A Writer’s Garden–The Scent of a Flower by Mary Vee

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A Writer’s Garden, Detective Carhill Mystery, Garden blog, Garden devotion, Justice for Elizabeth, Mary Vee, Middle Eastern flowers, scents of flowers, Swiss Alp flowers, using scents in your books, writing tip

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing. Today’s writer/gardener guest is Mary Vee talking about the sweet perfume of flowers.           Welcome Mary!

The Scent of a Flower

When I walk near a flower in its habitat, the scent captivates me. The colors are brilliant, of course, but it’s the unique scent of each flower that implants the experience in my mind. So, a wild daisy in my woodsy, country yard will have a different scent than a wild daisy in a big city, because the surrounding habitat is included in the scent.

Today as I write this post, I realize I am smelling the sweet scent of God when I smell a flower. The God who is everywhere and always present. I close my eyes or maybe gaze at the surroundings and think of Him. He made this plant and blossom and placed it here as a gift to me and gave it such a delightful scent I am prone to think of Him.

When I climbed Mt. Pilates to this Swiss Alp peak, I found these tiny yellow flowers. They stretched out, overlooking Lucerne, Switzerland far, far below. I smelled chilled, moist floral-sweet air. I have seen similar flowers since, and they remind me of this climb, this view, these low-lying clouds, the people below, and the God who created them.

In Israel near where Jesus gave the sermon on the mount, I found this bush with brilliant red leaves. From a distance they looked like flowers. I thought, what a perfect color to cause visitors to remember Jesus had stood here. I have seen poinsettias in Mexico. A similar bush with red leaves that appear to be flowers from a distance, they reminded me of this bush in Israel. Their scents differed tremendously, each reminding me of the Creator who not only spoke truth in Israel, but still speaks truth in Mexico.

In Petra, Jordan, I walked through a passage with seventy-five feet tall rocky walls. Other than the passage ahead and behind I had only a sliver of a view of the blue sky above. The area was a desert environment. With little to no rain, these plants found a way to send leaves through the cracks, their roots clinging to the rock. Their dusty, chalky scent was all I could smell. They lived far above my reach. When I smelled a similar scent, I am reminded God is here with me even in difficult or seemingly impossible times. Nothing can separate us from the Love of God.

I used the scent of flowers and gardens to help my Detective Carhill understand his client better and thereby draw the needed conclusion. I used a beautiful garden in the middle of a busy city in another book to give Liz a rest from her trials. I used a garden in another book to help Anders, who suffered from a head injury, the familiar scent needed to find his way home.

The floral scent is powerful, able to bring pleasure, security, memories, and joy. All gifts from God.

Smell a flower. Make a memory

About the Writer/Gardener:

Mary Vee’s garden used to be a well-manicured landscape until one vacation and a lot of rain encouraged the supposed weeds to flower, painting fresh colors, and leaving new scents. She has since adopted the European method of gardening, removing only the rascals that kill, like strangling vines. Mary is a drama inspirational fiction author, telling exciting stories that open windows when life closes doors.

Website:    Today’s Writer’s World – Smart Solutions for busy Writers and Readers

Instagram: @MaryVeeWriter

Twitter:      @MaryVeeWriter

Facebook:  @MaryVeeTodaysWritersWorld

Justice for Elizabeth

By Mary Vee

High society woman, Elizabeth Alexander, can’t possibly fulfill her societal obligations with her husband locked in prison.

The gossipers won’t believe he is innocent. Her family’s name is at stake unless she finds the person who set up her husband.

Detective Carhill recently helped one of the Cinq Amis, Elizabeth’s dearest friends. The man kept the entire ordeal from inking the papers and solved the case quickly, as he promised. 

Elizabeth is running out of time. Unless Carhill solves the case, and soon, the Alexander family name will forever be worthless.

“Sadly, the wealthy are always presumed guilty until proven innocent. There are only seven people who believe in Phillip’s innocence. The rest are determined to destroy our family’s name with their words.” …Elizabeth Alexander
“This is killing Elizabeth. I haven’t always been the best husband. Our parents pushed our marriage when we were nothing more than young teens…Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with her.” …Phillip Alexander

Book 2 in the Detective Carhill Series. Be sure to also read “Sylvia’s Secret,” A Christmas Story, Detective Carhill Mystery Book 1

Buy Link for Justice for Elizabeth

A Writer’s Garden—Garden Joys by Judith Rolfs

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A Writer’s Garden, children’s book Mystery of the Silver Shells, Garden devotion, garden joys and inspiration, Judith Rolfs

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing. Today’s writer/gardener guest is Judith Rolfs talking about her garden joys. Welcome, Judith!

Thanks for inviting me back to speak about my two joys – gardening and writing.  I love having guests enjoy my yard. We had 25 people for the Fourth of July and six were these precious children all under five posing for a picture in my woodland garden.

I’ve become more mindful over the years what a huge spiritual activity gardening is. My perennials remind me of God’s constant, but invisible presence in my life. In early April I see nothing in my garden but hard earth. Then, it seems a miracle when hostas begin to poke up creating the perimeter of my garden followed soon by lily of the valley. These amazing plants have survived the dark frozen earth and waited patiently to reveal their splendor again. I wait for the bursting of my day lily buds into their beautiful multi-petaled stars. Shockingly, I’ve done nothing to nurture them, they simply faithfully return. What a lesson of God’s faithfulness this is.

