Embracing Kingdom Hope for a Broken World
Green Adventures
Rafting the Grand Canyon
Aug 18th
I recently wrote a post called “Take a Hike” for our green living series which highlighted the importance of taking opportunities to really appreciate God’s creation. Well, a little over a week ago I had a great opportunity to get out and enjoy God’s creation. I was blessed with the opportunity to go to the Grand Canyon with my dad and two of my sisters.
Now I have been to this amazing place several times before. I have even hiked to the bottom once or twice. But this trip was incredibly unique even after my previous experiences. We had the opportunity to hike down to the bottom of the canyon (about 9.5 miles) and then get into huge rafts to raft our way out of the canyon (about 180 miles).
Traveling this distance allowed us to experience the incredible diversity and beauty of this wonder that God created. We experienced views from the bottom, saw wildlife, hiked through side canyons and streams, sat under waterfalls, climbed up cliffs, and were bounced around by the rapids. I found myself continually amazed at the diverse beauty of this great place.
This was an incredible way to experience the beauty of God’s creation and a great opportunity to praise the Creator for his handiwork.
Rather than bore you with all the details of this week long trip, I thought I would show you a glimpse of the sights that we saw below.
Also consider:
100 Days Later
Jul 28th
Do you remember back when the disaster of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion first happened? When we were surprised that the Gulf Coast Oil Spill had not been stopped after 2 weeks? When we were shocked that the leak had not been capped by 30 days? When we were in unbelief that 60 days did not come with a solution or much hope of one even?
Here we are now, 100 days into this disaster. The cap that was put into place nearly 2 weeks ago seems to be holding. Less oil is on the surface of the ocean to be skimmed. The relief wells continue to progress.
At the same time, however, the families of the 11 workers who died still deal with their loss. Thousands have lost their jobs. Countless others have been hurt economically. Churches and other relief groups are seeing increased demand. Marshes, wetlands, and the gulf (homes to so many of God’s creatures) have oil and the toxic dispersant floating through them and in places unknown. Beaches are damaged. People are hurting, scared, and depressed. The effects go on and on.
So, have we turned the corner? Can we declare victory?
While we seem to have turned a corner with the continued spill – though I hesitate to celebrate until the well is permanently killed – the effects could last for decades. This is the part that cannot be forgotten. The temptation will be to let this fade into the background. But we cannot ignore the fact that the implications of this spill will likely go on for many years. The 3 to 5 MILLION barrels of oil spilled will have an ongoing impact on God’s children, creatures, and creation.
As the situation continues to develop and change, followers of Jesus Christ need to step in and meet the needs. They need to participate with God in realizing His kingdom here on earth. They need to share that God is with those affected and the hope that His better future awaits.
Let this be a wake up call to live differently. Let this be a time where we realize how our care for neighbor and evangelism overlap with caring for God’s creation. Let this be a moment where we share the love of Jesus Christ with those in need.
Please continue with us in prayer that God be moving in the midst of this tragedy.
Also consider:
Involving Kids
Jul 14th
For the past several months we have been working with the children’s director from Presbyterian Church of the Covenant to help bring the creation care message into their Vacation Bible School. After months of planning their VBS began this past Monday. During the course of the week they will be learning more about God’s creation, their role to play in caring for it, and God’s great plan to restore it.
It has been exciting so far to see the children engaging with aspects of creation care. How encouraging to see kids composting and able to explain why they should do it! More importantly, how incredible is it to hear kids speak of God’s love for them and the beauty of His creation!
On a personal level, I have loved watching my daughter help with gardening, composting, and conserving. It is such a great thing to see children caring for God’s creation. This is not just for some general environmental reason; rather they are beginning to understand the Christian call to care for God’s creation. Now that gets me excited!
How have you seen children caring for God’s creation?
Also consider:
From Abandonment to Adoption
Jul 7th
Green Adventures: a series in which we invite you into the adventures from our journey.
Last night I found myself doing some work late. Not unusual. But I also found myself with a kitten asleep on my lap, another purring in my ear. Very unusual.
How did this happen? How did I suddenly find myself the owner of two tiny kittens?
