Tag: Climate change

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A Prayer For This Land

“if a fire breaks out and spreads into thorn bushes so that it burns shocks of grain, standing grain, or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.” Exodus 22:6

Oh great God of heaven and Earth, I bow my head in prayer to You this day, and pray for this land that stretches out before me

I call out to my Lord, that You would listen to me and feel compassion for the life that lives here

A drought has stricken our lands. It has made our fields dry and cracked. Our once lush forests have been weakened and are struggling. They have become like tinder that waits for a single spark to ignite them

All of life here is in retreat. The beauty of the west is disappearing and the survivors are hard pressed and stricken

The fires come in weary regularity now. They burn like gigantic furnaces that consume everything in their path and with a quickness that fiercely devoirs the gardens that once bloomed there

It has been heartwarming to witness the regrowth that springs up after. Like a miracle, it is a testament to the tenacity of these survivors. But, something is much different now, the old ground rules are being broken

For the heat and the drought is just relentless. Year after year it continues to surprise us and repeat itself

The rebirth of our lands and forests, so promising, is losing now . Restoration is being aborted, because of the harshness of our climate

The days keep growing warmer and the nights even more so. The heat and aridness are worse that anyone can remember

Our wet seasons happen in short bursts, and then vanish for months at a time. Brief periods of ‘normal weather’ are being displaced by strange periods of sun, winds, and drought

Lord look down upon us and this hard stricken land. Bring us relief for the sake of this beautiful place. Look fondly upon this land, for it is suffering

I can’t help but think of the ways in which we have caused all this

The excesses of our age that have tilted the balance and now wreak damage. Global warming is a man-made plague, a problem of our own making, and our responsibility 

This drought I see all around me is a consequence of our actions

Can I really ask God to help bring us relief?

Can I truly ask Him to clean up this mess that is a product of our disrespect for His creation?

Therefore, I will pray a new prayer. May we all develop a caring attitude for the Earth and all that lives here

Can we overcome the inertia and profit motives of our industries, so that we may focus on finding solutions to this difficult problem?

How great are the consequences if we decide to ignore and accept this and deadly for millions of people in the coming years

Climate change has the potential to accelerate rapidly from here. As it does, it will ripple unrest, starvation, and plagues across the globe

I will pray then that we commit to undoing the damage we have caused, and that we will work together throughout the world, to care for the health of our planet

For this I will pray for, and for this, I will accept responsibility  2/4/2022

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The Significance of Caring

The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did also for me.’ Matthew 25:40

How is it that we have become separated from our home the earth? That we have forgotten the connection we have to its function and beauty?

Has our technology insulated us from this reality? Do we not remember that caring for the Earth is caring for all its people, and indeed, all other life?

Our God created this place for us and all the wonder that abounds here. It is not ours to do with as we please

Because of our standing and our place in the order of things, it falls to us to care for the health of this place. As stewards, each of us must try to leave this place in better condition for the next generations

We should lead as a good example to our children, so, they might learn this important truth and not ignore it like we have

It is such an obvious goal to achieve and should never be neglected again

I hope the children of the future will look back at us kindly and forgive our generation for not recognizing this sooner. For at no time in history has our species created such a damaging impact upon our home

We have no choice now; we must reduce the harm we are causing. Because caring for the earth is, caring for its people

This is especially critical for our poor, the needy, and the vulnerable. Are these not the same ones God calls us to care for?

Can we also learn to share this place with each other, and give our time and wealth to help solve these problems? It is not going to be easy, but it must be done 

Neglecting to address this will place incredibly difficult burdens on future generations

We must begin to act now and swiftly ramp up our effort so that we can lessen the impacts and begin to heal this incredible place

Each of us bears some responsibility, we are all in this together

Lend a hand in any way you can. Use your strengths and skill to help others and to reduce your impacts. Support the efforts of others and our leaders who recognize the magnitude of this crisis

Become a caregiver of this earth and of its people and life

There is so much to be done

God will honor those who honor Him. He will consider our efforts as helping Himself when we care for those affected by this danger

We are all in this together, let us act in love, with concern for those who need our help. 1/29/2022

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The Wonder of Water

All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place from where streams come, there they return again. Ecc 1:6

There is something beautiful about watching a river flow into the sea. To see them, born in mountains high and distant, rushing into the vastness of the oceans of our earth

What stories could those waters tell?

How many lives did they touch along the way?

Who thanked the river for the countless blessings it gave as it crossed their land?

Water is a miracle. It is the magic substance that all of life depends on, the stuff that we are made of

Earth is set apart from everything else we see in the universe by its water. It’s what makes this planet full of an abundance of life

Water is the solution that allows us to exist. All the millions of processes happening in us every second, occur only because of its incredible qualities

Its chemical properties are amazingly varied and unique. Water dissolves, transports, adheres, oxidizes, reduces, blends, and mixes. It flows, floats in the air, and becomes like a rock when it’s cold

It can gently wash the dust from a leaf, or, split solid rock and wear down mountains

On Earth it is ever present and life giving. All of life relies on its life sustaining properties

God has created an incredible world for us to live in. He has made this watery place filled with great abundance. It exists in a perfect balance of temperature, gravity, and mix of elements that ebb and flow, supporting this miracle we call life