The challenge for me is always in the waiting period until the season for growth begins.

My problem with book writing patience is similar. I often want to rush things. When I finish the first draft of a book I decide I’m done before the essential second and third draft, and a professional editing. I’ve had to learn to wait and go through the process. Literally ten drafts of my latest children’s book Mystery of the Silver Shells were needed! Book Three in the series adventures of Tommy Smurlee & Grella Weller I wrote for kids eight and up trying to make sense of the world. Figuring out who they are, what they like, what they can do, what’s right and good, what’s not. It’s a fun mystery mixed with fantasy – kids create amazing inventions. As a marriage and family counselor I hope my books help parents transmit good values. I also want children to experience the joy of creativity and develop their imaginations. I love it when my young readers tell me they want to try to write their own book after they read a Tommy Smurlee book.

I get my inspiration for both gardening and writing by walking the path around Lake Geneva daily and observing the fantastic gardens. I found this cute bear on my walk the other day. I ponder that gardeners are privileged to participate with God in bringing beauty to the world! And we Christian writers also have the joy of communicating His beautiful truth to make the world a better place.

About the Writer/Gardener:

On Judith’s YouTube channel you can find Marriage and Parenting tips plus Judith reading short stories to children from her modern fairy tales book Unforgettable Stories for Kids.

Her Amazon Author page reveals what an eclectic author she is: five star mystery novels, marriage and family how-to books and her Tommy Smurlee/Grella Weller children’s books.

Mystery of the Silver Shells

 By Judith Rolfs

It’s the popular Adventures of Tommy Smurlee fantasy series! Fun, intrigue, and danger await Tommy, Grella, and friends at the amazing Dunster’s Camp of Mystery and Inventions. Campers compete to create inventions and solve the Mystery of the Silver Shells. A battle of good versus evil rages. Unique imaginative activities fill each day with wonder! Struggles must be overcome and lessons learned, as friendships deepen at Dunster’s.

The characters are unique and lovable. Bug-loving Grella Weller with a gentle heart and a mind like Einstein; Tommy Smurlee, fascinated with numbers and geography, craves physical and mental challenges; huge Piney, with his dogged, strength are major characters. Minors include Blake driven to be first in everything and Quid, his fun-loving, intense stepbrother who can’t sit still. Toodle, small for his age, but mighty in mind, alternately cowers, then surges with bravery. Orson Gartini, filled with self-absorption is attracted to evil. The Sunmaker is the supernatural force of good and Dagta, force of evil.

Available at Amazon

A Writer’s Garden–Herbs, Berries and God’s Grace by Tema Banner

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A Writer's Garden, berries, Garden blog, Garden devotion, Herbs, Tema Banner

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing. Today’s writer/gardener guest is Tema Banner who will be sharing her herb garden with us. Welcome, Tema!

Lavender

Herbs are probably one of the first plants that a new gardener gravitates to, they are easy to grow and can be used on so many of the dishes we enjoy. Oddly enough, despite being raised by parents who had a large garden, the only herb I remember in our yard was mint. My father and mother would crush a few leaves and put it in their iced tea. Consequently, it was the first herb I ever planted. I listened to a wise gardener who told me to plant it in a pot so that it would not take over my garden or yard.  My favorite herb is Rosemary. I have seen it planted as a shrub in landscaping designs and thought it a smart move, it provides an evergreen presence and a clean, refreshing scent.

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  lavender and mint

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  lamb’s ear and rosemary

Several years ago, my husband and son made me lovely, raised garden beds and the herb garden was the first I put in. The nearest to my back door, it is a joy to walk out and snip basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and chives. Mint dominates two pots and last year I decided to try my hand at mint jelly. As an adult I rarely eat mint jelly but as a child I remember eating more than my share. One usually thinks of berries when making jelly and over the past several years I have canned strawberry jelly and last July added blueberry conserve and pie filling to the list. Why not try mint? It was a little time consuming, but how delightful to taste that first spoonful. I made more than we will ever eat. I expect it will make its’ way into Christmas gift packages.

Blueberries

I would like to say that the blueberries that I made into pie filling and conserve came from my own garden. Alas, of the four bushes I planted last year, two did not survive and it was determined that the soil was too alkaline. We are taking steps to save the two which remain by addition of peat moss, fertilizer, and coffee grounds. We hope to add blackberries to the berry garden as well as everbearing strawberries – you may be sure we have checked the soil to prevent further loss.

oregano

The joy and sorrow of gardening, always I am learning and growing. The plants show me what they like and do not like. Doesn’t that remind you of how we learn and grow as believers? We many times believe we know what is best for our lives and march right along and do as we please. Like me planting the blueberries in a spot I was sure would be perfect. I did not take the simple step to check the soil. We do not check with God or His word to see if indeed we are doing what is best, thinking we know. In my life, this has taken me to places of sorrow, loss, and regret. But God, our Father, Creator, lover of our souls, grows our roots into rich soil, even in the midst of our bad choices. He tends us with His grace and mercy, His truth and guidance the fertilizer we need to grow and flourish and reflect how great He is.

About the Author:

Outside of writing, gardening is my greatest pleasure. Planting, watching the metamorphosis of the plant from seed to fruit, it is a wonderful picture of how God works in our lives. I write Biblical and historical romance and am currently working on a Biblical fiction series, Daughters of the King. My website is www.temabannerauthor.com and I may be followed at Facebook or Instagram

A Writer’s Garden-The Trials and Triumphs of Landscaping by Chris Paxson

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A Writer’s Garden, Chris Paxson, Garden blog, Garden devotion, garden tips, No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Full Gospel Message  Bible Study book, Proverbs 9:10 Ministries

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing. Today’s writer/gardener guest is Chris Paxson, one half of the co-founding team of Proverbs 9:10 Ministries. Chris will be sharing her 30 years of landscaping trials. Welcome, Chris!

           

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Almost 30 years ago my husband and I built a house on a sloping piece of land in the fertile soils of southeastern Pennsylvania, USA. It’s a mostly wooded lot, with rocks, roots and vines that can make you want to call landscaping quits more than once! Still, thirty years and many more landscaped areas later, every spring makes us glad that we persevered and stuck to the challenge.

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            There are some things that a beginning gardener, like me 30 years ago, would be better off knowing. First and foremost (or the one I wish I had known) is that it’s best to buy many of the same plant, and plant them together for effect. Being void of that knowledge, I spent many years shopping at the local garden center buying a variety of four-inch potted plants and spreading them out. I’m still grappling with the problems from that mistake to this day. Some other things I’ve learned in the process are that only certain plants grow under the shade of walnut trees that are poisonous to most plants. If a plant tag says “sun/part shade” it does best in mostly sun. And I’ve learned that sometimes you have to sacrifice a plant that’s not doing well, rather than trying to save every sprig of anything that’s alive, if you want to keep your sanity!

            Life as a Christian has some of the same attributes as the life of a gardener. It takes perseverance to learn about God through prayer and Bible study. There are some things it’s better off knowing from the start, like the fact that God is Sovereign over every single thing. Having that knowledge makes it easier to understand the Bible and helps in dealing with everyday life! During your walk you’ll encounter rocks and boulders of sin that you have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to dig out of your life. You’ll encounter temptations like vines and roots that constantly threaten to trip you up. And, last but not least, it’s often better to narrow your focus. You’ll have things that you’d like to hold on to, but that only tend clutter up your life like sprigs of individual plants that are good, but in your garden only become eyesores. You need to let go of those.

            Thirty years of trial and triumph makes you able to relax and enjoy the journey. So keep planting and watering. Try new things. Dig out the old and replant it somewhere else. if that doesn’t work, toss it, or hand it over to someone else. Narrow your focus to what’s most important. Most of all, love God and do everything for His glory alone. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

About the Authors:    

Chris Paxson & Rose Spiller are co-founders of Proverbs 9:10 Ministries and co-hosts of the No Trash, Just Truth Podcast. They have been teaching Bible Studies for over 20 years and have written many of their own studies. Along with teaching together, they speak at conferences and retreats. Their second book, The Bible Blueprint – A Guide to Better Understanding the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, an overview of each of the 66 books of the Bible, is due out in this summer. They are in the process of writing their third book, Deciphering Revelation. Connect with Chris and Rose:

Links to Proverbs 9:10 Ministries & No Half Truths Allowed

Website:  https://proverbs910ministries.com

Proverbs 9:10 Ministries on MeWe:  https://mewe.com/p/proverbs910ministries

Instagram: proverbs910ministries

No Trash, Just Truth! Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/615385 can also be found on all major podcasting sites, Rumble, & YouTube

No Half-Truths Allowed – Understanding the Complete Gospel Message

by Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller

Authors Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller were frustrated at the fluff and heresy being pedaled as “Women’s Bible Studies.” Many studies are shallow and emotion-based, not grounded in the truth of Scripture, and they found this particularly true in regard to the Gospel Message. Because of a genuine concern for salvation and what was being witnessed, they wrote their Book and Bible study, No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Full Gospel Message (Ambassador International, May 8, 2020, $15.99). When it comes to proclaiming the Gospel message, half-truths, vague notions, and generalizations can be dangerous. What are the important truths we need to know and share with others? Is it enough to believe that God loves us and wants a relationship with us? Is it enough to “ask Jesus into our hearts”? Is it enough to recite the “sinner’s prayer,” or do we need to repent of our sin? Is going to church and serving others enough? Is what Jesus suffered more than just a gruesome death on a cross? If Jesus, who is fully God, was crucified, did God die on Good Friday? Is God mad at us when we sin and happy when we’re behaving? Can we lose our salvation? If you’re not sure of the answers to any of these questions, join Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller as they explore the answers to these and many other questions.

A Writer’s Garden, Chris Paxson, garden tips, garden blog, Garden devotion, Proverbs 9:10 Ministries, No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Full Gospel Message  Bible Study book,