CREATION’S CORNER #40: FINDING HOPE DURING DARK TIMES

CREATION’S CORNER #40: FINDING HOPE DURING DARK TIMES

How are you doing today? For some of us, the past few days have taken a dark turn. At times like this, where does one look to find renewed hope? If you are like me, I often focus on what could be described as my “proximate” hope – hope that is caught up in the present...

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CREATION’S CORNER #38: AN OHIO SENSE OF PLACE

CREATION’S CORNER #38: AN OHIO SENSE OF PLACE

I suggested in an earlier issue of CC that some of you might be willing to share how you “connect” with Creation – as a composer, writer, poet, artist, or one having deep roots in a place where you experience God’s presence. Marilynn Strayer responded to this...

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CREATION’S CORNER #37: THE PALOUSE

CREATION’S CORNER #37: THE PALOUSE

It is a wondrous site, this grand inland sea, extending from horizon to horizon as the gentle breeze creates apparent waves that drift across the landscape. But we are not speaking of a sea of water but rather of grain. The grandeur has been captured in the words of a...

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CREATION’S CORNER #36 FOLLOWING OLD FOOTSTEPS

CREATION’S CORNER #36 FOLLOWING OLD FOOTSTEPS

There are occasional events in one’s life that are cemented in memory. For me, those times have often involved wilderness experiences. Some people are “city folks.” Others like me, turn their eyes to Creation’s natural areas where human footprints are much less...

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CREATION’S CORNER #35 – GIVING THANKS

CREATION’S CORNER #35 – GIVING THANKS

Our family always has a blessing at meals. This has been a common practice throughout both Jewish and Christian history – Deuteronomy 8:10, Luke 24:30, Acts 27:35…. In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus instructs us how to pray… “give us each day our daily bread…”. Gratefulness...

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CREATION’S CORNER #32 – HOW IS YOUR ECOLOGICAL HEALTH?

CREATION’S CORNER #32 – HOW IS YOUR ECOLOGICAL HEALTH?

What is the size of your footprint? I'm not talking about the size of the shoes you wear, but rather the size of the footprint that you leave as you walk the paths of Creation. Humanity is shaping the surface of Earth and modifying the chemistry of the oceans and...

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CREATION’S CORNER # 31 YOUR FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR, CALE

CREATION’S CORNER # 31 YOUR FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR, CALE

Hi neighbor. My name is CALE.  More commonly, I am called Golden Paintbrush, but some intellectual folks have named me Castilleja levisecta, hence the abbreviation, CALE.  I am the yellow ones next to my friend Chocolate Lilly in the photo.  I have an interesting...

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CREATION’S CORNER # 30 THE ART OF CREATION: GLORY TO YOU

CREATION’S CORNER # 30 THE ART OF CREATION: GLORY TO YOU

This “Corner” continues the theme of different perspectives. Here we will consider a poem attributed to protopresbyter Gregory Petrov of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Petrov died in a Siberian labor camp in 1940 during the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. I have borrowed...

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CREATION’S CORNER # 29 – A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

CREATION’S CORNER # 29 – A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

The last “Corner” examined how words make a difference. Today we will see that words also shape how you consider relationships and indeed reality. Recently I have been reading a national bestseller – Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Elizabeth Gilbert...

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CREATION’S CORNER # 28: WORDS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

CREATION’S CORNER # 28: WORDS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

St. Francis Of Assisi Painted By Craig Johnson What thoughts come to mind when you look at this painting of St. Francis of Assisi by my friend Craig Johnson? Perhaps you recognize the setting -- Earth Sanctuary with a bit of artistic license and more non-human...

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CREATION’S CORNER # 27: TAKING TIME TO SEE, LISTEN AND SAVOR

CREATION’S CORNER # 27: TAKING TIME TO SEE, LISTEN AND SAVOR

"The world is fairly studded with strewn pennies cast broadside by a generous hand. But—and this is the point—who gets excited by a mere penny? …It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won’t stoop to pick up a mere penny. But if...

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CREATION’S CORNER # 24: MYSTERY – HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?