You see, I thought I was a dog person. I thought that one pet (our beagle) was enough for us. I though I was allergic to cats. I thought we didn’t have any more space in our home to squeeze in anything or anyone else.
And yet there I was enjoying my time with our 2 new kittens that we got on Saturday.
So how did we get here? Read on to see how my journey to care for God’s creation has helped bring me to this place.
Because He Cares
Jun 30th
Green Adventures: a series in which we invite you into the adventures from our journey.
There are a variety of reasons to care for creation. Here are a few more popular ones:
We care for creation because of its instrumental value. I care for it so that I can continue to use it and benefit from it (food, resources, etc).
We care for creation because we are commanded to. I care for the earth because God called me to steward it.
We care for creation because by doing so we can love our neighbor. I care for the earth in order to help others, including future generations.
Of course, there are many other reasons. One that I have been learning more about lately is this:
We care for creation because God cares for it. As His follower, His cares and concerns should be my cares and concerns.
If God feels that creatures and creation were created good, that it is worth His effort to care for even the sparrows, and that it is important to reconcile all things, then perhaps I should follow Him in this.
I have often been called to follow our Lord, but it is only more recently that I am beginning to intentionally extend this idea to creation care. Perhaps I did this unintentionally before. Lately, I am seeing a plant not just as a plant for decoration or food, but as a creation of my Lord to be cared for. I am seeing the ant, not just as a nuisance, but as a creature of my Lord to be admired.
I find it easy to go through life without recognizing God’s creation for what it is. Trees, plants, flowers, birds, pets, and bugs abound. They are all around. Recently, however, I am seeing them more and more for what they really are – God’s creations. These are not just scenery, items in the background. No, they are incredible creations that praise God’s name.
I hope I can see this more and more. And I hope you can as well.
Also consider:
Prayer Journey (Through the Lens)
Jun 25th
Recently we have been writing about our prayer journey through the Gulf Coast to pray for the effects of the oil spill. Before we return to our regular blog series we thought we would take another view at the journey as seen through the lens of our cameras.
A community prayer center near Buras, LA where we stopped and prayed.
A helicopter picks up more sand to construct offshore berms as part of the barrier island project to protect the shoreline.
A glimpse of some pelicans rehabbing at the Fort Jackson Rehabilitation Center. While we (like many others) were not allowed access, we were able to catch this glimpse of their work.
A view of Venice Marina in Louisiana. No longer a place where fishermen head out of, any activity in the marina now surrounds the oil spill.
A bird flies near the marina. Hopefully it was able to stay out of harms way.
[CLICK MORE TO SEE THE REST OF THE JOURNEY]
But it doesn’t end there
Jun 24th
After the prayer meeting we had on St George Island on Saturday night, we were blessed that our prayer journey had us in the area a while longer. First Baptist Church, St George Island was gracious enough to put us up in their retreat center for the night which allowed us to stay in town and worship with two churches on Sunday morning.
We first worshipped with our friends from United Methodist Church, St George Island. Pastor Themo Patriotis and others were incredibly gracious with us. The worship service was excellent.
During the service I had the opportunity to share about our journey. I took some time to share about the awful things that we had seen and heard about through the course of our journey. I highlighted the difficult time I had on Friday as I experienced the oil in such a close, sickening way (a glimpse of which you can see in the video below). No need to over-exaggerate, I painted the picture as we had experienced it. And it was ugly, painful, and heart-wrenching.
Now, it’s not easy painting a picture this grim in a church service. It is hard to handle.
Fortunately, I was able to tell them this:
But it doesn’t end there!
You see our story does not end with tragedy. It ends with our Lord winning the battle, with His redemption and restoration.
I shared some thoughts on Colossians 1:15-20 with the congregation. I pointed out how God Himself is redeeming all things and how this gives us great hope in times like this. We must remember that our Creator is also our Redeemer.
Later in the service Pastor Themo asked Ben and I to serve communion to the congregation. What a powerful moment! It was a great blessing to serve them in this way as well.
