Looking for books on creation care? Want a new app for the summer? I’d like to highlight a few creation care resources that have been recommended to me or that I’ve found to be useful.

1. Making Peace with the Land. I read this book with Tara last summer and it revolutionized the way I see creation and my work as a gardener. In Making Peace with the Land, Norman Wirzba gives a theological account of creation care – drawing on passages from Genesis to Colossians – in order to argue that creation care is fundamentally about partnering with Christ in His ministry of reconciliation. If you have any interest in learning more about the theology behind creation care, this is a good place to start.

2. Food & Faith. Anyone who’s been to Corhaven and tasted a “Lunch by Tara” knows the difference healthy and delicious food can make. But is there more to food than taste? Is “theology” at play around the dinner table? Could the way we eat witness to the kingdom of God? In his book, Food & Faith, Norman Wirzba explores these kinds of questions as he sets out what he sees as a “theology of eating.” Though a little philosophical, at points, the book raises questions that I think are important for Americans to consider and is a challenging and thought-provoking read.

2. The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food. I’m only about a third of the way through this book but I love it so far! The author, Dan Barber, is a world-renowned chef and co-owner of a non-profit farm and education center in New York who argues that we need a new food system that promotes the health of soil, land, sea and seed. Over the course of the book, Barber exposes problems in current agricultural practice and highlights individuals and organizations who are seeking creative alternatives. From that description, you’d think the book would be a dense read, but this NY Times best-seller is more memoir than food manifesto and reads like a novel. I’d highly recommend.

3. Welcome to the Christian Food Movement. Ever wonder what’s going on within the Christian food movement? Want to see where Corhaven fits within the wide web of creation-care- related ministries in America? You’ll find a copy of  “Welcome to the Christian Food Movement” attached. The Christian Food Movement Guide is a compilation of different organizations and initiatives that could loosely fall under the umbrella of the “Christian food movement”; and thus includes everything from community gardens to “farm churches” to think tanks.  I stumbled on the guide while doing research this spring and found it to be encouraging and eye-opening.

4. LeafsnapHD. I’m not usually one for “apps” (I think I have a total of two at the moment on my old iPhone 4) but this one was recently recommended by a retreatant. The app – which is available for free – was designed by a team of researchers from Columbia University and the Smithsonian and functions like an electronic field guide. Snap a photo of unknown plant and the app ID’s it for you. Though I haven’t yet tried it, the app appeals and sounds like the perfect thing to bring along next time you go for a hike in the Blue Ridge or Great Falls.

I hope you enjoy some of these resources! Let me know what you think.