Growing as God Intended She inspects a field and buys it. With money she earned, she plants a vineyard. — Proverbs 31:16 NCV In today’s verse, taken from the Proverbs 31 description of a wife of noble character, the poet speaks on God’s behalf and praises the woman’s business savvy and work ethic. She herself has…
Rock Gardening: The Impossible Person
Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. — 1 Corinthians 3:7 Who is the seemingly impossible person in your life whom you must interact with on a regular basis? There’s someone like that in everyone’s life. Perhaps we work with them, serve with…
Women Supporting Women: When Burdens Are Too Heavy
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. — Galatians 6:2 Some plants — like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, hollyhocks, delphiniums, gladiolus — need extra support in order to thrive. Their flowers or fruits are usually too heavy for the plant to support, and sometimes that fruit could rot if it touches the soil…
Six Books Jane Austen Would Read Today
Today would have been Jane Austen’s 240th birthday. More than two hundred years since her novels first reached readers, her stories have remained powerful and popular. Full of timeless wisdom, Austen’s classics have made her one of the most celebrated authors of English literature. But what are some of the books that would inspire Austen…
10 Favorite Devotionals of 2015
Devotional books are terrific for so many reasons (let me count the ways!), but if you’re like me, the main reason I love devos is because, even though I’d love to have a leisurely hour by a cozy fire with my dog Maisy, Bible, devotional, journal, a doppio cappuccino, and a pecan roll (Hello, Instagram!), my morning…
Butterflies: A Story of Rebirth
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. — 2 Corinthians 5:17 Rebirth can be a difficult concept to understand, but the lovely little butterfly offers a picture of what takes place when Christ comes into a human heart. The caterpillar’s metamorphosis…
Overwatering: Too Much of a Good Thing
You are the light of the world. — Jesus in Matthew 5:14 It may seem odd or even inconceivable, but a plant can actually have too much water. A plant can have too much of a good and life-giving thing! When they’re overwatered, plants yellow and then die. Can we as followers of Christ be…
Withering Faith: The Plant That Struggled
There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. — Jesus in Luke 15:7 I can only imagine being a gardener in Eden, in that place of perfect seeds and soil and weather. What a different experience from, for instance, planting fifty pepper…