After fellowshipping with them for a little bit afterwards, we headed straight over to First Baptist Church, St George Island. This was another great service. Pastor Mike Whaley, his wife Judy, and many others were again very kind to us. We again had the opportunity to share with the congregation. I delivered a similar message, this time highlighting that God is in control. I again shared the Colossians 1 but brought in the renewed creation of Revelation 21. This was the point to the hope that we have that though BP, the government, and others may struggle to get this situation under control, we know that our God is in control.
Afterwards we headed to Pastor Themo’s home for lunch. We were joined by Eric and Christine Purvis, two wonderful worship leaders who led worship at the prayer service the night before and the Methodist church’s morning service. Themo’s wife April cooked a wonderful Greek dish of stuffed peppers. It was excellent. We enjoyed a great time of conversation, particularly focusing on the spill and how we might better care for God’s creation. It was so encouraging to hear people genuinely interested in fulfilling their call to care for God’s creation.
After a (long) while we spent some time praying for April’s mom, Lynn, who has been diagnosed with a rare, untreatable form of cancer and Lupus. This was another powerful time where the Spirit was definitely present. I also ask that you all please join us in prayer for our sister Lynn.
As this was the final (official) stop of our journey before beginning the trek home, we asked that Themo and April join us in prayer. We headed down to Lafayette pier in Apalachicola. We had a wonderful time of prayer with two incredible servants. We were so blessed to get to know Themo and his wife. It was one of those time that you wish did not have to end. That must be why we got on the road 3 hours after we had intended. It was certainly worth it though.
Late Sunday night (actually 1:00am Monday morning) we arrived back in New Orleans. We were exhausted, worn down, energized, saddened, and encouraged all at the same time. What a way to end the trip, highlighting the hope we have in the Lord and finding encouragement from brothers and sisters in Christ!
May the message ring out that:
IT DOESN’T END THERE. THERE IS HOPE.
GOD IS WITH US. GOD IS IN CONTROL. GOD HIMSELF IS WORKING TO REDEEM ALL THINGS.
More from our prayer journey:
Dorsal Fins & Prayer Meetings
Jun 22nd
Although Friday wore me out, I got up early Saturday morning to go back to Orange Beach before setting out on the next steps of our prayer journey. The picture that I saw was no better than the afternoon before. The rain the night before had failed to wash away either the oil or its stench from the beach. Wave after wave of oil still washed ashore.
Furthermore, there was now dead wildlife to be found on the shore. First, a blue-clawed crab; dead with oil on its body.
Next, hundreds of dead, little minnows. These were scattered across the shoreline.
Third, a hermit crab which lay lifeless on the sand.
Signs of other, potential casualties surrounded me. Sadly, more minnows swam on the shores edge. Perhaps it was just a matter of time before they joined the others on the shore. Other fish could be seen jumping out of the water just offshore. Dolphins swam in these same oiled waters not far out.
Also, I watched as sharks – which must have been at least five feet long – fed on fish who likely had ingested the oil themselves. The unbelievable thing about this was that they hunted these fish literally 15 feet of the shore. We have been reading how another impact of the spill has been to drive sea creatures closer and closer to shore to avoid the oil. Alas, there was nowhere else to run.
After this we headed over to Pensacola Beach, FL to meet with an incredible young lady named Stacy. This encounter was certainly one that had been planned by God. You see, when we set out on the trip we were still waiting to hear back about several possibilities of people to connect with in this area. Stacy was not one of them. On the flight out to New Orleans I started talking with the woman sitting next to me. It turns out that she works right across the street from Westmont college where I did my undergraduate work. Not only that but her niece is also a Westmont alum. As I was telling her about the trip and where I would be headed, she mentioned offhandedly that her niece lived in Pensacola and that she might be interested in what we were doing. After the flight I gave this woman my card, but did not expect much to come of it from the niece’s end. Well, on Thursday night I got a call from her niece, Stacy, asking what we were doing. I told her about the trip so far and suggested we meet up and pray together.
So, we headed down to Pensacola Beach and met up with Stacy. It was surprising how just a few more miles down the coast the situation was again changed. The water was blue and clear. Apparently some tar balls had come ashore but were already cleaned up. When we were there people were swimming and enjoying the beach, albeit in decreased numbers.
