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God’s Got a Garden! You Are It

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God’s Got a Garden! – You Are It!

By Kevin King, LHBC staff

http://lhbconline.com.

In the years Patti and I gardened here at Lake Hamilton Bible Camp. It was always about looking forward to harvest time. We wanted to be rewarded for all our labors.

We once grew tomato seeds under grow lights in February. Then later transplanted them into smaller pots outside. Occasionally we’d have to bring them in when early spring night temps dropped too low.

By middle of April it’s time to plant most every thing we like to plant. Still, there is lots of watering, endless weeding, organic fertilizing, mulching, and hoping for a fruitful harvest.

We would also buy flats of plants at the local nursery.

My favorite crop by seed was the 4″ long pickling cucumber to grow on several 50 foot fences using 4 foot fence wire. My wife Patti liked to cut those up in a bowl with butter milk poured over it at home, and for camp meetings. We also put them up in quart jars to share at other camp meetings too.

You can make about 50 tomato cages from one new roll of 4 foot wide extra heavy duty fence wire. Good for up to 16 ounce size fruits.

But don’t use it for those super giant tomatoes because you won’t be able to get them out of the cage squares. … That will learn me!

If you use lighter duty wire, make sure the fruits are just 6 ounce, or the cage might not handle the weight and fold up. Another learning experience.

Just count the squares for the size cage you want to make. Then use bolt cutters. I used them every year and still have over 100 of them stored.

We pumped water out of the lake here. We have 1,500 feet of inlet from Lake Hamilton, and we have a river flowing into this lake inlet too. Water is good. We had a system of many soaker hoses. For cucumbers they need water morning, noon and after work some when it’s really hot out and leaves look in need.

We grew for those living here, as well as for summer camp meeting for everyone to enjoy these fresh tomatoes, green peppers, squash, okra, and Blue Lake fence beans, on 4 foot fence wire with iron fence posts every 8 feet. They just climbed up the fence and right go over the other side and started making beans. Then we just stand there and pick them, instead of bending over long rows of bush beans.

The big garden area was 80’x120′. But it didn’t drain well with red clay soil when it rained to much. Whole rows of plants would drown and die.

If I had better soil in the ground would be worth sticking with.

But I gave it several years trying different ideas. Glen used the camps diesel tractor with it’s plow and disc/harrow. That was a big help. Later bought myself a gas tilter. Also 10″ wide one for raised bed planters.

I even tried mounding up the rows. Worked for a few rains.

Later grew tomatoes in 5 gallon felt pond pots. Awesome harvest

Used 3 gallon pond pots for peppers, and 5 gallon pond pots for tomatoes that worked the best, then in that clay ground.

Patti and I we’re the only ones doing this. People would come to help pick, but not always wanting to help weed. And that’s ok. It not easy work when it’s hot. Later I learned to mulch with hay. That helped keep the weeds down and held the moisture in too. In time did give up that big garden because of drain issues.

So I built thirteen 10′ long raised beds out of 2×6″ lumber. Double stacked near our mobile home on the camp ground. I mixed my own special soil using the camps cement mixer. Then mixed Miracle Grow plant food, and years later tried their garden soil to mix. Wow! That works too.

Raised beds and fabric pond pots had no problems with drainage. I tried using new plastic tree pots at first. But they would get to hot and used more water as well. Fabric pond pots we’re cool, held water and still drained, I’ve been reusing them for many years now. I just tend to want to mix new soil for them more often because of possible plant problems. Gardening is like a science almost.

We collected rain water off our mobile home roof to fill eight 50 gallon rain barrels. Later I bought a 450 gallon water tank to pump from barrels to tank, then watered with a sump pump to a hose from tank when the rain finally stopped in late June/July. That’s given us a good reserve of better water. Cost a lot of money to use city water. I don’t even like drinking that water. Just use for washing, etc.

We had a smaller garden in 2016, but still shared with co-workers.

Not sure about 2017.

We had hail damage on our mobile home roof. So did our co-workers Dan and Linda’s mobile home. So we had a company put a new metal roof on with 3 inch insulation foam under it. They wanted us to remove our gutters, because they extend the roof a foot over all the way around. Really can tell the difference in heating. Probably going to be cooler in the summer as well.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do for collecting water for 2017.

Might have to pump water 125 feet up the hill.

It’s always an adventure at LHBC.

Like us, every plant has it’s own unique enemy.

There are many similarities between gardening and our spiritual lives. As born again Christians our God has put Himself into our hearts and it just starts as a seed. He also planted us into the Body of Christ. He wants to see us bloom where we’re planted, and uses all the trials of life to develop Himself in us.

We don’t always see it, because He’s working from the inside out perfecting that which concerns Him, not always all about us. But be assured He’s looking for a harvest in us too. He wants to see that precious fruit of the Holy Spirit shown out to the world.

Ever grow tomatoes from seed? They don’t take much water at first. Those scores of individual seeds in trays being watered with a eye dropper and spray bottle of water once the seeds pop up.

He watches over each new born again plant by giving each of us a spiritual desire to grow. Some 30 fold, some 60 fold and some 100 fold of fruitfulness.

Soon these little plants will need to be transplanted into raised beds, large mobile pots or in the ground.

While just baby plants they might just need a couple cups of water a day.

