Embracing Kingdom Hope for a Broken World
Posts tagged Oil Spill
Tradeoffs
Jun 9th
Green Adventures: a series in which we invite you into the adventures from our journey.
As you may be aware, next week I will be heading out on a prayer journey to the gulf coast to pray with people there for the effects of the oil spill. Since our trip will cover a large distance (New Orleans to St. George Island) it is too great to walk or even bike. Unfortunately, we will need to travel by vehicle. Additionally, our various constraints and meetings rule out the possibility of using public transportation. At the same time, however, we do not want to use oil excessively to get around since the problem here is oil.
While we thought it would be ideal to take an electric vehicle for the trip, they are not exactly easy to come by. The more realistic solution we came up with was to rent a hybrid for the trip. This would provide us with the mobility we needed, but allow us to signal our desire to opt out of the oil culture.
Unfortunately, after countless hours researching, visiting websites, and making phone calls, I have been totally unable to track down a Prius or other hybrid to rent anywhere in the area during the time of our trip. I have tried just about every last avenue possible in order to make this work. Perhaps it is the conglomeration of environmentally-minded media in town for the oil spill coverage that has reserved all the hybrids. Or perhaps it merely signals how dependent our culture is on gas-guzzling vehicles and that there are very few in stock. Either way, I am pretty much out of luck.
* Image from http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/photo-gallery.html
Often when trying to care for God’s creation, we bump into challenges such as these. We want to opt for the ultra-green choice but it isn’t actually available to us. Sometimes this is due to cost. Sometimes availability. Sometimes information. Whatever the reason – whether we like it or not – the perfect alternative is not always available to us.
The challenge I have had this week is less about the time and energy spent finding the perfect vehicle and more about coming to terms with the idea of not having it. I so wanted to have that gas-sipping hybrid and yet it has eluded my grasp. I have really struggled to let that go.
Fortunately, I am reminded that our God does not just look at the outward appearance but considers our hearts. Perhaps some people will not appreciate the fact that our car will likely not have the little hybrid symbol on it, but I know that our Lord is aware of the effort I put into this.
That is the thing that I have really learned this week. There will be times where we cannot attain that perfect option, but we can know that our efforts and desire to care for creation will not go unnoticed.
In the end it looks like I will have to accept the tradeoff here. While I probably won’t be driving down the coast highway in a shiny electric or hybrid vehicle, I will at least be riding in an economy vehicle. More importantly, I know that I tried my best to care for God’s creation. The rest I place in the hands of the Redeemer of all things.
Also consider:
Oil Spill Prayer – Update & Prayer Journey
Jun 4th
I want to thank you all for your support and prayers. We are so excited that over 3,000 people have formally committed to pray for the effects of the oil spill through our Oil Spill Prayer initiative in addition to the countless others who are praying as well. These last 45 days have been filled with much tragedy and devastation, but the way that you have stood together to pray and entrust the situation to our Lord has been a bright spot and a great source of encouragement. We believe that our prayers do make a difference because our God is sovereign and listens to our prayers. So, thank you for standing up and making a difference in an impossible situation.
Unfortunately, I have to report that the flow of oil has yet to be stopped. Each effort that has been tried to stop or even slow the leak to date has failed. Furthermore, the estimates of how much oil shoots out every day has more than doubled. The gulf is filled with major plumes of oil. Beaches and marshes have now been infected with oil. Seagulls and sanderlings, Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles and dolphins have been injured and killed as a result. Families are struggling to put food on the table as a result of lost wages. Words can hardly describe the destruction.
*Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/lagohsep/4661384410/in/set-72157624183995944/
The situation is dire, but our God, who is the Redeemer, has revealed Himself in difficult circumstances time and time again. Let us continue to call upon the Lord in this difficult time.
I want to announce to you that we will soon be embarking on a prayer journey across the Gulf Coast. I will be traveling with Ben DeVries, a Creation Hope board member and the director of Not One Sparrow, throughout the affected areas. There we will gather in prayer with those on the ground to pray for this tragic situation. While our primary purpose is to be in prayer, we hope that this will also be a source of encouragement for those who live in the affected areas and that it will create a new level of awareness for those of you around the country and the world. Finally, we pray that it will be an opportunity to share the hope we have as Christians. We must not trivialize this situation, but neither can we ignore that our faith is placed in the Creator and Redeemer. The prayer journey will take place from June 14th – 21st. We will frequently be sharing our adventures with you via the Oil Spill Prayer updates page and the Creation Hope blog. We are really looking forward to how God will use this.
We are excited to know that we are backed by your support and prayers. I hope that in addition to praying for the spill, you will be praying for us during this time. If you happen to be in the area we would love to get together with you for prayer and possibly a meal. If you are not, please pray with us and encourage us from wherever you may be at. Finally, if you would like to further invest in what we are doing, we ask that you consider supporting our trip financially (even if that is simply through a Starbucks gift card). Please contact us if you would like to find out more about how you can be part of this exciting work.
Also consider:
Green Verses: Mark 11:23-24
Jun 1st
Green Verses: a series which seeks to highlight scriptures that point to God as the Creator, His sovereignty over the earth, His redemption of the earth, and our call to participate in that redemption. Take a moment and reflect on what God might be saying through His Word.
Mark 11:23-24
Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Many thanks to Robin who mentioned this verse in a prayer she shared on the Oil Spill Prayer website a few days ago. Do you pray with this sort of confidence? At a time when God’s creatures are dying and ecosystems are being damaged, let us pray to our Lord with confidence.
Also consider:
Wrestling with Oil
May 26th
Green Adventures: a series in which we invite you into the adventures from our journey.
In this Green Adventures series, I have brought you into my own journey to care for God’s creation. I have enjoyed telling stories of how I have tried to live out my call to care for God’s creation. I have typically focused on practical actions. Together we have journeyed through efforts to make bread; to switch to more sustainable, cloth diapers; to develop eco-friendly business cards; to tend a garden; and even to change eating habits. Today’s journey, though, is not a matter of action. Instead, it is a matter of heart.
I’ll be honest, when I first heard of the oil rig explosion on April 20th, I felt bad, but not too bad. In a world where we are constantly battered with news of disaster, death, and destruction, I often find myself numb to the impact of such things. Numbness to such pain allows us to continue functioning in a bubble as if everything is okay. Normally, in this situation I would be “okay.” But this time I am not. The numbness has given way.
This is the result, first, of engaging with the situation and understanding its gravity. You see, when we keep things at arm’s distance, when we engage in only 30 second sound bites, and when we treat them like science fiction movies, it is easy to be disengaged. But when we address a situation, look at the photos, and understand what is at stake, we cannot help but to care for the real pain of the tragedy.
Secondly, this is the result of prayer. Early on I began praying for this, but I later jumped in deep with a prayer for the Gulf Coast Oil Spill and my efforts surrounding the launch of Oil Spill Prayer. How could I possibly go to the Lord day after day without being deeply affected? Prayer has changed me.
I am not a terribly emotional person. I rarely cry. But I cannot help but tear up every time I engage this situation.
People have died.
Others are injured.
Families are hurting due to financial hardships.
God’s creatures are suffering and dying.
Beaches, marshes, wetlands, and other ecosystems are seriously damaged.
Back when I worked at World Vision, I remember reading about how the founder, Bob Pierce, prayed these words: “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” I believe that this tragedy is something that breaks the heart of God. Bit by bit my own heart is breaking.
Also consider:
Announcing Oil Spill Prayer!
May 11th
We are really excited to announce that Creation Hope is officially launching a new campaign called Oil Spill Prayer. Oil Spill Prayer seeks to unite Christians and churches around the world in prayer about the Gulf Coast Oil Spill.
We have recently posted our own prayer about the crisis. However, with some prompting from you, our readers, we have decided to take this to the next level.
Our goal is to enlist the prayers of individuals, churches, organizations, business, schools, and more in the Gulf, across the US, and around the world. We believe that our God is more than able to make a difference in the face of this awful disaster.
Oil Spill Prayer is a place where you can commit to praying and share your prayers with others. Please join with Christians along the gulf coast and around the world as we pray that God act in the midst of tragedy.
We hope that you will all take a moment, visit the Oil Spill Prayer website, and make a commitment to pray.
You can also connect through the Oil Spill Prayer Facebook page and Twitter account.
Thank you all for your continued support.
A Prayer for the Gulf Coast Oil Spill
May 3rd
On April 20th there was an explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico which resulted in the death of 11 people. After the explosion, one of the fail safes which was to protect against spills apparently failed. Since then, gallon after gallon of oil has been spilling into the waters uncontained. It seems that it will be another 7-9 days until even a temporary cap can be put in place. Meanwhile oil continues to gush out, threatening animals, beaches, and marshes. While cleanup efforts have begun, to date they have been largely unsuccessful at containing the spill. As of today, it looks like this will be the worst US oil disaster ever. The potential harm done to God’s creation is immense.
For most of us there is not much we can do about it. We are neither trained nor positioned to help. And yet, as people who care for God’s creation we cannot just ignore this tragedy. So, please join me in prayer for the families of those who died and were injured, for those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected, for those working to clean up the spill, and for God’s creatures and creations that are damaged.
A Prayer for the Gulf Coast Oil Spill
Our LORD,
Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer,
You alone are sovereign over creation.
You alone created the heavens and the earth.
You alone sustain and hold all things together.
You alone are the redeemer and re-creator.
We praise You for your wonderful creation,
But now plead with You for your intervention.
In the face of great tragedy we turn to You,
We ask that You step in with works of restoration.
Be with the families of those who were killed,
May they be comforted with Your peace.
Be with those who were injured,
May they experience Your healing.
Be with those whose jobs are affected in an already tough economy,
May they receive Your provision.
Be with those who are working to contain and clean up,
May they be guided and directed.
What a shame that Your creatures should suffer!
Lord, please protect and heal them.
What a shame that Your creation should be damaged!
Lord, please protect and restore it.
As we ourselves are somewhat complicit in this tragedy,
Forgive us for our role in this crisis.
Teach us to reduce our own consumption,
That we might better care for and protect Your creation.
We again acknowledge Your sovereignty.
We pray that Your restorative work would be manifest,
That Your Kingdom come and Your will be done here and now,
That Your name might be glorified in all the earth.
We pray all this in the name of our LORD,
the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of all things.
Amen
*Image from:
