A Geranium Analogy

A geranium knows Today I decided to move a geranium out of the direct sun because it was beginning to show signs of stress such as lightening of the leaves. The weather getting so much hotter--- I was about to move it to a partial sunny place but I realized it would look so much better if I would take away all the dead stems and dried up leaves first, so I began to pull away all this ugliness and the geranium began to look alive again. IT was the Same plant as it had been, just minus the yellowed and dead leaves and stems. So I was reminded of human life being the same way. If we were left on our own like I had been leaving the geranium, the brown dried up leaves of our lives would still be hanging on, until we were practically sufficated with it--no room for new growth--all you can see of your life would be the accumulation of the old--and the old was not going to do anything but hang on and keep you tired and weary---turning yellow under the heat. The other geranium I have isn't able to take care of this geranium ---it has its own baggage of brown leaves anyway. And you can't take care of yourself in this way--You aren't the master of your self--any more than the geranium is able to prune itself. Only the master of the geranium can do anything about it by removing the old growth. So do we need the master to remove the dead growth from us and bring us back to fresh newness---give us space to breathe and for new growth. Our friends and companions can't do it for us. Only the master of life can remove death and give us a fresh start. When we have all that dead stuff, it begins diseases that begin sucking the life out of us. Some branches were still alive yet they had to be removed because of this. I had to Cut those to remove them , but it was worth the pain in the long run--after the initial shock, the plant would begin to green up again and start new growth with Flowers budding.
So every time you remove the dead and diseased from a plant remember that the master of life, God Almighty, will do that for you when you make yourself available in the garden.
Let those who have ears, hear.

written by Janet Latham

Aphids in the garden

I have a small 10 x 20 foot garden in the back yard. It is enclosed with crossties and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching seeds sprout and plants begin to take on new life, seeking to bear fruit as best they can. As I stand on the crossties and bend over into my garden world, the Lord always has a new lesson for me. This time the garden world was being threatened by aphids. Tiny pinkish blue, sometimes green, bugs that would like to suck the life out of the plant----dotting along the stems and the back of the leaves. When I would see a leaf curling under, I could suspect that aphids were hiding underneath the leaf and the plant was stressed with the possibility of being overtaken. Just like I could tell about the tomato plants, God can tell with us, too, when we are threatened to be overtaken by sin. He knows and cares. Sometimes He does like I did to my plants. I stood there and plucked every single aphid off and squished them on my fingers--checking and turning over every leaf carefully and tenderly. We, His children, are cared for by His watchful, omnipresent eye. No "aphid" gets on us that He is not aware of----He has provided the strength for us to resist and overcome all obstacles. I marvel at the strength of these tomato plants day after day. The stalks are so wide and branches are so green and stout, bearing new foliage and yellow blooms which continue to be threatened by a pink dot here or there. In preparing the soil, I took longer than usual to insure that the roots could be deep and nourished----and that made all the difference in the strength of these plants to fight off the aphids effect on them. But when the aphids or stress does get too much for us to bear, the master gardener is right there, with tender hands--and maybe even bug spray--to help us, not only cope and survive, but to lift our heads to the skies in new hope and life.

The Master Artist, A purpose-pointed parable puzzle

Purpose-Pointed Parable Puzzles
The Master Art Teacher by Janet

Directions: Find 18 or more hidden messages as you read
Master! You are an amazing artist!...and your creation speaks for itself. Its beauty is taken forgranted ---your skill and craftsmanship are exquisite, and the patience you have shown---well, more love than I could even imagine. I can tell that you are serious about finishing it.
You certainly came up with some interesting subject matter, and filled a universe of canvas with its interest and beauty. It's just amazing, Lord! You created the very idea of art when you created nature, and with this you gave us our guidelines as artists---which makes you the very first art teacher. Every artist on earth has used your ideas: harmony, variety, rhythm , movement, texture, color, space, --just to name a few. This was how you filled your canvas with life.
However, not everyone using your ideas will give you the credit for it.
Master, some are claiming that you just threw all the paint on the canvas and got lucky at what came of it. But I know you could visualize the painting before you ever began. You even planned where you were going to paint ME into the picture, Master. Such an intricate work, O Lord!
I'm sorry so many of us have been messing it up, spilling things on it, and such. Some artists have even tried to paint over some of it and claim it as their own. I told them to stop and they got mad at me. How I wish they would learn to appreciate and enjoy your painting and acknowledge what you went through to plan it all out and paint it just for them. And thank you for what you had to endure in order to finish it.
The canvas had become a heap in the floor---people were walking on it, even spitting on it. I said "Stop! He's been through enough of your harassment." But they ignored me and kept right on ruining the beautiful picture that you had so carefully painted. When they shoved it over in the corner with the dirt and grime I thought surely you would say something. Then I watched you. You didn't look mad, just disapointed. I watched as you picked it up out of the dirt and gently smoothed it out. Then you did the most amazing, unexplainable thing---you began pouring paint all over it--and I felt really bad because it looked like you were messing it all up even more---maybe you were just going to throw it away and start over.
I watched as you turned your back and walked away, leaving it there in a pile of ruin. I just went home and cried. It had been such a beautiful painting!

One morning I woke up, desiring to see it one more time since it probably would be thrown away soon.

As I approached,what I saw made me stop and stare. Instead of seeing a blotted, dirty red canvas in the floor, it was hanging there in blazing beauty, all framed and stretched smooth----and the colors were even brighter than before! And I saw that all the cracks and wrinkles had been fixed and painted over. It was the most beautiful it had ever been , shining with new color and life.
That's when I knew I wanted this man to be my master art teacher. I wanted to learn from this artist, because he can take something so ugly and messed up and make it something good.

