I Took The Camera For A Walk

I know that some of you are reading my blog that don't see my Facebook page, so I decided to post pictures from today here as well. I was reminded of Romans 1:20 when walking today. It reads: For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.~NLT God's Creation speaks volumes of Who He is, and that is only the tip of the iceberg! Enjoy the pics. I give Him the glory for being able to capture the things I do.

 Remember my post about growing where you are planted? This plant not only is growing out of the rocks, but it also is able to bloom! It has been doing this for years and years. They are called Columbines.

 Two of Patches new kittens. My most recent post talks about their arrival. They hide most of the time.

 Notice top left corner at the bee coming into the bloom.

What things are you seeing in your backyard or drive to work that remind you of His Creation and special touch?

We Call Her Patches

My story actually begins a few years ago. I have always loved dogs and I always will. They have a special place in my heart. I have my favorite breeds, but I truly love all dogs. It doesn't matter if I am in the grocery store and see a working dog, walking on the beach, or at someone's home. I have this strong need to go and scratch their ears and look into their eyes. A working dog, needs the owners permission first, but they must sense my need and never turn me down. There is something about the look in their eyes that draw me in. They are the most loyal creature I know. I have been blessed to have a dog in my life for the past 40 years. I took it for granted. So, when our yellow lab of 12+ years passed away, my heart was broke and I had a void in my life. We were getting ready to move and a new puppy wouldn't fit in too well. Not fair to us, or the future puppy. That was three years ago. I have been praying for another dog and missing their companionship so much. I know to some this will sound crazy, but my heart actually aches for a dog.

I know the time isn't right for us to have a dog right now. I can't explain it really, but I have a peace that now is not the time. However, I seem to "sneak" into my prayer time, "Lord, I am ready whenever you are for a dog....."He has been silent on the issue. So, I wait.

This past Fall however, something strange happened. One evening sitting on our porch was this sweet cat. Now, if you know me and I use the word sweet and cat in the same sentance that is saying something. I don't do cats. I am a true dog lover. Yet, each evening she would come to our porch, look inside and just sit. I tried to pet her to see if she was hurt or injured and she would run away. She would only show up in the evenings. Our daughter twisted our arm and asked if we could keep her. I knew if I fed her, she would never leave. It took many days to build her trust. Even to this day, she doesn't want held, and NEVER tries to come inside. She never wants held, just a scratch under the chin and a few scraps when I make dinner. So, we decided there are mice in the hen house and maybe having a cat around would not be so bad. I don't know if she was a drop off, or a runaway, but she was sent to me I am sure. You see, I am allergic to cats. I don't want cats. I want a dog. However, she is perfect for me. She doesn't try to come inside or cling to anything. She just wants to say hello, eat a bit, and then be on her way. She started to look very fat and we knew kittens were coming. Nice....Then she showed up one evening thin, which meant we had kittens to now feed and take care of. I made it my business to find these kittens and tame them. She would move them every few days and hiss at me, if I tried to hold them. I eventually won her trust and she let me hold them and play with them. Our kids loved it and if I had to be honest, I did too. I have included a picture of her from the Fall, how could anyone say no to those eyes?

She would still come each evening and wait for some attention or scraps. She would prop herself on the window and just wait. We decided to name her Patches. She is filled with patches of color and she would come each evening out of the corn patch. Seemed to fit her well.

Propping on the window ledge of the storm door, just patiently waiting....



Seems like a long story with no point, but I needed to give you the history to understand what I recently figured out. It has a point, I promise.

One of her kittens was a black and white male. He was always the first one to run out to see me when I went into the barn and he would constantly purr when I was around. He would always snoop into anything I was doing. Very curious cat. He also reminded me of my favorite comic strip, "Peanuts". He quickly became Snoopy. This cat follows me everywhere. It doesn't matter if I am walking to the mailbox, working in the flower beds, filling grain for the chickens, or even sitting on the porch and reading a book. He is by my side. Then last week, while getting ready to go on a long walk, he started to follow me. I look down and he was ready to go where ever we going. It hit me then, I have wanted a black lab to be my companion, to follow me, and to keep me company when my family is away working.

My dog is a black and white cat named Snoopy. I realized that afternoon, while I felt God was being silent on this issue of a dog, He has placed an animal in my life that was close to the things I wanted. I know in my heart now is not the time for a dog, but instead of giving me nothing since the time isn't right, he gave me Snoops. He even runs on the porch and jumps into one of my crocks that holds a tennis ball for my niece's dog, when she comes for visits, and plays with the ball on the porch!

I realized there are times in our life,when God seems silent, when He doesn't answer the way we prayed. We were specific in what we wanted, why we wanted it, and we even try to convince God the "want" is a "need"! He knows our needs. He knows I "need" a pet in my life, and a cat is what it is for me in this stage of life. I don't know why, I would never have picked a cat, but everyday, Snoops puts a smile on my face and warms my heart. He also keeps the birds and mice at bay in the hen house!

