God Plants Seeds

By Anna Hartt

God Plants Seeds is about realizing we all have a purpose on this earth, ordained by God before our births. He fills the hour glass of our lives with time and love; what we do with these gifts determines what we harvest from the fields of our lives, the ubuntu. We are obligated to love one another, to understand the adage, "I am because we are." Loving one person creates ripple effects throughout the world; loving the whole world is our gift of gratitude to God for all He has done for us. Only when we become "Christ with flesh on" will we accomplish God's plan for our lives. Listening for the tolling of a steeple bell from an old country church as evening comes, we hear Christ calling to us to come home. One tiny light, your light, can help heal the world's darkness. With God's love and grace, our children will harvest His peace through the seeds of character and talents that He has planted in all of us. As our Eternal Father, God directs our plans. Without Him, we are nothing; with Him, we can be our very best as leaders of the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973691846

Anna Hartt

Anna Hartt is an accomplished musician, composer, poet, painter, and teacher of forty-eight years who has served several churches as a music director and organist. The author of Listen to the Voices of Your Heart and The River Flows On holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in music education and an equivalent doctorate degree in the psychology of learning. Hartt resides in Wisconsin with her dog and cat.

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Copyright © 2020 Anna Hartt.

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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.

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All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9183-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9185-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9184-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020909172

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/19/2020

To my best friend and the

love of my life, Jack, whose love began as a simple Hello and grew into a powerful Always and forever.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that

bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;

and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.¹

CONTENTS

The Message

Author’s Note

Prologue

CHAPTER 1 Beyond The Call Of Duty

CHAPTER 2 We Can Always Come Home

CHAPTER 3 Olives, Wine, Popes, and Free France: A Painter’s Dream

CHAPTER 4 A Baby, A Manger, and Our Hearts

CHAPTER 5 Healing through God’s Angels

CHAPTER 6 God’s Antidotes for Life

CHAPTER 7 The Bread and the Wine

CHAPTER 8 A Thirst for Knowledge

CHAPTER 9 He Gave Them Music

CHAPTER 10 Italy: A World of Courage and Passion

CHAPTER 11 A Steeple Bell and an Old Country Church

CHAPTER 12 He Directs Our Plans

Epilogue

Sources of Hymns

Bibliography

About the Author

THE MESSAGE

Why are we here? Why do we want our lives to count? How many paths intersected to give us a path to follow? How many people met to bring our families together? Is it time to relax, or should we be searching for new and more challenging things to occupy our time? Are we doing enough to take care of what God has given us? Do we really believe it is better to give than to receive? Do any of these things really matter?

In the hourglass of our lives, the sands of time and the seeds of love are blessed with grace. They fall persistently toward the bottom of the glass. God fills the hourglass with time and love so that we may have abundant lives. Every tiny sand particle and every seed of love has a purpose. What we do with these two beautiful gifts is our choice.

With His love and grace, we are to be fruitful and generous to those around us. We are the harvesters, the caretakers, of His creation. But when the fruit is brought forth immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. And he said, whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it growth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.²

A kind word, a fleeting smile, a held hand on a warm summer’s night—these are God’s seeds, and they are planted for a blessed union between two people. God gave you birth in the commitment of those loving individuals, and with His hand, your life had a divine plan. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.³

According to those plans, we are to plant good seeds in the ever-changing and challenging world we live in. The good seeds, our children, are blessed by His continual love and grace.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil; to give you an exceptional end. Then ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."⁴

With faith the size of a mustard seed, our children will grow into tall, strong trees, reaching toward the heavens and seeking their own destinies.

God made us unique in this world, and everything we have is by His grace. We are here to serve a specific purpose at this particular moment in time. We grow in righteousness as we forgive one another, as we love unconditionally, and as we become what He ordained us to be. In doing His will, we become the seeds and the fruit of His vineyard. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me, ye can do nothing.⁵

We are not here to fulfill our own purposes. There are many branches on God’s vines, members of every tribe of people on the earth, each tribe with their own purposes ordained by God. We are bound together as a community, state, country, and world. Everything we do ripples across time and space and eventually affects people around the world.

The African term ubuntu means I am because we are. We achieve more by sharing ourselves with others and by caring for those around us. We are to love one another as we love ourselves. If the seed of love is at the center of all our relationships, we are growing fields of ubuntu, and the harvests will be more than enough to feed the world, His creation.

Be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁶

By drawing together as one humanity, we accept that our differences are a small part of who we are, and we become unified in sharing responsibility for this world. We are God’s children, graced and loved by Him and destined to achieve our shared purposes. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And God said, ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’⁷ For every sad child, every troubled teenager, every hopeless adult, every struggling country, and every darkened porthole of our world, we are the candles that will lead others into the light. We become the peace that the world needs, and that does matter.

The sands of time are fleeting. We do not know how much we have. The seeds of love leave their impressions on everything and everyone they touch. Listening, speaking, giving, praying, answering, sharing, enjoying, trusting, forgiving, and promising—these must be done without any reservation or ulterior motive. If we all would do these simple things, the world would be more beautiful and productive. God would be at the center of our lives, no matter what religion we believe in. Adversity would be nonexistent among all peoples and nations.

God plants the seeds, and we benefit from His 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.⁸

AUTHOR’S NOTE

The events in this book are true with the exception of four dreams written as short stories, one children’s story, and one story for adults. All the stories are meant to explain some of my life’s trials and relationships. The children’s story is purely fictional, and I use it to describe how children can always return to a home where unconditional love is a core value in that family. The story for adults is used to explore where God’s people have gone in our challenging world today. I have also included several of my recent poems and prayers in a desire to spread the Word of God to my readers.

Names, dates, and places have been changed to protect actual people. With respect to my two trips to Europe, I will try to convey my inspirations and feelings as they relate to major works of art, culinary delicacies, and awesome musical treasures. These events are about sharing my faith, talents, and philosophies as they relate to how God planted seeds (gifts) in me to help others and to better the world. Music, which is one of the world’s greatest art forms, came to fruition in me, and by developing this talent, I pray without words and try to bring the light of Jesus Christ to others.

The hymns used in this book are my most treasured hymns. Once in my forty years of serving churches, an interim pastor at one of those churches asked me, What is your favorite hymn? To my surprise, I couldn’t answer him, but as the years passed, I discovered that God planted the melodies and meanings of certain hymns in my very soul to guide me throughout life. Understanding that He has walked beside me throughout my life, playing these hymns became my gift to a cold, cruel world, warming the hearts of the congregations I served and welcoming Jesus Christ into my own heart.

As you read God Plants Seeds, remember that Jesus Christ, beloved Son of God and Savior of the world, came to us so that we might have a rich and abundant life, where we plant fields of ubuntu in our families, countries, and the world. The individual is only as important as everyone else in the world. We are connected by honor, dignity, integrity, courage, and love. By harvesting these seeds, we build bridges to one another, and our children will inherit a more creative, beautiful, and fulfilling world for generations to come. Through the universal language of music, we pray for lasting peace and for a world made whole by our heavenly Father.

PROLOGUE

As we look back at everything we’ve accomplished or everything we haven’t accomplished, one thing should be clear. God has never given up on us. He has always walked beside us, carrying us in His arms and picking us up when we fall. We may not have realized that everything we have done in the name of love and peace, every person we have loved, every child we have helped, and every nation we have fought for and helped rebuild came from a tiny seed that God placed in us. There is nothing in this world He did not create.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.⁹

Our pasts walk vibrantly within us, whether we acknowledge them or not. They simmer like a large bubbling kettle, waiting for different events or thoughts to rise up and guide us. Change may be necessary, but all that really matters is what we see in the moment. We should not judge others’ lives but learn about our own gifts and pain. We must question where the things that make us who we are have come from—our privilege, philosophy, faith, organization, troubles, and peace.

Beautiful things don’t need our attention, only our appreciation and awe. The ugly things, the hard to look at things, the tragedies of life, the crying and hungry children, the homeless families, the mental illnesses rampant in our society and around the world, the war-torn countries, our inability to communicate without anger, fear, or hate—these are our responsibilities to share as individuals and countries. Some moments are ours alone, and when they occur, we need to be in them with God.

When Sarah prays, she depends on God, but when it comes to the work she accomplishes, she realizes her work depends on herself and the help of others. When everything depends on God, we can let go. We must work hard but also let God do the rest. With God at the center of our lives, we can accept different results, patiently persevere in our failures, and rejoice in our positive experiences.

Realizing that her impact on her students might be only a small light, Sarah saw her light help many to walk a wide variety of paths. It was a small light, but it was a light. It was a visual aide, and a tiny seed of love burned deeply in each one of them. As long as there is a child wanting to know the power of music, the arts will continue to flourish in the world. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.¹⁰

With God’s help, perhaps the most effective seed that Sarah planted in her students was that they were never lonely, never unloved, and never uncared for. When the fear of those things is eliminated, God’s children always triumph in their lives, do the right thing, make sacrifices for others, and leave the world a better place.

Remembering her private students and countless groups of choirs, bands, orchestras, and music classes, Sarah wrote this poem in many of their graduation books.

YOU ARE LOVED

You are loved; God will be by your side.

You are loved; Mom and Dad will hold your hand.

You are loved; I will hold you in my heart.

You are strong and faithful; He will bless and keep you.

You are a child of God; nothing is impossible.

With this poem, Sarah fondly remembered one of her first private students—Joseph. He was born in 1966 and was adopted by a loving couple, Mary and Jason. Shortly after Sarah’s divorce from Owen and her miscarriage, she met this loving couple in the church she was serving. Mary and Jason took time from their busy lives to help Sarah weather the two loses. Their home became a second home for her, and she spent some weekends and holidays with them.

Joseph showed a great ability with the piano, and it was only a matter of time before he became one of Sarah’s finest students. He was a highly verbal and intelligent youngster with a native ability in expressing piano literature. No challenge seemed to faze him, and he rapidly advanced through the standard lesson series and onto Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin.

As he matured through high school, a thoughtful compassion began to develop in Joseph. That compassion later surrounded Sarah when her second husband, Bob, passed away. Joseph mastered college and became an actuary in a fast-moving tax industry. Sarah was concerned that he would lose his