March Vlog 2025

Mar 1

Happy Spring!

Good sunny morning. Welcome to my home. Today, I'm going to take you up to the part of the yard that I've never shown you before because, frankly, it was so ugly I didn't want to show it to anybody. This area surrounds the septic tank, one of the joys of country living. You get a septic tank, but there was nothing that would grow in this area except bamboo. If you know anything about bamboo, it's terribly hard to get rid of. So I covered this area with some fake grass and kind of smothered the bamboo.

I'm so excited now because I was praying about what to do with this area, and the Lord gave me some great ideas. First of all, I bought this lovely raised bed in which I'm going to grow some veggies and even some flowers. However, I still had another area that was just all rocks with some bamboo growing up, and I just didn't know what to do with it. Well, the Lord inspired me with an idea: I found these beautiful red chairs second-hand online which I put around our fire pit. I'm thrilled about our upcoming plans to gather around this pit.

I wanted to share a little bit today about what God has been speaking to me as we gather here around the fire pit. Yesterday was an amazing day for me; as I prepared for today, the Lord said to tell you what He taught me. In my preparation for church yesterday morning, I reflected on seeds and how they must fall into the ground and die before they can grow up and bear fruit.

Years ago, I told God that I wanted my life to be fruitful for Him. In Jesus' parable of the sower, He says when a seed falls into good soil it grows up and bears 30-, 60-, or even 100-fold more than what was sown. While I've told God that 30- or 60-fold is pretty good—my desire is truly for a hundredfold return—I want desperately to be good soil myself.

Yesterday during worship at church, God again reminded me that a seed must fall into the ground and die before bearing fruit. Thus far in my journey after Bob's passing--almost four years ago now—I have experienced tremendous growth but still needed freedom from grief's crusty shell surrounding my heart.

During worship yesterday morning while contemplating being like a seed planted in soil, readying myself as a living sacrifice—the quote came back to me: "Jesus bids me come and die." There’s an old song saying “Come and Dine,” emphasizing how Jesus fed multitudes during His ministry—yet He also calls us not only to partake but to surrender ourselves fully by taking up our cross and daily following Him.

As Pastor John Hammer announced his text during service—it turned out he read Romans 12:1-2 urging believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices—a holy act pleasing unto God! As we yield ourselves wholly, we will discern His perfect will unfolding within our lives!

After church yesterday when sharing insights gained from the service with my son Stevie and wife Jasmine, they reminded me how Dietrich Bonhoeffer penned, “He bids us come and die” within his book "The Cost Of Discipleship," written prior to his martyrdom at the hands of the Nazi regime, highlighting the importance behind dying-to-self and yielding fruitfulness through Christ!

Driving home post-service, a friend mentioned if Bob hadn’t passed away, I would not have gotten involved reaching others globally via The Widows Project ministry. Did God take Bob to Heaven so I could work with The Widows Project? I think not. Though difficult questions arise regarding timing surrounding loss, God indeed numbered each day of Bob’s life, and since then He’s brought healing and wholeness amidst heartache!

As planting begins soon, I picked special packets containing forget-me-nots (Bob’s favorite flower), to give to our children tomorrow, commemorating four years since his passing. We’ll never forget him; Bob truly enriched our lives over those forty-one years together, but embracing the present moment allows fresh opportunities to emerge through sacrificial love offered unto God!

As we surrender our lives wholeheartedly, trusting God’s purposes, we can be filled with the hope of abundant blessings awaiting discovery along the journey ahead!