The Plumbline

I am kind of a 'silent' person at times. My BFF will query me just to be sure I am doing okay. Because I know she is concerned for not only my emotional well-being, but my total well-being, I appreciate these little 'check-ins' from time to time. She knows I can get deep into thought, ruminating over things that have been giving me concern from time to time. Sometimes I let her know all is well - I just needed to be still for a while - to regroup and renew a little. I think God knows we need these times of stillness to just regroup - spiritually, emotionally, and physically. They are times when we find ourselves emptied of what doesn't really matter and filled with what does! Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God, and also obedience. You hear the prayer in it all. (Psalm 65:1-2) The "prayer in it all" is the key because we come to understand God hears both our silence and our spoken word. We can never forget the third thing he "hears" - our...

A few years back, my son built me a raised garden area with a small deck space inside those beds. The area is very relaxing and is kept a little cooler by the large tree in my neighbor's yard that spans the fence line. Arizona sun is brutal on wood, though, leaving some of those deck boards split and peeling away in spite of my efforts to seal, reseal, and seal again. I bit the dust yesterday and pulled up all the old boards and laid down some composite. Now the wood beds look a little rough next to the newness of the deck! Yep, now I am considering how to refinish those beds! Not with new composite, but with a good couple coats of paint that will brighten up the area nicely. My garden boxes need a little attention to ensure they will continue to yield those bright red hibiscus blooms and the sweet bell peppers each season. There are just times when our 'garden' needs attention - because the garden is where life springs forth! Post this at all the intersections, dear frien...