Trees Teach Us Great Lessons About Faith

““I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree…a tree looks to God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray… Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.” Alfred Joyce Kilmer, American writer and poet, penned these well-known words published in 1914.

Only God can make a tree. Maybe that’s why trees teach us lessons about faith.

We read about trees all through the Bible. Matthew Sleeth, a medical doctor and carpenter, wrote a book in recent years titled “Reforesting Faith” that “reveals how God used trees from Genesis to Revelation to link the spiritual and natural worlds,” according to one book reviewer.

Beginning in the book of Genesis, God created trees and “God saw that it was good” (chapter one, verse 12). There’s a tree in the first chapter of Psalms, in the first page of the New Testament, and the last page of Revelation.

In the Garden of Eden, God commanded Adam and Eve, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Gen. 2:16 NKJ). When Satan tempted Eve, she ate of that tree and Adam did, too, causing them and everyone since then to have a sinful human nature that separates us from God.

Psalms 1:3 says the righteous “shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in his season” (NKJ). Isaiah wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…to give… the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified” (61:3).

The types of trees mentioned in the Bible include cypress, fig, pomegranate, almond, oaks, apple and palm trees. Cedar trees were used to construct the Temple in Jerusalem.

Many Biblical characters are associated with one tree or another. God told Noah to build the Ark with gopher wood. Moses heard God speaking to him through a burning bush. Moses led the people of Israel with a wooden staff. Zaccheus , a short man, climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus, who was surrounded by a crowd of people (Luke 19:1- 4).

Christ died on a tree to cure the curse of our sinful human nature. The Apostle Paul compares our relationship with Christ to trees planted in soil, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able ….to know the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:17-19 NKJ).

The Bible concludes in the book of Revelation with the disciple John seeing a pure river, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God along with a tree of life” (22:1-2 NKJ).

It’s amazing to think that God created the type of tree on which His son died, so that we could have a personal relationship with God. Author Max Lucado has written, “In Eden, Satan led Adam to a tree that led to his death. From Gethsemane, Jesus went to a tree that led to our life.””

Jan White is a wife, mother, and freelance writer who lives in Andalusia.

This Guest Column originally appeared in The Southeast Sun

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Pre-order Dr. Sleeth’s Groundbreaking New Book

Hope Always: How to be a Force for Life in a Culture of Suicide

Book Release Date: May 4, 2021

Every single day, someone you know is thinking about committing suicide. It isn’t just one or two—ten million Americans will consider killing themselves in the upcoming year. Dr. Matthew Sleeth believes Christians—and our churches—should be the first to offer hope. 

Are we prepared to do so?

As a physician and minister, Dr. Sleeth shares his personal and professional experiences with depression and suicide, challenging Christians to become part of the solution. With sound medical principles finding their rightful place beside timeless biblical wisdom, Hope Always offers the practical and spiritual tools that individuals, families, and churches need to help loved ones who are stressed and struggling.

In Hope Always, you will find

  • research-based and scientifically grounded information about the suicide epidemic,
  • biblically based information to start a conversation about the spiritual and emotional battles that so many of us face, and
  • a practical toolkit to consult when a loved one is dealing with suicidal ideation.

After reading Hope Always, you will have the resources at your fingertips to build communities of hope that help save lives!

Pre-Order Hope Always

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“I don’t know how to explain this part to you, Luke!”| December Newsletter 2020

Through God’s providence, Clark was able to double the capacity of the pediatric ICU just as Covid hit Kenya.

Dear Blessed Earth family and friends,
We all have those moments when something we read—perhaps something we have read many, many times—suddenly becomes REAL. I had one of these moments recently while reading Psalm 117 in my yearly Bible. This short but reassuring psalm spoke exactly the words I (and perhaps you!) need to hear. Despite multiple challenges that none of us could have imagined last December, the Lord has shown his unfailing faithfulness to the Sleeth family in countless ways. 

Below are a few highlights of an unforgettable 2020:

Read More

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5 Myths About the Environmental Impacts of Plastic

From the University of Michigan and Shelie A. Miller:

“Stand in the soda pop aisle at the supermarket, surrounded by rows of brightly colored plastic bottles and metal cans, and it’s easy to conclude that the main environmental problem here is an overabundance of single-use containers: If we simply recycled more of them, we’d go a long way toward minimizing impacts.

In reality, most of the environmental impacts of many consumer products, including soft drinks, are tied to the products inside, not the packaging, according to University of Michigan environmental engineer Shelie Miller.

