Rooted in Grace: Intuitive Gardening for Christian Women
By: Sanda Valcu
Language: en
Categories: Religion, Spirituality, Christianity, Leisure, Home, Garden
A podcast for weary women tending gardens and hearts in small suburban spaces. Hosted by a teacher, pastor’s wife, and backyard gardener, this show blends practical garden wisdom with spiritual nourishment, helping you grow food, faith, and peace — one seed at a time.
Episodes
56 | Rooted Moment - Staying by the Stream
Jan 09, 2026đż Episode 56 â Rooted MomentIn this gentle Rooted Moment, Sanda invites you to slow down and remain near what gives life. Drawing from Psalm 1:3, this short devotional is not about learning something newâbut about returning. Returning to Godâs Word. Returning to presence. Returning to the stream that sustains you, especially in quiet or winter seasons.
If youâve felt the pull to rush ahead, fix everything, or measure your spiritual growth by visible results, this episode is a soft reminder: roots grow by staying.
đ Scripture AnchorâThey are like a tree planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit in every s...
55 | Planted by the Stream: Entering a New Year Rooted, Not Rushed
Jan 06, 2026As the new year begins, weâre not starting with resolutions or pressureâweâre starting somewhere quiet.
In this episode, we sit together by the riverbank of Psalm 1, listening for Godâs invitation into a slower, more rooted way of living and gardening. This episode marks the beginning of our JanuaryâMarch formation journey: Planted by the Streamsâa season focused on staying planted, preparing the soil, and trusting fruit to come in its time.
If youâre feeling weary, scattered, or unsure how to begin again, this episode is for you.
đż In This Episode, We... Duration: 00:26:2354 | Rooted Moment - Crossing the Threshold Gently
Jan 02, 2026A Rooted Moment for the New Year
As we step into a new year, this Rooted Moment is a quiet invitation to cross the threshold gentlyâwithout rushing, striving, or dragging the weight of the last season with us.
Before goals.
Before plans.
Before choosing a word for the year.
We begin where we always do: with Scripture.
In this short devotional episode, Sanda reflects on Isaiah 58:11 and the holy pause between clearing and plantingâthe tender space where the soil rests before it receives seed. Just like the gard...
Duration: 00:09:0153 | Preparing the Soil of Your Soul: Clearing Space at the Turning of the Year
Dec 30, 2025Preparing the Soil of Your Soul: Clearing Space for Fearless Living
In todayâs episode, we step into the quiet work of winter soil preparation â in our gardens and in our souls. As the year winds down, God invites us to gently clear space, release whatâs overgrown, and make room for joy, courage, and clarity in the new year.
Through Scripture, story, and simple practices, we explore how pruning, clearing, and even the debris of our year can become nourishment for what God will grow next.
Scriptures in this Episode:
Psalm 144:15H... Duration: 00:21:42
52 | Rooted Moment - After the Arrival, God Is Still Near
Dec 26, 2025Rooted Moment | A Gentle Post-Christmas Pause
Christmas has passed.
The gifts are unwrapped.
The house is quieter now.
And maybe youâre feeling itâthe tiredness, the tenderness, the emotional afterglow that comes when the celebration ends.
In this short Rooted Moment, we pause together in the days after Christmas to remember this quiet truth: God does not leave when the celebration ends.
He comesâand He stays.
This episode is a gentle echo of Episode 51, reminding us that God came in the fullness of timeâand that...
Duration: 00:05:5451 | In the Right Time, God Came Near
Dec 23, 2025Wrapping Up Advent & Stepping Gently into Christmas
As Advent comes to a close and Christmas draws near, this episode is an invitation to slow down and rest in the truth that Godâs timing is never rushedâand never wasted.
In todayâs conversation, I reflect on Psalm 145 and the quiet miracle of the Incarnation: that God chose to come near in the fullness of time, not according to urgency, but according to love.
Through winter garden rhythmsârebuilding a fire pit, reshaping garden borders, and composting zinnias that bloomed too soonâwe explore wh...
Duration: 00:12:4050 | Rooted Moment - The Quiet Beneath the Quiet
Dec 19, 2025In this episode of Rooted in Grace, we step gently into winterâs stillness and explore the kind of quiet that doesnât demand answers, productivity, or strength â the quiet where God is already at work beneath the surface.
