Seeds, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Kendra Moore

This book has not only been written for you, it’s about you. Imagine that you are a seed. A seed will become what it is created to be, no matter where it is planted. It is however affected by everything around it …. but that does not change what it is.

There is no one else like you in the world! You are truly one of a kind. As we walk through our life’s garden, I want you to discover the amazingness that God has put inside of you. Prepare to be in awe of the magnificent gifts God has hidden in you, just waiting to be discovered. Just as a seed is in a packet, God wants to tear open the seed packet hidden inside you to reveal who He created you to be. Your beauty and purpose is just waiting to be discovered. Once discovered and nurtured to life, you will need to take impeccable care of it. It all depends on you! With the Master Gardener’s help, you are the gardener of your life. What happens to your garden depends on how you take care of it and what you allow to grow in it. Let’s walk down your garden’s path and discover your inner beauty and the garden God has planned uniquely for YOU.

Are you ready? We have some gardening to do!

‘An inspirational guide for living your life like Jesus in preparation for meeting our Master Gardener!’
—Catherine Adolph,
Fresh Life Church, Kalispell, Montana

‘You will find yourself captivated as you read each thought expressed in this heartfelt book, Seeds, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Thank you Kendra for reminding us of the importance of cultivating our garden daily, in order to experience every good thing the Master Gardener desires for us. Be blessed.’
—Karen Hartman, Littleton, Colorado

‘I have known this young woman, my niece, since the day she was born. Kendra was born with a song on her lips, a smile on her face, and a love for the Lord in her heart! I believe that anyone who reads this book will soon be doing the same.’
—Lonnie Shryer, Mission City Church,
San Fernando, California, Promise Keepers Alumni

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973668350

Kendra Moore

Kendra Moore is a Nebraska native, but has lived in Montana for the past 27 years. Kendra and her husband, Mike, have been married for over 31 years. They have two adult children, JR, and his wife Micheala, and Cheyenne, and her husband Josh. In addition, they have four beautiful and extremely talented grandchildren, Teagan, Atley, Kane, and Harper. She is also very fond of her ‘hairy’ kids, Rooster, Daisy, and Missy. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors with her family, reading and writing, and of course, playing in the flower bed.

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Copyright © 2019 Kendra Moore.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6836-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6837-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6835-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019908945

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/04/2019

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my sweet mom, Nancy. She not only taught me how to tend a garden, but most importantly she taught me how to garden my soul. Thank you, Mom. I love you so much and look forward to being with you in Eden, where you can tell me about all the flowers like you used to.

‘An inspirational guide for living your life like Jesus in preparation for meeting our Master Gardener!’

Catherine Adolph, Fresh Life Church, Kalispell, Outreach Team

‘You will find yourself captivated as you read each thought expressed in this heartfelt book, Seeds, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Thank you Kendra for reminding us of the importance of cultivating our garden daily, in order to experience every good thing the Master Gardener desires for us. Be blessed.

Karen Hartman, Littleton, Colorado

‘I have known this young woman, my niece, since the day she was born. Kendra was born with a song on her lips, a smile on her face, and a love for the Lord in her heart! I believe that anyone who reads this book will soon be doing the same.’

Lonnie Shryer, Mission City Church, San Fernando, California, Promise Keepers Alumni

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Planting

wa.png Be Who You Are!

wa.png Sow, Water, Weed, Wait

wa.png What Are Seeds Anyway?

wa.png Seeds of Thankfulness and Praise with Weeds of Discouragement

wa.png Seeds of Praise!

wa.png Word Seeds, Are They Vase Worthy, or Are They Going to Spread Like Weeds?

wa.png God, the First Gardener

wa.png Habit Seeds

wa.png Thinning vs Weeding ….

wa.png Seeds of Self Talk - Good and Bad

wa.png Who Does God Say You Are?

wa.png Seed Wars - Good Seeds vs Ugly Seeds

wa.png Mustard Seeds

wa.png Some Facts About A Mustard Seed ….

wa.png A Bit About Olive Trees…

wa.png God Knows What It Takes ….

wa.png What We Need

wa.png When We Trust - We Believe

wa.png Be Careful Who You Listen To…

wa.png Enough

wa.png MULLIGRUBS … Don’t Be One

wa.png Cheap Talk vs Gold

wa.png Others Trying To Plant Seeds In Your Future … aka ..Peer Pressure

wa.png So What Exactly Does God Say About You?

