Try all 3 of these salad recipes:

If you’re ready to make progress toward better nutrition in your life Lisa wants you to know that, “No matter where you live or what ingredients you have available, you can make a delicious salad.” You may not grow a garden like Lisa does. There may be specific dietary needs that you have to meet. The great thing about getting together with others to make salads is that you share ideas, ingredients, tips and good fellowship too. This is the Bible concept of the whole body working together to make fitness memorable and nutritious. This is their #TeamProgressPic

As you watch these videos and try these easy salad recipes think about how you too can invite others to team up with healthy and tasty salads.

You may be wondering if teaming up with others to make salads together is really real. You’re asking, “Lisa and her friends make it look fun, but how would I do this?” Well, yes it is really something that you can do. Here’s how:

BACON CHEESEBURGER SALAD

If this wasn’t a thing before…..it is now! Everything you want in a bacon cheeseburger, but in a big beautiful salad, complete with a perfect dressing! Everything but the bun! I even threw in some avocado! Dig in! When it’s time to eat this is a favorite for men.

[PUBLISHER’S NOTE: It’s been brought to my attention that bacon isn’t an ingredient that should be in a recipe and article titled “Healthy”. It has been identified as a level 1 carcinogen. I keep this recipe in because I like it. BUT, as with all Faith & Fitness Content you are always encouraged to do your own research, prayerfully consider what God is speaking to you and make your own decisions on how best to journey through life.]

Here’s what you need: ( 2-3 salads )

Burger:

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 t Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 t seasoned salt
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1/2 t garlic powder

Salad:

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 5-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup dill pickle slices
• 2 T minced red onion
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Dressing: ( There will be some leftover )

• 1/4 cup mayo
• 2 T mustard
• 2 T ketchup
• 1 T dill relish
• 1 t white vinegar
• 1 t fresh dill

Mix all the ingredients together for the dressing. and put it in the refrigerator. There will be more than enough dressing.

Brown the ground beef along with the worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt. Drain excess fat.

Assemble the salads evenly with the greens, cheese, bacon, beef, tomatoes, pickles, red onion, and avocado. Serve with the dressing. YUM!!

RED, WHITE AND BLUE SALAD

I had my family over for a cookout recently and we got to enjoy the summertime pool season! One of the side dishes for my meal was this Red, White, and Blue Salad. I’ve posted several salads this spring, and some similar to this on my Food For Thought website. If you could see my bumper crop of lettuce and spinach in my garden, you would know why. Not to mention, I love salad!

This one was so fitting because it looks so patriotic with its colors of red, white and blue. In fact, I’ll be making it again for the Fourth of July as we celebrate that we have the freedom God has given us to give to others. There are no real measurements for this,so it’s pretty simple. Just add the ingredients in the amounts you want.

There are two salad dressings that I really love that I get from the grocery store, Kroger. Simple Truth Lemon Poppyseed and OPA Strawberry Poppyseed. I recommend these because, not only are they both delicious, but they are made from Greek Yogurt so they are lighter and healthier than some other dressings. Either of these would be great with this salad and can be found refrigerated in the produce section.

Here’s what you need:

• Leaf lettuce ( or your favorite kind)
• Blueberries
• Strawberries, sliced
• Walnuts
• Feta cheese crumbles

GRILLED SHRIMP, MANGO AND AVOCADO SALAD

It is super hot right now in Paducah, and it is too hot for a heavy meal….at least that’s my opinion. I made a delicious and light salad tonight with grilled shrimp, mango, avocado, cucumber, and red onion and it hit the spot! It was satisfying, but perfect for a hot summer night.

The plump shrimp went great with the chunks of sweet mango and creamy avocado. I dressed it with the Simple Truth Organic Lemon Poppyseed dressing I have told you about before, that I get at the grocery in the refrigerated section of the produce section. It is really good with this salad. If you can’t find that dressing, just use your favorite poppyseed dressing or a sweet vinaigrette. Enjoy your salad!

