Earthkeepers: A Circlewood Podcast on Creation Care and Spirituality

Send us a voice note In this conversation, Leah Rampy and Beth Norcross discuss their book Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees , exploring themes of earth care, spirituality, and the deep connections humans have with nature. They emphasize the importance of recognizing our kinship with the living world and the wisdom that trees can impart. The discussion also highlights the significance of c...

Send us a voice note In this engaging conversation, Forrest speaks with Jo Swinney and Jessica Schroeder about their journeys in environmental stewardship, mindful eating, and the role of food in community building. They explore the impact of food choices on the environment, the challenges of discussing climate change, and the importance of creating a nurturing community through shared meals. The...

Send us a voice note In this episode Forrest, along with Christine Sine, talk with Ruth Valerio—a British author, speaker, and activist who is passionate about both social justice and environmental justice. In this conversation, Ruth shares her journey of faith and environmental awareness, emphasizing the interconnectedness of humanity and nature. She discusses the importance of earth care as an i...

Send us a voice note In these times of environmental crisis, it becomes crucial for us to think innovatively—even experimentally—to find ways to protect and advocate for the earth. In this conversation, Paul Dettmann shares insights into Cassinia, an organization dedicated to managing 30% of Australia's ecosystems for conservation. He discusses the journey of Cassinia from its inception, the...

Send us a voice note If you’re a regular listener, you’ll know that one of our frequent—and recent—guests is Victoria Loorz, one of the founders of the Wild Church movement. In this conversation, she discusses her book Field Guide to Church of the Wild, which serves as a resource for individuals and communities seeking to reconnect with nature and spirituality. The book is a collection of stories,...

Send us a voice note As always, Earthkeepers is on the lookout for stories of faith communities who are creating new, imaginative ways to integrate creation care into the values and practices of faith life. In episode 121 for example, we spoke with folks at the Rainier Avenue Church about their urban community garden and their creation care study group. In this episode, Forrest talks with Matt and...

Send us a voice note This is a podcast interview that took place almost five years ago. We’ve chosen to air that episode again because it really speaks about the formative stages of the Earthkeepers podcast, and serves as a reminder that one of our core purposes has always been, even from the very beginning, to give more air space to “corrective voices from the margins” as often as we can. And tha...

Send us a voice note Earthkeepers podcast is committed to helping communities think creatively and boldly about ways they might care for the places where they live. In this episode, Forrest chats with three people—Rachel, Logan, and Celize—about the ways in which Rainier Avenue Church, an urban faith community in Seattle, is trying to actively integrate earth care and faith practice. Among other t...

Send us a voice note At the end of last year, Forrest spoke with Victoria Loorz about the ways in which a more ecologically-conscious faith offers hope for “edgewalkers”— a term used to describe Christ followers who have moved away from the center of conventional church, and moved  toward the creative edges of the institution—those generative marginal spaces where new imaginings and alternative ex...

Send us a voice note In recent past episodes you might recall hearing the term “edgewalkers”—and by that term, we mean those of us who have moved away from the center of conventional church and faith praxis, and moved toward the creative edges of the institutional church where new imaginings and alternate expressions of faith life are being explored. That includes, of course, new ways of thinking...

Send us a voice note Toward the end of the year Earthkeepers podcast always releases a special holiday episode that breaks from the usual interview mode. In this episode, we’re gifting a passage from our friend Christine Sine’s book called Celtic Advent: Following an Unfamiliar Path Through Advent . Earthkeepers recommends this book because in it, Christine brings fresh, life-giving perspective on...

Send us a voice note What are the prospects for the planet now that Trump has been re-elected? What are the implications of the recent election in terms of how we advocate and care for the earth? In this urgent no-frills episode, James and Forrest offer thoughts on how we might care for ourselves AND how we can persist and persevere in our calling as earthkeepers. They reflect on the recent electi...

