The Art of Creation: Real? Or Not?
November 21, 2024 - Among the official and unofficial art exhibits at COP29 was a piece that combined realistic art with a type of playacting that taught about reality by use of what wasn't real. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Loss and Hope
November 14, 2024 - An installation that spans places, times, and mediums aims to bring to the forefront "what is missing" and how humankind can avert further losses on our plant. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Wild Things Reprise
November 7, 2024 - In April 2021, we launched The Ecological Disciple. Today, I share an update of the first post of this column, as a spark of light against the fear and despair that many are currently experiencing. I pray that these words will be a comfort and an encouragement. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Changing the World One Meal at a Time
November 2, 2024 - Today we welcome back Rev. Elaine Breckenridge as our guest writer. Elaine shares her journey of change in the food she eats, where she purchases that food, and the difference these changes are making in her life. By Rev. Elaine Breckenridge
The Art of Creation: Lead Us
October 31, 2024 - This prayer from Archbishop Desmond Tuto recognizes the destruction we have caused and prays for wisdom to follow a better path. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Wings, Not Feathers
October 24, 2024 - Shapes, colors, patterns textures are what go into the making of Charley Harper's art—not a particular number of feathers. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Teaching a Giant to Step with Care
October 17, 2024 - Palau's approach to the problem has been a friendly, educational ad campaign called the Palau Pledge. By Lousie Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Our Church Goes Solar!
October 13, 2024 - Guest writer Mac Taylor shares about his experience with his church in going solar. By Mac Taylor
The Art of Creation: Not Your Typical Postage Stamp
October 3, 2024 - Since 1993, the UN has published a series of stamps that highlights endangered plant and animal species across the world. This puts international cooperation on these issues in the spotlight. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Silent Spaces
September 26, 2024 - In a world where noise is pushing into all the corners of the world, Gordon Hempton, an acoustical ecologist, advocates for the preservation and protection of listening and silence. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Leaf Bowls
September 19, 2024 - Artist Kay Sekimachi transforms the fragility of leaves into bowls of beauty. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Garden Project
September 5, 2024 - The poem, Set the Garden on Fire, by Chen Chen gives a poignant picture of the contrast between welcome and exclusion. While exclusion keeps out the other, welcome is generous space where the different is made to feel familiar. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Sculpture That Repairs
August 29, 2024 - Artists Daniel McCormick and Mary O'Brien create sculptures that are aesthetic remedies to ways in which a particular landscape has been degraded. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Stop and Listen
August 22, 2024 - A prayer from the Laudato Si' Movement asks God to help us stop and listen better to the voices around us. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Cloth Diapers
August 17, 2024 - Like any decision, choosing diapers has trade-offs, but don’t let fear of cloth diapers dissuade you. Read here to find out some of the pros and cons as experienced by one mom. By Abigail Welborn.
The Art of Creation: Cleaning Up Our Messes
August 8, 2024 - The garbage left on the highest mountains in the world is a significant problem. Solving the problem will take the creativity and dedication of many. By Louise Conner
Rethinking the Tree of Life
August 5, 2024 - Guest writer Christine Sine reflects on the way in which trees form communities and theological lessons we can learn from them. By Christine Sine
The Art of Creation: A New Song
August 1, 2024 - Hymns rooted in our own times and places can give us new voices of praise and guide us along paths of discipleship that are sorely needed for our own particular times. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Diet and Sustainability
July 27, 2024 - Guest writer Noah Guthrie shares his personal journey of sustainability and food. By Noah Guthrie
The Art of Creation: A Trail of Trolls
July 18, 2024 - When I wrote a piece about Thomas Dambo and his work three years ago, Dambo’s trolls delighted me, but I didn’t know that I would have the opportunity of seeing one first-hand. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Honing in on the Ordinary
July 11, 2024 - What comes to the notice of Belgium-born artist Adele Renault is the ordinary—ordinary people, pigeons, plants. But her depiction of these very easily overlooked subjects is anything but ordinary. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Stepping Stones
July 4, 2024 - A pathway of 55 stepping stones at a rest area in Norway invites travelers to not just stop for minute on their way to somewhere else, but to take some time to really look and be in this particular place. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Specialty Recycling
June 17, 2024 - In the United States, municipal recycling services vary widely. For those in areas where such services are limited or non-existent, specialty recycling services are trying to fill the gaps. By Jessalyn Megerle
The Art of Creation: Bits and Pieces
June 13, 2024 - Artisan Richard Haining turns old, discarded pieces of wood into new, treasured pieces of art in his "STACKED' collection. By Louise Conner
Shift #7 - A Different Destination
June 10, 2024 - What if heaven is not the final destination we have made it out to be? What if we have been investing our hope in the wrong place and living our lives in the wrong direction? What if the ultimate destination for life is right under our feet? By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Three Poems of a Hallowed World
June 6, 2024 - William Stafford's poetry models an ability to listen and pay attention to a world the poet felt great affection and respect for. He believed nature had the power to teach us about ourselves and how to live in the world. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: A Church Changes the Lights
June 1, 2024 - Today we share a story from Bellingham Covenant Church in Washington State about their switch to LED lighting inside and outside their building. By Mike Merchant
The Art of Creation: Trees in the City
May 30, 2024 - In 1982, Joseph Beuys heaped 7,000 stone markers in the middle of a German city to prompt the planting of that same number of trees around the city. Over 40 years later, the effects of that project continue. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Glory to You
May 23, 2024 - In this prayer from the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church, we find words that express a deep and delighted thankfulness towards God, whose glory and praise sound throughout the creation. By Louise Conner
Shift #6: An Interconnected Church
May 20, 2024 - The ecological crisis we are in presents us with an opportunity to shift us from from splintered sects to creative collaborators. By James Amadon
Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea
May 16, 2024 - Guest writer Rev. Elaine Breckenridge shares a recent experience with an art exhibit that helped her see trash on the beach in entirely new ways. By Rev. Elaine Breckenridge
The Art of Creation: Living Amidst Trees
May 2, 2024 - In Turin, Italy, a 63-unit apartment is designed to house trees as well as people (and to end up looking and feeling like a tree house in the process). By Louise Conner
Earth Day 2024 - A Call to Wonder and Joy
April 22, 2024 - I am not going to tell you what to do this Earth Day. If you have an action plan, go for it! But I will invite you to do two things. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: A Song for Earth Day
April 18, 2024 - In anticipation of the upcoming Earth Day, Louise shares a song of praise, written from the perspective of Earth. By Louise Conner.
