Topics

Poetry

The Art of Creation: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Hubris

Ancient wisdom declares without ambiguity that ecological destruction will reap heavy consequences not only on those swing the axe, but also on all the innocent bystanders as well, especially the poor and vulnerable among us.

The Art of Creation: Surfeit of Glory

Looking for the lowliest of the lowly, poet A.R. Ammons instead found a world filled with wonder.

The Art of Creation: The Lightest Touch

September 18, 2025 - As Pattiann Rogers demonstrates in this poem, "Poetry is nearer to music than it is to prose." By Louise Conenr

The Art of Creation: Belonging and Brokenness

June 5, 2025 - Today's poem, Every Riven Thing, was written by Christian Wiman. It sees God's presence in everything God has made—all that is riven (broken, sundered, torn apart). By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: Wall of Wonders

April 10, 2025 - Readers share what wonders they have found outside their doors in recent weeks. 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

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

Peace

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Prayer

The Art of Creation: A Litany of Change

Here is a prayer for an individual or a community striving to change their relationship with the rest of the created world.

The Art of Creation: A Prayer of Change

October 9, 2025 - The God of this prayer is a very big God. We may need to take a few step backwards and crane our necks. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: All Creatures

June 26,2025 - This prayer from the Episcopal Church recognizes that God's mercy is over all of the creation. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: The Earth Cries Out

April 24, 2025 - In light of Pope Francis' strong advocacy on behalf of the planet and all of its creatures, we share a prayer and video through which we hear his voice encouraging us to listen and respond to the cries that come from the earth and its creatures. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: Receive and Respond

March 13, 2025 - In looking for more healthy ways to respond to accumulating concerns, I am trying to make prayer my first response. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: An Advent Prayer

December 19, 2024 - This prayer for Advent reminds me of how the Incarnation demonstrates honor and love for all of the created world, human and non-human. By Louise Conner

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

Art

The Art of Creation: Circles of Color

A mural created from plastic bottle caps points to the values of sustainability and teamwork.

The Art of Creation: Shadows and Scars

October 23, 2025 - David Morrison's exceptional attention to detail helps expose the extraordinary designs and patterns of "ordinary" natural objects. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: Stones that Breathe

September 4, 2025 - Dry stone walling has been declared as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Here are some reasons why. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: Place

July 31, 2025 - The art of Phaedra Taylor is delicate—and yet strong enough to elicit strong emotions about place and home. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: Walls and Windows

May 8, 2025 - The textiles and wallpaper created by Newton Paisley of Whitstable, England, can be appreciated and enjoyed on a purely aesthetic level, but knowing the story (or more accurately, the stories) behind the designs, makes the art even more compelling. By Louise Conner

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

Discipleship

The Way Forward: But Now I See—The Journey of Reflection

September 11, 2025 - As the years went by, the image that I had created for my life began to crumble as I embarked on what I now recognize as the journey of ecological discipleship. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: What If We...—The Journey of Imagination

July 10, 2025 - The loss of hope that many are experiencing is accompanied by the loss of the most powerful force of change we humans have at our disposal - our imagination. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: Born to Be Wild—The Journey of Rewilding

Jun 14, 2025 - Ecological disciples seek to follow the path that leads us deeper into creation and the life of the Creator. This is the journey of rewilding; here is what it looks like. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: Turn, Turn, Turn—The Journey of Repentance

May 2, 2025 - Many Christians think of repentance as remorse coupled with a promise not to repeat whatever wrong has been done. But true repentance is much more than this; it involves three distinct turns that require compassion, conversion, and courage. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: Not the Way It's Supposed to Be - the Journey of Resistance

Fri, April 18 - As questions piled up, I found that I could no longer accept the status quo. I found myself resisting the dominant theologies, cultural values, politics, and everyday practices that have brought us to this point. I started wondering if there was another way. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: The Eight Stages of the Journey

April 3, 2025 - While everyone's journey is unique, there are eight common stages, or terrains, that ecological disciples travel through. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: A Patterned Journey

March 3, 2025 - The journey of ecological discipleship follows a pattern with common characteristics and stages that everyone on the journey must go through. By James Amadon

Members Mailbag

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Creation

The Art of Creation: All Creatures

June 26,2025 - This prayer from the Episcopal Church recognizes that God's mercy is over all of the creation. By Louise Conner

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 Way Forward: 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

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

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

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

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

Sculpture

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: Leaf Bowls

September 19, 2024 - Artist Kay Sekimachi transforms the fragility of leaves into bowls of beauty. By Louise Conner

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

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: 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 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: 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

Bible/Theology

The Way Forward: The Land Remembers

Even when society does not remember these ancient land relationships, the land remembers, the land is a witness. How will the land remember you?

