[Ed. note: This article is part of our weekly series of church activities, called Cultivating Community, published on Thursdays.]
20 million people have had their lives upended by flooding in Pakistan this summer. (cc image courtesy UNICEF Canada via flickr)
Pakistan had already had a difficult summer by the time record amounts of monsoon rainfall deluged its several of its provinces and led to the humanitarian crisis currently debilitating the country. Pakistan’s government and military were already engaged in a re-building campaign in its northwest region after having displaced 2 million people through an offensive against local Islamic militants last year. Then, at the end of July, the country experienced the most catastrophic plane crash of its history, when an airliner crashed in the foothills of the Himalayas, killing all 152 passengers on board.
So the unprecedented flooding of August that has killed as many 1,600 people and upended the lives of 20 million others has only further burdened a nation strapped for both resources and emotional forbearance.
Pakistan’s humanitarian crisis is not without its ecological roots, or its ecological impact. The country expects and relies on monsoon rains to inundate its agricultural lands between June and September, but by the beginning of August, unusually heavy rains had already surpassed the regular three-month average, and rains and flooding continued to bludgeon the country long into the month. The inundations have not only destroyed this year’s crops and led to food shortages across the country, but they have likely debilitated cropland for several future growing seasons, as well, washing fertile soil of its minerals and nutrients. Additionally, although scientists hesitate to link particular weather events to larger climate trends, most agree that more extreme, unusual weather patterns of this sort are the result of a changing climate.
Though the subject of climate change is still hotly debated in our churches, the subject of helping those in need is not. [Read More]
by Matthew Sleeth
[Ed. note: This article is part of our series of weekly reflections, called Deep Down Things, published on Wednesdays.]
Light pollution: hidden in plain sight. (cc image courtesy loop_oh via flickr)
As an emergency room physician, I often worked 24-hour shifts. Emergency room doctors are not alone—today nearly one-fifth of the world population works in shifts.
Our regular patterns of waking and sleeping—called circadian rhythms—are fundamental to mental and physical well being. A lack of regular sleep and rest is not conducive to a healthy home life, or a healthy body. Hypertension, peptic ulcer disease, cardiovascular mortality, higher incidences of work-related accidents and car accidents, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and higher divorce rates are more common in shift workers. Life expectancy for shift workers is reduced by as much as four years. [Read More]
By Christiana Peterson
Flourish magazine,
Summer 2010
Canning is a method of preserving food invented by a confectioner and brewer in 19th century France when the government offered money to anyone who could come up with a way to preserve large amounts of food for their armies. This method, which has remained largely unchanged since then, gradually spread through Europe and to the United States.
I’ve only been canning for a few years now, but I’ve already found that the benefits far outweigh the time it takes to process the food in a hot kitchen. Because I live on a farm and have access to lots of fresh produce, canning has become a way to save on grocery bills, use the seasonal abundance of food efficiently, and provide healthy food for my family. Each time I take the jars out of their water bath and hear the delightful popping of the lids as they seal, I feel closer to older generations for whom canning was more necessity than luxury.
Tomatoes are some of the easiest produce I’ve canned. They are versatile and delicious, especially if you’ve grown them yourself. If your recipe calls for tomato sauce, just throw the contents of your quart of into a blender or food processor. I’ve made spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, soup, chili, and many more recipes with this simple item: canned tomatoes. [Read More]
Flourish magazine,
Summer 2010
Five Questions For: Tracey Bianchi
Flourish managing editor Kendra Langdon Juskus first met Tracey Bianchi at a suburban diner on a hot summer’s day in 2008. Over mozzarella sticks and milkshakes they shared their enthusiasm for living in walkable neighborhoods, exploring America’s wildernesses with their families, and sharing the glory of God’s creation with God’s church. Since then, Tracey has been regularly spreading that enthusiasm to Flourish readers and others through her website, speaking engagements, and her book, Green Mama: The Busy Mom’s Guide To Helping You and Your Kids Save The Planet (read an excerpt in Flourish magazine!). The proud mama of three kids and a regular speaker and writer for MOPS International, Christianity Today’s Gifted For Leadership blog, FullFill Magazine, and others gave us a peak into what inspires her desire to live graciously and gratefully in God’s earth:
1) What creation care-related scripture is most meaningful to you?
Psalm 24:1 “The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” I can find no better way to sum up our call to care for the planet than this simple verse. This is God’s place, so we need to do all we can to celebrate and be transformed by this reality. Short. Simple. True.
2) What is your favorite spot in the outdoors?
There is nothing in this world like mid-September in Colorado. I’ll take a crisp morning and a stand of Aspen trees any day. Like salve for the soul. Toss in an early snow-capped peak in the background and forget ever coming down from that mountain.
3) Out of the changes you’ve made in your life to follow God’s call to creation care, what has been the most life-giving or community-enhancing or faith-strengthening?
Jesus’ reminder to love our neighbor as ourselves. When I stop and think about how my actions impact my neighbor (both literally next door and across the world) I cannot help but change my habits and try to move from narcissism to communal action.
4) What is your guilty environmental indulgence? [Read More]
[Ed. note: This article is part of our series of weekly reflections, called Deep Down Things, published on Wednesdays.]
by David Griffith
"I think what I'm looking for are some signs of transformation." (cc image courtesy cseeman via flickr)
For the last four mornings in a row I have found myself walking the gravel road that runs past our house just as the sun is rising. I would like to brag that this is partly inspired by my recent re-reading of Annie Dillard’s classic Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, but that would be mostly a lie, because also with me at this time, strapped squirming to my chest, is my son, Alex.
Alex has taken to waking up at five a.m., hungry, and, afterwards, he just sits there in the crook of my arm and stares up at me, wide-eyed, with a look that says, “What do we do now?” So walking has been a way to entertain him, because he’s not yet at the age where he can appreciate the play mat with all the jingly, mirrored, and plush things hanging from it. Right now, at seven weeks old, he just wants movement. So, we walk. [Read More]
