It’s just dirt some say. Don’t get too overly spiritual with it, right? OK, fine but in fact one of the things we take for granted the most is right there, right under our feet. That dirt has been and will continue to be a literal foundation to our life here on earth. Sure, it feels, looks and even sometimes smells dirty but the only truly dirty dirt is the polluted kind that doesn’t do what it should do – what God intended for it to do – grow food. That’s where Noah Sanders and his family enter the picture with their Christian ministry appropriately named, Redeeming The Dirt. And yes, sure there are truck loads of conversations we can have about how mankind has polluted the soil and corrupted the dirt – those conversations are worth having. But, what makes Noah’s family ministry as fresh and fertile as the organic compost in his dirt is how he puts and keeps Jesus Christ right smack dab in the center of all they say and do. Their ministry can inspire, equip and connect you so that you can steward the land God created, recover true ownership of it, plant simple gardens and share Jesus.
BY NATURE GOD WANTS TO INSPIRE YOU
The God-designed qualities of human nature give evidence that we’re all wired to be inspired. The active growing and living of creation all around us provides divine inspiration fueling us to participate in the growing – to do more and be more.
Divine inspiration is the catalyst for stewardship [responsive obedience].
Think about the things that have inspired you. Maybe it was witnessing the birth of a baby, being immersed in the vastness of the ocean or some natural wonder, or hearing a choir thunderously singing. Now think about this – God wants you to be inspired daily. Is that even possible? Certainly the gardening lifestyle positions you for that. The ministry of Redeeming The Dirt produces tools and resources to inspire you toward a Christ-centered gardening lifestyle. Books like Inspiration From The Garden, and Born Again Dirt are just a few of these inspiring resources from Noah that will get you gardening on a whole new level.
Want more? He regularly is adding new content to his Instagram and YouTube accounts. What is inspirational about much of what you’ll see there is the wide-eyed wonder and enthusiasm of children (watch the video below as an example). It’s not just fun to watch, this is contagious inspiration on a truly spiritual level.
GARDENING REQUIRES GETTING SOME HEAVY EQUIP-MENT!
Ok, sure you might someday get your very own tractor – But that’s not what we’re talking about here.
Like dirt, you need to be well-watered to ripen into the fullness God has for you.
To be equipped to make gardening – growing food, a practice that you do faithfully you need to discover it, learn how to do it, get hands-on training, do it consistently and then disciple others. Like dirt, you need to be well-watered to ripen into the fullness God has for you.
Get equipped to do gardening and you’ll gain a practical and vibrant means to strengthen yourself, your family, your church and your community. Since food is thoroughly woven into daily life, meal times are a frequent activity you can set apart for inviting Christ into the recurring rhythms of life. As you do that then you’ll find that growing food with family, friends and your community is a natural next step.
Certainly growing food, as compared to just buying it, is a big step – a venture into foreign territory for many. That’s why Redeeming The Dirt equips people with the Well-Watered Garden Project in ways that makes gardening enjoyable, practical, realistic and measurable, rewarding AND Christ-centered.
People who get their hands in the dirt get their lives cultivated by God’s Spirit. God loosens their perspectives and attitudes as He breaks up the hard areas of life that make it difficult to grow and flourish. You’re not just being equipped to grow a garden, you’re being equipped to BE LIFE.
MAKING THE CONNECTION TO “CONNECTION”
Noah and his family have found that a life connected to the land produces stronger connections with each other and a deeper connection with God. If you’ve wanted to learn how to connect your faith in God with farming then get scheduled for their hands-on training. You’ll make connections in the following ways:
Connect with others and God.
- Communicate how the Gospel relates to agriculture.
- Understand what it takes to have soil that produces abundant crops.
- Manage your garden in a way that produces joy and makes a profit.
- Use eight simple questions to create and easy but effective garden plan.
- Care faithfully for your garden with three simple tasks.
- Share your faith in Jesus through your garden.
- Train others in what you have learned.
- And much more.
In the Redeeming the Dirt Podcast below Noah Sanders talks with Micah Humphreys about making connections between agriculture and a Christian worldview.
Here at Lifestyle Media Group we’ve been growing strawberries. They reflect God’s model for connection. We started with about 6 strawberry plants in an above ground box and similar to a small community of people (a church) they grew and stayed close together . In this intentional and safe environment over time the strawberries put out shoots rooting into the soil and multiplying until the raised bed was full – even crowded. All of these plants were connected. Recently we repopulated some of the plants into new beds thus expanding potential for even more growth.
Gardening is a dynamic way to make the connection to connection. Whether it is with family, friends, church, co-workers, neighbors, God, the land and more, gardening teaches all of us – connection. Does that mean everyone will become an avid gardener? No, that’s not the goal. As Noah shares in Will There Be A Second Generation Of Farmers, gardening on a Christ-centered level is really about growing passion and purpose into whatever calling God gives each person.
IT’S THAT SIMPLE
The beauty of a gardening lifestyle is that it’s not complicated. The technology – seeds, water, dirt and a little bit of effort are pretty basic. Living life daily in Christ is too. Noah, his family and their ministry, Redeeming The Dirt, have a simple message: plant a simple garden to share Jesus with others. They want to inspire, equip and connect you to the ever-growing gardening community and to a richer life that is centered in Christ.
Go get out in your garden (or if you don’t have one, some other garden) and sing along with this song as a way to reflect on how simple God makes it for you to be centered on Christ.
