Climate Change

On Nov.

A month ago I returned home from the COP26 talks to a province suffering from the biggest flood of my lifetime and the second unprecedented climate-related disaster of the last seven months. It was surreal to see flooding in my hometown make international headlines due to “atmospheric rivers.” Needless to say, abstract discussions about climate change have real world consequences.

Lord, thank you for 2021.  I put my 2022 in your hands.  

As we exit 2021 we intentionally pray with gratitude for good news from this year.    

"The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come."  - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord." - Henri Nouwen.

The UN Climate Conference, COP26, ended late last Saturday after extended negotiations. For many around the world—including me, as I streamed the anticlimactic closing plenary from an Edinburgh pub—its conclusion was disappointing. 

He has planted me and made me his own.  Fed by the gentle waters of his spirit, I beg him by faith to prune me as he will, to let me grow tall and broad, lit by the sun to bear his everlasting fruit unto the unending day of the new creation.  - Andrew Peterson 

 "Unexpected wonders happen, not on schedule, or when you expect or want them to happen, but if you keep hanging around, they do happen. -Wendell Berry

Miners work in inhumane conditions for the materials for electric cars

Mining for the elements needed for electric cars is problematic for how human rights abuses continue in these mining operations.  In Democratic Republic of Congo for example, stories about harsh working conditions for informal cobalt mines are common.  Where one injustice is addressed, another crops up, so we pray:

As you’ve probably heard, COP26, the UN Climate Conference intended for the world’s nations to take coordinated global action on the climate crisis, is happening in Scotland right now. Why is it worth our attention? I’ll get there, but first I want to start with a more basic question someone asked me recently. 

“Why is creation care a concern for you?” 

Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark, or most in the dark, but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery. - Hannah Coulter