A Garden of Love [Paperback]

I received a book recently by Thomas B. Clarke called a Garden of Love. It's a devotional that introduces and describes different types of flowers that are found in the author's church garden, Gethsemane Prayer Garden, where he is caretaker. As each flower is described, Clarke takes a similar concept from Scripture and compares God's creation with the truths found in His Word. He tells inspirational stories, describes Gods attributes, and challenges Christians to live a life pleasing to God. The book uses similes not unlike Scripture to describe the love of the Father to his Son, the love of the Father, Son and Spirit to people, the love of Christians to the Lord and one another. It is the intent of the author to encourage a softer heart toward God and His love for us.

Much like a mother sees God in the love she feels for her child, and how a doctor can seen the awesomeness of God in the complexity of the human body, this author has seen more of God and His love through the flowers he has lovingly tended over the years. I plan to make this a gift book to a dear friend that enjoys her garden in the same way that this author must enjoy his. --Blog "Mom of Many", May 15, 2011

I love this book! The descriptions of each flower as they relate to God's love for us has left such lasting imprints in my mind of ways that God cares for me. Visual pictures like this book creates have great lasting impact. --Amazon.com (USA), December 27, 2009

In "A Garden of Love", Tom Clarke shares the love of the Lord through beautiful prose and photos of flowers that grow in the Gethsemane Prayer Garden at Faith Chapel. Each vibrant, colorful flower contains a brief description, including what it expresses to the author, followed by a devotion on that aspect. Love truly blooms in this book with the lessons each flower has to offer, along with appropriate scripture verses, inspiring a feeling of Christ's love within as you read. --Amazon.com (USA), July 7, 2011

Thomas Clarke is the caretaker for the Gethsemane Prayer Garden at Faith Chapel in Syracuse, New York where he pours his heart and soul into caring for the gardens. His love of flowers, and spiritual insight is captured in the beautiful book, A Garden of Love penned by Thomas Clarke. Imagery includes real life photographs of flowers complimented by spiritual passages, which are thought provoking and provide insight into the concept that peace can be acquired with spirituality.

An excerpt include: "If I could, I think I would plant acres of cosmos. Their flowers are so tall and wispy with an abundance of white, pink, and rose color that splash the color palette. As the flowers dance in the wind, I know that it is the strong roots that allow it to withstand heavy winds and storms. In this reading, I invite you to see how else the cosmos withstand the storms." --Blog "Laura's List", April 23, 2010

Come on a spiritual journey, a journey of beautiful flowers and a sojourn into the depths of Christian love. Join author and seasoned gardener Tom Clarke as he artistically describes the natural beauty of flowers and the multi-faceted dimensions of love. Feel the Lord's gentle touch as thirty flowers are colorfully presented from the Gethsemane Prayer Garden. Unique aspects of each flower are then brought out as representations of God's love and our heartfelt response. The hope is that through this book, each person will richly and deeply experience the love of Christ.

Iris Godfrey, CEO of Psalm 19 Ministries, wrote this and it appears on the back cover: "I thoroughly enjoy Tom's writing. He is presenting the beauty of his Lord Jesus revealed in the well-tended flowers of his church's Gethsemane Prayer Garden. You will want to spend time in these pages and allow the love of our Lord to flow over you through the beauty of His own creation. Amazing insights!"

Bob Sorge, author of many Christian books including Secrets of the Secret Place, is also listed on the back cover: "I really enjoyed the beautiful photos of the flowers in this book, and found Tom's applications to biblical principles fascinating and refreshing. I think you'll enjoy this book too."

Excerpt from the Introduction:

Looking out from our retreat's mountaintop cabin, the valleys below are filled with the morning fog, like gentle, white pillows resting between the hills; the air is still as the new day unfolds. Slowly the scene changes as the sun warms the white blanket, alternately rising and falling. A new day is before us; another day to love.

A meadow of white and yellow wildflowers sits below the cabin. Clusters of black-eyed Susans dot the large field, only to be surrounded by a profusion of white Queen Anne's lace. Closer inspection reveals pink clover and purple asters that complement the spectrum. The grace and beauty of our Lord is revealed once again; his love for us is never ending.

As the air gets warmer on this September morning, the grasshoppers have started their late summer song, dragon flies have begun mating, and butterflies flit from place to place, from flower to flower, in a seemingly random flight to nowhere. Off in the distance, king birds fly from place to place searching for food, robins patiently listen for the movement of a worm, and Canada geese anxiously seek out their next cornfield. God's creation is teaching us how to love.

Do the plants and the animals know love, or is that reserved just for mankind? Can a pansy demonstrate love to another pansy? Does the earthworm know its Creator? Certainly the mother bear reveals her protective love over her cubs, but does that love extend to other female bears? More likely, these creatures are a special gift, showing us more of God's love.

In an orchestra, the violin soothes and the flute sings. In the nursery, the baby cries while the mother softly recalls a lullaby from her childhood. At night, the gentle breeze stirs against the leaves of the trees. Each sound is distinct to our ears, each showing its own purpose and place in this world that is God's creation - God's manifest love.

No single plant or animal, sound, smell, touch, or anything else can adequately describe God's love for us, or how our response should be. The Bible tells us to love our Lord, and then demonstrate this love through our thoughts, actions, and activities. Jesus said we
are to love the Lord with everything that we have: our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our strength. His creation models the love he has for us. Can we love him in return with everything that we do, say, think, and every emotion of our being?

Jesus said that our love for our Lord and for one another is the greatest requirement for our lives. The various writers of the New Testament reiterated it and Christian writers from the earliest of times have emphasized this. Our response to our Lord's love for us is to be seen
in everything we say and do - in our worship of our Lord and our treatment of one another.

We as Christians are called to be effervescent - bubbling over with this kind of love.