Yeshua, Our Passover Lamb

      This is a very good explanation of the meaning of Passover and how it relates to us as Christians.  Passover this year begins in the evening of Friday, April 6, and ends in the evening of Saturday, April 14.  Easter is celebrated on April 8th.

          Below is interesting info on how the date for Easter is determined.   
(See: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/determining-easter-date.html for more info.)

        According to the Bible, Jesus’ death and resurrection occurred around the time of the Jewish Passover, which starts on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan.  This varies by year since the Jewish year is a lunar year and thus differs from the Gregorian calendar.  This soon led to Christians celebrating Easter on different dates.  
       In 325CE the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox.  From that point forward, the Easter date depended on the ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox.  Easter is delayed by 1 week if the full moon is on Sunday.

She's back!

    Last year I wrote about a dove who built a nest on the brick ledge outside our bathroom window.  Well, she has done it again.  I'm afraid she didn't learn from last year's experience when she abandoned her nest because she was so startled every time we came into the bathroom. There is a guest bedroom above the bathroom which also has a brick ledge and wouldn't have had anyone bothering her, but for some reason she prefers this window.  I think it has something to do with the climbing hydrangea growing around the window.
       I only hope she will be brave with all the activity in the bathroom and stay long enough to hatch the eggs and care for the young.  What a wonderful "bird's eye view" the location affords us if she continues.

    Sorry about the glare on the window which makes it a little more difficult to see the nesting dove.   I am amazed she allows me to photograph her so close--especially since I have to pull the mini-blind away to get a good shot.  In the bottom photo you can see she has 2 eggs.

Here is some interesting info I found--and did not know--about the nesting process:
      "Both the female and male dove incubate the eggs and feed the nestlings. The female typically sits on the nest for long periods during the day and the male picks up the incubation duties at night. The switch between the two may be a quick one, giving the appearance that the same bird never leaves the nest. Male doves have iridescent feathers on their necks, so by looking carefully you might actually see that both sexes are involved with incubation.

        Mourning doves begin nesting by early March and may continue through September, sometimes raising as many as 4 to 5 different broods of young in a year. Adult doves incubate their clutch, usually 2 eggs but sometimes 1 or 3, for about 14 days before they hatch. Then, the newly hatched nestlings take about 14 days to fledge (leave the nest). Adult doves feed their young a milky substance, called "crop milk", sloughed from the lining of their crops. The crop is the first part of the digestive system, after the lining of the mouth."  http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/wild/pdf/wildlife/morningdove_questions.pdf 

    I'm going to have to see if I can tell when they change nesting duties.

Excerpt from "Praying Down Fire and Rain" by Jim Wies

      This is an excerpt from an excellent article on our need (and privilege) to partner with God to see things happen in our lives and the world.  The list of prayer points for this election year included at the end of the article is also very helpful so I am posting it on the "Prayer Requests" page, too,  for easy reference.

     "...One of the profound mysteries of prayer is that God has limited His intervention into human affairs to a very amazing trigger –He waits for us to invite Him to do so.

Here we see Elijah [1 Kings 18:42-45] in what could only be described as labor and travail, or certainly, at least, fervent prayer, petitioning God to send the rain that He had already promised back in verse 1. One of the important lessons for us today is that when God purposes a thing, His method is to do it in co-laborship with us, His people, and that an important part in the co-laborship is the labor of prayer.

       The Lord recently spoke to me about an important key to Kingdom productivity. The key is in discovering that there are things God will not do without you, and you cannot do without Him. No better place is that demonstrated than in the arena of prayer.

       One of the great debates within the ranks of Christianity is the reconciliation of two seemingly contradictory principles of "the sovereignty of God" and "human responsibility." We certainly know God is ABLE to break in to our circumstances and come to our rescue as stated in Hebrews 7:25: "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." We also see from this that Jesus, after He rose from the dead, is sitting at the right hand of the Father, making continuous intercession for us.

        So, some might ask, "Why doesn't an all-powerful God just move on behalf of the problems of mankind? And certainly, if Jesus is interceding for us, why then do we even need to pray? Why do we need to do anything? On the other hand, do we have any responsibility to change things on earth?"