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Readers

The Art of Creation: Wall of Wonders

April 10, 2025 - Readers share what wonders they have found outside their doors in recent weeks. 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.

The Way Forward: 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 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 Way Forward: 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: 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

The Way Forward: 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

Photography

The Art of Creation: Neither Plant nor Animal

Stephen Axford was looking for a hobby - he found something that changed his view of the world.

The Art of Creation: Wall of Wonders

April 10, 2025 - Readers share what wonders they have found outside their doors in recent weeks. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: EPA's Documerica

March 27, 2025 - Fifty-five years ago, the newly established EPA created a massive collection of images showing the harm we were doing to the earth (and ourselves). There is still much these images can teach us. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: Outside Your Door

January 2, 2024 - At the beginning of a new year, Louise shares an invitation to explore the "book" just outside your door at least a little bit each day. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: Indigestible

December 5, 2024 - If we need motivation to make changes in our use of plastic, the work of Chris Jordan, a photographer from Seattle, Washington may provide impetus to change. 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

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

History

The Way Forward: 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: 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

Church

Practical Earthkeeping: Cultural Formation and the Church

December 7, 2024 - By insisting on action, we push back on the temptation to just add “sustainability” to the list of issues we discuss at Bible studies, and by insisting on spiritual formation, we affirm that effective environmental action begins with inner transformation. By Noah Guthrie

The Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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

Music

The Art of Creation: An Advent Hymn of Hope

The traditional Advent hymn, Conditor alme siderum, offers hope in a world that so often resounds with fear and death.

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: 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

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.

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

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: 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

Architecture

The Art of Creation: A Bridge Across

An annual community gathering honors and strengthens connections between people and place, the past and present.

The Art of Creation: Stones that Breathe

September 4, 2025 - Dry stone walling has been declared as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Here are some reasons why. 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

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

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: 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

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

Guest

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

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: 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

The Way Forward: 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: Spring Migration

April 22, 2023 - Practical tips to help birds during their spring migration. By Kevin Vande Vusse.

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

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

Animals

The Art of Creation: In a Whir of Wings

July 17, 2025 - The film, Every Little Thing, pays tribute both to a woman who rehabilitates hummingbirds and to the hummingbirds themselves. By Louise Conner

The Art of Creation: Walls and Windows

May 8, 2025 - The textiles and wallpaper created by Newton Paisley of Whitstable, England, can be appreciated and enjoyed on a purely aesthetic level, but knowing the story (or more accurately, the stories) behind the designs, makes the art even more compelling. By Louise Conner

Practical Earthkeeping: Cultivating Empathetic Awe

April 14, 2025 - How can we cultivate the kind of awe, wonder, and love that leads us to action? By Noah Guthrie

The Art of Creation: Indigestible

December 5, 2024 - If we need motivation to make changes in our use of plastic, the work of Chris Jordan, a photographer from Seattle, Washington may provide impetus to change. By Louise Conner

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: 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: 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

Indigenous

The Way Forward: The Land Remembers

Even when society does not remember these ancient land relationships, the land remembers, the land is a witness. How will the land remember you?

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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: 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

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Gardening

The Art of Creation: Flipping Gray into Green

The new Dutch sport of tegelwippen brings the fun of friendly competition together with care of the earth.

The Art of Creation: A Piece of Garden

May 22, 2025 - Though they go by many names, allotment gardens are popular throughout the world, with Denmark the place where the idea first sprouted. 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: 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: 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

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

Practical Earthkeeping: Embracing the Meadow—A Brief Ethic of Pest Control

July 15, 2023 - We have plenty to share. By S. E. Reid.

Trees

The Way Forward: Trees as Homemakers

Oct. 1, 2025 - In their quiet wisdom and rootedness, trees have much to teach us about creating home for ourselves and offering a home to others. By Stephanie and Wesley Vander Lugt

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 Way Forward: 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: 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: 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

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

Faith

The Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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: 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

Resources

Celebrating Four Years

April 22, 2025 - Five of The Ecological Disciple's Most-Read Pieces

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Prose

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

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

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

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: 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

Pesticides

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

Community

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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: 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: 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

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Practrical Earthkeeping: 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.

Earthkeeping

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

The Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Climate change

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: 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

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

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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: 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

Joy

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

Exodus

The Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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

Education

The Way Forward: 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

Practical Earthkeeping: 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 Way Forward: 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

Water

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

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: 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

The Art of Creation: 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

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: 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

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

insects

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: 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

Justice

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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

Worship

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 Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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: 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: 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

Leadership

The Way Forward: 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

Activism

The Art of Creation: Receive and Respond

March 13, 2025 - In looking for more healthy ways to respond to accumulating concerns, I am trying to make prayer my first response. By Louise Conner

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 Way Forward: 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

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

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 Way Forward: 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

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

Grief

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

The Way Forward: 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

Gospel

The Way Forward: 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

Recycling

The Art of Creation: Circles of Color

A mural created from plastic bottle caps points to the values of sustainability and teamwork.

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

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.

Hiding

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Shift

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

shifted

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Household

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.

Practical Earthkeeping: Greening Our Cars

October 14, 2023 - Guest writer Abigail shares about her family's electric vehicles. By Abigail Welborn.

Practical Earthkeeping: Paper Towels

September 2, 2023 - In this practical piece, Jessalyn shares an alternative to paper towels. By Jessalyn Gentry.

Practical Earthkeeping: Greening Around the House

August 19, 2023. Household actions can have a big impact. By Abigail Welborn.

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

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.

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.

Heaven

The Way Forward: 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

Plants

The Art of Creation: Shadows and Scars

October 23, 2025 - David Morrison's exceptional attention to detail helps expose the extraordinary designs and patterns of "ordinary" natural objects. By Louise Conner

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: 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: 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

Practical Earthkeeping

Practical Earthkeeping: Feathered Friends and Collateral Damage

How can we protect the beautiful birds who live among us?

Practical Earthkeeping: Hospitality Toward Nature

October 30, 2025 - Noah Guthrie, a regular contributor to The Ecological Disciple, reflects on his recent time in Peru and what he learned about hospitality. By Noah Guthrie

Practical Earthkeeping: Turning Off Lights

August 21, 2025 - Darkness, a friend to many creatures, is often banished by the ever-shining light bulbs of human habitation. By Louise Conner

Practical Earthkeeping: Cultivating Empathetic Awe

April 14, 2025 - How can we cultivate the kind of awe, wonder, and love that leads us to action? By Noah Guthrie

Practical Earthkeeping: Cultural Formation and the Church

December 7, 2024 - By insisting on action, we push back on the temptation to just add “sustainability” to the list of issues we discuss at Bible studies, and by insisting on spiritual formation, we affirm that effective environmental action begins with inner transformation. By Noah Guthrie

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

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

Ecological discipleship

The Way Forward: Desiring Less for Lent

The work of desiring less, not just trying to consume or purchase less, but actually desiring less in the first place, is a spiritual practice that takes deep reflective work. But how do we get from here to there?

The Way Forward: But Now I See—The Journey of Reflection

September 11, 2025 - As the years went by, the image that I had created for my life began to crumble as I embarked on what I now recognize as the journey of ecological discipleship. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: An Edifying Journey

August 15, 2025 - A few weeks ago, Circlewood hosted 26 middle school and high school students from four churches based in McMinnville, OR. Here is a brief summary of what we did together, along with what I learned. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: Born to Be Wild—The Journey of Rewilding

Jun 14, 2025 - Ecological disciples seek to follow the path that leads us deeper into creation and the life of the Creator. This is the journey of rewilding; here is what it looks like. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: We Need to Leave This World(view) Behind

Feb. 3, 2024 - What do you do when you begin to question the world we live in? Can you leave it behind? By James Amadon

The Way Forward: The Journey Before Us

Jan. 8, 2024 - We are not experts - we are on the journey as well - but we have learned a lot along the way and are ready to guide others as they set out on this exciting and important adventure. By James Amadon

The Journey of Ecological Discipleship

The Way Forward: All Things New—The Path of Reform

September 25, 2025 - There is so much that needs changing in our world that it can be overwhelming to think about where to begin. Here's how you discern the change you are called to make. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: But Now I See—The Journey of Reflection

September 11, 2025 - As the years went by, the image that I had created for my life began to crumble as I embarked on what I now recognize as the journey of ecological discipleship. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: An Edifying Journey

August 15, 2025 - A few weeks ago, Circlewood hosted 26 middle school and high school students from four churches based in McMinnville, OR. Here is a brief summary of what we did together, along with what I learned. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: What If We...—The Journey of Imagination

July 10, 2025 - The loss of hope that many are experiencing is accompanied by the loss of the most powerful force of change we humans have at our disposal - our imagination. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: Born to Be Wild—The Journey of Rewilding

Jun 14, 2025 - Ecological disciples seek to follow the path that leads us deeper into creation and the life of the Creator. This is the journey of rewilding; here is what it looks like. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: Companions on the Journey

May 29, 2025 - I've been teaching the Journey of Ecological Discipleship to some fellow travelers at Circlewood's new ecological learning center on Camano Island. Here's what I've learned. By James Amadon

The Way Forward: Turn, Turn, Turn—The Journey of Repentance

May 2, 2025 - Many Christians think of repentance as remorse coupled with a promise not to repeat whatever wrong has been done. But true repentance is much more than this; it involves three distinct turns that require compassion, conversion, and courage. By James Amadon

The Art of Creation

The Art of Creation: A Bridge Across

An annual community gathering honors and strengthens connections between people and place, the past and present.