Send us a voice note In this episode James and Forrest continue with the second part of a conversation with John Philip Newell about his new book, The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Search for Healing and Home . In this book, John Philip argues for a re-imagining of how we relate to creation, to each other, to God and even to ourselves. He advocates for engaging creation as the pri...

Send us a voice note James and Forrest have a conversation with John Philip Newell about his new book, The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Search for Healing and Home . In this book, John Philip argues for a re-imagining of how we relate to creation, to each other, to God and even to ourselves. He advocates for engaging creation as the primary means of knowing God, of seeing the sac...

Send us a voice note Host Forrest Inslee discusses the profound impact of displacement on individuals and communities, particularly in the context of refugees. He speaks with Hale Gencel, a Turkish mental health professional and artist, who utilizes art as a therapeutic tool to help displaced individuals process trauma and build resilience. The conversation explores the importance of place and ide...

Send us a voice note In this archive episode Forrest and James talk to Norman Wirzba, professor and author of a book called Agrarian Spirit: Cultivating Faith, Community, and the Land. In this book, Dr. Wirzba makes the case for a kind of spirituality that is grounded in deep awareness of creation. Among other things, this sort of humble, earthy spirituality that he encourages us to practice stand...

Send us a voice note This is a different sort of episode from our normal format. Basically, it is a small book review followed by a conversation between that book’s author and Christine Sine. The book is called The God of Wild Places, by a chap named Tony Jones. It is a deeply honest account of the author's life, filled with stories of failure, self-doubt, and redemption. Jones also explores...

Send us a voice note Leah Kostamo, a counselor and spiritual director, discusses the ways in which her helping practices integrate and collaborate with nature. She emphasizes the shared meaning of caring for creation as a way of joining in God’s work and finding hope thereby. In her musings about self-care and creation care, she emphasizes the ways that nature can heal us. She also highlights the...

Send us a voice note Forrest talks with Liuan Huska, about her work with what she calls “liturgies of restoration.” Commissioned by the Au Sable Institute, Liuan has developed a workbook, which is now the basis of a course—one that helps people to explore how habits of thought and action shape our character, and inform the larger stories we tell ourselves—especially as they relate to our relations...

Send us a voice note Forrest, the Earthkeepers podcast host, also works for the Pacific Rim Institute for Environmental Stewardship on Whidbey Island, off the coast of Washington State. This episode focuses on one of PRI's partners, an organization called the Au Sable Institute, which serves undergraduate students whose vocational interests lie in some form of earthkeeping work. Have a listen...

Send us a voice note In recognition of the recent summer solstice, we are releasing an episode from the podcast archives. This is in fact an episode from season one, a conversation with Randy Woodley. Out of all the episodes we’ve done, this episode has been listened to more than any other—and for good reason!  As you listen to this conversation, you might ask yourself a practical question: What i...

Send us a voice note In this episode (part two of the conversation begun in the last episode) Forrest and Wes focus more directly on the overarching theme of season five: the idea that every vocation can somehow be made greener—and that in almost every job we can find ways to practice the values of earthkeeping. As a real estate agent in Philladelphia, Wes has given lots of thought to how his work...

Send us a voice note In this podcast we speak often of the particular concerns of younger generations—including Gen X, Millennials and Gen Alpha. We try to pay attention to voices representing these generations, knowing that they are the ones who will ultimately suffer more as the climate changes—bringing increasing environmental and social disruption in the coming years.  In this, the first of tw...

Send us a voice note Back in 2001, Brian McLaren wrote a book called A New Kind of Christian. For many, it turned out to be a revolutionary book that explored a kind of faith outside the boxes of mainstream Christianity—a faith that challenged tired, unhelpful ways of thinking and doing, and raised exciting possibilities for a reinvigorated postmodern Christianity.  His latest book, called Life Af...

Send us a voice note Every now and then, Earthkeepers features an interview with an author about a new book,  but only ones that we recommend . That is certainly the case with Leah Rampy’s new offering, called Earth and Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos . In the book, she explores what lies beneath our unwillingness to change how we interact with the natural world, but also what we can do to n...