A Thought About Biblical Contradictions

 this morning 4 degrees Celsius (brr) and quite breezy

From time to time I will read a post about Biblical contradictions, sometimes from the atheist's view and sometimes explanations of seeming contradictions from a Christian perspective.

Today is a gloriously sunny day, much like last Easter (resurrection) Sunday was, except the day before yesterday it was warm and sunny and today it is quite chilly. It had me thinking about the seeming contradiction in it. One person describing today might talk about the beautiful sunshine, birds singing, etc, and another might describe it as very bone chilling cold, the need for extra warm clothing, etc....and on the surface at a quick glance the descriptions might seem to be opposing and contradictory, and yet they are not, the two depictions actually give added information and support each other in describing the real facts of the matter.

So next time you see a seeming contradiction in the Bible, look a little deeper, and you may find that little nugget of something special, that breathes a fresh and new life into the narrative.

Mine is admittedly an oversimplification of this topic. To get an indepth study into Biblical (perceived) contradictions, please visit this website:
 http://www.debate.org.uk/debate-topics/apologetic/contrads/

How Does My Garden Grow...

The weather is beginning to warm up....but the wind has been terrible!!!

Yesterday I repotted a couple of plants...

 

 this picture was taken May 2015

I got this peace plant last year....yesterday I divided it into two plants, it was getting extremely root bound, I should have taken pictures of the befores and during separation, I'll do that next time :)

 

 here is #1

 and #2, I put this one into the original pot

I learned this week

that when the peace lily's flowers are green

it is getting too much fertilizer,

the last 3 flowers have been green...

but there's hope

this new bud is looking the normal white color

I've been planting seeds, and putting them outside in the sun as the weather permits, getting them acclimated to being outside. Soon it will be time to plant my seedlings and cuttings outside! I can hardly wait!

This reminds me of the joy the new things the Lord has planned for us will bring. He is preparing a place for us!

Blogging vs. Time

We've been incredibly busy lately so I haven't had much time for blogging...  The past week or so I've been digging around the yard doing gardening.

As you can see I still have a lot of work to do...

Not a whole lot is in bloom right now, the tulips just finished, and I started annuals from seeds, and sadly they still are only about 2 inches tall, and also started a vegetable garden, which isn't showing anything yet, I'd show you in pictures, but it's kinda depressing...

Working out in the yard with plants and dirt always brings to mind Jesus parable about the sower and the four soils:

Luke 8:4-15 (KJV)

 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:

 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold.

And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Now the parable is this:

The seed is the word of God.

Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.


When I was a child in the SDA church I remember a sermon preached on the four soils, and I remember sending a hope to heaven that I was "good soil". I'm thankful for this parable because it opened my eyes to the truth, and how easily it could be snatched away from me by an evil enemy of my soul, and instilled in me the notion that I had to be tenacious and stubborn...thankfully those are traits I have (sometimes to other people's frustration) and are put to good use in my walk with Jesus :) 

Spring Things

Last weekend we were really busy. Because the weather is finally more springy we've been getting a bit of gardening done. Weekend before last we put in some perennials along the side of the house

There is a path at the front of our house which my hubby says he will extend to wrap around the side, linking the paths that are now at the front and the back of the house, and give a frame to our planted areas...but that won't happen until next year, so it'll look a little messy in the meantime. Our plants are doing so well that we decided to add color with some annuals we found on sale

The bright red flowers are New Zealand impatiens. I'm going to try to bring them into the house during the winter, as well as the geraniums and the begonias in these next planters:

I got these little starter plants at a really good price. By the time I got to the garden store the nicest plants had already found other homes. There wasn't much left to choose from, so I got an assortment of odds and ends of what was left. They were a bit beat up, and only one or two six-paks of each kind to choose from, so I have a bit of a hodge-podge. This is how it looks from the street:

We just did it this way for a quick temporary fix

Next year the planter boxes will be at the bottom of the picket fence, and it will be a more sturdy construction

We also got some plants that weren't on sale:

These cost a bit more but the effect was worth it (I think)...I wasn't so sure about the black petunias, but when we put it all together it worked out very well. Hubby said "I told you so" :)

The bright red flowers at the front and rear of the bicycle are the same type as in the previous picture of the front of the house; New Zealand impatiens. I had a couple left over so I put them in with our perennials. I also had a few of our bargain flowers left over, so I put them here:

Aren't the hastas beautiful!!??!!!