Here’s what you need: ( 2 salads)

• 1 lb. medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined and tails removed. ( You can use less shrimp, but …why? haha)
• Salt, pepper, paprika to taste
• 2 cups mixed baby greens
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into pieces about 1/2 inch
• 1 ripe mango,peeled and cut into pieces about 1/2 inch
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced red onion
• A handful of chopped walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds to top the salads

Preheat the grill. Thread the raw shrimp on skewers, Brush with a little olive oil, then season with salt, pepper and paprika. While the grill heats up, assemble the salads with the greens, cucumber, onion, mango and avocado.

Grill the shrimp about 2-3 minutes per side until they are pink. Place the warm shrimp on the salads, and sprinkle with the nuts to garnish. Drizzle with the poppyseed dressing. Enjoy!

MORE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FROM FAITH & FITNESS MAGAZINE

• SUMMER CHEF SALADBRATION
• EAT, DRINK AND BE GREEN – RECIPES FOR LIFE
• GOING GREEN WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS
• COLOR YOUR DIET HEALTHY
• 5 FLAVOR PACKED WAYS TO GRILL CHICKEN ALL SUMMER LONG (also by Lisa Vasseur Jarvis)

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The post Gardening Conversation With Noah Sanders – Part 1 appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

1:30 Noah offers training programs unique for those in the United States at his farm in Alabama based off of the international Foundations For Farming program. He present 3 levels of training: Basic Gardening, Basic Homesteading and a Market Farming Class. Learn more about each and how they can help you advance from beginning gardener to being a producer of nutritious food who can lead others in skills and Christian fellowship.

5:20 Discover some of the players in today’s faith-centered gardening movement who have a heart for the poor and a desire to honor God through agriculture.

7:25 All kinds of churches are doing gardening as a way to more fully live out their faith practically in their communities. Learn about Pastor Craig Canfield from Eagles Nest Worship Center in Naples, Florida. He attended Noah’s conference and was so passionate he said he could, “taste the adrenaline”. They started their garden ministry in 2015. In 2021 under the leadership of Scott & Beth Sherman this ministry is growing stronger.

11:40 You can do a small scale garden ministry and be effective. In fact that’s exactly what Noah does. In today’s world it’s not size that astounds people. Current agriculture does size really well. The people who are getting the press are the ones who are making $100,000 dollars off of an acre without a tractor. It’s not about how much you do it’s about how well you do it. That’s what God blesses. Profit comes from faithfulness not acquisition.

14:20 Envision the possibilities: Community garden, farmers market – the possibilities and opportunities are endless. Hear about one pastor who resigned his post so he could intern at a farm and buy property especially to do garden ministry. It is a beautiful example of how to disciple people in ways beyond the typical church model.

16:00 Cast the vision to those in fitness that this is GOOD physical work for your body that is very fulfilling. Gardening has a physical side that is healthy for you and a nutritional side that is more affordable than buying at a store like]Whole Foods. There’s scientific evidence that when we’re connected with our food like this our bodies receive it better – digest it better.

18:30 Learn how you can garden both sustainably AND financially viable. In other words do what you will enjoy and do what makes sense for your market.

23:20 One gardening model is a FAMILY TEAM model rather than a corporate structure. That can include partnering with other families. Noah’s goal is to model what a family economy can handle. This model is for those who want to wake in the morning not to manage people but to simply manage a family.

25:10 A CHURCH TEAM model may be more like a small group Bible study group that has a demonstration garden and community training approach. This [should] lead to setting up and teaching a very just system. Sometimes in our desire to create good “community” there is no ownership of responsibilities or of product – the fruit of the labor. When you don’t have ownership you can’t have generosity. You can’t give away what doesn’t belong to you – either time or resources. When you don’t have a just system in place you can’t show mercy. So for the church team model it’s important to set up a just system not because we don’t want to help each other but because we DO want to help each other. This teaches the Bible model of going the extra mile.

