The Good Things List 2024
All the things that inspired us in creation care this year. We hope you may be inspired too!
By Zoe Matties, Manitoba Program Manager (with help from A Rocha staff and friends)
Nov 1, 2024
Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future – Patty Krawek
“What a beautiful book. This would be an excellent primer for anyone who wants to start the journey towards learning about settler colonialism, healing past harms, and working towards a future together, where all of creation can flourish. Krawec, who is Ojibwe, uses accessible language, speaks from her own experience, brings in plenty of material from diverse sources, and lays out pathways to solidarity with the land and with others. I especially appreciated that she gently calls out Christians and the church, showing how harmful Christian actions and beliefs have been, but that it also doesn’t have to continue to be that way.”
- Zoe Matties, Manitoba Program Manager
“The question has never been whether we are related but how we live out those relationships with the land, with other-than-human relatives, and with each other.” – Patty Krawek
Sun House – David James Duncan
- Autumn Ricksecker, A Rocha International Social Media and Content Coordinator
“I need to express love for the remnants of a planet that isn’t yet dead, and grief for the countless places that are.” – David James Duncan
The Wild Robot – Dreamworks
“Based on the book of the same name by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot shows a robot stranded in the wilderness, learning from the creatures on the island and becoming a part of the community, helping many different animals in her journey. The animation in the movie beautifully shows the awe and wonder of every element of the natural world. The story is also doing so much, balancing challenge and loss with newness and hope. This is a story that encourages us to press on. While the beauty of the world we are living in is in flux, we can still strive towards something beautiful, and perhaps different then we might have expected.”
- Graham Peters, Manitoba Conservation Science Coordinator
Every Moment Holy – Douglas Kaine McKelvey
- Cassandra Visser, A Rocha Canada Board Member
“Lord, in a broken world
where forests are razed
and mountains are blasted
and waters are polluted,
I thank you that I am right here in this place,
right now in this moment,
recovering in this small corner of creation
a glimpse of what was lost
and a dream of what is to come.In caring for so small a thing,
let me learn to love what you love
in the way that you love it.”
– Douglas Kaine McKelvey, Rabbit Room Press
The Wonder of America’s National Parks – National Geographic
“A series of videos that highlight the amazing diversity of life that we have on this continent, America’s National Parks offer a window into the lives of the animals that call these refuges home. My favorite was definitely the Badlands, getting a window into what life of the prairies was like for bison, swallows, and more. It’s an inspiring reminder that there are places where people are protecting places for wildlife. We have seen and been a part of drastic changes to our planet, but we still have opportunities to protect these pockets of life and help them to thrive.”
- Graham Peters, Manitoba Conservation Science Coordinator
Good News for all Creation – Dr. Hilary Marlow
“I’d like to recommend a lecture called ‘Good News for all Creation’ given by Dr Hilary Marlow at an A Rocha conference in Singapore this May. Dr Marlow gives compelling biblical and theological reasons why Christians should be at the forefront of conservation efforts, clearly arguing that God’s love for the world extends beyond human society. And she lands with some challenges about how we can be good neighbours to all living things. It is both intellectually rigorous and accessible. Recordings of every session from the conference can be found here.”
- Jo Swinney, A Rocha International Director of Communications
Becoming Rooted: 100 Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth – Randy Woodley
“Our A Rocha staff team begins each morning with a short time of meditation, prayer & silence. Lately, we’ve been making our way through the 100 short meditations found in Randy Woodley’s Becoming Rooted. Each themed meditation begins with a quote and ends with a question or invitation intending to warmly engage the reader into further reflection and action. There have been many times I have found myself being drawn into Randy’s longing for all of us to become rooted in place so that we may live well with all beings as God desires for all creation.”
- Scott Gerbrandt, Manitoba Director
“I love the natural world, what I call creation. When I view the shimmering stars on a dark quiet night, or smell the deep forest of fallen leaves after a rain, or feel the sand slip through my feet as the salty ocean rolls over them, I feel at peace and at rest” – Randy Woodley
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth – Oliver Jeffers
“Jeffers wrote this book as a love letter to his first born child. He wanted to capture what he loved about living on the earth and his hopes for how his child would live. The artwork is stunning, and the message is simple and beautiful: be kind and respect others and the earth.”
- Zoe Matties, Manitoba Program Manager
“Here We Are, of all my books, seems the most relevant for the world’s current reality, it began as a sort of comedic routine in pointing out the obvious but slowly it dawned on me the importance of re-remembering the basic principles of what it is to be alive on this Earth and appreciate it, right now.” – Oliver Jeffers
Recommendations from our friends:
I asked some friends on social media what they would recommend and here’s what they said:
- “This one, hands down: If we lose the Earth, we lose our souls by Bruno Latour” – Ryan Turnbull
- “Climate Town channel on YouTube. Well researched, entertaining and good story telling. I particularly liked the videos about event t-shirts and the water shed regulations around California area.” – Jana Woelk
- “It’s pretty niche to my interests in urbanism and transit planning, but Better Buses, Better Cities by @shigashide is a fantastic book. Protecting the environment means more people taking transit, walking.” – Björn Radstrom
- “The Tiger by John Vaillant, which was so well written I had to then read The Golden Spruce. Both were excellent and well researched. Fire Weather is next!” – Thomas Hossie
- “While this podcast by Ed Yong about animal perception a secular piece, it really stirs the imagination about unique glories, perceived realities, and what might one day be revealed.” – Melissa Robin
Featured Photo by L’Odyssée Belle on Unsplash
Looking for More?
This is the fourth annual list! Click the button to check out last year’s list or here for the year before that.