Wilsonesque

Gardening Chronicles: Weeding

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:04:00 -0400

Here’s a definition for you:

To weed (verb):

To clear of weeds; to free from something hurtful or offensive; to remove the less desirable portions of.
To get rid of (something harmful or superfluous).

That is the stage we are at in our garden journey.

As an aside, I just had flashbacks about the book Pilgrim’s Progress. I am, by no means, John Bunyan writing out of my imprisonment, but I guess it’s because our garden often seems like an allegory to me.

But I digress…

First, let me give props to the plastic mulch again. It seems to cut down on weeding because the sproutlings are under a covering where they are kept warm and safe. However, there are some weeds that seem to like the dark and grow under the plastic mulch right at the base of our sproutlings. These weeds have been harder to see, and since most of the sproutlings are still smaller, they often blend in. A note about harmful weeds: They like to blend in and get close to fruit-bearing plants. They may lay low for a while, but eventually will take over your garden if not plucked out…by the root (such a satisfying feeling).

So, it’s pretty obvious…you have to get rid of the weeds and really keep up with it so they don’t kill your fruit-bearing plants.

What is less obvious (at least it was to me when we started) is that you also have to get rid of superfluities; the excess that may prevent the stronger sproutlings from producing really good vegetation. Everything I’ve read stresses the importance of plant spacing and also thinning out your plants. Every seed packet indicates the amount of space your plant needs, which is different for each type. You may sow the seeds close together in many cases, simply because not all the seeds will take root (germinate), but once they start growing they need space. If you don’t provide the proper amount of space and concurrently thin the excess, then (1) the plants will eventually work against each other with some taking over the others, and (2) their fruit will be smaller and less flavorful. Again, this is the consensus I’ve gained from researching and asking around.

“Failure to thin your garden properly may result in either a plant that takes over, or one that doesn’t grow to its potential. Keep in mind that thinning should be done even before it’s readily apparent that your garden needs it.” (Thinning Your Garden).

I have to admit getting rid of the unnecessary is a challenge for me…yes, even in gardening. For example, right now we have some tomato transplants we started at home. Well, every seed we planted in those little pots must have sprouted because there are about 8+ sprout-babies in each pot. Now, the good news here is that while they are young we can gently split them up and plant the other sproutlings in additional pots (so I’ve been told). But at the garden, it will be a sad day when we have to pluck out some perfectly good white acre pea babies so that the others have room to grow and flourish. It will be especially difficult if there are several side by side all doing really well.

So, weeding is not just getting rid of the harmful that can kill your plant’s fruit/vegetation but also the unnecessary excess that can limit or keep it from flourishing.

Not hard to connect the dots on why the garden seems like an allegory.

To close…here are some recent pictures of our garden-patch kids.

Squash (UH-mazing)

Romaine Lettuce

Potatoes (finally sprouted)

Collards

Canteloupe

Baby Watermelon

Tomatoes

Garden

Garden-Parents

Gardening Chronicles: Warmth & Growth

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 16:45:00 -0500

What a gorgeous day! After being cooped up inside all week due to the flu (that mess is no joke), I was ready to check on our little sprout-babies. Although now, many of them have progressed to sproutlings.

I was worried about our white acre pea babies as I’ve read they do not handle the cold very well. Last night it was supposed to get down to 31 degrees, so I fretted like any good garden-mama would. Chad reassured me, “Babe, they’ll be fine.”

He was right. There they were, standing straight and tall seemingly un-phased by last nights temperatures. I do think the plastic mulch is helping tremendously to keep the soil warm and the moisture locked in.

We did, however, decide to reinforce this by putting some hay around our tomatoes and white acre peas. This is also another way to cut down on pesky weeds (random fact: nut grass, we learned today, is the #1 worst weed…coconut grass is #3…not sure about #2).

Now I feel as though they will be warmer tonight although I think all chances of freezing are probably past since we are in mid-March (what?).

As I mentioned, the sprout-babies have developed into sproutlings. Here are some of the developments:

White Acre Peas:

Pole Beans:

Squash (It’s hard to tell from this picture, but they have really taken off):

Collards:

Cucumbers (still sprout-babies):

Carrots (little carrot-top babies):

Onions (so tempted to pull them because they look like weeds to me):

Romaine (still a baby):

The watermelon and cantaloupe are very small still and many of them did not take. We’ll see what happens. The potatoes were just planted a week ago and have not sprouted yet. The tomato and bell pepper transplants are doing well and have grown taller as well as developed more foliage.

Farmer Tom things using plastic mulch is “working on magic.” Guess that means we have no idea what we’re doing but it seems to be working. “Seems to be” is the operative word. Although, I will admit I pray over our garden.

My mom keeps telling me if all our white acre peas yield, we will need to quickly look for an electric pea sheller. I seem to recall bleeding under my finger nails as a kid after shelling peas all day. I’ve started looking.

On the home-growing front, our herb-babies (as my friend, Sara, has rightly named them) are doing splendid (basil, oregano, cilantro, and chives). They looked a little down today though. Right now they are basking in the sunshine. Also, some tomato and onion starters we thought had been washed away by the rain, began to poke through the soil. I have to admit, I had left them for dead. But there they were.

The Chad laughs at how excited I get over this gardening thing. I just hope I don’t get equally as sad if we lose more than we gain. Either way, I have been careful to go in with realistic expectations. The fact that in one week we had sprout-babies already far exceeded my expectations. So, I think we’re good.

The Horton-Wilson Family complete with a new...

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:07:12 -0500

The Horton-Wilson Family complete with a new wife/daughter/sister. My favorite people in one place = heaven!

I am immediately drawn to pictures of NYC. One of my favorite...

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:03:44 -0500

I am immediately drawn to pictures of NYC. One of my favorite places and one of many fond memories (including getting engaged to the Chad). The Chrysler Building is stunning any time of day but this photo captures its grandness and hi-lights its detail.

newlyyorked:

Chrysler Building

Gardening Chronicles: Sprouting

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:06:00 -0500

After only one week, EVERYTHING in our vegetable garden has sprouted. I was like a little kid when we drove up and Chad said, “Look at all those sprouts!” Most importantly, the white acre peas have sprouted. We have 3 rows of these because I wanted to ensure we had plenty of our favorite veggie.

Let me back up a few days. We went out to the garden plot 2 days after planting to check that everything was getting watered properly and to plant carrots and cucumbers. The soaker hoses and timer were working beautifully. Underneath the plastic mulch, the soil was nice and warm…which things like peas enjoy. So, the plastic mulch may be contributing to the, what seems to be, instant growth.

Now keeping them alive.

Here are a few pictures of our sprout-babies:

White Acre Peas:

Pole Beans:

Collards:

Squash:

We also planted red and white potatoes, garlic and a few herbs on Saturday. Everything I’ve read about the garlic said it could take 4-5 months before it is ready. Seemed like an interesting thing to grow and since we have plenty of room, I thought we’d try it.

The other thing that has been an unexpected benefit is the community of gardeners…both professional and hobby-ists…we have met. We’ve met another pastor of a church here in town that is gardening in a plot next to us, a retired gentleman who is an expert tiller of the land, and then another guy who has been farming for 27 years (that’s Farmer Tom).

So…stay posted for more gardening chronicles and the growth of our sprout-babies.

Gardening Chronicles: Planting

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:25:00 -0500

Because I think I should try as many things as possible before dying or being raptured away, we planted a vegetable garden. It wasn’t spontaneous or unplanned. We started talking about planting a garden early last year and did our research. We found a farm called Orchard Pond Organics (www.orchardpondorganics.com) that rents out 30’x50’ garden plots (our back yard does not have enough room and there are too many trees blocking sunlight). There is a small monthly fee and they provide one till a year along with a water spigot to connect your irrigation. So this year we did it…we became farmers. OK, more like amateur gardeners. But, I like the idea of being a farmer.

I thought it would be fun to document our gardening process for future reference and to see if other people have suggestions on how we could do things better. We are learning that there are many different farming methods.

First, these are the items we planted:

Pole Beans, White Acre Peas, Beefsteak Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Red Potatoes, White Potatoes, Bell Peppers, Collards, Yellow Squash, Green Onions, Cucumbers, Carrots, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Garlic, Rosemary, Oregano, Chives, Basil, and Cilantro.

Sounds like a lot. Probably is. Since this is our first go around, we weren’t sure if we would grow anything. We planted quite a bit of pole beans, potatoes, white acre peas, and tomatoes. And just a little bit of the other items.

Since Orchard Pond is an organic farm, all our seeds had to be organic. We also asked around and were told that heirloom seeds are best. We bought our seeds from High Mowing Seed (highmowingseeds.com) and Johnny’s Seed (www.johnnyseeds.com). High Mowing seeds has a lot of information on each crop as well.

