I must admit, my answer is that following my reading of Ewell, it really hasn't developed my thinking in any other way that I think that the act of gardening can be linked to growth in discipleship and the extension of the Kingdom of God through the Gospel.

The only thing I caught on to was where he stated "....discipleship can express care as a form of community gardening in both senses of the term: gardening of the community as well as gardening in the community. Our gifts and the gifts of neighbours are like seeds: powerful, yet dormant unless exposed to the right conditions. The friendships that spring up among neighbours are the soil, water, warmth and light that allow these seeds to grow. Through them, we have come to see that the antidote to hostilities is not higher walls, but the kind of hospitality that breaks down the ‘dividing walls of hostility’ of which the apostle Paul speaks (Eph. 2.14). At the neighbourhood level, that begins by gardening together and by being neighbours on purpose."

For me the above is a picture of being intentional disciples in a physical area and using the idea of gardening together as a means of effectively sharing the Gospel and extending the influence of the Kingdom of God in peoples lives.

Throughout my studies I have been particularly drawn to the indigenous community who believe in the interconnectedness of all life forms and the sacredness of the earth. They maintain that all creation is in community with one another and everything has intrinsic value. I became aware that loving God means loving everything He has created which made me rethink even the way I viewed garbage or waste and led me to enrol on the Church of England’s course on carbon literacy.

Jesus cited the parable of the wicked tenants as a warning to the spiritual leaders of the day (Matt 21:33-44) but that same parable is speaking to us in our generation. By disrespecting our environment and causing such severe devastation to our planet we are hurting Jesus, our creator, in the process. Therefore, I agree with the notion put forward by Ewell that, ‘to heal the wounds of the throwaway culture and Christ as the Word in whom all things hold together’ requires repentance. A conscious turning our backs from our old dormant or complacent ways and turning towards a new path of recovery, or ‘convivial discipleship’.

When I first discovered that gardening was being used as a metaphor for discipleship it filled me with horror because I am literally the worst gardener on the planet which is why I leave such things to the experts and have, consequently, employed my own gardener to tend my lawns and keep down the weeds. Left to my own devices, my garden would end up as an unruly tangle of overgrowth so I am very grateful to have someone I can rely on to sort out the mess and give me advice.

Which is why I loved Ewell’s analogy of Jesus as being the ‘New Gardener’. I don’t have to be an expert myself because I can rely on Jesus to show me when the conditions are right to plant new seeds. I can be a co-gardener working collaboratively with all God’s people with the confidence of knowing that God is in charge. I may not have green fingers myself, but I can still get my hands dirty and fetch water from the well. I can still play my part and allow others to join in.

I have recommended my gardener to a few of my neighbours, and they have employed him as a result. As a disciple, I pray that I can lead many more to Jesus, the ‘New Gardener, the one who came to cultivate the gardens of this earth and our lives’.

Gardening involves nurturing growth, tending what is fragile, and working in partnership with something beyond our control. In the same way, discipleship involves listening to God, allowing Him to shape us, and being willing to grow over time. It has made me realise that spiritual growth cannot be rushed; it requires patience, care, and trust in Gods timing.

This ecological perspective has also broadened my understanding of responsibility. Discipleship is not only about personal faith, but about how we live in relation to creation. As Pope Francis suggests, in Sam Ewell's chapter: Discipleship as Gardening ecological spirituality that "can motivate us to a more passionate concern for the protection of the world’. At the heart of that spirituality is nothing less than an ‘ecological conversion". It calls for a changed way of thinking, feeling, and living. It challenges me to see caring for the earth as part of my calling as a disciple.

Overall, this has helped me to see discipleship as something active and ongoing: cultivating, tending, and cooperating with Gods work in both my life and the wider world.

Ecology shows that everything exists within a network of relationships. In the same way that a garden flourishes because of the relationship between plants, soil, water, sunlight, and care, human life and discipleship flourish through relationships of dependence, care, and cooperation. Ewell argues that discipleship is not about trying to “fix” the world through techniques or strategies, but about becoming people who participate in God’s ongoing work of cultivating life.

A key point for me in the gardening metaphor is that it changes how we think about spiritual growth. A gardener cannot force a plant to grow; they can only create the conditions where growth can happen through patience, attention, and care. Likewise, discipleship requires humility because people can act faithfully, but ultimately God is the one who brings growth. Ewell connects this to the idea that “neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow.”

I would actually take this all the way back to a principle of God’s design in the garden of Eden. When Adam is first created, God places him in a garden to tend it. To steward it and work in a natural harmony with the rest of creation. Proper stewardship requires placing the appropriate care and value on creation. This is echoed in how Ewell describes discipleship as a response to the “throwaway culture,” where Christians are called to rediscover care, hospitality, and connection rather than consumption and control.

Ultimately, seeing discipleship through ecology and gardening suggests that discipleship is a practice of cultivation: learning to pay attention, loving God’s creation, caring for neighbours, and becoming “co-gardeners” with Christ (although I may avoid working with the fig trees if I can). It is less about achieving a result and more about faithfully participating in God’s work of bringing life and abundance into the world.