Drought Effects

Posted byGary FultzPosted inabundant life, Build Faith, communion with God, deception, devotional, Faith, Fishing, Gary Fultz, Gary Fultz Blog, God in Nature, good marriage, Inner Peace, intentional, Jesus Christ, Know God, most imortant relationship, Nature, Nature and Inner Peace, nature pictures, outdoor scenery, outdoor spiritual truths, Peace, perspective, Photography, purpose in life, quality of life, relationship building, relationship control, spiritual concepts, Spiritual Perspective, Spiritual picture Truths, victorious living, walk with GodTags:, , , , , , , , , , ,

The bees are thirsty, the grass is dry, flowers that rely on rain are gone. The forests are a tinderbox and well over a thousand wild fires burn throughout North America. Yesterday was clear because of the wind direction. Today the air is filled with smoke from several wildfires a couple hundred miles north of us in Canada. I have pictures from yesterday and today. You will be able to see the difference. The nearby lake is 3 feet low but the fish are biting for these boys anyway (Click on any picture for slide show and enlarging).

Nature ebbs and flows. It’s a natural thing. My father and grandfather talked of the wet and dry years, the hot and cold years, winters with piles of snow and others with little. Right now we have drought and are seeing the beginning effects. A couple feet of slow rain over the next 30 days would almost get us back to normal. For now, states south of us have been flooding. Hey guys, send some our way???

Oh the symbolism nature has for our lives. What does drought of the soul look like? If you thought to yourself “it looks like me,” then you might be in company with a whole lot of people. In a world of thirsty people how do we get and give water for the soul? Who even admits their thirst for satisfaction? Do you find yourself a sojourner for another place, a seeker of truth or an onlooker posturing and blaming? maybe you are like this hummingbird moth looking for nectar. I think it checked out the hundreds of blooms on our deck before moving on.

The bees are desperate and short tempered with more bees than blooms. Green grass and flowers are blooming where the underground water siphoning effect has not been broken by drought. Did you know that water from 100 feet down and further will siphon up to the tree roots and deeper plant roots still collecting moisture until the soil dries down beyond the roots? Once the moisture connection is broken the plant dies. Our planet is, was in a sense, one big hydroponic system.

We were designed as people to be hydroponic. Our thirsty souls need that deep living water to experience deep peace and satisfaction. I am speaking of the spiritual area of our lives.

I was asked by our church to share how I have and maintain a healthy relationship with God. They posted it on you tube. Check out the video link or see the outline here “Life is Like that,” (If you follow my other blog you have seen it). This is how I refresh my relationships from neighbors to siblings, my marriage and with God.

Searching and finding little

Consider these hydroponic claims: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (Jesus in john 4:14)

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” (Jesus in John 7:38)

O Lord, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame.
Those who turn away on earth will be written down,
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord. (Jeremiah 17:13)

The swamps are still hydroponic even though dry

The living waters of life are worth searching for……Gary

Published by Gary Fultz

Outdoors Man, Hunter, Fisherman, Guide, Writer / Author, Photographer, Public Speaker, Musician, Song Writer, Story Teller, Follower Of Jesus. Love God and family and total strangers

57 thoughts on “Drought Effects”

  1. Thanks for the insightful and much needed reminder Gary that I’m hydroponic, ever needing to soak up His word, wisdom and guidance to navigate the spiritual drought of this world.
    Be Blessed brother.

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  3. Thinking about Jer. 17:13, I was reminded of how we drink from Jesus himself directly, AND through the authentic and intimate fellowship of the saints. Neglecting either or both seems fatal in the long run, as a rule anyway…

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  4. Thanks for your insights Gary and of course the beautiful photos. I have to confess that when I think of you now, I associate you with getting back to the basics and trust me, that is a good thing. We all need to really appreciate the essence of our being and how God graciously nourishes us with His Word and presence. Thank you for your faithfulness. Blessings brother.

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    1. Thanks Bruce. We constantly need water don’t we. I should have posted a picture of my wife’s wilted flowers I forgot to water. Our relationship with God wilts fast when we break that connection.

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  5. I agree with Bruce. Your thoughts direct us back to the basics of life, brother. Water is critical to our survival. So is the Living Water that Jesus supplies.

    I love the pictures. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hummingbird moth before. So beautiful!

    Blessings.

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  6. Well said Gary. I can’t help but think these times of drought are good in that they help us recognize our need for living water and to put our roots down deeper into Jesus. When we learn these lessons well, and put them into practice, we’ll find those drought times to be a non-issue.

    We had the same smoke you experienced from where we are. Not as bad but it sure has made breathing difficult. In many ways I see the smoke like the news, a lot of haze and choking with no benefit. Best to avoid it as much as possible. Staying in the clear air of the spirit does wonders for one’s health. 🙂

    Love the pictures Gary. Blessings to you brother.