Using the winter garden as our guide, this episode invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and notice what is quietly growing in you, even when nothing looks active on the outside.
This is a reflective, grounding episode â one meant to be listened to slowly, perhaps on a walk, during a quiet morning, or at the end of a...
Duration: 00:10:4449 | When the Garden Grows Quiet: Listening for God in Winter
Dec 16, 2025December can feel loud on the outside and thin on the inside. In this episode, I invite you into the quiet winter gardenâa place many of us are tempted to rush past or label as âunproductive.â
Together, we sit with Scripture, Advent waiting, and the slow wisdom of the soil to remember this truth: stillness is not stagnation, and winter is not failure. When the garden grows quiet, God is often doing His deepest, most foundational work.
If your soul feels bare, hesitant, or simply tired right now, this episode is an invitation to listen...
Duration: 00:34:2548 | Rooted Moment - A Quiet Kind of Room-Making
Dec 12, 2025A Quiet Kind of Room-Making
Second Week of Advent
In this tender Rooted Moment, we step into the heart of Advent hospitalityâthe quiet, humble practice of making room for Christ right where we are.
Anchored in Luke 2:7, we meditate on the simple yet profound truth that âthere was no roomâ in the expected places for Jesusâyet God came anyway.
He came into the space that was available.
He came into the ordinary, the imperfect, the makeshift.
And He still does.
This episode is an invitation to prepare inner room rat...
Duration: 00:09:1547 | Prepare Him Room: Advent Hospitality, Winter Soil, and the Quiet Work of Serving
Dec 09, 2025In this second week of Advent, we explore what it truly means to prepare Him roomânot in ideal conditions or perfectly curated moments, but in the real, busy, often overwhelming rhythms of hospitality, service, and winter stillness.
This episode weaves together the sacred work of preparing a meal for many, the quiet anchoring presence of the winter garden, and the spiritual practice of creating space for Christ in ordinary life. As we serve, as we feed, as we tend, and even as we rest, we are participating in Adventâs holy invitation:
Christ has come. Chri...
46 | Rooted Moment - Preparing Room, One Breath at a Time
Dec 05, 2025Preparing Room, One Breath at a Time
A soft follow-up to Episode 45: Attentive to His PresenceâPreparing Room in a Noisy Season
⨠Episode SummaryIn this Rooted Moment, Sanda offers a simple, spacious pause in the middle of a noisy season.
Through Psalm 46:10 and the quiet humility of Luke 2:6â7, she invites you to breathe deeply, loosen your shoulders, and make a little roomâjust one breath at a time.
This short reflection includes a guided practice called âThe One-Minute Room,â helping you re-center and return to Godâs presence no matter how full your life feels. Duration: 00:07:21
45 | Attentive to His Presence: Preparing Room in a Noisy Season
Dec 02, 2025Attentive to His Presence: Preparing Room in a Noisy Season
In this gentle beginning-of-Advent episode, we step from the fullness of Thanksgiving into the quiet invitation of Christmas. Episode 45 centers on the A in the GRACE frameworkâAttentive to His Presenceâand offers a peaceful, grounded pause in the midst of holiday busyness.
I share a tender garden story from this week, filling my new raised beds with cardboard, branches, and garden debrisâan unexpected picture of Advent preparation and the hidden work God does beneath the surface of our lives. We explore how December often...
Duration: 00:26:2744 | Rooted Moment - Into the Fire, Into the Manger: The God Who Is With Us
Nov 28, 2025In this day-after-Thanksgiving Rooted Moment, we pause between gratitude and Advent to remember the God who stands with us in every season.
Todayâs reflection weaves together Daniel 3, the quiet beauty of a garden settling into winter, and the hope rising as Advent begins in just three days.
We remember:
⨠The God who walked in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
⨠The God who descends into ordinary placesâinto mangers, into gardens, into our hearts
⨠The gratitude that prepares our soil for Advent
⨠The small, tender signs of Godâs presence in bo...
43 | Thanksgiving Table of Grace: Gratitude That Gathers, Heals, and Prepares Us
Nov 25, 2025A Thanksgiving Table of Grace: Gratitude That Gathers, Heals, and Prepares Us
This Thanksgiving week, we slow down and gather around a different kind of table â a spiritual table of grace, memory, and gratitude.
