"These last few years have been challenging, but I have felt the Lord encouraging me with the gardening metaphor many times. Like many people, I planted a pandemic garden last spring, and was blown away by the parallels between our spiritual growth and a garden."
— Juliet Teeter, MA Counselling Psychology ('05) and Foundations 102 Instructor
"Our hearts, like a garden, go through different seasons," said Juliet Teeter, instructor at TWU, and author of new book, Planted for a Purpose: A six week devotional.
This spring, as gardening season arrives in B.C., Teeter is encouaging others to grow in life and in faith—through her devotional book.
"My hope is that people who read this are encouraged to remember that we are all, 'planted for a purpose,' and that going through seasons of deep uprooting, replanting, or reseeding is simply part of being human. This doesn’t disqualify us from being used in God’s garden—and in fact can often be the catalyst for new growth."
An invitation to spiritual growth
Teeter's short six-week gardening-themed devotional invites readers to follow the story of a newly planted garden, and to discover insights about faith and spiritual growth along the way. Each week looks at a different stage of the gardening process: soil, seeds, waiting, growth, pruning, and harvest. Each metaphor carries significance for our hearts and our relationship with God.
"We have a Master Gardener who is able to take your potential and create something beautiful," Teeter says, addressing her readers. "I pray you will allow yourself to trust that you have been planted for a purpose, that you are rooted and established in His love."
"He is doing more in you than you can ask or imagine!"
Teeter describes her book as "a devotional for anyone who wants to grow closer to the Lord." It provides daily readings that dig into scripture and includes reflection questions for each day.
Encouragement for every season
With a love for both gardening and for metaphor, Teeter is a writer at heart.
"I've always wanted to write," She said. Teeter began studies at TWU as an English major, before switching to Psychology and completing a master's degree in Counselling Psychology from TWU in 2005.
"These last few years have been challenging," she said, "but I have felt the Lord encouraging me with the gardening metaphor many times."
"Like many people, I planted a pandemic garden last spring, and was blown away by the parallels between our spiritual growth and a garden."
Teeter currently teaches the Foundations 102 course, Human Flourishing, part of TWU's core curriculum. Since 2013, she has worked as a part-time instructor at TWU. Previoulsy, she served four years on campus as a Resident Director in Student Life.
She hopes that readers will receive encouragement from her book and be inspired towards new personal growth this season.
Juliet Teeter's book Planted for a Purpose: A six week devotional is avaliable on Amazon.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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