Could you and would you use it for God’s glory?

Before you try to answer this question, we do know that that some of you live in a house where you have considerably less land than 7 acres (and some more), some of you are farmers and some of you are tried-and-true “urban dwellers” or “dorm denizens” with no land at all.

But, regardless of where you live, we know that many of you are part of a community that owns land and a building. That community is also known as your Church.

The Local Church — Critical In Caring For Creation

Sometime last year during our travels around the country, we started to brainstorm if there was a way that Care of Creation could encourage and instruct churches how to better use the resources (e.g. their land and their buildings) that God has blessed them with to care for God’s creation.

“Elijah was a man just like us… he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops…”
James 5:17-18

As we celebrate Earth Day this week, we do have much to celebrate.  It is entirely appropriate to look back 39 years and to rejoice in the real progress that has been made in many areas.  Just this morning I was having breakfast with an older friend who remembers well the state of the Nashua River in Fitchburg, MA, before the Earth Day-inspired legislative reforms like the Clean Water Act caused the local paper industry to change the way it did business. 

“I am making everything new!” Rev. 21:5

It is not a coincidence that Easter occurs in the springtime.

Spring is exciting, especially for those of us who live in the frozen north, as we do in Wisconsin.  Returning to our house recently, my wife and I pause and glance over our flower beds as we do often at this time of year.  This time she gives a little cry of joy:  Hidden beneath dead leaves and other leftovers from winter isa spot of green.  As we bend to look, we see another and then another: the first signs of resurrection.  Frozen in below-zero soil just a few weeks ago, the flowers are coming back to life.

As we look around what is still a pretty dismal landscape, we realize that these tiny dabs of green are not the only sign of hope.  We look carefully at the branches of the lilac bush in the corner.  Sure enough – it has buds.  We realize that the strange sound we hear is birds chirping in bare branches, as if like Aslan they can sing the leaves back onto the trees. The miracle of springtime is unfolding all around us.  No matter how cold and endless the winter has seemed, and no matter how weak our faith, spring always comes.  It comes with an explosion of new life, with fresh light, with vibrant new colors, with sounds of birds and water and melting snow.  It is the sights and sounds of life overwhelming death.  The outcome may have seemed in doubt a short time ago, but today the end is clear:  Winter’s defeat is inevitable.  Spring is going to win.

We here at Care of Creation hope this note finds you healthy and well and enjoying the blessings that God has given us through his creation.

Thanks for letting us take a moment to bring you up to date on some recent events and projects that you, as our partners, have enabled us to work on.

From Kenya

Certainly, the “one-punch” of the economy is on all our minds. We are seeing that the economy is not only a USA problem but a worldwide issue. All God’s people are connected! If the economy is the “one-punch, than the “two-punch” must be the environment.

Merry Christmas to each of you!

With all of the turmoil in the world today, we are more grateful than ever for the blessings we have in our lives. Among those blessings, of course, are the many friends we have around the world, and we want you to know how very grateful we are for you. I am sure that you are as aware as we are of the uncertain times in which we live - and like us you also take hope from the Christmas story.

In America, late November is the Thanksgiving season.

A uniquely American holiday, Thanksgiving was originally a celebration to thank God for for His provision. In 1621, as part of the first Thanksgiving, colonists who had settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts (in the Northeastern area of the United States) celebrated a bountiful harvest by sharing a thanksgiving meal with the Wampanoag - the local native American tribe.

Today, during the Thanksgiving season, American families gather around a table to share a meal of turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, desserts other traditional dishes. Just like in 1621, the Thanksgiving celebration of today is a time to remember that we serve a God who faithfully meets all of our needs.

Here at Care of Creation, we are overflowing with thanks. The recent day of prayer was a reminder of how God continually provides for us if we simply ask Him to do so (Mat 21:22, Jn 14:14). (Several of you have asked “what happened?” as a result of our day of prayer. It’s impossible to quantify the value of prayers and we are still seeing evidence of God at work as the result of your prayers, but we can tell you this: Even though our financial needs remain, things are much less critical than they were. We are in need but our needs are no longer a crisis, if that makes sense.)

I want to let you know that “Renewal”, a new group seeking to connect students around the US with each other around the subject of Creation Care, has called for a “Day of Prayer for God’s Creation” this Wednesday, October 29. I want to encourage you to find a way to take part, as I will be doing.

Just a quick note to let you know that Craig Sorley, Care of Creation’s staff member in Kenya and Director of Care of Creation Kenya is featured in this week’s International Edition of Time Magazine as a “Hero of the Environment”.

Time’s International Edition is distributed throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. You can read the story online here.

Craig would prefer not to be called an eco-evangelist’(!), and he shared a great deal more with the reporter about Care of Creation’s vision and theological foundations than were included in this short article - but he and we are pleased that overall God was honored and the biblical nature of our mission was highlighted for a large, worldwide audience.

Feel free to share this article with others who might be interested in what we are doing.

Pray with us that God will use this piece to increase our opportunities to share his love with people - and thank you for your support and partnership with us.

In Him,

The Care of Creation Family

In a recent newsletter, Craig and Tracy Sorley, serving with Care of Creation in Kenya, expressed one of the goals of our ministry:

“Our hope is that the farmers of Kenya will look to the First Farmer (God, Genesis 2:8) and catch a new vision. A vision to make their gardens as beautiful and bountiful as God’s garden… Christ-centered farmers, who have a vision to glorify their Creator, can make great gains in restoring land and eliminating hunger.”

All eyes are on China this week - most of this month, in fact. The long-awaited Beijing games kick off on Friday, and the most discussed topic of the games seems to have nothing to do with sports. It’s been the question of air pollution. The world waits to see if the draconian efforts of the Chinese government will give them the ‘blue sky games’ they are hoping for.

The claim is that US$10 billion has been spent trying to clean up the air: Half the cars are off the road, factories and construction sites have been shut down, much of the working population has been given a compulsory (and probably unpaid) holiday. Foreign athletes are being given masks to wear as they prepare for their events.

The media is breathlessly waiting for the answer: Will it work?