Plantings
By Doug | February 21, 2009
Our goal for the last several months has been to clear enough land to plant fruit trees and berries. They can be growing as we work on the house or on other parts of the land. We have generally enjoyed cutting down trees of every size, stacking wood, pulling out vines, chopping brush, and digging out stumps. The cleared area is not very big, but it is large enough for a start and should recieve adequate sunlight for growing. On Friday, the plants came that we we ordered from Stark Bros. Today we planted the following in the cleared area:
- 3 ea-Prime Jim Blackberry plants
- 2 ea Blueberry bushes (bare root Climax and Tifblue rabbiteye variety)
- 1 ea Golden Delicious Apple tree (semi dwarf)
- 1 ea Red Rome Beauty Apple tree (dwarf)
Two peach trees will go into the same area once they arrive next month.
It is very interesting that God used the same imagery to describe the ministry of Jeremiah the prophet. These are the same steps that lead to spiritual growth and fruitfulness.
See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. Jeremiah 1:10
We look forward to watching these plants grow and to eating the fruit! I expect that God enjoys watching us grow and bearing spiritual fruit.
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Bible Quizzing
By Doug | February 8, 2009
Bible quizzing is a competitive means for teens to learn the Word of God. We have three teams at our church, Hampton Park Baptist, and we compete each month with about nine other ministries through the Piedmont Quizzing Association. Each team quizzes against two other teams in a month and then we have a tournament at the end of the year. Five teens make up a team. Each team sits facing the quizmaster who asks a question. The first person to stand has the opportunity to answer. An electronic device indicates who stood first. A quiz consists of 20 correctly answered questions. Quizzes can be very exciting and stressful for both the participants and the audience!
Joyce’s team, The Fishermen, were in 7th place going into the tournament. They did very well and took 2nd place! Auria answered many questions through the day. Both the coach and quizzers were very excited about it all!
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Scenes from January
By Doug | February 2, 2009
The first month of 2009 has come and gone so quickly! Major events in the Garland family included the start of school, Joyce’s birthday, our first snow, work on the lot, preparing the garden, and a visit by Andrew and Melanie.
Joyce received a very good report from her doctor this month and continues to do well. We thank and praise God for His goodness to us!
You may need to look very carefully to see the snow in the pictures! None accumulated, but it was nice to see. The weatherman is predicting a possibility of snow this week….
I planted snow peas in the garden and various bulbs in the flower beds yesterday. We are looking at seed catalogs as we plan future plantings which should start in about one month.
We had several good work sessions on the lot in January. The goal is to create an area for fruit trees by the end of February. Both peach and apple trees require 3-4 years of growth before producing a good crop. The trees can be growing as we plan and build the house. Our method involved clearing out brush and small trees, cutting down larger trees, and then cleaning up the aftermath. We shoud be ready to plant the trees after one or two more sessions. Peter and Noel Typak helped with the tree cutting and cleaning up. Noel is a student of mine. His family is in the late planning stage for building a new home. I have enjoyed helping them through the process. The economic melt down birthed some new restrictions and rules for obtaining construction financing. Both the Garlands and the Typaks are trying to navigate through the process. Most private investors in the mortgage market have gone elsewhere after losing lots of money. Banks now depend more heavily on federally backed mortgage programs. I think I am beginning to understand the federal rules and will continue the quest over the next few weeks. One way or the other, it appears that the loans backed by the federal government drive people out of the market and add some cost to the price of a new house. I thought the feds were trying to stimulate the economy…
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Update on Joyce
By Doug | January 14, 2009
Joyce received some very favorable test results today. The doctor’s words were “outstanding response!” We give God the glory for His goodness to us! We also want to thank our many friends and family for praying. Please continue to pray in the assurance that God does indeed answer our petitions.
FYI: Friday is Joyce’s birthday.
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A Family Work Day
By Doug | January 11, 2009
We (Doug, Joyce, Anthony, and Auria) spent the first part of Saturday working on our land. Anthony and I drove over early. Several small and medium size trees fell over in the last week due to some rain and high winds. We cut them up with the chain saw and then started on some trees that were tangled in other trees and vines. We accomplished a lot in a few hours. Joyce and Auria came a little later and worked removing brush on the front part of the property. They also constructed a set of steps to make walking from the road to the land much easier. Grandma Q was running some errands and stopped by to see us. She also brought a dozen Krsipy Kream donuts which provided a nice energy boost.
