We have been without photos for a few posts, so I thought I’d share one. Here are a few of my latest apples – destined to become yucky for sure. Very cost effective if you don’t mind using your time wastefully – which I clearly don’t. Pretty soon I’ll shake these off my branches and into the dirty dishwater, but not just yet!
Monthly Archive for September, 2009
When I was in junior high and a little bit of high school we lived in an old farmhouse that had grown into the middle of town. In the side yard, right outside my window were two old apple trees. And year after year they made apples. I clearly remember lying in bed at night and hearing the apples falling off the tree – not occasionally, but continually. They were just thumping on the ground all through the night. And these trees had been throwing apples on the ground every August for probably 90 years or so. It is something I love about fruit bearing trees and bushes – that God told them to make something, and they do it enthusiastically. They don’t care about what happens to the fruit. They do not measure their efforts, or fuss when no one appreciates it.
I know that many of the readers of this little blog have many heartaches and troubles, and what I write can only address a tiny bit of a tiny bit of the many disappointments and discouragements that Christian women can meet with in all stages of life.
But thankfully, God doesn’t rely on me or on my blog to satisfy the hearts of His people. If so, we would all be sunk! Nevertheless, I hope He can and will use me to encourage some of you who have heavy hearts about miscarriages, infertility, or the unmarried state. And how can I do that? By pointing you to the excellencies of Christ. You have a Savior and He is a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He, and only He, can enable the Christian to find hope and comfort, satisfaction and joy in Him and no where else. So I point you to Jesus. Continue reading ‘Dry Wells’
We probably all know married couples who are childless and wondering if they should a) keep waiting and praying; b) look into fertility treatments; or c) pursue adoption. Every situation is different, and so I am not in any way attempting here to make this seem like an easy choice. But if you are in this situation, here are a few general considerations.
First, there is nothing wrong with waiting and praying. I would simply add the warning here that too much focus on trying to conceive can cause pressure on the relationship, and that pressure can end up alienating husband and wife. It is possible to make one another feel inadequate, which just leads to more tension and frustration. So make sure your waiting and praying is not characterized by discontent or envy or self-pity. These are unfruitful attitudes and the thing you are wanting is fruitfulness. And if the waiting and praying is causing the marriage bed to become a joyless striving, then the desire to conceive has moved beyond its lawful place. If this describes you, then I urge you not to move on to adoption or medical help yet. You must solve the joyless problem first. Otherwise you will take it right along with you. A discontent childless woman who conceives will soon become a discontent mother.
I have known couples without children to look for other ways to be fruitful, and so they have used their gifts to glorify God and bless the church community. And I have seen God prosper and bless these couples with a good return on their efforts. So I suggest you start there. Continue reading ‘Fruitfulness’
Well . . . I could either duplicate the entire post here, or I could just send you over to the Amoretti blog to read about the great Cousin Candy Feast 09.
I’m afraid that my lazy side is uppermost at the moment, so I’m just giving you the link and letting you go to the extra work of clicking if you feel like reading about it!
A little Loveliness of Christ to close the day:
There are many heads lying in Christ’s bosom, but there is room for yours among the rest.
It is our heaven to lay many weights and burdens on Christ.
Lay all your loads and your weights by faith upon Christ. Ease yourself, and let Him bear all. He can, He does, He will bear you.
–Samuel Rutherford
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