The Growing Season: A Year of Down-on-the-Farm Devotions
Book Review and Giveaway

Wisdom from the Earth’s Soil to Your Soul:

Hello friend! Today, I would like to begin this book review by saying I absolutely love this author, Sarah Philpott, and this has been one of my most favorite books to give away on our Fresh Grace Blog! This book is beautifully arranged with Christian Devotional readings that fall under the four different seasons … Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. And I LOVE all the beautiful graphics that the author created!

Sarah keeps it simple and ‘speaks’, friend to friend, about living the simple life and trusting God’s provision. I have not read the book from cover to cover yet because it is a devotional and I want to take it all in one season at at time, beginning with the beautiful autumn season that we are in.

In this post, you will find a Q&A with the author so you can hear her heart behind her book, the table of contents for a sneak peek behind the cover, and a book/t-shirt giveaway at the end! So YAY … let’s get this started, shall we?

What to expect from The Growing Season:

A Year of Down on the Farm Devotions, you will appreciate how farming and faith intricately intertwine with each other. This book is beautifully written and simple to read. It includes Biblical Truths and Sarah’s own personal stories from life on a Tennessee cattle ranch. You’ll venture from month by month and season by season towards seeing the splendor of God’s creation, looking at how to more closely trust Him, and rejoicing in His abundance for you.

Farm life calls to our hearts whether we experience it on daily walks, see it in the magazines we read, hear it in the music playing on the radio, or in the food we love to prepare. Our senses witness to the cycles of trusting, sowing, and reaping in our spiritual journeys, too, and this is by God’s design.

Sarah has packed her pretty devotional with personal tips on baking, grilling, planting, and some farm lingo. In addition, you will find a sweet collection of funny, moving and inspiring insights about living a more simple life with our families and our faith. The devotional offers insight into God’s desire for your life. Pour yourself a tall glass of sweet iced tea on ice, get comfy on your porch swing, and draw closer to your Creator as you celebrate His provision in your personal life.

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Q&A with Sarah Philpott

Question: Tell me a bit about your family farm.

Sarah: We are a 4th generation farm in East Tennessee. We’ve traced the roots back to 1906. Our land makes up several thousand acres. As beef producers, we specialize in Black Angus cattle: commercial and registered. We supply beef locally and sell cattle to feedlots across the nation.

We also have a large hay operation. Our farm was founded, as most of the eastern United States farms, on tobacco. But we moved on from that crop almost a decade ago. We now commercially farm row crops such as soybeans and corn. One of our newest ventures is growing a few acres of switchgrass. This crop helps create products that are alternatives to products such as Styrofoam. Compostable food containers are created using switchgrass.

Question: Are you a farm, a ranch, or somewhere in between?

Sarah: All I can say is we are well-diversified! We farm and own a few businesses as well. Our goals are to keep the land intact, create high-quality products, and continually make decisions that are good for the environment, protect our natural resources, and ensure that we can survive as a business that helps feed America.

I was blessed to grow up on a farm and watch my Dad, Grandaddy, and Grandmother work the land for the benefit of others and ourselves. We had horses and cattle. One of my earliest memories is my brother and I digging for potatoes in the backyard garden of my grandparents. It was a treasure hunt looking for those potatoes that were stored for use all fall and winter. From a very early age I saw how a farm brings continuity from one year to the next.

Question: If readers only take one thing away from The Growing Season, what do you hope that would be?

Sarah: I want readers to relish the splendor of God’s creation and to rest fully in the knowledge that He is and has always been in control. At this present moment in history, our world seems a bit uncomfortable, this book helps us all focus on the reassurance that God reigns and has planted goodness all around. We can always trust that our Creator leads our path. I wrote this book for us all: to help us stay focused on God and grow in Him.

Question: How do you decide what stories to share on social media, The Growing Season, and even in Loved Baby and which ones to keep private?

Sarah: As far as ‘Loved Baby’, I was very candid about my experiences with pregnancy loss. It was my personal story to tell. I felt like women needed to read an honest reflection of loss: physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Sharing my internal thoughts was a very vulnerable experience, but I think this is what makes this book special and so well-received: I didn’t hold anything back and neither did the amazing women and men who shared their own stories in the book.

Question: What is the connection with The Growing Season to Loved Baby? Both are great devotionals but seem to be needed in different ways.

Sarah: Loved Baby meets women involved in a very specific grief. It helps walk them through the immense pain and hopefully lead them to the hope of Christ. It was such a privilege to write Loved Baby. Daily I receive messages from women who are struggling with pregnancy loss and have found this book to be of comfort. I still get teary-eyed every time I read a message from a woman who has a child that was born straight into the arms of God.

In The Growing Season I tried to meet women in everyday life- where we encounter trials and joys on the daily. Where we need laughter and room to ponder. It is designed as a 52-week devotional to draw you Closer to your Maker. It helps readers understand that sometimes life can be messy, sometimes life can be hard, but the life He created has goodness all around. The book also includes fun things such as recipes, farm lingo, and farm tips. Laughter, food, people, and the natural world make each of our lives fuller and more joy-filled, don’t they?

I think the tie binding both books is the honest reflection that life is full of hardships, but also full of beauty. In both books we explore how we bloom the brightest when our eyes are focused above.

Question: How did you know that The Growing Season is something God wanted you to pursue?

Sarah: This book was on my heart for years. I think we can all learn from farmers and ranchers. I know I do. I learn so much from the farmers around me, the land, and the reoccurring seasonality of life. My agent, Blythe Daniels, knew that one day I wanted to share the stories of the farm with others. She called me out of the blue two years ago and said an editor told her, “I’m looking for a book written by a farm wife.” Blythe encouraged me to quickly put together a proposal so she could pitch it to the editor.

I worked frantically. I was shocked to learn that the proposal was accepted. It was then that I knew 100% that God was leading the charge on this book. In fact, the proposal was accepted at numerous publishing houses, but I wanted to go with the original editor who was specifically looking for a book written by a farm wife.

That is how I came to write The Growing Season for Harvest House. This was for sure God’s timing as I wasn’t even actively pursuing getting this book to publication. This is a book that pursued me. But as they say in farming: “You have to make hay while the sun shines”! I was so happy and honored that the sun was shining on the idea for this book. I went straight to work and delivered this book all the way from seed to harvest. It is a privilege to share this book with readers.

Question: How do you balance family life, farm, multiple businesses, and finding time for writing?

Sarah: Ha! There is no balance. Most small-business owners and farmers/ranchers attest that our jobs aren’t jobs but lifestyles. Our day-to-day life doesn’t fit into tidy little folders called work and home. We are always “on-call.” We take one minute as it comes, try to hang on to the joy of each passing day, and stay eternally grateful for our agricultural and business team. We don’t do this alone.

Question: How do we succeed?

Sarah: Well, adaptability is key. On the farm (and when parenting children) you can’t just schedule out every minute of the day. You must be ready for all types of interruptions and challenges. You must also find joy in the work. Time management is a struggle for me. But, to make a farm metaphor, with everything I do I have to decide when and what to plant, what to cultivate, what to prune, and decide when it’s time to let something lie fallow.

I apply this to my writing, being a mom to four, and all the responsibilities I have in our farming and small business lifestyle. It’s not a balanced life, but a beautiful mess of a life that I love. We just ground ourselves in faith and let life happen. The best part of all our lifestyle is that we get to create amazing memories with our family. It all works together. And honestly- most of the time it doesn’t seem like work. We enjoy this life we’ve been blessed to live.One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard is to ask God for wisdom on how to spend our time (this might be an hour-by-hour prayer) and then trust that the wisdom He gives is right.

Question: What is your favorite thing you grow on your farm and why?

Sarah: My favorite crops are the ones we just grow for us and our family/friends: sweet corn, watermelons, pumpkins, and blackberries. I love watching my husband take such care with the planting and then my kids and I getting to enjoy fresh treats off our land. This summer we would just amble down to the garden to pick a watermelon from the vine or grab a handful of blackberries as a snack. God’s goodness is in full display when we get to truly enjoy the fruit of his creation. Growing up my parents planted lots of watermelons; I remember spending many evenings hoeing the field to keep the weeds at bay. The grit and perseverance it requires to make something work on a farm is a lesson I will always hold in my heart and the truth that it is God who truly does the growing.

Question: When did you start to notice God speaking to you through everyday activities at the farm or seeing the lessons in them?

Sarah: My aha moment came one day when we were taking care of our blackberry vines in our small vineyard. I asked my husband why we were pruning them, and he responded, “Cause to grow a little you gotta cut a little.” I thought that was the most profound phrase he’d ever uttered. At the time I was in a whirlwind of activities and obligations. Like most all of us, I was weighed down with doing “too much.”

Perry explained that if the plant is too stressed and can’t get air, it will not flourish and bear fruit. I instantly related this to my personal life and fully understood the verse: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15: 1-2, NIV). God created the vines to need cutting back so they can bear more fruit; this is reflected in our spiritual lives as well.

It was soil to soul lessons like this that I just knew I wanted to share with others. The blackberry vines helped me to evaluate what I needed to prune in my own life and helped me to understand that it is not just “bad” things we need to prune from our lives but “good” things as well. Weighing ourselves down with too many obligations is counter to the wisdom of the Bible. I think many of us struggle with not giving our vines (i.e., lives) room enough to breathe and this can negatively impact how we function. This lesson from the farm really helped me personally make lifestyle cuts so I could bear more fruit for Him and live a life that is more peaceful.