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    1. Thanks Homer. I remember my father pointing to a forest of dead tamarack trees on the bog when I was young. “Do you boys know why those trees died?’ Silence from us 3 boys in the truck waiting for the explanation. “They died because the trees only put their roots outward on the bog. They grow in the water. They do not have a tap root that goes down like an oak tree. When the water table drops the roots are out of water and the tree dies. This is why the bible says we need to be rooted and grounded in Jesus…”

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  9. Thanks Gary, for bringing enlightenment on this subject. Excellent lesson on nature as teacher for those with eyes to see. It reminds me of the Lord spending so much ministry time outside incorporating the natural world into His teachings. The example of His creation, if perceived and understood, reveals the spiritual world. It’s almost as if the Lord did that on purpose…

    Blessings to you

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    1. Almost RJ. Ya, Our suspicions are the same. Nothing in creation contradicts the nature of God except the sin effect making nature groan and often self destruct. There sure are a lot of deep seated correlations between the properties and laws of nature and life. Now to have the faith mustard seed size…pondering that recently.

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  10. Hmm, tried to find your video link and only found it by going to YouTube and entering Gary Fultz in the search window. Good talk, but I prefer reading to videos and don’t even get me started on podcasts! 🙄 Just listening to someone talk when you can’t even see them is like riding a speedboat wearing a sleeping mask! 😁
    Just a thought for global alarmists from Father’s instructions to Noah: “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:21-22)
    Doesn’t mean we should not take care of the environment. After all, the earth is NOT OURS to do with as we wish. We are only temporary tenants and responsible to the Owner. But we have God’s own assurance that seasons will continue as they have for generations until He returns.
    Even so, come Lord Jesus.
    Thanx for your great blogs and encouragement!

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    1. Oops sorry about the video link, I’ll check that out. I know about the podcasts, hard for me as well but sometimes well worth it. I have a lot of comfort in those promises. I’m with you, waiting for the checkered flag for my life and hoping for the trumpet first. Thank you for your encouragement.

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    1. We still have the smoke but the wind is in the right direction to give some relief. Glad for your rain, none in sight here.
      I’m still taking a grandson out fishing in a couple hours. We will have a windy smoky time,

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  12. “We were designed as people to be hydroponic.” This is good Gary. Someone said that the creation of water is not recorded in the Bible (and I haven’t found it yet either).

    The reason why? Because God & water are inextricably linked to one other, as if water is an innate part of God’s nature.

    Which may explain your premise of thirst here …. we are made in God’s own imagine. 🌊🌊🙏

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    1. Thanks. I have always been intrigued with how much water plays a role in Gods workings with mankind. Physically as well as in metaphor and symbolism and so on. Often there are depths of layers of meanings as well as past, present, future and overall in Jesus discourse and interactions with people.

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    2. I’m glad, It has worked for me for many years and I had wanted to share it with our fellowship at some point. When our pastor was called out of town I was called on and the timing was it seems for many.

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    1. Thank you Crissy. I believe there is probably several illustrations in nature for every truth God wants to communicate to us. God communicates in multi-lingual ways, probably beyond our imagination. Oh, the stories we will tell someday about what grabbed our attention to come to our creator.

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  15. Beautiful Gary. You know, I’m a little slow…but God is so patient. I have spent two decades praying each morning for a fresh refilling of the Holy Spirit before I would enter the day. Then I finally realized I don’t need to ask. It’s already there! The Treasure. The Gift. The Living Water. Christ in me, the hope of glory! Why, that simply changed everything 🙂

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    1. Wonderful testimony Deb. I fully understand…You and I understand our firm foundation, drinking daily from the fount and avoiding a drift in life. Yes, God fills continuously but, want you and I probably want more than anything is to experience his presence anew each day, or at least once in awhile. The overwhelming awesome beyond words presence that he occasionally gifts (sometimes with big gaps in my case). My problem with his filling is that I have a lot of leaks in this bucket.

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  16. This morning I found myself resting awhile and chewing on a portion of Psalm 87:7 “All my fountains are in You.” Your post is the perfect narrative to go with it, especially your words “We were designed as people to be hydroponic. Our thirsty souls need that deep living water to experience deep peace and satisfaction. I am speaking of the spiritual area of our lives.”

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    1. Thanks for the testimony Beth.
      Who among us, that have been walking with the Lord for any length of time and one of our words or sentences or thoughts was at the right time for someone else to hear? I’m convinced, and someday we will find out how much mileage the Holy Spirit got out of our words and actions. Sad but the opposition knows how to use this leverage as well when we speak or act wrongly. We know who wins. It is good to be briefed daily by the commander of our life.

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  19. Love the way you share how God speaks to you through nature.❤️
    I watched/listened to the sermon you did, love your steps—walk, talk, get right, stay tight!! So incredibly important!❤️

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    1. Thank You Steve. We do hunger and thirst for more than bread and water thinking we have something better or more fulfilling than Jesus loaves and an everlasting water jug.

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  21. Love this analogy based on hydroponics, Gary. You brought to mind what happened earlier this month when we were gone from home four days. The heat and lack of rain took their toll on my deck plants–even though they were well watered before we left. Such a sorry sight of droopy stems, leaves, and flowers! I thought for sure they would never revive, but with generous watering every day for a week, they did. Now your post has me thinking: Praise God when our spirits droop with discouragement, because he is more than able to restore us with his strength (1 Peter 5:10)!

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    1. Thanks Nancy, it was our sorry deck plants that made me think of natures natural watering system in this drought. Only the deep rooted plants are surviving (and the daily watered ones) like we should be.

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  25. He will. We have been here before. I think we in some way fit the passage in Hosea 6:1-2 Come, let us return to the Lord, for he has torn us and he will heal us; He has wounded us and he will bind up our wounds. He will revive us after two days and on the 3rd day he will raise us up so we can live in his presence.

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