James. .Week 3. .Assignment

Ya’ll might remember that I am currently in the middle of a 26 week study  in the book of Genesis. Well, as I finished up my homework last month the night before this post. .
guess what came up in Genesis chapter 22?? If you are relating where I am going. .
to our study in James. .
you may have guessed. .
the faith of Abraham demonstrated BY his intent to sacrifice his one and only son, Isaac. .
EXACTLY!

Take 5 minutes this week and read for yourself. .
this particular account in Genesis 22.
 I hope that you all are finding some time to go back into the Old Testament to see things with your own eyes. .
It’s a great way to correlate it all together in your mind!!

After I went through the homework pertaining to chapter 22 in my bible study book. .
I went to my bookshelf and pulled out my Beth Moore study guide from a couple years ago when we studied James. .
I wanted to pull out a few of her comments on the subject. .
mainly because it ALSO ties these scriptures. .
right back into what we just studied from the apostle Paul, in the book of Romans last month!

This is what Beth had to say. .

In Abraham, James cited the single most pivotal figure in ancient Jewish history. Their birth as a people of God came through his specific divine calling, explaining why “father” (HCSB) or “ancestor” (NIV) is probably at the top of your biographical information under his name.

One of the biggest controversies of scholars through the centuries has been over the different ways James and Paul applied Genesis 15:6: “Abraham believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” In Romans 4, the apostle Paul views it in its original Genesis 15 context. God promised that Abraham would have an heir from his own body and, from him, descendants beyond number. There, the justifying faith occurred when Abraham believed Him. In Paul’s words:

He believed, hoping against hope. . . .He considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about 100 years old) and also considered the deadness of Sarah’s womb, without weakening in the faith. He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness (Romans 4:18-22)

James applies the same Scripture to a scene 30 years later when Abraham offered his beloved son Isaac on the altar. In this stunning act of obedience that preached the gospel of Christ beforehand, God interrupted the slaying of Abraham’s beloved son and substituted a ram caught by its horns in the thicket (see Genesis 22). The glorious irony is that, in the actual fulfillment thousands of years later, the substitutionary offering would be the one and only beloved Son of the Father. We are depicted by Isaac, escaping death, and Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world.

We already learned that, to James, faith without a shred of works is nonexistent. He doesn’t prefer works to faith or faith to works. He sees them as conjoined co-workers. The part of James 2:22 that I especially want you to see is where James says that Abraham’s faith “was perfected” by works. That’s a key concept in this epistle. It forms the basis on which James is able to use Genesis 15:6 in reference to an act in Genesis 22 that occurred many years later. Think of it as Abraham’s life verse. The faith that Abraham exercised when he believed God in Genesis 15 was brought to its ultimate goal and maturity in Genesis 22 when he offered Isaac on the altar, foreshadowing the gospel.

We aren’t likely to unravel the thick theological knots tied through the centuries around Paul and James, but they had two different objectives. “James was combating a superficial faith that had no wholesome effect in the life of the professed believer. Paul, on the other hand, was combating legalism—the belief that one may earn saving merit before God by his good deeds.”

(the last quote came from Expositor’s Bible commentary, vol. 12, 169.)

I love LOVE that!!
 As you have already seen, Abraham is mentioned throughout the New Testament multiple times. 
I love the way that the two scholars that I have studied with this week. .
have both noted how Abraham BELIEVED way back before he saw God deliver His promise. .
and was counted as righteous. .
and then ACTED on his belief in a faithful DEED. .
that showed God, his Savior. .
that Abraham did more than profess his belief with his mouth.  He believed God enough to sacrifice his ONE and ONLY son. .
believing that God could and would continue to deliver His previous promise to Abraham. .
the promise that Abraham would have more descendants than the stars in the sky!

By the way. .just to see if you are still reading along. .
I learned something that I didn’t know tonight. .
I think you will find it interesting too. .
SARAH. .was not only Abraham’s WIFE. .she was also his ½ sister!!!
They shared the same father (Genesis 20:12)

So. .this week. .
Read through the book of James. .
looking for what OUR responsibilities as children of God entail. .
be prepared to share some thoughts next week!!

Have a great week! 
Love Melanie

A Little August Color. .

It seems very difficult to believe that it is the middle of August. .

Not only because we have had over 7 inches of rain in the last month

(which to some of you sounds like no big deal. .

but to us in Western Kansas. .

In JULY/AUGUST. .

It is a HUGE deal!!)

But also because the temperatures for that same length of time have been in the 70-80’s and a few low to mid 90’s!!

This time of year is when we USUALLY have our multiple 100 degree days!!

Now don’t hear me complaining. .

I am NOT!! It just feels strange!!

The flowers are LOVING the weather. .

So I thought I would give you a quick tour!!

