Month: May 2021

Lessons Learned So Far from the Jubilee Garden (+ Pictures!)

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So far, the Jubilee garden has been going well! 

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned this growing season:

  1. I really miss the joy of planting and seeing things sprout and grow.  So much so, that I found myself at our local nursery this week buying herbs and marigolds to fill the pots on our deck. Just the deck. Yep! At least that’s how I’m justifying it to myself.
  2. I should have gone hardcore on the regenerative pruning. The bushes out front could have been cut WAY closer to the ground to promote new growth. Now I have weird sticks with spiky new growth on them. Check out the pictures below to see what I mean. I was so nervous about the possibility of killing the shrubs that I chickened out. I might try to correct this later in the season as the new growth fills in.
  3. I was pleasantly surprised by our beet harvest this year! Nice, big beets (golden and maybe detroit dark red or bulls blood – can’t remember which ones I planted). I love roasted beets – they’re sweet like candy. Will definitely be planting more of these in the future.
  4. I planted WAY too many brassicas last fall. The flowers were beautiful when they bolted this spring, but we just don’t eat enough broccoli, cauliflower, or brussels sprouts to justify how much I planted. We got exactly zero cabbages out of the many I planted. 
  5. Fennel is a magnet for swallowtail caterpillars – keep this around if you like pollinators.
  6. Radish seed pods are edible and add a nice crunch to salads.
  7. Why did I plant rutabaga? Who even eats rutabaga? Did I think I would suddenly have an affinity for them if I grew them?
  8. Fava beans are where it’s at. You get a huge bang for your buck when you plant these – huge beans with plentiful pods if you keep picking them. Definitely be sure to stake them/support them, though, or you’ll end up with a floppy mess like mine.
  9. Accept the generosity of fellow gardeners. I’ve already received amazing garden goodies from thoughtful friends and neighbors who knew I was taking a break this season. Thank you Alyson & Natalie!
  10. Volunteer plants are still coming up! I’ve found surprise potatoes, strawberry spinach, sunflowers, and swiss chard. Can’t wait to see what else pops up!
  11. Some of my garden experiments look like they’re paying off – some of the fig and lavender cuttings are viable!

Overall, I’m still thankful that I’m taking a break from my typical garden schedule this year. I get to see my little pole beans (the girls) growing and I love that so much is continuing on its own without my intervention. 

Here are some of the latest garden photos – enjoy!

 

RutabagaRadish seed pods - they're edible!Beets about to flowerUFO - haven't identified this moth yetBeet harvestGolden beetSliced beets ready for roastingOur local greenhouseEmpress Wu hostas (giant!) and a surprise sunflowerMore pruning resultsPruning resultsHerb haul + marigolds

 

Coming up:

Sunday: Knit Together – Psalm 139

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Every Thought Captive

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How is your mental health lately?

One of the silver linings of this past pandemic year has been the number of people seeking mental health care. I think that’s a joy and a win for Christ’s kingdom. 

Recently, someone recommended the book “Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the battle in Your Mind” by Joyce Meyer to me. It was an interesting read, and though I don’t one hundred percent agree with all her arguments, I did find several ideas in the book helpful and interesting. 

(The link above is an Amazon Affiliate link.)

One of the passages she cites has been on my mind a lot recently, and it’s about taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ. Here’s the passage:

 

Paul’s Defense of His Ministry: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

10 By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

 

I have a very active imagination. My dreams are vivid and I daydream A LOT (feel bad for poor Jonah, who has to try to get my attention when I’m immersed in thought!). When I read scripture, I sometimes get visual images that help me put things into perspective. This passage, for whatever reason, reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean and walking the plank.

Walk the Plank

The mental warfare that is going on in our minds is just as real as the warfare we see playing out in the world everyday. The difference lies in the types of weapons we have at our disposal to fight those battles. We’ve got spiritual armor to defend us, and one amazing weapon: the Word of God.

As someone who battles daily with negative thinking patterns, I find it extremely helpful to visualize making every negative thought I have walk the plank. 

Is your thinking, not just your behavior, obedient to Christ? When you find yourself overgeneralizing, jumping to conclusions, entertaining made-up scenarios and conversations with people who frustrate you, can you arrest that thought and make it walk the plank?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this passage. After reading it, what is your main takeaway? Leave a comment below!

Coming up:

Wednesday: Lessons Learned So Far from the Jubilee Garden (+ Pictures!)

Next Sunday: Knit Together – Psalm 139

 

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A Few of My Favorite Things

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Well… we had a baby this week! Our second daughter is here and we are over the moon! Things this time around have felt so much easier (knock on wood), from the labor, to managing things around the house, to nursing, to coping with the sleepless nights. Life is really, really good right now. 

When I set out to write this post, I was going to include information about some of my favorite things for the garden. But I’ve just been hit over the head time and time again this week that some of my favorite things aren’t things – they’re people. 

