Books with author Ragan Sutterfield

We drive to work on the stored energy of ten thousand years of sunlight. Our daily bread seems to generate miraculously from store shelves. And our communities can be connected with a billion ones and zeros over fiber optic cables. For us, the idea of being a creature can seem passé. Yet in this lonely world of mastery, in a time so dominated by human desire and design that it has been dubbed the “anthropocene,” the human age, many of us feel that we are missing some essential truth about who we are. The glimpses of this truth come when we lose cell reception on a long hike in the forest and our eyes are lifted to the simple marvel of trees. We feel this truth when we take up a shovel and sense the satisfying heave of dirt as we plant a modest garden. We hear this truth when we tune out the traffic and listen to the song sparrow’s melody, eavesdropping on a beauty that serves no human economy. In all this we hear a whisper of the truth that we are creatures—and we long to live in this reality. But how can we, when we have moved so far from our life source in the soil? For the past 50 years, Wendell Berry has been helping seekers chart a return to the practice of being creatures. Through his essays, poetry and fiction, Berry has repeatedly drawn our attention to the ways in which our lives are gifts in a whole economy of gifts. Berry presents us with the sort of coherent vision for the lived moral and spiritual life that we need now. His work helps us remember our givenness and embrace our life as creatures. His insights flow from a life and practices, and so it is a vision that can be practiced and lived—it is a vision that is grounded in the art of being a creature. Wendell Berry and the Given Life articulates his vision for the creaturely life and the Christian understandings of humility and creation that underpin it. The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

“The cacophony of voices about our bodies is so loud, it’s hard to hear the voices that matter. Some of us decide to forget it all and give in to one addiction or another. I’ve done that. Some of us decide to perfect our bodies and obsess over every muscle or wrinkle. I’ve done that too. Then I discovered the truth about my body: It is a gift. A sign of God’s love. And so is yours.” Many of us think of our bodies as burdens that drag us toward failure and guilt. But what if God actually glories in the flesh? What if we had the same joy about our bodies as God does? Ragan Sutterfield brings us back to a biblical perspective—a freeing, corrective viewpoint that reminds us of the connection between spirit, mind, and body. Along the way, he shares his journey from overweight addict to Ironman competitor. He counts his success, though, not in his decreased clothing size but in his increased understanding of how much God loves the body and what it means to take care of his whole being. This is a story for each of us. As a teenager, Ragan Sutterfield tried extreme dieting to get rid of childhood chubbiness. As a young adult, he wrestled with his Christian culture’s tenets about the dangers of the body. As a man, he became an obese smoker in a failing marriage. And he began a journey of understanding that changed his life. Weaving together biblical insight, personal story, and thoughtful reflection, This Is My Body offers an inspiring look at God’s creation of each of us as human beings, in the flesh. It is an examination of spiritual disciplines, sex, self-image, eating, environmental responsibilities, and the church’s role in misunderstandings about the body. It is also a celebration of Communion—the moment when Jesus reminded his disciples that he, too, is flesh. Spiritually rich, this is an eloquent exploration of the body in all its God-given glory.

“The cacophony of voices about our bodies is so loud, it’s hard to hear the voices that matter. Some of us decide to forget it all and give in to one addiction or another. I’ve done that. Some of us decide to perfect our bodies and obsess over every muscle or wrinkle. I’ve done that too. Then I discovered the truth about my body: It is a gift. A sign of God’s love. And so is yours.” Many of us think of our bodies as burdens that drag us toward failure and guilt. But what if God actually glories in the flesh? What if we had the same joy about our bodies as God does? Ragan Sutterfield brings us back to a biblical perspective—a freeing, corrective viewpoint that reminds us of the connection between spirit, mind, and body. Along the way, he shares his journey from overweight addict to Ironman competitor. He counts his success, though, not in his decreased clothing size but in his increased understanding of how much God loves the body and what it means to take care of his whole being. This is a story for each of us. As a teenager, Ragan Sutterfield tried extreme dieting to get rid of childhood chubbiness. As a young adult, he wrestled with his Christian culture’s tenets about the dangers of the body. As a man, he became an obese smoker in a failing marriage. And he began a journey of understanding that changed his life. Weaving together biblical insight, personal story, and thoughtful reflection, This Is My Body offers an inspiring look at God’s creation of each of us as human beings, in the flesh. It is an examination of spiritual disciplines, sex, self-image, eating, environmental responsibilities, and the church’s role in misunderstandings about the body. It is also a celebration of Communion—the moment when Jesus reminded his disciples that he, too, is flesh. Spiritually rich, this is an eloquent exploration of the body in all its God-given glory.