So--I'm still taking art lessons---and I have to go back to that beautiful painting from time to time ,and just look at it so I will never forget why he is the master artist.
And about all those people who were mean to him--would you believe he invited them to his house to come and see the painting?? And that some of them have actually begun taking art lessons from him. These same people were invited up to the very front where they could see the picture real close. I started to get a little jealous because I'd never gotten to the very front before, and I had been one of his students---until I saw them doing something that astonished me. Instead of just enjoying looking at the beautiful painting as they were invited to do, they had rags in their hands and were beginning to carefully work on it and clean it from dust and debris. Were these the same people who had been so mean to the master artist? Yes, it was them but they looked different. Being so close to the painting and the master artist, the light was shining on them and their faces were glowing---and the master smiled. I could tell he was pleased.

Oh, ..and the enemy rival--he pitched a fit and stormed off---Last I heard he had gone underground, probably trying to plan revenge. I think the rest of the others must be hanging out with him.

Well,--- I'm with the master artist today and he told me to tell you about it.

LET THOSE WHO HAVE EARS, HEAR
ANSWERS TO PUZZLE

Here are the meanings: Did you get the "puzzle" correct?

Master artist = JESUS

The Painting = life, love and creation by God

Artists painting over it--to take credit = Humanism

Throwing paint on canvas /get lucky = "the big bang" theory

dirty torn canvas = Christ dying for mankind --going to the cross/beatings and abuse suffered

dirty canvas wadded up in corner = sin ruins real life

art lessons = growth/discipleship

what the artist went through to plan it all out and paint it = God's master plan
for each one of our lives could only be completed by His suffering in our place
blazing brightness = our lives have real meaning, everything seems brighter; newness of life--not old rundown

Canvas stretched out and framed = made new and framed to keep it that way--promises of God are true--life here on earth has its boundaries--Purity of God

cracks and wrinkles in canvas = Human condition of death resulting from sin

filled the cracks = He was the substitute for our sin --death is defeated

smoothed = made our paths straight, comforted

Master artist walking away from canvas=when God turned his back on Jesus when he was on the cross

paint poured out= blood of Christ --He was poured as a " drink offering"

people deciding to take art lessons = saved/from sins/accepted Christ as savior

people invited to the front=God loves those who are great sinners just as much--They are seen cleaning because they realize the greater sin condition God brought them from and want to keep it clean --their closeness to the master is mandatory for obedience

light shining on people = the light and love of Christ will be reflected in those that are close to Him

Underground = Hell

A Geranium Analogy

A Geranium Knows

      Today I decided to move a geranium out of the direct sun because it was beginning to show signs of stress such as lightening of the leaves. The weather getting so much hotter--- I was about to move it to a partial sunny place but I realized it would look so much better if I would take away all the dead stems and dried up leaves first, so I began to pull away all this ugliness and the geranium began to look alive again.
     It was the Same plant as it had been, just minus the yellowed and dead leaves and stems. I began to think about human life being the same way. If we were left on our own as the geranium once was, the brown dried up leaves of our lives would still be hanging on, until we were practically sufficating-- no room for new growth--all you could see of your life would be the accumulation of the old--and the old was not going to do anything but hang on and keep you tired and weary---turning yellow under the heat. Unable to prune itself.
       The other geraniums weren't able to take care of it either ---those plants have their own baggage of brown leaves anyway.  It's the same way with us. We cannot spiritually prune ourselves. Only the master of the geranium can remove the old growth.  Yes, we need the Master to remove this dead growth. Our friends and companions can't do it for us. Only the master of life can remove death and give us a fresh start.
       When we have all that dead stuff, it begins diseases and decay that destroy life.  Some branches were still alive yet they had to be removed because of this. I had to Cut those to remove them, but it was worth the pain in the long run because after the initial shock, the plant would begin to green up again and start new growth with flowers budding. How beautiful!
      So every time you remove the dead and diseased from a plant remember that the master of life, God Almighty, will do that for you when you make yourself available in the garden.
Let those who have ears, hear.

Written by Janet Latham

Hurricane Dennis Parable-God reveals Himself through nature

      I had the perfect place to watch the storm. Hurricane Dennis was arriving with 50-60 mph wind gusts. God had already calmed him down and kept us safe and sound here in Alabama. We were expecting more wind and rain than what actually came, and were thankful. At 9 :30 pm until around 11pm we had a lot of strong gusts here where I am located in West Central Al.
      And yes, my front porch swing was the perfect place to experience this power---this power that my God could calm with just a whisper.

Hurricane Parable:  Strength from a Drought

       I've always loved the wind--loved trees and all the sights and sounds of nature--but the best thing was to get to feel it in a strong, yet peaceful way. This was what happened to me on the night of July 10, 2005.
     This was no ordinary event. For Alabama to be in an area expecting hurricane force winds wasn't your typical stormy Sunday evening. We had done everything we needed to do to prepare and now were just waiting, listening to James Spann, our weather forecaster.  Would our trees be able to hold on? Their parched arms waved excitedly in the anticipation of rain.
        Then I remembered my disappointment of not getting rain about a week ago when we so desperately needed it. It seemed that our community was left out of the rain showers each day and we were in a drought. "We need rain! " I would beg God. He was supposed to know what was best, and this drought was not best, I arrogantly exclaimed!
     But now the rains had come and the trees would be able to hold on. In the other areas of the state that had received abundant rain the week before, those areas had become over- saturated, and the trees were vulnerable to fall.
      Do we question the wisdom of God when things don't go the way we think they should? Our trees needed rain, why didn't God send it? I thought I knew best. As it turned out, it was best for our trees not to have had the ground so saturated. The rains of Hurricane Dennis came as a blessing to them, not an uprooting. Strength from a drought. Strength from a storm.

Written by Janet Latham