About the Author

Anita Edwards Wadley Schlaht was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1953. She and her family moved from Neosho, Missouri to Edmond, Oklahoma in 1960. At the age of seven Anita began her walk with Jesus and found that while she spent quiet times among the trees at GA Camp, He was speaking through His Word about the direction for her life. One of her life verses is Galations 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth within me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Anita remembers visiting her maternal grandmother in Kingfisher, Oklahoma and spending time in the garden with her. Blanche loved flowers and grew all kinds of vegetables in the summertime. During vacations Anita remembers picking pears and wrapping them in newspaper to store in the cellar, picking up pecans from her trees, learning to can tomatoes and beans, and picking flowers for a table bouquet. Anita's grandmother was a godly woman who studied her Bible and knelt beside the bed to pray each night before she crawled in beside her. Graduating from high school in 1971, college in 1974 and receiving her M.Ed. in Gifted Education in 1992, Anita owned and ran her own preschool for 25 years and taught kindergarten in the Edmond Public Schools for four years. She remembers a poem from those years that ends, "I love to work in the garden where little children grow." Anita wrote the internationally known poem "Just Playing" in 1974. It was published in calendars, booklets, posters, curriculum guides, Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul, and as a children's book in 2018. She published three short stories in the Guideposts "When Miracles Happen" series in 2007 and 2008.Anita retired in 2019 after five years as Executive Director of the Edmond Historical Society and Museum. She is passionate about studying God's Word and has been drawn to the missions' ministries at Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond where she uses her gifts of teaching, writing, music, sewing and crochet. Anita and her husband Kirby have a blended family of six children and nine grandchildren. They enjoy their membership together in the Edmond Iris and Garden Society, travelling and visiting botanical gardens wherever they go, reading, sports, and music.

Reviews

In this book, Anita shares her love of gardening interwoven with the deep richness of God and His truths. This beautiful devotional is filled with so many tidbits of God, His Creation, and our desire to grow in Him and I know that every woman would benefit from this read. I've known Anita for nearly 25 years as she's ministered to many women at our church. It's an honor to know her and recommend this book. Beth McClainCaring Well Executive Director

Women's Ministry Director
"This uplifting book is a must-read for any gardener. Anita parallels her experience growing plants with God, the Master Gardener, nurturing your soul."Cynthia A. Moore, Logan County Master Gardener, Past-President Edmond Iris and Garden Society
Anita combines her passion for gardening with her love for Christ to share a unique connection between creating a special landscape and developing a relationship with God. Her perspective challenges us to dig deeper and grow closer to our Savior. If you are a gardener, then this devotional is for you. If you don't enjoy getting your hands dirty in your flower beds, then live vicariously through this book. You'll both love the journey.Shelley PulliamCo-founder and Executive Director of Arise Single Moms
When does a nuisance become a blessing? Anita Wadley Schlaht offers a clue in her devotional book, "Gardening with God." Thorny, difficult-to-tame, blackberry bushes become attractive and bear fruit when they are pruned, untangled, and consistently cared for. From scripture, stories, questions, and prayers, Anita's devotions showed me how I can begin to prune the useless, thorny sticks that grow from me and help them become fruit-bearing shoots that produce fruit to feed others.Her book is thoughtful...and filled with spiritual insight. She doesn't hesitate to let us know the growth God wants requires hard work, the right attitude, and tools. "Gardening With God," made me want fresh blackberries with ice cream.Dr. Brad J. Dixon, Retired Pastor