Practical Earthkeeping: Volunteer Biodiversity Restoration
April 13, 2024 - We welcome back guest writer, Noah Guthrie, who describes his experience of shoveling oyster shells, among other things, to restore habitat along the coast or Florida. By Noah Guthrie
The Art of Creation: Collaborating with Bees
April 11, 2024 - Toronto, Canada-based artist Ava Roth works with tens of thousands of worker bees living within beehives which she places the creative work she has begun, expecting and hoping that they will complete the work. By Louise Conner
Shift #5: An Ecological Mission
April 8, 2024 - The current ecclesial crisis is an opportunity to reassess, among other things, the Church’s understanding and practice of mission. And this work is well underway. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Slowing Down, Part 2
April 4, 2024 - This second article on the work of Makoto Fujimura looks at how putting objects back together again can result in something more beautiful than the original object. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Slowing Down, Part 1
March 28, 2024 -As an advocate and practitioner of “slow art,” Makoto Fujimura believes that art should be made slowly and deliberately and viewed with this same respect, not just as a background but as a focal point we can immerse ourselves into. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Solar Panels
March 23, 2024 - When my family first moved to Florida (the Sunshine State!), one of the ways to “go green” that I was most excited about was getting solar panels. I thought it would be easy. By Abigail Welborn
The Art of Creation: Read the Book of Nature
March 21, 2024 - We welcome guest writer Christine Sine, who shares about how nature speaks to her of God and of God's purposes for her. By Christine Sine
Shift #4: Place-Based Discipleship
March 18, 2024 - What does it mean to follow Jesus in this place, at this time, with these people? By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Opening Our Eyes
March 14, 2024 - The poem, Moving the Woodpile, reveals a perspective into the relationship we, as humans have with the rest of creation as the narrator literally and figuratively, moves the woodpile and reveals to us what is underneath. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Stems and Blossoms
March 7, 2024 - Some artists use broad strokes to portray the vision they want to communicate. Others, like Olga Prinku, lean into the small. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Painting with Clouds
February 29, 2024 - You can find photographs of this well-known artist's work in art galleries, but viewing the original pieces which the photographs capture would often require some tramping and some very lucky timing to see in person. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Speaking Up for God's Creation
February 24, 2024 - In this post, we welcome guest writer, Noah Guthrie. In this piece, Noah traces his path into the realm of environmental activism. By Noah Guthrie
The Art of Creation: Words to See By Part Four
February 22, 2024 - A Sand County Alamanac, published 75 years ago, still has much to teach us about the land and our place upon it. By Louise Conner
Shift #3 - A More Humble Humanity
Feb. 19, 2024 - As a species, we have assumed a place in this world that is not ours to take; we are, collectively, out of place. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Words to See By, Part Three
February 15, 2024 - An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor reminds me that I am far less myself when I am merely passing through this world without being attentive and present within it. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Recycling Shoes
Feb. 10, 2024 - My husband recently trained for and ran a marathon and we're both big walkers and hikers besides that. Shoes in our household tend to wear out quickly! What could we do with them? By Jessalyn Gentry.
Shift #2 - A Bigger Gospel
Feb. 6, 2024 - When I was 15, I was called out by a traveling preacher in the shabby conference room of the only motel in Lancaster, NH. She declared, in front of the small crowd that had gathered for revival, “There’s an evangelist!” By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Words to See By, Part Two
February 1, 2024 - A Kentucky farmer and articulate thinker and doer, Wendell Berry consistently points out the destructive results of an American society that separates physical and spiritual, ideas from practice, humans from the rest of creation, integrity from work. By Louise Conner
Shift #1 - A New Cosmology
January 29, 2024 - In this series of seven shifts Christians need to make to develop a more ecologically conscious discipleship, James looks at the need to shift our cosmology. By James Amadon
Practical Earthkeeping: Attending COP28
January 20, 2024 - We welcome guest writer, Carolina Franca, an undergraduate student, who shares about her recent experience at COP28 in Dubai. By Carolina Franca
The Art of Creation: Words to See By, Part One
January 25, 2024 - First up in a short series, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard, is a work that has significantly shaped how I, and many others, see the natural world and our relationship to it. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Chorus of Perpetual Adoration
January 18, 2024 - This "Canticle of Creation" invites us to join in the song as members of the innumerable-member choir that is singing a song of creation-wide praise. By Louise Conner
7 Shifts We Need to Make (Revisited)
Jan. 15, 2023 - As this new year begins, I am convinced, more than ever, that the majority of Christian denominations, churches, and individual disciples need major reform, and that ecological disciples like you can help lead the way. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: A Center for Art in the Midst of Loss
January 11, 2024 - On December 23, 2023, a community celebrated the inauguration of a new artistic resource in their midst. What made this particularly noteworthy is that The Music & Art Centre is located within and for the most populous refugee settlement in Africa. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: It's in the Details
January 4, 2024 - To thoroughly experience the work of Fanni Sandor, you need to look closely—very closely. In fact, a magnifying glass can be a very useful tool. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Healing Light
December 20, 2023 - A painting by Irenaeus Yurchuk and a song from The Porter's Gate point to the great gift of light that we remember during Advent. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Greener Christmas
December 9, 2023 - This week's Practical Earthkeeping column takes a look at some Christmas traditions, with suggestions for how to make them greener. By Jessalyn Gentry
The Art of Creation: Tidings of Comfort
December 7, 2023 - There are many things surrounding us that can make us fearful, but as this poem reminds us, the changes that we see and don't necessarily want or understand, do not need to leave us paralyzed with fear. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Creating a Nature Altar in Your Home
December 2, 2023 - Guest writer Mary DeJong offers ways to create a nature altar in your home for the Advent season.
The Art of Creation: Entry Paths
November 30, 2023 - Therapeutic gardens take into the account the special needs of adults and kids so that their encounter with nature that is enriches and protects at the same time. By Louise Conner
An Invitation
Nov. 29, 2023 - Good writing is slow work. One word is chosen, then another, and another, until sentences, paragraphs, stories, and arguments take shape. Then the real work begins.
Rethinking Thanksgiving
Nov. 21, 2023 - When we divorce gratitude from justice, we begin to turn in on ourselves and neglect the Creator's call to live generously, equitably, and sacrificially so that gifts and gratitude are shared by all. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Morning Prayer
November 16, 2023 - Beginning with praise and gratitude when we first awaken can start us along a day's path that is rooted in awareness and joy. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: College Student Edition
November, 11, 2023 - College student and guest writer Kate shares a few ways that she practices sustainability on a college budget. By Kate Wilson.
The Art of Creation: Lamenting Silence
November 9, 2023 - A marine biologist delves into the undersea world where noise is a sign of health and silence is a signal of a dying world. By Louise Conner
Articulating Grief
Nov. 6, 2023 - Adopting an orientation of grief means choosing to invest in things that are small, that are temporary, and celebrating them in the broken, fragile beauty they bear in the eyes of God. It is soft, cruciform foolishness. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Circlewood Photo Ark
November 2, 2023 - Today we share the photographs that you, our readers sent in for our Circlewood Photo Ark. Thanks to all who responded and feel free to keep them coming! By Louise Conner
Remembering Environmental Martyrs
Oct. 30, 2023 - I have been hearing a haunting challenge when I look at the picture of Ken Saro-Wiwa: “When are you going to tell my story? When are you going to talk about all of the people murdered for trying to save the planet?” - By Jessica Hetherington
Practical Earthkeeping: Beyond Ziploc Bags
October 28, 2023 - In this post, Jessalyn shares how her household is cutting down on single-use Ziploc bags. By Jessalyn Gentry.
The Art of Creation: Elevating Non-Humans to Their Rightful Place
October 26, 2023 - When artist Angela Manno combines Byzantine iconography with the subject of species extinction, her goal is nothing less than a reformation of the human view of the earth and its non-human inhabitants. By Louise Conner
Living in Exile
October 23, 2023 - We are living in one of those moments in history when the world seems to be changing so quickly we cannot keep up – the ground is now shifting, leaving many of us feeling unsettled. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: The Beauty of Wasting Nothing
October 19, 2023 - In 2003, Kamikatsu, Japan made a bold goal– to become a zero-waste municipality by 2020. As the first Japanese town to have the goal of entirely eliminating waste from within its borders, it moved into a very bright spotlight. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Greening Our Cars
October 14, 2023 - Guest writer Abigail shares about her family's electric vehicles. By Abigail Welborn.
The Art of Creation: All We Can Save
October 12, 2023 - in the face of the stark statement that "Everything is transitory," Ellen Bass, in her remarkable poem, "The Big Picture," reminds us that the big picture isn't the only picture there is. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: The Photo Ark
October 5, 2023 - After photographing grizzly bears, koalas, wolves and other animals in the field for 17 years,Joel Sartore is now trying to photograph the 25,000 species in human captivity. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Sustainable Autumn
September 30, 2023 - Sustainable swaps for autumn traditions. By Jessalyn Gentry
The Art of Creation: Help Me Listen
September 28, 2023 - Although "listening to the voice of creation," can be practiced in many good and important ways, my suggestion for today is that you try, with God's help and using this prayer, to literally and physically hear the voice of creation with your senses. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Looking Outward, Looking Inward
September 21, 2023 - NASA doesn't only look outward away from the earth, it looks inward toward the earth as well. Its telescopes and and other instruments point at city lights, melting ice caps, phytoplankton blooms, and wildfires, as wells as stars as they form and explode. . By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Art Supplies
September 16, 2023 - Guest writer Colleen shares ways she makes her art practice more earth-friendly. By Colleen Megerle.
The Art of Creation: The Lure and Illusion of Landscape Art
September 14, 2023 - Today we welcome back Circlewood friend, Jeff Reed as a guest writer for The Ecological Disciple. Today he takes an insightful look at landscape art. By Jeff Reed
The Art of Creation: Sculptured Ecosystems
September 7, 2023 - Jackie Brookner (1945-2015) was an ecological artist whose work is often both aesthetic and practical, opening people's awareness to their connections with the rest of creation and also functioning to make those connections healthier and stronger. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Paper Towels
September 2, 2023 - In this practical piece, Jessalyn shares an alternative to paper towels. By Jessalyn Gentry.
The Art of Creation: The Bead King
August 31, 2023 - Nicknamed “The Bead King," Gateja is a mixed-media artist and jewelry designer, known for his use of recycled and sustainable materials—in particular, his paper beads. His large-scale, intricate works are often colorful and tend to a hopeful view of the world. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: No One Else
This poem by Marshall Island poet Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner brings home to readers that climate change doesn't just threaten "nations" in the abstract, but affects specific people, creatures, and land that are part of those nations. By Louise Conner
Exodus 33-34: A New Start
August 22, 2023 - We have rejected our calling to be earthkeepers, to co-sustain this beautiful earth in ways that reflect God's intentions for a flourishing world. The latest example of this can be seen in the smoldering rubble of the city of Lahaina. By James Amadon
Awakening With the Eyes of Nature: The Art of Susan Cohen Thompson
August 17, 2023 - Today, Circlewood friend and guest writer Elaine Breckenridge shares the work of Camano Island artist and neighbor Susan Cohen Thompson. Along with the art itself, Elaine shares how it has influenced her own understanding of the world around her. By Elaine Breckenridge
Practical Earthkeeping: Greening Around the House
August 19, 2023. Household actions can have a big impact. By Abigail Welborn.
The Art of Creation: Prayer for the Earth
August 10, 2023 - As someone who believes in both an all-powerful God and in the capability of humans to affect the course of history, I find this Prayer for the Earth from Rabbi David Mevorach Seidenberg to be a helpful resource and share it in the hope that others will, also. By Louise Conner
Exodus 32: An Uncertain Future
Aug 7, 2023 - Exodus is such a powerful story is because it highlights universal themes that have been lived out over and over again - including how to live with God when the future is uncertain. By James Amadon
Practical Earthkeeping: Toilet Paper
August 5, 2023 - In this very practical piece for Practical Earthkeeping, Jessalyn shares her own experience with finding a more earth-friendly toilet paper. By Jessalyn Gentry
The Art of Creation: The Way the Wind Blows
August 3, 2023 - If you aren’t familiar with Xavier Rudd or the song, Follow the Sun, I hope you enjoy today’s introduction. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: A Different Way of Doing Art
July 27, 2023 - Young artist Eden Overland shares some of the art she has created from natural materials she has found growing or fallen onto the ground around her. By Louise Conner
Exodus 25-31: A Microcosm of Creation
Monday, July 24 - It is tempting to skip these chapters - there's a lot of ink for a little worship tent! We have to ask, however, why the author of Exodus dedicated almost one-third of the book to describing the tabernacle. - By James Amadon
Practical Earthkeeping: Embracing the Meadow—A Brief Ethic of Pest Control
July 15, 2023 - We have plenty to share. By S. E. Reid.
The Art of Creation: Following the Trail of Pollen
July 20, 2023 - Part zoo, part theme park, part interactive museum, and part time travel machine, Pollinator Park is a free interactive virtual experience intended to create a fun, educational, and emotionally engaging entrance into the world of pollinators. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: For the Fun of It
July 13, 2023 - A place where children can play outside, may be, depending upon where you live, something you take for granted. For Chu Kim Duc, a Vietnamese architect, and her partner, journalist Nguyen Tieu Quoc Dat, it has been a goal to work toward for the last ten years. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: This Amazing Day
July 6, 2023 - The untitled prayer poem by E.E. Cummings, which begins with the line, "i thank You God for most this amazing day," is a celebratory chorus of joy, rejoicing in the earth and the God who is responsible for it. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Right to Repair
July 1, 2023 - Right to Repair is a global movement to allow you to fix your own stuff. By Jessalyn Gentry.
The Art of Creation: Weaving Innovation into Tradition
June 28, 2023 - Tanabe Chikuunsai IV's most well-known works catch one's attention, but his sculptures are not stand-alone tributes to one person's creativity and skill. They are rooted deeply in tradition, community, and the earth itself. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Starry Nights
June 22, 2023 - The night sky has guided humans and animals in their travels, created healthy rhythms of rest and work, and has invited humans (including artists)to reflect on their place in a vast universe. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Three Ways I Started Greening My Life
June 17, 2023. When many people take small steps, we make big change when combined. By Abigail Welborn.
The Art of Creation: Capturing Movement within Clay
June 15, 2023 —Jennifer McCurdy draws on the forms and shapes of nature—translating spirals and fractals, seaweed and flowers into vessels that evoke their source in such a way that the viewer sees into the heart of something beautiful and living. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Living Walls
June 8, 2023 - It might not seem that an essential step in constructing a church building would be to plant some trees. But when New Zealand dairy farmer Barry Cox decided he wanted to build a church building, that is exactly where he began. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: "Ugly" Foods Can Help You Care for the Earth
June 3, 2023 - Eating "ugly" foods can help minimize food waste, support farmers, and care for creation. By Jessalyn Gentry.
The Art of Creation: Making a World
June 1, 2023 - As this poem by Jane Hirshfield alludes to, the "unseen, unread, unremembered," do transforming work that makes life possible—both for themselves and others. By Louise Conner
God the Cosmic Gardener
May 25, 2023 - The whole of creation is a magnificent garden created by God. Every aspect of that creation God looked at and proclaimed “It is good.” By Christine Sine
Practical Earthkeeping: Field of Dreams
May 20, 2023 - So, in the true way of gifting, my gift to the earth came back to me in a contented connection with nature. By Bonnie MacPhail.
The Art of Creation: Recognizing My Neighbors
May 18, 2023 - Hearing and recognizing the unseen voices in my neighborhood expands my understanding of the scope of other creatures living on this land. By Louise Conner
Exodus 24: Altars in the World
May 15, 2023 - Look for altars in the world that fill you with awe and connect you to the More that lies within, behind, and beyond all things. Find some companions, and let your hearts be cracked open to the pain and possibilities that this world has to offer. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Remembering Goodness
May 11, 2023 - I share this liturgical prayer from the Environment Programme of the Church of England and invite you use it as a tool for contemplation and gratitude. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Repair is Radical
May 6, 2023 - Repairing something that you already own, rather than buying a replacement, can truly can be a radical act. By Jessalyn Gentry.
The Art of Creation: Shared Knowledge
May 4, 2023 - Through his work as a birch bark canoe maker, Wayne Valliere ties past, present, and future together, water and land, new generations and old traditions. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Sounds of Sky and Sea
April 27, 2023 - In today's post, I share the music of John Luther Adams, frequently identified as America's "eco-composer," and invite readers to let his music take you to a place of deep listening to this world you are a part of. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Spring Migration
April 22, 2023 - Practical tips to help birds during their spring migration. By Kevin Vande Vusse.
The Art of Creation: Delicate Work
April 20, 2023 - Pippa Dyrlaga is a Yorkshire, England-based artist who, with a piece of paper, a drawing instrument, and a precision knife as her only raw materials, creates an imaginative world of creatures and places that evokes awe toward the natural world. By Louise Conner
Exodus 21-23: The Gift of the Law
April 13, 2023 - When Bible readers come to the law sections of Exodus, many find what is written irrelevant, incomprehensible, and occasionally offensive. But what if we see them as a complicated gift that can help us discern how to live as ecological disciples today. By James Amadon
Practical Earthkeeping: Care for Creation with the Internet
April 8, 2023 - We can use the power of the Internet to help care for creation. By Jessalyn Gentry
The Art of Creation: Birds, Cry Out
April 6, 2023 - In the nooks and crannies of the world, with no human present, songs of praise to the Creator still sound. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Regarding Elephants
March 30, 2023 - Set in the Tamil Nadu region of southern India, the recent winner of the Best Documentary Short Film Oscar, The Elephant Whisperers, is an impressive work of filmmaking. It is also a work of advocacy and education. By Louise Conner
Exodus 20:1-17 - Ten Words for Life
March 27, 2023 - What is said and done here will set a course for their future. Not just where they are going, though that is important, but who they will be and whose they will be. By James Amadon
Practical Earthkeeping: Sustainable Easter Baskets
March 25, 2023 - Sustainable swaps for Easter baskets. By Jessalyn Gentry
The Art of Creation: Creature Crossings
March 23, 2023 - As roads have widened and lengthened, and traffic has proliferated and sped up, nonhuman creatures have struggled to survive and thrive with splintered habitats, dangerous migration paths, and collisions where they almost always come out on the losing end. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Ecological Examen
March 16, 2023 - To help people see the spiritual ramifications of the ways they live within the wider creation, an ecological examen can be a meaningful and useful tool. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Among the Weeds
March 9, 2023 - On the side of many concrete buildings throughout the world, massive weeds have been appearing, causing people to turn their heads and crane their necks in spite of the fact that most people see weeds as undesirable and worthy only of being eradicated. By Louise Conner
Exodus 19 - Mountain Encounter
Mar. 7, 2023 - This story is a turning point for Israel. They've been freed from Egypt - now we begin to see that they have been liberated for a special purpose. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Poetry and Policy
March 2, 2023 - Contemplation and activism come together in the work of Homero Aridjis, Mexican writer and environmental advocate, who uses language to see, love, and protect the world we live in. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Cycling into a Different Perspective
February 23, 2023 - A set of cycling paths in Limburg, Belgium invites cyclists and others into experiences that go beyond a nice view, creating immersive experiences that shift from the normal point of view. By Louise Conner
Exodus 18:1-27 - Expansive Justice
Feb. 20, 2023 - After watching a long line of people wait all day for their turn before Moses, Jethro gives Moses a very straightforward assessment: “What you are doing is not good." - By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: What a Person Can Do
February 16, 2023 - In the big picture of the earth's ecosystem, how much good can one person do in their small corner of the world? Quite a bit, as it turns out. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: A Not-So-Distant Shore
February 9, 2023 - The exploration of earth as a biosphere, the patterns found in that biosphere, and how humans interact and affect that biosphere, are key frameworks to the work of Dutch-Canadian artist Eveline Kolijn. By Louise Conner
Exodus 17:8-15 - Genocide, Ecocide, and God
Feb. 6, 2023 - This is the part of Exodus I have not been looking forward to writing about. We must acknowledge and wrestle with these "texts of terror," as I heard a biblical scholar once refer to them. And, in the tension, there is often wisdom to be gleaned. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Infusion of Light
February 2, 2023 - The Rosary Chapel, created by Henri Matisse, though very controversial at the time of its creation due to the artist's particular style and history, is, to me, a portrayal of how the Church and Creation collaboratively infuse beauty into each other. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Prayer of Orientation
January 26, 2023 - Today I share a prayer from by José Hobday, a Seneca elder and a Sister of the Franciscan Order. Framing that prayer are some of her reflections about learning to "pray always" from the Native American spirituality of her mother and some reflections of my own. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Moving Parts
January 18, 2023 -The work of Catherine Chalmer challenges the easy lines we draw between ourselves and other creatures and between what is of value and what isn't. By Louise Conner
Exodus 17:1-7 - Water Strike
Jan. 16, 2023 - The Israelites are headed toward a place where they can stop wandering and settle down. But for them to become the kind of people that can live as God's people in a particular place, the journey they are on is essential. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Out of Each Other's Hands
January 12, 2023 - What happens when our attention snags on something that takes us out of our isolated selves into a larger, richer place? The poem, To the Fig Tree on 9th and Christian, by Ross Gay, gives us a taste of what can transpire when that happens. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: The Wonder of Rain
January 5, 2023 - This walking in the rain is really a very spiritual thing after all and there is great benefit in embracing and enjoying it whatever season I am in. By Christine Sine
Exodus 16 - Daily Bread
Jan. 3, 2022 - In this moment, they would prefer servitude with full stomachs rather than freedom with empty ones. Maybe Pharaoh wasn't so bad - at least he didn't lead them out into the desert to die! By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Markings in the Snow
December 29, 2022 - With her feet and the snowshoes, artist Sonja Hinrichsen tracks out works of art that cross and curve, sometimes over massive expanses of snowy landscape. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Expansive Love
December 22, 2022 - The list goes on and on of who and what we would exclude from God's love, but God's love expands far, far beyond the borders we would make for it. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Sounding Joy
December 15, 2022 - Like hope and peace, joy is not merely a personal emotion, but a reality we are intended to pass along to others through action—and noise. By Louise Conner
Exodus 15:22-27 - Healing Waters
Dec. 13, 2022 - The Hebrews are out of Egypt but in the wilderness, free of oppressive civilization but surrounded by rock and sand. As they start out, once again water takes center stage. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: O Day of Peace
December 8, 2022 - I invite you to experience O Day of Peace by Josh Garrels in three steps: to read the lyrics, listen to the song as sung by Garrels, and meditate and pray using his instrumental version of the song. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Advent Hope
December 1, 2022 - I wonder if this Advent, those of us in more comfortable places who have much within our grasp: relative affluence, security and power, might think less about our own need for hope and more about being agents of hope to others. By Louise Conner
Exodus 13-15: From Chaos to New Creation
November 29, 2022 - We've reached a decisive moment in the Exodus story. The Hebrews have left Egypt, but they are not yet free - one more confrontation awaits. By James Amadon
A Personal History in Creation Care: Introducing Dr. Joe Sheldon
November 21, 2022 - Meet Dr. Joe Sheldon, a Circlewood supporter who has a rich and interesting history in caring for creation—and teaching others to do so as well. By Joe Sheldon
The Art of Creation: The Story the Water Tells
November 17, 2022 - As Susie Ibarra has said, “The cascading effects of climate change create their own sound; but no one has really bothered to listen.” By Louise Conner
Learning (and Teaching) the Names of Things