In Episode 43, we explore how God meets us in the quiet, unfinished places of our gardens, our homes, and our hearts. From assembling new raised beds to watching pansies settle into place, from baking appleâcinnamon sourdough with my girls to pickling cabbage for Romanian holiday traditions, this episode is rooted in the small, holy details of the season.
Anch...
Duration: 00:20:2942 | Rooted Moment - Grace in the Middle: An Invitation to Meet God in the Unfinished Places
Nov 21, 2025This Rooted Moment offers a gentle pause between Thanksgiving and Advent â an invitation to rest, breathe, and recognize Godâs presence in the unfinished places of your life.
Flowing out of this weekâs main episode on learning contentment in every season, todayâs reflection centers on gratitude as the soil where peace, patience, and Advent readiness naturally grow.
đž What Youâll Hear:A simple garden moment that reveals the beauty of ânot yet readyâ
How gratitude anchors us in contentment
A short guided reflection to settle your spirit
Gentle practices...
Duration: 00:08:2541 | Learning Contentment in Every Season: Gratitude, Advent Hope, and the Holy RestArt of Being Rooted
Nov 18, 2025As Thanksgiving approaches and Advent draws near, todayâs episode invites you into the soft, sacred work of gratitude, contentment, and holy expectancy.
We walk gently through the G.R.A.C.E. frameworkâ
Grounded in Gratitude, Recognizing Godâs Provision, Abiding in the In-Between, Cultivating Contentment, and Expectancy Rooted in Christâ
anchored in Philippians 4:11â12 and woven with comforting Scriptures that guide us into deeper peace.
In this episode, I share the joyful chaos of this weekâs gardening adventuresâassembling new raised beds, discovering a new nursery, and planting 18 tiny pots of flowers before...
Duration: 00:18:3340 | Rooted Moment - Grace in Progress: How God Works in the Middle Seasons
Nov 14, 2025Rooted Moment: Grace in Progress đž Episode Summary
In this short, tender Rooted Moment devotional, Sanda invites you to pause and breathe deeply in the âin-betweenâ spaces of your life â the places where hope has been planted but the harvest hasnât arrived yet.
Through Scripture, reflection, and a fresh story from her garden, she explores what it means to live Grounded in Gratitude while everything is still in progress.
From clearing a small tree to make way for her new pottager garden, to tending ministry soil all weekend long, this episode reminds us of a healing truth:
39 | Planting Hope When the Season Shifts: Finding Gratitude and Grace in the Garden
Nov 11, 2025As autumn fades and Advent approaches, Sanda invites you into a conversation about progress, purpose, and planting hope in the middle of change.
From chopping down an old tree to make space for a new pottager garden to building four raised beds with a circular one at the center, she shares how clearing, planning, and preparing the soil mirror the spiritual work of faith and surrender.
This episode launches the new G.R.A.C.E. Frameworkâa five-part rhythm for spiritual and practical growthâand begins with the first step: G = Grounded in Gratitude.
...
38 | Rooted Moment - When Rest Becomes Prayer: A November Garden Devotional on Psalm 119 and Psalm 65
Nov 07, 2025In this Rooted Moment, Sanda slows us down for a simple yet sacred truth: rest itself can become prayer.
Drawing from Psalm 65:9â11 and Psalm 119:169â170, she invites you to see your quiet gardenâand your quiet soulâas places where the Gardener is still at work. Beneath South Texas soil, peas climb, collards stretch, onions strengthen, and God listens to every unspoken cry of the heart.
Through three gentle movementsâSoften the Furrows, Feed the Roots, and Lift the Leavesâyouâll learn how rest, prayer, and growth intertwine as Advent approaches.
This short devotional com...
Duration: 00:08:2537 | The November Garden Examen: How to Reset Your Soul and Soil Before Advent
Nov 04, 2025đż Summary / Episode Description
In this gentle transition between seasons, Sanda invites you into a November Garden Examen â a quiet, 5-pillar reflection for your soil and your soul.
While the garden rests (at least in theory), thereâs still life stirring under the South Texas sky â peas and collards stretching, onions thickening, sage standing strong. Beneath it all, the Gardener is preparing the way for new birth.
