April News

“And God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there morning, the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31
The week before Palm Sunday, I was on vacation. I spent my vacation in Hawaii, a place that many people call paradise. Hawaii is a very beautiful state. I spent most of the week on the north shore of the island of Oahu, out of the bustle of the city of Honolulu. One morning, I took a guided hike in the rainforest. The rainforest was lush with life. The diversity of the plants was amazing. There was a species of fern that was so large a single plant could have filled the living room in my house. When we entered the forest, our guide told us not to worry about touching the plants because there were no harmful species like poison ivy here in Iowa. There were no poisonous insects or snakes either. He explained that the native plants of Hawaii needed no thorns or irritating resins in order to survive because there was so much rich volcanic soil and moisture to support the variety of life. It truly did sound like paradise – or at least it was. When the first humans came to the Hawaiian paradise, they brought plant and animal life that was not native. When other humans came they also brought new species. These new species, some called invasive species, have taken over in some areas and have caused the native species to die out. Bamboo was one plant brought to Hawaii. Bamboo is a useful plant because its strong stalks can be used for building, and its shoots make good food. We walked through a bamboo forest, and it was so dense that nothing could grow underneath it. Bamboo thrives in the rich volcanic soil, and the native plants cannot compete. When God created the world, God made everything good, everything to live in balance. However, when humans enter the picture, they disrupt that balance. Humans always seem to be the invasive species. We are greedy, and we like to play God in the natural world. It humbles me when I think that the natural world could survive without humans, but humans cannot survive without the natural world. Today we find ourselves in a global environmental crisis – global warming is affecting climates all over the globe, and we need to pay attention. We can do things to help the environment, and we need to do it now. It is not a problem that someone else should fix – it is a problem that we all need to work to fix. God gave us this amazing world in which to live but God also gave us the responsibility to care for creation. In April, we celebrate Earth Day. It is a good time to make a commitment to being an environmental steward – a good time to care for the good creation that God so generously gave to us.

March News

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Many young adults believe that faith and spirituality are individual matters. The popular term for this commonly held belief about God in our society is “individualistic moralistic deism.” The core belief is that God created, but isn’t very active in the world, and as long as you try to do the right things, and don’t hurt anyone, you will be okay. I have been contemplating this a lot recently, and first of all, I don’t think that it is possible for us to always do the right thing and not hurt anyone. Also I must say that I strongly disagree with this individualistic view of spirituality. Our Christian faith is based on relationships: God’s relationship to us through Jesus Christ, our relationships with others, and our relationship with all of creation. In a world of relationships, can anything truly be an individual matter. Please don’t misunderstand, I believe that we have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but it is far from individual. Each one of us has to discern what we believe and how God has called us to be disciples. However, as the verse above states, our spirituality is about a connection, a relationship. Spirituality is the part of our being that connects us to God, to one another, and to the world. Because it is a connection, it can’t be individualistic. As I write this article I am in a van traveling to Biloxi, MS for the mission trip. When you receive this newsletter, I will have returned from my third visit to the gulf coast. This trip is a reminder of the connections that we experience through the Christian faith. We are connected to people 1000 miles away because Christ calls us to help each other and to care for one another. The people that we serve in Biloxi often share that they are grateful that others have not forgotten them. The work on their house may not progress quickly, but it progresses because others care. That connection keeps faith and hope alive. That connection is possible because God is active in the building of relationships. As Christians, we are part of a community of believers that keeps us connected to one another and to Christ because of the work of God’s active spirit. We serve others because of God’s work in and through us. There is nothing individual about it. In Christ, Sara