​While I was a student in the horticulture department at Temple University, I learned so much that pointed directly to God. One of my greatest joys was collecting gardening books and looking at their beautiful plant pictures. The diversity of every form of plant is amazing. A practical little book that I purchased was called Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte. The book gives the reader recommendations for companion planting or planting certain vegetables or flowers near one another. For example, Carrots are good companion plants for leeks because the carrot fly that attacks carrots does not like the smell of leeks so stays away from their location. The other benefit is that the onion fly and leek moth are repelled by the smell of carrots so there is a natural protection of the leek. The book recommends that a gardener plant radishes around cucumbers and squash because they repel the cucumber beetle. Companion planting is helpful for organic gardeners who do not want to use chemicals on their plants.
 
A reason to plant tomatoes with carrots is because they have different root systems. Tomatoes grow above the ground while carrots are root plants. As I read about planting corn with pumpkins, I had to laugh. Pumpkin leaves are very sticky and repel racoons from coming to eat the corn. Why? Racoons do not like the stickery vines on their paws. Companion planting gives the gardener beneficial results. Plants, when placed properly, can actually help each other grow, which results in healthier and more productive gardens. The main message of this book is that plants grow to their fullest potential when surrounded by positive companions.

When we turn our attention to the Bible, we can see that God frequently uses gardening stories and plant analogies to demonstrate how Christians should grow and produce fruit. May I suggest that our workplaces, churches, and families are like gardens that can help us to grow in productive ways? All of us have God-given gifts within that are meant to help others grow into their unique potential to reflect the Lord. God ordained that we live with others and complement one another.

We are strategically placed in our friendships, marriages, workplaces, and churches to encourage and help others to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God. Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica: "Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing...Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else." (1 Thessalonians 5:11-15)

Romans 14: 19 in The Passion Translation exhorts us to "make it your top priority to live a life of peace with harmony in your relationships, eagerly seeking to strengthen and encourage one another." We are meant to be a blessing to others. As we help them to grow and become more Christlike, they will do the same for us.

​Two hundred fifty years ago, on May 17, 1776, the second Continental Congress met to observe what was called "A Day of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer." This nationwide event was meant to be a time to pray to God for forgiveness of sins, divine guidance, and wisdom. The day before the Congress had passed a resolution introduced by the delegate from New Jersey, William Livingstone. It asked citizens to "confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions" and to seek God's protection against the "hostile designs" of the British. On the anniversary of this event, President Trump planned a national prayer gathering to rededicate America as "One Nation Under God." Thousands of Americans gathered on the Mall in Washington D. C. to pray, worship, and give thanks to God. They were inspired by many of our nation's leaders and pastors as they remembered our history as a nation of faith and talked about defining moments in the forming of our country.
 
2 Chronicles 7:14 was read by our President: "If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear them from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." This is what the Lord said to Solomon on the night after he finished building the temple. He went on to say, "Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place." (Verse 15) The web site established with the details for the day of rededication listed three "Pillars" for the speakers to include in their talks. Pillar #1 - "The Miracles that Made Us." (Honoring the faith of our founders and God's providence throughout 250 years.) Pillar #2 - "The Miracles Still in our Midst." (Personal testimonies of God's healing in our lives and for our land.) Pillar #3 - "A New Birth of Faith and Freedom." (Times of collective expression of gratitude for 250 years of freedom and ones to rededicate our nation, asking God's blessings, guidance, and grace for the next 250 years.)
 
TBN Network was present for the entire day and reported as different speakers and worship leaders took the stage. They commented that the Spirit of the Lord was tangible in that place. They also spoke of how blessed we are that the idea for the entire event was born from the top of our government. Below are some of the highlights of the event:
 
Pastor Samuel Rodriguez opened the rededication with a prayer to "remember and rededicate" our nation to God and to "reflect on history and realign our future." Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, commented that the soul of our nation has always been rooted in "an ancient faith." Pastor Franklin Graham reminded us that our nation was born in a struggle and continues to struggle today. He observed that there has been a moral decline, and there is little understanding of Biblical truth. We need to humbly pray, confess our sins and call on the name of Almighty God. Former HUD Secretary, Dr. Ben Carson, declared that our rights come from God. He sees that we have drifted away from common sense and must appeal to God for protection. Speaker of the House, Michael Johnson, offered a prayer as he rededicated our country as "One Nation, Under God in Jesus' Name."
 
Pastor Lou Engle called what happened on Sunday, May 17 a "hinge-of-history moment." Pastor Dutch Sheetz named it a "breakthrough day." He declared a "new beginning for America in the mighty name of Jesus." The name of Jesus Christ was boldly proclaimed at Rededicate 250. The core message was our need for repentant prayer and rededication to God. I believe that God has given us a window of grace. It is our responsibility to accept this season by drawing closer to God in prayer and living our lives in accordance with the instructions of His Word. Perhaps He will respond and guide America back to Him through revival. Let’s pray to that end.

​Over the weekend the Jewish calendar turned to a new month, the third month of Sivan. This name is Assyrian and means joy or the month of harvest. There is excitement for the Jewish people as they enter this month because it is packed with events that give them assurance of provisions. Physical provision is evident by the ripening wheat fields. As the children of Israel moved to Mount Sinai, God was preparing to give Moses Torah—the Word of God. During the same period, but years later and ten days after the ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God (Ruach Ha-Kodesh) was poured out on those who waited in the upper room. With these gifts, God was positioning His people to receive power.
 
The stories of these provisions in the Bible should inspire us to position ourselves to be set apart from the world and dedicated to our Lord. He is calling us to Himself and purifying us in holiness and righteousness through the power of the Word and His Spirit as they come together. This month is a reminder that we are God's children of inheritance. He made a covenant with the Israelites and promised to keep that covenant.
 
When the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, after forty years of wandering in the wilderness, God gave them a history lesson to remind them of how He cared for them. Some of those reminders are written about in Deuteronomy 8. "Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers...Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and revering Him...When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws, and His decrees that I am giving you this day...Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers as it is today." (Deuteronomy 8:1, 6, 10, 11, 18)
 
God called the children of Israel to come up as He met them at Mount Sinai, and he called the disciples to come up to an upper room. We are still called to look up to the Lord, The Light of the World. (John 8:12) We are meant to be set apart and anointed as priests before Him. Jesus confirmed this call by identifying us on the Sermon on the Mount. "You are the light of the world...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14, 16)
 
Here is what 1 Peter 2:9 tells us about our identity: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." We are to live in step with the Holy Spirit. In doing so we will impact the world around us. Peter goes on to say, "Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day that He visits us." (1 Peter 2:12)

​In honor of Mother's Day, I want to share with you part of the story of Susanna Wesley's life. She was the twenty-fourth child of Dr. Samuel Annesley, a Puritan minister. Born in 1669, Susanna had a deep desire to learn and had the opportunity to do so through her father's books. At age nineteen, she married Samuel Wesley, whom she met at her sister's wedding. Both came from nonconformist backgrounds and decided to join the Church of England.
 
It is reported that Susanna had nineteen children in a little over twenty years, nine of whom died in infancy. She took responsibility for raising her ten children with a strong Christian and moral education. Their schooling began at age five. A couple were able to read the New Testament in Greek by the age of eight. Susanna took particular interest in her daughters' education.
 
While her husband was in London in 1712, Susanna decided to invite some of her neighbors to what became known as her "Kitchen Meetings" where she preached to her children. Several writers tell us that, at times, over two hundred friends and neighbors joined the Sunday evening meetings. In addition, they say that she had theological knowledge superior to that of many pastors. Her influence on her sons, John and Charles, was evident. In fact, she is remembered as "The Mother of Methodism" since the boys adopted her teaching methods. John wrote that his mother was a preacher of righteousness.
 
It is obvious that Susanna believed and followed the Scripture written in Proverbs 22:6. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it." As a godly mom she went about fulfilling her responsibility to teach her children the importance of having a loving relationship with God.


If we look back to creation, we see that Eve brought life into the structure of Adam's world. She came as a companion and helper. Adam and Eve were dependent on one another to give birth to children. Then it became the responsibility of the woman to be a nurturer of life. May I suggest, however, that the ultimate purpose of a mother is to love God. Everything else will follow this. Godly moms are a product of fulfilling their first purpose in loving God.


My own mother modeled faith to my brother and sister and me. We were blessed to have a mom who had the fear of the Lord within her. God also modeled His care and concern for His children in Israel by teaching them about Himself, providing for and directing them in their relationship with Him. Through the prophet Isaiah, He made a promise to His children. "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 66:13)


May we all be challenged by these godly examples of care given to children and the obvious results of godly influence on them. Mothers over the years have demonstrated the love of God and helped to impact generations.

​In honor of the 250th anniversary of our country, the Ambler Choral Society, a non-profit community choir based in Ambler/Maple Glen, PA area, put on a concert last Sunday afternoon. Since my sister is a member of the choir, I got to attend the concert. It was filled with American folk and classic songs such as "Yankee Doodle," Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor," and "America." While they did magnificent renditions of these songs, we all agreed that the “piece de resistance” was their rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." It brought tears to many eyes.
 
The song was written by a woman abolitionist named Julia Ward Howe who lived through the horrors of the Civil War. While in Washington, D. C., Howe heard the Union troops singing "John Brown's Body." Unhappy with what she was hearing, she desired to write new lyrics for the melody. That she did! In her own words. Here is how it happened. "I awoke the next morning in the gray of the early dawn, and to my astonishment found that the wished for lines were arranging themselves in my brain. I lay quite still until the last verse had completed itself in my thoughts, then hastily arose saying to myself: 'I shall lose this if I don't write it down immediately.' I began to scrawl the lines almost without looking...Having completed this, I lay down again and fell asleep, but not before feeling that something of importance had happened to me."
 
The words that Julia penned appeared in the February,1862 issue of the Atlantic Monthly. Packed with Biblical imagery, her song spread quickly through the Union armies. We should note that, ironically, the tune that was used was written by a southerner named William Steffe. Howe's words angered the southerners as she was taking aim at the fight to end slavery. However, so many were inspired by her lyrics that they united in singing the new words to the old tune. The words to five stanzas of the hymn are below:
 
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
 
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps; they have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps. I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps; His day is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
 
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat. O be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
 
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and Me. As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free! While God is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
 
He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave. He is wisdom to the mighty; He is succor to the brave. All the world shall be His footstool and the soul of time His slave. Our God is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.”
 
The Word of God is the truth that keeps marching on. As we pick up the sword of truth, we can impact nations.