Oklahombres

(Click on each of the thumbnails to get a larger picture.)

That’s what the species name means: Magnolia grandiflora has one big bloom. Well, it has more than one. The “one” was used for emphasis. Southern magnolia, or bull bay, has the biggest blossoms of any tree I can think of. I haven’t been everywhere, so I better not say “biggest” just yet, because there could be something out there I am not aware of. Let’s just say BIG, and leave it at that. Whether it is the biggest blossom sported by any species of tree is not important. What is important is that Southern magnolia says The South. A Southern Magnolia makes you think of Gone with the Wind, Colonel Sanders, and mint juleps.

Native along the eastern coastal plains from South Carolina to the tip of east Texas, this giant gem has adapted well farther north; much farther. The blossoms aren’t the only thing that is big. The leaves, dark glossy-green, with fuzzy brown undersides, are as big as your hand. Slow growing, a Southern magnolia will eventually reach sixty or more feet tall, with a spread of fifty or more feet wide. Oh, and did I mention, southern magnolia is evergreen, even though the leaves burn and tatter a bit here in northeastern Oklahoma. Spring fixes that with a fresh set to replace the old ones. Southern magnolia provides a dense shade, and its lower limbs can be left to grow all the way to the ground, or trimmed up so you can sit under them on a hot summer day. It looks good either way, although my wife prefers the to-the-ground look, which is fine with me.

The blooms, as you can see, are pure velvety-white, and as big as a dinner plate. What you can’t see is the sweet fragrance. It is not overpowering, just pleasant. My wife took these shots. I couldn’t decide on just one, as there wasn’t a bloom “just right.” The third shot, although pretty enough from a distance, lacks many of the stamen, the male reproductive parts that hold the pollen. In a day the petals too will fall, and the little seed “grenade” will begin to form. The second blossom, although nearly fully open, conceals the center parts. The last shot I guess I took, as those are my wife’s pretty fingers on the right helping mine on the left to peek behind the curtain.

Southern magnolia does not boast a spectacular display of blossoms, lasting for only a couple of weeks. They come instead a few at a time each day, each lasting a few days, for several weeks in late spring and early summer. The “grenades” persist for the rest of summer, with the slick, red seeds peeking from its crevices toward the middle of summer. If you have the space for it in your landscape, Southern magnolia will make you feel like a southern gentlemen (or a southern belle).

Have a good weekend. See you in the Lord’s house on Sunday.

(Second Part: Of Man’s Redemption—Questions 12-85)

59. But what does it help thee now, that thou believest all this?

• That I am righteous in Christ before God, and an heir of eternal life.

60. How art thou righteous before God?

• Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. That is: although my conscience accuse me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and that I am still prone always to all evil, yet God, without any merit of mine, of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ, as if I had never committed nor had any sin, and had myself accomplished all the obedience which Christ has fulfilled for me, if only I accept such benefit with a believing heart.

61. Why sayest thou, that thou art righteous only by faith?

• Not that I am acceptable to God on account of the worthiness of my faith; but because only the satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ is my righteousness before God, and I can receive the same and make it my own in no other way than by faith only.

f that grouping of plants known as monoecious, there is a further division into two sub-groups: complete and  incomplete, which refers to the nature of a plant’s reproductive parts; what we commonly call flowers. One each of these two sub-group is represented in this weeks floral pics. A botanical term invented in the 18th century, the word “monoecious” means, literally (from the Greek) “one house.” In other words, the plant’s reproductive parts, both male and female, are present on a single plant. The other grouping is known by the term dioecious, which of course means “two houses.” Plants in this grouping have male and female plants. Ginkgo and green ash fall into this grouping, and you are well advised to heed the warning to purchase only male trees of such plants. Stinking fruit in the case of the first, and pesky seed in the case of the second make this need-to-know info.

Complete: First our representation of a complete flower, what most readily recognize as a blossom.
The joy of spring in the landscape for my wife and I peaks at the blooming of our Korean stewartia, Stewartia koreana. Grace and delicacy in the landscape is measured by this genus of small to medium trees. We had originally sought the Japanese stewartia, Stewartia pseudocamellia, but came up empty handed. We finally found the Korean stewartia and settled on it. The only noticeable difference is that the Korean species only grows to about twenty feet, while the Japanese species might reach almost twice that height, given optimum growing conditions.