         The fact is that it is in prayer that we see the intersection of these two principles. In prayer, an almighty God depends on our human initiative to "loose" His will to be done. Thus He tells us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done." It is in prayer that we cooperate with His will, to release His power. That is what men like John Wesley discovered, who made the profound statement, "God will do nothing but in answer to prayer." That is why we are charged in God's Word: "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17); "In everything by prayer" (Philippians 4:6); "continuing instant in prayer" (Colossians 4:2); to "pray everywhere" (1 Timothy 2:8); "praying always" (Colossians 1:3).

         Prayer will accomplish what all manner of human striving could not. Prayer honors God. It acknowledges our dependence upon God and exhibits a vigorous faith in Him. Prayer acknowledges His being, exalts His power, adores His providence and secures His aid. Elijah's fervent prayer brought down fire and rain. Let us continue to be a people devoted to prayer, that we might be instrumental in seeing God's Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Prayer Directives For the Body of Christ:
Special Seven-Point Election Season Focus (USA)

(Although the USA contains only 6% of the world's population, we appeal to Christians everywhere to pray for our elections. The reality is that the entire world is affected one way or another by our leadership in the world.)

      But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them...Judges 3:9

If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

1. National: Pray that God's plans and purposes for our nation will be established during this election season. Pray that we will be a nation which follows God and is a blessing to the nations of the earth. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD (Psalm 33:12). Pray that the righteous leaders, the ones of God's choosing, will be elected in every congressional race, every senate race, and to the office of the presidency. "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).

2. State and local: Pray that righteous leaders will be elected to every office at the state and local level. "When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan" (Proverbs 29:2).

3. Media: Grant a spirit of truthfulness in the elections, particularly on the part of all media. Grant a spirit of fairness and honesty in the reports created by all members of the media, and give discernment and wisdom to citizens as they seek information from the media. "Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight"(Proverbs 12:22).

4. Voters: Pray that each citizen will be convicted to vote for the leaders who stand for righteousness, integrity and morality. Pray that God's Spirit will overshadow each one as they make their decisions. Guide all those who will vote in this year's elections with a sense of discernment and sound judgment, and let that discernment in turn bring discerning leaders into office.

"And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear." —Isaiah 11:2-3

5. Election officials: Pray that every official involved in the election process will serve with honesty and integrity of heart."The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight" (Proverbs 11:1).

6. Those praying: Pray that God will energize and sustain His people to call out to Him day and night in extraordinary prayer during this season. "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication..." (Zechariah 12:10).

7. The Church: Pray that the Church will be fully awakened, engaged and empowered during this critical season, and understand the urgency and importance of this election and its implications for the advancement of God's purposes in our nation and around the world. Pray also that God will awaken His people to a commitment to justice, to the sanctity of marriage and the family, to the dignity of each individual human life, and to the truth that human rights begin when human lives begin, and not one moment later. "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matthew 5:14).

From "Praying Down Fire and Rain" by Jim Wies, posted on Elijah List, 3-26-12 http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=10850

Our First Morels This Year

       We picked these 25 morels yesterday and ate them for lunch.  Even though 25 sounds like a lot of mushrooms, most of them were about the size of the end of my little finger so there were only enough to cause us to want many more.  :o)
       I looked at my blog post last year on the first mushrooms.  We found them April 16.  See post here.  It is amazing how much earlier our season is this year!  Usually we find the big yellow ones near the end of April, so my sister, who lives in Arizona and loves to hunt mushrooms more than anyone I know, had planned her vacation to be here on April 22.  She wasn't able to come last April so she had been planning for months to be here at the right time this year.  She is now trying to re-arrange her schedule to come on April 8.   I'm not sure that will even be soon enough though.  This warm sunny weather is causing everything to bloom and mature early.

      As I walk through the woods looking for mushrooms I seem to be even more attracted to the wildflowers.  There are so many in bloom right now.  I love these beautiful white flowers of the bloodroot, don't you?

Very True--and Convicting!

Becoming a Fragrance of Christ to God

Francis Frangipane

Jesus warned about our days, saying, "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold" (Matt. 24:10). The Lord's warning was not just about conditions in the world; He is speaking to His disciples. He warned about conditions in the church.

