Your Story
Technology, Social Networking, and Babel Tower
[reposted with permission from the blog Alien Nation by Reverend Darin Collins] “We have forgotten that we have far more in common with the honeybee than we do with our SUV of DVD…Do you know in which direction the Milky Way traverses the sky? As the phases of the moon progress, does the light go from right to left, or left to right? Can you identify a greater number of trees or cars? If the Bible says God knows every … Continue reading
A Call to Simplicity
[reposted with permission from Seeing Creation, a blog by Chuck Summers and Rob Sheppard.] One of my best friends called me a few minutes ago to seek advice on eliminating some clutter in his life. With his wife’s help he had come to the conclusion that he had accumulated too much stuff and needed to get rid of some things. His call seemed ironic for this subject is one I’ve been thinking about this past week. It’s been on my … Continue reading
Connectivity: Poverty and Deforestation
Dr. Matthew Sleeth can describe in detailed anatomical terms the truth behind the silly children’s song, “the foot bone is connected to the leg bone, and the leg bone is connected to the hip bone.” Through this song, we learned that there is connectivity at work within us, and when one bone is out of alignment it begins to impact other parts of our body. The connectivity experience isn’t limited to our physical bodies. One of the messages of scripture … Continue reading
Why Should Christians Care?
Blessed Earth first came across Lauren Merritt’s radar as she was searching the Internet for like-minded Christians, and quickly recognized Matthew and Nancy Sleeth as kindred souls in the work of glorifying God through preserving his creation. Two years ago she began a blog titled “The Christian and Creation,” which came as a result of digging into the Bible to uncover what it had to say about God and the natural world. Here’s an excerpt from one of Lauren’s recent … Continue reading
One Person Can Make a Big Difference
People assume that one person can’t make a difference. I strongly disagree. After reading Serve God, Save the Planet–the last in a series of inspirations–there was no feasible way to deny my calling any longer. In accepting God’s call for my energy and time, I had no idea what lay ahead. Blind faith led me to believe that I could make a difference. Knowledge of the Earth’s misuse gnawed at my soul day and night. From this uncomfortable feeling, and … Continue reading
Thirsting for Life in Africa
Can you remember the last time you were truly thirsty? For me it was this morning about halfway through my run. The African sun was beating down on me as sweat poured from my forehead. Lucky for me, I knew that if I pressed on just a little further I would soon reach my house, where an ice cold bottle of water would be waiting. Before I moved to East Africa in 2009 for a two-year mission term, 850 million … Continue reading
The Connection Between the Poor and the Earth
Making the Connection Between the Poor and the Earth Choosing between caring for the poor and healing the environment do not have to be separate efforts – they go hand in hand. By Scott C. Sabin, Executive Director of Plant With Purpose I frequently get asked how we, as Christians, choose between caring for the poor and caring for creation, as if we have to choose one or the other. As often as I have been asked that question, it … Continue reading
More Than Enough
We Have More Than Enough Because God’s Creations Do Not Enough. God blessed me with a wildlife career including living and working in Africa for many years. Amidst limited material resources there was abundant faith and gratitude for God’s creations. Moving back to America has challenged my husband and I to retain what we learned and valued in Africa. Through reflection and prayer, and with God’s help, our family makes choices that are encouraged in the books Serve God, Save … Continue reading
Loving the Forest
Photo by Jeff Rogers I have always loved the forest. Ever since I was a child, I have loved walking through the woods, simply exploring. This fascination eventually led me to more serious hiking and backpacking, especially in my native Alabama, where oak, hickory, sweet gum, tulip tree, and white pine are abundant and accessible. A path winding through the woods was an invitation that always drew me in. My father and grandfather heated their homes with wood. We generally … Continue reading
Cheering Trees
Several years ago I had the opportunity to work in Glacier National Park. I arrived before my coworkers and was instantly able to connect with the secrets of the land. By late May, the sun gets hot enough to melt the high snows, and the mountain faces weep with untamed streams and waterfalls on their ways to the valley lakes that, when hit with sunlight, reflect a blue that alludes to Eden. The snows eventually give way to spring grasses … Continue reading
Beginning to Downsize