This is a little clump of purple salvia that I moved from my mom’s gardens after she moved. .

The bonus was. .

The pink sweet William in the front!

Across the sidewalk from that is my lil’ veggie garden.

The tomatoes have been a total bust!! Not sure why. .

According to all the messages in my In-box. .

Everyone else who bought these grow boxes have PHENOMENAL results!!

Grr!!

The basil and peppers have started to really look nice though. .

And the cucumber vines have grown well. .

The ones that survived the kittens did anyway!!

The three galvanized tubs that were salvaged for herbs are doing well. .

Dill compacto on the left is blooming!

I think I will let it make seed and hope that a few will come up in the straw area next spring! There is also some lemon thyme in with it. .

The chives are in the middle with a clump of regular thyme. .

And something LOVES oregano other than us. .

Cause it has nibbled the clump in the right pot down to the quick. .

It’s just now regenerating!

Grant and I are hoping to make some raised beds in the background to grow beets, garlic, and okra, and put the tomatoes back into the ground, using the grow tubs for peppers and smaller things. We also intend on moving the rhubarb and blackberry plant to the same area. .

Adding another blackberry bush and another raspberry bush as well as two grapevines.

The garden has sure been handier to monitor for this busy gardener when it is right under my nose as I leave every morning!

These little self watering tubs are working better on the flowers than they are on the veggies. .

They have just been slow to take off. .

Usually, we are eating watermelon by now. .

At least we have the promise of watermelon to come. .

Cantaloupe too!!

That will be wonderful!

The nice thing will be. .

That I will pick up the tomatoberry plants that are producing. .

As well as the established pepper and basil plants. .

And move them straight to the greenhouse in their grow boxes.

I am excited to see how that works out.

I also started some new tomatoes, some swiss chard, cilantro seeds, and Diva cucumbers. These will be my winter greenhouse crop.

The moonflowers have reseeded in several areas of the garden. .

They sure do shine in the moonlight and into early morning!
Tristan even picked one for me and brought it into the house the other morning. .
They don't last well in a vase. .
but he didn't know that!!

This was a volunteer Russian sage from my Russian garden. .

I transplanted it to the memory garden last spring. .

It is doing well here and the bees love it!

In contrast. .

Here is my Russian garden!!

Not only do the flowers love the rain. .

So do the weeds!!

This bed was cleaned out not long ago!! The Texas red yucca are just now big enough to have had one bloom on them. .

I think that in the next year or two, that color combo will be really stunning! This bed has had no additional water, even earlier in the summer when it was hotter and things seem to be holding their own.

Back to the memory garden. .

There is a HUGE patch of these cute little mini hollyhocks! Behind are all the dried blooms from the Monarda!

My favorite Grandpa Otts morning glory. .

They are rambling up the fences now!

Right down from those is this transplanted clump of Karley Rose grass. .

One of my very favorite grasses with purplish plumes and a medium height.

The patch of purple is a sedum from my mom. .

Possibly blackjack.

When we moved plants from her yard, she remembered how much I loved the black sedum and asked me to take that clump. It has established well. .

And I’m not sure that I had ever really been to her house this time of the year. .

Because the stem color has darkened dramatically. .
And I love it even more now!

Can’t wait to propagate that into some new clumps!

Last bloomer in the memory garden is this Guava ice coneflower that I got on clearance in mid June!! Loving that!

Grant’s zinnias are blooming. .

And look nice with Salvia shared by Gardener on Sherlock street. .

As well as near the goldenrod that has been blooming for about a month now!

One naked lady left. .

The clump was gorgeous. .

And there were several clumps that I found.

Those reestablish sooo slowly after moving them, that I still find new clumps each year!!

I tried to grow gladiolus this year. .

I’ve had mixed results. .

There were several that died. .

Though I’m not sure what made the difference.

I’ve had a handful that bloomed. .

Some that bloomed also had the bulb next to them die. .

Go figure!!

The pitcher pump has run water all summer!!

Seems the magical cure was to get it out of nearly all of the wind. .

I have absolutely loved it!!

My large galvanized tub. .

With purple fountain grass, lemongrass (which I STILL don’t know how to cook with) and sweet potato vine. .

There are still some purple petunias in there. .

But the other stuff is edging them out. I do like the contrasting colors and foliage!

The $2 clearance canna bulbs are starting to bloom in the pond. .
I'm hoping to salvage those in my garage this winter and use them again next year.

And this little blue pickerel water plant has also been throwing purple flowers out for about 2 months now!

The corkscrew rush has been naturalizing the pond since the pond’s inception. It looked really neat with the rain drops still on it’s stalks!

As did the backlit Mexican hats!

I love sooo much the colors of later summer and fall. .

Everything is fuller. .

The butterflies are visiting in full force. .

And the weather promises cooler temperatures (eventually)

I’m sure there will be a few more blooms to showcase before the end of the season!!

Some Things that Make me Smile!

It has been such a refreshing spring. .

in comparison to ANY spring. .

But for sure in comparison to the last TWO springs. .

Where the temperatures were well over 100 degrees in May. .

And consistently over 100 degrees by this time in June.

We've enjoyed nearly SIX inches of moisture over the last few months. .

As well as temperatures in the 80's and 90's. .

Aside from a few days last week that were over 105!

And that has been good for the farmers. .

The gardens. .

AND the gardenERS!!

Come along for a quick flower show!

I have a little jungle area of hollyhocks in the front of my house. .

I think they look a little messy. .

And each year I think I am going to pull most of them out. .

But. .

I just CAN'T bring myself to do that!

The colors are so deep and cheery. .

And so far, even the big leaves still look nice and healthy. .

Not yet riddled with insect damage!

I LOVE tropical plants. .

I just CAN'T ever seem to keep them watered well enough and protected from the blazing heat and wind.

Well. .

The self watering container idea and the addition of that new patio has made the difference!

When I thought there might be a possibility of making a tropical vine work. .

I couldn't leave this hot pink mandevilla at Lowes!

It is starting to vine well. .

And is loaded with these gorgeous pink flowers!!

I'm also super excited about a tropical hibiscus plant that I bought at Walmart a month ago. .

It was unmarked as to color. .

And it was HALF price!!

I don't know why, and I didn't really care. .

In my cart it went. .

And am I ever glad it did!!

It opened up one of the most beautiful pinkish red colored blooms earlier this week!!

With lots more buds. .

promising future color!

I was totally THRILLED!!

Both of these girls are situated on our new patio near the pitcher pump feature.

They are slightly protected from the wind, and get a little bit of afternoon shade.

The self watering planters from Walmart are doing their part to keep them moist. .

SCORE!

Wish I had thought to load a before picture of the honeysuckle vine that we planted near this antique slipper slide several years ago. Jeremy re-staked the slide into the ground. .

 as the weight of the vine was pulling it southward!

I enjoy it's fragrance most. .

early in the morning while I am walking. I think it is always funny to come around the corner from the highway on my walk, and wonder where I will smell it. .

The wind does amazing things with the fragrance. .

And some mornings, I would notice the scent down by my mailbox. .

100 yards from the plant!!

I had to rescue one from the construction zone. .

And recently decided to plant it on the other side of the house, near the bedroom windows!

It didn't mind the move. .

and proceeded to do it's blooming IN the big pot it rested in until I knew where it would go.

This echinacea paradoxica. .

Or plain ole yellow coneflower. .

Came from a packet of seeds that I started a last winter. .

There were a couple blossoms on the plants last summer. .

But it is really doing well this year! I planted them in 3 different locations. .

to maximize the effect of them. .
and to make sure they had at least one location that they would thrive in.

One spot just had too much competition with water and other plants. .

And they stayed tiny all summer.

I was sure they would die out. .

but even THEY are blooming this summer.

This variety is a tolerant winner for sure!

Some day I want to learn how to put my lavender plant to good use. .

I really like it's tiny little blossom stems. .

And always think I will gather some and make a little sachet. .

Hasn't happened yet!

This variety is Hidcote. .

And the plant has gotten huge!!

That whole mass of flowers comes from ONE central root in the ground in the dead center!!

A few years ago, I took a cutting of the plant in fall. .

And it rooted in nicely by the next spring in my greenhouse.

I think I might do that again this fall. .

Let me know if you might want a start of it!

Here's the larkspur patch in the front beds along the driveway.

The purple aster plant in the left front of photo is growing. It won't shine for another month or more, but it appears there will be a lot of shine happenin' when it does it's thing!

My orange butterfly milkweed is blooming now too.

It may be one of my favorite summer blooms!!

My seed list for next winter includes another packet of these for sure!!

They have been easy to start in the past. .

But unfortunately, I only have this clump that has really taken off!

The black eyed susans are looking lovely this year. .

With the nice cool weather and moisture we have been having. .

They remind me of the photos of the luscious susans my gardening friend Sue shows from her cool Michigan patch! They look much better with this weather. .

than with drought and 100 degree temps!

 And it seems lots of flying creatures love them as much as I do!

Here is a tiger eye sumac bush. .

given to me by some friends to plant in memory of my dad!

Now, he was a farmer. .

And since Sumacs can be a little invasive. .

I'm not sure how he felt about them. .

But I have always wanted to have a patch of them for the wildlife that they support. .
Jeremy always nixed that idea. .

Until I was gifted one :-)

It has such beautiful foliage. .

