Blogs
A Faith of Our Own—Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars
Our friend, Jonathan Merritt just came out with a new book: A Faith of Our Own—Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars. Like Blessed Earth, Jonathan is committed to creation care. Like us, he gets his marching orders from scripture. And like us, he is a believer in bridge building. I was particularly struck by this story in Jonathan’s new book: “I became an environmentalist at a Southern Baptist Seminary. Few people on the planet can say that. I was sitting … Continue reading
His Good Work is Everywhere!
“There came to St. Anthony in the desert one of the educated men of that time and he said, “Father, how can you endure to live here, deprived as you are of all consolation from books?” Anthony answered, “My book, philosopher, is the nature of created things, and whenever I wish, I can read in it the works of God.” It has been such a beautiful Spring! A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to photograph at one of … Continue reading
Matthew 6.25-34: A Lesson from the Earth — part 2 of 7
Read part 1 of 7 (introduction) here. When it comes to discovering eco-theology in the person of Jesus, scholars tell us to be careful. It is easy to cast him in our own image; and he may have used agricultural and rural imagery in order to speak to an agricultural and rural age. If he lived in Manhattan, he may have talked about subways, stock markets and skyscrapers. Verses like these alone cannot prove Jesus’s view toward stewardship and the … Continue reading
And What Does God Require?
And what does God require regarding the domestic animal? Once again, the law codes of ancient Israel are full of instruction. God says in Deuteronomy: But the seventh day is a sabbath belonging to Yahweh your God; you shall not do any work, not you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your domesticated beasts … And remember that you were a slave in … Continue reading
Thank you & Earth Day video
Matthew and Nancy Sleeth, and the rest of the Blessed Earth team, want to thank you for your prayers and encouragement surrounding our huge weekend of events in the nation’s capital. It all went better than we could have imagined and we are excited for the next phase of work around the Seminary Stewardship Alliance and the Blessed Earth Year with the National Cathedral. In case you missed the events last weekend, here are the links to the video from the … Continue reading
Earth Day 2012 – A time to Celebrate
What an incredible few days! Matthew and Nancy and the Blessed Earth team hardly stopped this past weekend and we are so very grateful for our partners and the National Cathedral for long hours of preparation. We will be releasing photos and video as well and reflections on what comes next. As we launch the Blessed Earth Year and follow up on the Seminary Stewardship Alliance we will have tons of news and exciting updates. But for now, we pause … Continue reading
Blessed Earth Film Series – Re-release news!
We are excited to announce the re-release of our film series. You can buy the new DVD and guidebook curriculem by clicking here (just $25 for complete guidebook and twelve beautifully made short films). You can watch the Blessed Earth Film Series trailer here. To learn more, please click here. These materials are wonderful resources for any church or study group…especially as we encounter Earth Day and Christians are wondering about their role as stewards of God’s good earth.
Adventure race and tree planting
Some good news for the planet this weekend! In a partnership with Confrontation Point Ministries, Blessed Earth helped sponsor the planting of thirty trees in Wilmore, KY. Prior to the tree planting twenty-eight people participated in an Adventure Race (very similar to a triathlon with paddling substituted for swimming). Andy Bathje, Executive Director for Confrontation Point, said the race and tree planting were a huge success. Here are some pictures of the tree planting. Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time to serve God and save the planet!
Hugging the Tree of Life – 1 of 7
What scholars, bishops, and writers are saying about green readings of the New Testament (Intro to a 7 part series) You can’t trust an expert every time. Humans make mistakes. But when it comes to our future, health, and wealth, we love to hear from the professionals. And why shouldn’t we? They’ve done more research than we have. They’ve thought longer and harder about the topic at hand. And they’ve devoted their lives to a cause. So when we open … Continue reading
Great response to Almost Amish
Nancy has been inundated with reviews and interviews relating to her new book, Almost Amish: One Woman’s Quest for a Slower, Simpler, and more Sustainable Life. This review is typical of the positive response. Nancy and the Blessed Earth team are most grateful. Speaking from experience, Sleeth challenges us to simplify in every area of life – in our homes, technology and finances. She then gently encourages us to spend time focusing on what really matters – nature, service, security, community, … Continue reading
Rendezvous with Rama
I have starting re-reading the Rama series – a series of four “Rama” books by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee which, although easily classified as science fiction, have profound messages for all who have a passion for conserving the beauty of God’s creation and a desire to tread lightly on the Earth. These books deal with a highly advanced alien race who send enormous spaceships to the Solar System to entice us to climb on board. We do, and … Continue reading
Lexington Book Signing for Nancy and Emma
On Friday, March 23, Blessed Earth celebrated the launch of Nancy’s new book, Almost Amish, and the re-release of Emma’s revised and expanded It’s Easy Being Green with a book signing party at our local independent bookstore. While celebrating the writers and their books we also enjoyed Amish-crafted cheeses, Yoder’s jam, and delicious bread (recipes for the baked treats available in Nancy’s book). Thank you to everyone who came out to support Nancy and Emma and to the Morris Book … Continue reading
New “Go Green, Save Green” Resource – and it’s Free!
Good news! We have a new resource to accompany my book Go Green Save Green: A Simple Guide for Saving Time, Money, and God’s Green Earth. Go Green, Save Green is the first practical, faith-based book to help families, churches, and schools save money while saving the earth. Thousands of individuals and groups have used Go Green to lead Sunday school classes and start church-based green teams. The new free, downloadable discussion guide, developed at the request of small group leaders, … Continue reading
The Spirituality of Saving the Earth
Resolving to save the earth can be like New Years. Lots of grand intentions. Little life change. My wife and I go back and forth about it all the time. She is a conservation heroine, with a few ideas that drive me up the wall. I am a conservation champion with wasteful habits. She saves and washes used aluminum foil. I ride a bike to work. She reuses water. I leave the faucet running. She buys all sorts of eco-friendly … Continue reading
Sabbath Bread
In her book, Mudhouse Sabbath*, Lauren Winner writes about how the Sabbath shapes the entire week. In Exodus, God tells us to remember the Sabbath. And in Deuteronomy, we are told to observe the Sabbath. Winner says that, for Jews, the first half of the week is spent remembering the preceding Sabbath while the second half is spent preparing for or observing the Sabbath to come. We have three kids all under eight years old. Like everyone says, the time … Continue reading
Earth Day 2012
“MAKE EARTH DAY A CHURCH DAY” APRIL 22nd, 2012 Earth Day falls on Sunday this year, and people around the world will be celebrating Earth Week events April 16-22. Follow this link to discovers some simple tools that can help YOU make Earth Day a Church Day in your community: Earth Day 2012
Life is Green in St. Andrews
The bus passed by on its way to the Old Course. I was on my bike, in the cycle lane. I was pulling behind me a trailer with my five-year old girl packed in. We had just been to the grocery. You could see her head. That was it. She was stuffed in there with our weekly produce. I caught a bit of the bus’ placard as it drove out of sight: “Carbon Neutral Travel.” The city seemed abuzz with … Continue reading
Respecting this beautiful place
“I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works.” Psalm 145:5 The South American country of Bolivia is filled with incredible beauty that is matched only by the beautiful people who live there. My wife and I had the privilege of going there twice last year, as we developed a partnership with Compassion International and our new “sister” church in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. As with most mission trips, it is easy to get fatigued … Continue reading
Compromising or Selling Out? A Creation Care Christmas.
So, I’m feeling pretty virtuous. I buy 100 percent renewable electricity from the Energy Cooperative in Philadelphia; it’s the real deal, all wind and solar with a smidge of low-impact hydroelectric. So, when I switch on my Christmas lights, watch TV or run the central heating, I have a no-carbon, ultra-low pollution footprint. And it’s the same price as the 50 percent coal-sourced electricity from the regular supplier! AND – when I cook, I’m on propane, which is the cleanest … Continue reading
Sabbath in a 24/7 World
Earlier this week, Dr. Sleeth shared some reflections on the fourth commandment — remembering the Sabbath — with medical students at the University of Kentucky. It was clear that the message he shared was both a gift and a challenge to this hard working group of young people. The gift: to be reminded we are created by a loving God who longs for us to discover our place in His world and to be healed. The challenge: to wrestle with our … Continue reading
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