It is amazing how fast this year has flown by and it is time to reflect on the many blessing from 2015. Below are the top 15 blog posts from God's Growing Garden in 2015 in order of popularity.
Please click on each title to view the entire post:
I challenge you to thank God for something everyday for one year! Either write it down in a diary OR share with us on a blog. If you have a blog & would like to share your THANKFULNESS posts with us, then please fill out this form: 365 Days of Being THANKFUL form - click HERE and you will be added to the THANKFULNESS page.
The Fourth of Advent 2015 - Angels Hovering 'Round For the past 3 weeks we have been learning more about the nativity and those who visited Jesus' birth. Three weeks ago we studied the basics of the "Nativity" and then: "The Lowly Life of the Shepherd" and last week Wealthy Wise Men Traveling Far. Today we are going to focus on the Angels that were sent by God. Who witnessed these Angels?: 1. Joseph He was visited by an angel in a dream "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' - which means, 'God with us.' When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." Matthew 1: 18 - 25 2. Mary She was visited by the archangel Gabriel "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.' Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.' 'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.' 'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her. Luke 1:26 to 38 3. Shepherds At first, the Shepherds were visited by one angel but then a large group of angels appeared with that first angel. It is even described in detail that the "glory of the Lord shone around them." "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.' When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Luke 2: 8-20 4. Magi Technically "angels" are not mentioned below but it does say that they were "warned in a dream" about not going home the way they came. So most likely they were warned by an angel in their dream just as Joseph saw an angel in his dream. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.' When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 'In Bethlehem in Judea' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written:
But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.' After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with this mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." Matthew 2: 1 - 12
Please listen to this beautiful hymn below "There are Angels Hovering 'Round" sung by Garrison Keillor
Special thanks to "#GarrisonKeillor" for sharing this with us on YouTube
The Toledo Zoo - Feature #7 & Name That PLANT The Toledo Zoo in Toledo, Ohio has been voted one of the top 10 Zoos in the country! I have lived in this area for 20 years and this past September 2015 is the first time that I have ever visited this special place. Now I am asking myself: "Why did it take me so long?".
I had the pleasure of visiting the zoo with my sister & brother-in-law and my precious twin nieces. It was such a blessing to experience this amazing zoo with my 10 year old nieces. Each week I will feature one animal and one plant (asking for your help in identifying some of the plants) - ENJOY!
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fittler
Feature #7 - PENGUIN Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere and mainly in Antarctica. However, there are certain species that live near the equator in warm climates. I'm not sure which species I saw at the Toledo Zoo (I did not see a description sign by this exhibit). Penguins are flightless, aquatic birds that live half of their life on land and half in water. They feed on sealife: fish, squid etc. Click HERE (Wikipedia) to read more about the penguin.
Checkout these great pictures taken by my sister:
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fittler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fittler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fittler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fittler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fittler
I went to the zoo to look at animals but found myself mostly taking pictures of plants. Many of the plants around the zoo exhibits and buildings I had never seen before (and unfortunately they were not labeled), so I decided to include a section asking for your help. The featured plant today is an easy one (I do know the answer to this feature). There is a hint in one of the pictures - look closely. Do you know the name of this plant? Please leave your answer in the comment section below & have fun! Identify the plant below:
Cynthia from "ShorelineDesigned" Handmade one-of-a-kind jewelry & beads made from beautiful beach stones from the Great Lakes Shoreline. (click on the button below to visit her shop)
Find out more about this amazing artist CLICK HERE
The Toledo Zoo - Feature #4 & Name That PLANT The Toledo Zoo in Toledo, Ohio has been voted one of the top 10 Zoos in the country! I have lived in this area for 20 years and this past September 2015 is the first time that I have ever visited this special place. Now I am asking myself: "Why did it take me so long?".
I had the pleasure of visiting the zoo with my sister & brother-in-law and my precious twin nieces. It was such a blessing to experience this amazing zoo with my 10 year old nieces. Each week I will feature one animal and one plant (asking for your help in identifying some of the plants) - ENJOY!
Feature #4 - Two Different Types of FINCHES: GOULDIAN FINCH RED-THROATED PARROT FINCH Finches are one of my favorite kinds of birds - here in Michigan we have yellow finches (Goldfinches). One year we had many visit our sunflower patch - click HERE to view those pictures. The room that these two featured Finches were in was open - no fence or glass. They were just flying around and above our heads. It was so enjoyable! (I have to admit that I was a little worried about droppings, but we passed through without any mishaps) The Gouldian Finch is also known as the "Lady Gouldian Finch" or the "Rainbow Finch" and is from Australia. The Red Throated Parrot Finch is native to New Caledonia and thrives in tropical moist shrubland. They are stunning and I love that they live in gourd bird houses! ENJOY the following pictures!
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fitler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fitler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fitler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fitler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fitler
If you look inside the #2 gourd in the picture below you will see the head of a bird settling into it's home.
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fitler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fitler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fitler
Photo by Monique Ouellette-Fitler
I went to the zoo to look at animals but found myself mostly taking pictures of plants. Many of the plants around the zoo exhibits and buildings I had never seen before (and unfortunately they were not labeled), so I decided to include a section asking for your help. The featured plant today is very "Christmasy" with dark green foliage and brilliant red berries. Do you know the name of this plant? Please leave your answer in the comment section below & have fun! Identify the plant below:
