Celebrating Earth Day

Our country has observed Earth Day in April for most of my life. I don’t remember hearing much about it growing up, and my first recollection of it being a thing was the 20th anniversary in 1990. 

However, I’ve always had an outdoor connection.

Growing up in Tulsa, my parents purchased some wooded acreage near Mannford, and we used to spend a lot of time doing various things there. I mostly spent my time traipsing around the creeks and ponds with my dog, Raider. 

Once, I was at the top of a ridge where a wet-weather creek ended in a pretty nice drop-off. Sitting at the top, I could swear that I could hear dripping even though the creek bed was dry. I made my way to the bottom of the ridge and discovered water dripping out of the side of the sandstone wall. It ran down into the creek. 

I came across this Yellow-crowned Night Heron on 
a walk in the woods earlier this month. Gratitude!

At first glance, I had visions of Jed Clampett discovering oil ala The Beverly Hillbillies. Then I realized that it was water and found the first of two springs that I discovered on that property. In the runoff beneath leading to the stream, I found a crawdad in the clear water. 

These kinds of discoveries were spiritual for me in that they connected me to the wider natural world. The more I learned about my surroundings, the larger my sense of gratitude for what God had created. Anything new or different was a wonder to be savored.

I would say that I still find that same sense of connection and gratitude when I wander in the woods. There are still new discoveries to make and beautiful scenery to behold.

I do connect with Paul's words to the Romans where he states that "God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made."

The Biblical witness indicates that God has given human beings stewardship over the creation. Out of the sense of gratitude, on this Earth Day, may we ensure that others can experience the same appreciation we have garnered.

Scripture quoted from Romans 1:20b, New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 4

Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made.                        

                                                                              Romans 1:20a (NRSV)

Today, I'm grateful for how The United Methodist Church has taught me to value the natural world and see it as a tapestry for better understanding the Creator.

One of the great things about growing up at Boston Avenue was their summer camping program for children at the Naifeh Ranch in Sapulpa.  We would travel out daily and begin around 3 pm.  We would divide up into the same small group all week and establish our "home in the woods".  We would explore the area and see all the fascinating flora and fauna.  We would bring ingredients (from home not the woods) to cook our dinner each evening over a campfire.  

One time, our children's minister, Virginia Gray, made up booklets with various Psalms that featured God's creation.  Then in the evening each small group would act out one of the Psalms or illustrate it or re-write it and present it to the entire group.  I think my group had Psalm 8.

I remember one hike in particular that I ended up leading (another way they helped us mature) and we trailblazed to the top of the hill and sat on these enormous rocks.  It was very peaceful - even for 10 year olds - to sit on them and listen to the stillness.

Later, in college, I was a summer intern at Boston Avenue through their Venture Leadership Team program.  It was fun returning to the Naifeh Ranch and hiking around the woods - very nostalgic!

I served as an amateur nature guide and caught a hog-nosed snake and a tarantula spider.  The hog-nosed snake writhes around the ground like it's in its death throes when caught. It also inflates its skin - maybe as a cobra imitation.  It is also called a puff adder but it is non-venomous.

The tarantula is a fearsome looking spider but rarely bites and is no worse than a bee sting to people if they do.  This one was content to crawl up my arm - when it got too close to my neck and head, I did move it back to my hand!

The great thing about showing these creatures to kids who mostly lived in the city was that they offered us no threat.  The immediate instinct of some was to kill them but as the kids got to touch the animals, they saw that they were not so fearsome after all.  We released them back into their home after showing them off.

Because this is a church activity, this was not just educational, but it was also spiritual.  What does it mean for a child to encounter a living creature in the wild and then praise God in a Psalm for that same creation?

For me, it means a reverence in the outdoors.  It means that I try to practice good stewardship and walk lightly when I'm in the outdoors.  It means that when I walk in nature, I pay attention to how God may be speaking to me.

As we move through Lent and contemplate our own spirituality, what times have you had in the outdoors that brought you closer to God?  Where have you been and how could you reflect upon what the creation says to you about the creator?

God's beautiful variety or something unsightly?