So, Chad’s parents came in from out of town to help us. It was great.

In the picture below you can see our rows after they were first dug.

After we dug our rows, we laid soaker hoses (thank you, Adam!).

Taking our friend, Adam’s advice, we decided to lay plastic mulch over our rows before planting to cut down on weeding. Apparently this generated lots of looks and questions even from the seasoned farmers. But they ultimately said it was a good idea.

We set up our poles and twine for the pole beans. At first we only had horizontal twine between the poles until a local farmer reminded us that pole beans grow vertical…duh and thank you.

Then the planting began. One thing that confused me, being a novice, was how many seeds to put in each cell. Most seed packets told you the depth, plant spacing, and row spacing, but few mentioned how many seeds to plant in one spot. After talking to Farmer Tom (a farmer for Orchard Pond), I realized it wasn’t that tricky. For instance, with the pole beans, we made a slit in the plastic mulch (not too big or the plastic will blow open rendering it useless). Then I ran my finger in the soil (the length of the slit) at about an inch deep (different for each seed), and dropped the seeds in along the line I made with my finger…following the spacing mentioned on the seed packet. The covered the seeds lightly. Farmer Tom said it didn’t have to be exact…just close. I guess it was just amazing to me that large plants will come from such small seeds.

At the end of the day we had planted everything listed above except for the potatoes and herbs, which we planted the next week.

We ended the day by connecting a timer to the irrigation.

Day one was a success and a lot of fun with family. Now for the waiting…the part I do not enjoy!

Running

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 22:21:00 -0500

I ran my first half-marathon on 2.19.11. This has been a goal for a while…although a seemingly unattainable one. There was no big race day filled with race bibs, men dressed with inappropriate running attire, or bagels. Just me, a goal, “my favorite” cheering me on, a good playlist filled with worship jams, and let’s not forget my new best friends…9.5 Brook’s running shoes…who remain constant even after a beating.

I trained for 12 weeks…even through Christmas. I was determined.

The Chad says I’m now a runner. But if you saw me running the 13.1 miles, you would disagree. More like a speed walker with a bum hip.

But I did it. I finished.

The most important thing I tell myself (not just in running, but in life): “Whatever you do…keep moving.” Obviously stated…you’ll never finish if you stop.

Here’s the training schedule I followed (note: it is only a 10 week schedule, but I learned halfway through that my shoes were too small and it I had to repeat week six 2 additional times):

http://www.marathonrookie.com/support-files/10weekhalfmarathonschedule.pdf

I PROMISE if you have the slightest determination to run a half-marathon…it is possible. I have done it and lived to tell about it.

It’s funny, I have friends who run 2 and 3 marathons a year. They are natural runners. I, however, am not. I have always professed to be a “3-mile girl”…no more.

Now, I’m a “13-mile girl”…no more!

Confession

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:15:00 -0500

At work we are allowed to wear headphones and listen to music. Background…at my second job I work with a lot of computer programmers and developers who apparently like to sit still for hours in front of a computer monitor writing in languages called “C#” and other such nonsense. As they do this, it seems to help the part of their brain that has an affinity for programming if they listen to music.

Well, I love music. So I quickly adapted to this practice (as if there were any adaptation time required for me to listen to music on a non-stop, daily basis)…making sure my headphones are packed each day and ensuring my iPhone is stocked with whatever music I’m in the mood for.

But lately I catch myself…

Like right now, for instance, I have had my headphones on for quite a while, bobbing my head up and down to a beat, and actually singing along (very softly). ”To what?”, you might ask. Absolute silence. I never turned the music on, but apparently I sing so much in my head that I never noticed actual, out-loud music was not playing.

“He has put a new song in my mouth [or head], praise to our God—many will see it and fear, and trust in the Lord.” -Psalm 40:3

hellanne: JR sur L’Île Saint-Louis (by F4BZ3F4B)

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:50:32 -0500

hellanne:

JR sur L’Île Saint-Louis (by F4BZ3F4B)

awakeinthedream: Fog on the mountain (by Truman Terrell)

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:05:06 -0500

awakeinthedream:

Fog on the mountain (by Truman Terrell)

Holiday App Finds

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:25:00 -0500

Every year we travel quite a bit around the holidays giving me much time to play on my iPhone 4 which continually surprises me. Waiting in line at airports and driving in a car for hours lends itself well to searching for new iPhone apps. I find some new ones each year and they usually last until the next holiday season. So here is what I have found to lead me into 2011.

1. Teux Deux (www.teuxdeux.com) - A very clean, simple, and stylish “to do” list app brought to my attention by my bro-law by a designer called swiss-miss. You are prompted to create an account when you download the app which always annoys me; however, this enables you to synch your to do lists across your computer and mobile devices. It’s divided into days and if you need to move something from one day’s list to another, you can simply drag and drop. FREE

2. Ihop-KC - The International House of Prayer has designed an app that provides you with sermons/teachings from the Ihop Leaders. Also, you can hear their current worship music, download videos, sermon notes, view and download things from their archives, and watch the prayer room live. It’s rather impressive for a new app. FREE

3. Spring Pad (www.springpadit.com) - Spring Pad is similar to Evernote, but it seems to work with how my mind flows a little better. You can collect ideas, photos, Web pages, etc. and save it in various project folders. Then you can create story boards and/or collages. For example, if you are building a new house, you can collect ideas and photos in one folder. Then you can create a design board online or on your phone. FREE

4. Path (www.path.com) - So over a year ago I said goodbye to Facebook (no offense…just tired of the creepers). Path is a social network site that allows you some of the same functions of Facebook but instead of sharing your life with hundreds of unknown acquaintances, you are limited to only 50 contacts/friends/family. You can also share with people not on Path, but again, it’s limited to 50 people. It’s photo-based…so basically, it’s a twitter based on pictures. This works for me b/c my family often wants to see pictures that I used to post on Facebook. This lets them do that. FREE

5. Foodspotting - It’s no secret I love food and finding a good place to eat. Foodspotting lets you document all the fun places you eat and leave reviews so that others who use Foodspotting can also partake of what you enjoyed. So basically, it’s up to users to fill the food database which is a little different from Yelp or Urban Spoon. It also acts a little bit like a Foursquare or Whrll in that you get points for various food spottings. Personally, I use it to document fun places I’ve found to eat. FREE

6. Cardbank - For all those who hate full wallets, this app is for you. This app allows you to scan all your membership, award, library, and other type cards into one app. The good part is you can put your cards in a drawer b/c when you go to a store and need to show your card, the cashier can literally scan your phone…no card needed. How it works is you insert your card number into the cardbank. It then creates a scannable barcode. The app already has hundreds of vendors in their database. But it also gives you the option to add vendors not in their database. $.99

7. Planning Center Online (www.planningcenteronline.com) - This is for Worship Leaders or anyone in charge of planning a church service. It is awesome! You have to have an account to use it. You can send out rehearsal schedules with song attachments, develop service plans from week to week and share with all who participate, download media clips and so much more. You can create a list of volunteers, musicians, etc. and schedule them for services and send out reminders that they can receive on their phones. There is also a “Live” feature that allows for real time communication during a service (e.g., last minute change that needs to be communicated to everyone). There is so much more to this cool little tool. If you are a Worship Leader, you will love it! FREE

8. mDriveFree - This is a mobile flash drive. Seriously, you can save files right to your iPhone and open them on any computer using your phone as a mobile flash drive. Very helpful. FREE

9. Runmeter - If you’re a runner, this is worth the $4.99 investment. It tracks how many miles you run, has a GPS so you can find a route if you’re in unfamiliar territory or looking to increase your mileage. You can save your routes as well. Also has a calendar to track the days you’ve run and a remote to control your iTunes through the app if necessary. You can also connect the app with Twitter and Facebook. $4.99

10. RunPee - For all movie goers who frequent the restroom…this is for you. This app lets you know when there is a good time to use the restroom during a movie. It will also provide you with a brief synopsis of what you will miss while gone and how long you have before it gets good again. This app makes me laugh…and it’s free. FREE

Those are my finds so far. As you can see, I download very few apps that cost money unless they will be extremely useful to me. Let me know if you have some other fun ones for me to check out.

MyFav

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:02:49 -0500

MyFav:

Create your own home page w/the Websites you use the most.

treeroots: After The Storm Sequoia National Park. By Ben H.

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 09:47:49 -0500

treeroots:

After The Storm

Sequoia National Park.

By Ben H.

"Christlas" Traditions

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:57:57 -0500

This year I have felt the need to preserve and protect our family traditions as well as develop a few core traditions Chad and I can look forward to each year (besides traveling all over the Eastern United States). This list serves to document some of them…

C & C Traditions

1. We shall now call Christmas…”Christlas” (we wil keep the silent “t”). It is more fun to say and you can’t say it without smiling (try it).

2. We will no longer attend any Christmas parties…none/zero. This is a new tradition effective 2011.

3. Chad & I have our own Christlas weekend before departing for our annual Christlas Family Tour. It includes the following:

Friday-Breakfast for dinner, pick out our tree from the guys in suspenders on Thomasville Rd, buy ingredients for our chocolate bark, peruse the mall for potential gifts, go to a movie.

Saturday-Make a variety of chocolate bark, eat lunch, go shopping for gifts, dinner, decorate our tree.

4. Travel to Hortons.

The Hortons

1. Bake with Mama.

2. Last minute Christlas piddling.

3. Christlas Eve Candlelight Service at my parents!

4. Christlas Day-Starts with Bubble Bread and breakfast pizza, then reading of the Christlas story, passing out presents, then we go around in a circle and each person takes a turn opening a present while we all watch (we do this til they are all opened…makes it last longer). Then mama makes the best prime rib, twice baked potatoes, green beans, seven layer salad and yeast roles you’ve even eaten.

5. Fly to D.C. on Christlas Night

The Wilsons

1. We all gather at Mom and Dad Wilsons and start by eating lots of sugary goodness.

2. Sing Christlas carols around the tree.

3. Open presents.

4. Celebrate Kevin’s birthday.

Seems like a whirlwind…and we love it, and we love our family!

Teux Deux

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:37:00 -0500

Teux Deux:

My bro-in-law introduced me to this new “to do” app. Since I’m a fan of lists, I appreciated the simplicity of this app. Found out it’s from a swiss designer now in NYC. You can check out her blog as well at swiss-miss.com

"Over prepare, then go with the flow."

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:41:17 -0500

“Over prepare, then go with the flow.”

Here's to You, French-Fried Potato

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:15:06 -0400

Anyone who knows me, even a little, knows my love for the french-fried potato (aka french fry). For fun I decided to list my favs:

1. The “crinkle cut” french fry. Hands down, my favorite. I really like them from Tally-Ho in Panama City. Locally, you can find them at Sonny’s, Po Boys and Koosh’s (but ask for them fresh or they will disappoint).

2. McDonald’s Frech Fries. Quite possibly the worst french fry for you, but those skinny fries never get old.

3. The Waffle Fry…specifically, Chik-fil-a’s. Especially accompanied with a sweet tea.

4. Checker’s Fries. Crunchy, yummy goodness. I like that there’s pepper fried into them.

For the record, I do not like the steak fry or fresh cut french fries.

The Power of One Word

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:00:31 -0400

A word that so perfectly and succinctly culminates multiple thoughts into a singular one deserves to be recognized. Today that word is sycophant. The definition…a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite. We can thank the Greeks (again) for that one. Nicely done.

Pressing Beyond Ourselves in Worship

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:07:51 -0500

Note: This note is written primarily with the CHC Worship & Creative Arts Team in mind.

As a worship leader, you never really know what to expect from a Sunday morning crowd one week to the next (perfect reason why placing expectation in God alone is primary, but I digress…). From my estimation, crowds seem to have moods much like people. More precisely, with any given Sunday morning crowd, there is likely much spiritual activity taking place. We’re all at different levels in our faith, circumstances vary for each individual, people are sick, bad attitudes, believers, non-believers, unforgiveness, and the list continues. This past Sunday morning was particularly interesting for me personally…

It started Saturday afternoon. By way of background, God usually begins preparing me for the upcoming Sunday morning during the preceding week. I’m not referring to my preparation musically and spiritually, but rather His preparation of me. Typically, by Saturday afternoon my whole being is pretty much engaged in anticipation of what God wants to do on Sunday morning. This particular Saturday afternoon I was looking for a way out of Sunday morning (yes, it’s true). In general, I had a feeling of heaviness and had no desire to worship, which I chalked up to simple weariness from the week. Since I never like going into Sunday morning with the feeling “I don’t want to be here,” I took time to get alone with God.

The Lord reminded me that often what I feel on a Saturday night is what I will encounter the next morning in church. As an aside, I tend to forget this. My first thought is usually, “You’ve got to get over this.” But the longer I sat in God’s presence, the more I realized this feeling of heaviness and lack of desire to worship was God preparing me for the next morning…not to simply accept it as the way it was going to be, but rather to fight against it with His authority and strength.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling the same way and began to thank God for increased revelation of who He is, for lifting the heaviness, and for releasing a spirit of praise in His people. As we began rehearsing, the team came in the same way I had been feeling the night before…people were tired, sick, didn’t want to be there, etc. At one point I stopped rehearsal and told them what God had shown me the night before and that today we were going to have to push beyond ourselves. While there is no day we face that can be done in our own strength, it seemed particularly important that we allow God’s power to become perfect in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). I felt an urgency about this.

And that they did. The entire team pushed beyond themselves.

At the start of the first service we encountered that same spirit of heaviness, but God had prepared us and we began worshipping with such freedom. The choir was amazing, and I believe their surrendered hearts broke through and touched heaven. Something changed in the atmosphere. As the musicians played, people began responding to God in various ways without any leading. As this continued, the chorus of “You are Holy” continued ringing from the hearts of the people. It was truly beautiful.

Second service…wow, the wall, but again the team continued to press. But during this service, something happened in me that hasn’t happened in a long time…if ever to this extreme. We were transitioning songs, and I began praying. As I did, that feeling of heaviness increased. But I knew it was increasing because it needed to be dealt with. We transitioned into “You are Holy” and it was as if the reality of God’s holiness and the intense urgency for others to see Him for who He is collided right in my stomach…as if someone punched me…and I began to weep. There was such an urgency for Him to be seen that it overwhelmed me. I knew God was interceding for His people through the worship and through me.

Now, nothing visibly supernatural happened. But something did break, whether it was just in me or whether it also began in the hearts of those in the crowd. For me, it was a renewed passion for others to walk in the fullness of who He is…to be forever transformed by Him. For the church…well, I am expecting great things. We will be a worshipping church. A church that sees Him for who He is and responds.

The Consistent Life

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:06:00 -0500

This weekend we celebrated my mama’s (southern for “mom”) 60th birthday. We surprised her by coming to visit and having a small dinner party with family and close friends. Nothing fancy, but very memorable. As we were preparing for her party, I began thinking of the things I’m most thankful for in my mother. The consistency with which she has lived her life immediately came to mind.

Consistency is a lost virtue to most individuals. Reason being…it requires purity. It requires the simplicity of seeking one thing. And in my mother’s case, this one thing has always been God.

I can remember waking up each morning as a child to the sound of my mother praying and crying out to God. Often times, her crying would make me nervous until I would walk in the living room and see her kneeling by the couch in prayer to her Father. It fueled everything she did in life from how she loved our family, to being an excellent secretary, to being a compassionate pastor’s wife.

If there is one statement my mother repeated to me growing up (when I would whine over having to clean the bathrooms every Saturday) it was “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” She would firmly, yet lovingly, say this to me as she would point out that I did not do my best in my weekend chores. When I would get mad at having to then go back and “actually” clean the bathrooms, she would say, “You can get glad the same way you got mad.” And you know what, she was right. It was my choice.

And living a consistent, steadfast life is also a choice. The obstacle to consistency is not situations, other people, or our emotions. I have found the obstacle to consistency is our mind. We must surrender our minds to living consistently (“be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”)…consistently seeking God, consistently doing the right thing, consistently loving our family and others, consistently being the best employee we can be.

It is a choice, but understandably a decision that can bring weariness apart from our heavenly Father. David understood this when he asked God to “Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Such a lifestyle also requires, as Davis points out, a pure heart.

For a life to truly be consistent all areas, seen and unseen, must be aligned. Being consistent at work but not at home does not equal a consistent life. Scientists will not use a measurement that is not consistent or reliable. In other words, if a scientific measurement changes when new variables or factors are introduced, it is not considered reliable (consistent). It must maintain consistently across a variety of environments and circumstances. Can you imagine the consequences of introducing a new medicine to the world without making sure it consistently fought the disease it was intended for in a variety of patients and environments? The cost would be deadly.

And so is a life lived inconsistently. Proverbs 3:33 (AMP) states, “The curse of the Lord is in and on the house of the wicked, but He declares blessed (joyful and favored with blessings) the home of the just and consistently righteous.”

Yes, we all have moments when we mess up in this area, but in those times, we must remember, as David did, to consistently turn to God to “renew a steadfast spirit within us.”

Thank you, mama, for teaching me by example to always strive to live a consistent life before God. Happy Birthday!