Earth Day Celebration!

What I love about Earth Day is that (at least in my neck of the woods), it’s about the time every year when the weather finally warms up considerably and when you look around at the growing plants, you smile. Now, I think this was no accident on the parts of the Earth Day planners, but nonetheless, it has worked for me! Of course, what I also appreciate is that at least for this day, people are encouraged to think seriously about the way they use resources and about tending to the earth a little more carefully. Sometimes I wonder whether there’s so much praise placed on the earth, though, that its creation gets overlooked, and its purpose of bringing glory to God gets pushed aside. So I just wanted to put that front and center today and think about how the beauty of the flowers, trees, rivers, greenery, deserts, mountains, and whatever else we see when we walk outside – how they all reflect the glory of God and His abiding power. So I am reminded today to care for the earth as I should care for a precious gift that He’s provided, and to praise Him when I see the beauty, awe, and power in the works of His hand.

Beautiful photo of God's creative hand at work from thingsthataremade's Etsy shop!

Spring Planting

As my family and I were working on some trees that we had planted in our yard, I was thinking about how fun it is to see things grow and about how each tree will put out oxygen, etc., etc., and then I wondered, how many resources did it take to get this tree here?! And, how much water am I using to make it grow?! And is it worth it environmentally to make this happen?! Unsettling thoughts, to be sure, in the face of environmental stewardship! So for any of you who have wondered the same thing, I did some researching and learned a few comforting things. One, we bought our trees from a local nursery in a neighboring city that does its own cuttings, which means the only transportation resources that were used were in the 25 mile drive to our home (the local nurseries in our own city did not sell the trees we wanted). So, relief on that corner! Two, the amount of water that a tree uses is, according to what I could uncover with my Googling, approximately 10 gallons of water per inch of the tree’s diameter, once a week. Our trees are teeny tiny right now, so that’s not much water per tree. And as to the benefits, well, apparently a windbreak on the north side of a home (which this will someday be) can cut heating costs (and therefore, obviously, heating resources) by 10-20%, as well as the eating of CO2 and other commonly known tree benefits, so all in all, I’m still feeling good about the cute little things. And I’m getting excited about our garden, too. It’s so fun to see the tiny seeds that you put in the ground turn in to food! And this means fewer trips to the grocery store, which always makes me happy too! So, the lesson learned is, planting things is definitely worth it, environmentally, emotionally, and edibly!

Clever herb seed card from GreetingsthatGrow’s Etsy shop!

Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle, Recycle

There are so many ways to practice taking good care of the earth that really, it's exciting! We know that God expects us to take care of what He's provided (cf Gen ch 1), and one neat way to do this is to take the old(er) idea of reduce, reuse, recycle - and just add in upcycle! This term refers to taking pieces of things that would otherwise go in the trash and turning them into a new product. Sometimes I'm just plum out of ways to reuse an old item of clothing, and cloth (for example) can't really be recycled in the traditional sense of dropping it off at a center, but it sure can be turned in to something else! It's a fun challenge to think of ways that I can do this, and it's even more fun to look at what other people's creative juices have come up with, and often with a Christian message!

Upcycled Wrist Band (Quotes Col 3:16) is from blestbeads' Etsy shop!

Health & Hygiene

I often think about all of the products that I’m using to stay clean and healthy, and whether they’re actually good for me/the environment, or whether I’m actually slowly (or not so slowly) poisoning the world and causing extra grief for my body. For example, I recently learned that the toothpaste I was using contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which is found in most toothpastes to create foaming, apparently exacerbates canker sores (which I am unfortunately frequently plagued with)! While I found a solution for this, I do wonder what other products I’m using are wreaking small amounts of havoc on either me or my world, so I’m always excited to find products that are all-natural or free of lots of toxic chemicals! This applies to stewardship in 2 ways: 1) taking care of the world by using toxin-free products; and, 2) taking care of my body – again, by using toxin-free products. I think the hardest aspects of this particular stewardship application are - finding a product that is affordable, finding a product that actually works, and simply finding a product, depending on where one lives. But when I can overcome these obstacles, I am excited to help both the earth in general and myself in particular by using a product that isn’t killing things :)!

Great Mineral Makeup is from mummumcraft's Etsy store!

Hallelujah!

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Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!
Happy Easter!
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Green Easter Recipe

Asparagus has a whole host of health benefits, and eating organic food is great for the environment, as well as great for your body, so I took this asparagus pasta salad recipe, and with a few alterations, voila! It's a healthy, organic, yummy option for Easter dinner!

Organic Asparagus Pasta Salad Recipe

Ingredients:
~2 cups organic or whole wheat bowtie or shell pasta, cooked
~1/2 pound organic asparagus, diced
~3 organic carrots, diced
~1 tbsp organic olive oil
~1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
~1 tbsp organic balsamic vinegar
~2 tbsp chopped organic fresh parsley
~1/2 tsp organic dried basil
~salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
~Steam the carrots and asparagus separately in a bit of water just until cooked.
~In a large bowl, combine the asparagus, carrots, pasta and parsley.
~In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, basil and and salt and pepper.
~Pour this dressing over the pasta, stirring well to coat.
~Chill before serving, if desired.

Pretty wall tiles are from Tilesmile's Etsy shop!

Lenten Stewardship

As Easter quickly approaches (hooray!), I’ve been reflecting on the past Lenten season and thinking about all of the sacrifices that the church family has traditionally practiced during the 40 days preceding the greatest holiday on the church calendar. From fasting and spending increased time in prayer to giving more of money and resources, the church has a little stewardship marathon at this time of year, and sometimes we don’t even realize it! So I thought I’d do a quick rundown of Lenten history.

There is evidence from early writings of Irenaeus (c.130-200) of Lenten preparation since the inception of the church, but practices and duration of Lent varied. In 325, the Council of Nicaea called for a provincial synod to be held “before the 40 days of Lent,” which clearly implies that the 40 days of Lent was a recognizable standard. Athanasius (d. 373), Cyril of Alexandria (d. 444), and Pope St. Leo (d. 461) each spoke about Lenten fasting. Differences occurred in the church regarding how much fasting should happen, with various church cities practicing weekday fasting, 6-day a week fasting, or partial fasting that would translate today as a vegan diet. Additionally, while fasting, the general rule was to eat one meal a day, in the evening or at 3pm.

Until the 600s, Lent started on the fortieth Sunday, but Gregory the Great moved it to a Wednesday in order that the number of days before Easter (excluding Sundays, feast days) was 40. The naming of Ash Wednesday is also attributed to a ceremony performed by Gregory. On Ash Wednesday, Gregory would mark the foreheads of Christians who had come to church for forgiveness with ashes, which are symbolic of repentance and mortality, as in Gen 3:19: “You are dust, and to dust you will return.”

As the Lenten fasting rules evolved, more exceptions were made to the fasting process, so that today the policy of the Catholic Church is that Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, which lasts for 40 days, not including Sundays. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, fasting should occur (which means having one full meal a day and smaller snacks to maintain strength – abstaining from meat), and on all Fridays of Lent, one should abstain from meat other than fish. The Catholic Church encourages people to sacrifice something during Lent, as well as to give more freely of their resources. The Eastern Orthodox Church still practices more strict versions of Lent, and some mainline Protestant denominations (such as Anglicans, Episcopalians, and Lutherans) practice Lent, but many do not.

However, as a model for stewardship, the early church practice of focusing time, energy, and our bodies upon God remains a good standard.

References: 1, 2, 3.

This sweet Easter dish is from thebrickkiln's Etsy shop! They have other Easter dishes, too :)!

Yum!

Depending on ability and inclination, cooking/baking can be one of life's greatest pleasures or life's greatest banes. However, it's easy to agree that a good solid meal can make a huge difference in the way that we feel, so I thought about cooking (and its cousin, baking) today in terms of stewardship. After my little girl was born, when we all finally came home from the hospital, I was just so tired and still in so much pain (I knew it would hurt, but I didn't realize how much, I guess!), cooking a good meal seemed like so much effort! I was so grateful to those of our friends, family, and church family who brought meals over (including dessert! Wow!) without being asked. This was just such an amazing blessing, and I know I would never have suspected quite how much it would be before she was born. And I realized, though sometimes it seems like there's little that I can do to help someone because their pain (or joy, mixed with exhaustion, as in the case of a healthy birth) is their own, one thing I can do is provide some quality nourishment. I think one thing I valued the most about the kind folks who provided food to us is that they didn't ask, they just came forward, and I know that sometimes I lack that initiative myself, but it made such a difference! So, next time I'm not sure what to do for someone who I know is facing a challenge in some way, I'll think...Yum!

This great bowl (says faith, hope, love) is from LittleBayClay's Etsy store - all proceeds from her shop are donated to charitable organizations, so check out her ceramic goods!

"Our" Resources

My husband related today that he heard an interesting piece on the radio regarding adoption from other countries, and all of the various aspects to consider when making this choice, and I thought something very insightful was said, which was that if you are interested in "helping somebody," you should donate money, but if you would like to build a family, then you should adopt. This struck me because I think often as Christians we think about how to share what we've been given, and perhaps, sometimes, it's easy to think of this as how we can be a benefactor for someone else rather than how we can operate as a family of God, considering all resources to be provided for this purpose. I believe that most who choose to adopt are adopting to create a family rather than to play benefactor to a child, and I believe adoption to be an amazing opportunity and blessing, but I found that suggestion to consider motives to be really interesting to think about. And it brought to mind a faithful organization that works to share the gospel, improve living conditions, and disperse resources around the world, World Vision. Also, it encouraged me to try to remember, every day, that the resources we have come from God, and as such, belong to God as we belong to Him, so rather than thinking of how I can use or disperse them, I should prayerfully consider what He has in mind for them, whether that means by expanding our family in adoption, or sharing resources in another way.

Time is a'tickin away

When we read the New Testament, there's a definite sense of urgency in terms of living a Christian life and making good use of our time. But how! So many little things to do each day that can get in the way of doing all the "good things we mean to do." This brings to mind a clever little story about Susanna Wesley, the mother of Methodist leaders John and Charles Wesley, who had 19 (yes, 19!) children, and who was a very dedicated Christian woman. The (true) story is this: she would take time each day to pray, and would lift her apron over her head to indicate that she should not be disturbed by one of her many offspring (or anyone else). She would gather her spiritual resources, reflect, and grow closer to God each day. This is such an awesome story of someone who clearly could have let the little things bog her down but instead focused on the most important of all. So while most of us aren't wearing aprons that we would feel comfortable hiding our heads in, perhaps we can make a practice of telling our family that for "x" number of minutes, we will be unavailable each day, and use our time wisely by growing closer to the One who is timeless!

The cute "Feed my Sheep" apron is from Wowembroidery's Etsy shop!

What Do You Mean, Stewardship?

Stewardship is a concept that requires people to make good use of what they have been given. Often people think of stewardship only in terms of the environment, but it can be applied to a variety of different resources: time, talent, and creativity, to name just a few. This blog will focus on people and organizations that are practicing a variety of different types of good stewardship with a Christian message. God has given us so many gifts and opportunities to take care of those gifts, and it is awesome to consider all of the ways that we can bring glory to His name by doing so!