Posts by Mark Henslee
The Puzzle Picture of Life
My grandmother always had a puzzle in progress when I went to visit. I enjoyed looking at the pieces and figuring out where they went to complete the picture. She taught me to start with the edge pieces or border. Then, we would work on different sections, sometimes moving from one to another, until the…
Read MoreThe Fruit of Our Mouths
Several years ago, a friend was helping me with a construction project when I hit my thumb with the hammer against a joist hanger. Hitting a thumb with a hammer hurts. This took that pain to a significantly higher level! After I let out a cry of pain and a few mumbled words, my friend…
Read MorePruning To Bear Much Fruit
In the past couple of posts, I’ve been sharing spiritual lessons from my garden. Today, we’re going to learn about pruning so that we can bear more fruit. One of the exciting parts of a garden is to watch the plants grow bigger and bigger. Then, the flowers form, and the anticipation of the fruit…
Read MoreThe Battle for Fresh Fruit
“It must be nice to get all of that fresh produce for free.” A garden can provide an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables right in your own backyard. However, to say that it is free would be a great misstatement. There’s the cost of the seeds, or starter plants; the soil and amendments; fertilizer;…
Read MoreWe Were Created to Live and Produce Fruit Right-Side Up
I enjoy gardening. There is something therapeutic about working in the soil and tending to plants. Watching a little seed sprout, then become a full-sized plant, and eventually producing something that I can enjoy eating. This year, I decided that I would start a garden, as it has been a long time since I last…
Read MoreYesterday’s Challenges Prepare Us For Today’s Victories
All of us face challenges in life. Some are big, some small, others are ginormous. As we face today’s challenges it is helpful to remember what the Lord has done to bring us through in the past. In 1 Samuel 17, we read the famous story about David facing Goliath. Much is made about David’s…
Read MoreYes Lord, In Your Strength
A New Year has come, and for many, that means making resolutions for things that we intend to do this year. Some want to lose weight, or improve their health in some way. Resolutions are generally goals that we believe will improve our life. These are good things. Yet, how many actually make it to…
Read MoreMy Hope Is Not In The Ballot Box
I voted today. It wasn’t a passionate process like some times in the past. In fact, there was only one candidate that I really wanted to vote for, and ironically, that was in a non-contested race for a local position. Most of the people I voted for were either based on best guess or while…
Read MoreFilled Full For Purpose
We were at a hotel some time ago, and after checking in I grabbed a luggage cart and rolled it out to the car. It rolled just fine. I loaded our bags on the cart and then started to roll it into the hotel to our room. It didn’t roll nearly as well. In fact,…
Read MoreCreated and Surrendered For Purpose
The couple had consulted specialists and decided that humanly there was no hope for them to bear a child of their own. But the desire was deep; a longing for something that they couldn’t have. So they petitioned the Lord. Pleading for a long time, until one day, they received the answer. The desire of…
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