Just two chapters a day to read in the Bible. Baby steps.

But as that plant starts to grow up and blossom, it needs about a quart of water a day.

We gradually give up a little more of our time because we’re hungry for His presence.

When the plant starts to develop tiny fruit, it’s going to need even more water each day.

Just a little more devotion in word studies.

For larger plants a gallon or more of water twice a day.

We’re hungry but we need to mainly feed on organic plant food.

Our best plant food is studying the Word of God itself, not mostly other commercial gospel.

Our own growing season is a life time of devotion to Him.

We can’t give up on ourselves just because we see plant problems (demons).

We have to be careful so we don’t get over watered and start developing strange leaf (belief) problems.

Remember, we all have enemies of our own plant growth.

Watch out for a root of bitterness that will try and choke out what God is trying to do in you.

Those are the weed seeds in our plant life.

The love of this world, and all it’s endless distractions.

Not forgiving is a big demon in the Body of Christ. Read Matthew 18.

If we don’t forgive, He won’t forgive us.

What happens is, we slow down or stop the growing process. We do it!

Don’t wait for people to change. They probably won’t

You change by letting them off the hook before the sun goes down.

Many times, you will need to “choose to forgive” of areas of hurt.

Because if you wait for a feeling, it just might not happen.

This is how we keep growing spiritually after any family, work related misunderstandings, blame or anger related issues.

There were times the Holy Spirit led me to go back to a person and ask them to forgive me. But before that happened I spent the time in prayer asking Jesus to forgive me and get my heart clean by giving Jesus ALL of it.

Because if you go to that person too early and say you’re sorry, they might not be over it yet, and just might have some more choice words to say back to you.

You better be in a right spirit and be able to take it, or you’ll make the whole problem even worse all over again.

One garden year I’ll never forget I had a few Roma-Grape tomato plants that started developing strange leaf issues. I always thought with healthy soil you’d have healthy plants. But still this variety was having problems. I needed discernment, but I didn’t wait, or even ask anyone. (pride).

This plant had some black fungus on the leaves. And I was focusing on the black fungus. I first started clipping a few black leaves off. Jesus does this too. He prunes us so that we can bear more fruit.

But I didn’t understand what this problem was.

Instead, I was motivated out of fear!

I was afraid it was going to affect the rest of the congregation of 70 tomato plants in rows 4 pews apart.

So one morning I came out and was determined to rip that cage off and pull the plant out of the ground.

When I pulled that cage off, I got the shock of my life.

I had only seen the leaves. The leaves on the Christian.

All the bad stuff I didn’t like.

I saw many scores of exposed clusters of Roma-Grapes hiding under all those black leaves. They were all perfectly developed green fruits.

I was not looking for fruit!

All I saw was the fungus on those Christians, and made the quick decision to kill the plant.

I felt awful and even remember telling the plant I was sorry.

God has His ways of speaking to each of us right where we live in whatever we’re doing. If we’re listening.

Patti and I bought a fig tree on our wedding anniversary many years ago. And it started growing but not very well.

It just had two little fruits on it that first year, but nothing really worth eating.

But at least it was growing.

The next year it was just a stick out there.

Spring came and I watered it and watered it.

Nothing there, just a stick.

So, after a few weeks of watering, I finally quit.

I didn’t see any life in it.

We also might not see much spiritual life in certain Christians we know, and maybe don’t bother watering them.

I just thought the little tree finally died.

But who knew?

Under all that death down below, there was life trying to come forth.

But I didn’t see anything in the natural.

It was getting hot outside when that stick sprang to life.

Keep watering yourself, and others with the word of God and prayer.

Keep short accounts with Jesus.

For my own health sake I have to forgive and not take offence.

Pray to the Lord to bless them.

Be very careful about passing judgement on people.

Because it’s like writing a purchase order for judgement to come to my house.

We can live a longer life not being angry with parents, pastors, or anyone else who has authority over us. We do reap what we sow.

I had to learn this the hard way.

Demons are very deceptive and sneak up on us if we’re not watching or guarding our thought life.

We always have a choice to move forward in the Lord.

Or drift away, and just become religious.

Spend time in the mornings praying in the Spirit. (your prayer language). You can have a much better day if you take the time and pray in the Spirit a while.

He might lead you to pray for your boss, co-worker, family, Etc.

Forgive them, so Jesus can restore his Holy Spirit of peace in you for others to see, and most of all feel, because of the sweetness He puts back in you.

Do you know what His agenda is for a Christian?

His agenda is to eventually deposit the fruit of His Spirit in you, so others can see Him.

It’s all about Jesus being birthed in you.

We do our part in feeding on the good organic food. Hiding the Word of God in our hearts.

He will bring it all back to our memory when we need it.

But we have to take the time to put it there too.

Keep praying in the Holy Spirit. (your prayer language) Keep your heart clean, so these weed seeds of the world won’t spring up producing any bad fruits of bitterness, ill-will, etc.

With the ministry of deliverance our fruit will start tasting better so others sampling us will see a change and want some of what we have.

Anything your battling, just pour you’re heart out to Him.

That’s a precious time, and His presence on you.

As you get free, then little by little He begins to use your testimony.

Freely you have received, freely give.

Blessings!

Kevin King, LHBC staff