November 14, 2022 - Growing up and throughout my college experience, I always loved being outside and learning about science, but this particular experience allowed me to truly find my passion for outdoor education and caring for creation. By Jessalyn Gentry
The Art of Creation: Common Home
November 10, 2022 - Today's prayer from Walter Rauschenbusch calls us to the wonder of this amazing world, and our relationship and responsibility to it. It can also be used as a prayer for corporate repentance and decision-making. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Foraged Materials
November 3, 2022 - Originally a painter and photographer, British artist Hannah Bullen-Ryner has, since 2019, been creating Land Art, using materials found in nature to form intricate works of art that nestle upon the ground as if they live there. By Louise Conner
Exodus 7-12: The Undoing of Egypt
Nov. 1, 2022 - I believe we need a new exodus, one that does not take us to a new promised land but roots us more firmly and justly right where we are. This will require humility, courage, and sacrifice - three things Pharaoh could not bring himself to embrace. Can we? By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Four Scenes of Autumn
October 27, 2022 -In today's post, I share four well-loved paintings of autumn along with reflections of how these images can help us welcome the current season. By Louise Conner
Exodus 5-6: It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
Oct. 25, 2022 - Herein lies Pharaoh's weakness - he has built an empire on the backs of people who, if they did rise up, revolt, and leave, would bring the empire to its knees. He cannot let them go, even for a weekend worship festival. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Where There Was Wire
October 19, 2022 - A hated borderland, separating the two halves of Germany, became the seedbed for a project of ecological diversity and connection. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Designing with Cardboard
October 13, 2022 - That a well-known architect has found a way to convert commonly discarded items into usable construction materials is an amazing feat of creativity and frugality. By Louise Conner
Exodus 3-4: Call and Response
Oct. 11, 2022 - As Chapter 3 begins, Moses is living his new life in Midian, married, caring for his father-in-law's flock of sheep, and safely out of the reach of Pharaoh. He is not, however, safely out of the reach of God. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Climbing Instructions
October 6, 2022 - The poem, For the Children, by Gary Snyder, written in 1974, is amazingly fitting for 2022. It reminds me of what is essential if we are going to make this world a better and safer place for those yet to be born. By Louise Conner
Exodus 2: Resistance and Awakening
Oct. 3, 2022 - One might think that Pharaoh's cruelty would work - what Hebrew would want to bring a baby into such a messed-up, violent world (something we often hear today)? Yet the pull towards life is strong... by James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Raising Funds with Bird Box Art
September 29, 2022 - 27 artists from around the United States started with identical wooden boxes and made them their own so that they could give them away! On October 1st, the online bidding to benefit A Rocha USA begins! By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: The Wonder of Sunsets
September 21, 2022 - A sunset is not primarily a photo opportunity. It is an invitation to join God in the closing of one day and experience hope at the beginning of the next, a chance to sing and dance and shout for joy at the changing beauty of each moment. By Christine Sine
Exodus 1: The Unstoppable Blessing
Sept. 19 2022 - We see from the beginning that what happens in Exodus is directly connected to God's purposes for creation, particularly as it relates to humanity's place and role. God's blessing and calling continue, despite the twists and turns of human history. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Prayer to the God of All Names
September 15, 2022 - In the prayer I share today, gratitude, grief, and the hope of transformation all find a place. The words lead into and through the daily mixture that are part of our lives, where hope butts up against chaos and mercy falls upon us in the midst of exhaustion. By Louise Conner
Exodus for an Ecological Age
Sept. 12, 2022 - Exodus has captivated me since I first read a cartoon version as a child. I believe it has the power to speak to us in a fresh way as we face the increasingly harsh realities of a planet that is in bondage to Pharaonic forces. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Storied Tradition
September 8, 2022 - Some art seems universal and could be made anywhere, but some art is rooted so specifically in a particular place that it does not seem that it could have come from anywhere else. By Louise Conner
What's On Your Mind?
Sept. 5, 2022 - Every few months we ask you, our readers, to share your questions, ideas, and resources with us. In this short post, you'll see a link to a brief form that will allow you to share what's on your mind with us. It will only take a few minutes of your time. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: A Work of Restoration
September 1, 2022 - An Ecuadorian man has invested 40 years of his life in creating an amazing island of rainforest in a place where rainforests are falling one after another. By Louise Conner
The Paths Before Us
August 29, 2022 - We knew nothing about caring for a forest, and it seemed reasonable that leaving it alone would spare it from our ignorance and allow it to grow "as nature intended." We were wrong. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Creating Connections
August 26, 2022 - Creating art is an opportunity to listen well and be drawn into a bigger story than our own personal one. By Louise Conner
Bread for the Journey
Aug. 22, 2022 - Every week people send me resource suggestions - here are a few I'm passing on to help you on the journey of ecological discipleship. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Encountering the Numinous at Delicate Arch
Aug. 18, 2022 - My friend and I explored many of the park’s famous stone arches, pinnacles, rock fins, and balanced rocks. And while all of them captivated me in different and enjoyable ways, only Delicate Arch triggered this strong compelling sense of the numinous in me. By Jeff Reed
Practical Earthkeeping: The Benefits of Native Plants
August 15, 2022 - In this article, Vidhya explores a very important and basic member of this habitat that we can welcome into our yards, gardens and communities—the native plants. By Vidhya Chintala
The Art of Creation: All This Life
August 11, 2022 - The poem, Iowa City: Early April by Robert Hass, speaks of a creation full of life, visible and active all around us. Like the bat in the poem, it stops us in our tracks, and can, when it is "loose," fly straight at our face and make us topple to the floor. By Louise Conner
The Doom Boom
August 8, 2022 - Last summer, I opened my front door on the third day of an extreme heat wave and stepped into a furnace of 110 degree heat. A heat dome had settled over the Pacific Northwest, and everything was baking. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Safe Passage
August 4, 2022 - In the effort to provide safe passages for all kinds of creatures, wildlife corridors in all shapes, sizes, and locations are built through areas which could otherwise be hazardous. A first of its kind city-wide example is the subject of today's post. By Louise Conner
I'm Back! Notes on a Transition in Progress
August 1 - Tears and laughter have been regular companions as we twist and turn our way through this moment. I'm sure you have been through something similar at some point in your life - after all, change is built into the very fabric of creation. By James Amadon
Space to Thrive
July 28, 2022 - A couple of experiences on a recent vacation brought home to me the beauty and resilience of creation's own art—as well as the good or harmful effects our actions can have on this beauty. By Louise Conner
The Wild Hospitality of God
July 25, 2022 - The Ecological Disciple welcomes back guest writer and Circlewood friend, Christine Sine, as she reflects on summer and hospitality. By Christine Sine
The Art of Creation: In Praise and Confession
June 21, 2022 - Today's prayer comes from The North American Conference on Christianity and Ecology. The prayer begins with praise and thankfulness to God for God's creation and moves into confession for sins against this gift. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Salmon School
July 14, 2022 - The art installation, Salmon School, places the plight of salmon and steelhead right before people's eyes through a "school" of blown glass fish hanging from the ceiling, absorbing the viewer imaginatively into their life and movements within a river. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Protecting Our Birds
July 11, 2022 - We can protect our birds by making bird friendly homes and choices! By Vidhya Chintala
The Art of Creation: Path for Peace
July 7, 2022 - In addition to the physical and mental challenge it provides, the Peace Maze in Northern Ireland is meant to commemorate the much longer and harder challenge of bringing peace out of decades of conflict. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Transforming a Septic Drainfield and More
July 4, 2022 - Today we welcome back Rev. Elaine Breckenridge as our guest writer as she shares a significant earthkeeping project from her own back yard. by Rev. Elaine Breckenridge
The Art of Creation: Creating a Buzz with Jazz
June 30, 2022 - A ten movement jazz piece created by Wynton Marsalis as an "animal ballet," explores the diversity, humor and quirkiness found in the animal kingdom through the medium of big band jazz and dance. By Louise Conner
How We Do It: Earthkeeping Ideas from the Circlewood Community
June 27, 2022 - Last week, since learning from each other is foundational for The Ecological Disciple (and our parent organization, Circlewood), we invited readers to share earthkeeping practices and habits from their own lives. We are grateful for those who shared from their experience.
