Issue 1278 – Violets – October 21, 2023
If you have been reading Gleanings for any length of time, you will know that I love flowering plants. Okay, almost any plant, but those that blossom in particular.
My favourite outdoor flowers have to be firstly Johnny-jump-ups
(viola tricolour, aka wild pansy) with their pretty violet and yellow faces that pop up in the most unexpected of places. In second place has to be roses, which seem to come in infinite varieties and forms.
For house plants, my hands down favourite has to be the humble African violet. First catalogued by Baron Walter St. Paul in East Africa in 1892, there are about 20 species in the wild.
These compact, low-growing plants flower several times a year and are available in many leaf forms and colours. African violets are distinguished by a rosette of thick, fuzzy leaves and violet-like flowers that bloom just above the evergreen foliage.
They aren’t just purple anymore. They come in a wide range of colours, ranging from near black to white, with many forms of foliage and flower shapes.
These pretty little plants were first introduced into North America on a large scale by a California garden firm in the early 1920’s. Since then, there has been no stopping their proliferation. They are reported to be among the most popular flowering house plants in the world.
The African violet world is full of enthusiastic followers. If you search FaceBook for African violets, you will find more groups than you could possibly follow. Most large communities have groups dedicated to growing, showing and propagating the humble little purple flower. Most countries seem to have a national society of AV aficionados; in Canada, it is the African Violet Society of Canada.
With the ease of propagating and hybridization, there are more than 16,000 named varieties and countless others with no formal tile. All of mine would be categorized as NOID (no identification, unnamed) generic types. It is virtually impossible to tell species apart by superficial appearance.
If I had more window space, I’d love to try my hand at growing some of the more exotic named varieties.
It’s incredible to think that 20 species in the wild have grown into perhaps 100,000 or more varieties. Sometimes, great things indeed have humble beginnings.
The church is perhaps the most striking example of this. From a single rabbi (albeit God incarnate) to a movement that enfolds billions of people (the true nature of their Christianity or not.)
Time after time, groups have tried to eradicate this problematic little Jewish sect and remove its teachings and holy book. Every effort has failed, with the church seemingly flourishing due to the persecution.
The growth has come in large gatherings.
So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts 2:41
In family groups.
One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. Acts 16:14-15
And one on one.
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” Acts 5:35-36
Our faith is not merely some passing fad. Oh, to be sure, the organized church waxes and wanes in popularity and power, but God will grow and sustain His church.
Christianity grows through the proclamation of the Word and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Each of us has an integral part in the success of the worldwide church.
Rejoice, my dear friends, that God would entrust something so crucial into our hands. May we be proven faithful.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2023 KF “Kevin” Corbin Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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