Gardening with God

Cultivation of the land and gardening are woven through the Biblical story.  Genesis 2 says that God “planted” a garden.  God didn’t speak it into being in this case but knelt in the ground and literally molded it out of the mud and dirt.  Is it significant that God planted a garden for humans to live in—a garden that we were commanded to cultivate—instead of a self-sustained wilderness or a prosperous city?  And with the growing interest in community gardens this seems a perfect time to get our hands dirty while learning more about God in the process.

The garden has seemingly unending lessons to teach us about the character of God and what it means to be a person of faith.  Do you struggle to connect to the story of God through morning devotions and Sunday worship ? I believe one reason people are moving away from Christianity at time warp speed is because we have divorced our faith from the glory of God revealed through the natural world. Nothing makes me more aware of this than working in the garden. I read about the death and resurrection of Christ in the Bible, but I experience it every time I plant a seed and watch it burst into life.  I read about the faithfulness of God to Israel but I experience it every time I watch the rain fall and nourish the seeds I have planted.  I read about the miracle of the fish and the loaves but I experience a miracle every time I am overwhelmed by the generosity of God’s harvest.

In the spirituality of gardening workshops we will discuss the wonderful ways that God is revealed through the rhythms of planting, growing and harvesting in the garden. Come prepared to get your hands dirty as we will spend some time in the garden or in the greenhouse if the weather is inclement.

I am pleased to recommend the work of Christine Sine. Over the last of couple years, I have grown to deeply appreciate her spiritual insights and knowledge. Community gardening has been an important faith based response to the recession and her work on spirituality and gardening is important for anyone who wants to engage their spiritual practice with stewardship of the land.” Bishop Gregory Rickel, Episcopal Bishop of Olympia.

Each year we host 3-5 seminars on Spirituality and Gardening. These are mainly in the Pacific NW and usually in the spring and summer. One is held at the Mustard Seed House in Seattle in May and others as a result of invitations from churches and community garden networks.

If you would be interested in hosting a seminar in the N.W. or elsewhere please let me know. 

Much of the discussion in these seminars revolves around the insights shared in my book To Garden with God

In To Garden with God, Christine Sine shares a profoundly spiritual explanation for the sense of peace we experience when we step into a garden. Blending Scripture with story, this journal – inspirational, contemplative, deeply personal and supremely practical – offers readers a means for transforming pastime into prayer and work into worship. This book is a must-read for seasoned and fledgeling gardeners, and anyone else who yearns to learn how to grow closer to God. – Anna M. Clark, author of Green, American Style

When first created, humans inhabited and communed with God in a garden.  We know why and how all that changed but what did not change was our dependence on gardens, or our awe and love of them.  Humans and gardens are inseparable.  And as we tend our gardens and consider Christine Sine’s profound biblical insights about gardens and gardening we can once again commune deeply with God – in gardens

Purchase To Garden with God

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