wa.png Activating the Good in the Midst of our Living Conditions

wa.png Faith is a Seed

wa.png How’s Your View?

wa.png Seeds of Peace

wa.png Be Still

wa.png Reflecting Him

wa.png Manure Mixed with Trials Brings an Abundance of Beauty

wa.png God’s Timing is Perfect!

wa.png SPRING FEVER!!!

wa.png Don’t Lose Hope!

wa.png Germination

wa.png Sleeping Seeds

wa.png The Change won’t Happen Overnight …

wa.png Needs, Wants, Possessions

wa.png Cultivate, Activate, Captivate

wa.png Dream Seeds

wa.png Living Water

wa.png Seeds of Worship

wa.png A Seed Dies..but Comes to Life!

wa.png Stink Weeds

wa.png Success… Failure … Why?

wa.png A Willing Seed … (God’s Will Doesn’t Always Feel Good…)

wa.png Murmuring Seeds …

wa.png Perspective - Rejection or Acceptance

wa.png Be as a Seed in the Wind!

wa.png Dirt Duty

wa.png Good Ole’ Cow Trails

wa.png Rocky Road … and Not the Ice Cream

wa.png Dirt Among the Thorns

wa.png Ahhh….Good Dirt

wa.png Keeping the Faith

wa.png Keep it Fresh!

wa.png Seeds of Karma

wa.png Seed of Forgiveness Fuels the Seed of Focus

wa.png Root of the Problem

wa.png Focus

wa.png Seeds of Greatness Just Waiting to Burst out of Their Shell!

wa.png Harvest Time

wa.png What Fruit is on God’s Seed Packet?

wa.png Seeds of Joy

wa.png Pride .. a Hard Seed’s Shell

wa.png Chosen .. Don’t be a Hard Seed

wa.png … Stand Your Ground!

wa.png Farm Your Own Ground

wa.png Secret Seeds

wa.png Tangible vs Trust

wa.png Doesn’t He Already Know?

wa.png Obstacles

wa.png Seeds of Resistance, Rebellion, and Dread

wa.png Stage Fright

wa.png Gift Seeds

wa.png I Need the Master Gardener’s Help

wa.png Free Men with a Slave Mentality

wa.png Prayer Seeds

wa.png Seed Packets

wa.png Jesus’ Seed Packet is Shared with Us!

wa.png Seeds of Small Beginnings

wa.png Seeds in the Dark

wa.png Bad Worms

wa.png Seeds of Wisdom and a Heart for God

wa.png Apple Seeds

wa.png Gift Seeds … the Gifts that Keep on Giving

wa.png Garden of Eden … Garden of Gethsemane

35846.png Acknowledgements

I want to thank two very special friends of mine who tirelessly edited this book, Catherine Adolph, and Karen Hartman. These ladies are truly gifts from God who I have the honor of calling my friends.

Catherine, your feedback to my writing was so encouraging. I wish I could have included your handwriting in the text for the readers. Your words made me laugh and cry, and sometimes both at the same time! I have doubted myself countless times in the writing and re-writing of this book, and your comments were God’s way of reassuring me that He was going to use this to help others in their life’s garden.

Karen, you should have been an english teacher. Your attention to detail amazes me. I can never repay you for the amount of time you spent editing this. We talked on the phone more during the process then we normally would, which makes me think maybe we should do this again! Although you live many miles away, we are forever close in His Spirit. God caused our paths to cross for His plans.

Mike, you know what a procrastinator I am, and how I often don’t finish what I start (i.e. the cross-stitch of the buck I started for you in our first year of marriage.) You have consistently encouraged me, and down-right prodded me to finish this book. I love and appreciate you. There isn’t anyone I would rather do life with. I love you, Babe.

To my kids, JR, Micheala, Cheyenne, and Josh. When I was excited about the next topic in the book, you always made time to listen, or I held you captive. (I am going with the first option.) Of course, you all got the unabridged version. You all said the sweetest things, and your comments inspired me to keep going. I love you to the moon and infinity!

Teagan, Atley, Kane, Harper, and any of my grandbabies yet to come, you are my inspiration to write. I hope this book comes in handy for you when you find yourself wondering what to do and how to handle things. I pray for each of you everyday, and have prayers stored up for you in Heaven when you need them. You’ll never know how much I love you!

