What Do Politics and Lawn Care Have in Common? By Jill Martin (My Momma)

What a strange comparison! How can politics have any to do with lawn care? Have you ever spent hours upon hours working in your yard, and you are so pleased with the outcome, that you stand back and admire your workmanship… until you see that one thing that stands out like a sore thumb! Across the yard, a branch or twig dared to fall on your beautifully manicured lawn, so now your yard looks horrible! You won’t be able to be totally satisfied with your completed yard-work, until you go all the way over there and pick up that one branch. Or, if it’s not a branch or a twig, there’s that one, single blade that decided to be a rebel and elude that mower, no matter how many times you ran over it with the mower!

You’ve been so careful and deliberate to get that yard picture-perfect, and it has taken you so much time and tedious care to achieve that goal… if it weren’t for that one single, rebellious blade or daredevil twig!!

What’s the first thing that anyone will notice when they look across your beautifully manicured yard? Will they notice how you have trimmed the sidewalk and driveway so perfectly that there isn’t one blade that dares to poke it’s little head across that cement line? Will they notice that there is no longer any yellowing in the grass, due to fungus or disease, because you have spent all kinds of money or whatever is out there to get rid of it? Will they notice how you so carefully weed-eated every tree trunk and nook and cranny? Will they notice that you were very careful so as not to leave any tire ruts across that vast grass expanse? Will they notice that that bald spot, due to fungus and disease, is now growing back over? NO! They will notice that one single twig that has dared to fall!!

Now, let’s look at your next door neighbor. Obviously, they are not as meticulous, and careful as you. They let their grass grow knee deep; they don’t pick up the sticks that have fallen; there are children’s toys are strewn everywhere - at all times; the weeds are growing in the flower beds, so high that you can barely see the flowers, or whatever is “deemed” as such; the grass is wilting and turning brown from lack of watering; there are mole tunnels and gofer hills everywhere; the tree that has fallen three months ago is still laying there, with grass growing even taller amongst its branches! I could go on, but I think you can get a visual on this yard, as we all have witnessed such a “yard”.

So, you ask yourself that question; where do you begin to “fix” that yard? Do you start with the fallen tree? The grass growing up to your knees, or the half-grown shoots that are all over sidewalk, driveway and road? Or the toys scattered all over the place? What about the flowerbeds? Where do you start? Can you even conceive of nit-picking those areas that have been overlooked or “rebelled”? The whole, entire yard needs help!

Compare that with your yard. You have spent hours upon hours in your yard, and what is it that someone will point out and question you or ridicule you? It is that ONE twig or blade of grass daring to stand so boldly in that perfectly manicured, and sculptured, green lawn!

THAT, is how lawns compare to politics! Your yard – Republicans (McCain/Palin). Neighbor’s yard – Democrats (Obama/Biden). Republicans have just those few “twigs” to clean up. Democrats – Where do you begin???

Beautiful Things

It's pictures like these that make me want to be a photographer:



Jessica Claire (www.jessicaclaire.net) is the photographer. I don't stalk many websites, but hers...definitely.








Haha, just noticed that the main color theme in all of those pictures is green. Weird.

Part of Growing

"Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of thy son, Jesus Christ."
-George Washington

It's amazing how the perspective of a blog post changes when it's started out with acknowledgment of the faithfulness of God. I started typing this earlier and it was whiny and annoying and sounded just like everything else I've ever written. When I realized that, it hit me that if something I'm writing sounds just like everything else I've written, there's something wrong. Old adamic nature's creeping back into places I've grown in: I'm getting lazy.

I was in the car with my Grandaddy one Sunday, and I was asking him about his week and how things were going. He expressed concern to me that things weren't busy enough. He wasn't able to actively work on different real estate (not only is he my Church's pastor, but he's a full-time real estate agent) deals and keep his mind working. Granted, he saw God's grace in the situation and was able to change the spare time into much needed study time for a sermon; but the reason for his saying these things were not to complain; but that it seriously concerned him to not be busy, all day, six days a week.

Well...my first reaction was surprise...and then I thought about it. For me, I'm ready for the week to be over by Wednesday so I can sleep (granted I never get to bed when I should), and come Friday I definitely don't feel like working. And even Saturday, a day that's supposedly a work-day is wasted doing a whole lot of nothing (okay not really, but you get my point).
So the more I thought about it, the more it convicted me how lazy I really am. Physically and mentally. Once you stop working or actively thinking, you get bored. Once you get bored, you start thinking about how bored you are. And from there it's downhill because you just can't quit thinking about yourself because you have nothing else to do.

So not only does it make you unhappy, you suffer in every other way as well; your mind isn't on doing things well to the glory of the Father (chief end of man...it's kinda important ;-) ). How can people grow under those circumstances, for that is the basis in which we can (by grace) grow?
I think that's why Grandaddy was fearful of not being busy; idle hands, idle mind, idle heart.

Exodus 20:8

8 “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.


Proverbs 10:1-4

1 The proverbs of Solomon:

A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
But righteousness delivers from death.
3 The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
But He casts away the desire of the wicked.
4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 19:15
11 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
12 The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.
14 Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the LORD.
15 Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And an idle person will suffer hunger.
16 He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But he who is careless^[a] of his ways will die.

Anyway, I could say more on this, but, I'm going to leave it at that. Comments or thoughts would be cool. :)