We Are HOME!

Whew!  It's done!  we are home living at JustEarth.  hard to believe .... this dream that we have had of moving towards a more sustainable life, with a bit of land and space for the kids is coming true.  how truly blessed we are!  more than i can say in words.

and yes .... i do truly feel that way.

we have had friends help us in ways that we couldn't imagine.  God's call to live in community and walk with each other and help each other has truly blessed our lives.

routines will slowly get back into place and will no doubt make a huge difference in the long run.  new bus for the kids, day light savings, you name it, everything has been turned topsy-turvy ..... so hanging on to the familiar (church, school, relationships) has helped to keep the chaos monsters under a bit of control.

so we have a humanure composting toilet .... working a treat thank you very much!
i have a washing machine that runs like a dream
we have hot and cold running water
and a shower to boot!

.... so as far as the basics go .... can't really complain.

kitchen set up is coming along .... it's all out doors, which is fine, but we need some sort of covering.

and so begins the husband and wife debate of what sort of house to build.  we have to be realistic at the end of the day ....more to come on that one!

humanure hacienda being worked on .... give it a year, and we'll have
lovely compost coming out of this!  that's our neighbors house behind us, btw!

fruits of green manure composting thank you!  

the way it's meant to be ....

life is a bit chaotic at home.

• paperwork in to council ... check
• quote requested from Pooh Solutions for composting toilet that meets council requirements .... check
• waiting for call back from vendor regarding grey water reed bed system .... ugh
• power paperwork in for approval .... check
• shed's for shower/laundry/storage designed (pallets, btw!) .... check
• maggie still seeking motivation to sort and pack ..... STILL SEEKING!!!!!
• waiting for resolution to mobile phone dispute .... no data usage if i am not at home using our local wireless network ..... ugh
• kids starting to feel unsettled ..... BIG CHECK!

we put our paperwork in to council over a week ago.  we were told best case scenario is that we will receive approval in two weeks .... but expect four.  this council isn't all that up to speed with composting toilets .... so we are expecting some issues .... but we did it all by the books .... which means they have no space to reject it.  but ready to fight if we need to.  interesting how we are finding folks who are interested in doing deals with us because if we get this through council, well .... it opens up a whole new set of clients for them!

and in the midst of this we are spending our evenings tooling around the industrial estates looking for pallets ... going to friends farms who have piles of corrugated iron paneling behind their  barns that we can just "take" .... scrounging whatever freebies or cheap alternatives that we can.

but, back to the present .... we are spending our weekends the way expect too for the next few months.  up bright and early with the trailer and x-trail packed to the brim with all the goodies we've sourced to take out to the property.  unpack ..... let the kids play for a while and enjoy being on the land.  we have a new rule for the kids .... they work for 15 minutes and then get to play for 30.  right now the big chore is making piles of mulch from all the grass clippings from the mowing .... we'll have mulch for a long time i reckon!

and there is always a way to play .... even in the midst of chores.  the boys helping daddy lay out the ag pipe we've collected (drip lines in our future) to see how much we have ... and of course you have to test the sound carrying capacity!

so we work hard and then we play hard and then we relax .... cause let's face it ..... and the end of every day, this is the way it's meant to be ....

farm days

i forgot my camera when we were out at the property with friends last week (add four kids to the mix!).  coulda shot myself for that.  if i had had it with me, you would've seen pictures of ....

• a new colour of green tree frog.  this one was light green with grey and black lines around the eyes.  
• kids in bare feet running around and having fun
• kids raking up the grass from the mower into piles for using as mulch
• ...and then ripping it down and forming it into forts to shoot each other from!
• playing "red light / green light" and "what's the time mr wolf" across this vast expanse
• exploring the dam and seeing all the cool life that surrounds a water source.

it was really a treat for me to see these kids running around and having fun.  it made my heart happy is really the only way i can say it.  it's always been about doing the best for our family ... about being a family.  so, because i forgot the camera .... here are a few other shots of times out at the farm where the kids have inspired me and us .... to keep on keeping on!

our friend Trevor with the kids ... he just delivered two large hay bales!
thank you!

the first large green tree frog .... we've seen a fair few smaller ones, but this is
the only one that has sat still long enuf for us to take a picture.

JJ and friend playing in the hay .... 'nuf said!

daddy showing Raymie how to scythe!

too cute .... farmer JJ!

every farm must have it's princess ... and we have one to fit the bill!
perched high atop her throne!

hey mum!  look at me!

planting the pea tree! (a la River Cottage!)

... yes mum .... i put in all the green manure like you asked me too!

Ninja JJ  coming up from behind the compost pile!

small steps towards ....

it can all be very overwhelming you know ... buying a piece of land in order to create a sustainable life .... not just for you but your children as well ... it is a huge responsibility.

and you have to take the time to slow down and do it right .... getting it right is important at this stage.  there will be lots of experimenting down the track .... but we need to get some basics down first up.

we need trees

lots of trees

to create a food forest

to give us shelter

to feed us and give us fuel

so we are startin' small .... by getting a few pioneer plants on the property.  some to improve the soil, some to become nice big canopies for us.  just a few for the moment .... to get things going.  we have put in an avocado (great canopy trees!), an acacia, casurina and a silky oak .... all these will be great for the landscape.

but wait.  oh geez .... how do we water them???? tend them while we are waiting for them to take?  and at this time of year when we don't get much rain?

enter one very creative husband and an old garbage bin. this particular line of trees is planted on a slope on the fence line .... so we have placed the garbage bin just above them ... lid, which happens to have a small hole in it, turned up to catch any rain (wishful. thinking!) .... and the obligatory brick to weigh it down.

brilliant!  thank you sweetie!

this will allow us to continue to plant up and down that line of trees for a few months yet, and ensure that we have a source of water that we can go out to as we build up our forest.  eventually we will have a rain water tank in with a gravity fed ag line i'm fairly sure .... but in the meantime, every other day i am bringing out 5 x 3 ltr containers of water and a 10 ltr container.  watering the trees and putting the extra in the garbage bin to keep the storage growing.  it seems to be working!

the other thing we need to do is create soil.

it is at the heart of what JustEarth is all about .... acknowledging that soil .... this good earth is what will enable us to create a sustainable way of life that will go on into the future.

so we need to make compost.  it's really a family affair at this point .... and i think the kids enjoyed themselves!

we've placed a thick layer of cardboard down with a trailer load of wood chip and mulch clippings on top.  this has been watered in a bit and the next layer will be some green kitchen scraps and more grass clippings. that should do well.  i expect there will be a number of these piles appearing all over our land.

and on one final note.  we don't have a lot of money and we need to get this property under control with all the tall grass.  can't afford a machine to slash (a waste of money) .... and would hire someone to slash, but even that is a lot.  if we can get this slashed we can start creating straw .... which will create our beds later .... quick answer?  a scythe!

i reckon this is pretty ambitious.  but it also means we can do a section at a time get it under control and then move on from there.  on face value a good plan .... and good for the health too!  we will certainly keep you informed of how this one comes together!

Our Father's World .... Easter Reflections

for me, easter is a time to reflect on the amazing gift that God has given us in His son.  it is this world that He has entrusted to us ... to be wise stewards of.  in my readings i came across the following post about easter .... and truly ... it puts it all in a nutshell for me.  for those who are believers or not .... to understand the call that our family has responded to in Creation Care.

this comes from Ed Brown's blog, Our Father's World .... i take no credit for it, only share what he articulates so very well.  blessings to you this easter time.

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Happy Easter!  This is a wonderful weekend of celebration for the entire Christian church.  We’re celebrating the heart of our faith, and reminding ourselves that this “religion” stands on a verifiable historical reality:  Jesus rose from the dead!  But Easter has particular meaning for those of us who are engaged in the ministry of caring for God’s creation.  Here’s why.

