In this special off-season episode of Climate Changed, we are thrilled to feature a podcast swap with ecoChristian, hosted by Rev. Caleb Cray Haynes. Caleb sits down with author, speaker, and Presbyterian pastor Courtney Ellis to discuss her newest book, Weathering Change, alongside his recent book, Earthbound Christian.

By observing how the more-than-human world adapts to transition—from the resilience of migrating birds to the mystery of deep-sea rays—Courtney and Caleb invite us to see our own human limits as a feature of God's design. It is a tender, honest conversation about curiosity, grief, and finding joy in our local biomes.

About the Guests: Courtney Ellis is a Presbyterian pastor, speaker, and host of The Thing with Feathers podcast. She wrote Weathering Change: Seeking Peace Amid Life’s Tough Transitions. Rev. Caleb Cray Haynes is the host of the ecoChristian podcast, co-founder of Nazarenes for Creation Care, and author of Earthbound Christian: Flourishing within limits in the age of infinite growth.

Key Topics Covered

The Power of Curiosity in Change: Approaching transitions with gentle curiosity instead of judgment.

Flourishing Within Limits: Embracing our finite nature in an age of infinite growth.

Descending Rather Than Climbing: Choosing humility, confession, and presence over the constant drive to produce and transcend.

Finding Joy in the Local Biome: Using wonder and delight as the primary motivations for creation care.

Resource Links & References

The ecoChristian Podcast and Substack

https://calebcrayhaynes.substack.com/

Courtney Ellis https://courtneybellis.com/

Caleb Cray Haynes https://calebcrayhaynes.com/

Explore More For full show notes, transcripts, discussion guides, and links to all the resources mentioned in this episode, please visit our website at https://climatechangedpodcast.org/.

In this special off-season episode of Climate Changed, we are thrilled to share a podcast swap with Refugia. The show is hosted by our good friend and colleague, Professor Debra Rienstra.

Debra explores the biological concept of "refugia"—habitats where life endures in times of crisis. She applies this as a profound metaphor for how people of faith can nurture life-giving spaces today.

In this episode, Debra visits Spring Forest, a new monastic community and regenerative farm in North Carolina. She sits down with its founder and abbess, Dr. Elaine Heath, for a beautiful conversation about holy experimentation outside the traditional walls of the church.

Episode Highlights:

• The Metaphor of Refugia: Nurturing life-giving spaces in our earth and spiritual communities during times of severe disturbance.
• The Church's "Dark Night": Understanding the current confusion in conventional churches as a Spirit-breathed "dark night of the soul".
• Holy Experimentation: How Spring Forest functions as a dispersed network rooted in a simple rule of life: prayer, work, table, neighbor, and rest.
• Neighboring Well: A practical starting point for change—forming authentic friendships and sharing meals with the people who live on your street.

About This Swap: Rev. Nicole Diroff, Associate Director at The BTS Center, introduces and wraps up this special shared episode.

If you are joining us from the Refugia feed, welcome to Climate Changed! If you haven't yet, we highly encourage you to go back and listen to our recently completed Season 4, where we challenge listeners to engage in world-building through spiritual imagination, grief work, and adaptation.

Learn more about Debra Rienstra and listen to more Refugia episodes: https://debrarienstra.com/podcast/

Explore More: For full show notes, transcripts, discussion guides, and links to all the resources mentioned in this episode, please visit our website at https://climatechangedpodcast.org/.

How do we turn spiritual imagination into practical action in a climate-changed world?

In Part Two of our Season 4 reflection, Rev. Nicole Diroff, Peterson Toscano, and Ophelia Hu Kinney dive into a flood of inspiring listener voicemails—including a reflection from Susan in Baton Rouge on how local churches coordinated disaster response during Hurricane Katrina—to explore what world-building looks like in real time.

From disaster response asset mapping after Hurricane Katrina to congregational solar panel votes, public repair, and indigenous wisdom on building a "bird with two strong wings," this episode offers a roadmap for living, loving, and leading today.

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

• Asset Mapping in Crisis: How local communities and churches organize existing gifts to adapt before disaster strikes.
• A Bird with Two Strong Wings: Dwayne Tomah's indigenous perspective on moving past political divides toward shared truth and collective action.
• Dream Seeds & Practical Action: Translating spiritual hope into real commitments like community solar energy.
• Becoming Good Ancestors: Stretching our moral imaginations to care for generations across time.
• Opportunity Multipliers: Seeing climate challenges as a catalyst for deeper human connection.

Listen in and discover how we can keep building what love requires!

🌐 Learn more & access discussion guides: thebtscenter.org

📧 Email us: podcast@thebtscenter.org