27:45 Noah has some advice for those doing CrossFit and those who participate in Faith Rxd who may want to use gardening as a way to strengthen authentic community and unite and strengthen the fitness community to live for Christ. Gardening is a great way to Engage, Equip and Expand. You do gardening as a faith-centered lifestyle.

30:20 Gardening is a form of outreach and teaching others the ways of God. It can be more than just giving people skills it can help them to be more equipped in God. It’s not preachy it’s simply being continually faithful to gardening basics and doing the practical. It helps people transform their perspective.

35:15 There isn’t any specific formula for how to do this. See how gardening ministry is ultimately about relationship and having a heart for others. This is a tool to live out your faith, empower others to live out their faith and then to help them share that forward.

This conversation with Noah Sanders, founder of Redeeming The Dirt, was recorded to give you fresh insights into the potential of gardening ministry. Be sure to go to his website for his latest updates and to get your copy of his book, Born-Again Dirt. All of us here at Lifestyle Media Group want to help you redefine how you do faith so that you can make God central to every part of your daily lifestyle. Use the CONTACT US link for more information on gardening and to get personalized support in growing your own gardening ministry.

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By Shawn McClendon, owner of Back to Basics Health and Wholeness LLC

Photos by Jojo Ward

As I step outside my house this morning, I anticipate seeing the changes that have occurred in my garden since I last tended to it yesterday. First stop is the patio, where my family and I have started a variety of vegetables from seed, including corn, tomatoes and watermelon. After that, I take a cursory glance at the potted herbs in the front yard, making sure that the soil is still moist. Finally, I turn my attention to the main garden in the backyard. Sure enough, new okra sprouts have emerged. Our okra harvest this year is guaranteed to be huge.

This is a picture of what my family and I are doing in our vegetable garden this year. 2020 marks ten years that my wife and I have gardened together, and this year’s garden is, hands down, our biggest and most ambitious yet. Yes, part of the reason is because we highly value fresh vegetables in our diets. Healthy living is one of our family values, as well as the motivation behind the health and fitness business I started years ago. We are also motivated by the educational and exercise opportunities that gardening presents. However, this year (a year when hope seems to be in short supply), a new factor has encouraged us to invest more heavily in our garden.

THE VICTORY GARDEN MODEL

The Coronavirus pandemic has, in fact, been our biggest motivation for taking our gardening to the next level. Some of the challenges brought on by COVID-19 – social distancing, grocery store shortages, boredom and the like – have propelled us to take procuring our family’s food into our own hands. However, it doesn’t stop there. We have also been inspired by the current state of affairs to encourage others to grow their own food, modeling after the “Victory Garden” tradition from many years ago. In fact, we have dubbed this season, “Our Victory Garden Moment.”

During World War I, many countries in Europe experienced significant food shortages after many farm workers enlisted in the military and farmland became battlefields. In 1917, the National War Garden Commission was established to ensure the integrity of the food supply of the United States. The purpose of the commission was to encourage American civilians to do their part by growing and saving as much of their own food as possible. From propaganda posters, to “how-to” pamphlets with planting and canning instructions, the government issued an effective “call-to-arms” to the general population to grow these gardens, initially called “War Gardens,” then later referred to as “Victory Gardens.”

Listen to Shawn’s podcast:

Isn’t that amazing? I continue to find this history fascinating, not only because of the sheer magnitude of what regular citizens were able to accomplish, but also because during a time of crisis and challenge, millions of individuals rolled up their sleeves and contributed by growing their own food. This is why my family sees the current public health crisis as our Victory Garden moment. In the face of food shortages caused indirectly by the pandemic, as well as the needs of those on the front lines – healthcare workers, policemen, grocery store workers and more – we feel that by taking our garden more seriously, we are doing our part.

