Fight Climate Change: Educate Yourself

The pork shoulder on the grill was completely engulfed in flames. I rushed into my brother’s kitchen to get baking soda to put the fire out. But I was ignorant of this kitchen. I opened cabinet after cabinet, but could not find any baking soda. Desperate, I grabbed the closest thing to baking soda I […]

Five Things Christians Can Do to Fight Climate Change

Climate change terrifies me. Climate change is the biggest threat life on our planet has ever faced, and it terrifies me. It terrifies me because I have two young daughters whom I love tremendously. I’m terrified the world they’ll live in will be mostly uninhabitable. Climate change terrifies me because I have seen the destruction […]

Climate Change and Christian Tribalism

I’ve been called a Liberal. I’ve been called a Conservative. People have assumed I’m a Republican, and people have assumed I’m a Democrat. It’s no secret that we are living in an incredibly divided society. The biggest lines of division seem to fall along political party lines, and a vitriolic tribalism is rampant in our […]

Nearer, My God, to Thee

O Lord, I have always found you closer in the light streaming through branches than through stained glass, in the sound of leaves underfoot than the harmonies of organ, in the scent of humus and moss than incense on the altar. Why, then, do I neglect to come here, into this first chapel, first sanctuary […]

The Care of Creation

On Christmas Eve, 1776, my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Joshua Davis, purchased some land south of Aycock Swamp in what is now Wayne County, NC. The American revolution had begun, and there was no way of knowing when or how it would end. In 1781, General Cornwallis marched his troops from Wilmington into Virginia, towards what would be […]

The Use of Creation

I don’t think Pa Davis would have cared too much about the last post I published, where I suggested we all pause in our work, go outside, and stare at the sky. Pa, my great-grandfather, was a farmer his whole life, and as much as he loved being outside in the fields and forests, he […]

The Enjoyment of Creation

One of my earliest memories is being at the family farm, at my grandparents’ house, and Dad taking me into the front yard to show me the Big Dipper. I was maybe five years old. He pointed it out to me and explained the constellations as pictures the stars shape out, and how we can […]

When Christians Dominate

Last year, our dog, Sonny, was put down. It was not an easy choice to make. Ever since, my kids have been asking for a new pet. Some days they want a new dog, other days a cat. They’ve asked for pet birds, pet bunnies, even a pet turtle. I can understand that; when I […]

How Christians Should Eat Meat

“You may eat meat whenever you have the desire.” Deuteronomy 12:20b Yep, that’s in the Bible. You may eat meat whenever you have the desire. After my last blog post, my father and brother were shocked and appalled. “Jarrod has gone vegetarian!” their text messages lamented. But let me set the record […]

Should Christians Eat Meat?

“We should start doing meatless Mondays,” my wife said. “No,” I responded. “We should. You know it’s better for our health. Plus, they say cutting back on meat and dairy is the best thing to do for the environment,” she continued. “You’re the food and creation guy, you need to take this seriously. […]