Environment
The earth is not a backdrop to the Gospel — it is part of it. These posts gather voices who believe that caring for creation is inseparable from following Jesus: writers who listen to trees, learn from salamanders, mourn droughts, celebrate fireflies, and show up to fight for sacred land. Whether you’re looking for theology, poetry, practical action, or just a reminder that the ground beneath your feet is holy, this is a place to deepen your love for the world God made — and to figure out what that love asks of you.
‘You are my flowers’: Learning to love
While I was in college in San Diego, one of my favorite places to wander around with a camera and journal was Balboa Park —…
A stone in place of bread
The summer I was 19, I dropped out of college and moved to an organic wheat farm in Kansas to help start a radical conservative…
Finding Christ in Every Corner of the Cosmos
The last time I wrote for Messy Jesus Business, I discussed one of my favorite topics –– the Holy Grail. I want to return to…
A Spiritual Lesson From the Salamanders
Over Christmas break, after the brutal winter storm gave way to unseasonal warmth, my sister and I made a clandestine visit to the property where…
Dorothy Fortenberry: Climate and Creation
Episode 55 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Stitcher | Email | RSS | More “We all will be affected by climate change… can…
David Hockney and ‘the Duty of Delight’
On the cusp of turning 80 years old in 2020, David Hockney, the British pop artist known for his vivid California landscapes, decided to go…
The Holy Grail: God’s grace on earth
Recently I watched the “The Fisher King” for the first time. For those unfamiliar with this 1991 film, it stars Jeff Bridges as a Howard…
Little Winter Flower
Soon after I turned 24 last winter, I went on a weekend hermitage. I stayed in a solitary cabin in rural Illinois, remote and full…