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             Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (II Corinthians 5:17)

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:24)

It’s still legal to talk about newness and a new year. As I see it, I have until January 6 to wax eloquent on the topic. As I read the first verse above, the verse from John came to mind. This is probably partly because the homesteading groups I follow online are already talking about starting seeds indoors. It’s also partly because, as I said yesterday, sometimes the new isn’t very visible. It’s like the kernel of wheat Jesus described.

There are two basic categories of wheat: spring wheat and winter wheat. Spring wheat must be planted as soon as the farmers can get their equipment into the fields. Once soil temperatures get above 45-50o the seed needs to be sown. For every day after the optimum (first week of April through the beginning of May), the harvest decreases by 1%. Winter wheat is sown in the fall and harvested in the spring. Where you live partly determines which you plant.

Most plants have a certain date range for planting indoors and/or outdoors. They have specific light needs (full sun, partial sun, partial shade, shade), water, soil, and temperature needs. With many, you can simply put the seed in the ground and water it. Some, like milkweed, need to spend some time in the cold. Others sprout better if the seed is soaked in water for 24 hours. Some people score or sand some seeds. A few seeds don’t germinate unless they’ve gone through an animal’s digestive system and are excreted. You can put that less politely if you wish. The seed needs everything to be within a specific range, and until everything is ready, the seed either waits or rots. Keep in mind that seeds are small. In general, once you put them in the ground, you only know where they are by marking them.

If the news that we, the world, or God brings into our lives is like a seed, it will start small. It will put forth roots first, and only then will it begin sprout. Whether and how it grows will depend on whether it gets the right conditions. It may be weeks, months, or years before the plant will mature and you will get fruit. But as the picture below shows, seeds have great power. If you have patience and treat them right, they’ll grow more quickly.



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