The Habit Podcast: David French Tries to Move the Elephant

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers talks with political and cultural commentator David French. French is senior editor at The Dispatch, a contributing writer at The Atlantic Monthly, and the author of several books, including Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation as well as the French Press newsletter. He’s the co-host—with Curtis Chang—of the new podcast, Good Faith.

God of the Garden Reading List

Hello, folks! I had good intentions of adding this resource list to the Rabbit Room’s annual “Stuff We Liked in 2021” post, but the document kept growing and I missed the boat. I ended up posting these on social media, but thought it would be helpful to compile them here for your perusal. One of my favorite parts of writing The God of the Garden was the excuse to read a whole bunch of books about place, culture, gardening, community, and the natural world, and to read them through the lens of my belief in Christ, his Kingdom, and the promise of a New Creation. Lest you think I read more than I do, I confess that I read a few of these in 2020, and a couple of others were first read years ago but were referenced in my book. I hope some of these will ignite in you a love for this creation that God so loves.

The Habit Podcast: Kelly Kapic Is Lacking

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers interviews author and professor of theology at Covenant College, Kelly Kapic. His most recent book is You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News.

Good Bad Art and Bad Bad Art

In college I had a housemate who was a DJ at a Christian radio station. He believed (and freely admitted) that the music he played at the radio station was mostly a watered down imitation of the pop and rock music that was his first love. He viewed it as an act of spiritual sacrifice to give up “secular” music for “Christian” music that he considered artistically inferior. At the time I didn’t know what to think of this pious sentiment. I have since decided that this kind of thinking is a threat to civilization.

Imagination as an Agent of Healing (Part 1 of 3)

Imagination is absolutely critical to the quality of our lives… Without imagination there is no hope, no chance to envision a better future, no place to go, no goal to reach.

—Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score

The Habit Podcast: Amy Baik Lee Notices Small Splendors

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers interviews memoirist and essayist Amy Baik Lee. Amy writes essays and short memoirs for The Cultivating Project and on her own blog, A Homeward Life. She is also the co-director of the Arts Guild of The Anselm Society.

On Poetry, Programming, Chaos, and Cosmos

A few years ago at Hutchmoot, Pete Peterson said something that has been enriching the leaf-mould of my mind ever since. Quoting Walt Wangerin, Jr., Pete talked about how the Sanskrit word cinoti “makes of the poet ‘a heaper into heaps, and a piler into piles.’”

The Habit Podcast: Justin Whitmel Earley and Better Habits

It’s a new year, and a new season of The Habit Podcast. If you are looking to form better habits, heed Justin Whitmel Earley, author of The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction. His most recent book is Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms.

The Habit Podcast: John Cal, Writer-Chef

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers talks with John Cal, a celebrity chef—at least among those who have participated in the Rabbit Room’s Hutchmoot gathering in the past few years. His food-related essay/orations are a Hutchmoot highlight.

The Habit Podcast: Shawn Smucker Has Been Working Hard

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers talks with Shawn Smucker, who has published five novels in the last five years—most recently, The Weight of Memory.

The Habit Podcast: Daniel Grothe Thinks Small

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers talks with Daniel Grothe, pastor, rancher, and author of The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless Age.

An Interview with Ben Palpant

[Editor’s note: A few weeks ago, Lancia E. Smith at The Cultivating Project shared an in-depth interview with author Ben Palpant about his new book, Letters from the Mountain. We enjoyed it so much that we’re sharing it in its entirety here, with Cultivating’s permission. We hope that Lancia & Ben’s conversation inspires you in your own creative work, and if you find yourself wanting to hear more from Ben, you can find Letters from the Mountain in the Rabbit Room Store.]