Having a baby is a time in life when you realize that there’s so much you CAN’T do on your own. Birthing and caring for a baby requires help from others – nurses, doctors, friends, neighbors, family, your spouse, your other children, your church. This week, we’ve been witness to (and beneficiaries of) our community rallying to help us. Meals, much-needed coffee, and delicious bread have magically appeared on our porch. Gift cards for last-minute baby items and meal delivery have shown up in our inboxes. Friends have thrown together a Meal Train for us so we won’t have to worry when the flurry of offers to help have died down. Friends have shared baby clothes, garden produce, and their time – even cutting our grass unannounced!

Weeks like this remind me that there is so much goodness in this world – people who are the salt and light of this world. Salt preserves what is good. Light shines and shows the way. 

To all of you who have helped us and been salt and light to us, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you!

 

Salt and Light – Matthew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

 

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Wild Card Wednesday!

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It’s Wild Card Wednesday(WCW)! What is WCW? It’s the best day of the week, is what!

On Wild Card Wednesdays, I’m going to bring you something I find truly hilarious, poignant, or just can’t keep to myself because it’s that good.

Today you’re in for a treat! The best slapstick humor of all time from one of my favorite shows, Parks & Rec. Enjoy!

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The Importance of Rest

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Now that I’m nearing the end of my pregnancy with baby #2, I’m starting to realize that rest is kind of a big deal. There’s nothing like carrying around another human for 9 months while chasing a toddler to make you realize that woman does not live on caffeine alone (the Bible says that, right? :-D).

It’s not that I don’t want to rest. In theory, rest sounds GREAT.  It’s putting it into practice that is so tough. I’m a night owl by nature – I used to routinely go to bed at 2 AM until I started working a 9-5 job. Now that I work a 24 hour job (#momlife), I frequently find myself up at strange hours due to insomnia, a crying child, or street noise.

night-owls-can-i-get-a-hoot-

Anyway, today, I read the story of Jesus calming the storm in the children’s Bible we have for our toddler. Here’s the version from Mark 4:35-41:

Jesus Calms the Storm

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

For whatever reason, it just hit me funny that Jesus was straight up sleeping in the middle of a storm that made a bunch of experienced fishermen think they were going to die. I’m guessing the disciples had seen their fair share of bad storms, but here we see next-level wind and waves. I’m envisioning something out of movies like “The Perfect Storm”, “Deep Impact”, or that awful Russell Crowe version of “Noah”. Don’t waste your time. It’s horrible.

Perfect Storm Movie Poster Noah Movie Poster

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but you get what I’m saying. It was scary!

First off, I envy the fact that Jesus is such a deep sleeper. Where can I get some of that quality shut-eye?!

Secondly, when would He have woken up? It says the waves were crashing over the boat so it almost swamped. You’d think the water splashing on Him would have woken Him up, right?

Thirdly…those disciples (shaking my head over here). Can I just say, I love whenever the disciples appear in scripture. They give voice to everything I feel and would probably be thinking myself in these crazy situations with Jesus. Frequently, they play the role of “Captain Obvious” or the ancient near east equivalent of The Three Stooges. I love their comment: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

Well said, disciples. Well said. That’s a question I’ve definitely brought before the Lord on MANY occasions. It’s not always phrased like that, but the sentiment is the same.

“Don’t you care about me?”

Maybe you can identify with some of these variants of the same question:

Don’t you care that…

    • ….I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in over two years? 
    • …I’m overworked, overtired, and at the end of my rope?
    • …my loved one isn’t well and is dying?
    • ….this storm of life is swirling around me and I’m going to drown?

Notice what Jesus does next. 

He first deals with the storm.

Then, He addresses the disciples’ lack of faith.

Jesus is not disturbed by our storms. He can sleep and rest right through them, because He is fully in control of the wind and the waves.

When we cry out to God in our storms, He addresses the things that are paining us first. Then He helps us work on our faith.

We could have been resting that whole time in the boat instead of panicking about drowning! Why aren’t we doing just that? Why aren’t we letting Jesus rebuke the wind and waves for us?

Lift up a prayer to God about this today. If you don’t know what to say, here’s something to get you started…

Father God, teach me to trust you and to rest confidently and securely in you. Remind me that the wind and waves recognize your voice and submit to you. Help me to submit to you also. Help me enter that deep, wonderful rest that Jesus enjoyed. I thank you that you allow me to witness you calming the storms of my life each and every day. You are good!

Special Note: Since baby girl is due very, very soon, the next few posts will be a bit lighter than usual. But lighter doesn’t mean lesser! Check back in for a good laugh this Wednesday and some of my other favorite things in coming posts. Catch you on the flip side!

Coming up:

Wednesday: Wild Card Wednesday!

Next Sunday: These are a Few of My Favorite Things

 

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