And is starting one characteristic bloom head, that I presume will soon become bird food!!

YaHOO!!

It's planted on the outside of my memory garden. .

With room to spread out a little!

A non descripted lily variety I planted a couple years ago. .

I'm not even sure it came up last year. .

And I surely thought it was toast!

But, it seems to be happy this spring. .

And the big reddish orange blooms are nice!

The little stella de'oro daylilies are in full swing. .

And right in front of the dwindling blue flax. .

makes a nice color combo!

I am super excited about my patch of purple coneflowers! I started all of these in my greenhouse. .

And, now in their third summer. .

They are tall. .

And spreading a little bit. .

And loaded with potential!!

The birds and winged insects LOVE these!

I'm not good with my butterfly species yet. .

But we have been seeing many different kinds. .

As well as tons of moths, including uncountable sphinx moths.

It just all makes me stop. .

And thank God. .

for the incredible DIVERSITY. .

And BEAUTY. .

And ORIGINALITY. .

In His magnificent creations!!

And personally?

I don't think we've seen ANYTHING yet!!

I can't WAIT. .

to see the garden that He is fixing up at my mansion in heaven!!

Take a minute today. .

And appreciate some of God's handiwork. .

And talk to Him about YOUR eternal home!!

Matthew 6:28-29

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

April Showers. .You Know What THAT Means!!

Well. .the school year is officially over around this place!!

Though it just ended yesterday, it FEELS like it is mid-June to me. Everything is blooming early. .and the heat is on!! Tomorrow is slated to be 99 degrees. We have already had several days in the mid 90's. Come along and see what is new here.

A lump of blue/purple salvia is coming along very nicely. .a gift from GonSS from her garden to mine in April. .I have been just tickled with it's progress. .I notice with her photos. .and from my mom's garden (I was able to ID this plant at her house! She knew what it was, I hadn't known that before) that this will freely self seed, and fill in a nice area of the Memory garden.

The wintersown Carnival morning glories are starting to climb up the rustic cedar fence. I can't wait to see the blooms. 

The cosmos did a super job of reseeding themselves to fill in this area on the east side of the pond. .I don't think I had any there last year. .so they must have traveled across the yard. The variegated cattail clump to the right in the photo has developed catkins. .will have to get a close up when the wind isn't blowing 50 mph!

The butterfly milkweed has established himself well. .and looks to have even reseeded in the area. It is really stunning in the midst of the purple larkspur. This weekend I hope to deadhead some of the dying larkspur to make way for the summer blooms.

The Ratibida are just starting their blooms. .The burgundy Mexican Hat coneflower plants were the "new plant" winners around here last year. .surviving the drought and heat and blooming for nearly 4 months. The yellow Ratibida are really nice too. They bloomed last summer, but they weren't that great. .these blooms seem to be larger and more showy! They self-seeded well. .and I will no doubt be digging them out for years to come!! 

The holly hocks are certainly making a statement this spring! Never do I recall having such nice looking plants. .and blooms from them. Earlier in the week as I shot these photos. .I scared a hummer out of them. I was tickled that there is still one out. .and that provoked me to refill my feeder and hang it where I could see it better. And then I was gone all week, here and there and everywhere. .am hoping to see him this weekend.

The blooms are red, burgundy, light pink, and white. Even the foliage has been relatively unscathed by insects. Maybe the chickens have scared them all away!!

The Russian garden is in bloom. Though the bluish sage in the middle is just starting and hard to see. The blanket flower have reseeded themselves in the garden. .but it just seems to be taking a long time for it to fill in. .It's coming!

I've been pretty happy with my patio plants so far this year. I found this cool looking foxtail fern and used some hot pink petunias and gomphrenia plants. Finally the honeysuckle bush is tall enough to give some relief and afternoon shade to the deck and it's inhabitants. 

The view from the boys' upstairs room shows the shape-up of the fish pond. The bushes to the far right are the caryopteris. .

Amazingly. .they are starting to bloom. .nearly 2 months ahead of schedule!!

One of the daylily plants shared by my friend Pat is blooming. .Pat. .if you stop by this post. .ID this one for me!! The other clumps have buds on them too. .so now it will be a short wait to see!! 

Wheat harvest started this afternoon. While the guys were in the middle of all that. .Cami and I hung out in the yard. .just taking deep breaths!! We jumped. .and played on the swings. .and checked out the flowers. .and peeked in the bluebird houses. .

Guess what we found?? 

A few TINY little bluebirds in the house by the road. Squinting with one eye through a 2 inch hole into a dark box provided only the glimpse of beaks and movement. .so we googled baby bluebirds. Cami couldn't see anything in the hole. .but she was pretty impressed by the tiny, naked birds we saw in the google images!! Can't wait to see them grow!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

We are needing one around this house!!