We drive to work on the stored energy of ten thousand years of sunlight. Our daily bread seems to generate miraculously from store shelves. And our communities can be connected with a billion ones and zeros over fiber optic cables. For us, the idea of being a creature can seem passé. Yet in this lonely world of mastery, in a time so dominated by human desire and design that it has been dubbed the “anthropocene,” the human age, many of us feel that we are missing some essential truth about who we are. The glimpses of this truth come when we lose cell reception on a long hike in the forest and our eyes are lifted to the simple marvel of trees. We feel this truth when we take up a shovel and sense the satisfying heave of dirt as we plant a modest garden. We hear this truth when we tune out the traffic and listen to the song sparrow’s melody, eavesdropping on a beauty that serves no human economy. In all this we hear a whisper of the truth that we are creatures—and we long to live in this reality. But how can we, when we have moved so far from our life source in the soil? For the past 50 years, Wendell Berry has been helping seekers chart a return to the practice of being creatures. Through his essays, poetry and fiction, Berry has repeatedly drawn our attention to the ways in which our lives are gifts in a whole economy of gifts.Berry presents us with the sort of coherent vision for the lived moral and spiritual life that we need now. His work helps us remember our givenness and embrace our life as creatures. His insights flow from a life and practices, and so it is a vision that can be practiced and lived—it is a vision that is grounded in the art of being a creature. Wendell Berry and the Given Life articulates his vision for the creaturely life and the Christian understandings of humility and creation that underpin it.

“The cacophony of voices about our bodies is so loud, it’s hard to hear the voices that matter. Some of us decide to forget it all and give in to one addiction or another. I’ve done that. Some of us decide to perfect our bodies and obsess over every muscle or wrinkle. I’ve done that too. Then I discovered the truth about my body: It is a gift. A sign of God’s love. And so is yours.” Many of us think our physical natures are burdens that drag us toward failure and guilt. But what if God actually glories in the flesh? What if we had the same joy about our bodies as He does?Ragan Sutterfield brings us back to a biblical perspective — a freeing, corrective viewpoint that reminds us of the connection between spirit, mind, and body. Along the way, he shares his journey from overweight addict to Ironman competitor. He counts his success, though, not in his decreased clothing size, but in his increased understanding of how much God truly loves us and of what it means to be stewards — not just of our souls, but of our skin and bones too.

“The cacophony of voices about our bodies is so loud, it’s hard to hear the voices that matter. Some of us decide to forget it all and give in to one addiction or another. I’ve done that. Some of us decide to perfect our bodies and obsess over every muscle or wrinkle. I’ve done that too. Then I discovered the truth about my body: It is a gift. A sign of God’s love. And so is yours.” Many of us think our physical natures are burdens that drag us toward failure and guilt. But what if God actually glories in the flesh? What if we had the same joy about our bodies as He does?Ragan Sutterfield brings us back to a biblical perspective — a freeing, corrective viewpoint that reminds us of the connection between spirit, mind, and body. Along the way, he shares his journey from overweight addict to Ironman competitor. He counts his success, though, not in his decreased clothing size, but in his increased understanding of how much God truly loves us and of what it means to be stewards — not just of our souls, but of our skin and bones too.