I had the chance to talk about a bunch of ideas from Digging in the Dirt on a couple of different podcasts recently. Read about what we discussed, and check ‘em out!
The Clarity Podcast with Dr. Aaron Santmyire: We talked about married sexuality, the danger of centering America in the story of global Christianity, why not to call our kids “world changers,” the uniqueness of having a work spouse, Shiny Happy People, and more.
Missionary Life with Sarita Hartz: We talked about the fun stuff like depression, anxiety, the “missionary life cycle,” and the important distinction between anger and aggression. It’s a vital conversation for those in missions and pretty much everyone else too.
Welcome to ground level, to the dirt and the mess.
We like the mountain tops and the sunshine. We like green grass under a clear blue sky. We like victory and breakthrough and answered prayers. But sometimes it rains, the shadows deepen, and life turns muddy. Sometimes God seems quiet. What then? What happens when depression descends, or anxiety hangs like a sword overhead? What happens when loneliness suffocates, the thief steals more than stuff, and you get blood on your shoes?
In Digging in the Dirt, Jonathan Trotter delves into the disasters, the darkness, and the deluge, and he offers comfort, presence, and a gentle invitation to hope.
With humor and prose, with poetry and Top Ten lists, Jonathan welcomes us to the dirt, to the places where we actually live. He invites us to boldly see life as it is, with eyes wide open, and reminds us that even when the digging is scary, we are never alone.
To the ones who are dealing with devastation and distress, welcome. To the ones who need to uproot, to pull out, to clear ground, welcome. To the ones who seek desperately to plant seeds of grace and hope in once barren soil, welcome. To the missionary abroad and the believer at home, welcome. Receive the invitation, and join with Jonathan here at ground level, together.
Come, dig in the dirt.
From the preface:
Hello and Welcome!
I’m Jonathan, and it’s such a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to journeying with you through these pages. Together, we’ll delve into the dirt of life and relationships, of sorrows, pain, and loss. And maybe we’ll plant some things too.
Perhaps, along the way, we’ll see small, green stalks of life and hope begin to poke through, watered with the tears of the journey. Digging like this can be messy, but it can be good too.
These musings will meander from the hot dirt of Cambodia to the sticky mud of American politics. Some of these musings are inspired by international missionary life; some of them are firmly rooted in an American context. But whether you’re American or not, whether you’re a missionary or not, I hope that you find them all a blessing, an encouragement, and perhaps sometimes a challenge. I wrote them for you, and I share them with you with my whole heart.
Start reading Digging in the Dirt wherever you’d like, and feel free to skip ahead or go backwards. Are you a cross-cultural missionary? Start there if you want. Are you interested in developing emotional intelligence, or are you exploring whether or not Christians are allowed to have feelings? Consider starting in the Emotions section. Are you reeling from recent life events that have left you feeling like you’re choking on the mud and muck? First of all, I’m so sorry. Second, breathe a slow, deep breath, look over the Table of Contents, and start wherever you need to start.
Wherever you are, and whatever your story, welcome to ground level, to the dirt. It is here that the real work happens; the good, hard, sweet, healing work. It is my deepest hope that here, among these musings, you may find grace, peace, and a hope that just might be strong enough to crack through the crust.
All for ONE, Jonathan Trotter
What people are saying about Digging in the Dirt:
A genuine book where no topic is off limits, Digging in the Dirt hits you right where you are regardless of location or vocation. This book is a must-read for anyone who is or is thinking about serving in missions and ministry! – DeAnna Anderson, former Director of the Launch Team for Wycliffe Bible Translators and missionary
Digging in the Dirt is a breath of fresh air for Christians. – Kim H.
Jonathan has such an authentic insight into life on the field, and he addresses the hard things in such a real and tangible way that helps you to know you are not alone. I would totally recommend this book for anyone who is serving overseas, sending someone overseas, or remotely interested in mission life. – Sydney, PI Leader for Southeast Asia
Rarely does an author bring the perspective of a missionary, nurse, theologian, pilot, counselor, parent, and gardener to cross-cultural ministry, family dynamics, depression, grief, politics, and the church, all in one book. Even rarer is a book that combines all of those things in a way that rings authentic and meaningful. Digging in the Dirt manages to do both, bringing thought-provoking and heartfelt lessons out of an incredible range of real-life experiences. – Reuben James
Digging in the Dirt is a must-read for anyone in missions or ministry. It’s refreshingly humble and vulnerable, and no matter what stage of life and ministry you’re in, you’ll walk away with some wisdom and new insight. – B.W., Stateside missions support worker
For a few generations now, the Doxology has been a family favorite. It is simple, easy to sing, and old (over three hundred years). And you know, the older I get, the more I appreciate simple; the more I appreciate ancient and solid and historical.
I also appreciate new and fresh. I love songs that are beautiful, singable, and memorizable. So I jotted down some new words (that are ancient truths) and put them to an old tune…
I love my job so much that I’m trying to get better at it. Want to help?
Thanks to the generous support of so many churches and individuals, I’ve served as a pastoral counselor and coach to missionaries for about nine years now. Last week alone I met online with missionaries serving in or returned from Kyrgyzstan, Kenya, west Africa, Japan, Cambodia (six clients), Bulgaria, Dominican Republic, and Tanzania.