Question: What is your favorite season in The Growing Season?

Sarah: I love all the seasons! I don’t think I could choose, although I do tend to prefer summer most of all. There is just something magical about summer evenings. My favorite summer pastime is sitting on our front porch at dusk looking at the night sky and watching our kids chase lightning bugs. I love to revel in the majesty of the natural world.

Question: If someone is not a farmer, or is familiar with farm life, is The Growing Season a book for them?

Sarah: This book is for everyone. In fact, I think it would help someone unfamiliar with farming to understand the agrarian examples from the Bible a bit better. The cycle of trusting, sowing, and reaping mirrors our daily journey with Him. This book will also make you chuckle, make you think, and draw you closer to our creator.

It is for every single type of farm gal: whether they live on an actual farm, in the middle of the suburbs in an Instagram perfect farmhouse, or for gals who just enjoy eating foods grown on a farm. This book is relatable on many levels for women of all ages. If you are like me you are tasked with a million different things during the day- this book is an invitation to take time to stop and savor the abundance of God’s promises.

Question: In the book you address Farm Gal every so often. Who is that? How do I know if I am a Farm Gal too?

Sarah: We are described in the Bible as God’s farm. 1 Corinthians 3:9 (NIV) says, “For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” A Farm Gal is one who recognizes that she is God’s fellow worker: helping plant seeds and cultivate a life where we can bear fruit for Him. Whether we own a thousand acres of cropland or don’t even own a houseplant it is the Christian who is the most important farmer in all the world: our roots grow and bloom to live our life to love Him and love others. Farm Gals are just part of the process that God, in his infinite wisdom, set up. God does the growing; and we, each in our own unique way, help work the field of the world.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

WELCOME WINTER:

New Life on the Farm
Welcome to the Farmhouse
Good Soil on the Farm
Light on the Farm
Lost on the Farm
Winter Wonderland on the Farm
Cattle Out
Breaking Ground on the Farm

WELCOME SPRING:

Planting on the Farm
Pruning on the Farm
Trucks on the Farm
Seeds on the Farm
Puddles on the Farm
Goats on the Farm
Bees on the Farm
Deep Roots on the Farm
Making Hay on the Farm
Rambo on the Farm
Picnics on the Farm
Bursting with Worship on the Farm

WELCOME SUMMER:

Fireflies on the Farm
Planting Pumpkins on the Farm
Heaven’s Dew on the Farm
Blooming on the Farm
The Fourth on the Farm
Wildflowers on the Farm
Oh, Deere!
Bear on the Farm
Corn Shucking on the Farm
Getting Away from the Farm
Fowl on the Farm
Rest on the Farm

WELCOME FALL:

Apple Picking on the Farm
Fugitive on the Farm
Delayed Harvest on the Farm
Letting Go on the Farm
Spills on the Farm
Pumpkin Party on the Farm
Bulls on the Farm
Staying Present on the Farm
One-Room Schoolhouse on the Farm
Ducks on the Farm
Blessings on the Farm
Thanksgiving on the Farm
Royalty on the Farm
Christmas Trees on the Farm
Nativity on the Farm
Fallow Pasture on the Farm
Notes

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GIVEAWAY TIME:

The author has generously provided us with a specially made “Farm Gal” t-shirt and a hard back copy of her brand new devotional book, for us to bless one reader with.

To participate in this giveaway is super easy, all you need to do is comment below or on one of my Facebook Posts pointing to this book review and your name will be added to the hat. One reader will be randomly selected next Tuesday, October 19, 2021 and I hope it’s YOU!

We will contact the winner via email so we can get this t-shirt and book on its way to you asap. Winner must reside in the United States, please. Thank you muchly …

Blessings,

The Growing Season: A Year of Down on the Farm Devotions | Book Review and Giveaway @ freshgracefortoday.com

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Graphics: Sarah Philpott 

About Us

Sarah Philpott, Ph.D, lives in Tennessee on a cattle farm where she raises her four children and is farm wife to her high-school sweetheart. Sarah is also the ECPA Award-nominated, Selah and Serious Writer Book of the Year Awards winner, author for Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child After Pregnancy Loss. Her essays have been featured on Her View From Home, Today, and Today Parenting.

Sarah lives in Tennessee on a cattle farm where she raises her four children and is farm wife to her high-school sweetheart. She is also the founder of the Loved Baby Pregnancy Loss Support Group. You can visit with Sarah at allamericanmom.net where she writes about her family, life on a cattle farm in the South, and learning to cherish God’s provisions in joy and sorrow.