

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Love is color-blind

Love is color-blind

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. (John 13:35) In 1976, my mother, sisters, and I moved from Papillion, Nebraska to Woodlawn, Maryland – a suburb of Baltimore. In many ways, this move changed my life. I was an awkward, pimply-faced sixth grader with little glasses, buck-teeth, …

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Faith the size of a tomato seed

Faith the size of a tomato seed

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) Gardening requires faith. We take tiny dead seeds, place them …

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Beware the snake in the grass

Beware the snake in the grass

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, …

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