Digging in the Dirt: Musings on Missions, Emotions, and Life in the Mud

by Jonathan Trotter

Welcome to ground level, to the dirt and the mess.

We like the mountain tops and the sunshine. We like green grass under a clear blue sky. We like victory and breakthrough and answered prayers. But sometimes it rains, the shadows deepen, and life turns muddy. Sometimes God seems quiet. What then? What happens when depression descends, or anxiety hangs like a sword overhead? What happens when loneliness suffocates, the thief steals more than stuff, and you get blood on your shoes?

In Digging in the Dirt, Jonathan Trotter delves into the disasters, the darkness, and the deluge, and he offers comfort, presence, and a gentle invitation to hope.

With humor and prose, with poetry and Top Ten lists, Jonathan welcomes us to the dirt, to the places where we actually live. He invites us to boldly see life as it is, with eyes wide open, and reminds us that even when the digging is scary, we are never alone.

To the ones who are dealing with devastation and distress, welcome. To the ones who need to uproot, to pull out, to clear ground, welcome. To the ones who seek desperately to plant seeds of grace and hope in once barren soil, welcome. To the missionary abroad and the believer at home, welcome. Receive the invitation, and join with Jonathan here at ground level, together.

Come, dig in the dirt.

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What people are saying about Digging in the Dirt

A genuine book where no topic is off limits, Digging in the Dirt hits you right where you are regardless of location or vocation. This book is a must-read for anyone who is or is thinking about serving in missions and ministry! – DeAnna Anderson, former Director of the Launch Team for Wycliffe Bible Translators and missionary

Digging in the Dirt is a breath of fresh air for Christians. Covering a wide variety of topics from marriage to emotional honesty to politics, this book is a deep source of encouragement through honest conversations. – Kim H.

Jonathan has such an authentic insight into life on the field, and he addresses the hard things in such a real and tangible way that helps you to know you are not alone. He is also able to shine a light on things that are enjoyable and that we miss since we've left our life in Southeast Asia. I would totally recommend this book for anyone who is serving overseas, sending someone overseas, or remotely interested in mission life. – Sydney, PI Leader for Southeast Asia

Rarely does an author bring the perspective of a missionary, nurse, theologian, pilot, counselor, parent, and gardener to cross-cultural ministry, family dynamics, depression, grief, politics, and the church, all in one book. Even rarer is a book that combines all of those things in a way that rings authentic and meaningful. Digging in the Dirt manages to do both, bringing thought-provoking and heartfelt lessons out of an incredible range of real-life experiences. – Reuben James

Digging in the Dirt is a must-read for anyone in missions or ministry. It's refreshingly humble and vulnerable, and no matter what stage of life and ministry you're in, you'll walk away with some wisdom and new insight. – B.W., Stateside missions support worker

Genres: Christian

170 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2023

About the author

Jonathan Trotter (RN, JD) is a writer, international speaker, and trainer. He has served among the local and global Church for over twenty-three years and now provides pastoral care, debriefing, and empathetic coaching through Seeing the Hearts of the Hurting. He and his wife Elizabeth are the authors of Serving Well: Help for the Wannabe, Newbie, or Weary Cross-cultural Christian Worker. From 2012 to 2020, he and his family served as missionaries in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where Jonathan provided pastoral counseling to couples and individuals and helped pastor an international church. Prior to that, he worked bi-vocationally as an ER/trauma nurse and youth and worship pastor. He is a licensed attorney in California and is currently completing his master’s in clinical mental health counseling.

Reviews

[Matthew McBirth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives wisdom and guidance to its readers. I found myself learning the more and more I read and seeing ways to apply it to my own life and with others. I recommend this book to those who have grown up in the church or those who find themselves disenchanted with the church. My favorite part was the section on emotions, and especially the chapter pertaining to anger. Thankful for this author and his own journey of digging in the dirt.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of reflections was a very insightful and refreshing read.

Personally, I appreciate Jonathan Trotter's writing (and Elizabeth Trotter, quoted) because it helps me to faithfully consider and grapple with my own experiences surrounding the global church, American missionaries, and the American evangelical church.

[Ashley Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in less than a day. Couldn't put it down!! I laughed (a lot!) and tears pricked my eyes several times, but my heart stirred in some way at nearly every chapter.

It's written SO beautifully with words, thoughts and experiences that bypass anything surface level, but are still succinctly impactful. I didn't mind at all that each chapter seemed to stand alone. I think it makes them more memorable and I already know that I'll be revisiting some of them again soon.

I'm so grateful to have read this and would recommend to anyone who loves/is pursuing missions work (BBC friends!), loves the church, needs to know they aren't alone with human experiences, or to see how God is involved in it all...even in the mud. I think there's something for everyone and maybe a lot for some, like me.

[Joanna Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate the thoughtful way Trotter engages with topics around missions. Also the book feels a bit dated.

[Emily MacGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can relate to so much of what Jonathan wrote in this book, except for moving overseas. His essays are short and thoughtful.

I plan to buy my own copy of this book.

[Taylor]

Digging in the Dirt is a beautiful and compelling read. Jonathan engages many of the complexities of life, faith, and ministry with honesty, wisdom, and a gracious transparency that invites readers to reflect back on their own experiences with greater compassion and curiosity. My favorite section was on emotions. The way that Jonathan engages the topics of anger, depression, lament, anxiety, grief, loneliness, and love within the context of ministry/missions is powerful and (and for me, deeply impactful). One of the things that I have always especially appreciated about Jonathan's writing his ability to engage nuance in complex topics and issues.. and this is certainly true in Digging in the Dirt as well. Cannot recommend this book enough!

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the robust variety of Jonathan’s writings, and also think this felt a little too broad, too disparate. Everything I read was great, but I found myself looking for a theme or a common thread.

[Tony Otero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnathan is a friend of mine, and reading this book is like having an extended, meaningful conversation. The chapters are short, so it's a very easy read, but the themes are deep. A good amount draws on his experience in long-term, cross cultural missions, but I felt everything Jonathan shares is valuable for those who don't share that experience but have a desire to live faithfully.

[Matthew Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for those serving cross-culturally! Highly recommend!