Book News, A Prayer Request, & A Gardener's GIVEAWAY!

 "For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."
Song of Solomon 2:11,12

(I used this same Scripture passage in my second-to-the-last post, but I just love it so much, I decided to use it again!)

Spring has sprung here, but today, it is quite chilly and windy. The sun is out, though, and I have the door open and can feel the freshness of spring in the air! Oh, how I do praise God for allowing us to see another springtime! So many beautiful flowers are blooming, and I am so thankful He gives me eyesight to see them. He is so faithful and good! I love taking drives and seeing all the trees and plants coming to life again, after a long, hard winter.

I know it must seem like all I post anymore are giveaways! But we truly want to help spread the word about any Christian businesses we come across. We also really love to bless others, especially dear friends, and this is one small way we can do this. ALL glory to God. He is our provider and the One who makes all things possible. 

Before I get into the giveaway, though, I wanted to share a book update with you. This will also explain why I haven't had much time or creative energy for blogging. 

Homespun Devotions: Volume Three is all finished! 

I sent it to our friend, Kalen, a few weeks ago to do the formatting for us. I have such difficulties in formatting to upload to Amazon, and he is so faithful to help me. You can read my interview with Kalen here.

Here is a sneak peek at the cover of the new book!

You can't judge a book by its cover, necessarily, BUT just by looking at this cover, do you have any idea how or why Homespun Devotions: Volume Three will be different from the first two Homespun Devotions volumes? I would love to hear your guesses and thoughts in the comments below! 

Zach is so faithful and kind to design all the book covers for me. I absolutely love them all and couldn't be more pleased with his work. Our dear boy is such a blessing to Kevin and me in so many ways, and we are so deeply grateful to God for him. If you haven't checked out his YouTube Channel, I hope you will! Here is one of his latest videos.

Whole Heart

Secondly, to all who have been praying so earnestly for my dear sister, Sandi, thank you from the bottom of my heart. God has brought her through, thus far, and we are believing He will continue to do that and restore her health. For those who don't know, my niece, Kristen, texted and called Sandi Monday morning, and she didn't respond, which is so completely unlike her. By the time Kristen got to Sandi's house and got inside, Sandi was in very serious condition. She was paralyzed and barely able to speak. It was utterly terrifying. But GOD. He has stepped onto the scene and, even though all signs pointed to a very serious stroke, an MRI revealed that there are no signs of a stroke! Praise God forevermore! Her sodium and potassium were dangerously low, along with some other health issues, and she is now doing so much better and on the road to recovery. I tell you, I have no words to thank God enough for what He has done for her. She is so precious to my heart, and our bond is deep. I pray God will continue to raise her up to good health and grant her many more healthy years on this earth, in Jesus' name. 

You may remember Kristen from a few years back when I was asking for prayer for her when she had a blood clot in her lung, while pregnant. God absolutely came on the scene that time, too, and miraculously brought Kristen and her sweet baby Eli through that awful ordeal. God's track record is impeccable. Praise His holy name. If you would like to read all the posts about the miracle God worked for Kristen, click here to read the original post, then scroll down to the end of that post and click on the label "Kristen," and it will bring up all the posts. It is quite a story and testimony of the goodness and mercy of God! Baby Eli is now a healthy, super-intelligent 7-year-old who will, Lord willing, be entering gifted classes next year. To God be ALL the glory!

If you could kindly keep Sandi in your continued prayers, we would appreciate it so much. Kristen wanted me to tell all of you prayer warriors how much she and all of us appreciate your prayers. We are more grateful than we could ever put into words—to God and to all of you for praying.

And now, for that GARDENER'S GIVEAWAY!!!

As you probably know, our last giveaway included organic men's grooming products created by our dear friend, Chase, for his small business, Locust and Honey. If you would like to purchase any of Chase's products, you will receive a 15% discount if you enter the code "HOMESPUN" at checkout!

Chase's brother, Jacob, also has a small business called Upstream Garden Supply Store, where he sells his own, original, handmade, durable, sustainable, zero-waste, all-natural 

Cedar Seedling Tray/Planters!

Please watch the video below where Jacob explains how they work and how the Lord gave him the original idea to create them!

Howdy Y'all!

As you could probably see in the video, Jacob is a very special, godly young man. Like his brother, he is honest, conscientious, and exceptionally detail-oriented. His work is articulate and artfully crafted, and he puts his heart into everything he does, including his woodworking and also gardening. Here are a sampling of his gardening videos:

Fall Garden Tour 2023

How to Plant Tomatoes and Peppers: The Easy Way

Tilling a Garden by Hand

Preventing Transplant Shock

Jacob says, "Gardening is one of the most rewarding jobs there is. However, it's even more rewarding when you reap organic, nutrient-dense produce. But when it comes to finding all-natural gardening supplies to keep your produce as close to organic as possible, it can be very difficult. Plastic bags for soil, plastic bags for compost, plastic seedling trays, plastic pots, plastic compost bins, the list goes on. ​

     As an organic gardener,  I decided I would invent my own garden supplies out of natural and non-toxic materials. But where would I start? Seedling trays! There are plenty of seedling trays on the market, but 99% of them are made of plastic. I definitely don't like the idea of my seedlings and soil being in plastic, even if it is BPA-free. I sought the Lord for an idea, and made the 1st of its kind Cedar Seedling Tray/Planter! Now I can give my fellow gardeners a natural alternative! 

     My goal is to continue to make more garden supplies crafted with God-Made materials to combat the unhealthy man-made material epidemic!"

Today, we are offering a giveaway of four of Jacob's handmade Cedar Seedling Trays/Planters! The winner will receive two of each of these 4-Cell Cedar Seedling Tray/Planters

AND

two of each of these 6-Cell Cedar Seedling Tray/Planters!

This giveaway drawing will be held sometime on Wednesday, 5/1/2025. Due to postage costs, the giveaway is only open to those who live in the Continental United States. 

To enter your name in the giveaway, all you need to do is leave us a comment below! 

Please do not leave an anonymous comment unless you include your name and an email address so we can contact you if you win. If you leave an anonymous comment with no contact information, sadly, we will not be able to enter your name into the giveaway. Please share this giveaway with others who may be interested in Jacob's products and help us spread the word about his business!

Also, if you'd like to hear our book, "Biblical Minimalism" read aloud by yours truly, visit our Homespun Ministries YouTube Channel, where I have already uploaded the introduction and first six chapters. Lord willing, there will be more uploads, as I am able. 

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about peace. As I sink more and more into the perfect will of God, I am finding more and more of it. God's peace is not a fly-by-night, fleeting feeling that fades with the first sign of trouble. God's peace is deep and settled in the spirit, not contingent in any way on what is going on around us. Here are some of my favorite Scriptures on peace.

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
John 14:27

"Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them."
Psalm 119:165

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6,7

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee."

Isaiah 26:3

"And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places."

Isaiah 32:17,18

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

Hebrews 12:11

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Romans 5:1

"And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

James 3:18

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

Matthew 5:9

I pray that whatever you are facing today, you feel the peace of God deep in your soul. He is with you, He loves you so much, and He cares about every detail of your life. When you are overwhelmed by the chaos, strife, and discouragement around you, make the choice to "let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." Colossians 3:15

And, lastly, here are some quotes from my Quotes Page. Have you ever visited it? There are a lot of them, in no particular order. Just a bunch of quotes I've been collecting over many years. I hope you enjoy them.

"Earth has no words that can convey the holy calm of a soul leaning on Jesus." 

Charles Spurgeon

"All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God." 

Oswald Chambers

"The hand of God is best seen in the rearview mirror." 

Dallas Willard

God bless you!