Under the Redbud Tree

"Stand in the garden and sniff the air; you can smell autumn coming in like the tide drawing across summer's beach...A bit of mist and a touch of mellow fruitfulness and it must be autumn again..."

I am thankful tonight... thankful for the beauty of creation... It is in my garden that I find refuge as well as renewal. Where I can pour out my heart in tears and joy. It is where I will raise my Ebenezer Stone which is symbolic for restoration...

Ebenezer Stone -
It is a story you will find in I Samuel:
"After a long period of sadness and trouble, a consequence of Israel's disobedience, Israel repented under the leadership of a new priest and judge, Samuel. God restored their political security, and the people, for their part, re-committed their hearts and minds to their Lord. Samuel placed a large stone at the place where this restoration began. He publicly dedicated it as a monument to God's help, God's faithfulness, God's eternal covenant. And as the people go on with their lives, the stone stood there, visible to all who passed that way, a reminder of judgment and repentance, mercy and restoration. The Ebenezer stone represented a fresh beginning, a reversal of course for God's people. It also said something important about God: His mercies are everlasting; His covenant is forever.

It is a priority on my gardening list... raising an Ebenezer Stone... a symbol of a fresh beginning... of restoration. That is what this blog represents for me. A record of my walk and a reminder of His faithfulness.

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. Phiillippians 3:13b,14