Hi Warriors in Christ.

Today, I want to share an unusual experience and an unplanned experiment. What happened to me proves what we allow in our ear gates matters to great degrees in the spiritual.

If you have known me for awhile, you know I LOVE to backyard garden. Since moving to northern California, I’ve learned that gardening has differing but small nuances from my Temecula backyard.

This spring has extended, damp and cool following the wettest winter in local memory. However, I was determined to expand my garden and plant early this year. Last year, the garden went in late because I was still unpacking boxes from our move in.

I asked my local handyman, (I love that guy. He is the bomb), to build me two additional garden boxes. One box was a conversion from an old queen box spring. (waste not, want not!) He pounded that one together and built another. He even went to home depot and hauled a truck load of grow mulch bags into my backyard.

So, now I have four boxes that the birds love to pick apart. I quickly learned to cover them with bird nets. After they ate the leaves down to the stem of the jalapeno plants. Sheesh! That’s been part of the learning curve. Tons of birds around here are plenty hungry. Grrrrrrr

On a sunny morning I went out to work. The bags of grow mulch needed treated with my crab and lobster shell mix, Epson salts, and some organic fertilizer. I put on the yard gloves and set up the portable backyard speaker I took from Mike’s office.

I was looked for some upbeat music that I could sing along and move me along as I work. And from my distant past, the band, Heart, came to mind. So I put on the Spotify playlist and worked for hours, listening to Ann Wilson belt her lungs out. I finished about half the work and left the rest for another day.

Again,  a few days later I went out to spend four more hours to finish up all the work. I was laying down stepping stones, funny signs, a windmill and fencing.

This time I set up Mike’s speaker to play a favorite worship playlist as I worked.

Now this is the interesting and unexpected experiment that occurred. Following the first work day when I came into the house to clean up and move on with other stuff, I noticed that after listening to the secular music, I felt in my spirit a melancholy feeling. Like a sadness, a longing for …… well for something I wasn’t really sure. However, I felt down and somewhat gloomy.

I didn’t really notate this odd feeling until the next time I came in after listening to worship for four hours. Following my second garden workday, I came in to clean up and I felt powerful, I was filled with hope, I felt the presence of God so strongly. As I walked into the bathroom, I passed through a shaft of light that was coming through the window. I turned around to pick up something, and there in the beams of light were dust particles but something else.

It appeared there was glittering gold shimmering, hovering in my wake. I marveled as I watched the glittering gold with fascination. And I whispered, “I love you, Father.”

That’s the precise moment when this lesson crystallized. I realized in that moment that listening to music that wasn’t centered in worship to God left my spirit in a sad and weakened state. But the sustained worship, strengthened, uplifted and drew the very presence of God.

Ok, sorry, Heart. Ladies, you can sing but next time I’m hours in the yard, it will be worship for me.

Have you had an experience like this? I would love to hear your story.

Be blessed on this day my friends. Lynn

carrots, sunflowers, zucchini, jalapinos

Tomatoes for Salsa

Potatoes, the starts, I brought from Temecula

Corn, radishes, lettuce