Beulah Acres …and the Lord God planted a garden.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this post is priceless!

I would much rather garden than try to understand the intricacies of my computer.  Honestly, I just want things to work the way they are supposed to, whether it’s a computer or a coffee pot.  Unfortunately, there are times when the wondrous world of technology breaks down and we have to either fix it or call the geek squad.  Calling the geek squad is fine when one has the time to wait for their arrival.  This week, well into late spring planting season, waiting for the geeks wasn’t an option. I just started replacing batteries in wireless devices, shutting down and restarting the computer, and talking sternly to the monitor.  When none of those actions produced the desired result, I went to Best Buy and bought a new mouse.  Finally, after overcoming my urge to throw something, my computer is back in proper working order so I can write a new post!

The weather has been perfect this week for planting in the Twelve Tribes Garden.  Several faithful gardeners have labored with me the past three days, weeding, preparing new bedding areas, and planting.  We have planted fig, pomegranate, and desert willow trees; dwarf wax myrtle, Indian hawthorn, and cleyera shrubs, and a variety of perennials and annuals.  The bridge between Ephraim and Asher is complete.  The pathway from the Threshing Floor is well underway.  The arbors in Reuben and over the Threshing Floor were started today.  And new areas of the garden are being defined every day.  Throughout the workday, visitors come to the garden to walk, to pray, and to fellowship.  The presence of the Lord and the love of His people in this place are a delight to experience.

After I came home this evening and cleaned up from a day of playing in the dirt, Chuck and I returned to the garden.  That’s when I took these pictures.  Enjoy the tour!

When I arrived at the garden this morning, a group of eager gardeners awaited me.  Jesus de la Cruz was already working on the threshing floor, and the community vegetable garden crew had begun filling the raised planters with soil.  After last week’s rain, everyone was eager to get back to work.  As you will see from the pictures, the garden was buzzing with activity–and it wasn’t just the bees!

The threshing floor in Ephraim is a work of art that will be a focal point and reminder of God’s provision, both physically and spiritually.  Even now I can imagine the arbor draped with a chuppah in preparation for a wedding.  Ephraim is connected to the seventh month–Tishrei–on the Hebrew calendar.  Tishrei is the time of year when harvest is complete and the people experience the fullness of God’s blessings.  The youngest of Joseph’s two sons born in Egypt, Ephraim received the firstborn’s blessing even though he was younger than his brother Manasseh.  Jacob said of Manasseh, “He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”  Ephraim’s portion of our garden will reflect the fruitfulness and prosperity of his father, Joseph, through the plants and the threshing floor.  As the Word says in Genesis 49:22, “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall.”

Here is a sample of the activity today in the garden.  Enjoy!

This first week in May has been a time of planning and preparation in the Twelve Tribes of Israel Prayer Garden.  The welcome rain gave all the garden crew an opportunity to rest their planting muscles before starting on the next phase.  This has been a week for walking through the garden, getting a feel for the rest of the tribes, marking new pathways and bedding areas, and making choices about permanent features in the landscape.  In the days and weeks ahead, several things will change in the garden:

• A threshing floor arbor will be built in the tribe of Ephraim
• A bridge will be built connecting Asher to the rest of the garden
• Stone steps and a retaining wall will be installed in the tribe of Reuben
• A water feature will be added to the tribe of Manasseh
• And so much more!

And, of course, there will be lots of new trees, shrubs, and flowers planted throughout the garden!

Even now, with just a fraction of the garden completed, the Spirit of the Father is so strong!  Of course, from the very beginning of this adventure, God’s people have walked and prayed over and through every part of this place.  It is truly a sanctified piece of earth, and I am blessed to be a part of it.  I can’t begin to express my thanksgiving to all those who have sowed into this garden with time, money, plants and prayers.  And even if you can’t be here to experience the garden in person, I will continue to post pictures so you can enjoy what God is doing in Corinth, Texas.

Shabbat Shalom.

Living in Texas, where drought is often a reality, we rejoice when God hears and answers our prayers for rain!  In the last forty-eight hours, we have been blessed with an abundance of spring rain and unseasonably cool temperatures.  Today, my outdoor thermometer never registered above fifty-five degrees while the rain fell steadily most of the day.  The next three days promise to be mild and sunny.  Even so, the ground will be too wet for in-ground gardening for several days.  During this gardening break, we will be planning the next phase in the Twelve Tribes Garden, building raised beds in the one-acre vegetable garden, and tending to the compost pile.  By the end of the week, I hope to have a nice, newsy post for you all!

I know it’s been a while since my last post, but I really do have a good excuse!  Until time and commitments permit, here’s a pictorial post from the past week in the garden.  Thanks for your patience!

As you can imagine, the days and weeks leading up to Passover are a busy time at Glory of Zion.  This year, the added excitement and activity at the Global Spheres Center in Corinth have added a whole new dimension to our preparations.  In the Twelve Tribes Garden, we have maneuvered through some interesting weather patterns lately, including rain, hail, high winds, and the variety of temperatures typical of north Texas springtime.  This morning, I went to the garden to see the finished water feature.  The first thing I noticed was the sound: the water actually sounds musical as it cascades gently over the rocks and into the stream bed.  How appropriate that the center of Judah has musical accompaniment provided by the balanced combination of water and stone.  I can’t wait for you all to see it!

Just so you can appreciate the process, I have provided a series of photographs taken over the last week.

This morning, I was joined in the garden by five wonderful ladies and my grandson, Stephen.  Together we planted a truckload of plants in Simeon’s butterfly garden.  What would have taken me two days to accomplish was completed in less than three hours.  Many hands really do make light work!  What a beautiful example of the Body of Christ working together to accomplish good things!  We planted a fragrant and colorful array of larval (caterpillar food) plants and nectar (butterfly) plants for our crawling and winged friends.  In fact, just as we finished watering in the last plant, a butterfly came by to inspect and sample our handiwork.  Here’s a before and after gallery for you to enjoy:

In the Twelve Tribes of Israel Garden, the tribe of Benjamin is situated just east of Judah.  The other boundaries of the tribe are Ephraim to the north and east, and Gad to the south.  In Deuteronomy 33:12 Moses said, “The people of Benjamin are loved by the Lord and live in safety beside him.  He surrounds them continuously and preserves them from every harm.”  Because Benjamin was Jacob’s youngest son, the children’s department adopted this section of the garden for their own.  Just as the Lord surrounded Benjamin and preserved them from harm, so those who minister to children feel the same protective instinct.  For that reason, we placed Benjamin in the heart of the garden, surrounded by the rest of the tribes.

Historically, the major portions of the Torah relating to Benjamin’s month of Kislev are associated with dreams during the night season.  The Feast of Lights–Hanukkah–is celebrated at the end of this month.  Additionally, the animal connected to Benjamin is the wolf, an animal that is certainly suited to the night.  And so, the children have started the planting of their garden area with white flowering plants that will reflect moonlight or bloom only in the evening.

Last Sunday, April 3, a group of children, parents, grandparents, aunts, teachers and friends joined together in the garden to clear weeds, roots, and debris in preparation for planting.  The children planted a white-blooming dogwood tree, night-blooming jasmine, variegated flag and hostas, shasta daisies, artemesia, and an Eve’s Necklace tree.  I was blessed and impressed by the energy and perseverance of this group of children.  They worked just as hard as any adult in the group and entered into the future plans with enthusiasm.  I am looking forward to our next work day!

Take a look at this beautiful group of young gardeners.

How lovely is Your tabernacle,
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young—
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You.

Psalm 84:1-4

I took a moment this evening to wander through my own back yard and enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of spring.  I was tempted to work, because I have neglected my own yard and gardens while overseeing the Twelve Tribes Garden in Corinth.  When I chose to lean the rake back against the wall and enter Shabbat with thanksgiving, I was greeted with the nest you see here.  In the climbing rose bush next to my garden gate, a pair of mockingbirds have constructed their nest.  Now I know who has been singing so exuberantly outside my window every morning for the past week!  Praise breaks forth from creation, and we are privileged to join in the song!

Shabbat shalom, y’all!