Marching Forth!

Today I planted some seeds in our small garden in the back yard.  I planted some chili peppers and tomatoes in pursuit of some delicious fresh salsa.  As I poured the seeds into my palm from the tiny packet, I looked from the tiny seeds to the picture of a huge tomato on the envelope.  The pale, dry seeds were extremely tiny, yet the package said to plant them almost a full meter apart!  It is phenomenal that one miniscule seed in the proper environment will certainly sprout into a large bush and bear much fruit.  Amazing! Planting the seeds was very simple.  I felt no pressure whatsoever, because the growth of the plant and its fruitfulness does not depend on my ability.  They will either grow or they won't.  If there is not growth I will plant more!  I carefully dropped seeds into a slight depression, covered it with soil, and pressed it firmly.  In mere minutes I had sown, watered, and now the waiting begins!  I was reminded of...

I spent a couple hours this morning digging in the backyard.  With spring rapidly approaching (and today it felt like it had arrived full-force!), it was time to start preparing the plot for a small vegetable garden.  We aim to plant different varieties of chiles, beetroot, tomatoes, and lettuce to start.  As I cleared an area overgrown with grass and weeds by the fence, I found myself having to contend with roots from our neighbor's trees.  Several of his trees near the fence apparently have found an abundance of water in my yard.  Whenever I found one, I dug up as much as I could and cut it off. I don't know why, but God often teaches me things as I work in the yard.  Lately the lessons have a common thread:  the proper use of my time.  I consider the roots of my neighbors trees as thieves, intruders on my property.  They rob the plants I am trying to cultivate of water and nutrients.  They choke out my plants and impede my ability ...

I read an interesting article about the lack of team chemistry in sports these days due to modern technology.  This claim has been substantiated by many coaches at the professional level.  It used to be that when the team rode the bus, traveled on planes, or sat around in the dressing rooms, they would be talking with one another.  Camaraderie grew between the players as they ate food, told stories, cracked jokes, made fun of each other, or shared in ridiculous antics.  A good team became better because players were not just teammates but friends.  There was a large overlap between personal life and the playing field. Where there used to be conversations, now there is silence between people.  Everyone has their headphones on or their ear buds in.  A little world is created where the programming, playlist, and activities are all controlled by the user.  It is all about me.  People play mindless games on their mobiles to fill the time, or su...

Early this morning I walked into my son's shared room to see Abel lying on his back, shivering in bed.  The air was chilly and the room dark.  Though Abel had thick blankets available for him to use, one had fallen off the bed and the other was at his feet in a ball.  His arms clung tightly to the thin flannel sheet as he slept. My initial reaction was a cross between amusement, annoyance, and compassion.  It struck me funny that Abel clung to the thing which offered him least protection against the cold.  But if the bed had been completely made with the blanket tucked it could not have slid onto the floor!  The boy was cold and needed warmth.  The steps which precipitated the shivering was not as important as the cure:  lifting the blankets back onto the bed, smoothing out the blanket pile, and Abel laying underneath them. In Australia, a thick bedspread is often called a "doona."  In the States where I was born, a common term is a "comf...