Hello out there, bloggy people. You’ve probably noticed that (other than Thursday’s post) I haven’t been blogging in the past few months. I don’t have any legitimate excuses for this. To be honest, I’ve been spending most of my time reading (again, see Thursday’s post).
I’ve also been spending some time gardening. You don’t have to garden long before you start to see strong spiritual parallels. 
Much like my soul, seeds that will bear good fruit (or veggies) had to be intentionally planted, carefully germinated, and regularly looked after. They needed clean soil and plenty of water to grow strong enough to be transplanted.
Now that they’re all outside, I have to carefully keep the weeds away, and feed them the chemicals that they need to thrive. They need to be sprayed for bugs and kept cool in the heat. Some of them have to be staked to help them stand upright.
I also have to regularly harvest their produce. Because what is the point of having carefully raised these plants from seeds to fruition if not to benefit from their fruit?
And what is the point of studying the Word if not to plant, nourish, and eventually benefit from fully-matured spiritual fruit by putting it to good use in my everyday life?
So far this year, I’m afraid that I’ve let too many spiritual plants die of thirst, or be overtaken by weeds, or neglected the good fruit to rot on the vine.
I was horrified when bugs started eating up my broccoli and pepper plants, and I researched and found the right spray to chase the bugs away. But when the same thing happens with my spiritual fruit, I barely take notice. I like to do a lot of planting and just let the seeds fend for themselves.
And so, a blog series is born. ‘Growing for His Glory’ will be a regular Saturday post, at least for a while. Cara & I want to make sure that this blog is a tool for spiritual growth by reflecting on our lives and encouraging each other and our readers to do the same.
Hopefully these posts will help me keep the weeds out of my spiritual garden. We hope to share scripture, thoughts, and prayers with you that God is using to grow and encourage us in our current life stages, and we want you to feel free to do the same. Leave your thoughts, challenges, and encouragements in the comments – we love to hear how God is working in your lives!
