Look at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. 

Matthew 5:28-29

The beginnings of springtime in North Carolina are busting out all over the place! Not only with the “intentional” flowers but the wildflowers too. Sometimes I think they are even sweeter for their sense of independence.

Here in Tarboro our back garden has a ton of these tiny paper-white and dusty lavender flowers. The bees love them.

It’s the irrepressible freshness, the sense of affirmation and new life that communicates so clearly. It makes me think about gathering primroses in the woods as a child in England; we would make bouquets by shoving scores of them into small vases for my mother. They literally carpeted the woods with yellow!

Memories:

I don’t know why, but this photograph from Pensacola Beach – circa 1988 – grabbed my attention the other day. It’s been on my dresser for years, but this week I looked into it and saw so much.

I could see Andrew and Naomi, of course (maybe six and four), but also grownup Andrew, and then Beks, as well as 1960 Rebekah… and then this guy whose knees will never ever again bend like that!

That is the beauty of a great photograph, you can see all the way into time – both the past and the future too.

Food fun!

So I have now joined the “Air Fryer” trend. Not because I purchased anything but because the Internet people sent me this huge Ninja model as a promotional “thanks” for selecting their service.

There is a lot to learn, of course. But this unit does everything and then some! I already use it over the big oven 90% of the time. Bake, Air Fry, Toast, Convection Roast, Broil and so much more!

So far so yummy. I like the speed, I love the fact that I am not wasting energy heating a huge oven, and also the food is tasting very good.

Gothic Steeple:

Finally, this image of the lone surviving steeple from the original 1874 “Carpenter Gothic” sanctuary, back when HMPC was, simply, “Tarboro Presbyterian Church.”

The church office needed a fresh photograph for something on the website and this was the result.

It’s a very cool artifact, representing history and architecture and – in its context in the church yard – also telling the story of faithful witness as a memorial to one of the saints of our congregation.

Below, please enjoy the few additional photos – especially the flowers.

Life is very much a beautiful landscape of so many things. But, and this is my “takeaway” for today, we do not – cannot, see the beauty if we do not – will not, first, believe that it is there. Because looking through the lens of light and goodness is always the best view of the world.

Not that we refuse to see anything else, but because we understand we have reason to believe, based on the fact that we not only trust in God, we have faith in Jesus:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34) – DEREK