That's where our sidewalk ends for now, but it will wrap around the side...hopefully next year.

Now that I've gotten so much spring gardening and cleaning accomplished, maybe I'll be able to spend a little more time blogging.

 .

Another Chance at Spring...

Today is such a huge contrast from what we had yesterday. The sun is shining, and much of what had a thick blanket of snow on it is now mostly green (ok, and also brown) again. It is approximately +8 C (+39F) and large droplets are falling from the roof from the melting snow.

So I decided to go for a little walk, taking another direction from where I walked a few days ago.

taking a few snapshots along the way...

just a few patches of snow here and there...

and just enough green to give me hope...

that spring really is just around the bend.

There are still bits of snow hanging onto our house...

you can still see some on some of the window sills.

and also some on our porch...and

 ...hopefully soon

we can 

enjoy our outside seating again...

The Weatherman Was Right

Yep, it snowed last night, in fact it is STILL SNOWING!

this looks like January, NOT mid-April!

I was so hoping to enjoy our meals outside by now...

1Timothy 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Hello...Spring? Are You There?

Forecast for today is rain...and the weatherman shared that the temperature will go below freezing again, and anticipate more snow (!???!!!??) tonight.

My DH and I visited the eastern end of Ontario over the weekend. Here on the western side, the snow has pretty much disappeared, with a few lingering patches of snow that just refuse to go away.

The east side, on the other hand, still has huge piles of snow where the snowplows have pushed the snow off the roads from the last storm (2 weeks ago).

Just to give an idea, these piles are about 4-6 feet high!

We got back to the west end in the late afternoon yesterday. I stopped to take a few pictures of a river near home, pictures I've wanted to take of this area for a while now, but always in too much of a rush. 

Yesterday it was very windy here, so windy I thought the wind would knock my phone out of my hand while trying to take these pictures

I love the muted browns in these pictures, they remind me of oil paintings from the times of the "Dutch masters" and I hope to paint these some day.

The quiet and somber mood of these river images are reflective of my melancholy mood this morning...it's very windy and drizzly outside right now. I need to be out doing some errands, however the cold wind outside makes me want to stay indoors, in the safe shelter of home.

I'm still waiting for spring...will it ever come to me this year?

Winter in March....

I was so glad/relieved when February ended because now it is March which means warmer weather with trees budding and tulips beginning to push out of the ground, and PERHAPS another snowstorm or two which would melt away in a day or two....well, not exactly....

Day before yesterday we had a blizzard, A BLIZZARD I TELL YA!...and this is what it looked like yesterday:

view from our diningroom window

yes, those are huge icicles, sigh

another view of the icicles

I think it is time for spring to start springing. Yesterday I had to leave the house (completely against my desire to stay in and just enjoy the picturesque views from my windows). I had to push a foot of snow off our van, and then travel over roads that were caked with icy patches, while people tailgated impatiently behind me. They can slow down a little bit and arrive safely to their destinations as well...and so did I. I took my time, got the errands taken care of, and got back to the safety of my home sweet home. It was nice to get out (I was developing a bit of cabin fever), but it was really nice to get home and back inside (yes I am a self-confessed homebody).