Uncle Lonnie, thank you for the kindest compliment you could have given me by telling me that as you read this book, ‘it sounded like my mom talking’. That touches my heart, and means more to me than you could possibly know. If it wasn’t for her, this book wouldn’t have been written at all.

To my friends and family who prayed over me, over the writing of this book, and over the lives that will be touched by Jesus because of it. You all ROCK!

Most of all, I want to thank my Heavenly Father for planting the desire in me to write this book, but most importantly to finish it! The adventures we have had in writing this are priceless and it has drawn me so much closer to Him. I can’t wait for the next adventure!

35846.png Introduction

Seeds … all kinds of seeds!

There it is .. a small tan dry kernel .. so insignificant. It would not catch your eye with its enamoring beauty, it’s just a seed. Unless you knew its potential, you would never intentionally choose it. However, what comes out of a seed can be breathtaking and beautiful. God knows exactly what potential lies within that little bitty seed, because He created it… and He created YOU!

Are you going to leave your seeds in the packet and never discover the beauty you have within?

Or are you going to nurture the seeds that God has placed in you and experience all the beauty He has created in you? The choice is yours.

35846.png Planting

There it is, the little insignificant tan kernel (the seed) just minding its own business, blending in with the other seeds in its packet. Then suddenly it finds itself alone and in the dark. Not only is it dark, but it is wet and dark. Life for the little seed is so dismal. ‘I’m buried! What did I do to deserve this?’ … but the gardener says, ‘No, little seed … you have been planted. You can never experience what I have for you unless you are planted. You have to die to yourself, so you can become what I created you to be.’

That little seed could just lay in the cold wet soil and have a pity party, but the gardener cares too much about that little seed to let that happen. The gardener nurtures it, breaks the soil around it and keeps the weeds out of its surroundings because the gardener has BIG plans for the little seed. It has so much beauty inside, just waiting to come out.

The difference between that little seed and us is this; the little seed does not have a mind of its own to ruminate about its surroundings. It grows in whatever conditions its gardener has provided. The soil allows its roots to have something to anchor into and gives it the nutrition it needs as it is drawn up to the warmth of the sun.

Our gardener has given us everything we need to succeed, yet we doubt our ability to be all we are because of our surroundings. The beauty that God puts in us is inevitable regardless of our circumstances, where we live or who we know. Our circumstances don’t effect our growth because our gardener promotes our growth, if we let Him. That’s why we have heard, ‘bloom where you are!’ God always provides the provisions we need, no matter where we find ourselves.

Have you ever felt like that little insignificant seed? Minding your own business, blending in with the crowd, then suddenly you feel alone and in the dark? Know this … you are not buried. You have been chosen and planted by the Master Gardener! God cares about you way too much to not care for you and nurture you. Like the gardener tells the little seed, God is telling you, ‘You can never experience what I have for you unless you die to yourself. Take off that drab outer shell that is confining and defining you and become what I created you to be. He has BIG plans for you.

Our goals, hopes, and dreams sometimes feel like they are buried, when actually they are planted … they have to start somewhere too! We have to plant them deep in our heart and mind, then do whatever it takes to cause them to ‘take root’ and begin to grow.

While we are waiting for the plans in our lives to come into fruition, it can feel like nothing is happening. The seed is in the dirt. .. we need to be its cheerleader, keep rooting it on! Yes it is buried, but when we garden, that is exactly what we do. We bury seeds. But we don’t call it that, we call it planting, and that is exactly what we need to do with our God given dreams. Plant them and they will begin to grow. Don’t give up! It requires action! Prayerfully nurture the seed and keep in mind, some seeds sprout quickly and others can take up to a year or more. Think about how Sara and Abraham must have felt waiting for the birth of their long awaited son, John!

John 12:23, 24 Jesus replied, ‘Now, the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But it’s death will produce many new kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives.

God planted His dream - He planted Jesus, and Jesus had to die for His Father’s dream to come to pass … YOU. You were His dream, and you still ARE His dream. He literally died to have an intimate relationship with you and He can’t have that relationship with you without you choosing Him too. He risked it all for you. He became vulnerable and He laid down His whole hand on the table for the ‘chance’ that you might want Him as much as He wants you.

