Faith and Love

"Marriage is from God, about God, to God, and for God, so we neglect God at our peril."
-Tim Challies

In his article "6 Deadly Enemies of Marriage," Challies outlines how damaging it is for married couples to neglect the following: Biblical foundation, prayer, fellowship, communication, shared interests and sex. Marriage is a covenantal relationship built on God's Word and needs mutual prayer to survive. If husband and wife don't communicate or share any interests, they become two separate people living separate lives under the same roof. And if sex is neglected...well, as Challies puts it, "to neglect sex is to disregard one of God's great and indispensable gifts."

Marriages are made up of two people who are often very different from each other, which is why communication is almost always at the top of marriage lists. "When differences arise and conflict begins to rear its head, it's important to be equipped with the ability to interact and communicate in an open, honest and healthy way. Get real with the kind of communication you are actually investing into your relationship, because what you put into it will inevitably determine what you will get out of it." (Debra K. Fileta, Relevant magazine.)

I recently read this excerpt from Timothy Keller's new book The Meaning of Marriage. Keller talks about how people clearly understand that it takes hard work to become a professional athlete or famous author, but for some reason we expect marriage to work perfectly with nothing more than love. Love is a concept thrown around like magic pixie dust - it's all you need! It fixes everything! So what happens when love is painful? When you love someone with all of your heart and yet can't resolve debilitating arguments, issues or marital roadblocks? We are all flawed people, Keller points out, so why would creating and maintaining committed, sacrificial, lifelong relationships just come naturally?

You don't become a concert pianist just by buying a piano, just as saying "I do" does not automatically create a happily ever after. To excel at marriage is the same as working towards any other goal: it takes work, effort and concentration. But trust me. It's worth it.

That being said, I've never stressed about doing something huge on Valentine's Day. I have nothing against the holiday, but it is rather over-hyped and silly to concentrate all of your affection on one day of the year. Matt is and always has been my one and only valentine, and I think we do a pretty good job of expressing our affection for each other on a regular basis :-).

Valentine's Day was originally the celebration of a man whose faith and love cost him his life but saved others in the process. Valentine expressed honest, selfless love towards those around him and was never afraid to share God's truth. He truly demonstrated that faith and love go hand in hand, and that's the most important thing to remember every February 14th.

Spring is (almost) in the air

February in central Texas means that spring gardening is only about a month away! I am in full-on planning mode (even though today it's about 35° outside and rainy).

Gardening in Texas can be tricky. Here we have long, harsh summers which causes plant stress, but also very mild winters, which extends the fall planting season. The ground never gets that cold, meaning pests aren't dormant during the cooler season like they might be in other areas. Our soil is sandy or full of clay, meaning some plants won't grow without plenty of nutritional soil supplements. And then there's the whole drought problem...

So, all that being said, it is still possible to produce a flourishing Texas garden if you have the right resources. Here are some of the best I've found so far.

Click the link in the accompanying paragraph for a larger, interactive version.

Something I didn't really know about until last year are hardiness zones. Hardiness zone maps divide the US based on seasons, how cold the winters get and average dates of final/first frost in the spring and fall. Central Texas is in zone 8 (or 8b, according to some really specific maps). This zone has fairly mild winters, with lowest average temperatures of 15-20° F. Final frost date is estimated to be between March 15th-30th, which gives us a nice long spring season before the summer kicks in full-force. Those dates are an estimate, though, and not a promise! Last year I put out transplants in mid-March and they suffered through 2 hailstorms and a freeze warning before the spring temperatures stabilized. 

 Another great resource is the Texas AgriLife Extension Service's site. This site is specifically tailored to Texas gardeners. It can be frustrating to read generic gardening books that are like "happy, warm summertime! Flourishing plants in July and August. First frost in late September!" In Texas, August is dry, scorching and cruel. Plants struggle and need extra care. And the first autumn frost date is usually not until early December, giving a whole second planting season in the fall. 

Last year I did a spring garden only. This year I'd love to do spring and fall. There are some plants that Texas gardeners recommend planting ONLY in the fall, such as strawberries! Strawberries won't survive the harsh summers, but should flourish in the cooler fall temperatures. 

I've found some good tips and planning ideas that I've posted to Pinterest. Ideas for garden planning, creative solutions for small spaces, fertilizing tips and pest control. Oh, my adventures with pests last summer...

This beetle has evil, evil babies.

Last summer I lost all my squash to the larvae of squash vine borer beetles. These are vicious grubs that hatch inside the vines and suck up all the nutrients, killing the plant from the bottom up. No use trying pest control at this point: once they're inside, your plants don't have a chance. It made me so sad to watch my beautiful plants die. One day they were covered in blossoms and the next day...dead. Never saw it coming. But this year I will treat the soil ahead of time and consistently apply pest deterrents to try and prevent eggs from being laid, as suggested here.




Last spring I tried 3 different planting areas: a small raised bed (3 ft. x 3 ft.) filled with gardening soil, a traditional in-ground bed with natural soil + some gardening soil, and large pots/planters (filled with the same gardening soil, which wasn't the smartest decision).
This year I hope to expand the raised bed and continue using the pots, but buy 2 different soils. Potting soil is generally less dense than gardening soil and gives confined roots more air, water and growing space. I also want to place my small, potted herbs on a raised table or platform so they are easier to prune, water and harvest.

Last year's adorable little garden.

 

Maybe some day...

Some other good resources:
The Cook's Garden is a seed catalog that has tons of great online articles about soil, planting tips, plant varieties, etc.
Raised garden bed instructions from The Pioneer Woman.
This Kitchen Garden Planner from Gardener's Supply Company is amazing. They provided pre-planned diagrams you can print out or a design-your-own tool that makes it easy to work with the space you have! Great articles and other resources available on their website, too. 

Yay gardening! Now to bundle up on the couch and wait for spring. :-)

Continuing adventure

Today, after almost 4 months of unemployment, Matt starts a new job.

Tomorrow marks 1 year since I returned to employment at our church.
(after almost a year away I returned last February: same office, same desk, but a new position in a new ministry.)

Last week was Matt's 30th birthday and a couple of months ago we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Our life together is - in many ways - set and established, but at the same time still filled with new experiences and change.

New is good. New is exciting. New is scary.

But most of all, new things are a necessary part of life. A new chapter. Not an entirely new story, but an additional volume in an established collection. A continuing adventure.