And when it comes to single-use plastics in particular, the production and disposal of packaging often represents only a few percent of a product’s lifetime environmental impacts, according to Miller, author of an article scheduled for publication Oct. 26 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

“Consumers tend to focus on the impact of the packaging, rather than the impact of the product itself,” said Miller, an associate professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability and director of the U-M Program in the Environment. “But mindful consumption that reduces the need for products and eliminates wastefulness is far more effective at reducing overall environmental impact than recycling.

“Nevertheless, it is fundamentally easier for consumers to recycle the packaging of a product than to voluntarily reduce their demand for that product, which is likely one reason why recycling efforts are so popular.”

The mistaken belief about the central role of plastic packaging is one of five myths that Miller attempts to debunk in her conventional wisdom-shattering paper, “Five misperceptions surrounding the environmental impacts of single-use plastic.”

The five common misperceptions, along with Miller’s insights about them, are:

  • Plastic packaging is the largest contributor to a product’s environmental impact. In reality, the product inside the package usually has a much greater environmental impact.
  • The environmental impacts of plastics are greater than any other packaging material. Actually, plastic generally has lower overall environmental impacts than single-use glass or metal in most impact categories.
  • Reusable products are always better than single-use plastics. Actually, reusable products have lower environmental impacts only when they are reused enough times to offset the materials and energy used to make them.
  • Recycling and composting should be the highest priority. Truth be told, the environmental benefits associated with recycling and composting tend to be small when compared with efforts to reduce overall consumption.
  • “Zero waste” efforts that eliminate single-use plastics minimize the environmental impacts of an event. In reality, the benefits of diverting waste from the landfill are small. Waste reduction and mindful consumption, including a careful consideration of the types and quantities of products consumed, are far larger factors dictating the environmental impact of an event.

In her review article, Miller challenges beliefs unsupported by current scientific knowledge while urging other environmental scientists and engineers to broaden the conversation—in their own research and in discussions that shape public policy.

“Efforts to reduce the use of single-use plastics and to increase recycling may distract from less visible and often more damaging environmental impacts associated with energy use, manufacturing and resource extraction,” she said. “We need to take a much more holistic view that considers larger environmental issues.”

“Miller stresses that she is not trying to downplay environmental concerns associated with plastics and plastic waste. But to place the plastic-waste problem in proper context, it’s critical to examine the environmental impacts that occur at every stage of a product’s lifetime—from the extraction of natural resources and the energy needed to make the item to its ultimate disposal or reuse.”

(Continued)

Life-cycle assessment, or LCA, is a tool that researchers like Miller use to quantify lifetime environmental impacts in multiple categories, including climate change and energy use, water and resource depletion, biodiversity loss, solid waste generation, and human and ecological toxicity.

It’s easy for consumers to focus on packaging waste because they see boxes, bottles and cans every day, while a wide range of other environmental impacts are largely invisible to them. But LCA analyses systematically evaluate the entire supply chain, measuring impacts that might otherwise be overlooked, Miller said.

Packaged food products, for example, embody largely invisible impacts that can include intensive agricultural production, energy generation, and refrigeration and transportation throughout the supply chain, along with the processing and manufacturing associated with the food and its packaging, she said.

Miller points out that the well-worn adage “reduce, reuse, recycle,” commonly known as the 3Rs, was created to provide an easy-to-remember hierarchy of the preferable ways to lessen environmental impact.

Yet most environmental messaging does not emphasize the inherent hierarchy of the 3Rs—the fact that reducing and reusing are listed ahead of recycling. As a result, consumers often over-emphasize the importance of recycling packaging instead of reducing product consumption to the extent possible and reusing items to extend their lifetime.

“Although the use of single-use plastics has created a number of environmental problems that need to be addressed, there are also numerous upstream consequences of a consumer-oriented society that will not be eliminated, even if plastic waste is drastically reduced,” she said.

“The resource extraction, manufacturing and use phases generally dominate the environmental impacts of most products. So, reduction in materials consumption is always preferable to recycling, since the need for additional production is eliminated.”

*Bold emphasis added

The work was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Environmental Sustainability program under Grant No. CBET 1804287.

Read the entire publication : https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.0c05295

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New Release Documentary Film Cowboy and Preacher Inspires

Cowboy and Preacher

The Life and Times of Tri Robinson

Creation Care Documentary New Release

A new documentary film “Cowboy and Preacher” highlights the connection between caring for the environment and the Bible.
Watch the Film

“Through beautiful images that evoke America’s western mythology, a magnificent musical score, and a narrative of Biblical proportions and epic and tragic themes, Cowboy and Preacher seeks to convert the unconverted and bring transformational change and action to the battle for the environment.”

Cowboyandpreacher.com

The films follows Tri Robinson, a rancher and retired pastor. Tri’s passion for God’s creation and his desire for Christians to see our role as caretakers of earth are central. You can learn more about Tri Robinson by visiting his website http://trirobinson.org/.

