Faith, Legacy, and the Fruit of a Life Rooted in God

Guest Blog by Roxanne Arredondo

Gardening has always been more than the work of planting and harvesting. To me, it has become a sacred reminder that growth requires time, care, patience, and faith. In many ways, the garden mirrors our spiritual life. Seeds are planted in hope, roots stretch silently in hidden places, and fruit appears only after steady tending. So, it is with our walk with God. Growth is not always immediate or visible, yet through prayer, trust, and time spent in His presence, He brings forth beauty in its season.

Since I was a little girl, I have seen the fruits of my father’s labor. He was a man of many trades, but farming was one of his greatest gifts. He could make almost anything grow. My father worked acres of land throughout my childhood, and we always kept a garden at home. Because of his dedication, I did not have to run to the store for cucumbers, tomatoes, and other fresh vegetables. My summers were spent in the harvest alongside my father and family. We rose before sunrise to head to the ranch and returned home only after the sun had gone down. Those long days in the field taught me the meaning of labor, sacrifice, and provision. Looking back, I realize I was witnessing more than hard work—I was witnessing devotion, stewardship, and a quiet, enduring faith. Those days still remind me of the biblical truth that those who sow faithfully will, in due season, reap.

To this day, my mother, Olivia, still keeps a garden at her home in remembrance of my father. My father, Julio, passed away ten years ago, yet his memory and the seeds of wisdom he planted continue to flourish. What was once the labor of his hands has become part of our family’s legacy, a quiet testimony of love, memory, and devotion. Even more meaningful, my nephew Jaime has taken up this practice as well, not only to honor his grandfather, but even more to honor God. In this way, the garden has become more than a family tradition; it is a living expression of faith passed from one generation to the next.

One of the most meaningful things my father ever told me was that while he tended to his garden, he also prayed. The garden became a place of meditation, conversation, and communion with God. As he worked the soil, he was also cultivating his spirit. That image has never left me: hands in the earth, heart lifted toward heaven. It reminds me that time with God does not always have to look formal or polished. Sometimes it is found in the quiet rhythm of daily work, in stillness, in reflection, and in simple moments of faithfulness. By our fruits we shall be known, and the fruit of a life rooted in God will always reveal His goodness.

Gardening teaches us that growth cannot be rushed. It calls for care, attention, and trust in a process we do not fully control. Our spiritual life is much the same. We must make room for God, return to Him daily, and trust that even when nothing seems to be changing, He is still working beneath the surface. As I reflect on my father’s life, my mother’s remembrance, and the example now carried forward by the next generation, my heart is filled with gratitude.

I thank God for all fathers—both blood and spiritual—whose lives, prayers, labor, and example have helped honor the Great Commission of our faith. Their faithfulness leaves behind a harvest that reaches far beyond what the eye can see. As Galatians 5:22 reminds us, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” May our lives bear this kind of fruit as we remain deeply rooted in God. As we honor fathers this season, may we also reflect on our own walk with the Lord. How do we spend our time with Him? Do we make space for Him in our daily routines, quiet moments, labor, or rest? Just as a garden flourishes when it is tended, our souls flourish when we remain connected to the One who gives life. Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, natural and spiritual, whose faithfulness continues to plant seeds that will bless generations to come.

Building Skills, Building Lives

Bryant Evans learned early that basketball is more than a game. Raised in Midland, Texas, by a single mother alongside three siblings, he found in the sport a safe haven that gave him structure, confidence, and direction. Years later, after playing in college and professionally in Europe, he returned to those same lessons, using them to encourage and discipline young people who needed both.

Evans played at Midland Christian School, where his team won back-to-back state championships, before continuing to Trinidad State College in Colorado. His performance there led to a professional career in Europe, including stops in Luxembourg and Germany. As a point guard, he learned to read the court, lead under pressure, and create opportunities for his teammates.

His work did not end when his playing career did. Afterward, Evans began coaching and training young athletes. For nine years, he has served as an Amateur Athletic Union coach and skills trainer and created Building Skills Academy, a program rooted in basketball but aimed at something larger.

Evans is not simply trying to produce elite players, though some of his teams compete at a high level. He also works with children who have never played before. Some older players came to him after failing to make their middle school teams. Under his guidance, they learned the game, built discipline, gained confidence, and began to succeed.

In many communities, youth sports have become expensive and exclusive. Tournament fees, uniforms, travel, and private training can shut out families with limited resources. Building Skills Academy responds by offering a more affordable path to high-level instruction.

For Evans, coaching is more than a side business or hobby; it is a calling and a way to serve. Through it, he passes on the lessons that shaped his life. Basketball is not the ultimate goal. He wants children to develop perseverance and believe they can improve. For him, the court is a classroom, and each drill builds habits that carry into school, family, work, and life.

Before practice, the team prays. Evans’s Christian faith shapes the values he hopes his players will carry with them. He tells them that life is difficult without God and encourages them to put Him first.

His own story gives him credibility. Evans knows what it means for basketball to provide refuge. He knows what it means to be shaped by coaches and mentors. Now he is a mentor himself. His players learn how to dribble, shoot, and defend, but they also learn to believe in themselves, value discipline, and see that life is bigger than the scoreboard. Bryant Evans’ true mission is helping build lives.

It Is Not Good to Be Alone

We are created for community. God declared, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18). We are not designed for isolation, self-sufficiency, or survival alone. The first believers understood this well. In Acts 2:42-47, the new believers gathered together, shared their lives, broke bread, prayed, worshiped, and cared for one another. It is a beautiful picture of Christian community. Yet, by Acts 6, complaints had arisen because some widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. In Corinth, Paul had to correct a church whose members had turned the Lord’s Supper into an occasion for selfishness and division.

That is part of our sin nature. We are often inclined toward survival, looking out for number one. We have an “I” problem. In the garden, Eve disobeyed God because she desired to be like Him. Isaiah 14:12–14 tells of Lucifer’s desire to ascend and be “like the Most High.” Sin bends the heart inward. It teaches us to protect ourselves, promote ourselves, and place ourselves at the center. 

But the Holy Spirit moves us beyond that. Christian community is more than a gathering of people in the same room. It is a shared life shaped by service, humility, and mutual care. The New Testament’s many “one another” commands make this clear. We are told to love one another, serve one another, forgive one another, encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens, and care for one another. These commands assume that the Christian life cannot be lived alone. Faith may be personal, but it is never private.

True community generates something greater than the sum of its parts. It brings encouragement, increases effectiveness, and opens the door to new ideas and shared strength. It creates synergy. Detroit became the center of the American automobile industry because manufacturers, suppliers, workers, designers, and competitors gathered in close proximity. Silicon Valley became a center of technological innovation for similar reasons. When people with shared purpose, skill, energy, and imagination work near one another, things happen that would not happen in isolation.

The Baptist Temple campus has experienced remarkable seasons of community. When Jubilee Academy was located on campus, the partnership became more than a rental arrangement. Middle school students helped distribute food to the community, teachers helped on campus projects, and children sang at special events. One year, Vacation Bible School brought together the five churches that meet on the campus, refugee children from Africa, a mission team from the Baptist University of the Américas, and lots of neighborhood kids. 

That same spirit of community is also reflected in the many volunteers who first came to us for services. They felt welcomed and accepted, becoming part of the team and building self-esteem through serving others. Our volunteers reflect remarkable diversity in age, race, ethnicity, and economic background.

That spirit continues in other ways. From the Early Learning Center to Funeral Caring, USA our family of churches and service providers bring cradle-to-grave care to our community. Together we create a hub that magnifies our ability to meet the physical and spiritual needs of our neighbors while sharing expenses and reducing needless duplication of services.

Community is part of God’s design. It corrects our selfishness, enlarges our vision, strengthens our work.

Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their labor:

 If either of them falls down,

 one can help the other up.

 But pity anyone who falls

 and has no one to help them up.

 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

 But how can one keep warm alone?

 Though one may be overpowered,

 two can defend themselves.

 A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

 Ecclesiastes 4:9-12