Blessed Earth

Reading Matthew Sleeth’s book, “Serve God, Save the Planet,” was transformational for me and for our family.  As I poured through the chapters, it was as if everything that I’d been sensing, thinking, and learning on some semi-conscious level for years suddenly came to more vibrant life.  I think I could literally feel neurons in my brain firing all over the place as everything God had taught me or molded into my being to date began to connect and forge stronger, more cohesive bonds.  I am still in awe of how it all fits together, and how He is continuing to piece it all together and teach me more.

This “green” journey really is a never ending one – there is always so much more to learn in this amazingly complex and beautiful world. A funny analogy came to my head the other day when I was trying to describe the present state of my brain to my husband who so patiently helps me sort through all my thoughts.  You know those multi-colored yarns, where 6 inches or so of color suddenly turns into a 6-inch section of another color and so on?  It’s as if each unique color is a different topic, category, compartment, issue, interest, hobby, passion, or gifting that God has put into my life and being – but it’s all one continuous yarn.  And right now, especially during this joyous and crazy season of loving and nurturing preschool aged children, it often feels like my yarn ball is sitting in a jumbled, useless heap; however, I know that God is working to weave it into the bigger tapestry of His global story of restoration.

Like the Sleeths, we are finding greater depth and connection with God, people, and all of creation through this journey of creation care and downward mobility, but they are definitely better at communicating the experience than we are because they are much farther along the path!  🙂  I highly recommend checking out their books, their Blessed Earth ministry website, and/or their story in this video below.  If you’re in the SJ/Philly area this summer and want to join us for a book club discussion on “Serve God, Save the Planet,” click here for details.

Matthew Sleeth’s Creation Care Journey from Matthew Sleeth on Vimeo.