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BLESSED EARTHS e r v i n g G o d , S a v i n g t h e P l a
nDECEMBER 2009 NEWSLETTER || WWW.BLESSEDEARTH.ORG || VOL. 1, NO.
11
PO BOX 227 || WILMORE, KY 40390 || [email protected]
Celebrating the Savior of the worl
I grew up believing in Santa and thetooth-fairy. When I was
eight I knew thatLassie would nd her way home and that theLone
Ranger could out-draw, out-shoot, orout-ride anyone. Im a little
foggy on what Ithought about Jesus at that age. During De-cember he
lived under our Christmas tree ina little open-faced wooden barn
with glued-down straw. He lay in a manger with his
armsoutstretched. Around him were glazed sheepand some grown ups.
There were three menwearing turbans who had a camel in tow.
In a short while I wouldnt believe in anyof this, and thats the
way it would stay fordecades. When Nancy and I had children
westarted celebrating Christmas even thoughneither of us believed
in Christ. It was hardnot to get into the spirit living in a Maine
vil-
lage that always had snow on the groundat that time of year. Im
not so sure that itswrong to celebrate something you dont re-ally
understand. Who knows when the lyricsof Handels Messiah really
begin to sink in?
I do recall the rst Christmas I realizedthat both the Christmas
tree and the Tree ofLife are symbols of God. And I clearly
re-member my rst Christmas, as a new be-liever, when I read aloud
to my family fromthe second chapter of Luke. And it came topass in
those days, that there went out a de-cree from Caesar Augustus,
that all the worldbe taxed....And she gave birth to her
rstbornson....and laid him in a manger; becausethere was no room in
the inn.
The reason we began Blessed Earth,and that Blessed Earth does
what it does,
is because of the birth, life, death, and theresurrection of
Christ. It is because of thehope that our children and their
children willcome to hear the story of the child born inthe City of
David. We live and work and haveour hope in Him. May the joy of all
the angelssinging, Glory to God in the highest, and onearth peace,
good will toward men be withyou during this celebration of the
birth ofChrist.
Your brother in Christ,
Matthew Sleeth, MDExecutive Director
Creation Care Scripture Creation Care Tip of the Month
Tey will celebrate your abundantgoodness and joyfully sing of
your
righteousness.
Psalm 145:7 (NIV)
Practice God-centered gift giving. A family we know decided that
each person would receive only three giftseach year to symbolize
the gold, frankincense, and myrrhthe wise men brought Jesus. Each
family member now receives one thing they need, one thing they
want, andone small surprise.
8/8/2019 December 2009 Blessed Earth Newsletter
2/3BLESSED EARTH || SERVING GOD, SAVING THE PLANET ||
WWW.BLESSEDEARTH.ORG
CONFESSIONS OF A RECOVERING RETAIL MANAGER
Letters from You
. Prayer & Praise ,n Prayers for protection for those
traveling during the Christ-mas season
n Prayers for God-centered giving and a focus on Christ
forChristmas
n Prayers for generosity from our supporters -- old and new-- to
help fund exciting new opportunities in 2010.
n November marked our biggest month for unique visitorsto our
Web site!
n We have added dozens of new resources to our Web
site,including a panel of exciting blogs written by special
friendsof Blessed Earth.
n There is a heavy sense of gratitude in our hearts for allthat
God and others have done not only for creation, but forus
personally. We are grateful.
By Teri WhiteContributing Writer
Christmas had become the center of my life, but for all the
wrongreasons. It was my job to merchandise stores with the latest
sea-sonal stuff. If it was new, it was better. It was my duty to
make otherswant all that stuff, and I was really good at it. I
helped determine theChristmas shopping season, and it was best to
get it started earliereach year.
Consumerism was my career focus. I had a sales number fora goal,
and I forgot the real reason for the season. Yes, it was
medisplaying all those Christmas ornaments and decorations
earlier
each year. Sometimes, I could convince myself it was just
betterplanning. Planning, I told myself, is good; promoting greed
is bad.What was I thinking? Im conditioned by consumerism to
think
the same way most of us do: I am what I own. I am my house,
mycar, my clothes. When I think I am everything I own, I might
lookgood on the outside, but theres really nothing good happening
onthe inside.
The Bible warned me about this trap:But the worries of this
life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the
desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it
un-fruitful. Mark 4:19
My work was in con ict with scriptural truth. Somehow, I
neededto become more content with what I had, rather than striving
for anever-ending MORE:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For, we
broughtnothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
But if wehave food and clothing, we will be content with that.
People whowant to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into
many foolishand harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and
destruction. Forthe love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Some people, eagerfor money, have wandered from the faith and
pierced themselveswith many grieves. 1 Timothy 6:6-10
With the help of groups like Blessed Earth, I began to see
thatsel sh consumerism is not only bad for me; its bad for the
planet.My desire for stuff was toxic to all Gods creation. I
started to learnabout another way: Gods way. With His help, I could
actually begintaking care of His creation. I could have a more
simple life. I couldseparate my desires and needs, and I could plan
accordingly.
Conditioned to be an instant grati cation kind of girl, I admit
myless materialistic lifestyle is an on-going struggle. I know God
wantsme to prosper, but nding a balance is tricky. Scripture helped
mediscover a layaway plan:
On the rst day of every week each one of you is to put asideand
save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made whenI
come.
1 Corinthians 16:2Exchanging gifts is a good tradition, but I
should plan ahead
and save in advance, not buy impulsively. Im sure the Wise
Menplanned for a long time to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great
joy.And when they were come into the house, they saw the young
childwith Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and
whenthey had opened their treasures they presented unto him gifts;
ofgold, and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11
As a reformed Christmas merchandiser, heres my advice: in-stead
of giving to those who need nothing, give to those who have
nothing. Start saving early, dont overspend, and make your
giftssymbolic of the offerings that give honor to the Prince of
Peace,who brought joy to the world. No thing will ll your
stocking--or yourheart--like the love of Jesus Christ. n
Teri White-Grif n is a recovering retail marketing manager who
now shares creation care wisdom and sustainable meal planning
advice at http://SageMcGreen.com.
Exchanging gifts is a good tradition, but I should plan ahead
and save inadvance, not buy impulsively. Im sure the Wise Men
planned for a long time
to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
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Web: www.BLESSEDEARTH.orgE-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: www.twitter.com/blessedearth
Blessed EarthPO Box 227
Wilmore, KY 40390
The Gift of Creation: Images from Scripture and EarthBlessed
Earth Resource of the Month
by Norman Wirzba and Thomas Barnes
Perfect for a Christmas gift, The Gift of Creation: Images from
Scripture and Earth is abeautiful book featuring vivid images of
the Earth and the varied forms of life that callit home.
Coupled with the images are biblically-based essays, written by
notable academics andscholars from around the globe, exploring what
scripture really says about caring for Godscreation, as well as a
scienti c assessment of the state of the Earth.
Find out more about this and other resources at
www.blessedearth.com/downloads.html
Blessed Earth is an educational nonpro t that inspires and
equips faith commbecome better stewards of the earth. Trough
outreach to churches, campuses
we build bridges that promote measurable environmental change
and meaningful spiritual growth.
OUR MISSION
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