Garden Devotions: On God, Grief, and Growth

God's love and life's hardships are evident in our backyard gardens. From the transformation of seeds, through battles with weeds, to the use of the fruit, gardens are an apt metaphor for the Christian life. Betsy Davies walks us through the seasons and the lessons she learns through each of them. No matter what is happening in her garden - transformation, growth, weeds, predators, fruit, or no fruit - Betsy relates how they reflect scripture and what we can learn about the nature of God and his love for us.

Betsy also shares her struggles to garden alone after her husband's death. Together they planted, tended, and harvested gardens for thirty years. Her grief and her efforts to continue the garden are poignant reminders of God's call for us to persevere.

You don't need to be a gardener to relate to the stories Betsy tells. If you have ever planted a seed, watered a plant, or picked a flower you are aware of the wonder evident in growing plants. If you have ever sat under a tree you can related to God's providence through nature. Join Betsy as she shares what she has learned in the garden.

In her new book Garden Devotions, Betsy Davies gives readers inspiring paths to growth through her experiences in tilling the soil and relating that to enriching words from Scripture. I was encouraged and rewarded by her analogies, and I think you will be as well.

-Etta Wilson, Agent and Editor

Recently, I stumbled across the phrase, "Seeds for Growth," and could not imagine a more fitting depiction for "Garden Devotions". If you are willing to be challenged to grow in your faith, be uncomfortable, a bit achy, messy, and dirty, then you have stumbled into the perfect garden! Thank you, Betsy, for this inspiring devotional which has meant more than you can possibly know to so many!

-Ellie Billington, Elder, First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN