About

If faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains, imagine what a whole patch can do!

That's what I was thinking one day when I probably should have been doing something else, like watching supper on the stove. (I've heard that a watched pot never boils, but I can personally attest that an unwatched pot boils dry in a ridiculously short amount of time.)

Fortunately, I have a working smoke detector.

In order to appreciate my fascination with mustard seeds, you have to first understand that my (non)green thumb rivals only my cooking skills in ineptness. That is to say, don't ask me to actually grow something from a seed.

Janet Beagle

But I wasn't thinking about physical seeds; I was thinking about spiritual seeds. I was thinking about those observations, personal encounters, struggles and doubts, moments of big (or little) faith that God had been sharing with me. Those seeds that God used, sometimes without my realizing it and sometimes in direct opposition to my stubbornness, to help me grow.

And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to share those seeds with you.

It might have ended right there - you know, with good intentions that never took root - but then in 2012 God sent a friend to challenge me to a blog-off. (I love the way He works, don't you?)

The Mustard Patch is the result.  It's a collection of Christion reflections that are sometimes eclectic, sometimes fun, sometimes serious, sometimes challenging. I hand these seeds to you, and to God.  Let's grow together.

What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?  It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.  Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade”

(Mark 4:30-32)

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

(Luke 17:5-6)

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you”

(Matthew 17:20)

Janet Beagle and Dog

Janet Beagle, PhD is the founder of The Mustard Patch. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including The Word in Season, The Secret Place, and Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse and Clubhouse, Jr., among others. She divides her time between the Midwest and New England, and if she’s not writing, she’s probably out hiking with her 2-and 4-footed friends.