OUR FAMILY’S VICTORY GARDEN

Let me tell you a bit more about our family’s Victory Garden. Our garden, like many people’s home garden, is within a backyard. In addition to vegetables we also grow herbs such as rosemary, thyme and mint in our front yard in pots. Our vegetables this year include corn, tomatoes, okra, squash (zucchini and yellow crookneck), sweet potatoes, beans, peppers and chard. Most plants are being grown in raised beds, but we also have a large in-ground bed that we dug just this year.

While we did purchase a few seedlings from our local gardening store, starting plants from seed has been very important to us this year. We have learned a lot from our past mistakes with seed starting, and have been much more successful in growing our own seedlings this year. Most of the seeds are organic, and all are non-GMO (genetically modified organism). We have used everything from seed-starting kits, to jiffy pots, to toilet paper rolls and old peanut butter jars as containers for starting our seeds. Everything is fair game with our garden this year.

We water the garden almost every day via a regular garden hose, and by using wood chips as mulch, we are able to retain some level of moisture in our soils which reduces the watering needs of our gardens to an extent. Here in middle Georgia, we also had our fair share of “April Showers,” so that has kept us from having to water as often. I always say that there’s no watering better than the watering that the Lord provides through the rain.

Gardening has served as a wonderful mobilizing and bonding activity for our family. My oldest child, who is soon to be six, has taken up her own genuine interest in growing vegetables, and is always looking forward to our mid-morning gardening run. I call her my “second-in-command.” The baby, who is just over a year old, usually watches from her stroller or from the hip of a parent. While she doesn’t fully understand what we’re doing yet, she absolutely loves to be outdoors. My wife and I often take turns going outside so that we can uphold our career obligations, but we each are fully invested in our gardening. It is a blessing when you know that your spouse carries the vision as fully as you do.

On a spiritual level, gardening to me constantly provides a fundamental illustration of the Kingdom of God. When, for example, I plant more squash seeds, I consider the many seeds contained in the core of a squash, each of which potentially represents a separate plant which will grow many more squash and seeds. I am thus reminded of how Philippians 4:19 says that God will “supply all [our] need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

I am reminded of the power of God when I consider that a seed, which often looks like a mere crumb or crust, contains the mysterious and miraculous force of life within itself, which is activated when placed in soil. When I observe the various insects, which come into the garden, as well as how the mulches that lay on top of our garden beds gradually break down and nourish the soil, I think of the creation story and how God systematically created everything in our world, and how every single thing in it has a purpose.

CATCH THE VISION AND GROW

There is no doubt that we live in an unprecedented time right now. There are very few, if any, people alive in the world that can remember life during the last worldwide pandemic in 1918. So, this is new for all of us. We are being comprehensively challenged – mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially, no matter who we are or where we live.

In the midst of your challenging times, remember there is no shortage of hope. I want you to catch the fire and catch the vision of growing your own Victory Garden – whether in your front yard, backyard, or in pots. Supply your family with fresh fruits and vegetables. I want you to visualize how gardening during times of crisis is a way to counter fear, as well as a way to create community and help others in need. I want you to know that the power to grow resides in your two hands, no matter how inexperienced you are, and no matter how much of a “brown thumb” you think you have.

Join me by growing your own Victory Garden. It’s not too late!

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Sources

Courtney, Erin. “Sowing the Seeds of Victory.” Architect of the Capitol, 15 Nov. 2017, www.aoc.gov/blog/sowing-seeds-victory.

Schumm, Laura. “America’s Patriotic Victory Gardens.” History, A&E Television Networks, 29 May 2014, www.history.com/news/americas-patriotic-victory-gardens.

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It’s autumn and that means it’s time to get the garden ready for winter. When people think of gardening they think of planting, growing and harvesting. But like our own physical fitness, there’s another really important part of the cycle — REST.

We’ve had a great season of young children, families and adults 50 and older in our local communities learning the joys of gardening. It’s always a great time of interaction with the earth and with each other. And- the harvest is a special time to celebrate the incredible flavors and nutrition of freshly harvested produce.