Cowboy and Preacher Premiered September 15th.

Watch the Cowboy and Preacher Trailer

Watch the Full Feature Film

Watch the Full Film

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4 Important Spiritual Lessons from Trees in the Bible

Trees make life possible. They provide shade, beauty and numerous other gifts—from the tires on our cars to the aspirin in our medicine cabinets. But beyond meeting physical needs, trees can also teach spiritual lessons.

Other than people, trees are mentioned more than any other creation in the Bible. There is a tree on the first page of Genesis and on the last page of Revelation. The first Psalm exhorts believers to be like a tree. Every major character and every major theological event has a tree marking the spot. Indeed, Adam’s first instructions were to “dress and keep” (Genesis 2:15 KJV) the trees in Eden.

Here are four important spiritual lessons we can learn from the trees God planted in Scripture.

Turn toward the Light

One of the clearest memories I have of kindergarten is planting seeds in two pots. One was placed on the window sill; the other was placed in a dark closet. Every day we examined both of the pots. For several weeks, nothing happened. Then, the seeds sprouted.

At first, both plants looked the same. Then they began to diverge. The plant on the window sill began turning its leaves toward the sun.  The one in the closet became pale, thin, and grew in a confused manner. Trees grow toward light in a process called phototropism, from the Greek phos (light) and tropos (turning).

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12). A tree naturally seeks light. We can follow their example and seek the Light of the world.

Put down roots

Trees need water as much as they need light. The first Psalm is a description of what Godly women and men look like. They are like “trees planted by rivers of water” and they “meditate” on God’s law day and night—i.e., they are thinking about what Bible reveals about God’s will and plan for our lives. In order to do this, we need to study the Word of God—His Bible.

The deeper our “roots” go in the Bible, the more we’re able to withstand the trials, troubles, and other droughts that come our way. Healthy, mature trees have roots that travel in all directions seeking water and nutrients.

Before Bibles came in book form, they were attached to scrolls. The handles of these Biblical scrolls were called the etz hayim, Hebrew for tree of life. Proverb 3:18 says that the Bible’s wisdom is a tree of life to those who take ahold of it, and that happiness results from knowing this life-giving book.

Bring forth fruit

What good would an apple tree be if it never produced any apples? Likewise, our lives should produce meaningful fruit. It’s easy to look like a fruit tree, but Jesus said that we’d be known by the fruit we produce (Matt 7:16-20).

We should not only produce outward fruit—but inward. What is inner fruit? It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in our mind and soul to make us into the image of Christ. Paul the Apostle described the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” (Gal 5:22-23). In fact, Jesus chose you for the very purpose of bearing fruit (John 15:16).

Think long term  

Human lives are short. Not so for trees. There are trees alive today that were alive in the time of Moses. God put the notion of living on a vast time scale in our hearts (Eccl 3:11).

How many times do we make decisions based upon short-term gain? What would the world look like if the first thing we thought about were our roles as stewards, responsible for the coming generations?

According to the book of Revelation, trees have a place in heaven as well. Revelation 22 describes the tree of life, saying, “the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Trees remind us that life is much bigger than our present moment. Their deep roots and sprawling branches call us to look to heaven and eternity.

 

Matthew Sleeth, MD, is a speaker, author, and executive director of Blessed Earth, an organization promoting faithful stewardship of all creation.

His most recent book, Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us (WaterBrook), was released in April 2019.

 

*This article first appeared on Guideposts.org

 

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How Becoming a ‘Tree-Hugger’ Can Change Your Faith

Dr. Matthew Sleeth loves trees. Not just because they are beautiful, but because he believes they can teach us a lot about God’s nature.

In his new book Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us, he unpacks the significance of one of the Bible’s most prevalent symbols.

We recently spoke with Dr. Sleeth about the book, the spiritual lessons we can learn from trees and the importance of protecting creation.

 

What drew you to these parallels between nature and deeper spiritual lessons?

It really began when I volunteered to plant trees around my church, and the pastor said I have the theology of a tree hugger. He didn’t mean it as a compliment.

I thought maybe my theology was wrong, so I went to scripture and read from Genesis to Revelation, and what I found astounded me. Trees are the most-mentioned living thing in scripture other than God and people.

There’s a tree on the first page of the Bible. We’re told to be a tree in the first Psalm. There’s a tree on the first page of the New Testament and on the last page of scripture. Every major event in scripture has a tree marking the spot. So what I found in scripture was different than what I was seeing and hearing in the church.

 

I’d like to start at the beginning, then. What can you tell me about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil mentioned in Genesis?

Well, the garden is filled with trees. If you highlighted every sentence that has a tree in it in the first three chapters of the Bible, you’ll highlight a third of scripture.

We’re told trees are beautiful in God’s sight. We’re told our place is among the trees. We are told our work was to dress and keep them or protect and tend them, and that’s where we started.

There are two particularly important trees, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and we’re told not to eat from [the latter] and that’s God assigning human agency to us. We are allowed to choose right from wrong, and of course, we made the wrong choice.

When everything goes upside down and Adam and Eve realize they are naked, they go undress the tree and tear fig leaves off a fig tree. When they hear God’s voice, they run and they hide behind trees, so trees are absolutely pivotal to understanding why the world is as messed up as it is today.

 

Another reference is the time Jesus cursed the fig tree. It’s a hard parable to understand. Is that something you were able to wrestle with when writing the book?

I think there’s a couple things going on there. First of all, the ficus family of trees is the only tree Jesus ever says by name. A fig is the first mentioned tree in scripture that we can identify, and it is the symbol of the separation between us and God. We were in communion with the Lord, but after the first sin we tried to hide ourselves with the fig leaves, and so the fig becomes a symbol of that separation.

That story [of Jesus cursing the fig tree] has two meanings: One is that a tree should not only have leaves, but bear fruit. We’re told that with our lives, we’re to not just exist but be fruitful. [Secondly] in the story in which Jesus calls Nathaniel as His disciple, Jesus knows exactly who Nathaniel is because He saw him under the fig tree. That’s Jesus’ way of saying there’s no more hiding from the Lord behind fig trees. I’m here. I see you.

 

What’s the significance of the tree as it relates to the cross?

God wrote this Bible and the story of redemption using trees. The only thing that can kill Jesus is a tree. To really unpack that you have to look at how many times people tried to kill Jesus. They tried to stab him as an infant, that didn’t work; they tried to stone him; they tried to throw him off a cliff. The only way you can kill Jesus is with a tree and Jesus knows that.

He’s telling His disciples, ‘I must be raised up on a tree.’ As we look back in the book of Deuteronomy, we find this curious line that ‘He who hangs on a tree is cursed,’ and Jesus has to take the curse on Himself that you and I rightfully deserve. Trees are essential to telling the gospel.

 

What was one thing that surprised you most while you were researching and writing this book?

I think it was just the sheer number of trees and their use [in the Bible] from one end to the other. The Bible refers to itself as a tree. The only thing Jesus ever harms is a tree, and the only thing that can harm Jesus is a tree.

Great Christian writers like Tolkien and Lewis and George D. MacDonald always cast the good guys as those who would take care of the trees and the bad guys as those who would [cut them down].

I think the big surprise for me is how far from the Bible the Church is today, [to the point where it’s] subtracting trees from the text. Some words I counted up in the Bible—tree, seed, leaf, branch, root and fruit—occurred 967 times in the King James Bible, but in the ESB they’ve been subtracted 230 times and in the NIV translation, 267. Our bible translators have literally taken these words out of scripture.

I’ll give you an example: We just went by Palm Sunday, and if you look at Mark 11:8 it says in modern translations that people went and cut branches in the fields. That’s ridiculous, you go and cut branches off trees, and that’s what it says in the Greek. Our theologians and translators have literally subtracted trees from scripture.

 

There seems to be such hostility toward ideas like climate change or other environmental initiatives. What would you suggest more Christians advocate for?

We have to recognize, first of all, in the United States we have the oldest, biggest trees. Not every country has been blessed like we are and some countries have not been as kind to their forests as we may have been.

There is a link between poverty and trees. If you take the most deforested country in the Western hemisphere—Haiti—it also happens to be the poorest. If you take the second-most deforested country in the Western hemisphere—Honduras—it happens to be the second poorest. I think we need to help those around the world who cannot afford to plant trees, and we need to take care of our own trees.

 

When you write this much about the way God puts an emphasis on nature and trees, does it influence your own perspective on conservation?

I believe the world is facing a number of environmental challenges in my part of the country. I live in Kentucky; the ash trees are virtually all going to die here. The lodge pole pines in the west are under a lot of stress at the moment, too. All over the world trees need our advocacy.

The first thing God put us on the planet to do was take care of the trees, and I hope that one of the outcomes of this book is that we’ll ask how we do that in a responsible manner that glorifies God.

What is your favorite tree and what meaning does it hold to you?

Sugar maple, hands down. It’s as if God got together with a committee of kids and they designed the perfect tree. I’ve seen them in their best latitude—northern New England—and they grow to massive size. They give syrup, the leaves are perfect…there’s just nothing I don’t like about a sugar maple.

 

Jesse Carey is an editor at RELEVANT and a mainstay on the weekly RELEVANT Podcast. He lives in Virginia Beach with his wife and two kids.

 

 

This article originally appeared in Relevant Online. 

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