There on the beach we enjoyed a wonderful time of prayer. It is so amazing how we have this common bond as Christians where we can come together in prayer with someone we did not even know moments earlier. Not only did we spend time praying but we were able to share stories about caring for God’s creation and humane consumption. Ben and I had a great time and were blessed by this encounter.
After our time with Stacy, we continued on down the Florida coast to the beautiful St George Island. St George Island is a small island surrounded by incredible eco-diversity. Though it has not yet been hit with the oil, fear abounds. Even if the oil does not reach the shore, the island may still be deeply affected economically.
On the island the pastors of the Methodist and Baptist churches on the island had arranged a prayer and praise meeting for Saturday. We set up on the beach just past their spectacular lighthouse. The meeting was late in the evening so we were blessed by great, cool weather. A variety of leaders took part in the event. Both Ben and myself were able to participate in reading scripture, sharing brief messages, and praying. This was a powerful time with upwards of 70 people (estimates have reached as high as 100) gathered together on this small island to pray for this situation. A few thoughts rang out during the course of the evening:
- God is in control
- God is with us
- We must humble ourselves and pray.
As waves crashed, birds soared overhead, and the sun descended we proclaimed that the God who had created these incredible things was sovereign over this situation. It was so amazing to see these wonderful people stand together and declare their trust in the Lord. Ben and I were blessed to have been able to participate in something so great as this. While the day had begun rough, facing the challenges of the spill up close and personal, it finished as a time of comfort and hope.
{UPDATE: Apparently Pensacola has now had a new round of oil wash ashore. Let us pray that this too can be cleaned up quickly and completely.}
More on our prayer journey:
In Shock
Jun 22nd
The clean beaches we saw in Gulfport, MS on Thursday’s leg of our prayer journey were not to be found on Friday. As we crossed the state line over into Gulf Shores, AL, we went from a fear of what could happen to a realized fear.
Upon arrival, we noticed that the yellow flag was flying on the shore. This indicated the danger but allowed people to go in the water. And go in the water they did. The beach was a contrast of beach umbrellas and cleanup tents, people wearing bathing suits and workers wearing special protective boots and gloves, people playing in the sand and workers digging up the oil in the sand, people swimming in the water and people taking pictures of the oil and tars balls in the water.
The reports we had heard of tar balls found on the beaches there were most definitely true. 
They was scattered across the shore. Solid to the touch, those found in the sand were not as sticky as I might have thought. Perhaps it result of having been in the sun and covered in sand. As I crumbled one in my hand, however, it quickly became much more sticky and stuck to my hand. In fact, after washing it off in the ocean water and scraping it through the sand, my hand remained covered with a layer of oil. It was only after wiping down with several baby wipes that I started to make some progress.
Ben, bravely trekked into the ocean to see what he could see. There he saw what looked liked little flakes. When he reached out to touch them, they dissolved immediately on his hand revealing droplets of oil. Even with these moist drops he was only successful in partially removing it from his skin. He, too, was left with an oily layer that was only removed later with a more intentional effort and help.
Imagine what it might be like for an animal that happened to come into contact with it.
Meanwhile contracted workers continued to work just a few yards off the water’s edge. Every couple hundred yards or so there was another group of workers. The scary thing was that the oil was not just found in chunks on the surface. They had to dig down into the sand where they continued to find the contaminated spots. They filled bag after bag after bag with oiled sand. Every short while an excavator/tractor would come by to be filled with the many bags. They were then transported to the nearest collection of dumpsters that had been brought in just for that purpose.
Whereas access to the contaminated areas was extremely restricted in Louisiana, here people were not separated from the workers, oil, or water. It was bizarre to watch as people would step across tar balls to go swimming in the water. Or as people set up their towels, chairs, and umbrellas right near the cleanup tents. Or as tourists snapped picture after picture of the work, sometimes posing right next to the workers.
After a while we headed a little further on down the beach to Gulf Shores State Park. There workers in hazmat suits collected countless oil-stained booms. As I walked out on the pier there, a look down into the water revealed massive tar balls on the ocean floor. Even worse, fish were swimming and jumping in the area, surely unable to avoid contamination.
Next, we continued on to Orange Beach which is the next city to the east of Gulf Shores. Though we only traveled a short distance the picture drastically worsened. The flags had gone from yellow to red meaning: “DO NOT GO IN THE WATER.”
This was with good reason. As I walked toward the shore, I couldn’t help but think to myself that this was one of the more beautiful beaches I had seen. This pristine beach contained beautiful white sand, clean of any debris. But as I approached the water the picture completely changed. The last 10 or 15 feet to the water (at high tide) was completely stained with oil. It was from white to some sort of orange-brown. Walking barefoot, I immediately felt the grease of oil between my toes. An overpowering stench of oil filled my nostrils. I watched as each wave deposited a new line of oil on the sand. As the waves retreated back, they revealed the large amounts of oil in the water. 
Furthermore, both large globs and tiny droplets of oil were visible on the surface of the water. In contrast to our experience in both Louisiana and Gulf Shores, there were no workers, no security; just a few others watching this disaster unfold before them.
I was profoundly impacted at this point. I sat overwhelmed at the tragedy before me. It was like watching the scene of a car accident. Horror stood before me, but I could not bring myself to leave. After a couple hours locked into the disaster, a heavy storm rolled in. Thunder rumbling in the background, raindrops falling on my head, I just stood there. I was in shock, unable to even think. The damage we had caused to God’s creation was more than I could handle.
What had we done? How awful that my own consumption had been a factor in causing this! Why weren’t we doing more to fix it? How tragic that I could do nothing more.
Overwhelmed and shocked, all I could do was call upon our Lord.
For more images and videos, please visit our Facebook page, our Flickr page, or our YouTube channel [video content coming soon].
[I apologize for the delay on these latest posts. As you can imagine, this trip has been filled with long, challenging days. Our schedule has had us up early and working very late every day. Now that we have returned, I will be back on track.]
More on our prayer journey:
“I’ve Got Tears In My Eyes”
Jun 18th
On Thursday, our gulf coast prayer journey began appropriately. We had a chance to pray on the beach of Grand Isle one last time before moving along. We worked our way from Grand Isle, Louisiana all the way to Gulfport, Mississippi. The road included much beautiful scenery. The way was scattered with rivers, marshes, bayous, forests, and some great trees.
Upon arrival at Gulfport, we headed straight to the beach. There we found a pier and walked to the end to see the condition of the water (which was totally clear of oil).
At the end of the pier were a couple of guys on a bench. Ben soon struck up a conversation with one of them, a local fisherman named Michael. It turns out that Michael had been crying and praying about the oil spill when we showed up. He shared much of his story and thoughts about the spill with us, but the following quote is what will stick with me for a long time:
I’ve got tears in my eyes. I don’t want it to get here. I don’t want it to get here! That’s my livelihood!
Somehow looking at it on the computer does not seem to do justice to the sincere passion and pain that he delivered it with. This man truly felt the pain of many of his gulf coast neighbors and deeply feared how it would impact him.
As we spoke a man sat quietly next to Michael with his head buried in a booklet. At some point along the way, Michael interrupted him. Luis, who only spoke Spanish, was out from Texas for a few days visiting family. Though I didn’t want to interrupt his personal, devotional time, I am glad that we – and by we I mean our new friend Michael – did. It turns out that Luis was going through a Catholic devotional.
Luis had a powerful story. He had lost his wife in 2003 (if I remember the date correctly) and had turned to drinking. But in 2005 he gave up drinking and turned to the Lord instead. It was great to hear his story and share what we were doing as well. He and I had a great time sharing how God is in control pase lo que pase (“whatever happens”).
After a while the four of us, who were absolute strangers 20 minutes earlier, joined together in prayer on the end of the pier there. What a powerful and unexpected time!
As of Thursday morning a couple of plans had fallen through and I was wondering if anything meaningful was going to happen. Certainly the two of us would pray, but I thought that other than that it would mostly be filled with a lot of driving, catching up on work, and planning. What a pleasant surprise to see God move in this way. As we walked away, our two new friends were encouraged as were we. And I have a new friend Luis who wants to give me a call sometime.
God is good!
More on our prayer journey:
Decontamination, Frustration, & Oration