I hope all this snow and cold weather ends soon. Usually March has a light dusting of snow left over.

this (taken moments ago) shows there are heaps of snow

some heaps are as high as the surrounding homes...sigh

Oh well, when spring finally does come, it will be very much enjoyed indeed! Each season brings it's own particular beauty and blessings. This one is trying to teach me the virtue of patience... and of course contentment with all the blessings that I do have.

Spring!

My car thermometer said it was 72 degrees on my way to work!  No more snow (I think!) until at least November...

Spring cleaning! I've already cleaned and vacuumed the car. I need to take some stuff from the extra (junky) room, to storage...and some stuff from storage to either the Salvation Army store, or to the trash...and I need to reorganize my kitchen cupboards....and I need to clean my windows and balcony!

There's also the spiritual spring cleaning. That is through the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 51:10 the Psalmist says: "Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit in me!"

AMEN!

Snowing part two...

Well, sort of...it's really gorgeous out now. Spring has finally sprung here. I wanted to put up pictures of Winters last assault, but my computer was challenging all my efforts. But now I have a second chance to put up a few pictures...

The first two were taken by a friend that lives about a half hour north of me, and were taken about five weeks ago , and the last two were taken from my apartment last Monday:

It's hard to believe those last two pictures were taken only earlier this week! Today it is sunny and warm, and all signs of snow are gone! What a gorgeous day...and I've got to get ready for work, lol....

I Can't Believe It's Snowing!!!

It's almost May, and the robins have been out and about, and I thought we'd seen the last of snow, but I looked outside and there's about 3-4 inches of snow on my balcony, and it's still snowing...I'd post a picture, but I can't get the pictures to load onto my computer....what happened to spring???? Waaahhh!

It's Almost Spring...

Technically, it IS spring, it's just not acting like it yet. Spring means beautiful flowers, and gardening and planting. At one time I had a garden. The soil... well, you couldn't really call it soil, it was so full of clay that hardened that it was more like solid concrete. I tried planting a garden. I planted cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and zucchini. I did end up harvesting about a half dozen bell peppers about the size of cherry tomatoes, and the tomato caterpillars got all my tomatoes. I remember when I tried to dig the ground and clear the weeds thinking about how backwards creation is. I had to work very hard to coax plants that I  wanted to stay alive, but the ones I didn't want grew like...weeds. Sigh. It wasn't like that in the garden of Eden. I don't think there was such a thing as a weed there. Everything grew nicely (I imagine) not out of control and haywire all over the place. And the soil must've been perfect and lush and full of minerals. The garden did need tending, but I don't believe that is was as back-breaking to care for as a garden of today is.

Paraíso - Jan Bruegel

In the Bible, the first mentioned garden is the garden of Eden. And what is mentioned in Revelation about the new earth sounds like a garden of Eden restored. Are there other gardens mentioned between the first and the last?



There's this one:


Deu 11:9  And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Deu 11:10  For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
Deu 11:11  But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
Deu 11:12  A land which the LORD thy God careth for the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
Deu 11:13  And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deu 11:14  That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
Deu 11:15  And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.

and what about this account of Ahab and Jezebel?

The Song of Solomon mentions a garden of spices

and this promise of the Lord:

Isa 51:3  For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

and:

Jer 31:12  Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

and the Bible tells us that satan:

Eze 28:13  Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

and this incredible passage that speaks to Pharaoh of Egypt about the beauty (greater than any of the trees in Eden) and deadliness of pride and how someone that is caught in pride will come to a terrible end

and the coming destruction:

Joe 2:1  Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Joe 2:2  A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
Joe 2:3  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. (this is an amazing chapter to read see it here)

In this search, I discovered something about the garden of Gethsemane (which is what I've always heard it called, and what I've always referred to the place where Jesus prayed at the time He was arrested)...that isn't what the Bible calls it.

Mat 26:36  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

Mar 14:32  And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
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Can you tell that I want the spring flowers to be blooming again? Sigh...soon...soon and as beautiful as spring is here on earth it won't compare with the beauty that the Lord has planned for His children when we are with Him...