The Richness of Soil

Ephesians 3:17-18: May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.

Before my 2/3 mushroom compost, 1/3 topsoil blend came to our home, my gardens were "special needs". The clay was hard and the rocks were plentiful. I shoveled on the nutrient rich compost like a mother feeding her hungry child. And my little piece of earth responded. The above picture is after the compost. The picture below is what this same little bed looked like as I was applying the compost.

Here is another before and after picture:

And now some more fun afters:

Clearly, the soil where roots are planted is vital to the life and proliferation of plants.  So too with us. I've found in my own life that when I have tried to plant my desires apart from God, my efforts have been frustrated.  However, when my roots are planted deep into God's heart, reaching to him, hungry for his nutrient rich guidance....then I produce fruit.  How wide, long, high and deep God's love is for us is best demonstrated when we plant our lives, our roots, in Him.  I'm thankful for God's mercy for those times when I plant my roots in clay and rocks and for His overwhelming blessings when I choose Him.

My Lavender Birthday Pilgrimage

These are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of him!

Psalm 104:24

It seems like each time I go to the lavender festival in Sequim I think, "Have the fields ever looked THIS beautiful?" "Do the farmer's personal gardens have more colorful flowers and scented pathways than in previous years?" The lavender festival always falls on or near my birthday, and never fails to renew my spirit and usher in the next year of my life with a beautiful welcome. To think that beauty like this is only a delicate whisper of God's works, just fills me with thankfulness and awe!

Sequim (pronounced: Squim) is wonderfully situated in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The Dungeness River flows from the mountains, through the town of Sequim and into the strait.  Years ago, farmers channeled the river for irrigation on their farms, and about 10 years ago the crop of choice became lavender. The mere 16.81 annual inches of rain (quite an anomaly for the Pacific Northwest), ocean breezes, mild climate and alluvium soil from the Dungeness River, converge together in perfect harmony to produce what is now, world famous lavender.

I love it when a community carves out a beautiful new niche and utilizes all the wonderful attributes of its land for a great product. Oregon has done that with its vineyards and award winning wines, after its timber industry declined. Reinventing yourself like that is like finding out in your old age that you still "have it".  I'm hoping for that very discovery as I start my new year in life! What new plans does God have for me?  I hope I'm open to His guidance each day and don't miss out on any new beginnings!