Birding can nourish our spiritual lives.Birdwatching is a delight, a deepening. It puts us in touch with the ineffable, and it draws us toward self-denial for the sake of love. Birding brings us close to hope, abundance, and joy. In fact, it looks a lot like prayer.From having his vision opened by a rare flycatcher, to learning the power of naming while watching shorebirds, to forging friendships on a Christmas Bird Count, naturalist, birder, and Episcopal ...

“The cacophony of voices about our bodies is so loud, it’s hard to hear the voices that matter. Some of us decide to forget it all and give in to one addiction or another. I’ve done that. Some of us decide to perfect our bodies and obsess over every muscle or wrinkle. I’ve done that too. Then I discovered the truth about my body: It is a gift. A sign of God’s love. And so is yours.”Many of us think of our bodies as burdens that drag us toward failure and guilt. But what if...

From AI to the Anthropocene, technological power has pushed human life to the limits. It's at those limits that we're faced again with the questions of who we are and how we should live. What if a study of the soil, the humus from which humanity came, could shed light on our condition? What if attending to the soil could teach us something about how we should live? In The Art of Being a Creature, Ragan Sutterfield explores these questions in conversation with the ground. Turning a compost ...

We are, at our base, humus-beings. Our lives are dependent upon the soil and we flourish when we live in this reality. Unfortunately, we have been a part of a centuries-long push to build a new tower of Babel--an attempt to escape our basic dependence on the dirt. This escape has resulted in ecological disaster, unhealthy bodies, and broken communities. In answer to this denial, a habit of mind formed from working close with the soil offers us a way of thinking and seeing that enables us t...

Engages in how we should now live into this time of climate change crisisIt is hard to be hopeful in the face of climate crisis. The problem is on a scale difficult for us to understand. Actions needed to address the crisis require a radical change in way of life. Does the Church have anything unique to offer? Is there something in our life of community, worship, and prayer that suggests a different way through this time? Church, Creation, and the Common Good

“The cacophony of voices about our bodies is so loud, it’s hard to hear the voices that matter. Some of us decide to forget it all and give in to one addiction or another. I’ve done that. Some of us decide to perfect our bodies and obsess over every muscle or wrinkle. I’ve done that too. Then I discovered the truth about my body: It is a gift. A sign of God’s love. And so is yours.”Many of us think our physical natures are burdens that drag us toward failure and guilt. But...