The Art of Creation: For the Snail
June 23, 2022 - The creatures described in Characteristics of Life are humble, tentative, and vulnerable, easily overlooked and easily harmed in a world that values primarily what is like ourselves. What do we have in common, after all, with a mollusk? By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: "Back" and Its Stories
June 15, 2022 - The techniques of the Dutch Old Masters and the accuracy of scientific observation come together skillfully in the work of Isabella Kirkland. By Louise Conner
Practical Earthkeeping: Everyday Chores—A First Step to Change
June 13, 2022 - Today we introduce our new column, Practical Earthkeeping. We'll be hearing from different people in the Monday column on this topic while James is moving he and his family to Camano Island. Today, we hear about ways to make chores more sustainable. By Vidhya Chintala.
The Art of Creation: Yielding Hosanna
June 9, 2022 - This psalm written by Ernesto Cardenal points us toward the wide creation and the truth that the yielding of the word hosanna is a fit task for all of creation. By Louise Conner
When the Next Step is a Leap
June 6, 2022 - I had never heard of Camano Island. All I knew is that I had prayed for an opportunity to help people of faith rediscover that love and care for the earth and all its creatures is at the very heart of faith, and that prayer had been answered. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Re-Wondering the World
June 2, 2022 - Today, The Art of Creation welcomes back guest writer and Circlewood friend, Christine Sine as she reflects on names and wonder. By Christine Sine
The Art of Creation: Up on the Rooftop
May 25, 2022 - On the Rangsit campus of Thammasat University, Thailand, an ingenious rooftop is an example of a multifaceted solution that addresses challenges of climate change while providing significant other benefits at the same time. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Translating the Data of Change
May 19, 2022 - We can see the effects of climate change through melting ice and changing sea levels; we can watch the struggles of animals whose habitat becomes uninhabitable to them through climate change, but there are some voices that are harder to hear. By Louise Conner
Searching for Community
May 16, 2022 - It can be difficult to know how to find one’s way when pulled by love and loyalty for the communities and traditions that raised you, and yet pushed toward new forms of community that recognize something significant is not right and are doing something about it. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Two Blessings
May 12, 2022 - In the "Blessings & Prayers" sections of The Bell and the Blackbird, David Whyte explores being touched by what is around us and blessed by it. Two poems in this section, "Blessing for Sound," and "Blessing for Light," make particularly good companion pieces. By Louise Conner
Mountains of Prayer
May 9. 2022 - Most commentators and preachers focus on the centrality of solitude and prayer to the life and ministry of Jesus. What they rarely emphasize is the importance of place in these moments. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: From the Roots Up
May 5, 2022 - If all beings are related, there is a responsibility to consider the way we walk and live in this world. By Louise Conner
Lawn and Order
May 2, 2022 - A perfect lawn invites us to sit, lay, or play in its soft, green blanket. It presents us with an image of ecological health and connection. But this carefully constructed image masks multiple problems. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: A Closer Look
April 28, 2022 - Two weeks ago, at the end of my post looking at the work of Karl Blossfeldt, I invited readers to send in their own close-up pictures and drawings of what they saw when they came in for a closer look at something around them. Here are the results. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: The Enduring Legacy of Silent Spring
April 22, 2022 - In the 60th anniversary year of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, the 52nd anniversary of Earth Day, and the first anniversary of The Ecological Disciple, we look at a piece of writing that can help us take on even our current environmental crises. By Louise Conner
A Fistful of Nettles
April 18, 2022 - As I entered the forest for the first time, I was keenly aware of its beauty - and my ignorance. I had no idea how to care for a forest. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Discovering Big Things Within the Small
April 14, 2022 - Sometimes, there are things you can only see if you step in closer, focusing on a single small segment of the bigger whole. By focusing on the tiny, we may gain valuable insights of the large that we cannot gain otherwise. By Louise Conner
On Crows and Hope
April 11, 2022 - Guest writer Rick Mylander invites us to consider crows as a symbol of hope and connection.