Shortly after our return to the States, Elizabeth and I decided that I should go back to school. I’ve been in grad school studying clinical mental health counseling for one year now, and I have a year and a half to go. I hope to use this education to continue serving missionaries around the world for many years to come. So…
Here’s the request
Like many companies and churches, our missions agency provides an educational reimbursement benefit up to $5,000 per year. This is fantastic and could be extremely helpful! However, because Team Expansion is a missions agency, and because we serve in a support-based position, we have to raise our own benefits.
In other words, we won’t get the benefit if we don’t raise it. Maybe that sounds weird to you, but we’re super grateful for even the chance of this benefit, and that’s just sort of how things are done in the missions world.
So, we’d like to invite you to consider giving especially for this educational need. (It’s tax-deductible for folks in the US.) Some have already given, so we’re only $3,700 away from our goal!
Many of you gave towards this last year, and we are soooo grateful! It was immensely helpful in deferring some of the school fees!
If you’ve been blessed over the years by our writings or pastoral counseling ministry, or if you’d like to support this preparation for future ministry, would you consider giving through PayPal (preferred) or Team Expansion’s giving portal here? Note: if you donate through Team Expansion’s website, please add “education” to the notes section.
Team Expansion has taught us to invite boldly, so here we are. We’re not using regular donations to fund this education benefit — only money raised specifically for it.
As I’ve said over and over, we couldn’t have gotten this far without y’all, and we can’t get a whole lot farther without y’all. If you have any questions, please let me know.
In the meantime, we’re going to keep trying to “follow close” behind Him, serving missionaries and cross-cultural workers around the world, equipping them to see the hearts of the hurting people around them, for his glory and for the growth and health of the global Kingdom.
All for ONE,
Jonathan T.
One of the counseling rooms at Mt. Hope Christian Counseling Center here in Joplin. I started my part-time internship here last week!
Living Well, Cambodia
Counseling room at our international church in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Over the years our family has developed a morning ritual. We call it “devo,” and we model it after the daily devotionals my husband grew up with. Every morning his family gathered in the living room before breakfast to read the Proverb and Psalms for the day.
We started doing morning devos in Cambodia when everyone was young and still learning how to read out loud, and we’ve changed up our routine several times. We started with the Proverbs only but at one point got bored of them and switched to the Psalms instead. Then we went through a phase where we were reading through the Gospels. We tried Shane Claiborne’s Common Prayer for a while, and now we’re back to the Proverbs again – we all missed the simplicity of those early days in Cambodia.
Several years ago we decided to sing on Friday mornings instead of read. Hymns had been instrumental in building my faith and keeping me moored in times of doubt and fear, but my children didn’t know the hymns, as we didn’t sing them at church on Sunday mornings. We owned a few Church of Christ hymnals, so we got to work teaching our family how to sing.
I don’t know if you do a “morning time” in your homeschool or if you have evening devotionals with your family. But I do know a few liturgies that have been helpful to our family, and I wanted to share in case you want to add any of them to your worship times.
The Apostles’ Creed. With a world in such flux and so many arguments over what is important or true, we wanted to draw our children to the foundations of our faith. In the Creeds we proclaim the most important beliefs of the Christian faith. They are the ones we need to agree on, the ones we should never waver from. We worked together to memorize the Apostles’ Creed and say it together most (not all) days. It has been an anchor for me the past several years. There are a couple modern songs based on the creeds, but nothing beats reciting the complete Apostles’ Creed, whether by yourself or in community.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Doxology. This was one of the first songs we taught our children. It’s simple and easy to sing and is really a prayer. We often end our morning devo by singing the Doxology (although we sometimes end on another song, which I’ll explain below). We also sing it before meals, especially when we have guests over. We love it when old Church of Christ friends come over because they can SING. Four-part acapella harmony, delicious and delightful and a little taste of heaven. (As it turns out, you can take the girl out of acapella churches, but you can’t take the acapella out of the girl.)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Serenity Prayer. Reinhold Niebuhr’s words are a newer addition to our morning times, but I think they have staying power. Like most people, I’ve known the first stanza for years (and it is the only part of the prayer attributed to Niebuhr with certainty). The second part is used in many 12-step programs and has been particularly helpful to me as a compulsive worrier. We are memorizing the entire prayer as a family.
Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference, Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as He did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that He will make all things right, If I surrender to His will, That I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.
Paschal Troparion (Resurrection Hymn). We’ve been singing this song ever since I learned it from eine blume during a Velvet Ashes retreat. The lyrics are a modern English translation of a 5th century Orthodox hymn. We sometimes end our morning times with the Paschal Troparion instead of the Doxology.
Christ is risen from the dead, Trampling down death by death. And to those in the grave He’s given life, He’s given life.
The Lord Bless You and Keep You. My mom prayed Numbers 6:24-26 over us each day before we headed off to school, and I started praying it over my oldest as soon as we got home from the hospital. At some point I stopped saying it over my bigs before bed, but my youngest still regularly requests this prayer – a reminder of the power of repeated prayers. The version below is closest to the New American Standard.
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon you, The Lord be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.
And finally, the 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer. We don’t pray these as a family, but I pray them regularly by myself. I depend especially on “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want”; “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, Your rod and your staff, they comfort me”;“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”; and “Give us this day our daily bread.” They speak to my tendency to worry, especially over money and death and danger. I need something beautiful and poetic and true to ground me in those times.
Prayer rituals have the power to form us as Christ followers. Perhaps you already have prayer rituals of your own; perhaps you are looking to develop some. If so, I hope these ideas can enrich your spiritual life and build a deeper, sturdier faith in our triune God.
Jonathan & Elizabeth Trotter 