What can raccoons teach us about adaptations to strange, new worlds?

• Find out why I collapsed to the pavement when under a tree of bats in Australia.

• Discover what my brother did when he found one in his hair one night.

• And learn how my mother used her tennis skills to rid our house of them.

Oh, and best of all- see how God uses is bats to do wonderful things in the dark, and show us how to find our self worth. Hint: it has to do with echolocation. It's all here in the show.

Raccoons, it turns out, are scary-smart and teachable. Although they are supposed to live in forests and wooded areas, they’ve adapted very well to city living. This is because of their intelligence but more so their teachableness. They learn from their city cousins how to thrive. As we navigate tough times, how teachable and adaptable are we?

Whether it's the holidays, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day or a birthday, sometimes we need a gift QUICK. And we want it to be cost-effective, nature-focused, and original. This list of ideas will serve you well. And they also are focused on benefitting your LOCAL economy, not a big box store.

Some of these ideas are DIY, some are small but useful, and some are free!

We all use a compass in life, whether we realize it or not.

In this podcast I read the Compass chapter from my latest book, This Outside Life - Finding God in the Heart of Nature. I really love this chapter because I think it’s so relatable. Both for me, and people I meet who are seeking direction for their lives.

How do we attain the perfect garden? Are there secrets only the master gardeners know? What about the perfect life? How do we attain that?

Do you feel comfortable approaching God? Most people don’t! But He tells us to be bold, like the brave little chickadee, and expect good things from His hands.

Peck, Peck, Peck. It's just so darn easy and fun to do! And I've noticed it's easiest to peck at the people we don't even know. Maybe they're famous and made a big stand on social media about a moral issue you don't agree with. What to do with these, “Christian Kardashians?”

Everyone has their favorite smells, and so does God. We will talk about the science of smell, and why aromas trigger memories. And why dogs can smell so much better than us, and how aromas can tell us whether we are lost or found. And how we can be the fragrance of Christ, even while playing ping pong.

God knows your name. He has written it on the palm of His hands. It’s not the name you were teased about. It’s not the name you call yourself when you make a mistake. Learn about your name, His name, and the Red-Winged Blackbird.

The starfish teaches us about the power of persistent prayer. Like the kind that brought down the Berlin Wall. Listen up and get prayed up as you discover the unique power of persistence! Free starfish poster to download!

Are there parts of your body you hate? I bet you thought of something immediately! We all struggle with parts of our body. But what about the parts you love? Can you name those as easily?

Bad stuff happens in life. We make stupid decisions and sometimes awful things happen to us. But God can use all of this poop to make beautiful compost. Which in turn, yields wonderful fertilizer for our souls.

Ever felt jealous scrolling through social media? I have! But owls can teach us a cool trick on what to do with those images and lies that say we aren’t living our best lives or that God is holding out on us.

Tree rings tell a tale. They tell the story about the life of a tree. Every year, the tree lays down another ring of growth. On today's episode, and how you can make choices to live a "fat tree ring" life, full of love and significance.

We all have favorites. Favorite flowers, food, songs, views, and people. And we all want to BE somebody’s favorite! To be called out as special, unique and favorited by someone is a delicious feeling. How would it feel to know in the marrow of your bones that you are one of God’s favorites?

How do we unstuff our lives, spiritually and materially? This episode explains how!

How do we lure the bluebird of happiness to our yards and our hearts? This episode explains how!

Does nature matter? What does God think about the world He has made? Does science have any data on getting outside? I talk about it all.

Announcement of the new podcast, The Nature of Hope!