Last May at a United Methodist Women (UMW) Assembly in St. Louis I attended a workshop led by Nancy Sleeth. The workshop was one of the most moving parts of that assembly for me – especially as I shared the experience with my mother, whose life models responsible living in many ways. She attended the “Downsizing Your Life” workshop with me because, as a widow in her mid-eighties, she may be moving from her home in the next few years. … Continue reading
Going Green at VBS
Since our church congregation has become acquainted with the Sleeths and their ministry, it has begun to make small changes to heighten awareness of our responsibility to care for the earth and its inhabitants. There is a short column in our newsletter called “Green Notes” that gives information about good stewardship; we use mugs to serve coffee and tea before church; we have a recycling drop-off area where people can bring plastics that can’t be recycled in our community; we are trying to make our … Continue reading
Keeping the Sabbath a Priority
Inspired by Blessed Earth’s October 2010 newsletter focus on the Sabbath, Stasia Fine wrote to Nancy and shared her own Sabbath story: When I was in high school, my crush’s mother challenged me to practice the Sabbath for the rest of the school year. I am so glad she did: the school year passed and I am still treasuring this gift! That year in high school, there was one weekend when I didn’t get my homework completed on Saturday. I … Continue reading
The Power of a Nap
Life post-college was really difficult for me. I was jobless. I was single. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I felt like there was a bar set for life – and somehow, I was falling short. So I set out, determined to meet all the expectations set by the world. I was to be an independent woman with job security, a retirement plan, a consistent workout routine, and extracurricular activities every night of the week! I was … Continue reading
Excitement of Silence
I’ve been hoping for something new and exciting to happen in my life. I’ve come to the conclusion that interesting things need to be sought, because if you wait around, they generally don’t happen on their own. I found that my community (I live in a house of two couples and a single adult) did do something interesting this past weekend: We took a Sabbath on Sunday. No electronics, no work, no TV. Doesn’t sound interesting, right? Well, there was … Continue reading
Music & Creation Care
“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High.” Psalms 92:1 It probably won’t come as much of a surprise to you that many of my favorite hymns are songs that praise God as Creator. Some of my personal favorites are “This is My Father’s World,” “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” “For the Beauty of the Earth,” “Worthy of Worship,” and “Morning Has Broken.” Some of my favorite contemporary Christian songs are likewise focused … Continue reading
Ministry That Makes Cents
Want to save money while saving the earth? Below is an illustration that one Blessed Earth friend used to prompt her church to “go green”: Shut down the computers in the church office when not in use $219 Turn off the power strip when electronic devices are not in use $200 Trade disposable coffee cups for reusable mugs $400 Use cloth hand towels instead of paper towels in the bathroom $390 Change exit sign bulbs to LED bulbs $150 Replace … Continue reading
What the Church Can Offer the Environmental Movement
“Am I supposed to say anything?” I whispered to the woman who had invited us to the meeting. “That’s why you’re here!” she responded. Yes, it was a set up—in the best sense. Matthew and I had been asked to lead a retreat on stewardship of God’s creation. The church was in a period of transition and planning a major building project. The night before the retreat, we were asked to attend a presentation by the lead architect. Matthew and … Continue reading
Reading Serve God, Save the Planet in the Wilderness
How cool is this? I just heard that a group of Westmont College students representing states from Hawaii to Massachusetts are studying creation care, using Blessed Earth director’s book, Serve God, Save the Planet. The group will be trekking through the North Yosemite backcountry August 12-24. Faculty will lead discussions on the readings during backpacking breaks and students will write a creation care paper later in the semester. “It’ll be a unique and powerful experience to think about environmental stewardship … Continue reading
Action through Art
Last May, Dr. Sleeth and his daughter Emma gave two chapel talks at Biola College, just outside of Los Angeles. Here’s a letter we just received from one of the students. Glad to know that our words, given by the Holy Spirit, affect young people’s lives, with such beautiful results: Hi Dr. Sleeth, I am a student at Biola University majoring in the fine arts. I heard you speak at one of our morning chapels in the spring, and I … Continue reading