Earlier this year we installed for the first time ever a drip irrigation system. Volunteers came together to stretch the lines, make the connections and be the first to see this really cool and highly efficient system in use.  It’s actually a fertigation system, which means that fertilizer can be administered directly through the drip water lines.  The results have been bountiful.

Now we’re into the season to once again invite volunteers to be part of the learning garden and enjoy the easy activities of putting the light weight irrigation lines into storage.  When community members come together to prepare the soil for rest, good things happen.

No special skills necessary, no equipment required. Just bring a smile and a phone to snap a group selfie or two. We’ll finish with a time for volunteers to come together, eat fresh watermelon harvested directly from the garden, sipping hot apple cider and enjoy some relaxed fellowship together in the great outdoors.

For more information and to be a part of this volunteer opportunity CONTACT US.

The post The Learning Garden – A Place for VolunCAREing appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Churches in America often have three spaces: a foyer, Sunday school rooms and the sanctuary. Beyond that many have created additional space to facilitate more interaction and activities like a fellowship hall, a library/bookstore, café, youth center and one of our favorites — a fitness facility. However, outside the building walls churches typically have a parking lot and yard. A few, often those operating a school or childcare service, have a playground. Additional intentional outdoor church spaces can include a sports field or a quite space like a labyrinth for prayer and meditation. As community awareness and interest in better health and nutrition blossoms, churches are increasingly discovering how a garden is an extremely versatile, practical and welcoming space to build community physically and spiritually.

In comparison to church ministry initiatives that require indoor square footage from an existing building or new construction, a garden ministry has an extremely low cost making it relatively easy to start and maintain. At the same time there is a potential for a high return when it comes to the church’s mission to community engagement. Fresh Expressions is a movement that originally started in the UK and has spread to the US. Fresh Expressions is an international movement of missionary disciples cultivating new kinds of church alongside existing congregations to more effectively engage our growing post-Christian society. Faith & Fitness Magazine asked Kaya Prasad to share some guiding principles for those who want to make a garden a fresh expression of church.

TIP #1:  LISTEN 

If you want to start a community garden that is a garden ministry, it’s essential to know the community.  Ask your neighbors what they’d like to see grown in the garden.  Find out what people need, and pray attentively for God to open your eyes and heart to the things He has prepared for you. Leaders like ‘Man In Overalls’ Nathan Ballentine can help you with this.

Faith & Fitness Magazine can help you create customized and easy to use surveys that you can use. The survey can be done in-person door-to-door or at your facility location. In-person facility gatherings are a great way to introduce those in your community to the vibe of your ministry/organization and can even be done over a garden meal. Surveys can also be done well through online communication tools (website, email, social media and even texting).

TIP #2: LOVE AND SERVE

Once you’ve spent some time listening to your neighbors and you’ve heard about their lives and their struggles, you can’t help but love them. The hope is that those you meet might want to join in the gardening project with you. Turn your empathy in to action that invites others into a mutually beneficial experience. Grow healthy, tasty vegetables for the surrounding community, and invite others into the process through a conversation over weed-pulling. This is a natural way to to participate with excellence and live faithfully.

This is an aspect of your garden ministry that should incorporate a training session for those church leaders and members who will serve. To “love and serve” is, to most people, an obvious part of what should naturally be happening. But, drawing on resources like Loving Your Community – Proven Practices For Community-based Outreach Ministry by Dr. Stephen Viars or Loving God And Others by Kay Arthur or several other books can really prepare your ‘team’ to do the ministry of garden ministry well. We can help you to prayerfully consider, define and refine your mission so that your Love And Serve strategy is both thoughtfully unique for your community and fluid for ever changing needs and circumstances.

TIP #3: BUILD COMMUNITY

Like thousands of honeybees that act together as a single hive, a church consists of many individuals functioning in unity.  More than a mere social network, a community is a collection of people whose sense of self includes all the others.  As you share in the tasks of gardening with your neighbors, engage them in conversations that challenge everyone.  Start to see life through each other’s eyes and live as one by bearing one another’s burdens and building each other up in love.

Should the community that God is building through your garden ministry be limited to just those who can garden at your church campus? Absolutely not. An important part of building community is going into the community, connecting with other leaders, businesses and organizations and creating other garden spaces throughout your city. This could include gym facilities, restaurants, other churches, public and private spaces, malls and more. The Faith & Fitness Magazine team can help you in this process.

TIP #4: MAKE DISCIPLES

When you and your fellow gardeners have become a community, each one invested in the lives of the others, they will want to hear about the truth that sustains and inspires you.  The Bible is filled with images of sowing and reaping. See the garden as an opportunity to share the gospel (Christian teachings); take advantage of the time and the space to have focused conversations, and borrow images from the soil, the plants, and the work of your hands.  Follow Jesus’ example to teach your neighbors the truth you’ve received from God, and walk alongside them as they learn—and teach you—to apply it.

Discipleship happens on many different levels. We can help you to tap into the strengths of your members and community so that everyone can disciple. The tasks and opportunities are many with a gardening ministry. It’s important to distribute the roles, build involvement and reinforce the bigger vision to disciple all in Christ.

TIP #5 FORM CHURCH

Gather regularly.  Praise God for the garden, for the physical and spiritual nourishment it provides through the vegetables and stories it sprouts.  Read and discuss the Bible. Feast together.  Pray together.  Love together. Over time, the expression of church will take up practices that are rooted in this particular context. The conversations from the garden continue and grow deeper when you come to the family table to eat and celebrate as one community.

One of the most important concepts to understand and embrace is that a fresh expression of church IS CHURCH. Your garden ministry can and should serve as a fully functioning church. When you build your ministry this way then you transition to a freedom to really act as a dynamic church. Your agenda isn’t to eventually get garden ministry participants “into the church building” it is simply to do the work of the church.

TIP #6: DO IT AGAIN

No plant in the garden lives and dies for itself; most produce seeds, which are carried to new places where they, too, can be nourished and grow.  When your garden church bears fruit, take the seeds and plant another garden; find another place to listen, love, serve, build community, make disciples, form church, and do it again.

CONTACT US for help in starting a garden ministry.

This article appears in the Gardening Department of the August/September 2017 issue of Faith & Fitness Magazine.

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By Betty Boyd, Owner of Boyd Writing Services 

 Man In Overalls Nathan Ballentine and his wife Mary Elizabeth are on a journey to cultivate a new generation of gardeners.      

Here’s the dirt on Nathan Ballentine: He has been gardening since he was eight. He was known as the kid who gardened on the corner. For him a great workout is working in the dirt and being a part of the land.

His gym clothes aren’t a Nike Dri-FIT shirt and Adidas Techfit Chill Shorts. It’s a little less breathable and a lot more rugged. It’s a pair of overalls. Nathan Ballentine is, “Man In Overalls” and if you can keep up with him you’ll likely be breaking a sweat doing maximum reps and getting dirt on you too.

The concept for Man in Overalls came about because his grandfather wore overalls every day of his life. In fact, he was buried in his overalls, and his children put seed packets into his breast pocket. This influenced Nathan to envision himself dressed like the farmer in the American Gothic painting combined with a sign saying, “will garden for food”. The concept was a hit and today inspires a growing number of people who want “locally sourced” food to be the fruit of their own hard work.  

Ballentine isn’t just physically active and growing good food. He is busy being an influence in his community and beyond. Nathan is a skilled gardener who was honored in May 2014, as the Tallahassee Democrat Volunteer of the Year. He received the Jefferson Award for Public Service for Tallahassee Food Network’s efforts in growing community-based good food systems.  Another achievement was the Warren Wilson College Alumni Distinguished Community Service Award in October 2013.

Nathan is the author of, So You Want to Start a School Garden, which was published by the Florida Department of Agriculture. He has been featured in the ABC Documentary entitled, A Peace of Bread, Urban Farming Magazine, the Tallahassee Democrat, and Natural Awakenings. Man In Overalls with a message to share is however just part of the picture. His wife (the other half of his American Gothic picture) rounds out a vision that is being embraced by many couples and individuals.          

Nathan and Mary Elizabeth Ballentine’s story begins when they knew each other in high school. Their friendship grew while at Montreat Presbyterian Conference Center. They got married in 2014. Since then, God has led them to their present journey of helping their community and other communities improve where they live.

The Ballantine’s both have a passion for food. They were raised in gardening families. So exercise to raise highly nutritious food has figuratively and literally been a very organic workout for them. However, it was the 2008 economic crisis that served as the catalyst for Nathan to start his food gardening business. He saw a need in his community and a Bible passage from the book of James, “Faith without works is dead” inspired him to make sure people could as he says, “grow their own groceries.”

In the fall of 2009, Nathan started his food gardening business. It was an obvious thing for him to do for two reasons: one it helped generate an income and “pay the bills”, and two, he wanted to foster a stronger connection with those in his community.

Nathan and Mary Elizabeth, want local faith communities to start doing garden ministry as a way to offer a fresh expression of how ‘church’ can be experienced. They say, “Churches should organize health ministries within their congregations, incorporating fellowship, diet, wellness and exercise. Wellness is a broader term that encompasses the components of medical, mental, emotional and eating healthy.”

Mary Elizabeth relates, “In American culture we are taught not to accept gifts. However, when someone gives you their extra produce from their garden, this develops a point of connection.” Sharing produce with others along with recipes gives a true spiritual meaning to their work.

Nathan presented a session at Faith & Fitness Magazine’s 2017 national Redefined Conference.  For a complete listing of the latest sessions and speakers go to our Redefined Conference site.

While gardening is a dynamic form of Christian mission and community engagement it is also a great form of exercise. The Ballantine’s do box gardening. So each season they shovel lots of compost to mix into the beds. This utilizes biceps, triceps, quads, glutes and the back. In the off-season when they are not growing a garden, they turn compost, which is equally a great workout.

Beyond the garden, Nathan and Mary Elizabeth enjoy keeping active in other ways. Their daily workout includes walking and stretches. They also like to swim and bike as part of their fitness routine. Living near the beach gives them the opportunity to play in the waves. Mary Elizabeth loves all forms of dance, especially Irish. Together, they choreograph a workout that brings focus for people to have a stronger, more intentional and valuable way of living.

Nathan describes it this way, “In today’s culture people have hectic lives and do not have time to cook. So, they look to fast food to meet their basic food needs. I’m on a journey to cultivate a new generation of gardeners and farmers. If we grow it, we’ll eat it. We desperately need a diet change in this country for the sake of our life expectancy.”

Nathan and Mary Elizabeth live, work, pray, and play in Jacksonville, Florida. Learn more about Nathan’s work on his Man In Overalls website.

This cover story appears in the August/September 2017 issue of Faith & Fitness Magazine.

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Copyright 2013 by Fred Bahnson. Published by Simon & Schuster.  Used by permission.

AN INTRODUCTION TO DIRT AND DIRTY HANDS

I am a person who enjoys the smell of soil, working the ground during the short days of winter and on into spring. It is the season when garden activities are limited. So it was a great time to take a deeper look at dirt and read the book Soil and Sacrament by Fred Bahnson. Soil and Sacrament goes beyond ground level and tells stories of beautiful human experiences that help one to grow.

Gardening and the process of growing has always managed to touch my soul. It is an activity that helps me personally grow spiritually and physically and reach places that only the Master (God) could find.  By nature, gardening has Biblical importance; it is one way that we care for others. Gardening is an outreach that moves us beyond the pew – beyond theoretical faith into real tangible practice — literally by hand.

