Blessings and Cursing Out of the Same Mouth

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Palm Sunday has always touched my heart.  The visual of praising Jesus as the King of Kings from our mouths and then to yell "crucify Him" from the same mouths less than one week later just puts me on my face before an awesome God.  Whenever I might lift my "spiritual pride" up before those around me, I am humbled by the  memory of the events that occurred on the week that led to the cross.  I am the same sinner that can cry out, "Praise be to the King of Kings" and quickly also stand with the taunt of "Crucify Him."

He paid the price on the cross for my sins.  My past, present and future sins....they were nailed to the cross on the same week that He was brought into the city with chants of  "Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord."

"And those who went before, and those who followed after, were crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!"
Mark 11;9-10


 And answering again, Pilate was saying to them, "Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"  And they shouted back, "Crucify Him!"  Mark 15:12-13


This week I focus on the unmerited gift that was given to me at the price of His blood on the cross and I lift up my voice with Hosanna!

Two Gardeners

Two women sat down to have a chat as one glanced over to admire the orchids so beautifully blooming on the specially built shelves in the host home.  Above the orchids were specific lights bought to encourage the growth of these delicate beauties.  The avid gardener began to explain to the amateur gardener the effort it took to encourage an orchid to bloom.  Without once saying, "you can't grow them, don't even try!"... the amateur gardener received the warning into her heart.

Each time the amateur gardener would see orchids, she would become intimidated by their growth and curious how anyone could take all that time and effort for one plant.  Her schedule was way too busy to even suggest such folly with her time, she must wait until a calmer season of life, if ever to try to grow an orchid.

However, the amateur gardener's husband never heard the implied, unspoken words that his wife received many decades earlier, so he joyfully recovered the discarded plant from the trash to bring home to his wife.  In his eyes, his wife would enjoy the plant.  As he cheerfully brought the plant in, waiting for expressions of excitement, he was surprised to receive the opposite.  "Oh, an orchid!  I can't grow those! That is why they tossed it after it bloomed. Those are for experienced gardeners, and I am not one."

He looked up puzzled and said, "well, it was for free and you could try..." as he set it on the table.  The amateur gardener read the instructions and with fear and trepidation decided to give it a try, even if she believed it was a waste of time.

Two ice cubes for watering...that was easy, but she wasn't going to do more.  She was sure it would cost money, so she would surely watch it wilt and die.  She didn't have the fancy light or the fancy soil...or any of the special equipment her master gardener friend had possessed to bring forth the delicate flowers.

The plant got knocked off the table leaving scars on it's leaves and special dirt fell all over the floor. In spite of the harsh conditions, it continued to survive.

To the amateur's astonishment it even began to have buds!  Then the buds began to open to reveal the beauty of a stem of orchids.
No special light...just the sun from the door.
No special treatment ...just ice cubes every few days!

The true Master Gardener brings forth His beauty in His own way...through scarred leaves and amateur hands.  He works His wonders.  The blooms are a reminder that I too, am in the Master's hands....His will not mine, as He takes His scarred hands and completes the work He has begun.

What words (intended or not) have you believed which have caused you NOT to try something?  For me, the orchid is a reminder of how I allowed a seed to be planted...though unintended by the sower...I was almost robbed of seeing the beauty of my own orchid plant.  It also reminds me that God is the Master Gardener and He brings forth the beautiful blessings of the blossoms.

It Came with a Storm!

Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum....I just heard the words ring repeatedly as the lighting and thunder shook our house with the footprints still echoing as the storm passed over our city.  Behind the giant's foot-printed storm, our drought-parched lakes filled and we entered a wet spring break.

We didn't complain while we stepped outside at any sign of sun...making lemonaid out of lemons....

• Benjamin had his first ever sleep-over... We went to see "Lorax" and we had indoor S'mores!

• Daughter and I went the next rainy night to see a chick-flick - The Vow

• Indoor projects were finished - yes, the dreaded "clean out the garage" - I installed 2x4's and peg boards to get things in order
• I installed a much needed ceiling fan in Benjamin's room - electrical help via phone from older son and later. teen-age son helped when my arms collapsed....and yes, there was a shocking event, but I will save that for another day, live and learn!
• Painted the upstairs hall, part of Benjamin's room and a wall in game room - boring, but oh how much cleaner those dirty walls look with new paint...well worth the work

•  Glimpses of sunlight gave me a  chance to put a bird bath together - the painted pots were from my husband's 40th Birthday party, now 18 years ago...time to re-purpose, and I did! I also put in my daisy seeds from Leslie at Farm Fresh Fun, around the bird bath/feeder.  I made an herb tree with the remaining pots... re-purposed!

Just as the sun began to really shows it's wonderful light, we all got hit with a vicious virus that put us all to bed for several days.

• Teen son recovered enough to go out on a boat to an island on the lake...now an island because of the rain...with the Men of Elysium...and saw the world premier of Hunger Games at midnight
• Benjamin competed in his first Awana Grand Prix Race...Sissy took him since Mother hadn't recovered from the "bug".  He won 3rd place out of all the Sparkies. Serious winner here!

I enjoyed the spring breeze through my sunlit windows, while recovering in the comfort of my lounge chair, knowing this too shall pass and we will be off running the regular schedules tomorrow.  Older son has state tests and baseball games, while Benjamin has a cook-out at school in celebration of Texas History month.  There truly is a season for everything.

In celebration of Texas History month...here are the Bluebonnets we found and information on our State Flower.

The five state flowers of Texas are:

1. Lupinus subcarnosus, the original champion and still co-holder of the title, grows naturally in deep sandy loams from Leon County southwest to LaSalle County and down to the northern part of Hidalgo County in the Valley. It is often referred to as the sandy land bluebonnet. The plant's leaflets are blunt, sometimes notched with silky undersides. This species, which reaches peak bloom in late March, is not easy to maintain in clay soils.
2. Lupinus texensis, the favorite of tourists and artists, provides the blue spring carpet of Central Texas. It is widely known as THE Texas bluebonnet. It has pointed leaflets, the flowering stalk is tipped with white (like a bunny's tail) and hits its peak bloom in late March and early April. It is the easiest of all the species to grow.
3. Lupinus Havardii, also known as the Big Bend or Chisos Bluebonnet, is the most majestic of the Texas bluebonnet tribe with flowering spikes up to three feet. It is found on the flats of the Big Bend country in early spring, usually has seven leaflets and is difficult to cultivate outside its natural habitat.
4. Lupinus concinnus is an inconspicuous little lupine, from 2 to 7 inches, with flowers which combine elements of white, rosy purple and lavender. Commonly known as the annual lupine, it is found sparingly in the Trans-Pecos region, blooming in early spring.
5. Lupinus plattensis sneaks down from the north into the Texas Panhandle's sandy dunes. It is the only perennial species in the state and grows to about two feet tall. It normally blooms in mid to late spring and is also known as the dune bluebonnet, the plains bluebonnet and the Nebraska Lupine.

information via google search

Happy Spring!  May you stay well!