Climate Change

In this episode, Kyle Meyaard-Schapp, vice president of the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) shares how he got involved in climate advocacy as a Christian - including the middle-school humor nickname for the lake near the town where he grew up! Kyle and Chris also talk about lament as a necessary component of hope, how to encourage folks wherever they are on their justice journeys, and taking the long view when it comes to bringing about change.

How do we move the needle on climate action? According to Dr. Katherine Hayhoe’s new book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, the answer starts with meaningful conversations, and requires both the love to speak out and the wisdom to understand our audience. To help believers dig deeper into what these types of conversations look like, the Climate Witness Project hosted a virtual “Climate Huddle” on January 18th, 2022. 

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: