Everyday we are exposed to a variety of chemicals in cosmetic products such as lotions, body wash, shampoo, and perfumes. The safety of these products have left many to ask, “How safe are we?” How many times do we pause to think about how some of our personal care products were made, or the ingredients used in manufacturing these products? As an old proverb says, “not everything that glitters is gold”. Not all the ingredients used in the manufacturing of our personal products are safe for our health.

Chemicals like Phthalate and formaldehyde are considered to be among the most hazardous contaminants to be produced but yet still, they are constantly used by manufacturing companies. Worst of all, most of these hazardous contaminants are also used in the manufacturing of children’s products.

Children are divine (Matthew 18:2-4), and yet most at risk. We are called to consider how we affect all of God’s creation, and in so doing; we have to purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God (2 Corinthians 7:1). Whether good or bad, our actions today will go a long way in affecting those who come after us.

Worry is something that we all face on a daily basis.  Whether you are worried about a big exam coming up, or that important meeting that you have to attend, we all feel worry.  I am what you would call a “worry wart”.  When I have speak in front of an unfamiliar crowd, or rush to finish a big project, I always seem to have something to worry about.

I could never figure out a way to stop my worrying, I’ve tried all of the relaxation techniques, but nothing seemed to work, until I went to the bible.  Luke 12:22-34 speaks on worrying exclusively.  Jesus said to his disciples,  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.”

The remainder of the passage goes on to speak about how the ravens neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet god feeds them.  Consider the lilies, they neither toil nor spin, and yet look at how they grow.

To me this passage shows us that, we are all safe in god’s hands.  In other words, we have nothing to worry about, god will always be there to help us through whatever situation comes before us.  Do not worry about the future, for if you live life in the present, the future will be bright and welcoming.  If we only think about the worst case scenario, we will never be able to enjoy all the good things that life has to offer us.   Live believing that god will take care of you when you are in need and life will become a blessing, not a burden.

I just got back from a trip to Phoenix, AZ, where in conjunction with the Arizona Ecumenical Council, there was a listening session with local church leaders on issues of wilderness, public lands, and general eco-justice. What was amazing right off the bat was that there was enough interest in these topics to get 15 people to come out at 2 o’clock on a hot Tuesday afternoon. Also amazing was the diversity of folks we had there. Young and old, pastor and lay, and Christians from Catholics, to Presbyterians, to the UCC, to the UMC, to someone from the New Hope Convenant Church in Phoenix.

And then there were the actions being taken by these people of faith. I heard stories of homemade shopping bags, energy audits, changing of light bulbs, community markets, and hikes in the desert. And such a desire to do more. I am still working on collecting all the stories I heard at 1st Presbyterian Church in Sun City, AZ - and once I have, they will be shared. The actions being taken are a true witness to faith, and the mountains it can move in that witness.

This 4th of July I, along with many other Americans, am rediscovering Kentuckian Wendell Berry’s classic, The Unsettling of America.

Berry’s 1977 book covers a lot of ground about our relationship to the land. He talks about agribusiness,  the loss of the family farm and farming’s cultural context. He talks about the relationship between farming and energy use. He talks about how we use energy to both produce our food with machines and then to haul it long distances to our tables.

Today, gasoline is above $4 a gallon and the banner headline in Louisville, Kentucky’s Courier-Journal tells us the local gas and electric company is asking for a rate increase. Food prices are also on the rise, both in our supermarkets and around the world.

And Wendell Berry looks like the prophet and patriot he has always been, declaring farming a spiritual discipline and calling our nation to re-evaluate our agriculture & energy polices.

He believes we can use less energy in food production, and by doing so we will live simpler more sustainable lives, and take better care of the land and all of God’s creation.

I do, too.

The month of March, since 1987, has been designated as National Women’s History Month, and every year the National Women’s History Project uses it as an opportunity to showcase women in different professsions and movements making their mark on history. “The National Women’s History Project is involved in many efforts to promote multicultural women’s history. We produce organizing guides, curriculum units, posters and display sets, videos, and a range of delightful celebration supplies. We also coordinate the Women’s History Network, conduct teacher training conferences, and supply materials to people wherever they live through a Women’s History Catalog.”

In 2009, the focus of the National Women’s History Project is going to rest on women making their mark to protect the environment. The theme for 2009 is : Women: Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet. They are requesting submissions of women throughout the country who are taking the lead in acting to protect this world, God’s Creation. “We plan to feature Rachel Carson, the founder of the contemporary environmental movement, as the iconic model of the theme [...] Nominees can be scientists, engineers, business leaders, writers, filmmakers, conservationists, teachers, community organizers, religious or workplace leaders or others whose lives show exceptional vision and leadership to save our planet.”

This focus certainly lies at the intersection of two movements which are important to the future of people of faith, the church, and as such the National Council of Churches. It gives us a unique opportunity to highlight both our Eco-Justice work, consistently featured on this blog, and the work of the Women’s Ministry initiative.

We know there are women throughout our network doing amazing work to protect God’s Creation. Click here for more information on how to nominate them for inclusion on the list.

I have this great poster on my wall that say s”breathe” - its one of those friendly reminders that when things get crazy the best thing you can do is breathe. Now obviously, air is vital to our survival and thankfully breatheing is one of those things that we do without thinking. But I have found that whenever I take the time to breathe, its as if I am taking time to pray. Stepping back from the chaos and enjoying the things that we so often take for granted (clean air, God’s creation and our interconnectedness with what surround us); and its also a reminder that there will be a tomorrow (despite the fact that the deadline is in an hour!).

In reading Isaiah, we are reminded that God’s breath brought us life (Isaiah 42:5 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it) And when we take the time to breath we can be reminded of all that God has given us.

I am thankful for my reminder to breathe and step back from the daily grind and hope that each of you finds time to do the same.  

 

 

In May, the call went out for stories to be submitted of what local congregations were doing across the country to protect God’s Creation. The response included more than 50 submissions, covering a wide spectrum of activities including Children’s Ministry, Green Building, Food and Faith, Energy Conservation, Alternative Transportation, Recycling, Environmental Justice, and Comprehensive Program, with the winner of each category receiving a $500 grant to continue their work. To view a collection of the stories submitted, click here.

The winners are listed below

• Children’s Ministry: Manassas Church of the Brethren, Manassas VA, for their Jr. BUGS program. Click here to view their story.
• Green Building: St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA, for being named the Audubon Society’s “Greenest in the nation”. Click here to view their story.
• Food and Faith: Madison Christian Community, in Madison, WI, for restorative justice gardening project. Click here to view their story.
• Energy Conservation: First Grace United Methodist, in New Orleans, LA, for their efforts to conserve energy while rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. Click here to view their story.
• Alternative Transportation: Kern Road Mennonite Church in South Bend, IL, for beginning the tradition of biking to church. Click here to view their story.
• Recycling: Wesley United Methodist Church, Yakima, WA, which through community recycling efforts has kept 5 million pounds of trash out of local landfills. Click here to view their story.
• Environmental Justice: All Peoples Church, Milwaukee, WI, reclaiming a garden in an urban community and providing fresh, healthy food to the people there. Click here to view their story.
• Comprehensive Program: Maryland Presbyterian Church, naming environmental stewardship as a top priority, and taking steps such as reclaiming the wooded area around the church. Click here to view their story.

Congratulations to all our winners, and thanks so much to all of you who submitted stories for the contest, and keep filling us in on what you are doing in your congregations to better protect God’s Creation! Click here to send us an email and fill us in.

To view a map and see what congregations in your part of the country are already doing, click here.

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Thomas Friedman, in the New York Times over the weekend, wrote an editorial that was rather brash in its critique of the call of President Bush and many others to open places like our coasts and ANWR in Alaska to drilling. Mr. Friedman wrote, “It’s as if our addict-in-chief is saying to us: “C’mon guys, you know you want a little more of the good stuff. One more hit, baby. Just one more toke on the ole oil pipe. I promise, next year, we’ll all go straight. I’ll even put a wind turbine on my presidential library. But for now, give me one more pop from that drill, please, baby. Just one more transfusion of that sweet offshore crude.””.

Mr. Friedman certainly makes his point. For too long, we have been addicted to oil and the energy it brings us, and it is destroying our world, God’s Creation, in its totality. What Mr. Friedman goes on to point out is that part of the solution is already in front of us! “People forget, wind and solar power are here, they work, they can go on your roof tomorrow.” This is certainly true - we now have the technology and the ability to change our ways. What we need changed now are our hearts. Mr. Friedman ends with this point - the need to drive less, conserve energy more. But it is a way of being that has to shift.

We need to stop seeing the world as ours, as energy and oil and what this Earth produces as something that is ours to obtain and use. We do not own the world, we only inhabit it. It is God’s Creation, and as beings created in God’s image, it is our responsibility to care for the world in that way. To find ways to live in harmony with the rest of what God created, not use what is here for our own good. The truth is that in the battle to save God’s Creation, our hearts must turn towards God, and we must be transformed to a new way of living.

For those of you who are baseball fans or live in Washington DC you have heard of or been to the new baseball stadium for the Nationals. Not only is it supposed to be one of the most techonologically advanced stadiums in the country but it is also the first “green” stadium and has been certified as meeting LEED standards. However, despite the tremendous efforts that the owners put into building this gorgeous and sustainable building, they are receiving tremendous financial support from ExxonMobil who has purchased a large amount of ad space in the stadium. Exxon is undoubtedly one of the “least green” oil companies out there - they have few to no investments in renewable techonology, their CEO is questioning whether climate chagne is really happening and at a time when Americans are struggling at they pump, Exxon is running awway with record profits.

Surprising that the Nationals would allow such overhwelming advertiesments that represent such a different perspective on the need to be green and take care of creation.

In thinking about the Nationals and Exxon, i began to wonder about the ways in which we all contradict our beliefs at certain points as a result of the products we use, the lifestyles we live and choices we make. I am getting ready to head to the coast of North Carolina for the weekend and carpooling with 2 of my friends - but is that enough? What should i do differently to ensure that i am leaving the smallest footprint possible on God’s creation?

Though undoubtedly these are things many of us think about every day, the need to practice what we preach was a helpful reminder and i hope to be walking a bit more lightly (and consciously) in the future.

 

Lyndsay Moseley, the director of the Faith Partnerships program at the Sierra Club, let us know today about an exciting new publication they have just released. From the press release: “Highlighting one exceptional faith-based environmental initiative from each of the fifty states, the Sierra Club today released its first ever national faith appreciation report, “Faith in Action: Communities of Faith Bring Hope for the Planet.” The report illustrates the growing momentum of the creation care movement and recognizes local leaders.” Click here to download the report.

As people of faith, and in particular Christians, it is true we exist, as the classic hymn states, “to tell the old, old story”, and by sharing ways churches and people of faith are acting to protect God’s Creation is one of the best ways to tell that story. Click here to check out stories on our website of churches taking action. The Sierra Club notes, “Environmental concerns continue to rise in prominence on the agenda of the faithful, with no sign of receding. As the implications of global warming and its disproportionate impact on the world’s poor become increasingly clear, prophetic voices are being raised in religious communities around the globe. In the United States, 67 percent of Americans say they care about the environment because it is “God’s creation.”" Keep telling that story.