Give thanks, be in awe of this wonder created by His hands. consider the wonder of water and its beauty; the power of the ocean when a storm has stirred it, when it creates mountainous waves of awesome power

Remember the beauty of a waterfall cascading over cliffs, the roar of rapids in a river at flood stage; the towering summits of thunderstorms white against the sky that pour flooding torrents of rainfall upon the land beneath

How beautiful to watch a river meet the sea, to observe it completing a cycle that gives life to all it touches

How distressing then, is it to see scarcity and pollution. Of lack, that has caused great suffering across this world

To see the flash floods and rising seas that threaten so many, or to hear about pollution that we have dumped into our precious waters; poison that has stricken many who have no choice in the matter

All these tragedies are of our own making, caused by a warming climate and the runaway waste of industry. Propagated by selfish and cost centered decisions that value wealth above our health

Water, one of God’s most miraculous substances is being defiled and altered

As we raise the earths temperature and reduce the quality of our waters, we place all life into increasing peril

God has made us responsible for what we do here within His glorious creation. It is up to us to clean up our waste and give honor to Him and regard all that dwells within His world

Consider, this day, what we are doing to our waters. Thank God for the wonder of its existence, then make a difference with your life.  11/12/2021

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Wake Up, This is Real

 

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy them; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:17

This world is changing, our climate is warming, the balance of our living world is degrading and few of us are paying attention

It appears, that the ways in which our climate is changing does not easily set off alarms in us. Perhaps it is happening at such an incremental rate that it defies our deep perception

We notice things are different, but we endure or adjust, and then move on. This  has left us profoundly vulnerable to this danger

Wake yourself, arouse your mind and sharpen your perception, become an observer and listener of nature. This is more important than we realize, a problem which will be difficult to recover from

Never forget that this planet was made by our God, created for life and for wonder. It is a miracle of His work

Do you think God applauds its destruction?

Many say they don’t see the climate changing. Look more intently, study the data determined by the experts.

Remember the harm you have seen across the lands nearby. Recall the gigantic fires, the powerful storms, the unusual freezes and unrelenting heat; the devastating droughts, and all of the collective damage done so far

Sense the enormity of environmental stress that covers most of the world now. It is all there for you to see, just open your eyes and understand

Some say it is a hoax or scheme to defraud us. But, why are so many brilliant people telling us there is now no doubt?

Climate change is happening. It is real, and our own actions are to blame. The real hoax may lie in the disinformation and lies spread abroad, sowed by those who can gain by creating confusion and distrust in the truth

Our God is a God of justice and righteousness, He considers those who act justly, and those who aspire towards what is good, but He is against anyone who acts selfishly and propagates lies

How do you think He feels about those who are damaging this precious Earth?

Some say it is our right to subdue this World that God gave us to live in. But we have gone far past overcoming the challenges of living on this planet

Never has there been so much destruction wrought upon our land, seas, and air; harm that has affected all life, especially our poor and our defenseless, the ones God calls precious in His eyes

Oh Lord, I pray for our collective climate awareness, that we might sharpen our focus upon this threat. Please help us grow closer and more united as we seek to find good solutions

We elevate you, the Lord of the heavens and of this Earth, so that we might regard You in all our ways, that justice may be served, and the health of our world, upheld

May we always acknowledge You, as we work to restore the bountiful abundance of this world, so that it may be well for us, and for all who live here, and so that You may be forever praised for your all Your awesome works. 3/5/2021

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The Precious Fabric of Life

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is an everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the Earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:26

The God of all that is, clothed the Earth with a precious fabric. He made this world with materials of many colors, textures, forms, and patterns

It fits perfectly upon this world, and is unlike anything we have ever known or observed

It is incredible how it persists, adapts, and repairs itself even when damaged. It is woven with such exquisite complexity, that we can barely understand how it works

Our God in heaven created something amazing and beautiful. Perhaps the most surprising thing about it is that it also lives and breathes

This fabric that covers our Earth, our home, is not something to be taken for granted. For we are dependent on the health of every part of it for our very existence

It lies in a balance within all of its workings, so that our life, and all life that dwells on Earth may  persist safely for eons of time

Oh God of the heavens and of the Earth, humble us, and make us to know your love for us. May we recognize that You alone have made this place for us to live, and it is marvelous in every way

We cheapen our lives when we take all this for granted. It shows our lack of reverence for God, who has given us all things

Blessed are we to be given life here in this place, and to be loved, for God has given us all we need. But, we curse ourselves by our unthankful actions, when we conceive in our minds to exploit God’s gift to us.

In recent times we have grown to fill the entire Earth. We have crowded in to every part of this life giving fabric. Our sin is that we do not appreciate this wonder that we live within, and that we give in to the selfish power of our greed and lust for things

Through our actions, we have increasingly desecrated the very fabric of God’s world, and now weaken, even threaten our own existence by the runaway momentum of our destructive pursuits

God’s amazing creation, the fabric he placed here for life, even our lives, is being strained. Its threads are being stretched and torn. Our climate is changing in dangerous ways

We must thoughtfully renew a vital commitment to this sacred place we call home and humbly revive our faith in our God. So that through this we might chart a new path away from the course we take now, and live as a species that values and nurtures the health of our natural world. 2/28/2021