You and I are not machines. We are trees. That’s just one of the beautiful observations in Joy Clarkson’s latest book, You Are a Tree: And Other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, and Prayer. Joy joins us this week for a delightful conversation about metaphors and how they deepen our understanding of the human experience, including love, sadness, creativity, and even our own humanity.    Plough Quarterly  You Are a Tree: And Other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, and Prayer by Joy Clarkson  Heavenly Participation: The Weaving of a Sacramental Tapestry by Hans Boersma   The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck  Shakespeare poem, Sonnet 116  Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry  A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket  Daniel Deronda by George Eliot  The Marriage Question: George Eliot's Double Life by Clare Carlisle  Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham-Dixon   Secrets of God: Writings of Hildegard of Bingen translated by Sabina Flanagan     We’re able to produce Strong Women and make it available for free thanks to the support of listeners like you. You make it possible for more women and girls to step out of shallow definitions of womanhood and into strong womanhood in Christ. We’re approaching the end of our fiscal year at the Colson Center, which is a critical time for raising support for the upcoming year of ministry. To support the production of the Strong Women podcast in the coming year, would you consider making a gift to the Colson Center by June 30? You can make your gift today at colsoncenter.org/swclarity.  Do you or people you care about need help answering tough questions about sexuality, gender, and identity? Cut through the confusion with the Identity Project. This digital platform features over 150 videos from vetted experts addressing topics like same-sex attraction, parenting, pornography, transgender ideology, sexual health, marriage, and a theology of the body. Experts include apologist Sean McDowell, child safety advocate Maria Keffler, psychologist Andrew Sodergren, and former transgender-identifying author and speaker Laura Perry Smalts. Get a free, 24-hour trial to explore the entire library of videos at identityproject.tv.   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women   Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc