The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom
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- Create Date：2021-11-08 04:41:05
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Andrew Peterson
- ISBN：1087736951
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Summary
There’s a strong biblical connection between people and trees。 They both come from dirt。 They’re both told to bear fruit。 In fact， arboreal language is so often applied to humans that it’s easy to miss， whether we're talking about family trees， passing along our seed， cutting someone off like a branch， being rooted to a place， or bearing the fruit of the Spirit。 It’s hard to deny that trees mean something， theologically speaking。
This book is in many ways a memoir， but it’s also an attempt to wake up the reader to the glory of God shining through his creation。 One of his first commands to Adam and Eve was to “work and keep” the garden （Genesis 2:15）。 Award-winning author and songwriter Andrew Peterson， being as honest as possible， seeks to give glory to God by spreading out his roots and raising his branches， trusting that by reading his story， you’ll encounter yours。
Hopefully， you’ll see that the God of the Garden is and has always been present， working and keeping what he loves。 Sometimes he plants， sometimes he prunes， but in his goodness he intends to reap a harvest of righteousness。
This book is in many ways a memoir， but it’s also an attempt to wake up the reader to the glory of God shining through his creation。 One of his first commands to Adam and Eve was to “work and keep” the garden （Genesis 2:15）。 Award-winning author and songwriter Andrew Peterson， being as honest as possible， seeks to give glory to God by spreading out his roots and raising his branches， trusting that by reading his story， you’ll encounter yours。
Hopefully， you’ll see that the God of the Garden is and has always been present， working and keeping what he loves。 Sometimes he plants， sometimes he prunes， but in his goodness he intends to reap a harvest of righteousness。
Reviews
The Orange Chair
，
This book is not quite what I expected。 Having read 'Adorning the Dark' I think I anticipated a bit more depth to the content of this book， but being what was more of a memoir it was more about his life and story。 I didn't have a problem with this， but seeing the subtitle 'Thoughts on Creation， Culture， and the Kingdom' I think I anticipated more things beyond his life within these pages。 I will say though， that I was inspired by Andrew Peterson's thoughts， and his perspective always gets me thi This book is not quite what I expected。 Having read 'Adorning the Dark' I think I anticipated a bit more depth to the content of this book， but being what was more of a memoir it was more about his life and story。 I didn't have a problem with this， but seeing the subtitle 'Thoughts on Creation， Culture， and the Kingdom' I think I anticipated more things beyond his life within these pages。 I will say though， that I was inspired by Andrew Peterson's thoughts， and his perspective always gets me thinking。 I too love exploring nature and have a property of my own to tramp around and harvest from。 After reading this I look at my land and want to plant more trees than the ones that are growing on their own。 And I want to explore footpaths more as well。 Overall， I thought this was a compelling book with some intriguing thoughts， but because it wasn't what I expected （and I felt like the theme of trees was stretched in a few chapters） I didn't enjoy it quite as much as his other works， though I'd read it again。 。。。more
Bill Pence
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In this wonderfully written， and vulnerable book， Andrew Peterson takes us on journeys - from Illinois to Florida to England Scandinavia to Nashville to the Abbey of Gethsemani to the Holy Land in Israel。 He writes about his depression and being mad at God， his love of footpaths in England and his not so much love for American subdivisions。 Along the way he writes about trees - two maples， the Thinking Tree， the Big Oak， an olive tree， and others - and books that are important to him - Jayber Cr In this wonderfully written， and vulnerable book， Andrew Peterson takes us on journeys - from Illinois to Florida to England Scandinavia to Nashville to the Abbey of Gethsemani to the Holy Land in Israel。 He writes about his depression and being mad at God， his love of footpaths in England and his not so much love for American subdivisions。 Along the way he writes about trees - two maples， the Thinking Tree， the Big Oak， an olive tree， and others - and books that are important to him - Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry and The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings。 Each chapter begins with a quote from William Wordsworth’s poem “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood”。 Some of Peterson’s song lyrics and drawings are sprinkled throughout the book， which was written at his home in Nashville called The Warren， in the Chapter House。 The book addresses going back home， suffering and healing， the beauty of a garden and trees， and the emptiness of subdivisions。 He writes that few things are more wonderful to him than a graceful integration of nature and culture， which is essentially what a garden is。 He tells us that if we integrated the loveliness of creation with the flourishing of human culture， we would be that much closer to a vision of the New Creation。 His hope is to see the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven， even in the way we plan our streets and footpaths and communities。 Like his 2019 book "Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community， Calling， and the Mystery of Making"， this was a wonderful book that I didn’t want to put down and looked forward to getting back to。 。。。more
Shay
，
"This is a book about trees。" So says Andrew Peterson in the middle of the book， and so do I。 It's true， but it's not completely true。 Trees are definitely part of this book， but it's actually a book about place–about finding our place in this world。 There's an honesty in this book that brought me to tears many times。 Andrew shares his wounds openly， but does it with a care to show you how Christ has shown through those （or to use a natural illustration: to show you how to see the forest and the "This is a book about trees。" So says Andrew Peterson in the middle of the book， and so do I。 It's true， but it's not completely true。 Trees are definitely part of this book， but it's actually a book about place–about finding our place in this world。 There's an honesty in this book that brought me to tears many times。 Andrew shares his wounds openly， but does it with a care to show you how Christ has shown through those （or to use a natural illustration: to show you how to see the forest and the trees and get past all the weeds。。。as long as there's not a "No Trespassing" sign）。 Part memoir and part ramblings about the English countryside， I thoroughly enjoyed his pace and his ability to weave together his past and his present in a way that leads me down roads that many people don't want to travel in their heart。 In a way， it's nostalgic without clamoring for the past。 I read this book from cover to cover in a single day and as soon as I finished I realized how much I want more from Andrew Peterson。 I'm sure it'll be years， but I'm ready for him to write a novel。 。。。more
Mikaela Hallén
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I never thought I would enjoy reading a book about trees that much。 But I did。
David Morton
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Probably the only book I've read that has legit made me cry。 His writing is beautiful， and the points he makes are poignant。 The main focus of this book is the how plants and place have impacted Andrew Peterson so deeply， and his exuberance for both flows forth in well-written prose that could only come from the same pen that has written the songs he has。 The only reason I give it four stars is that it was a bit difficult to figure out what the book is about at the first， but I enjoyed the essay Probably the only book I've read that has legit made me cry。 His writing is beautiful， and the points he makes are poignant。 The main focus of this book is the how plants and place have impacted Andrew Peterson so deeply， and his exuberance for both flows forth in well-written prose that could only come from the same pen that has written the songs he has。 The only reason I give it four stars is that it was a bit difficult to figure out what the book is about at the first， but I enjoyed the essays nonetheless。 。。。more
Kristin
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An enjoyable read that makes my heart grateful for the glory of the Lord in His creation， His personal care for us and our call to enjoy the world He has given us。 It also is though provoking and convicting on aspects of our individualistic culture and how the Lord created us to be connected and engaging with those around us。
Jack Key
，
Favorite book of 2021 thus far。 Andrew put words to so many things I have felt and didn’t even realize what was stirring within me。 Grateful for this read
Christine Schumacher
，
Andrew Peterson's songs are like old friends to me。 His lyrics are warm and familiar as I have heard every album played too many times to count over the course of my growing up。 I suppose you could say they are as familiar as trees。 What I loved about God of the Garden is the ability to learn more about the mind and heart of the man behind the songs and stories I love so much。 At the end of the day， in this book he's simply just telling us how much he loves trees and footpaths and wants us to lo Andrew Peterson's songs are like old friends to me。 His lyrics are warm and familiar as I have heard every album played too many times to count over the course of my growing up。 I suppose you could say they are as familiar as trees。 What I loved about God of the Garden is the ability to learn more about the mind and heart of the man behind the songs and stories I love so much。 At the end of the day， in this book he's simply just telling us how much he loves trees and footpaths and wants us to love them in the same way， but he does it by weaving the stories from his life in-between as the narrative， ultimately pointing us back to the Creator of the garden， the orchestrator of it all reminding us that: "Sometimes he plants， sometimes he prunes， but in his goodness， he intends to reap a Harvest of Righteousness。"I also highly recommend listening to the audiobook。 There's something special about the story coming from Peterson's own voice。 For a book about trees， it's a pretty good one。 。。。more
Krissie
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I loved this book！ It’s about trees but it’s also about the Master Gardener and how He works the soil of our hearts。 It’s charming and will leave you with some surprise lumps in your throat and tears （much like his music）。 I highly recommend it！
Cbarrett
，
This book guided me not only through picturesque landscapes of Sweden， the United Kingdom， and Middle Tennessee with descriptions of trees， gardens， and footpaths， but also through the wrestling of the soul in its ebbing of joy and sorrow that longs to hear from the Maker and sometimes finds grace in the silence。 The final chapter on "a stone's throw from Jerusalem" is worth the price of the book， and not a cent is wasted on any page。 This book guided me not only through picturesque landscapes of Sweden， the United Kingdom， and Middle Tennessee with descriptions of trees， gardens， and footpaths， but also through the wrestling of the soul in its ebbing of joy and sorrow that longs to hear from the Maker and sometimes finds grace in the silence。 The final chapter on "a stone's throw from Jerusalem" is worth the price of the book， and not a cent is wasted on any page。 。。。more
Joy Kidney
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A raw memoir of angst， hope， and beauty， with poetry of William Wordsworth beginning each chapter。
Panda Incognito
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This book spoke to me deeply because of the author's sensitivity， honesty， and raw reflections about life and faith。 I wasn't sure what to expect from this book， since it doesn't have an obvious a thesis like Adorning the Dark， the author's previous adult nonfiction book， which focuses on creativity and calling。 However， the sometimes meandering form of The God of the Garden fits its themes， as Andrew Peterson gives a sense of different milestones in his life， lessons learned， and the role that This book spoke to me deeply because of the author's sensitivity， honesty， and raw reflections about life and faith。 I wasn't sure what to expect from this book， since it doesn't have an obvious a thesis like Adorning the Dark， the author's previous adult nonfiction book， which focuses on creativity and calling。 However， the sometimes meandering form of The God of the Garden fits its themes， as Andrew Peterson gives a sense of different milestones in his life， lessons learned， and the role that trees have played in his experiences and perception of life。 Since I also deeply love trees， I connected with aspects of this book that someone else might just humor， but Peterson's love of trees is a consistent theme throughout the story and a central aspect of his messages about creation。I love Peterson's writing style， which ranges from elegant prose to down-to-earth humor， and because I appreciate his music so much， I enjoyed learning more about the man behind some of the songs that I have sung innumerable times。 The memoir elements of this book are pitch-perfect in their honesty， depth， and rawness， and Peterson conveys a sense of the brokenness and beauty in the world around him and in his own heart。 I especially appreciated his honesty about a period of depression that he went through， and he fills in moving personal details behind songs that he has written。 He also writes beautifully about his love for creation and concern for the environment in a way that reflects deep love for the world， God， and his neighbor， rather than any kind of political screed。I would highly recommend The God of the Garden to fans of Andrew Peterson's music or writing， and to readers who are not familiar with him but who would appreciate a deeply honest， sensitive， perceptive look at life， suffering， God's love， the glory of the natural world， and our hope for the New Creation。 This is a truly beautiful， insightful， unique book， and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to read it。 I will also enjoy Peterson's music even more in the future， with a deeper understanding of his life story and God's faithfulness to him。I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
As always， Andrew Peterson writes with care， thoughtfulness， honesty， and love。 He loves Jesus， which in turn makes him love well in his everyday spheres。 That's evident as he shares his story and his many surprisingly spiritual reflections on trees。 Each page of The God of the Garden pulses with his clear desire for his readers to be spurred on to also love well because of Christ's love。 He wants them to love their people and their places， arguing that as one flourishes， so does the other。 In h As always， Andrew Peterson writes with care， thoughtfulness， honesty， and love。 He loves Jesus， which in turn makes him love well in his everyday spheres。 That's evident as he shares his story and his many surprisingly spiritual reflections on trees。 Each page of The God of the Garden pulses with his clear desire for his readers to be spurred on to also love well because of Christ's love。 He wants them to love their people and their places， arguing that as one flourishes， so does the other。 In his gorgeous and Wendell Berry-esque prose， he challenges us to reflect on how people were given the earth to cultivate， and how the beauty we make in it now heralds the future remaking of the whole earth and its people。 With each tree sketched， poem shared， and personal anecdote recounted， whether wryly funny or deeply personal， Andrew draws readers' eyes towards the coming Kingdom saying， "It's near！ Look at all these seeds of it already here！ Cultivate them and look for the buds with hope！" I'm looking more closely because of this book。 Thank you once again， Andrew， for reminding me that "the stories are true。" 。。。more