Through the five pillars â Remember, Release, Restore, Root, and Rejoice â Sanda helps you look back with gratitude, let go with grace, and lean forward with vision. This episode is both a sacred...
Duration: 00:18:5936 | Rooted Moment - Even Here, I Will Rejoice: Finding Peace, Presence, and Growth in the Winter Garden
Oct 31, 2025đ Scripture Anchor
âThough the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines⌠yet I will rejoice in the Lord.â â Habakkuk 3:17â19
đż Episode SummaryThe harvest is over, the beds are quiet, and the air has turned coolâbut Godâs work in the soil (and in our souls) never stops. đž
In this tender Rooted Moment, Sanda invites you to pause between seasons, breathe deeply, and rediscover the quiet joy that grows in waiting.
Rooted in Habakkuk 3:17â19, this guided reflection and prayer will help you find peace in the âin-betweenâ and recognize that even when...
Duration: 00:10:5535 | Harvest & Heal: How to Find Grace, Gratitude, and Growth in Every Season
Oct 28, 2025When the harvest looks smaller than you hoped and your heart feels tired, God still invites you to rejoice.
In this deeply reflective episode, Sanda closes the Fall Growth Arch with the H-step â Harvest & Heal.
Standing in her South Texas garden after long rains, she watches new seedlings of peas, parsley, dill, violas, sage, and collards push through the soil and remembers: the cycle of grace never ends. From pickled green tomatoes saved from a garden long left behind to compost that feeds unseen life, every story in this episode mirrors the truth of Habakkuk 3 â even when...
Duration: 00:19:5634 | Rooted Moment - The Gentle Art of Tending Grace, A Christian Meditation for Weary Hearts
Oct 24, 2025đ§ Listen Now
âI have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.â â Psalm 119:58
When the season feels dry and your spirit feels weary, this Rooted Moment offers a quiet invitation to rest, breathe, and receive grace.
In this guided reflection, Sanda leads you through a meditative pause inspired by Psalm 119:58 â helping you release striving and rediscover the slow, healing rhythm of tending grace.
Youâll walk through a spiritual visualization rooted in the five pillars of tending: Presence, Protection, Pruning, Repurposing, and Perseverance.
Each one becomes a pra...
33 | Tend: How to Nurture Your Faith and Garden in Dry Seasons
Oct 21, 2025đ§ Listen Now
âI have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.â â Psalm 119:58
When the season feels too hot, too dry, or too demanding, how do you keep tending what God has entrusted to you?
In this powerful new episode of the Rooted in Grace Podcast, Sanda invites you into a conversation about tending â the sacred middle ground between neglect and burnout. Through Scripture, story, and soul-deep reflection, she shares how to keep seeking Godâs grace even when the ground feels cracked and your energy is running low.
F...
Duration: 00:23:1132 | Rooted Moment - Planting Peace in Present Soil
Oct 17, 2025đ§ Listen Now
Peace isnât waiting at the end of the road â itâs being planted under your feet right now.
In this weekâs Rooted Moment, you are invited to pause, breathe, and plant peace in the soil you already have â your home, your relationships, and your daily rhythms.
This gentle reflection pairs with Episode 31: Work What Youâve Got in the Fall Growth Arch.
Itâs a guided moment to slow down and recognize that the soil you have today is holy ground â the place where Godâs peace is already growi...
31 | Work What You’ve Got: Garden Tips for Spiritual Growth & Stewardship
Oct 14, 2025đ§ Listen Now
Even when the garden feels tired and the season isnât what you imagined, God is still calling you to grow. In this weekâs episode, we step into the âWâ of our Fall Growth Arch â Work What Youâve Got â and learn how to find peace, purpose, and beauty right where we are.
đž Episode OverviewBy mid-fall, the garden looks weary: vines are fading, the soil feels dry, and energy runs low. But this is exactly when God invites us to keep showing up â to harvest faithfully, compost whatâs fading, and replant hope for whatâs ahead.
30 | Rooted Moment - The Stillness Between Seasons
Oct 10, 2025âSince you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: âDo not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!â?â â Colossians 2:20â21
This weekâs Rooted Moment is a quiet invitation to pause. đž
In the stillness between seasonsâwhen the garden slows, the air cools, and life feels heavy or hurriedâGod calls us to stop performing and start observing.
