A Bit of Earth

Prayers, poetry, and Scripture for a life in the garden

In A Bit of Earth, Andrea G. Burke looks at the seasonal practice and common grace of gardening through a devotional lens. Part memoir, part prayer book, A Bit of Earth weaves care and intent through moments of ordinary living. This book is a lifelong resource of Scripture, poetry, and prose on the life of faith for contemplatives, gardeners, and believers.

God walks in the garden at the cool of the day. The Lord is with us when we dream about what plants to grow and when we drag our feet to pull weeds. He is with us when we preserve the fruit of our hard labors. He is with us even when we weep at the desolate, snowbound landscape of winter.

Whether you're new to gardening or already have a green thumb, anyone can learn how to garden and cultivate the soil of their hearts through A Bit of Earth.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Winter
4. Chapter 1: The Final Death
5. Chapter 2: The Work of the Cold
6. Chapter 3: The Days of Rest
7. Chapter 4: Counting the Seeds
8. Chapter 5: The Waiting Season
9. Chapter 6: Hidden Friends
10. Chapter 7: The Winter Table
11. Chapter 8: Hidden in Winter
12. Chapter 9: The Empty Season
13. Chapter 10: Grief
14. Chapter 11: The Days of Dark
15. Chapter 12: The Lonely Season
16. Chapter 13: The Dark and Tender Season
17. Spring
18. Chapter 14: The Late Snow
19. Chapter 15: Stuck: The Mud Season
20. Chapter 16: The Prep Season
21. Chapter 17: Watch the Birds
22. Chapter 18: Planting and Tending Seeds and the Starts
23. Chapter 19: Potting Up, Hardening Off, and Withstanding Winds
24. Chapter 20: The Return of Life
25. Chapter 21: The Thinning Season
26. Chapter 22: The Resurrection Season
27. Chapter 23: The Stormy Season
28. Chapter 24: The War of the Weeds, Part 1
29. Summer
30. Chapter 25: The War of the Weeds, Part 2
31. Chapter 26: The All-Consuming Season
32. Chapter 27: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors
33. Chapter 28: The Pruning Season
34. Chapter 29: The Hiden Fruit
35. Chapter 30: The Mimic Weeds
36. Chapter 31: The Storms of Destruction
37. Chapter 32: After the Storm
38. Chapter 33: The Garden Pests
39. Chapter 34: The Heat
40. Chapter 35: Blood, Sweat, and Tears: The War of the Summer Garden
41. Chapter 36: Easy Fruit and Abundant Harvests
42. Chapter 37: The Days of Light
43. Autumn
44. Chapter 38: The Lord of the Harvest
45. Chapter 39: The Fall Garden
46. Chapter 40: The Feasting Season
47. Chapter 41: Remembereing Failures
48. Chapter 42: Watch the Farmer
49. Chapter 43: Good Soil
50. Chapter 44: Preparing for Death
51. Chapter 45: Preserving for Later
52. Chapter 46: Tired and Weary Season
53. Chapter 47: Gathering Seeds and Planting for Spring
54. Chapter 48: Perennial Care for Next Year
55. Chapter 49: Goodnight Garden
56. Closing Credits