The Garden Archives | Christian Learning & News

Butch Hartman, a former Nickelodeon kids’ show creator, has launched a Bible-based series, “The Garden,” for children’s safe viewing.

Butch Hartman

He is known to be a successful master craftsman of the Nickelodeon kids’ show, “The Fairly OddParents.” It is one of Nickelodeon’s most successful children’s series. And now, Butch and his wife, Julieann, want to focus on creating Scripture-based children’s series.

“Our point is to get Scripture as early into the hearts of children as we can,” Butch told The Christian Post.

They just released the 40-episode animated series “The Garden.” It also features an app and a companion Bible with images of the series’ characters based on the events in the Bible. Available on PureFlix, Yippee, and Christian Cinema are the first six episodes.

“The Garden”

Characters Lenny the lion and Lucy the lamb take center stage in “The Garden.” Together, they reside in a garden where everything lovely flourishes and have everyday access to God. They refer to God as “the boss,” who appears to them as a rainbow, speaks to them, and assigns them tasks.

Children are helped in the memorization of Biblical scriptures by songs that are used to share the verses.

Julieann explained that “kids are learning how to go to God and to talk to God themselves.”

Watch this video on YouTube

The Inspiration of “The Garden”

Butch and Julieann discuss the need for reaching kids with the life-changing message of the Gospel in “The Garden” series. This is according to a Q&A with The Christian Post.

Buth said in the interview, “I became a Christian in the year 2000, and I had already been in the Hollywood industry for about nine years at that point. When I met Jesus Christ, my whole heart changed, and I wanted to start making things for Him. I [had] just sold “The Fairly OddParents.” It wasn’t a Christian show, obviously; I couldn’t make it a Christian show [on Nickelodeon], but I could inject maybe some Christian values into it — love and family and things like that. But all through the years, I really wanted to make something for the Christian audience.”

While Julieann explained why children need access to this type of content, “These kids have been traumatized by so much from COVID to all of the shootings that are going on. I mean, they are traumatized. They’ve got to go somewhere and we don’t want them to go on medication. We don’t want that to get to the point where, at 5 years old, they’re having to take anti-anxiety medication when they’ve got Jesus who can be their advocate; Jesus is their comforter and their Father.”

Read the full interview HERE.

God Loves the Children

Time and again in the Bible, we read how Jesus drew the children to Himself. At one point, He even admonished His disciples to be like “children” and encouraged believers to have a childlike faith.

The children are God’s treasures. We owe it to them to lead them closer to the Lord. Thank God He raised up creative minds like the Hartman couple to create a biblically-sound series catering to children.

The Garden Children’s Bible, which had its debut on Saturday at the Museum of the Bible, was also produced by the Hartmans in collaboration with Harper-Collins. Parents can download “The Garden” as an app as well. The “The Garden” soundtrack” has also been published by Capital Records. Click HERE for more details on this cartoon and other programming updates.

Header image: Butch and Julieann Hartman [The Christian Post]. Website, 2 April 2023, https://www.christianpost.com/news/former-nickelodeon-kids-show-creator-launches-the-garden-series.html

Reference: The Christian Post

Kari Jobe -The Garden

The 36-year-old, Grammy-nominated artist has suffered from a fair share of life’s heartbreaks and challenges–including the death of her own niece. Never losing hope, her eyes remain fixed on the One who gives life. In the beautiful, profound lyrics of “The Garden” Kari reminds us of the great love and faithfulness of our Father.

“I had all but given up.”

At the beginning of “The Garden” acoustic music video, Jobe’s face is riddled with despair and pain. Through the song’s lyrics, she admits to being desperate for God’s love and peace. She felt separated from God by an uncrossable chasm. How could God have ignored her prayers for her niece? Why did God allow the life of an innocent little girl to be inexplicably cut short?

As Kari tells the song’s story, she focuses on her niece’s middle name–Ivy. Kari notes that ivy is such a resilient, billowing plant, so why did her Ivy die? She admits that during “this season of walking through immense loss, to have life in [my niece’s] name … it was hard.”

“Your faithfulness in all of the green.”

Kari goes on to explain that in her season of despair, she moved into a new house. After living there for some time, she discovered a newly-revived, lush garden growing in her backyard. She had no idea that there was a garden, and was shocked to find ivy–winding and thriving.

Kari felt “so surrounded with life.” She explains, “God’s presence was filling me with life and joy in the midst of such a hard season.” As further evidence of God’s care for His children, Kari realized that the garden must have been planted long ago. God had planned ahead for this very moment in her life–when she most needed hope.

God intended for His handiwork to be a sign of His love and faithfulness. Indeed, Psalm 104:24-25 acknowledges God’s remarkable creation: “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number – living things both large and small.”

Similarly, in “The Garden,” Kari proclaims, “I can see the ivy, reaching through the wall; ‘cause you will stop at nothing to heal my broken soul.”

Stay Curious

But even with this new understanding of God’s love, Kari was not done learning and growing. As she prepared to perform at Bethel Music Conference in L.A., she heard God say, “I want you to stay curious. You don’t have me figured out.”

God continues to challenge Kari to dive deeper; even this inspiring Christian worship leader is nowhere near done with exploring God’s true nature. According to Kari, because everyone is on a unique faith journey, each person will uncover something different in “The Garden.”

The bottom line: No matter where you are on your faith journey, stay curious–like a child–intentionally seeking His love in the intricacies of His handiwork.

“Now I see redemption growing in the trees…”

Kari explains that the arc of the song is this: It starts with honesty, confiding your fears and struggles to God. Then you lift your eyes, “letting God show you that he’s up to something beautiful.” This is the heart of the father; he has “invited us into life.”

And you don’t have to have it all figured out. Simply approach God in wonder. When you do so, you will “see redemption, growing in the trees; the death and resurrection in every single seed.”

The Garden

Former Nickelodeon Kids’ Show Creator Launches Bible-Based Series “The Garden”