Growing God
Emma, the young artist whose contagious faith inspired others in the children鈥檚 book by Church in the 21st Century Center Director Karen Kiefer, Drawing God, is back. In Kiefer鈥檚 new book, , Emma spends her school vacation at her 鈥渇avorite place on Earth鈥濃�攈er grandmother鈥檚 farm. It is a place where her grandmother, as she tells Emma, 鈥済rows God.鈥� Emma is inspired to plant seeds and grow God, too. With illustrations from Kathy DeWit, Growing God follows Emma as she learns that with patience, love, care, and faith, seeds can grow into something amazing. Kiefer recently shared some thoughts on Growing God. (The following has been lightly edited.)
Why did you want to revisit the character of Emma and explore more about her faith journey?
My daughter, Emma, was the muse for Emma鈥檚 character in . As a child, she never stopped creating and sharing her gifts with the world. I wanted Emma鈥檚 real-life energy and creative faith curiosity to animate the character, especially as she tries to draw God and share her masterpieces. Emma鈥檚 infectious faith in聽Drawing God convinced me there was more to her story. Three years (and a pandemic) passed and I wondered what Emma might be up to as a nine-year-old. How was she sharing her faith now? I prayed about it, and the notion of Emma growing in her faith by caring for God鈥檚 creation felt right.
What was the inspiration for setting the story in nature?
When I was Emma鈥檚 age, everything about nature excited me, from chasing salamanders and frogs to picking berries and plucking rhubarb stalks in our neighbor鈥檚 garden. It all felt so enchanting, and it was where my imagination lived, in the outdoors. I began to imagine Emma visiting her Nana鈥檚 farm, a place where her grandmother tells her she grows God. Emma isn鈥檛 initially sure what Nana means by growing God, but soon enough, she learns that every seed holds an opportunity, and she is excited to begin sowing her own growing-God garden.
Author Karen Kiefer, director of the Church in the 21st Century Center. (Photo by Gary Wayne Gilbert)
Are there themes of Ignatian spirituality in Growing God?
Knowing how creative St. Ignatius was, I鈥檓 surprised that the children鈥檚 Christian book marketplace isn鈥檛 flooded with stories infused with Ignatian spirituality, but it isn鈥檛. I鈥檓 proud that the C21 Center could respond to that need, and that both Drawing God and Growing God and the characters and storylines embrace the importance of the mind, heart, and imagination working together to find God in all things.
In Growing God, Emma鈥檚 faith is on full display as she talks to the dirt and tries to practice patience while nurturing her garden. She soon realizes that growing God is challenging, especially when every kid in the neighborhood thinks she is crazy. There鈥檚 a turning point in the story when Emma鈥檚 first and only sprout topples over. Her grandmother tells her to sprinkle cornmeal over the dirt to absorb the moisture in the soil. She reminds Emma again that every seed holds an opportunity and that even the seeds that don鈥檛 live long have something to teach us. There鈥檚 an Easter moment tucked inside those words. After a long wait, flowers and vegetables were everywhere, even where Emma hadn鈥檛 planted seeds. What happens next will surely make St. Ignatius smile, but I won鈥檛 give it away.
What do you hope young readers learn from Growing God?
I hope that children can see themselves in Emma and are inspired to be the sowers of God鈥檚 love. I want them to know that they, too, have a contagious faith and how fun it is to share it with others.
You鈥檙e launching a companion 鈥淏e a Sower鈥� program and a Growing God virtual farm. Can you tell us about them?
I wanted to ensure that Drawing God and Growing God delivered a call to action, a chance to celebrate Catholic faith and share God鈥檚 goodness. Drawing God inspired the annual World Drawing God Day in November, and there is a virtual museum at the website聽聽that features hundreds of masterpieces from individuals, classrooms, and parishes worldwide. Growing God鈥檚 鈥淏e a Sower鈥� movement encourages readers to plan an activity that shares God鈥檚 love for others in the community. We are building a virtual Growing God Farm to highlight the Sower projects so that others might be inspired to create their own. Again, sharing our contagious faith.
痴颈蝉颈迟听聽for links to where to purchase Growing God and to learn more about related projects. Royalties from the sale of the book will benefit the C21 Center.