Chris
，
If Andrew Peterson wrote a phone book， I would read it。 His writing is that good and compelling。 A master storyteller， Andrew Peterson takes the reader through stories of his childhood and adulthood as he grapples with depression， shame， and the hope of the gospel and the beauty of God。 Tying these stories to reflections on nature， and place Peterson has crafted a work that is more than memoir。 I wish he had written 600 pages。 I would have gladly read them all。
Sarah Wolfe
，
A spectacularly beautiful book about creation， beauty， truth， love， depression， joy， despair， and hope。 Honest and glorious， especially if you've ever suffered with depression and/or anxiety。"Trees need to be still in order to grow。 We need to be still in order to see that God's work in us and around us is often slow and quiet， patient and steady。""[C]hildhood is an art museum that's been pillaged by time， and there on the blank walls， below the faint rectangular outline where the painting used A spectacularly beautiful book about creation， beauty， truth， love， depression， joy， despair， and hope。 Honest and glorious， especially if you've ever suffered with depression and/or anxiety。"Trees need to be still in order to grow。 We need to be still in order to see that God's work in us and around us is often slow and quiet， patient and steady。""[C]hildhood is an art museum that's been pillaged by time， and there on the blank walls， below the faint rectangular outline where the painting used to be， hang little plaques that read， "The Source of Your Anxiety，" "The Reason You're So Desperate to Be Loved，" "The Day You Knew the World Was Broken，" and "The Day You Knew You Were Just as Broken as the World。" We journey in pain， and the presence of pain demands an answer。""The feeling of isolation and abandonment I described is merely the inner narrative I've battled （and harbored） for most of my adult life—one exploited by the enemy of my heart again and again。 But what about the Father of my heart？ What's the story he tells me again and again， the counter-narrative of my belovedness？""I wish I could tell [the child I was] what I know now: there is a presence in the woods that is older and stronger and kinder than the ghost that harries him。 If he would stand still enough to let it， that presence would overtake the poison， seep up through his feet and into his heart like a magic vine， and transform the dark forest into a garden of wonders。""Can you believe that he loves you？ Could it be that when you're deep in the dark cave， it's not because he doesn't love you， but because he does？ I wasn't angry at the earth when I wounded it。 Nor was I killing the seed when I buried it。 I was giving it a chance to be born again。""With a gust， the knowledge swept into me that I knew my savior better in the silence than I had ever known him in the song。 Ah， Lord， how precious is your weeping presence with those who weep！ How much better is your companionship in the deep darkness than your absence in the light！ I was not alone。 I had never been alone。 My own descent into the dark woods of desolation was merely a footpath to the heart of Christ—Christ， who went to the grove to pray; Christ， who asked his friends to keep watch with him; Christ， who in his anguish turned his face not away from the Father but to him， who aimed his questions at the silent dome of heaven and got an angry mob for an answer。 I also went to the woods for an answer， and found Jesus。 I demanded words， and was given instead the silent， weeping Word that echoes in the lonely wood of every sorrowful heart， the Word all the books in the world cannot contain。 In the dark night of my soul， he was the friend who kept watch。""The Blessing drank to the dregs the cup of the Curse。 He who knew no sin became sin for us。 It isn't that we suffer like him， but that he chose to suffer for us。 He entered our death that we might enter his resurrection。 In his agony ours finds meaning and redemption; our pain is subsumed in the tidal wave of Christ's， and washes up clean on the shores of glory。""Sinking into sleep， I allow my mind to drift over our little house， up into the rush of wind that rakes the treetops， where I can see the moonlight gleaming on the silver strand of the creek wending its way between the darkling hills， all the way to the Cumberland River。 Up and up I go， through the last of the atmosphere， till I see the receding earth and all its sorrow and splendor， then beyond the solar system and the wild， whirling galaxies， until it last I imagine myself crashing through the walls of the universe， where Time and Space are held like a book in the hands of Jesus。 He shows me the ending， with a gleam in his eye。 'Behold， I'm making all things new。'" 。。。more
Katie Elder
，
It takes a lot to make me laugh and cry and sit quietly-all within the span of one book。 This book did just that。 More importantly it poured hope on a weary and longing soul。 Better than I expected。 Worth a read and several rereads。
Matthew Loftus
，
Important subject matter， but not adequately developed。 Full review here: https://www。frontporchrepublic。com/20。。。 Important subject matter， but not adequately developed。 Full review here: https://www。frontporchrepublic。com/20。。。 。。。more
Stephanie Agnes-Crockett
，