Category: Environment
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Today I Heard God Speak to Me
“The Earth is the Primary Revelation” Thomas Berry Today I heard God speak to me in the voice of a Black-headed Grosbeak. Its familiar warble rose above the cacophony of bird song and brought me to tears. Tears of joy at a Pentecost ongoing, the Divine continually speaking to us in languages we earthlings can…
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COP 29: A Perilous Moment of Choice
Image by Laurie Bayen See the sign-on letter to world leaders below In 1992 I was part of the United Methodist delegation to Rio de Janeiro during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, where George HW Bush signed the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the foundational climate treaty. At that conference, the nations…
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Vote Climate and Divest from Fossil Fuels
If you are a United Methodist, or if you care about climate finance, you might be interested in my work with Fossil Free UMC, which is working to move the United Methodist Church to divest from fossil fuels. Since I am the Convener of the group, I frequently post to their blog. To follow what’s…
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Climate Action: From Local to Global
Note: This post is addressed to my neighbors who live here in Western Nevada County, California, but it’s relevant to all of you, dear friends, wherever you are. On Sunday, September 17, people concerned about climate change are invited to join a demonstration calling for climate action on the Broad Street Bridge in Nevada City…
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Resurrection and New Creation
“The new creation is not a different creation. It is the new creation of this deranged world. Eternal life is not a different life. It is the resurrection of this life into the life of God. . . . So the kingdom of God means that this world will be different and will be born…
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The Death of Jesus in Context
As we move through the story of Jesus’s death and on to resurrection, we return to the primary themes of this Lenten blog series on “Creation, Cross, and the Powers.” This story is often told as if it all took place removed from the context of both creation and the powers. It is treated not…
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Care Enough to Weep
Last weekend I was on a silent retreat, sharing prayer spaces and meals with a few church friends and a larger group of Buddhists. On Saturday I walked the Stations of the Cross at the retreat center, knowing that the next day was Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Sometimes when I walk…
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Don’t Look Up
“You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart, and…
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“Banking on Our Future” as Demythologized Exorcism
Ironic: Chase bank with the “C” obscured by tarp held by sand bags from recent extreme storms. “What will you do when the time runs out?” See more photos below. Note: This post is intended for those who aspire to following Jesus in the context of today’s interlocking network of institutional “powers and principalities” that…
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Creation: Moving from Awe to Lament to Resistance
Being-at-one is not individualist self-realization but moves beyond that to change death-oriented reality. Being-at-one shares itself and realizes itself in the ways of resistance. Dorothee Soelle Lent is always a fruitful time for me, a time to reset my focus and reestablish practices that nourish my soul. Prayer is at…