Ncumisa

Psalm 119:105 Verse Concepts: Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Load shedding – we hate it! But I am sure we also have some good memories of that period when we were informed in advance of the hours of load shedding and planned family meals by candlelight. Tonight, plan your meal, turn off the electricity and enjoy a candle lit meal with your family and no TV, no cell phones. Enjoy spending time with the family and remind yourself that there are benefits to a simpler life-style. Play a game, talk, enjoy! And spend some time thinking and Earth Hour, 19th March, what can you do to celebrate that hour. This year if falls on the day before Palm Sunday.

You are my lamp, o Lord, the Lord turns my darkness into light – 2 Sam 22:29 Today have a thorough look at your daily life Take time today to make a note of each time you use electricity – and how much.  This could be switching on your kettle for your first cup of coffee, turning on lights, computers, TVs, vacuum cleaners, to going through the check-out at the supermarket. Over the course of the day, you will be surprised just how much electricity you DO use! Take a look at your list – were there times when your electricity usage was not crucial?  Will you be able to address electricity wastage going forward? Make those small changes immediately- discuss with the family ways to make sure that lights are turned off, appliances unplugged. And then consider the easy actions change your light bulbs to energy efficient (use LED), put a blanket on your geyser (water heater) and install a timer. check your geyser: You can actually check how much heat your geyser is losing by simply placing your hand on the geyser. If you feel your geyser is warm, then you know it needs a geyser blanket because it is losing heat. Insulate your hot water tank, turn it down to 60⁰C (most are set at 70) And consider investing in the bigger actions Solar Water Heater Having a solar water heater installed can drastically reduce power consumption at home and save a ton of electricity! Using a solar water heater can save up to two thirds of the total water heating cost you build up at home. If you consider the costs of electricity, a solar water heater will pay itself off within six years. Insulation Invest in good insulation in your roof, this will save on heating and you will be more comfortable How do you heat? Look at what you use to heat and cook. Can you look at changing from electricity to gas which is more efficient? Can you use a more efficient heating source..lose those blower fans!!! And watch this video clip to remind yourself that every time to turn on something you are adding carbon emissions to the planet..?

So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. Exodus 19:14 It has always been said “Cleanliness is next to godliness” but maybe the question that you are asking yourself is  – what does a task like washing my clothes have to do with my faith?We have made an artificial separation between the ‘sacrad’ (what happens in church) and the ‘secular’ (what happens the rest of our lives. You don’t have to go to sacred places to pray or wait for holy days for good things to happen. You can pray always, and everything that happens is potentially sacred if you allow it to be. Once we can accept that God is in all situations, and that God can and will use even bad situations for good, then everything becomes an occasion for good and an occasion for God. “This is the day Yahweh has made memorable, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24). (Richard Rohr) The Celtic Christians understood this and here is a beautiful Celtic prayer for washing day PRAYER FOR MAKING THE BED I make this bed In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit In the name of the night we were conceived, In the name of the night we were born, In the name of the day we were baptized, In the name of each night, each day, Each angel that is in the heavens. So washing day is part of our live with God. Washing involves use of water, use of electricity and use of detergents. Water: try to only run your machine when it is full. Have you considered a “grey water” system where the water from your washing machine (and showers) can be piped out into the garden.? Detergent: what detergent are you using? Can you buy a more environmentally friendly one? Electricity: Doing all your laundry in cold water saves energy. In fact, almost 90% of the energy consumed by a washing machine goes to heating the water,. Newer detergents, plus the washing machine’s agitating action, are enough to remove stains sans heat. And remember to hang your washing up outside, instead of using a tumble drier. In winter you might consider a SPINDLE. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uXr0Giw-N8) which spins the water out of the clothes reducing drying time radically in winter!

“And the Samaritan put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” – Luke 10:44 We have got into the habit of travelling alone, one person in a car. This makes no sense in terms of saving petrol, money and the planet. Here are some ways to reduce your petrol costs and your carbon footprint Find a friend. For those regular trips, can you car pool? Check out your public transport options. It might not work every time, but use it when it does. Combine your trip with another. What about your bike! Get in shape too Couple of km? – walk! Phone ahead – avoid that unnecessary journey by phoning ahead to see if the article you want is in stock Think it through – do you need to do this trip at all? Telecommute – will they allow you to work from home from time to time? Skype your meetings! Is it really necessary to travel for that meeting or can you connect on skype? Buy on the internet. (with thanks to JAEI)

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 Perhaps you feel that your little actions will make no difference, and so it is important to realise that you are part of a movement of movements around the world. There are three movements coming together, the environmental movement, the social justice movement and the campaign for rights of indigenous people Ordinary and not so ordinary people are willing to confront despair, power and incalculable odds in an attempt to restore grace and beauty to this Earth In his book “Blessed Unrest” Paul Hawken describes this movement that you are part of as the Largest Social Movement in History He began to set up a database of organisations which are part of this ‘movement of movements” , collecting lists, databases. He found the tip of a huge formation and found that there are at least ONE MILLION organisations involved in this movement. You are part of a huge, growing, powerful movement. Each small action you take is multiplied many thousands of times , we are part of change. Margaret Mead famously said “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Multiply that by a million and we have power!