The Thing with Feathers: birds and hope with Courtney Ellis

Amanda Sparkman is a professor of biology at Westmont College, an author of books for children and young adults (and adults like me who love young adult literature!), and a passionate student of the natural world. Her delight in the creatures she studies is beautifully evident in our conversation.

Join us for this lovely podcast as we cover the adaptability of Acorn Woodpeckers, the beauty of marrying science and literature, and the...

I first got to know Paul Willis as a kind grandfather who occasionally attended my church. He and his wife Sharon lived up in central California, but when they were down here visiting their children and grandchildren, they’d sit right in the front pew, always with a warm, kind word for me after the service.

Then I discovered over time that Paul had a list of credentials longer than my arm. As so many wise, brilliant, truly kin...

I first met Seth Wieck in person at the 2024 Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin University. We had a thirty second encounter where he held a door for me in his red raincoat (Michigan in April can be a little fickle when it comes to the weather) and we exchanged a greeting. That was it.

The Festival is one of those places where the sheer volume of interesting people can be overwhelming. The halls are filled with New York Times b...

Stéphanie Rousselle, founder of Gospel Spice Ministries, came on the show today to talk about her brand new book, Awaken Delight: Satisfying Your Soul’s Longing for God, out just a few weeks ago with InterVarsity Press.

Our wide-ranging conversation covered her childhood, growing up as an atheist in France, to her conversion to Christianity as a young adult, to discovering the deep delights offered to us in Christ.

Plus: a dee...

Becky McCoy knows a thing or two about being weary. Her story winds through years of striving, widowhood, long Covid, depression, and single parenting. In the midst of seasons of real suffering, she longed to connect more deeply with God. Yet so many books on spiritual practices told her to do more or try harder or just make time.

What if there was a better way?

McCoy turned to the ancient rhythms of the church to find grace and conn...

Chera Hammons has quite the story. From the ashes of an abusive marriage and subsequent divorce, she has found solace, hope, and perspective from the natural world. Her newest collection of poetry, Birds of America: poems, is gritty, gripping, and filled with grace. I couldn’t put it down.

Join me for this special conversation with Hammons as she reads her poems, tells her stories, and delves into the glimmers of hope that shi...

Have you ever wondered how birding in America truly began? You may have a few names in mind—people like Audubon or Wilson or Lewis and Clark. But have you ever heard of Mark Catesby?

Patrick Dean joins us on the show today to chat about his new book Nature’s Messenger: Mark Catesby and His Adventures in a New World. This book was such a delightful discovery of the life of a naturalist pioneer in America in the early 1700...

Amar D. Peterman is a theology student, a fellow Wisconsinite (go Badgers!), and a big believer in the power of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

His wonderful new book, Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local, is new with Eerdmans. Within it he describes what it means to come to the table, build community, and live as neighbors.

I so appreciated Amar’s wisdom in this conversation. As a pastor and a parent, I think a l...

Elizabeth Berget is the author of the beautiful new book Love Like a Mother: How the Sacred Work of Motherhood Reveals the Maternal Heart of God. If you are a mom, work with moms, are married to a mom, or have a mom (is that everyone? I think it’s everyone), this book will be a wonderful encouragement to you.

From pregnancy to birth to adoption, from trauma to delight, from compassion to strength, Berget walks us through the w...

Caleb Cray Haynes and I first connected when we realized Ben Lowe, Executive Director at the Christian conservation ministry La Rocha blurbed both of our books, which came out around the same time.

I read Caleb’s new book, Earthbound Christian, and loved it. He read my newest, Weathering Change, and said the same.

Then I invited him on my podcast and he invited me on his and then we realized—this is an amazing opportunit...

Ryan Hamm is the Global Head of Content for Open Doors International, an organization that cares for persecuted Christians around the world.

He joined me live at Lakeside Chautauqua to chat about his fear of birds (yes, really), where he’s finding hope in the midst of a world that’s burning, and why ducks are the friendliest of all avian sorts.

Plus: how we might support Christians around the world who fear for their live...

Kim Knowle-Zeller is a Lutheran minister as well as the author, most recently, of Small Steps: Blessings to Lift Your Soul on the Pilgrimage of Life. Small Steps comes out May 5 with Morehouse Publishing, and it is such a beautiful and important book.

Kim stopped by the show to talk about what a blessing is, how might we bless one another, and the power of a simple blessing to encourage and hearten us all.

As a pastor, I enjoyed refl...

Liv Ross is a monastic poet based in Missouri. Her most recent epic poem, The Blackbird Ballad, is a festival of mystery and intrigue interspersed, as is true of most good poems, with the ordinary things of life. It comes out this Eastertide with Solum Literary Press.

Today on the show, Liv joins us to talk about faithfulness, backyard birds, writing poetry, the goodness of God, and so much more. I enjoyed everything about this conv...

Professor, ornithologist, and wildlife ecologist Tim O’Connell joins us on the show today to chat about birds, spring migration, the Wilson Ornithological Society, and what he’s seeing in Oklahoma this time of year.

Tim is a great storyteller, from a random birder he picked up one day on the side of the road (and lived to tell the tale!) to interactions with his students, his professional societies, and the little deligh...

I could have talked to Ragan Sutterfield all day long. An Episcopal priest by trade, he is also a reviewer for e-Bird in Arkansas.

Ragan is a wealth of wisdom, kindness, and birdy-knowledge. He wrote the fabulous new book, Watch and Wonder: Birding as a Spiritual Practice, with Broadleaf Press.

Ragan’s perspective on birds, birding, and God is deep and wide and welcoming and filled with delight. The way he weaves together faith...

Hannah Miller King is a brilliant writer and Anglican priest living in North Carolina. She’s the author of the brand-new book (just came out on February 17 with IVP!) Feasting on Hope: How God Sets a Table in the Wilderness. I devoured it in one sitting and I was so excited to get the chance to ask Hannah all about it.

From her ecumenical childhood in different denominations to the death of her father while she was still young...

It can be a tender thing to launch a creative project into the world. That’s true whether you’re an actor, a baker, a musician, a quilter, or almost any other artisan. As a writer, releasing a book often feels like that scene in early Gray’s Anatomy where Meredith stands before Derek and says, “Pick me, choose me, love me.”

In short, it’s a little bit vulnerable.

When I launched my first book back ...

When I attend birding festivals, I love to go out on tours. There’s nothing like loading into a van with five or ten other bird enthusiasts and a couple of guides and see what we discover together. Plus: the guides carry the big, heavy spotting scopes, which is a nice perk on a long, hot day.

I don’t usually look into who my guides are before I sign up for one tour over another—I figure that if they’ve been ...

Today we’re joined on the show by Jennifer Grant, a Chicago author of books for children and adults. I’ve loved Jennifer’s work for years and was delighted to pick her brain about her newest work, Consider the Birds, a lovely picture book filled with wonder.

Jennifer talks all things children’s books, birds, and faith, including how her faith compelled her to take a stand against certain governmental practic...