He reminds us that we are already loved, already rooted, already seen.
Through the return of the bees to tired bas...
Duration: 00:07:0029 | Observe: Learning to See What God Is Doing
Oct 07, 2025âSince you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: âDo not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!â?â â Colossians 2:20â21
Welcome back, Rooted Jesus Girls đ
In this third step of the Fall Growth Arch â Observe â weâre slowing down to listen, to look, and to let go of performance so we can see Godâs hand at work in the quiet places.
This episode invites you into the holy discipline of observation â both in your garden and in your spirit...
Duration: 00:21:3828 | Rooted Moment - Rise in Small Ways
Oct 03, 2025âI can do all this through Him who gives me strength.â â Philippians 4:13
Life doesnât always leave room for dramatic breakthroughs. Some weeks are busy, heavy, and full. In those times, rising in faith doesnât always look like big leaps. It often looks like small yesesâquiet, faithful acts of trust that God sees and honors.
In this Rooted Moment, I share how planting onions and scattering radish seeds reminded me that both long-term patience and quick mercies are ways we rise in Christâs strength. The onion teaches endurance. The radish teaches encouragement. Both matter to...
Duration: 00:07:4427 | Rise: Saying Yes to New Life
Sep 30, 2025âI can do all this through Him who gives me strength.â â Philippians 4:13
Fall is a season of slowing down, clearing out, and trusting God for new beginnings. In this episode, we continue the Fall Growth Arch and step into the second movement: Rise.
Rising isnât always dramatic. Sometimes itâs as simple as planting onions in cool soil, scattering radish seeds, or whispering a prayer in the middle of a hard day. Itâs saying yes to the new life God is growing in us, even when the season feels heavy.
Join me in the ga...
Duration: 00:16:0026 | Rooted Moment - Rooted, Even in the Rift
Sep 26, 2025âSince we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.â â Galatians 5:25
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
Sometimes the soil under our feet feels cracked and dry. Relationships feel strained. Silence stings. Discouragement lingers.
In those moments, itâs tempting to believe the lie that struggle disqualifies us. But Galatians 5 reminds us: our very life comes from the Spiritâand because of that, we can keep in step with Him, even in the rift.
In this short devotional, I share a recent early morning in my prayer garden, sitting in the dark befor...
Duration: 00:08:2525 | Get Rooted: Starting Where You Are
Sep 23, 2025âSince we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.â â Galatians 5:25
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
Welcome to the very first week of the Fall Growth Archâa six-week journey through the G.R.O.W.T.H. framework designed to align your gardening rhythms with your walk with God.
This week, we begin where all true growth begins: Get Rooted.
Fall is the perfect season for this. The garden is shiftingâsummer crops are winding down, soil is being renewed, and new seeds are quietly being planted. Spiritually, weâre invited...
Duration: 00:18:0824 | Rooted Moment - Planted by the Water: Trusting God in Every Season
Sep 19, 2025âBlessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.â â Jeremiah 17:7â8
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
This weekâs Rooted Moment is anchored in one of Scriptureâs most vivid promises: a life rooted in Godâs presence is like a tree planted by water. Even when heat comes. Even in yea...
Duration: 00:07:2023 | Creating Your Prayer Garden: A Sacred Space to Meet God
Sep 16, 2025âBlessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.â â Jeremiah 17:7â8
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
In this weekâs episode, we move from the foundation of Rooted in Grace into practical, lived rhythms. Together, weâll explore how to create a prayer gardenâa simple, intentional space where soil and soul meet, where you can be still before the Lord, and where the rhythms of gar...
Duration: 00:21:4122 | Rooted Moment - Be Still and Notice: How Observation Roots Us in God’s Presence
Sep 12, 2025âBe still, and know that I am God.â â Psalm 46:10
âI will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what He will say to me.â â Habakkuk 2:1
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
This Rooted Moment invites you into the simple but powerful practice of observationâin the garden and in your soul.
When we pause to notice the weather, the sprouts, the pests, and the gifts of each week, we train ourselves to pay attention not just to the soil, but to the God who is present in every season.
