Superbloom

A March 5, 2026 article by Matt Growcoot on PetaPixel.com had the following title: “Photographer Drives 1,000 Miles to Death Valley for Spectacular Superbloom.” The pictures included with the article were incredible. Here’s part of the story:

“A wildflower superbloom has swept Death Valley for the first time in 10 years and photographer Elliot McGucken made the long drive from Yellowstone to California to see the rare phenomenon. He swapped the frigid temperatures of Montana, where it was minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius), and made the 12-hour drive south to Death Valley. “As Death Valley had experienced record rainfalls over the past few months, I knew that a desert superbloom was likely this year, and so I drove on down,” McGucken tells PetaPixel. “The desert superblooms often appear earliest in Death Valley, as it is the hottest, driest place not only in California, but on Earth.”...

“Superblooms are not simply heavy-flowering seasons; they require sustained rainfall that penetrates deep into desert soils, activating seeds that can remain dormant for years or even decades. Moderate temperatures and minimal destructive wind must then follow that moisture. That’s why superblooms in arid landscapes are so rare — the last one was in 2016.”

Dry spells can happen in our spiritual lives as well. We’ve endeavored to faithfully serve God but there have been few flowers to show for it. We’ve prayed for moisture but, for one reason or another, the soil of our hearts has remained dry and cracked. We begin to think that perhaps it will always be this way.

But don’t give up! Tiny seeds of fruitfulness that have remained dormant in a long stretch of dryness may suddenly sprout in beautiful ways. I’m reminded of God’s promise to Israel in a time of dryness: “For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants…” (Isaiah 44:3). Hang on during the dry times. A superbloom may be just around the corner.

God loves you!

Mike

Communication

“Today (3-10-26 MJA) marks 150 years since Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call from his Boston lab to his assistant in a nearby room. The breakthrough came just days after Bell received a patent for telephone technology, four days after his 29th birthday. His successful prototype used acidified water to convert acoustic oscillations created by the human voice into electrical, voice-mimicking oscillations that could travel to a receiver. The design closely resembled that of American electrical engineer Elisha Gray, who unsuccessfully contested Bell's patent in court. Bell went on to commercialize his telephone by founding the Bell Telephone Co., which eventually became the American Telephone and Telegraph Co., or AT&T.”*

Communication has come a long way in a century and a half. Wouldn’t Mr. Bell be amazed if he were alive today? What a struggle it had been for him just to speak with someone in the same building. Now nearly everyone carries a small wireless device that allows them to communicate around the world almost instantly. And yet, for all the advances in technology, it seems like the ability to really communicate with each other hasn’t improved. In fact, the problem may have become worse.

Instant communication can make it more difficult for me to practice being quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19). A readily available keyboard can easily turn my words into rashly spoken thrusts of a sword (Proverbs 12:18). The world wide web allows me to multiply my words to an unlimited audience when restraint would likely have been wiser (Proverbs 10:19).

Am I against the advances made in communication? No. I’m grateful to have easy ways to stay in touch with family, friends, and the world. It’s much easier to call for help in times of distress or emergency. But I must be careful. The prayer of the Psalmist should be my prayer: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3).

God loves you!

Mike

*1440 Daily Digest, 3-10-26

Buttermilk, Lard, And Raw White Flour

“A pastor asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast. "Lord, I hate buttermilk", the farmer began. The pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going. The farmer loudly proclaimed, "Lord, I hate lard." Now the pastor was growing concerned. Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, "And Lord, you know I don't much care for raw white flour". The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn't the only one to feel uncomfortable.

“Then the farmer added, "But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So Lord, when things come up that we don't like, when life gets hard, when we don't understand what you're saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen.””*

I doubt that Abraham enjoyed all of the problems he encountered as God was working in his life so that he would become a blessing to all the nations. The patriarch had his own faith tested on the way to becoming the father of the faithful. I imagine that Naomi and Ruth would have much preferred to skip the deaths of their husbands and the trials that came with their passing. How much easier it would have been just to jump to the part where Boaz intervenes and blesses them. I’m fairly certain young Joseph would have chosen to avoid being sold into slavery and cast into prison. But God was doing a work in his life he couldn’t see until later.

Perhaps God is doing something incredible in our lives in the midst of our own trials. In the heat of the moment, it can be so hard to see. But even if we can’t see it now, we must trust Him to help us reach the point where we can look back and see it.

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.facebook.com/healtheworld0/

Someone Else

“We are all saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our church’s most valuable members, Someone Else. Someone’s passing created a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Someone Else has been with us for many years, and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person’s share of the work. Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results: “Someone Else can work with that group.” Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone’s list - Someone Else. “Let Someone Else do it” was a common refrain heard throughout the church. It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the largest givers in the church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference. Someone Else was a wonderful person, sometimes appearing superhuman; but a person can only do so much. Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do. Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did? Remember - we can’t depend on Someone Else anymore!”*

Even the great leader Moses was afflicted with this malady. After trying to evade God’s call with several other excuses, it was his final plea that aroused the anger of God. “But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else” (Exodus 4:13 ESV). Moses was the one God wanted for the job, not someone else! And with God’s help, Moses did the job instead of someone else.

It’s so easy to assume that someone else will do what needs to be done. It’s so easy to leave the work for someone else to do. But maybe it's time for you or I to be “Someone Else.”

God loves you!

Mike

*https://saltforsermons.org.uk/category/christian-character/