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Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Matthew 13:7 Create a natural weed-killer: Mix undiluted vinegar with a squirt of dishwashing soap, and spray weeds until they disappear. You’ll skip the sketchy environmental pollutants in most weed killers, plus, the solution helps keep future generations of weeds at bay. As you are doing your weed killing, reflect on the parable of the Sower. Some of the seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Jesus explained  that this   refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. Spend some time reflecting on the balance of your life. Apart from work and sleep – what percentage of your time do you spend on growing your spiritual life, deepening your relationship with your family, staying healthy, experiencing the presence of God in Creation? And what percentage of your life is dedicated to watching programmes that end up making you feel envious of others’ lifestyles, adverts that make you feel inadequate, food that harms your body, stressing about ‘the worries of this life?”

Genesis 2:7 – And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. The whole process of living, dying, and then living again starts with Yahweh “breathing into clay,” which then becomes “a living being” (Genesis 2:7) called Adam (“of the earth”). A drama is forever set in motion between breath and what appears to be mere soil or earth (humus, human, adamah). The Formless One forever takes on form as “Adam” (and in Jesus “the new Adam”), and then takes us back to the Formless. Each form painfully surrenders the small self that it has known for a while and returns to its original shape in the Great Self we call God. “I am returning to take you with me, so that where I am you also may be,” says Jesus (John 14:3). This changing of forms is called death and resurrection, and the return is called ascension, although to us it just looks like loss. After the resurrection when Jesus “breathed on” the fearful disciples and said, “Peace be with you. . . . Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22), he was making a clear connection with the first creation of Adam. Jesus is now re-created. He is mimicking the creation story.. God is again breathing into “the clay of the earth” (Genesis 2:7) and reminding it that it is never just earth and clay. Christians call it incarnation, culminating in death, resurrection, and ascension. Whatever we call it, this process is about all of us, and surely all of creation, coming forth as individuals and then going back into God, into the Ground of all Being. This cyclical wholeness should make us unafraid of all death and uniquely able to appreciate life. (Richard Rohr) To be of the Earth is to know The restlessness of being a seed The darkness of being planted The struggle toward the light The pain of growth into the light The joy of bursting and bearing fruit The love of being food for someone The scattering of your seeds The decay of the seasons The mystery of death And the miracle of birth. John Soos, Earth Prayers, page 288 Remember its Meat Free Monday!

13 March: Grow your church green Genesis 1:11-12 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. Look at your church plant today- what is growing there? Is there space for an indigenous garden or an organic garden.   God was the very first gardener and God ‘Saw that it was good”. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to care for it. It is no wonder that we humans, made in the image of God, find gardens a source of relaxation, peace and tranquility. Does your church offer that space of calmness and peace for troubled souls? Even a small space can be used to create a small garden, or potplants can be placed if the yard is all concreted out. Involve your Sunday School in growing things and see the joy on their faces….   The church can also become a place where parisioners can be encouraged to grow at home, and either donate to the church or have a monthly ‘Farmers market” where people can bring their products to sell. This helps raise some extra income for those who needs it and improves the diet of everyone with fresh vegetables!

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come Isaiah 55:1 Clouds, oceans, seas, rivers, lakes and waterfalls are your sacred gifts of life and beauty to us, O God; teach us how to use and preserve the waters of our planet. Creator God, hear us we pray, Give us your love for the whole of Creation. We truly live on a blue planet. The oceans cover 71% of the earth’s surface. Arthur C Clarke said “ how inappropriate to call this planet Earth, when it is quite clearly Ocean!” I love to walk along the shore  and listen to the power of the waves and I am reminded of Psalm 11 which says “Great are the works of the Lord, they are studied by all who delight in them” We need to study our impact on water, we are polluting it and wasting it. Water was given to us by God as a free gift but it has become a commercial product that is sold for profit.  In some parts water has become so polluted that what comes out of your tap is not safe. Some people have not enough water to drink and others are pouring water into swimming pools. We live in a water scarce country Water fact: One in eight people worldwide does not have access to clean drinking water. We all need to make small changes to make a difference. Each saving, when multiplied by a million people, can become huge. Here are a few suggestions: Shower Bucket. Instead of letting the water pour down the drain, stick a bucket under the tap while you wait for your shower water to heat up. You can use the water for flushing the toilet or watering your plants.  If it’s yellow, let it mellow. This tip might not be for everyone, but the toilet is one of the most water-intensive fixtures in the house. Do you need to flush every time?  Fix your leaks. Whether you go DIY or hire a plumber, fixing leaky faucets can mean big water savings. Re-use your pasta or veggie cooking liquid. Instead of dumping that water down the drain, try draining your pasta water into a large pot. Once it cools, you can use it to water your plants. Just make sure you wait, because if you dump that boiling water on your plants, you might harm them. Shrink your lawn. Even better: lose the lawn completely. Instead, opt for water wise ground cover, succulents, and other plants that thrive in drought conditions. Keep an eye on your bill to spot leaks. If your water bill spikes suddenly, there’s a good chance that a leak is the culprit. Call in a plumber to check your lines to save water and cash! Install a rain barrel. Rainwater harvestingis a great way to keep your plants hydrated without turning on the hose or sprinkler. Water in the early morning. You’ll need less water, since cooler morning temperatures mean losing less water to evaporation. It’s not a great idea to water in the evenings, since this can promote mold growth. Use less electricity. Power plants use thousands of gallons of water to cool. Do your part to conserve power, and you’re indirectly saving water, too! Re-use grey water.  you can do things like re-route the runoff from your clothes washer and use that water for things like flushing the toilet.