... Duration: 00:07:4421 | From Rooted in Grace to G.R.O.W.T.H.: Tools and Practices for Every Season
Sep 09, 2025âWhatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LordâŚâ â Colossians 3:23
âThen the Lord replied: âWrite down the revelation and make it plainâŚââ â Habakkuk 2:2
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
Weâve come to the final part of my book, Rooted in Grace, and this episode is a milestone! Together weâve walked through:
Part One: Attentive Stewardship â learning to open our eyes.
Part Two: Faithful Response â offering our hands.
Part Three: Covenant Relationship â yielding our hearts.
And now, in Part Four: Tools & Sacred Practices, we take all of that and...
Duration: 00:18:1520 | Rooted Moment - Sitting Under the Fig Tree
Sep 05, 2025âEveryone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.â â Micah 4:4
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
In this Rooted Moment, we pause with the image of the fig tree â a picture of both promise and responsibility. Micah 4:4 offers a vision of peace and safety under Godâs covenant love. Yet Jesus also used fig trees to give sobering warnings about the need for real fruit, not just leaves.
This short devotional invites you to rest in the shade of Godâs abundanc...
Duration: 00:07:4419 | Cultivating Fruit That Lasts: Spiritual Growth Lessons from the Garden
Sep 02, 2025âThis is to my Fatherâs glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.â â John 15:8
âEveryone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.â â Micah 4:4
Â
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
In this episode, we close out Part Three of Rooted in Grace: Covenant Relationship with Chapter 10, Bearing Fruit That Lasts. This is the final core chapter of the book â a culmination of everything weâve learned about trust, belonging, and covenant love.
Fruitfulness in G...
Duration: 00:27:4718 | Rooted Moment — A Small Yes of Belonging
Aug 29, 2025âFor the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.â â 2 Chronicles 16:9
Belonging doesnât always begin with a grand gesture. Sometimes it starts with a very small yes â a seed in the ground, a rose by the front door, a whispered prayer of presence.
In this Rooted Moment, I share how God used two simple rosebushes to remind me that planting is always a declaration of belonging â and how He delights to strengthen the hearts of those who choose Him, even in the smallest ways. đą
đż In this...
Duration: 00:07:4417 | The Work of Belonging: Finding Covenant Presence with God Through Gardening
Aug 26, 2025âThey will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.â â Isaiah 61:3
âFor the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.â â 2 Chronicles 16:9
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
Belonging isnât just about where we live â itâs about where our hearts rest. In todayâs episode, we reflect on Chapter 9 of my book, Rooted in Grace, the second chapter in Part Three: Covenant Relationship.
If Part One was about opening your eyes, and Part Two about offering your hand...
Duration: 00:16:5516 | Rooted Moment — Slow is Sacred, Faithful in the Long Haul
Aug 22, 2025âHe has made everything beautiful in its time.â â Ecclesiastes 3:11
Every garden begins in hope, but itâs sustained by faith. And often, the most important growth is the slowest and the most hidden.
In this Rooted Moment, we pause to remember that slow is sacredâand that God is faithful in the long haul. Just like roots grow deep in darkness before fruit ever appears, so God does His deepest work in unseen places of our lives.
Even when the harvest feels far away, Galatians 6:9 reminds us: âAt the proper time, we will reap a harve...
Duration: 00:05:4015 | The Long Haul: Faithfulness When the Fruit is Slow
Aug 19, 2025âLet us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.â â Galatians 6:9
Every garden begins in hope. But itâs sustained by faith.
In todayâs episode, we step into Part Three: Covenant Relationship of Rooted in Grace. If Part One was about opening your eyes, and Part Two was about offering your hands, then this final part is about yielding your heart.
Together, weâll reflect on Chapter 8, The Long Haul, and what it means to stay faithful when fruit feels...
Duration: 00:18:2114 | Rooted Moment - Even This Is Growing Me
Aug 15, 2025Scripture Meditation
âTeach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.â
â Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
Rooted Jesus Girls,
This short but powerful episode invites you to pause and reflect:đž What is the cost of growthâand what are you gaining in return?
In Episode 13, we talked about how the garden (and life) requires more from us than we expected: time, energy, emotional labor, even grief when things donât grow. But this moment reminds us of something deeperâ
Even what costs you⌠can become your teacher.
Even what dra...