CREATION’S CORNER # 24: MYSTERY – HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?

PILLARS OF CREATION from James Webb Space Telescope “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” -- Genesis 1:1. We also read the beautiful words of Psalm 19:1-2: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after...

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CREATION’S CORNER # 23 FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

CREATION’S CORNER # 23 FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

There is no question that these are human footprints. If you happened to find them, however, what questions might you ask? Who? When? Why? What would you like to know about the individual(s) who made the tracks? These tracks were recently discovered in White Sands...

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CREATION’S CORNER #20: A FRIEND RETURNED TODAY

CREATION’S CORNER #20: A FRIEND RETURNED TODAY

As the first rays of the sun broke through the lingering darkness of night, morning did not find me on the beach today. Salmon season ended on September 30th. My freezer is adequately filled for the year and my early mornings now have other pursuits. This October...

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CREATION’S CORNER #19 REWILDING

CREATION’S CORNER #19 REWILDING

This Creation’s Corner is a bit longer than previous ones. It is important. Bear with me…. What an awesome opportunity awaits humanity including you and me! Rewilding? What is it, and why is it necessary? Rewilding is defined by Webster as “an effort to increase...

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CREATION’S CORNER #18: WHAT IS DE-EXTINCTION?

CREATION’S CORNER #18: WHAT IS DE-EXTINCTION?

Sometimes, it seems like science fiction becomes reality. That appears to be close at hand with de-extinction. The previous edition of Creation’s Corner considered the triad of extinction. De-extinction aims to bring species back to life that no longer exist. How in...

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CREATION’S CORNER #16: THE WALLS TELL THE STORY!

CREATION’S CORNER #16: THE WALLS TELL THE STORY!

THE WALLS TELL THE STORY! Have you recently walked the hallway in the youth wing of Trinity Lutheran? If not, you should take a stroll into a different world! The walls of the hallway have been transformed into a jungle scene created by Marcie Bovetz for the Vacation...

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CREATION’S CORNER #15: CAN YOU IMAGINE?

CREATION’S CORNER #15: CAN YOU IMAGINE?

We often assume that Creation was about the same when humans arrived in North America sometime between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago. During the last ice age (driven by the Milankovitch Cycle), when sea levels were as much as 400 feet lower than present, humans migrated...

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CREATION’S CORNER #14: WILDERNESS IN SCRIPTURE AND TODAY

CREATION’S CORNER #14: WILDERNESS IN SCRIPTURE AND TODAY

I am signed up for the 2024 Israel trip led by Pastor Jim. It is high on my bucket list! At the planning meeting on Sept 7, Pastor Jim showed pictures of the biblical wilderness – places that Jesus frequently visited for prayer and renewal. But why wilderness? What is...

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CREATION’S CORNER #13: HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

CREATION’S CORNER #13: HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

My bumper sticker says, “If you love the Creator, take care of Creation”. How is it going for Earth’s non-human creatures? A central message in Genesis one is the fruitfulness of Creation. Is Creation’s fruitfulness being compromised and degraded? Remember pastor...

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TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES, YOU STAND ON HOLY LAND

TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES, YOU STAND ON HOLY LAND

Have you ever experienced a place where the sense of holiness was so overwhelming that you felt compelled to follow the Biblical injunction to “take off your sandals; you stand on Holy ground”? Those places are called “thin places” – where heaven is so close that it...

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CREATION’S CORNER #11 BEYOND STEWARDSHIP?

CREATION’S CORNER #11 BEYOND STEWARDSHIP?

What is the best term to describe our human relationship to the non-human Creation? This is the question raised in the recent book Beyond Stewardship: New Approaches to Creation Care edited by D. P Warners and M. K. Heun. A steward cares for something that belongs to...

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CREATION’S CORNER #9: SHOW NO FEAR

CREATION’S CORNER #9: SHOW NO FEAR

Have you ever imagined what Eden was like? The word “Edenic” has been coined to describe a place that seems to share the beauty, serenity, and peace of that original setting. Have you experienced such a place? As Adam and Eve strolled through the garden,...

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