The fully open blossom is beautiful enough, but the anticipatory bud, swelling to the size of a grape before bursting open, also creates a marvelous tease. All of the Stewartias require moist, well-drained soil. Our soil is well drained, but moisture is supplied by a water hose after the spring rains cease. A thick mulch of some sort helps as well. Smooth, tan bark that exfoliates in irregular patches along the main trunk and larger branches, and those lovely camellia-like blossoms are what make the Korean stewartia a favorite this time of year. The genus Stewartia is in fact closely related to the genus Camellia, which the blossoms readily betray. The tea plant is of the genus  Camellia as well.

Incomplete: This is not your typical blossom, but blossoms they are; male and female separate on the same tree.
The chestnuts in the back yard are going to produce a bumper crop this year, God willing. This is one of three, a Chinese chestnut, Castanea mollissima. Of the various nut trees, chestnut makes the best show at blossom. Oaks and pecans catkins droop down and soon fall off, while those of the chestnuts are presented more upright and seem to last longer. There is a good deal of history surrounding the chestnut and the eastern U. S. Everyone is familiar with the various paintings of barns and blacksmiths plying their trade under the spreading chestnut tree. There is also the issue of chestnut blight a century ago, which wiped out the American chestnut, and nearly wiped out the lumber trade in that reigon, but that is a post for someone else to write. We also have two American chestnut hybrids, which are some combination of Castanea dentata,  and the Oriental and European species.

I thought I would show a couple of pics of their blossoms close up. The male blossom, called a catkin, are the long fuzzy parts in this photo. They produce the pollen which pollinates the female embryo—there are two of them, much less conspicuous farther down and to the right along the branch. The photo below is a close-up of the nut-to-be. It almost looks like a pineapple. In a few weeks the spines will begin to emerge all around the growing nuts. There will develope two half-sphered nuts flat against one another, growing inside a spike-o-rama deluxe. When they fall to the ground in the autumn, you better hope the spiny shell splits open to release the seeds inside, because they are sharp.

Have a great week end and a blessed Lord’s day.

(Second Part: Of Man’s Redemption—Questions 12-85)

62. But why cannot our good works be the whole or part of our righteousness before God?

• Because the righteousness which can stand before the judgment-seat of God must be perfect throughout and wholly conformable to the divine law; whereas even our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin.

63. How is it that our good works merit nothing, while yet it is God’s will to reward them in this life and in that which is to come?

• The reward comes not of merit, but of grace.

64. But does not this doctrine make men careless and profane?

• No, for it is impossible that those who are implanted into Christ by true faith, should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness.

h, there is so much here. The more I read this short bit from St. Augustine, the more I saw; about earthly happiness, the nature of the kingdom of God, the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, and on it goes. Hebrews 11:13-16 comes readily to mind.

And therefore earthly kingdoms are given by Him both to the good and the bad; lest His worshippers, still under the conduct of a very weak mind, should covet these gifts from Him as some great things. And this is the mystery of the Old Testament, in which the New was hidden, that there even earthly gifts are promised: those who were spiritual understanding even then, although not yet openly declaring, both the eternity which was symbolized by these earthly things, and in what gifts of God true felicity could be found.
Saint Augustine, The City of God, Dods translation, book 4, chapter 33.

My pastor has been using Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges, as a guide to a series of Wednesday-evening devotional messages. I decided to pick up a copy of the book, and have found it very helpful. Here is an early example. More to follow at a later date.

“In Greek culture, sin originally meant to “miss the mark,” that is, to miss the center of the target. Therefore sin was considered a miscalculation or failure to achieve. . . . Usually, however, our sinful actions stem not from a failure to achieve but from an inner urge to fulfill our own desires. As James wrote, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (1:14). We gossip or lust because of the sinful pleasure we get out of it. At that time, the lure of that momentary pleasure is stronger than our desire to please God.”

Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2007), p. 21.

ell, it isn’t the summer solstice yet, but it might as well be here in northeastern Oklahoma. The days are hot and muggy, and the grass has to be cut at least every ten days. So it’s summer whether the calendar says so or not. One of the bright welcome mats of summer around these parts is the nearly-wild daylily, Hemerocallis. You know the one I am talking about; that bright sea of  poke-your-eye-out orange trumpets atop three-foot stalks, with floppy sword-like foliage two foot below. These tall sentinels of summer have been back-yard favorites since your grandma was a little girl. They basically came in one color: road-crew-vest orange, and one size: up-to-your-belly tall. Oh, I take that back. You occasionally saw the same size in road-crew-vest yellow. The other thing dependable with the old daylilies was that they bloomed their hearts out, and in a couple of weeks at most it was all over for another season.

That has all changed with modern plant breeding programs. I guess the first great break through was ‘Stella d’Oro’ which, was only about a foot tall and creamy yellow. It was ugly. “U G L Y, you ain’t got no alibi.” It was too short and too not-yellow, and it still only had one bloom period.

Some years ago my wife and I stumbled upon the gem you see to the right. It is called ‘Happy Returns,’ the name intimating that it is a return bloomer. That’s a big bonus. It will bust a gut blooming for a couple of weeks, and then later when it has had a chance to rest up, it will do a few more blooms later in the summer. It is compact—but not short—at about eighteen inches, and the bloom is truly yellow. It’s not almost-yellow, or mustard-yellow, or creamy-yellow, or that other yellow I’m not allowed to describe. It is yellow, and in our house that translates into beautiful.

The genus Hemerocallis comes from two Greek words: hemera, meaning “day,” and kallos, meaning “beauty.” Daylilies are very beautiful indeed, but each bloom holds that beauty for only one day.

That’s it for this week. Enjoy your yards and gardens. We’ve begun to dig a few new potatoes, and our smaller tomato varieties are very close. Don’t forget to give thanks to God… for everything. See you Sunday.

(Second Part: Of Man’s Redemption—Questions 12-85)

65. Since then we are made partakers of Christ and all his benefits by faith only, whence comes this faith?

• The Holy Ghost works it in our hearts by the preaching of the Gospel, and confirms it by the use of the Holy Sacraments.

66. What are the Sacraments?

• The Sacraments are visible, holy signs and seals, appointed by God for this end, that by the use thereof He may the more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the Gospel: namely, that He grants us out of free grace the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life, for the sake of the one sacrifice of Christ accomplished on the cross.

67. Are both these, then, the Word and the Sacraments, designed to direct our faith to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, as the only ground of our salvation?

• Yes truly; for the Holy Ghost teaches in the Gospel, and by the Holy Sacraments assures us, that our whole salvation stands in the one sacrifice of Christ made for us on the cross.

68. How many Sacraments has Christ appointed in the New Testament?

• Two: Holy Baptism and the Holy Supper.

he golden hour, sometimes referred to as the magic hour, is the first and last hours of sunlight of the day. In it you have a more narrow light range, one that your camera can cope with much better. Here is a series of shots my wife took around the house last Tuesday, just before sunset. Click on the thumbnails to see a larger image. I am not going to comment on the shots. Just enjoy the golden hour, and give glory to our God and Father, maker of heaven and earth, and the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. See you Sunday.

(Second Part: Of Man’s Redemption—Questions 12-85)

69. How is it signified and sealed unto thee in Holy Baptism, that thou has part in the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross?

• Thus: that Christ has appointed this outward washing with water, and has joined therewith this promise, that I am washed with His blood and Spirit from the pollution of my soul, that is, from all my sins, as certainly, as I am washed outwardly with water, whereby commonly the filthiness of the body is taken away.

70. What is it to be washed with the blood and Spirit of Christ?

• It is to have the forgiveness of sins from God, through grace, for the sake of Christ’s blood, which He shed for us in His sacrifice on the cross; and also, to be renewed by the Holy Ghost, and sanctified to be members of Christ, that so we may more and more die unto sin, and lead holy and unblamable lives.

71. Where has Christ promised that we are as certainly washed with His blood and Spirit as with the water of Baptism?

• In the institution of Baptism, which runs thus: Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. This promise is also repeated where the Scripture calls Baptism the washing of regeneration and the washing away of sins.