Good Ground Foodscapes is much more than a business venture - it's an essential endeavor.
This calling simply plays a part in the big picture... to genuinely embrace God's desires, designs, creations.
God desires that we love Him, love people, and properly care for His wonderful creation (good stewards of nature). God amazingly designed vital interconnected-interdependent (mutually beneficial) relationships among Himself, people, and nature - for the good/prosperity of all.
In other words, when we willingly & faithfully embrace God's desires, designs, and creations; many good changes manifest in the health, wellness, and welfare of everyone & everything.
These principles, practices, benefits, and solutions are proven (tried & true).
Answering the call to enhance the wellbeing of people, nature, and food.
Loving God and loving others by imitating Jesus & sharing Him.
Embracing vital synergistic-symbiotic relationships among God, people, and nature. Rightly optimizing these essential interconnected-interdependent relationships enables everyone & everything to thrive. Uncompromising collaboration with God, people, and nature produces great success. Working against God, people, and nature leads to inevitable failure. Truly committing to intimate, intelligent, and honorable participation.
Properly stewarding God's amazing creation (nature) by growing wonderful food forests, creating healthy living soil, and providing exceptional plant care. Applying beyond-organic, beyond-sustainable, ecologically-friendly, and regenerative methods by observing, learning, and mimicking God & His creation (nature); as well as correctly accelerating elements of nature's process (the functions/patterns found in nature). Getting to know God more and more as He reveals Himself to us through nature.
Establishing holistic wellbeing. Simultaneously addressing various components of health, wellness, and welfare for everyone & everything - spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, lifestyles, relationships, families, communities, livelihoods/vocations, hobbies, interests, surroundings, economies, governments, environment, ecology, land, soil, water, air, plants, animals, food, beverage, diet, natural remedies/medicine, physical activity/fitness, clothing, housing, products, energy, natural resources.
Experiencing profound blessings. The benefits are endless.
Hi, I'm Joseph. Thanks for stopping by.
Before moving on I would like to thank Carl Warner for his creatively inspiring foodscape artwork & images seen throughout this site.
Since childhood, I always had an unmistakable connection with God (Jesus) and a desire for the outdoors, exploring, adventure, being active, learning, creating, and evolving/changing. Starting in my teens, a liking for health, wellness, and nutrition developed. In my mid 30's I unexpectedly became very interested in ecology/ecosystems, biology/microbiology, horticulture, growing food, culinary, and homesteading. Not long after I came to appreciate the amazing synergy among God, people, and nature. It wasn't until my early 40's when I finally acknowledged & embraced our God-given charge to be honorable stewards over His creation (nature).
God has enabled us to have authority over nature, however with this authority comes our responsibility to rule/steward well. After all, nature and its resources (as well as its by-products) are necessary to survive and thrive. A healthy flourishing world is a need, not a want. Therefore, properly valuing & caring for God's creation (nature) certainly demonstrates love for God and people.
God is the First gardener, farmer, rancher, landscaper, ecologist, environmentalist, biologist, doctor, nutritionist, scientist, engineer, builder, designer, etc. As the Creator of everything, He knows what's best for us and His creation. He's the Master of all. Therefore, we should observe-learn-embrace-imitate God & aspects of His creation (nature); as well as correctly accelerate certain patterns/functions found in nature. It's about authentic collaboration with God, nature, and awakened people; which guarantees optimum success. If we oppose God, nature, and awakened people; then assured failure will be the result.
I continue to seek & learn from God, nature, and people that are proficient in healthy gardening & farming practices, agrosystems (agroforestry & agroecology), land & ecosystem restoration/regeneration, homesteading, and holistic wellness (whole person wellbeing). This includes biology/microbiology, soil science/fertility, horticulture, arboriculture, composting, irrigation, naturopathic medicine, nutrition, diet, biophilia, and other elements of wellbeing. Some notable food growing systems & land practices are: organic, sustainable, ecological, biological/biodiverse, regenerative, no-till, and permaculture. Although these coined terms/concepts are fairly new, their methods have been successfully implemented by our ancestors all over the world for thousands of years.
I've also been developing agroecosystems where I reside, as well as collaborating with others (landscapers, gardeners, farmers, neighbors). Some initiatives include: creating nutrient-rich living soil, compost, vermicompost, teas/extracts, foliar sprays; irrigating with harvested rainwater & high-quality filtered water; growing many various types of fruit trees (from seed) as well as edible, medicinal & ornamental plants; creating wildlife deterrents; pruning, planting, transplanting, harvesting, amending, mulching, weeding, cleaning, organizing, designing, fixing, experimenting, observing, learning, failing, succeeding.
The many various profound experiences (sights, sounds, smells, touches, tastes, interactions, connections) of this ongoing endeavor have been... peaceful, comforting, hopeful, loving, uniting, healthy, healing, humbling, meaningful, impactful, rewarding, appealing, satisfying, gratifying, desirable, enjoyable, pleasing, creative, engaging, stimulating, exciting, invigorating, enlightening, transforming. I know that's saying a lot, but it's all true. Of course there have been plenty of disappointments, frustrations, and obstacles; however I've come to realize these so-called problems are just learning-growing-humbling-strengthening opportunities (spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically). The best part of this journey continues to be the remarkable blessing of greater intimacy with God - through His unfathomable desires, designs, and creations. Thank You Father & Jesus
Hoping you too will taste and see (try and experience yourself) all the goodness that comes.
We are given choices and responsibilities. With every choice and responsibility there is accountability, as well as consequences (good or bad). Together, may we consistently choose to be the good ground & produce goodness.
"And some [seed] fell into good ground, and grew up and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As Jesus said these things, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words."
"But as for that seed in the good ground, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience."
Luke 8:8 & 8:15