The Growing Season: A Year of Down-on-the-Farm Devotions didn’t make it a full year for me. Instead, I devoured Sarah Philpott’s anecdotes as fast as I could. Sarah describes farm life, calving season and adapting to challenges we face daily, whether we’re a farm gal or a city gal.

Sarah Philpott is the author of Loved Baby, a book I cherished on finding comfort in the midst of grief. She and her family live on a farm in Tennessee. Sarah finds life lessons in manure spreaders and mudcaked boots, and opens our eyes to the beauty of the fields beyond her window.

The Growing Season is broken into segments of seasons, following the cycle of life. Walk the furrows of the field with Sarah while you plant, cultivate, prune and meditate. Sarah starts with a recipe for hot cocoa (one of my go-to beverages), a challenge to tackle (I’m task oriented), and an invitation to look for the blessings in the mess of life (I need that perspective), and gives practical advice for every gal to “meet people where they are.” Farmer Perry even chimes in with tips for planting seeds, harvesting watermelons and chopping down a Christmas tree.

Sarah says taking care of God’s land is holy work, and reminds us we are all stewards. Maybe not of a farm, like she and Perry, but “Stewards of our home. Stewards of our family. Stewards of God’s land. And most importantly, stewards of God’s Word.”

Sarah sees joy in the canvas of the farm horizon and says we can find it, too, when storms dot our landscape. She says, “We don’t always choose change—sometimes change chooses us… We know we can bounce back from anything when we walk with (God). In an ever-changing world, the one thing we can trust will never change is the great I Am.”

I’m loving this new book from Sarah Philpott and can’t wait to try out her recipes for Blackberry Cobbler, Fried Apple Pies, Honeybun Cake and more!

I am giving away a copy of The Growing Season to one reader in the continental United States. Leave a comment on my blog (at the top of this post, under the title) and answer this question, “What are you thankful for in this season of your life?” You will be entered into the drawing to be held three days from now, Sunday, November 7. I can’t wait to hear about your blessings!

Sally

Disclosure of Material: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through The Blog About Network book review program in exchange for a fair and honest review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR Title 16, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”