13 | Count the Cost: What Gardening Teaches Us About Effort, Grace, and Long-Term Fruit
Aug 12, 2025Â
Scripture Reflection
âSuppose one of you wants to build a tower. Wonât you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?â
â Luke 14:28 (NIV)
Rooted Jesus Girls,
Today weâre having an honest, grace-filled conversation about the real cost of cultivating a gardenâand a faithful life.
This episode is for you if:
You feel tired from the weight of the work
You wonder if the slow progress is worth it
Youâre navigating seasons of star...
Duration: 00:14:0012 | Rooted Moment - What’s Actually Mine to Grow?
Aug 08, 2025Scripture Meditation
âAbove all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.â â Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
Rooted Jesus Girls,
In todayâs short, soulful pause, weâre returning to the quiet center of our garden lifeâand our spiritual one.
Because when youâre surrounded by possibilityâseed catalogs, Pinterest ideas, spiritual goals, dreams for your home and familyâitâs easy to forget that you donât have to grow it all.
Just because itâs beautiful⌠doesnât mean itâs yours.
Just because itâs âgoodâ⌠doesnât mean itâs for this...
11 | Choosing What to Cultivate: Discernment in the Garden & in the Soul
Aug 05, 2025Scripture:
âAbove all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.â â Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
â¨Rooted Jesus Girls,â¨
This episode invites you to slow down and ask a sacred question:
đ âWhat is mine to grow this season?â
Weâre diving into Chapter 6 of Rooted in Grace, where I share one of my hardest-won lessons: not everything that grows in your zone belongs in your garden. The same is true in your soul, your calendar, your home, and your heart.
You'll hear about my stubborn kale (again), the cultural contrast between my...
Duration: 00:13:1710 | Rooted Moment: Clothed in Christ, Rooted in Grace
Aug 01, 2025đż Episode 10: Clothed in Christ, Rooted in Grace
âBut He said to me, âMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.ââ â 2 Corinthians 12:9
âClothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.â â Romans 13:14
What do you do when your plans fall apart again? When youâre tempted to spiral, shut down, or self-protect?
In this short Rooted Moment, we reflect on what it means to stay under the covering of Christâeven when the garden (or life) says, âNot today.â
Because wh...
Duration: 00:04:379 | When the Garden Says “Not Today”: Growing Within Your Limits
Jul 29, 2025đż Episode 9: When the Garden Says âNot Todayâ â Growing Within Your Limits
âBut He said to me, âMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.ââ
â 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
When your tomato plants are wilting, your calendarâs too full, and your energy is spent⌠what if thatâs not failure? What if itâs faithfulness?
In this episode, weâre digging into the real-life tension between vision and capacityâboth in the garden and in the soul. Iâm sharing the story of a garden bed that nearly broke me, what I learned about asking for h...
Duration: 00:13:518 | Rooted Moment - This Isn't What I Planned, But I'm Still Growing
Jul 25, 2025What do you do when the plan doesnât work?
In this short, reflective episode, I share a real moment from my garden: how my cherished Romanian tomatoes couldnât handle the Texas heat, how the basil surprised me, and how my peppers came back stronger after a rough start.
Rooted in Amos 5:4 â âCome back to Me and liveâ â this is a quiet invitation to release what didnât go right and return to the One who grows good things anyway. Even in the middle of your disappointment, there is still life. Still joy. Still grace.
đą I... Duration: 00:02:517 | Holy Flexibility: How to Respond with Faith When God Redirects Your Plans
Jul 22, 2025Based on Chapter 4 of Rooted in Grace
When the plan changesâagainâhow do you respond?
This episode marks a transition into Part 2 of the Rooted in Grace journey: Faithful Response. Weâre moving from noticing Godâs rhythms to responding to His redirectionâeven when itâs uncomfortable or unexpected.
Drawing from Chapter 4, Holy Flexibility, and the powerful simplicity of Amos 5:4 â âCome back to Me and liveâ â weâll explore what it means to let go of control and lean into grace. Youâll hear garden wisdom, scriptural truth, and practical steps for adapting faithfullyâ...
Duration: 00:11:116 | Rooted Moment - You’re Not Behind: Trusting God’s Rhythm in the Garden and Life
Jul 18, 2025đż Episode 6: Youâre Not Behind â Trusting Godâs Rhythm in the Garden and Life
Do you ever feel like youâre falling behindâin your garden, your faith, or your life?
