On My Shelf: The God of the Garden

I have often discussed how much gardening brings me joy and peace. So, when my wife and I learned about another book by writer, singer, and songwriter, Andrew Peterson that discussed gardening and nature from a philosophical perspective, we knew we needed to add that to our audiobooks to listen to together. We recently completed the book and I have been chewing on the words for a while now. So much to ponder about how much the natural world impacts our lives. If you have a love for hiking, camping, gardening, walks in the woods, or just spending time in natural settings, then I recommend you consider reading The God of the Garden.

There’s a strong biblical connection between people and trees. They both come from dirt. They’re both told to bear fruit. In fact, arboreal language is so often applied to humans that it’s easy to miss, whether we’re talking about family trees, passing along our seed, cutting someone off like a branch, being rooted to a place, or bearing the fruit of the Spirit. It’s hard to deny that trees mean something, theologically speaking.

This book is in many ways a memoir, but it’s also an attempt to wake up the reader to the glory of God shining through his creation. One of his first commands to Adam and Eve was to “work and keep” the garden (Genesis 2:15). Award-winning author and songwriter Andrew Peterson, being as honest as possible, seeks to give glory to God by spreading out his roots and raising his branches, trusting that by reading his story, you’ll encounter yours.

Hopefully, you’ll see that the God of the Garden is and has always been present, working and keeping what he loves. Sometimes he plants, sometimes he prunes, but in his goodness he intends to reap a harvest of righteousness.

This book made me ponder even more why sitting in my garden helps me relax and focus, why walking around our small town listening to birdsong and other animals brings me peace, and why I get edgy if I get stuck inside for a while because of weather, illness, or responsiblities. My inner beaing cries out at times to be closer to the Creation around me.

What books about gardening, nature, and Creation do you recommend?