What are the things in your life that you keep praying for and they seem to go unheard? Sometimes there are reasons for the silence. Sometimes we have unconfessed sin in our lives, sometimes we have wants and not needs, sometimes as painful as it is to admit, we couldn't handle it. God knows what is best and what we need when we need it. I still pray for a dog some day, but the wait is much easier since I have opened my heart to a stray cat who really needed a home.

A side note to this story, Patches just had another litter of kittens a few weeks ago. Last evening I saw her enter into the barn, so I followed. She led me right to her babies and even called them out of hiding for me to see. I have completely won her trust. I thanked God for creating animals. I thanked him that we can communicate with them. I thanked Him that Patches trusted me to show me her most treasured possession. I thanked Him that some days He does things just because He can. Just to make us smile. Do I still want a dog? Yes, however, I know in my heart now is not the time, so I will enjoy what He has decided is best for me. What about you? Are there things in your life that you need to be more thankful for? Are there answers to your prayers that you missed because they didn't come in the way you expected? Remember, I wanted a black dog and received a black/white cat. Spend some time this next week, thanking Him for always answering our prayers with what we need and not what we think is best.

Grow Where You Have Been Planted

While on a recent walk, I spotted many tiny plants growing among the rocks and unusual places. Some were right between tree roots, others were right against the tree bark. At first it seemed like such a waste of time and energy. How can anything grow in that tight space? But then what has started to happen more and more since I have chosen to write this blog, God took me to a deeper level. I am learning to hear His voice more and more. I desire the same for you. Once this starts to happen, you don't want it to ever end. You see, He has been talking all along, I have only recently started to "really" listen.

Okay, back to my plants. When the plants and trees release their seeds, there are thousands and they land in all different places. Some land in the perfect soil, with lots of sun light and underground springs. Some, land on the dry soil, but the wind keeps blowing them and they don't have a chance to even take root. Then there are a few that land in the creases of the tree roots or crevices of the rocks. They don't have a brain to reason, but they do have the means to start growing regardless of where they have been "planted". They don't need much to grow. Grow they do, some will even produce a flower. I had to take pictures to better show what I am describing.

How about us? Do we all have the perfect life to grow and thrive? Do we have perfect health and energy to do all we want?Or are you busy with other things, so time with God, doing devotions, and reading scripture will need to wait for when you have more quality time or when the conditions are more perfect... What about your relationships with other people, do we spend time with our friends and invest in their lives or do we wait for better conditions. When work isn't so crazy and we have the perfect amount of time to do those things. Friends, that day will never come. You will never have enough money, time, space, etc. We always will look for something else. We need to start growing where we have been planted. God will take care of the details. Life goes by so quickly and before long, we realize it has been months since we really sat down and spent time with God. Really spent time in His Word, or with this Creation, whether it be the people He placed in our lives to help us, encourage us, or make life's journey a bit easier, or the nature He created for our enjoyment. If we wait until we think the condition is perfect, it will never happen.There is a saying, "bloom where you are planted". I have always liked that phrase. Don't compare yourself with what others have, do what you were purposed for, right where you are. However, today, the word I keep sensing from God is GROW. Am I growing? Am I any different in my spiritual understanding than I was a year ago? Am I growing in my faith and level of trust in Him? When we pray to God asking for various things, and I mean good things, not a wish list, but things like, courage, faith, healing, protection, discernment, etc. are we then trusting Him with it, or are we merely just asking and hoping? We need to trust Him in ALL things. Scripture tells us it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed. Have you ever seen a mustard seed? Just as these plants/weeds reminded me, they don't need much to start growing and for some even producing a bloom, to thrive. God also reminded me, He doesn't need me to be perfect or in a perfect place to start GROWING in my relationship with Him. He will provide the tools I need to grow. I don't want to just bloom, I want to be growing and making a difference. You may feel you don't have the time, your past life experiences may shame you, you may feel your small patch won't make a difference, but it will. If you trust Him, and ask Him to be your Lord, He will come upon you and even give you a gift. He will give you the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that makes up the Trinity. With the power of the Holy Spirit nothing is impossible, no matter what you think your circumstances are. Please start GROWING where you have been planted. Don't look where others have been planted, it doesn't matter. God knows why he gave you the "soil" He did. You may have wonderful soil (generations of your family have been Christians and you have their support), maybe you have rocky soil (you are a first generation Christian and feel very alone and at times, your family discourages you) or maybe you feel like the winds keep blowing and you never really get a chance to stop and settle into a time with God or His plan for you. You feel like he moves you place to place.  Your plan is not my plan nor your neighbors plan. It is your plan. Catered just for you, by the Master Gardener, who never makes mistakes. Who knows, before long you may be having roots so deep in Him, that nothing will shake you. The plants that grow against the tree, I am sure they don't feel the winds when they blow. God protects us, just as the tree protects the plants. However, we need to trust Him and be willing. Trusting Him, doesn't mean we get what we ask for or even want, it means we trust His way is best, no matter what that is.