35846.png Be Who You Are!

I have never bought a potted ‘weed’ in the nurseries, but sometimes when I look in my garden, one would think that I did. Those crazy things come out of nowhere! Yet the flowers I buy need all kinds of attention to make them grow the way they should!

Our lives are the same way. Our life’s garden has beautiful flowers and some that may need to be thinned. Then there are those unsightly weeds, some downright stubborn ones too. We all have good in our lives, but sometimes it is hard to see the good through all the weeds. It is a daily process and sometimes we go weeks, months, and even years before we decide to get rid of the weeds. The longer we wait, the bigger and more stubborn those weeds get.

We have a Master Gardener that loves to help us weed our garden and He wants to bring out all the beautiful things in our lives He planned for long ago. There isn’t a garden bad enough that He cannot create a masterpiece out of.

This has been my motivation for writing this book. So many things crop up in life (no pun intended!) and we are left wondering what to do with them. Life circumstances that sometimes we have no control over, yet everyday the same set of circumstances are still there staring at us. Not fun. I am a very visual person, so as I began to pray about the circumstances in my life, God revealed to me how our lives are a garden; Not only our garden but His garden, if we let Him do the gardening.

I want you to take a close look at the cover of this book. You will notice that there are some beautiful flowers, in fact one of my favorites, sunflowers! Did you happen to notice the weeds in the bouquet? There are some fluffy dandelions with seeds just waiting to reproduce wherever they land. Also in the bouquet are some beautiful, yet nasty Canadian Thistle. I’m pretty sure my neighbors thought ‘that crazy neighbor lady has lost her last marble’ as I cut down the biggest, ugliest Canadian Thistle I could find. Yes, I let a Canadian Thistle bloom just for you so you could visualize how pretty weeds can be. I proceeded to put it in a large vase in my backyard with my other ‘weeds’ and sunflowers and took picture after picture after picture until I got the one I wanted. The picture on the front and the title of this book represents my life, your life, and the lives of everyone all around us. We’ve all got good flowers and we’ve all got weeds.

It’s so easy to focus only on the bad things in our life, instead of what is good. Sometimes we can only see the bad things in others, and that can be very frustrating. Or, sometimes we are envious of the good in others only to become jealous. That is a weed, the weed of comparison. Either way, we want to learn how to appreciate our own beauty as well as the beauty in others, and not focus on the weeds, but to learn how to weed them out of our thoughts.

After I took the pictures and the title was in place, I saved the picture to my phone’s wallpaper as a reminder to ‘finish the book’ every time I looked at my phone. (I think I may be the world’s greatest procrastinator!) I couldn’t fit the whole picture with the flowers and the words on my phone, so I just centered it, getting a little bit of both. The next time I ‘woke up’ my phone, I couldn’t believe what I saw. My eyes welled up with tears … God had truly given me the message for the book after I felt it was mostly written. What I saw in the partially revealed title of ‘Seeds, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ … was this …. See the Good. It still overwhelms me. That is exactly what God sees when He looks at my life’s garden and it is what He sees when He looks at yours. It is what we are to see when we not only look at our own garden, but at other’s as well. We are to SEE the good.

When Adam and Eve left the garden, that’s when the weeds showed up. All through the Bible we read about how people tended their gardens. What they let grow and the outcome of their choices. Fast forward to today, this very minute you are reading this. We are dealing with the weeds in our garden, but that is not what God sees when He looks at you.

Through writing this, I have been able to identify the weeds in my life, and believe me, do I have weeds to pull! The good news is that weeds are normal. No big surprise there. Stuff comes up that I didn’t plant. Some things are easy to get rid of and others require some serious effort. In fact, it would be easier just to walk away from the ugly weed, but they all must go. I have also learned how to focus on the things that God has put inside me. The beauty just waiting to come out and blossom and thrive … the things He intended for me long ago. I am also learning that every garden grows better with manure … and we all know what manure really is. But as God would have it, gardens do better with manure. Period. Life delivers us a lot of manure too. I think there is a bumper sticker about it even …. Manure Happens. It looks different to all of us and can come in many different forms… loss of a job, loss of a loved one, divorce, illness, anxiety, rejection, depression, failure. Yet, if we allow our Master Gardener to cultivate