Growing In The Garden And Growing In Spirit
(HIT)-For thousands of years, gardens and gardening have brought sustenance, growth, and joy to people around the globe. Gardens also provide some of the most meaningful passages in the Bible—parable of the mustard seed. Now, garden enthusiasts have a new resource to help grow their gardens while growing their faith with the NIV God’s Word for Gardeners Bible (Zondervan). This new Bible highlights and expands on biblical passages about gardens and gardening in a fresh, new way. “Bible passages are filled with references to plants and cultivating practices,” said Shelley Cramm, author of the NIV God’s Word for Gardeners
Bible’s devotionals that are centered around garden-related scriptures. “An agrarian lifestyle was common in biblical times. People lived closer to the land, making plant metaphors easily understood. The Bible is also
rich with gardening insight and the culture of specific plants. Gardening is used to illustrate the deeper meaning of a story or lesson and to help us remember its wisdom.” Cramm’s devotionals cite the Parable of the Weeds found in the Book of Matthew, which gives practical advice about when to remove weeds amidst sprouting seedlings. Leviticus offers guidance on planting and establishing an orchard, and the Book of Job states that marshloving plants such as reeds and pa- Essays and devotionals for an entire year use garden themes (Garden Work, Garden Tour, Garden Tools, and Garden Stories) and imagery. Garden Work readings move in succession in the order of tasks that a gardener would do—including preparing the soil, planting, watering, cultivating, pruning, and weeding.
Garden Tour readings journey through the Bible’s landscape—from the Garden of Eden through the Middle East and the Promised Land. Garden Tools offer practical advice for cultivating relationships, and Garden
Stories focus on the gardening themes and garden metaphors in some of the Bible’s most significant and treasured allegories and parables. NIV God’s Word for Gardeners Bible was created and written by Shelley Cramm, a housewife, mother of five, and prayer leader from Irving, Texas. Cramm had never written a book before, but she was inspired by her own growing faith as she grew as a gardener.
“The idea just overtook me and never let me go,” said Cramm. “The Bible stories about plants and gardens simply resounded within me as I worked in my yard and made me crazy—in that way that gardeners are crazy—to try new things and trust my faith to see what might be possible.” NIV God’s Word for Gardeners Bible sells for $34.99 wherever fine books are sold. pyrus will not survive without sufficient water. “Today, the stories about farming and growing plants—and the advice sprinkled among references to weather, plants and nature—can encourage us to directly experience the excitement of growing our own food and to appreciate the beauty of plants in our own backyards,” said Cramm. NIV God’s Word for Gardeners Bible is for gardeners of all experience levels from beginner to expert— and for anyone who appreciates the bountiful harvest of God’s garden
