Rooted and Grounded

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Ephesians 3:17-20 KJV

This past week, I was reading somewhere, if you cut off the core of Romaine lettuce, put it in water on the windowsill, in a few days it will begin to grow more leaves and roots. Really! I knew some root crops could be grown from tops, but I didn't know lettuce could be grown in water from a core. I thought I would give it a try. It seemed like a jump start on a salad garden. I didn't have Romaine, but I did have leaf  lettuce. I would throw the core away anyway. What did I have to loose? I kept adding water every few days when it evaporated.

In less than a week,  I saw little lettuce leaves begin to sprout from the middle of the core. Originally, I didn't have faith that this little core would do anything but rot. Now I saw hope. I'm trusting in a few days I will see roots on that lettuce core. 

Our lives can look a lot like lettuce cores, useless and rotting, but if we allow Jesus to give us the Water of Life, and place us in the Light of the Son, we can be rooted and grounded in Him.

Could your life use a the Water and the Light? Maybe you have a prodigal who needs to return to the Father. Bathing your life and the life of your loved ones in prayer will make a difference.

Blessings,

Gail

Hey Kids:

Have you ever tried to grow vegetables on your windowsill? Now is a good time to get started so you will have plants for your garden. 

In our area, sweet potatoes are a popular alternative to winter squash.

To make a garden full of sweet potatoes, take one or two potatoes.

Place tooth picks around the middle of the potato so they will hold the potato in a wide mouth pint canning jar.

Fill the jar with water almost to the toothpicks.

Hold the jar over the sink while you place the potato in the water. 

In a few weeks, sprouts will come from the top of the potato and roots will grow into the water. 

When the weather warms, pull each sprout loose from the potato and place it in rich garden soil or a hanging basket. 

This fall you will have some "good eating". 

If you want a salad garden try cutting the core from the bottom of several different kinds of leaf lettuces. 

Place them in cereal bowls of water. 

Put the bowls in a sunny window.

Be sure to check the water daily and add more when needed. 

In a few weeks, leaves will appear and so will the roots. 

You can place the lettuce plants in garden soil or pots near your kitchen for easy access to healthy salad lettuces. 

Sprinkle a few carrot and radish seeds around the lettuce to complement the salad.

Be Still

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10

The weatherman predicted record cold with moisture rising from the Gulf to meet the sinking arctic air. Snow was on every mind. Hurry to gather groceries, meet deadlines, check the woodpile and the flashlight batteries.

It started with the gathering of clouds and robins in the yard. The still, the quiet, the smell, it all said snow. Then a small twirling flake, and another, and another. Faster, thicker, the white fluff clung to points grass and elbows of trees. Close the schools and make the last mad rush for milk and bread only to find empty shelves and long lines. Hurry home through driving snow, black snow. The speed of the car and the thick falling of the snow created a darkness that was blinding. But snow was white, light. How then this darkness, this blindness?

The speed of life does not wait to contemplate the Light, though the Light gently swirls around us every day. If we look below, it softly falls around our walk. If we look above, it lights gently on our faces. If we look straight ahead, the Light is there in every nook and corner of our lives. At the speed of life, Light is not allowed to shine. It's like the fear of the unknown, the confusion of being told of beauty without the ability to see. It is only when we take the time to "Be Still" that we can know that He is God. He is here to light our way, shine down on us and direct our paths.

How easily we forget and allow hurry and deadlines, woodpiles and the ever ready battery that runs our lives to keep us in darkness. "Be still. Be still and know. Be still and know that I am God," He gently calls to us. May the blessing of the snow allow us the time to be still.

Blessings,

Gail

Hey Kids:

How can you see God this week? 

Look around your feet.

Look up. 

Look straight ahead.

How is God showing Himself to you?

Here's a hint to get you started: Those winter trees you see in the yard that look dead, watch how they change in the next few weeks. Watch them come to life as if resurrected from the dead. 

Got the idea? Jesus was dead but was resurrected to give us life. Salvation causes us to leave a dead life to be resurrected to a new life in Christ and one day the dead will be resurrected to live with Him forever in Heaven.

What other things do you see?