In this short reflection, I share a moment from my own garden, a story about bees and beans, and a reminder from Jonah about shade, surrender, and timing. You'll walk away with a renewed trust that Godâs rhythm is already at workâeven when you canât see the fruit yet.
Whether you're mid-season in your garden or just weary from the pace of life, this is yo...
Duration: 00:03:095 | The Rhythm of God: Shade, Soil, and the Seasons of the Soul
Jul 15, 2025What if Godâs timing is already written into creationâinto the soil, the shade, and even the seasons of your soul?
In todayâs episode, we draw from Chapter 3 of Rooted in Grace and reflect on Jonahâs surprising shade, the rhythms of nature, and how sacred trust is cultivated when we stop striving and start noticing. Whether you're in a season of waiting, pruning, or quiet growth, this conversation will help you walk more gently with God through your garden and your life.
⨠What Youâll Hear in This Episode:How sacred rhythms show up in y...
Duration: 00:13:394 | Rooted Moment – Start Small, Stay Faithful
Jul 11, 2025
âWhoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.â â Luke 16:10
In this gentle Rooted Moment, youâre invited to pause and reflect on the small but sacred work God has placed in front of you. Whether you're tending a garden, folding laundry, or praying for clarity, this short devotional will remind you that faithfulness starts in the quiet, hidden places.
Weâll breathe, reflect, and pray togetherâanchoring your day in grace and intention.
𪴠Perfect for your garden walk, morning quiet time, or end-of-day reset.
âď¸ In this episode:A guided devotional r...
Duration: 00:03:093 | Garden Journaling as Prayer
Jul 08, 2025âWrite down the revelation and make it plainâŚâ â Habakkuk 2:2
In this raw and reflective episode, I invite you into one of the quietest but most powerful spiritual rhythms in the garden: journaling. Not just to track what youâve plantedâbut to mark what God is growing in you.
This episode is inspired by Chapter 2 of my ebook, Rooted in Grace. Whether you're a seasoned journal-keeper or someone whoâs never written a single garden note, this episode offers gentle encouragement and simple steps to begin.
Weâll explore:
Why journaling in the garden be...
Duration: 00:13:492 | Rooted Moment – A Morning Walk With God in the Garden
Jul 04, 2025Take a breath. Step outsideâor just step inward. In this short Rooted Moment, youâre invited to slow down, pay attention, and let your garden (or your imagined one) become a meeting place with God.
đż Prayer: âLord, open my eyes to what You are growingâin my garden, and in me.â
⨠Download the matching journal page at rootedingrace.me
1 | The Listening Gardener – Starting With Presence, Not Perfection
Jul 01, 2025We often rush into gardeningâand lifeâwanting results before rhythm. But what if the first step to growing with God is simply slowing down? In this first episode, I share a story from the summer of 2022, a spiritual lesson from the heat, and the 5 soul practices from Chapter 1 of Rooted in Grace.
âď¸ Scripture: Psalm 46:10
đ Journal Prompt: Where is God asking you to slow down this week?
đ§ Rooted Moment Preview: A Morning Walk with God in the Garden
đą Free resources: rootedingrace.me
đ Get the book: southernsoilsunshine.com/rooted-in-grace
đ¤ Coaching info coming soon!
0 | What Is Rooted in Grace? A Welcome + Invitation
Jul 01, 2025In this short welcome episode, I share the heart behind Rooted in Grace, who this podcast is for, and what you can expect as we grow together through the seasonsâspiritually and in the garden.
If youâve ever longed for a slower pace, deeper peace, and a faith that feels grounded again, this is your space.
đą Free journal pages & resources
đ Get the book
Welcome to Rooted in Grace: A Christian Podcast for Faith-Filled Gardening and Soulful Living
Jun 30, 2025Welcome to Rooted in Grace, a podcast for Christian women who long to grow deeper in faith and live more intentionallyâboth in the garden and in their everyday lives.
Iâm Sandaâpastorâs wife, lifelong gardener, writer, and your companion through the sacred, messy middle where soil meets soul. If youâre hungry for spiritual depth, seasonal rhythms, and practical garden wisdom that connects you with God, this podcast is for you.
In this trailer episode, Iâll share what Rooted in Grace is all about:
đż Weekly episodes that blend intuitive gardening with Christian...