In the fall, a lot people get excited about football. Some people get excited about garden catalogs. The catalogs display pictures of beautiful flowers that bloom in the spring from bulbs planted in the fall. Those ugly, little, dried up bulbs that sprout beautiful flowers are some of the miracles of God's creations.

The garden is a never ending drama with wonderful surprises and some things that we would rather not have, such as weeds. It takes advance planning to keep the colors and fragrances going.

In Gardening Mercies, Laurie Ostby Kehler combines gardening with Scripture. She shares many tips for our gardening growth and lessons for our spiritual growth. She encourages us to keep a garden journal with records of our plantings and our mistakes. She also suggests that we keep a prayer journal of our prayers and our mistakes.

Laurie lives and gardens in the San Francisco Bay area, so she understands our unique problems and joys. One joy of gardening is sharing the beauty with all who pass by and observe. Be sure to surround yourself with lots of colorful chrysanthemums and enjoy this autumn.

What beautiful things God has created for our enjoyment. And those of you who are excited about football might enjoy one of our books about the game and some of the players.

October, 2002