Rogis The Gardening Weblog

The charity, Garden Organic, Organisers of National Welly Week, are no doubt hoping for a wet week to help with their campaign! The serious reason for National Welly Week is to raise awareness of organic gardening.

It is hoped that individuals, families, friends, schools and business will join the campaign by organising fun events to help encourage people to move towards a healthy organic lifestyle. They actively encourage and inspire young people and schools to learn about the food they eat and how to start growing organically. This fun event not only promotes awareness but gives everyone the opportunity to get outside and be healthy.

It isn’t necessary to redesign your whole garden to become organic, simple steps like growing plants to attract beneficial insects to your garden may be a first step. Marigolds,Tagetes erecta, attract aphids which in turn attract the beneficial ladybird to your garden, controlling pests in a natural way. Oaktree Home and Garden stock ladybird towers which will attract the ladybirds, and delight the children.
Other products available from Oaktree Home and Garden include a Butterfly Home and Bumble Bee Nesting Box, both items invaluable for attracting beneficial insects into the garden.

A woman at work got a “tract” in a copy of “Diabetes for Dummies” she bought last night. Four of them in fact. She was happy to give one to me. (Fortunately she was trying to be nice, thinking I’d like it.)

It was ghastly. It looked like a $100 bill. On it was written “This is counterfeit but Jesus is the real thing” and “Jesus loves you.”

I tried to explaining it to my son today. I wanted to be generous in my explanation but I think he understood what I thought of it as I was told him about “people being afraid of actually living like Jesus in front of people so they hide behind pieces of paper that try to trick people into thinking about Jesus.”

I guess I didn’t hide my feelings on this one.

His comment said it all, “Dad, lying isn’t a good way to share Jesus…”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

And I fervently hope this foolishness ceases. I have a hard time thinking of Jesus saying, “They shall know you’re my disciples by your…tricks.”

Today has been a l-o-n-g day. Really long.

But my best friend (my wife) encouraged me to grab a beer and go out on the patio to read. So with a Smithwick’s and a copy of C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian, I came across this quote:

“Lucy went first, biting her lip and trying not to say all the things she thought of saying to Susan. But she forgot them when she fixed her eyes on Aslan.”

And I was undone.

I needed to be reminded of that.

I just love that the Vineyard Church of Lewiston starts every worship service by praying for a another local church. Thanking God for them and their faithfulness. Praying He’d bless them and prosper them.

It’s a great reminder that the Body of Christ is so much bigger than our little tribe.

It’s been my habit for the past few years to ask God to bless the church I’m driving by. That His Kingdom would pour out through them. That they’d come to know Him more and more.

But today, praying for a local church, I realized that it stopped there. I haven’t been exactly blessing in my conversations. It’s as though my prayers were really more along the lines of “bless them to be as cool as I think my tribe is.”

I’m not proud of that.

It’s especially humbling to realize that these other churches are still around; whereas my congregation has closed.

As of today, I want my “bless them” prayers to be more along the lines of “bless them to be what You want them to be.”

Even though I’m 36, I was really born 22 years ago yesterday.

It’s hard to word that. I wanted to say, “I became a Christian” or “I started my journey with Jesus.”

Words fall short.

I’d been reading the Bible and doing “Christian” things for years before August 17, 1986. In the early ’80s, my parents had led me in the “sinner’s prayer.” And at some other point, I’d responded to a call from a former Red Sox baseball player when he led a group in the “sinner’s prayer.”

But it took root on August 17, 1986 at a place called Camp Fairhaven.

I was full of Bible knowledge and strong opinions. But hearing a speaker tell of the intense, grueling experience of crucifixion, something in me broke. All I’d done up to that point was built on my own effort. My work. My learning.

But the cross was the boldest statement that all I had done wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

I remember sitting in that meeting and thinking, Jesus could’ve blurted out “I didn’t mean it!” or “Hey guys, I was just kidding!” at any point during the humiliation and incredible pain of the process.

But he didn’t.

So maybe he really meant all that he said. That he was the way, the truth, the light (ie. John 8). Maybe no one does come to the Father but by him (ie. John 6:44).

And I remember so clearing wondering if all the other teens in the room would think I were a freak for being moved by this. It just didn’t make sense. God became man? I’d be forgiven without having to earn it? God would be so restrictive as to have only one way? Come on. That’s just not right.

But, in the end, I realized I didn’t want to risk it. I decided to throw my lot in with Jesus. If it weren’t true, then I’d be no worse off at death. If it were true, then I’d have eternal life. So I timidly raised my hand and was led out back to pray.

Now, 22 years later, I know a couple things about that day. One, it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Two, that I don’t even get credit for making that decision; God had been pursuing me and my family even before I was born.

I still don’t have all the answers. And stuff Jesus said still makes me uncomfortable. I also know that this life with Jesus is more than a one-time “(born again” experience and more about becoming life-long students or “disciples.”

But with the freedom and growth I’ve experienced in the last couple decades, I’m more convinced than ever that this journey with Jesus is the way we were all created to live.

So Happy Birthday to me. And Soli Deo Gloria–to God alone be the glory!