From Sea to Shining Sea

We have returned home after pretty much a month on the road, and probably most of you have skimmed through all the pictures I have posted, but bottom line...it was a great vacation!  It was nice to get away, rest. renew, etc., but the most meaningful part of being in Oregon, California and Washington was to observe the beauty of God's creation.

It probably didn't hit home with me until Sunday night, at Rocky Spring's Patriotic Sing as we sung, "This Land is Your Land", and knowing that within a month I got walk through the Redwoods of California and play in the Gulf stream waters at Emerald Isle, NC.  Our country is physically diverse; we witness this in Virginia, (the contrasts between the Eastern Shore and the Shenandoah Valley) and we see this anywhere we travel. God has given us the gift of creation and seeing the differences God has given us, seeing how centuries have altered creation, is truly magnificent.  To read about the "Ring of Fire" volcano circle which encompasses most of the West Coast, Canada, and circles around through the Pacific Ocean, and how all this volcanoes are still active, opened my eyes to how vulnerable the "beauty of the earth" is.

So, there are two thoughts I would like to share with you today.  First, this trip has brought home to me that we do have a responsibility to take care of this world that God has given us.  As John described Crater Lake as "eco-awesome", (and it was!), we need to take care of what God has given us.  This will only occur when we take seriously our stewardship of creation.  So I suggest and urge each of you to become more environmentally educated.  It doesn't take much to recycle, or compost, or take a stand on a pipeline, or use alternative energy, and yes, it does make a difference!

Second,  as geographically diverse as our country is, America is also culturally diverse, and we need to truly embrace this.  We returned to the political conventions, and we are hearing a great deal of anger, hatred, and fear.  We need to embrace the reality that the majority of our population came from another part of the world, so many of us are American Immigrants, so to speak.  Since we come from different countries and heritages, we too, like our physical land, are diverse, from the Redwoods to the Gulf Stream waters, but as Woody Guthrie wrote, "This Land was made for you and me".      

Til next time, Olivia