The Art of Creation: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Hubris

Ancient wisdom declares without ambiguity that ecological destruction will reap heavy consequences not only on those swing the axe, but also on all the innocent bystanders as well, especially the poor and vulnerable among us.

The Art of Creation: Circles of Color

A mural created from plastic bottle caps points to the values of sustainability and teamwork.

The Art of Creation: A Litany of Change

Here is a prayer for an individual or a community striving to change their relationship with the rest of the created world.

The Art of Creation: Cedar Bark

The bark of a downed cedar tree provides more than just raw material for a project.

The Art of Creation: Surfeit of Glory

Looking for the lowliest of the lowly, poet A.R. Ammons instead found a world filled with wonder.

The Art of Creation: An Advent Hymn of Hope

The traditional Advent hymn, Conditor alme siderum, offers hope in a world that so often resounds with fear and death.

The Way Forward

The Way Forward: The Land Remembers

Even when society does not remember these ancient land relationships, the land remembers, the land is a witness. How will the land remember you?

The Way Forward: Desiring Less for Lent

The work of desiring less, not just trying to consume or purchase less, but actually desiring less in the first place, is a spiritual practice that takes deep reflective work. But how do we get from here to there?

The Way Forward: You Won't Hear Much from Me

I'm stepping away from regular writing for The Ecological Disciple this year. Here's why.

The Way Forward: Going to SUNday School

Over the last few years, I have became intensely aware of our nearest star. Here's what the Sun has taught me.

The Way Forward: The Imaginative Church

Stories of three church communities that are practicing ecological discipleship in creative ways.

The Way Forward: Wisdom In the Midst of Uncertainty

10-18-25 - How do we remain informed when we are surrounded by a media ecosystem full of disinformation and distraction? How do we remain hopeful when we see the things we care about being pulled apart? By James Amadon

The Way Forward: Trees as Homemakers

Oct. 1, 2025 - In their quiet wisdom and rootedness, trees have much to teach us about creating home for ourselves and offering a home to others. By Stephanie and Wesley Vander Lugt

Pope Francis

The Art of Creation: The Earth Cries Out

April 24, 2025 - In light of Pope Francis' strong advocacy on behalf of the planet and all of its creatures, we share a prayer and video through which we hear his voice encouraging us to listen and respond to the cries that come from the earth and its creatures. By Louise Conner

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

Laudato Si

The Art of Creation: The Earth Cries Out

April 24, 2025 - In light of Pope Francis' strong advocacy on behalf of the planet and all of its creatures, we share a prayer and video through which we hear his voice encouraging us to listen and respond to the cries that come from the earth and its creatures. By Louise Conner

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

Pollution

Practical Earthkeeping: Turning Off Lights

August 21, 2025 - Darkness, a friend to many creatures, is often banished by the ever-shining light bulbs of human habitation. By Louise Conner

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

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: 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

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.

Seasonal

The Way Forward: Desiring Less for Lent

The work of desiring less, not just trying to consume or purchase less, but actually desiring less in the first place, is a spiritual practice that takes deep reflective work. But how do we get from here to there?

Celebrating Four Years

April 22, 2025 - Five of The Ecological Disciple's Most-Read Pieces

The Way Forward: 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: 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

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

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

Circlewood

The Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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

Performance

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 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

Top 5 Most-Read

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 Way Forward: 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 Way Forward: 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: 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

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

Latest

The Art of Creation: Circles of Color

A mural created from plastic bottle caps points to the values of sustainability and teamwork.

The Art of Creation: Neither Plant nor Animal

Stephen Axford was looking for a hobby - he found something that changed his view of the world.

Welcome

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The Ecological Disciple is an online journal for people learning to follow Jesus from the ground up. We publish original writing weekly. Subscribe to receive each new piece delivered directly to your email. We publish three columns: The Way Forward, The Art of Creation, and Practical Earthkeeping.

Most Recent Writing

The Way Forward: The Land Remembers

Even when society does not remember these ancient land relationships, the land remembers, the land is a witness. How will the land remember you?