Like Yeast in the Dough: The Recipe of Expansion

By Josh Singleton | Founder, The Neighborhood Garden Project

Not everything that grows is big and loud. Some of the most powerful things start small. Quiet. Like yeast in dough.

Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman hid in a big amount of flour—enough to feed a crowd. He was showing us how God works. The Kingdom starts small, gets hidden, and then slowly spreads through everything.

The people listening back then would’ve understood what He meant. They used yeast all the time, and they knew it takes time. You don’t see yeast working right away. But it is. It changes things from the inside. It makes the dough rise. Without it, there’s no bread.

They also would’ve been surprised that Jesus used yeast in a good way. In Jewish tradition, yeast was usually seen as a bad thing—something you had to clean out during Passover. It was a symbol of sin or pride. But Jesus flipped it. He said, “What used to be seen as bad—I'm using to show you how Heaven spreads.”

And He made a woman the one doing it. That mattered too. Back then, women received little attention in religious teachings. But Jesus showed that someone quiet and faithful, doing ordinary work, can carry the Kingdom.

At the Garden Project, that’s how it’s been. We didn’t start with a big plan. We didn’t push to grow fast. We just showed up, stayed faithful, and kept walking. The growth didn’t happen all at once, but over time, something started to rise.

Now, when people hear about the funding we’ve received, they ask, “Where are you expanding next?” But in the Kingdom, money doesn’t mean go faster. It just confirms we’ve been walking in the right direction. God funds what’s already been proven by faithfulness. He doesn’t rush things, He blesses what’s been hidden and steady.

So we don’t grow just to grow. We look for where God’s already working. That’s where we’ll go next. Not because of hype, but because the yeast is already doing its work.

And when the dough finally rises and hits the oven, everyone knows what it’s for. Bread is made to be shared. To feed people. That’s how the Kingdom works.

It’s quiet. It’s alive. And it’s good.