The Art of Creation: The Garden Walk of Holy Week
April 7, 2022 - Today we welcome back Circlewood friend, Christine Sine, as a guest writer to our Thursday The Art of Creation column. We know you will be encouraged by her words today, as we approach Holy Week. By Christine Sine
Finding the Right Words
April 4, 2022 - How do we talk about something that is, for many people, a new and challenging perspective that has not been part of their vocabulary? By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: May Spring Come
March 31, 2022 - In this prayer from the Chinook Psalter, observations of the seasonal renewal at work in nature lead into a prayer that a similar renewal might happen within each of us. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Sculpting Sustainability
March 24, 2022 - The art of collaborators Martin Hill and Philippa Jones has much to say about the way we live in this world and the changes we need to make to live more successfully within it. By Louise Conner
The Power of Beauty in Troubled Times
March 22, 2022 - To see that beauty endures, even if only as a memory, is a pathway to healing. It is also a pathway to hope, helping us see our existence beyond the level or mere physicality, even as it roots us more deeply there. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Songs for the Movement
March 17, 2022 - Sometimes facts and statistics just aren't enough to change us. Music can help us imagine a different, more just way of living and move us from apathy to action. By Louise Conner
The Web of War and Peace
March 14, 2022 - The war in Ukraine reaches out and touches every person and every place. From the perspective of ecological disciples, it asks us to reflect on what it means to follow Jesus in this moment, and what we might do to "make peace" in this fragile moment. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Everything is Already Connected
March 10, 2022 - To see the connections that exist in this world is essential if we are to live well within it. The poem, Invocation, by Everett Hoagland reminds us just how necessary it is to see those connections and to live accordingly. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: A Ukrainian Artist's Philosophy of the Good
March 3, 2022 - One of the losses in recent days from the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a museum that held, among other work, a large number of paintings by Maria Prymachenko, probably the most well-know Ukrainian artist. By Louise Conner
Resources for the Journey
Feb. 23, 2022 - I occasionally share resources to help readers in their journey of ecological discipleship. I hope you find something that helps you! By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Simple Does It
February 24, 2022 - How was an overgrown dumping spot turned into a valuable environmental and community resource? The answer is actually quite simple. By Louise Conner
Embracing Adaptation
Feb. 21, 2022 - In 2015, my wife Debbie and had the remarkable opportunity to visit the Galapagos Islands. It opened a new world to us. By Mac Taylor
The Art of Creation: Listening Up
February 17, 2022 - We can be such noisy creatures. And for the most part, we seem oblivious to what we're squashing underneath the continuous soundtrack of our own noise-making. Chris Watson, British sound artist has valuable things to teach us. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Ready for Winter but not for Spring
February 10, 2022 - Have you ever wondered how trees survive below-zero weather or why an early warm spell followed by freezing temperatures can kill trees that survive far colder temperatures in a usual winter? The answers are astounding with powerful implications for our faith. By Christine Sine
The Efficiency Paradox
Feb. 8, 2022 - Have you ever noticed that when an extra lane is added to a highway to reduce congestion it typically clogs up with cars soon after it is added? This is the efficiency paradox. - By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Connecting with the World through Whimsy and Ducks
February 3, 2022 - The art of Michael Leunig may appear simple—even childlike—it gives us images of ecosystems and connection that deeply remind us of the beauty and joy within both the individual person and the wider community of creation. By Louise Conner
Living With Tension
Feb. 1, 2022 - “I feel like I am living in two different worlds.” I have said, and heard, this phrase many times over the last few months. Perhaps you have as well. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Standing in Place
January 27, 2022 - The poem Lost by David Wagoner speaks about the movement from being lost to being found—from disconnection and disorientation to connection and placement. This movement from one to the other is accomplished, ironically, according to the poem, by standing still. By Louise Conner
Living in Circles
Jan. 24, 2022 - A third and final reflection on Becoming Rooted, Randy Woodley's latest book of 100 short meditations to help us reconnect with the earth. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Natural Designs
January 20, 2022 - Using keen observation skills and an aptitude for creative solutions, people in northeastern India have, for at least 500 years, built bridges that require only a particular kind of tree, patience, time, and diligent effort and cooperation. By Louise Conner
Think Before You Stomp
Jan. 17, 2022 - Another meditation from Randy Woodley's latest book, "Becoming Rooted." By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: That We May
January 13, 2022 - I invite you to pray this prayer, not reading it as words to be assented to, but confession to be made, praise to be voiced, action to be taken: consciously, deliberately, and sincerely. By Louise Conner
Becoming Rooted
Jan. 10, 2022 - I do not make New Year's resolutions, but I do think about habits and patterns in my life that need to change. This month I invite you to meet my guide. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: On Ice
January 6, 2022 - This five-minute dance on the ice of Antarctica has its roots in this New Zealander's interest in Antarctica, concern about climate change, love of dance, and his interest in bringing the art form outside theaters and to a wider audience. By Louise Conner
The Year to Come
January 3, 2022 - As we turn our attention to the coming year, we are aware that, from a planetary perspective, we are entering a critical year in a critical decade. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Bringing the Garden Inside
December 30, 2021 - When you lie down a field of flowers, the sights, sounds, and smell surround you—you are immersed in the experience. How do you replicate that for people within a gallery space? By Louise Conner
Hiding in Plain Sight #6 – Jesus is Not Just For Us
Dec. 27, 2021 - We think Jesus is all about humanity. But the Bible has a lot to say about Jesus' relationship with animals, if we have the eyes to see. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Quiet Mystery
December 23, 2021 -This poem reminds us of an essential truth—a way of seeing what is around us in a different way—much like turning the knob on a set of binoculars so that our view changes from a fuzzy mess to a clear picture of what we couldn't distinguish before. By Louise Conner
Hiding in Plain Sight #5: Creation Teaches Us How To Praise
Dec. 20, 2021 - By reading Psalm 148, through eco-theological lenses, we can begin to see (and hear) the symphony of praise that echoes through every nook and cranny of creation and calls us to join in. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Sunken Sculpture, Living Art
December 16 - Whenever you create art, there is element of letting go of it. You can’t control the viewer’s response or interpretation and after you make it, you have to release it. For Jason deCaires Taylor, this letting go is more extreme than is usual. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: From Our Readers
December 9, 2021 - We hope you enjoy today's post, with contributions sent in by some of our readers. By Louise Conner
Hiding in Plain Sight #4: The Ecological Voice and Vision of the Prophets
Dec. 6, 2021 - Reading the biblical prophets can reveal distinctly ecological voices and visions that offer prophetic wisdom for us today. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Giving Dirt Its Due
December 2, 2021 - It is not just with other animals of the earth that we share a commonality, but with the earth itself. By Louise Conner
Hiding in Plain Sight #3: The Law and Creation
Nov. 29, 2021 - If we look at the Law through ecological lenses we will find, hiding in plain sight, a dynamic way of life that is part of creation and given for the sake of creation. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Songs of Gratitude
November 25, 2021 - I hope that these sounds will soak into you today and will usher you into joy as you hear and enjoy the varied and expressive world that our God has made. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: The Sacred Particular
November 18, 2021 - English stained glass artist Thomas Denny has completed about 60 commissions primarily, though not exclusively, in English churches; each one of those is rooted in the particular commission, community, and place of their inception. By Louise Conner
Hiding in Plain Sight #2: God, Brothers, Blood and Soil
Nov. 16, 2021 - The story of Cain and Abel is typically understood as a human story of sibling rivalry and the dangers of giving in to jealousy, resentment, and anger. If we read the story with ecological lenses, however, the story deepens. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Songs of the Treefall
November 11, 2021 - Throughout the years, I have returned to Bruce Cockburn’s music again and again (like a favorite book) to voice aspects of my own faith, awe, delight, and anger. By Louise Conner
Hiding in Plain Sight: The Ecological Vision of Scripture
Nov. 8, 2021 - The Bible speaks of, and to, a world that is deeply interconnected and interdependent, a world in which the personal, social, ecological, cosmic, and divine dimensions of life are woven together into a dynamic and seamless whole called creation. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Prayer of Change
November 4, 2021 - With the United Nations Climate change conference happening in Glasgow, Scotland through November 12, Christians have an opportunity (and I believe, a responsibility) to pray for what is happening there. By Louise Conner
How My Faith Has Shifted #8: From Abstract Learner to Learner-Practitioner
November 1, 2021 - I feel at home in the soil. My passion for God and God’s people has become integrated with my passion and love for God’s creation. But where did this all begin? By Rev. Sarah Robinson
The Art of Creation: Planting Home
October 28, 2021 - In 1942, when Japanese Americans were removed from the West Coast to internment camps inland, the new environs were harsh and barren, intentionally isolated and surrounded by barbed wire. Growing green things was a way to grow hope in a desolate time and place. By Louise Conner
How My Faith Has Shifted #7: Eco Discipleship of My Mind and Body
October 25, 2021 - I understand my relationship to this planet both through my body and through my mind; sometimes, when I am stuck in one area, I can lean into the other to grow and transform. By Josh Harper
The Art of Creation: A Practice of Praise
October 21, 2021 - When we approach life from a posture of praise, believing that praiseworthy things are all around us, we can see things to praise that we might have overlooked and, with practice, might even find ourselves able to praise things we did not ask for or want. By Louise Conner
How My Faith Has Shifted #6: Finding Connections on My Journey
October 18, 2021 - I see a shift in myself from enjoying and consuming creation to an awareness of the connectedness of all of creation and my responsibility to care for it, for the sake of all of it. By Tonya Wishart
The Art of Creation: Not Just the Honeybee
October 14, 2021 - This piece of art both invites the viewer to marvel at the tiny creatures called bees and also invites those bees themselves to inhabit its walls, transforming itself into a living work of art. By Louise Conner
How My Faith Has Shifted #5: Discovering God's Grandeur in Nature
October 11, 2021 - One iconic experience in particular was emblematic of two shifts in my theological thinking. By Gerald M. Erickson
The Art of Creation: View from Beneath
October 7, 2021 - Soaking in a Georgia O’Keeffe painting can be as refreshing as a spell of idleness can be for people with overly-busy schedules. By Louise Conner
How My Faith Has Shifted #4: Learning to Be a Caretaker
October 4, 2021 - I realized I have a bigger role here on earth then I had thought. This scared and excited me at the same time. By Julie Stapelman
The Art of Creation: Long Live the Weeds and Wilderness
September 30, 2021 - For the earnest ecological disciple seeking sources of inspiration, a rich cache can be found in the poetry of the Victorian Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins. By Jeff Reed
How My Faith Has Shifted #3: How Creation Spirituality Enriched My Church Based Faith
September 20, 2020 - I began to see that holiness existed not just in church but in creation. By Rev. Elaine Breckenridge
The Art of Creation: Your Name is Goodness
September 24, 2021 - Is giving thanks the most fundamental part of your prayers? By Louise Conner
How My Faith Has Shifted #2: The Pacific Northwest—A Moveable Classroom
September 19, 2021 - “What is a book, experience, person, moment or series of things in your life that has accelerated your understanding and practice of ecological discipleship?" I have such an easy answer! By Jessalyn Gentry
The Art of Creation: Leaf on Leaf, Stone on Stone
September 16, 2021 - Sometimes the only way anyone will see his works is through the pictures he takes of them before they change, melt, collapse, or are brought down by a passing wind. By Louise Conner
How My Faith Has Shifted #1: My Journey from Doubt to a Wildly Wonderful Understanding and Purpose
September 13, 2021 - We welcome our first guest writer to our blog, who says, "I learnt that my God is not aloof from me in my humanity nor this created world I live in." By Vidhya Chintala
The Art of Creation: Patterned on Nature
September 9, 2021 - In Barcelona, Spain, a park originally designed to be a housing complex for the well-to-do, is a showcase for some of the most innovative and creative skills of a renowned architect known for his love of God and his love of nature. By Louise Conner
Members Mailbag #2
September 7, 2021 - Here is our second “Members Mailbag!” I am grateful for those who have commented on our most recent series - “7 Shifts We Need to Make,” or emailed me thoughts and questions about ecological discipleship in general. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Tracing a Path of Joy
September 2, 2021 - When a peach isn't "just" a peach, it can be pathway which leads from blossom to blossom, from joy to joy. By Louise Conner
How Have You Shifted?
Aug. 31, 2021 - A quick recap of the "7 Shifts We Need To Make," with an invitation for readers to respond. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Balance Regained
August 26, 2021 - Is there something in this 200-year-old musical piece that has something to teach us about being part of our world? By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Out of Balance
August 19, 2021 - What does it sound like when life is out of balance? This film gives us one perspective on this question. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Prayer for Our Relatives
August 12, 2021 - Some prayers pour from our mouths unrehearsed and some prayers provide a structure to fit inside of and learn from. There are also prayers that through new language, provide a pathway to see ourselves, our world, and our God a little differently. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: The Hand
August 5, 2021 In Glarus, Switzerland, inside a sliver of park land, between a railroad track and a street, is a sculpture that brings home a simple, but profound point about the role that humans can take in nurturing the natural world around them. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: An Unfaded Tradition
July 29, 2021 - This artist's work lights up the texts, combining the tradition of illumination with meticulous accuracy, creating pages that are vibrant, intricate works of art. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: The Riverside
July 22, 2021 Hopelessness paralyzes; in order to step into changes, we need believe that change can affect the future. By Louse Conner
The Art of Creation: Storks and Other Winged Creatures
July 15, 2021 Can we live with other creatures in a such way that not only we thrive, buy they thrive as well? By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Through Our Readers' Eyes
July 8, 2021 - This week, we share the fabulous photos sent in from readers. We hope you enjoy The Art of Creation: Through Our Readers' Eyes. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: The Daily Miraculous
July 1, 2021 - Borrowing the lens of this poet to look at the world can help someone see what is around them with new eyes. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Rocks and Lanterns
June 24, 2021 - Do you remember that feeling when you opened a new, unused box of crayons? That's the feeling that this recycle artist has when he finds ways to use what has been discarded as trash. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: The Praise of Pollen Dust and Mango Trees
June 17, 2021 - When you listen to creation, do you hear a chorus of praise? By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Beyond the Frame
June 10, 2021 - Sometimes a work of artistic redemption must go beyond the borders of our original vision to reach a point of greater completion. By Louise Conner
Members Mailbag #1
June 7, 2021 - First ever Members Mailbag! Check out what our thoughtful readers want to know, and the wisdom they have to offer. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Mourning the Unmourned
June 3, 2021 - The love of this earth we are part of may be innate to humans, but that makes it even more grievous when other loves squeeze out space for that elemental love in our hearts. By Louise Conner
Can We Help Each Other Grow?
May 31, 2021 - If you are a subscriber, here's a chance to share your voice and help other readers! By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Alive with Possibility
May 27, 2021 - True goodness and rightness isn't dull; it shimmers and sings with possibility and joy. By Louise Conner
The WAY Forward 7: We Are Always Re-Forming
May 24, 2021 - Reformation is a fundamental part of Creation. What are you helping to re-form? By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Praying for the Planet
May 20, 2021 - A prayer for our neighbors—ALL of them. By Louise Conner
The WAY Forward 6: Imagine If...
May 17, 2021 - When your mind is quiet and your heart open, what do you imagine? By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Icebergs and Islands
May 13, 2021 - When you love something, you want to protect it. That is one reason why these artists want you to love the places they love. By Louise Conner
The WAY Forward 5: Sweet Repentance
May 10, 2021 - Repentance is not only necessary, it is sweet. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Falling Down
May 6, 2021 -Instead of the words, "Don't just sit there, do something!" perhaps we need to hear, "Don't just do something, sit there!" By Louise Conner.
The WAY Forward 4: A Faith the World Is Waiting For
May 3, 2021 - It may just be the faith YOU are waiting for... by James Amadon
The Art of Creation: In Celu L'ài Formate
April 29, 2021 - We are all old enough to know that we aren't the center of the universe....right? By Louise Conner
The WAY Forward 3: Living Between Two Worlds
April 26, 2021 - To welcome a new world, we need to leave the old one behind. By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: 163 Steps
April 22, 2021 - On this path in San Francisco, you can walk from the ocean to the sky in just 163 steps. By Louise Conner
The WAY Forward 2: Walking the Long Path of Renewal
April 22, 2021 - We all want renewal, but are we prepared to leave the old world behind, to abandon our core beliefs, established practices, and privileged status? By James Amadon
The Art of Creation: Wild Things
April 22, 2021 - Welcome to The Art of Creation, a Thursday post of The Ecological Disciple. By Louise Conner
The WAY Forward 1: You Must Start Here
April 22, 2021 - There is much wrong with the world. But that is not the place to start. By James Amadon