I keep thinking about this piece of art work by Josh's mom titled, "How does your garden grow?" I keep thinking of that as we have been gardening this last week and a half. I know the story behind the piece is much deeper than the title suggests yet I can't get it out of my mind.

I also keep thinking of the passage in Mark about what kind of soil seeds fall upon in Mark 4:2-9, "He (Jesus) taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

I also keep thinking about how working our soil to get ready for planting was hard work. It took hours of digging and clump busting and soil preparation with extra additives and water and more clump busting and more work and killing cutworms and protecting earth worms and how this was all done to produce just the right crop.

I also keep thinking about the passage in how God clothes the lilies in Matthew 6:27-30, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies 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. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

I also keep thinking about the poem April shower's brings May flowers actually goes "March winds and April showers, Brings forth May flowers." And how wonderful God created the seasons for the blowing of seeds and pollen to the rain helping plant the seeds down to the sunny helping bring the seeds up.

Then I think about all the life lost and saved this last few weeks. The lives lost last Monday in Virginia, the life started in our soil, the lives saved through the ban on partial birth abortions, the new lives created in wombs and the one taken. That doesn't even account for all the other atrocities going on around us, a tornado that just killed 11, a serial killer still on the loose, a bomb threat here and there, etc.

Then I think again about God's sovereignty. He weeps with us all. He weeps through the deaths, He rejoices in the life, He is concerned about the tiny-est of tiny lettuce seed and He is heartbroken for the genocides that persist. He will work all these things for good, He does not like that they happen, but He will wipe all our tears one day.

Then I think again about the phrase, "Do you know for certain?" Do you? Do you know for certain what answers lie out there? Death is happening all around us. Billy Graham reminded me during his comments regarding the VT shootings that one thing is for certain, we are all going to die someday. Everyone is going to die. Either by life, someone elses's hand, accident, or not, it will happen to us all.

Then I think again about what is out there after death. Is it a void of nothing, is it a reincarnation, is it a new planet you live on, is it nirvana, or is it a heaven and hell?