Are you willing to grow where you have been planted? Remember it may not look perfect to you, but if you start trusting and trying you will be surprise a year from now, how much you have grown. 

In the Garden

Spring has sprung where I live. The earth is bursting with color and new life. After the dull colors of winter, we can hardly handle all the colors that are coming our way. The bright pinks, the beautiful golds, purple and blue flowers. Then the fragrance hits you and it smells so sweet. Even to my nose, that doesn't appreciate Spring as much as I wish it did. But allergies and all, I love Spring. It always reminds me of new life and a fresh start. Somethings are blooming for the first while others have been doing it for centuries. Some of the trees around here are very old. Yet, year after year, they push new buds and new leaves. There is another reason I enjoy Spring, however, and it is because I get to sit "in the Garden".

You see, there is small little path, that if you weren't looking you would miss it. It only blooms for a short time. Maybe two weeks at the most, if you are lucky. My grandmother showed it to me when I was little and I could find it still today, with my eyes shut. Lord willing, I will do the same for my grandchildren. I am going to share some pictures with you of my "Garden". You see, to me, it is my little piece of Eden. Now, the Eden mentioned in the bible was beyond compare, but for a few short weeks, every Spring, I pretend I am in the Garden. It happens this way. I am usually busy with flower beds, vegetable garden or mowing the grass and I will sense the Holy Spirit whisper, it is just about ready, will you come spend sometime with me? Wait another few days and it will be just perfect". Then when the weather is just right, warm and sunny, but not too hot, I will quietly slip away with my camera and loose all track of time. The entrance to my Garden is full of golden yellow flowers, they bloom first, and that reminds me of the "streets of gold".

Then I will see a few rocks and old tree stumps that are perfect for sitting. Then it happens, I find the right spot and a slow but gentle breeze will start. I feel as though my Savior has stopped whatever He was doing and is sitting right beside me. It is then I notice all the different wildflowers start to stand out. There are pink ones, and white ones and even a few yellow ones. I remember the way my Grandma pointed them out to me. I also remember, we didn't dig them out and move them or even really cut many, it was a place to see them the way they were meant to be.

 I remember her telling me how these were called bachelor's britches. Don't they look like a pair of pants hanging upside down?



I am reminded in Genesis 2:8 it tell us, "Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made". God planted my garden as well. I like to think just for me, but there are many in my family that have enjoyed it as well. Who knows, even my Grandma may have put some of those flowers there. The Garden of Eden was perfect. Sin had not yet entered.

But I noticed this year something I never noticed before. When I go each Spring it is perfect and beautiful, everything is at its best, but if I were to return a month later, it would look totally different. It would be full of burn hazel, thorns, thistles, and even poison ivy and poison oak. If I looked closely, I may even find a snake or two. A reminder of what happened when sin came into the world. I am given a brief glance of what God meant this world to look like, but because of mans choice I also see what it has become.

The next part I enjoy reading is Genesis 3:8 "When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden.". Now they had just sinned and they were hiding from him, but when I read, cool evening breeze blowing, I am reminded of the gentle breeze I feel when I am in my Garden. There is a stream that flows along the edge as well. Maybe that is why I feel a breeze, but I get to hear the soft trickling sound of the water as it passes over the rocks. The other part of that verse is, it mentions in the evening. Is that why I love sunsets so much. I feel so close to God when I see a sunset. As though, it reminds me, He has helped me through another day. It is such a peaceful way to end a busy day. Do we take time to see the sunsets He creates each day?  This year, I headed back to my Garden and while it is beautiful, it is not at the peek yet, so I will return again in a few days. It is so quiet and enjoyable, I loose all track of time. I do not keep track of time, I stay as long as I need. There is no other place on our farm that has this same patch of wildflowers, it is a special place. As I was leaving, I turned around one last time, I didn't want to say good-bye, I didn't want to leave my secret Garden and this is what He painted in the evening sky, not because He had to, He could have covered it with clouds, but He did this, because He could, and it was a reminder to me, I don't have to wait till Spring to meet with Him, but that the evening was special to Him as well.

I know that one day, He will call me home and I will see gardens that will take an eternity to walk through. I know there will be no more weeds and thorny plants or snakes. It will be just the way God had planned it from day one. I look forward to that day. Some say, what will Heaven look like, will there be streets of actual gold, will there be towns, fields, animals, etc. I don't know the answer to those questions, but I do know this. I will not be disappointed with any of it. I will have complete fellowship with Christ forever. My small piece of Eden now, will seem like the size of a mustard seed, to Heaven. But for now, this is my little piece of Eden to feel so close to Him while I need to be here for awhile longer.

