Faith-Rooted: A Journey Through the Trees
Mural painted at the Sueños Youth Center, Neighborhood Ministries, Phoenix, AZ.
When I look back on my upbringing, I reflect on how frequently the imagery of trees surrounded me in relation to my faith. My father, who grew up in a rural town called Taylorsville, North Carolina, faithfully attended Liberty Grove Missionary Baptist Church—"Grove" referring to a small group of trees. Even though I did not attend the church growing up, it is part of my heritage. My family has been connected to the church since my great-grandparents, who are both buried in the church’s cemetery. I would often visit the church during the summer or holidays when my family went to see my grandparents in North Carolina. Liberty Grove Baptist Church was the foundation of my father’s Christian faith, which impacted me tremendously.
The church I grew up in was called Oakhill Jackson Community Church, with "Oak" referring to the mighty oak tree. The church was located in a neighborhood called Oak Hill Jackson in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My family was once gifted a small oak tree by the church members, who were like family to us.
When attending Dooley family reunions in the South, I was told that our family song was "We Shall Not Be Moved," which contained tree imagery in its lyrics:
We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
Just like a tree planted by the water,
We shall not be moved.
Looking back, I realize that tree imagery was a constant presence in my life, though I never paused to contemplate what I could learn from it. I now see how much trees can teach us about faith. One of the first times I reflected on how trees relate to faith was while reading Expansive: Stretching Beyond a Superficial Christianity by A.J. Sherrill. In one section, Sherrill uses a metaphor to explain how deep, resilient faith is like a tree with strong roots and expansive branches. Just as a tree with deep roots can withstand storms, a life grounded in deep faith can withstand many challenges. Sherrill writes about how faith and spiritual growth happen best in community. Just as trees often grow in forests where they benefit from the support and shelter of other trees, our faith can grow through the support of a community around us.
My favorite philosopher, the Christian mystic Howard Thurman, would talk with trees. His contemplative and mindfulness practice of talking with trees revealed that nature is a profound source of spiritual reflection and insight.
A spiritual leader in my community, Kit Danley, introduced me to the concept of being faith-rooted, drawing a strong parallel between tree roots and faith. Roots provide stability and nourishment to a tree, enabling it to be sustained, healthy, and fruitful. I see this as analogous to how faith underpins our motives, decisions, and desires. An all-encompassing faith shapes our understanding of the world—where the world has been and where it is going. It gives reason and purpose to our lives. Just as healthy roots support the growth of a tree and produce fruit that benefits others, a healthy faith can lead to a life of action that benefits those around us.
For me, being faith-rooted means recognizing how my identity and sense of purpose are closely tied to my faith. From my understanding, what is unique about the Christian faith is that it is not rooted in an idea, rules, or an artifact, but in a person: Jesus the Christ, a Palestinian Jew. Many Indigenous faith traditions emphasize how one is connected to the lives of their ancestors, like a lived-out family tree. They see themselves as part of the legacy and story of their ancestors who once lived and breathed. Even the ancient Israelites recognized God as the God of their ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—highlighting a relational, rather than abstract, faith. People who embrace this relational faith experience a profound connection to deeply rooted historical and personal relationships. My own faith-rooted life is inspired by the Jesus tradition as modeled by the faith and lives of Madelee and Francis Freeman, Alfred and Geneva Dooley, and Rod and Karen Dooley.
Lastly, scripture offers powerful imagery linking trees and faith, such as in John 15:1-5, where Jesus describes Himself as the true vine and His followers as branches, emphasizing the need to remain in Him to bear fruit. Majestic trees and their deep roots can easily go unnoticed, but I am grateful for the awareness of how my faith guides my life—a faith I hope is rooted in the merciful, kind advocate for the poor and vulnerable, Jesus, the true vine.
