Visions Becoming Reality

We've been very busy lately creating the Grace Community Garden. In early April many from the church and community came out to help us prepare the garden space. The huge pile (6 cu. yds.) of soil that came later in the month has been used to create raised beds (as well as the kids favorite play space, and a bike jump for neighborhood teens!).

As the weather finally warmed up and dried out, the kids were able to paint the rain barrel with their own unique designs.

With these elements in place, the garden plan that I spent countless hours putting together this winter is being put into action (and amended constantly!), as many hands help plant seeds.


And after planting our first plots of spinach and salad greens in April, we've already begun harvesting our first crops. The first neighborhood barbeque was held at the church last week, and we were able to share a salad with spring mix from the garden!



To date we've created three 15'x4' raised beds for vegetables and along with the garlic started last fall we've planted, spinach, greens, radishes, turnips, carrots, lettuces, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, beets, beans, and now cantelopes. Seeds for tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers have been started indoors. A 3'x 5' herb bed, and a 2'x4' sunflower bed have also been created. The cherry tree the kids planted last fall has bloomed and begun forming cherries. The butterfly garden has had more perennials added, and two large compost bins have been made out of old pallets.

I made many visits to the garden site early this spring and looked longingly over the grounds. I anxiously waited to see that muddy overgrown lot redeemed and transformed into something beautiful and productive. It has seemed like forever as this cold soggy spring has thawed out, but now we are already sharing the firstfriuts of the harvest!

What a picture of our Christian walk. In Christ we can see a vision of what it looks like for the Kingdom of Heaven to be lived out right here on earth. As His followers, there is a great deal of longing in us for the time when that vision will fully become reality. But the good news is, that through the Spirit, we are already tasting the firstfruits of that Kingdom life. Redemption and transformation are already taking place.

May we be filled with visions and anticipation for what God wants to accomplish through us, but may we also be filled with the Spirit that transforms those visions into reality!