The short term goal for the work is to be able to plant some peach and apples trees on the back of the property which faces south. Last week I collected a soil sample and delivered it to the local Clemson University extension office. For $6, they will analyze the sample and make recommendations about correcting the ph, adding fertilizer and other nutrients. It is a very small investment that could have large returns. Clemson also has some outstanding information on their Home and Garden Information web site about growing various crops and plants in South Carolina.
Some food for thought….
Genesis 2:8, 15 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (15) And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
God planted a garden. Man was to take care of the garden. God did not need a man to take care of his garden. God gave man the opportunity to garden so that He and the man could have something in common and could then fellowship together. Do we fellowship with God in the simple daily routines that He gives us?
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New Years Day 2009
By Doug | January 4, 2009
Doug, Joyce, Anthony, and Auria stayed up to observe the beginning of 2009. We anticipated lots of fire crackers and fire works in our neighborhood and we were not disappointed! All of us slept in for a while in the morning. Anthony and Auria then took down the Christmas tree. Once the temperature reached about 40 degrees, we drove over to our lot for a few hours of land clearing. Last year, the Lord allowed us to purchase about 1.2 acres in a very nice area near Paris Mountain State Park. At one time, we understand that the land was a cotton field. Once active cultivation ceased, pine trees began to grow. Right now we have about 175 trees on the property. Most are pine with a few nice populars and some sweet gum. Many of the trees were damaged in an ice storm a few years ago. We are currently clearing out the underbrush prior to begining to take down some of the larger trees. We got a lot done today. Much remains! The process has given all of us a new appreication for the pioneers that settled our country. I can hardly imagine what it must have required to clear acres of land with axes and old fashioned saws!
After coming home, we rested for a while and then enjoyed a nice ham dinner and watched football. We were too tired to do much else!
We look forward to God’s blessings in 2009. “The future is as bright as the promises of God.”
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The Joys and Sorrows of Life
By Doug | December 26, 2008
The Garland family has enjoyed a wonderful Christmas in every regard. Our fellowship with one another has been pleasant and frequent. It has been refreshment to all. In the providence of God, however, our time of joy has been flanked at the beginning and at the end by two funerals.
I am reminded of the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes. Solomon’s words can be hard to understand at times. (I rather expect that as the wisest of men, his thoughts might be on little higher level than most of us encounter on a daily basis!) Ecclesiastes presents many contrasts in life that tend to vex our souls. For example,
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.
Ecclesiastes 8:17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.
Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
The bottom line (to employ an overused economic term) is that we will not completely understand the purposes and works of God in this world. The contrasts of life make us thirsty for the life to come in God’s presence. We rejoice in the good things in this life as tokens of what will be in eternity. We sorrow over our losses which become reminders of our need for God.
Let me pay tribute to the two people to whom we said a temporary goodbye.
Dr. Marshall Neal
Dr. Marshall Neal entered into the presence of the Lord at 89 years of age on December 16, 2008. He spent the last seven years in the Barge Hospital infirmary at Bob Jones University. Dr. Neal taught me New Testament Introduction and Hebrews in Greek in graduate school. Both courses were thorough and very helpful. Several Dr. Neal-isms remain with me today. After turning in various papers, the students would ask him when he planned to grade them. He would tell us that he was allowing them to ripen like a peach or tomato so that the grades would be better. I caught myself one time saying nearly the same thing to some of my students! We could always tell when he was resurrecting some fact or position from his brain’s vast storehouse of knowledge. He would stroke his chin and lean back for a few seconds before quietly dispensing an answer. Dr. Neal graciously gave me a C- in the Hebrews in Greek class. I suspect that I deserved far less. He knew what kind of schedule I kept in those days and decided to show compassion. I routinely encounter students that are struggling. I enjoy showing some form of compassion when I can. Dr. Neal provided a great example of a tough but compassionate college teacher. I visited with him occasionally at Barge though his mind was slipping. Many colleagues and students honored him at his funeral. He trained untold numbers of preachers, teachers, missionaries, and scholars. His reward in heaven will be great! Two of his sons (John and Nelson) go to Hampton Park Baptist Church with us.
