The Gardens in early summer....

In the garden is found time with my Savior

Time with the one I call friend

Lord, walk with me in the garden today

Lead me and guide me, give depth to my soul

Meet Hadassah.....

"Come, and let us return to the Lord; the woman whispered, "For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight."
Voice trembling, Hadassah took up where the woman had stopped, reciting the words of the prophet Hosea. "Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth."
The woman took Hadassah's hand. "Why is it only in darkness that we remember what sustained us even in the light? I have not thought of the words of the prophet since childhood, and now in this darkness they come to me more clearly than the day I heard them read." She cried softly, Jonah must have felt this same dark despair inside the belly of the whale."
"Hosea was speaking of Yeshua and the Resurrection" Hadassah said, without thinking.
Taken from A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers



"You are here, Lord. You are here and all around me. Would that I could always feel your presence so profoundly. Oh Lord, that I may one day bow before you and worship you forever."
Taken from A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers



"Nothing I can say will ever convince you, Marcus. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. But I know Jesus arose. I feel his presence now, here, with me. I see the evidence of his Word every day. From creation forth, the whole world is witness to God's plan revealed through his Son. From the beginning, he prepared us. In the passing of the seasons; in the way flowers spring forth, die, and drop seeds for life to begin again; in the sunset and sunrise. Jesus' sacrifice is reenacted every day of our lives if we but have the eyes to see."
Taken from A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers






"Lord, you know what's in my heart. You know I love you. Help me."
Taken from A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

Winter 2010


A lot of snow in the prayer garden...

It was a rare winter where the prayer garden stayed covered in snow all winter long. From about Thanksgiving until early April there was too much snow in the prayer garden to go for walks. I could imagine where the paths were and we could find the center but it was very snowy white. Actually quite beautiful.

John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."

John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

John 15:8 "This is to my father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

The grape arbor in the prayer garden with grapevines beginning to grow and flourish.

The prayer garden, mid-spring, full of what we like to call "creepers". Ugh!!! Creepers are tough weeds to get rid of, one of the most challenging to any gardener. I sprayed them and waited, hoping they would succumb to the herbicide I used. Some did and some didn't. I'm still struggling with creepers and past experience with gardening tells me that I will struggle with creepers in this garden for a long time, until little by little I have less and less of them and then they are finally under control but never completely gone. It made me think about sin in my life. Weeds like "creepers" are kind of like sin. Sin can get out of control in our lives especially when the Holy Spirit first points out something that we need to change or work on that we've allowed to go on for awhile. It can feel overwhelming and that first confession and desire to change can make a big difference like my herbicide but it doesn't seem to ever completely get rid of it. Our old sinful nature is pretty determined to keep showing up and my experience with sin is that it takes the determination and persistence to keep pulling that creeper before it gets under control but maybe is never completely gone. Why doesn't God just take our sin away? I think He desires for us to learn how to depend on Him, be persistent, and keep working at being a new creation in Christ with the Holy Spirits help. "Creepers" are annoying and frustrating and sometimes just plain work, kind of like the sin in my life but because of God's grace and love for me I can see improvements and I can see that though I'll never be perfect and the sin in my life may never be completely gone there can be progress!

Another picture of the garden with the pavers in. I love how the center and two paths turned out to look a lot like a celtic cross.

Early, early spring of 2009 we started working on the prayer garden again. Moving dirt and working on the 12 foot center, the progress was amazing and it was so exciting to see it really take shape! Work is worship and building a beautiful garden such as this has been a very worshipful experience for me. I think that God made me specifically to work hard. When I work I am happy, peaceful, full of purpose and joy. When I have no work I have no peace. Am I a workaholic? Maybe. But I find that when I sit for too long and am idle then my mind gets me in trouble. God creates us all differently and I love to work and create beautiful things, like this garden, that others can enjoy. I have prayed and prayed and worshiped while building this garden and I believe that God has indeed blessed my life already in this experience!