My hope is you know this type fellowship as well. You may not have a patch of wildflowers where you live, but you can have your own Garden experience. For you, it might be a certain park bench under a certain tree, or a chair on the beach, or maybe that perfect corner table in the local coffee shop. I want to encourage you, to find your own Garden and sit in it. You see the Garden was where man and woman had perfect relationship with God. He came and met with them. It doesn't have to be a land of paradise. He is waiting for you to come to Him in your Garden. He knows what thrills your heart and He is preparing that for you. He loves to spend time with you, however, you must do your part and show up. Sometimes I wonder how many times did he prepare a place for me to come and relax with Him, but I chose to try it on my own and waited till I was exhausted before coming. Relationship is key to Him. He wants us to know Him, so we can trust Him and live our lives for Him. We spend so much time getting to know people here on earth for relationships that come and go, yet how much time do we spend with the Creator who chooses us as we are, and wants to spend eternity with us! Please spend some quality time in your Garden, you will walk away renewed, refreshed, and strengthened.

Outside the Box

I recently got chicks to replace a few of my older hens, and this week it was time to open the side of the box so they can start to venture out and have much more space. They really aren't as cute as they were in the beginning, but you can see their new feathers are starting to come in. Since I buy them from a local farm store, they don't have the example of their mother to follow. They are on their own. They are dependent on me and the safety of the "box". From the day I bring them home, this is home to them. Everything they need is in the box. A warm heat lamp, plenty of water, food and soft wood shavings. Life is good. They look like they don't have a care in the world. They are safe and protected.

Then the day comes that I open the box, and they can see out for the first time and they have the choice to stay in the box or come out and experience life. They can stay in the box for awhile, but eventually, they will get too big and not fit. They will not be able to flap their wings or find bugs, grass and freedom actually. They don't like it at first, they chirp quite loudly and physically shake. They hate it. They huddle all together and refuse to move. Then a few brave ones, will go down the "BIG" ramp and venture out. Rarely do they do it by themselves, they need a buddy. Once out, they find they can fly a short distance, they can scratch in the straw and there is food and water waiting on the outside as well. They also can sit on a perch in the corner if they choose. They will do this more in the evenings once they get a bit bigger.

They also get to see for the first time, that cats have been sitting right outside the door just patiently waiting to catch one and have them for their next meal.

As I watched this all unfold the other day, I was reminded of how we can stay in the box God placed us in. We can live life on our own just as we always have. Same place, doing the same thing day after day.  Or, we can be like Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Noah, Joseph, Esther, the disciples or even His own Son! When they were called to move and go to places they didn't pick, but were sent, they went. Can you imagine the bible stories if we read instead, they were called to go, but refused. Things were "safer" where they were so they stayed? Jonah left, but in the wrong direction! God used the box of a whale to get him to go in the right direction. Lives were spared because of his eventual obedience. Joseph and Esther were forced to go where they went, but they chose to make the best of the situation they were placed in and still served God. They didn't hide in their new surroundings they ventured out and were used by God.  Can you imagine, if Christ leaned over the edge of Heaven and said, "you know, I don't think I want to go there. It looks different than here, the enemy will be watching my every move, I think I will stay here".

Now, I would never for a second say life with a chicken is anything like what these individuals did, but I realized life began for these indivduals, when they left the comforts of "the box". When they left their families or took their families to lands they never had been too. Lands, that had different foods, different people, and at times, different rules.

The box may seem safe, but really it will be the death of the chicks if they stay. Life begins when they leave the box. Our life really begins when we decide we can't live life on our own, but instead when we surrender to Christ and allow him to show us the way. He even gives us a helper, the Holy Spirit to help us on this journey.We are never alone. He has so much planned for us. All we have to do is step out of the normal day to day box and trust Him for what He has planned. It won't be easier outside the box, the enemy will be watching our every move and waiting for us to slip up. But Christ will be by our side and forgiveness can be given if asked. We also can call on Him and he will fight for us! Life is so much better outside the box, but when we are in it, we have no idea what we are missing. We have no idea what our life will be like, but we do know the Shepherd who leads the way. I have also noticed they are more inclinded to come out further and further, if they see me or hear my voice. Isn't that true in our relationship with our Creator? When we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit or read a passage from the scriptures or maybe it is seeing only something He could do for us, that gives us the renewed strength to face the day.


Please choose life outside the box. Your life will never be the same. Maybe you left your original box, but now you find you aren't living life outside it to the fullest. Ask Him to show you what He wants you to do next. He can open the sides of your box and show you the way to a much better way of life.