Planted

A Bird in the Hand is not a ""how to"" book, but a ""how so"" book in which the reader is invited to travel with Leah Kostamo on the wild ride of salmon saving, stranger welcoming, and God worshiping as she and her husband help establish the first Christian environmental center in Canada. Avoiding simplistic prescriptions or cliched platitudes, Leah wrestles with issues of poverty, justice, and the environment through the narrative of her own life experience. The lived-theology and humility of voice conveyed in these pages draws readers to new and creative ways to honor the Creator as they are inspired to care for creation. ""Grace, beauty, humor, and truth-telling combine in Leah Kostamo's story of the growth of A Rocha, a grassroots organization in which she and her husband Markku have been world-changers for good. This is a fascinating narrative in which committed environmentalists respond to God's call to renew our planet and our souls."" --Luci Shaw, author of The Crime of Living Cautiously: Hearing God's Call to Adventure ""A Bird in the Hand is one of the most captivating and inspiring books I have read in a long time. It offers rich and intimate glimpses into what sacrificial care for all God's creation can look like in the lives of ordinary Christians. Surely God desires for this to become part of our story as well."" --Ben Lowe, activist and author of Green Revolution: Coming Together to Care for Creation ""Leah Kostamo's elegant memoir shares the story of A Rocha, an organization that lives out the principles of Christian stewardship and community. With humility, grace, and candor, Leah takes her readers along the creation-care journey, sharing how many small acts can and do make a difference. Most inspiring of all, Leah and her husband, Markku, provide a living example of being the change they wish to see in the world."" --Matthew and Nancy Sleeth, co-founders of Blessed Earth ""The righteous person, says the psalmist, is like a tree planted by the waters. In this delightful book Leah Kostamo describes what it feels like to be (sometimes reluctantly) one of those trees, planted by the waters of God's good creation. With humor, irony, wisdom, and a refreshingly iconoclastic voice, Planted blooms and flourishes--with fruit every thoughtful Christian needs to enjoy."" --Loren Wilkinson, Professor of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies, Regent College An American transplant to Canada, Leah Kostamo has a background in campus ministry and education. For the past twelve years, Leah has worked alongside her husband, Markku, to show God's love for all of creation through the ministry of A Rocha. She lives and thrives on Kingfisher Farm near Vancouver, BC.