Mrs. Julie Hadley
Mrs. Julie Hadley entered the Lord’s presence on December 23, 2008. Her husband Mike passed away 17 years ago. Mike and I were roommates for just long enough during my sophomore year for us to establish a great friendship. He introduced me to Julie by showing me her picture on his book shelf in the dorm. They married about the same time that Joyce and I did, and their two children, Amy and Kevin, are about the ages of our two oldest children. We were in the young married Sunday School class together and all of us worked at BJU in some capacity. When we were moving back to Greenville years later, I asked Mike to inspect our house for us. The day before we moved back from Florida in July, we found out that Mike had cancer. He died that same November. Mike’s youngest sister Susan asked me to be her adopted brother and Julie asked us to be the guardians of the children in the event something happened to her. For the last 10 years, Julie suffered from many serious and discouraging illnesses. She always looked for God’s hand in her trials and depended upon His grace. Her situation provided many opportunities for the folks at church to help her in one way or another. I think the last thing I did for her was to turn down the water pressure at her house which was causing the pipes to bang. She supported Teaching Faithful Men, my radio program, for several years. Amy just finished student teaching for her master’s degree in education. Kevin runs a welding business. Both are fine young adults that will need our continued prayers and support in the days to come. Julie’s funeral brought tears to many eyes. It also rejoiced our hearts to think that her suffering is over and that she is in glory with her Lord and with her husband.
To God be the glory, great things He has done!
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Scenes from the Garland Christmas Celebration
By Doug | December 25, 2008
The Garland family enjoys a number of traditions each year in celebration of the birth of Christ. On Christmas Eve in the evening, we go to the service at Hampton Park Baptist Church. The service is a little different each year but has the unchanging focus of directing our hearts toward the true meaning of Christmas. It always concludes with the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Folks in the congregation are invited to join the choir for the singing. Joyce, Abby, Andrew, and Anthony sang this year. We then gather at our home. This year we shared Christmas memories which included fond remembrances of food, family gatherings, and the family version of Christmas vespers. (Ask the Garland kids about this and you will get lots of stories!) The siblings then open a gift from each other before retiring for the evening.
Christmas day began at 9:00 am as the family gathered at our home. Doug read the Christmas story from Luke 2. We then opened gifts beginning at the eldest and working toward the youngest. It was great fun to see what everyone opened! Anthony got the prize for the most unusually wrapped gift. He bought his father a large umbrella and put it inside a 6′ long paper tube. He then took a smaller paper tube and attached it to the other with duct tape at 90 degree angle at the top. It looked like a giant “T” and generated a number of guesses as to what might be in the contrapion. Some of the better ones were a plumbing tool, a soil corer, or a divining rod. Turned out just to be a large well-disguised umbrella! Grandma Q passed out a number of gifts cards from various stores and we then swapped them with each other to try to end up with ones to our favorite stores. Abby made cinamon rolls from scratch for breakfast and all of us greatly enjoyed them.
We went to the BJU Dining Common for lunch about noon and enjoyed a fine meal with Mel’s family.
We then enjoyed a quiet afternoon and evening of reading, playing games, raking leaves, and of course eating.
Thanks be unto God for the great gift of a family!
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Thanksgiving
By Doug | November 28, 2008
The Garland family gathered at Grandma Q’s house for a traditional Thanksgiving meal and celebration. Moriah Mullen (sister of Lincoln), Brian Buda (BJU grad student) and the Snow family (Dave, Janet, and Katy) joined us. Andrew and Mel drove down from Virginia. Abby and Lincoln are local. We praise the Lord that we could all be together and enjoy a great day! We played two-hand touch football, ate, talked, ate some more, watched football, and listened to Sleigh Ride on the piano.
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Auria Plays Basketball at BJA
By Doug | November 22, 2008
BJA organizes a girls intramural basketball competition in November. The four teams this year played a two day season and tournament. About 45% of the players were freshmen. The Jaguars (Auria’s team) took second place. Auria (#2) did very well and played a lot as a freshman! In the final game, she scored two points, had several assists, contributed to the defence, and blocked a shot that fired up her team. Joyce watched all of the games and I saw most of them. The gym is the building right next to my office and I had stacks of papers and projects to grade. Joyce and I both concluded that BJA girls basketball was a big upgrade from junior high basketball and that the wooden bleachers are very hard! We praise God that our children have enjoyed the opportunity to attend a Christian school with strong academics and a balanced sports program. God is good!
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