Enjoying Spring's Beauty at our Country Home

 As you can see, spring has certainly sprung around our place!  I thought you might like a peek at what's been blooming around here. :)

These daffodils were planted as a birthday present by my 18yr old last spring. They made their first appearance just in time for my 50th birthday this year. Perfect timing.

As you can see.. the fields were getting a bit overgrown due to the fact that we are gone all week. I filled my new wheelbarrow full of weeds from the flower beds. We finally got in a good week of work on the property during Spring break.

  
I discovered that our azaleas really took a hit over the winter. Some kind of fungus is giving me fits!  The blooms are still so lovely though.

 I consulted my gardening whiz friend, Laurie, and she said just to chop off all the damaged parts after the blooms are gone.  I gave them a good spray with an anti-fungal and am going to take her advice soon, to mulch the bushes with pine needles.  

 The family and I got a lot done in the fresh air and warm sunshine. It was nice to have Rebekah here to help with the yard work too. She loves getting a 'dose of country' after her long work weeks in downtown Houston.

 

 Tim taught me to ride the riding lawn mower. I discovered it's a lot more work than I thought!

 

 Is there anything prettier than dogwoods in the sunshine? They just seem to glow!

And how I love sitting on the deck for morning devotions with a nice cup of hot coffee or tea. I miss our place so much during the week...

and of course we always cook out when we get the chance. Though it sure seems odd grilling only three steaks. I'm still getting used to a smaller crowd at home. :)

 Hope you're having a lovely spring.. and up to your elbows in dirt, leaves, and blooms!

 Psalm 1:3  Those who love God.... shall be like a well tended tree planted by springs of flowing water. His leaves shall never droop and everything he does will be successful.

Why Sunday is Special...

Isaiah 58:13-14 (NIV)13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

God is very specific about what is supposed to happen on the Sabbath, yet there are so many distractions from worship. Lives are busy. It takes an ultimate act of trust and obedience to abandon all we do and kneel before our King, not just for one hour, but for an entire day, each week. Here is an awakening thought: have a restful day on Saturday so that you will be ready to worship with everything you have on Sunday! Impossible? Ridiculous? Legalistic? But it sounds like what God requires of us.

In the way that only God can do, He then tells of what He has in store for us in verse 14. All that we seek to achieve and fulfill by doing as we please will be replaced by God’s abundance when we keep our worship on Him. Rest, fulfillment, blessing and honor are a natural outflow of honoring the Sabbath, but we must relinquish our own pursuits to receive them.



This excerpt came from my research at Breathe / Arts in Worship on the Sabbath today. After a month of Lent.. and 'unplugging', I was anxious not to lose the sense of rest, perspective, and seemingly unlimited time that resulted.

I began to look into why we no longer observe the Sabbath when it was such a part of the fabric of society on a few decades ago. I begin to suspect the Sabbath might be the answer to the stress and busy-ness of our modern society.

What do you think?