Today, the church is overstocked with Christians whose love has grown cold. As a result, rancor fills our conversations. We have become a sub-culture that is mad that the world has not become Christian, while we are tolerant that we are not Christlike.

When you discuss things that are wrong, does rancor come forth or prayer? The word rancor came from Latin rancere, which meant, "to stink." (See rancid). This is exactly what we exude heavenward when all we do is find fault and criticize. The smell of our rancor ascends into the awareness of God. These things ought not to be.

On the other hand, intercessory prayer is a sweet aroma to God. Again, when we pass through trials and determine to emerge more like Jesus, our very lives become "a fragrance of Christ to God" (2 Cor. 2:15). Amazing! in spite of our flaws and weaknesses, while we are living in this harsh world, we can actually become like Christ. Indeed, may this be the passion of all who trust God's Son: to become a fragrance of Christ to God.

Digging the pond/Building the dam

       We are having a new pond dug in one of our pastures.  A few years ago Country Guy turned our horses out in this pasture and one of them cut his leg badly.  We assumed there was old metal buried in the ravine that runs through the pasture so have been hesitant to use the pasture for fear of it happening again.  The best solution seemed to be to have the ravine dug out, dammed up, and turned into a pond.

         This is what the process looked like last week as I drove over to take pictures.  (I wish I had thought to take pictures before the digging was begun.)

Yesterday they were putting the finishing touches on the dam.

Today we are ready for rain.  I wonder how long it will take to fill up?

     I can see having large picnics and cookouts here since there is lots of parking around the machine shed.   It has electricity and water and could be emptied of machinery to provide shelter in case of rain so I'm hoping the pond will be full this summer so I can plan the first celebration.

For My Own Information

        I have identified the wildflower in my earlier post today.  It is called Spring Beauty (Claytomia virginica).  Our lawn and much of the surrounding woods is covered with this beautiful little plant!

What a glorious morning!

      I have been trying to finish raking the leaves from my flower beds this morning because a storm is forecast to arrive this afternoon.  I wanted to get the leaves burned before they get wet and soggy.  It is such a big job which I have been working on all week!   I think I have burned almost 25 Mule loads of leaves--just from the flower beds!  And I didn't even pick those up on the north side but instead raked them over the cliff and back into the woods.  Otherwise I would have had several more loads to burn.  Many years ago I discovered that it is easier and quicker to pick the leaves up if I rake them onto a 6'x8' tarp.  This helps to be able to pick up lots more at one time.  The Mule will hold 3 tarps full of leaves so that gives you a pretty good idea of how many leaves blow into my gardens during the winter.  UGH!      

      This is probably my least favorite job connected with living in the woods but there are some major benefits, too, such as being outdoors on this beautiful morning!  The redbuds are in full bloom.  I just had to share some pictures with you.  Every direction I look from our house I see redbuds blooming.  The woods' floor is also in bloom with a carpet of wildflowers as is evident in the next to the last picture.  I included the last picture so you could see a close up of the tiny flowers.  Anyone know the name of this plant?  I must look it up one of these days.

If I Were the Devil: Paul Harvey (Warning for a Nation)

      A friend sent this to me yesterday.  I am impressed that Paul Harvey recognized this in 1965--47 years ago!  It is exactly what has happened.  I see only one solution--to repent and return to the Lord whose intention in founding this great country was for it to be a light and hope for the world.  Instead it has  become an example of Sodom and Gomorrah.  We know what happened to them!  (For a full report, see Genesis 18 & 19.)

Mike McGroarty's Advice on Reducing Frost Damage

     I sometimes look at Mike McGroarty's website: http://www.mikesbackyardnursery.com  It is somewhat of an infomercial, but he also gives good tips and advice.  He had an interesting article on how to protect plants that have leafed out too early from late frosts and freezes which I am afraid I may need to do this year because of our unseasonably hot weather.  This is something I didn't know:

"When plants get covered with a coating of frost you can actually take a garden hose and rinse the frost off the plants and this actually helps.  Often times with frost the damage occurs when the sun comes up and hits the frost covered leaves or blooms.  The frost itself doesn’t do the actual damage.  It’s the sun shining through the frost that burns the plants.   But you have to start this rinsing process before the sun comes up.  You have to do it before the sun comes up."

     Click here to read the whole article.

Another of Francis Frangipane's Wise Words

        "Our success in life is determined by one primary objective: how functionally transformed into Christ's likeness have we become? This reality - man created in the image of Christ - is the core purpose of our existence (Gen. 1; Rom. 8:29; etc). In my opinion, the Lord does not need to examine every individual thing we have ever done, good or evil. All things are already "open and laid bare" before Him (Heb. 4:13). What He will probe is the cumulative effect of our life's choices; He will measure how Christlike we have become.
        If He sees that we were forgiving even when wounded; if He sees in us a heart that holds fast its faith even in times of adversity; if He finds us to be truly repentant and genuinely humble, even when we could boast; and if He sees we are committed to a life of love, we will have fulfilled the purpose of God. We will receive a great reward.
        If, however, the Lord sees in us a soul easily offended or that we blame others for our joyless, angry attitude; if He scans our inner man and finds we are self-righteous and judgmental; or if our conscience alternately either accuses or defends ourselves, then we will render an account for our life at the judgement seat of Christ (Rom. 1:29, 2:5; 2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27).
       Thus, it is of the utmost importance that we settle the eternal goal for our lives. Are we seizing life's opportunities to appropriate Christ or are we mostly coasting? Let us say with vision and assurance, I am preparing myself for God!"
                 Excerpt from Francis Frangipane's email newsletter entitled "A Life Prepared For God"

A Great Idea!

     A few months ago I saw this great idea I wanted to pass on to you in case you didn't already know. It is so simple and obvious that once you hear it you will say, "Why didn't I think of that?"
     During a power outage, bring in a solar garden light for each room you will be using.  They are bright enough to illume the room so you can see to walk and therefore eliminate the need for flashlights and batteries.  Return the lights to the garden to re-charge for the next outage.
    ( I have heard solar lights need their batteries changed about once a year so it would be a good idea to keep a few extra batteries on hand for extended use of the lights.)

Daffodil Pictures

Here are the photos I promised but they really don't do the beauty of the daffodils justice.  The first two pictures are of the patch in the field and woods where I have dug them for transplant.  The rest are areas of our yard and lane where I have transplanted them.  I planted about 25 more bunches today.

Amazing weather for March!

    We are having amazing weather for March!  Yesterday was 78 degrees!  The temp has been in the 70's for several days and is forecast to continue.
     I worked outside most of the day yesterday raking leaves from the front flower beds. (I still have the side beds and the back to do.  UGH!)  I can't believe how many Mule loads I carried to the burn pile!  I was so tired--and sore and stiff after all that work that I could hardly wait to get to bed last night!
     Today I'm planning to pick up sticks and then transplant a few more daffodils from the patch we found in a field on our property.  Every year I transplant a few more so that I already have a significant number growing on the sides of the lane and in the back yard, but I figure you can't have too many.  Since they are free and growing where no one can enjoy them why not continue adding them to my gardens every year.  Those I have transplanted over the years are in full bloom right now and looking beautiful.
    Maybe I'll add a few pictures later today once I get outside to get some photographs, so check back later if you're like me and like to have visuals.
   

2012 Indiana Flower and Patio Show

      I can't believe a year has passed since I wrote about our trip to the Indiana Flower and Patio Show in Indianapolis, but it has and we went again this year.  It was beautiful as always.  I highly recommend a day spent here if you live anywhere near Indianapolis.  We live over 100 miles from the show but it is well worth the trip to see it.
      I believe there were 40 plus garden displays plus hundreds of booths selling everything from paving, to bulbs, to the World's Best Glue--which I bought last year--it lasts up to 5 years in the refrigerator and really is the best I've found.  Of course, I always treat myself to a few chocolate covered peanuts while I'm there, and bring home a bag of kettle corn for Country Guy.
      Here are a few pictures from this year's show:

    What a fun day and a great motivator to start on spring gardens when returning home!  I'm heading out to clean up last year's leaves, etc. as soon as I post this.  Want to help?