Soil and Sacrament simply and beautifully confirms my love for gardening, getting dirty, and teaching others about growing from the ground up. Gardening is an area of my life that God developed – and not by chance. Through tilling, sowing, weeding, watering, and harvesting, the tasks and lessons of gardening are activities and perspectives that God uses for me to develop relationships.  God provides the means for us to cultivate relationships, but it is our responsibility to be obedient by placing our hands on the tools and then using them.

Soil and Sacrament is a beautiful story of faith, hope, and charity. It is a book of one man’s understanding of the depth, and breadth of God’s good gifts, which includes the soil upon which our feet tread. Besides inviting us into gardens that we might not wander into, the author provides meaningful opportunities to contemplate how the Master can use the gardeners to bring the sacraments (Outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual divine grace) to humanity.

Though gardening has activities and lessons for every season, the spring season is an especially good time to think about reaching into the soil, planting a seed and growing something. When you do you will find that this world, crafted by God, is more than surface beauty. It gives us a natural space to produce wholesome food, get exercise, interact with others, discover the value of vigorous stewardship and connect closely with God.

-Kimberly Bloom, Gardening Department contributor

SOIL AND SACRAMENT  – A SPIRITUAL MEMOIR OF FOOD AND FAITH

Though I had attended church services all my life – evangelical, Methodist, Lutheran, Mennonite – none quite prepared me for the stark beauty of Advent Mass with the brothers of Mepkin. The songs were unadorned, like the empty branches of the poplar tree standing beside the alter, yet amidst the season’s barrenness hung a palpable expectation in everything we read and sang.

I have come to think Advent is the church’s loveliest liturgical season. From the Latin word for “coming,” Advent is the season of waiting. IN my younger years I had naively viewed that wait as a tedious march of days leading up to Jesus’s birth. Why drag it out? I wondered. But if this time is simply about waiting for Jesus’s birthday, then we miss the point, writes Benedictine sister Joan Chittister in The Liturgical Year. That’s the soft, sentimental “baby Jesus” version of Advent, “a simple, soothing story that makes few, if any, demands on the soul.” A more robust understanding of Advent is as a time when we learn, says Chittister, “To wait for what is beyond the obvious. Advent makes us look for God in all those places we have, until now, ignored.”

Saint Bernard described Advent as a threefold coming of the Lord: Jesus came to Bethlehem, he will come at the end of the ages, and he comes now, in our hearts. “Advent,” Father Kevin told me, “is about hope for what is yet to be. A farmer cannot tell you exactly how his crops are going to produce. But he trusts. Like the seed in the ground, there’s a whole process of life that goes on in a hidden way, that’s not visible to us. The monastic life is about waiting in expectation that God’s hidden life in us will reveal itself. But it is an active waiting, not passive waiting.”

This active waiting is enacted by living out Saint Benedict’s Rule. Getting your tired body out of bed at 3 a.m. for Vigils.  Working the mushrooms. Spiritual reading. All these things wear down the hardened heart and prepare it to receive God. Benedict likened the monastery to a workshop; it was the anvil on which the soul’s blade was forged. “As our lives and faith progress, “ he wrote, “the heart expands.” Perhaps that’s what I needed most. I thought. To make my heart a big enough place in which God could be born.

GET THE BOOK

Soil And Sacrament is a powerful personal story of how growing and sharing food pulls us closer to God. Like many seekers of the authentic life, Fred Bahnson sought answers to big questions like What does it mean to follow God? And How should I live my life? Fred started a faith-based community garden in rural North Carolina to help its members grow real food and to feed his own spiritual hunger.

This book tells the story of how he and people of faith all over America are re-rooting themselves in the land, reconnecting with their food and each other , and praying with their very lives.

Soil And Sacrament is a book about communion in its deepest sense – an inspiring and joyful meditation on what grows above the earth, beneath it, and inside each one of us.

Chapters include: The Underground life of Prayer, Dweller in the Dust, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Out of Africa, Into  Babylon, A New Heave, A New Earth, Significant Soil, and Surpassing Civilization.

This article appears in the Gardening Department of the February/March 2017 issue of Faith & Fitness Magazine.

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