Springtime is arriving in earnest, and warm weekends are driving home gardeners to join farmers in preparing the soil for another year's crops.

Our yard is so small that my garden consists of one rectangular spot on the south side of the house, about four feet wide and sixteen feet long.

It's just big enough for four or five tomato plants and a hill or two of whatever sparks my son Samuel's fancy (watermelons and pumpkins haven't fared well, but we did succeed in growing some green beans).

So far this spring, I've only turned the mulch pile that's been percolating on top of the patch since last fall, but soon it'll be time to break up the ground and work some of that mulch into the soil -- along with some manure.

I'm a big believer in manure. My grandmother used to mix fresh cow manure with water in a big oil drum and pour it on her tomato plants: she called it "tomato tea."

Many people who love the Bible find their favorite texts in the Psalms, which served as the hymnbook for ancient Israel.

The Psalms reveal a smorgasbord of thoughts, beliefs and emotions that speak to us in joy or sorrow, in thanksgiving or pain.

From superscriptions preserved in the manuscript tradition, we know the titles of some of the original tunes to be used: unfortunately, the actual tunes remain a mystery.

Through the years, Jewish and Christian musicians have sought to bring new life to the Psalms by adapting them to modern melodies or musical styles. With the exception of Psalm 23, however, modern adaptations tend to choose a memorable phrase, turn it into a catchy chorus, and repeat it ad infinitum.

Not so with "Steady Love" and "True Wealth," CD compilations by Charles Pettee and FolkPsalm.

One of the amazing aspects of Bible study is that new insights sometimes leap from old stories, even those that are deeply familiar.

Yesterday, while studying the story of Jesus' painful prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, I was comparing differences between the account preserved in Matthew and Mark, which emphasize Jesus’ lack of human companionship, and the version in Luke, which says that an angel came to Jesus’ aid: “Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength” (Lu 22:43).

When my Toshiba Pocket PC crashed and burned two months ago, I missed having access to two things: my calendar, and my Bible.

Both are things you should take a look at every day.

Not that I didn't have other options: I had a paper copy of the calendar, which also existed on my laptop computer. And, I own lots of Bibles.

But I had gotten spoiled to the idea that I could carry my calendar, half a dozen Bible translations, Hebrew and Greek lexicons, and a couple of Bible dictionaries and commentaries, all in my shirt pocket.

Looking over my notes for a sermon I was to deliver in Chapel Hill, I recalled a visit to the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago.

It was a hot, dry day, so I took several bottles of water with me. And, amazing as the Grand Canyon is, the water kick-started the most serious theological reflection of the day.

After hiking a mile or so, I dropped to a rock and drained the first bottle of water.

After drinking, I noticed that the brand name was "Crystal Glacier," but the fine print showed that it was bottled in Las Vegas, Nevada, which gets much of its water source from Lake Mead.

Much of that water does come from glacial runoff, but it's come a long way from the mountains when it gets there.

The label went on to say "This pristine purified drinking water is processed by: Carbon Filtration, Reverse Osmosis, Microfiltration, UV treatment and Ozonation."

It was 7:00 a.m. this morning when Dave, one of our cul de sac neighbors, cranked his lawn mower and got to work.

I don't begrudge my early-rising friend the chance to mow in the cool of the day, but I suspect some of our other neighbors, hoping to sleep in on Saturday, may have different opinions.

Of course, it's easier for me to be understanding than some other folks. I've been virtually deaf in my right ear for years, and it's a simple matter for me to stuff my left ear into the pillow and ignore just about anything quieter than a fire alarm.