Dogging God and Mushrooming thoughts

March 24, 2009 by Debbie.

Gina’s newest sig lines  - “A loving person lives in a loving world.  A hostile person lives in a hostile world.  Everyone you meet is your mirror.”  Ken Keyes, Jr.

“All things are possible until they are proved impossible - even the impossible may only be so, as of now.”  Pearl S. Buck

The new mushroom bed is producing wonderfully. I cut 10 very large mushrooms to freeze this morning. Oh me of little faith bought some while at the store the other day thinking these wouldn’t mature for awhile yet. I hadn’t counted on almost 80 degree warmth to sprout them up so fast. I was too lazy to take a picture of them so use your imagination.

Same with the worm bed. I did add the worms (picture is still on the disc … lazy me) and saw them actively eating some banana peel. I only have 10 worms so there’s not a whole lot going on yet. This week’s warmth might have called more to the ground surface and maybe I can dig some more soon.

I finished 3 books last week and found a new to me author Patricia Sprinkle who wrote The Remember Box. It’s fantastic. I also read a quilt novel and re-read Saturday Morning by Lauraine Snelling - a must read, re-read, re-readeth. As I can’t be bookless and felt drawn to The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers and re-read that, finishing it last night. I had planned to do a book review after finishing The Shack and re-reading The Victory Club (Robin Lee Hatcher) two weeks ago but words fail me. All I can say is check them out of the library and start reading. Now I’m hungrily scanning my book shelves again.

I have a friend who regularly asks me, “How can you read all those books so fast?” I’m answerless. I want to reply, “How can I NOT?” Each one has something that cultivates my heart soil.

A new to gardening friend recently reminded me of the importance of the soil quality and condition if you want a fruitful harvest and a successful venture. Thanks, Faith!

Speaking of heart soil, remember the parable of the sower? Jesus said the soil represented the heart. Keeping that in mind I’ve been chewing on Isaiah 61:11, “For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations.” The NIV says it this way, “For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”

How backwards I’ve had it before. I often prayed for God’s Word (seed) to come into my heart and life and make me fruitful for Him. Instead it’s my heart soil that causes God’s seed to grow and produce. In that way we are still gardeners like Adam - we cultivate our own and each others heart soils so that soil can cause God’s Word to sprout in our heart and lives. It sure brought me up short on how I treat other people. Would the words I say to them cause their heart soil to be friable, soft and accepting of the Seed? Or would my actions cause hardness, compact heart soil where nothing can produce? Would I rain down the love of God to water and nourish their heart soil ?

I am wrongly frustrated with my dogs some days. When my dogs decide they want our attention they LET US KNOW. Pudge loves to pray with John in the mornings. He climbs up on to John’s lap with his two long front legs and leans until he’s perpendicularly belly up. All the better to scratch his belly, you know. Heide has never read (she needs glasses, but just to eat or read) the scripture “Knock and the door will be opened” but she KNOWS how to knock. When we don’t come on the first scratch, she’ll get up on her hind legs and thrust all of her near 100# weight onto the door, scratching with her front paws. We drop every thing and OPEN that door; it’s easier and cheaper than replacing it. When Bud’s ready to eat he comes to find me. Doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night (woooooooooooooof!) or while doing emails early in the morning (his nose can flip my arm/hand high in the air from a keyboard faster than I can think to guard against it, time and time again. You’d think I’d learn!). Then in the afternoon, about 3:00, he comes again to find me. It’s TIME to go on the porch swing and eat whole wheat crackers and cheese. Life has to come to an abrupt stop regardless of what I’m  doing. And this isn’t just a gobble down the crackers and get back to my agenda. No, it’s Bud laying on the porch swing with me while he daintily (hahahha) eats his crackers one at a time interspersed with bites of cheese. Pudge and Heide stand beside the swing, only one swinger in the family, I guess. After eating his snack it’s HIS time with me. I scratch his ears, rub his belly and gently massage his whole body, checking for any hurts, bumps or lumps. I know better than to get up before he’s done. After this personal attention he just lays there with me; me reading or doing piece work while he watches the horses a field over. When he’d done and gets off the porch swing I’m excused to go back to my life and my own agenda. Every time impatience tries to overtake me I remember Bud is 15 years old - old for a Lab - and my time with him here on earth is limited. What a privilege to take an hour out of my day to spend with him. I thank God for bringing him in my life.

And I wonder do I dog God the way my dogs dog me?

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