Our year concludes in movements of contending and persevering: are you as eager as I am to see all that has happened to us worked into good and turned out for our deliverance?! I am happy to remind you on this New Year’s Eve of the hope that we have—
… continue in the faith, well-grounded and steadfast…not shifting away from the [confident] hope [that is a result] of the gospel that you have heard , which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven…
Colossians 1:23 AMP
I felt an extra resounding in the 1-2-3 verse number as the Lord led me to this Word. We lingered in 1-2-3s much this year (see The Wheat Prayers and Digging into the Roots of the Fall Feasts); what a precious reiteration of the Genesis creation, Genesis 1:1-3, as a crowning signal to continue in the faith!
The Crown Year
You may remember that I usually name these year-end reviews as “Happy Old Year.” Yet the 10-month coronavirus crisis that dominated 2020 seemed to declare a name for this year all its own. I still hold many happinesses from the year, nonetheless: much time with the Lord, my husband (we upped our tennis game!), and our family, and little time rushing around frenzied, Amen! I think America has just lived through a turning point, T’Shuvah, and our passion and adoration of God’s Word is more meaningful and mighty than ever.
You crown the year with your goodness
Psalm 65:11 The Voice
Grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1 Peter 2:3 NIV
Refresh with the Lord in the Landscape
Refresh in the ground we have covered together this year at Garden in Delight, and reconnect to all kinds of ways, from featured plants to poetry, that nurture the pursuit of the Lord in the landscape:
Start a Garden: – new series in 2020! Start a Garden, Working for Good, How to Handle Weeds, When Does Your Mustard Flower?, How to Start a Compost Pile
Garden Moments: Top 10 Gardening Verses of the Bible, Bee Still
Garden Design Ideas: What to Do with Rue, Under Your Own Vine and Fig Tree, plus see this year’s Lenten Series Prophets & Leaders Bible Garden Design
Garden Visits: Israel Prayer Garden
Garden Prayers: The Wheat Prayers
Garden Recipes: Fall Colors in Bible-to-Garden Lentil Stew
Holidays in the Garden: Digging into the Roots of the Fall Feasts, Thanksgiving Devotions, Let There Be Light, Savor the Day Our Savior is Born
Lenten Series: Moses’ Murmuring Vegetables, Samuel’s Rock Garden, Solomon’s Splendor, Isaiah’s Evergreens, Ezekiel’s Ancient Grains, Rabboni’s Instruction, Nehemiah’s Call
Book Reviews: Gardening with Grains in Ezekiel’s Ancient Grains, Flower Fun in Mini-Meadows
New Plants to the Plant Guide: Rue
Poems for A-to-Z Primer of Plants from God’s Word: I is for Israel, T is for Thorns & Thistles
New Newsletter
In addition, 2020 was the first year for the Garden in Delight Newsletter, a seasonal email highlighting more good things from the garden! This new format gives me a chance to write to you with tidbits and Scriptures for the season. If you missed one, they are all available on the Garden in Delight News page.
Winter 2020 * * * Spring 2020 * * * Summer 2020 * * * Autumn 2020
New in 2021
Have a cozy January and join me in getting organized indoors! Garden in Delight takes the month of January off, to return in February’s Winter Newsletter with spring plans. Until then, check in on my Instagram page @shelleycramm for snippets of #Godswordforgardeners. God bless your closet cleaning!
We, for our part, proclaim him; we warn, confront and teach everyone in all wisdom; so that we may present everyone as having reached the goal, united with the Messiah.
Colossians 1:28 CJB
Photo Credits:
©2020 Shelley S. Cramm
AMP notes Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
CJB notes Scripture quotations taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net.
NIV denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
VOICE denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2012 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