It is more than 10 years since I had a memorable conversation while on a business trip to Whidbey Island, near Seattle.  Being there over a weekend, I was visiting a local church for morning worship.  I found myself being greeted by a friendly guy just inside the door.  We got past the “I’m so and so…” and “isn’t this weather great?” and landed on “So, what brings you to our area?”

That is when it got interesting.

“I work for a Christian environmental organization…” I said.  There was a long pause.  “Oh.  …  I didn’t know there was such a thing.”  I can’t remember how the conversation went from there – what stuck in my mind was his reaction to my job and ministry.

I’ve had hundreds of such conversations since then.  The shock-value of such an announcement is pretty much gone:  The idea that evangelical Christians can be active in environmental stewardship (that’s what we called it then) or creation care is now well known if not always widely accepted.  But the remaining question hangs over every such conversation:  “Is ‘environment’ really a legitimate avenue for Christian ministry?”

This weekend – arguably the most important in the Christian year – is an appropriate time to revisit this question:  Why do we do what we do?

And part of the answer is… Easter.

The other key events in the Church year and Christian history are also important to our motivation.  Advent and Christmas celebrate the Incarnation: God entered this creation and became one of us, showing in that act that the physical creation is important and should be cared for.  I gave an entire chapter to this in Our Father’s World.

Good Friday marks a critical, central event in redemptive history:  The God-who-is-one-of-us allowing himself to be executed in love, for our sins, and so removing those sins and their effects.  If Christmas shows the value of caring for and even redeeming creation, Good Friday shows how salvation became available for us, and through us, for the rest of creation.  (See Colossians 1:19-20 and Romans 8:19-23)

Easter is as important, perhaps more so.  Why? Isn’t Easter just a follow-on to Good Friday?  Sort of a visible proof that Good Friday was more than just one more person falling to the Roman sword? It is that – but it is also far more:  Easter is the celebration of Christ’s victory over sin and death, but what is amazingly significant is that by means of a visible, verifiable historical resurrection event, God’s ultimate spiritual victory is brought into our present, physical reality.  Jesus did not die and ascend directly to heaven, departing this physical realm for an unseen spiritual existence:  He died, was buried – and then rose from the dead in this physical world: Real life demonstrated in real time!

A couple of things follow from this:  First, Easter as an historical fact stands as the cornerstone of Christianity.  Remember Paul?  “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (I Cor 15:17)  Our faith stands on a verifiable hypothesis:  Jesus rose from the dead, or he did not.  If he did not, the entire edifice crumbles to nothing. But if he did…

Second, Easter is our motivation for living our faith out now, including our care for God’s creation now:  The resurrection is future salvation breaking into this historical present.  As Bishop N.T. Wright notes:

With the resurrection, a new creation has dawned, and in that new creation new possibilities are open before us. The resurrection is not the end of the story; it’s the beginning of the new one, precisely because Jesus is the first-fruits and the full harvest is yet to come.  NT Wright Feb 2012

Why do we do what we do at Care of Creation?  Because Jesus came (Christmas!) and by his very presence hallowed all of this physical creation; because Jesus died (Good Friday!) and in that great and ultimate sacrifice paid the price to remove and correct the stain of our sin that pervades not only every human soul but every corner of God’s beautiful creation; and because we know from the historical fact of Jesus resurrection (Easter!) that the work that we do now to heal this creation “is not in vain”:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (I Corinthians 15:58)

Thank you for your partnership with us in this great work!

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i commend his blog to you ... it is a worthy read.  Our Father's World.

it's all about .... them

life has been really busy lately.  consumed with kiddo's.  bustin' with bus-i-ness.  so no time to write ... and honestly, just waiting .... in a holding pattern until this land settles.

waiting ..... it ends up leading to reflection.  reflecting on what JustEarth is going to be all about.

reflection on why we have chosen a sustainable life.  sure .... it's creation care, wise stewardship and following our Creator God.  and it's about instilling those values in these kiddo's.

it does the heart good to reflect on that.  makes the wait worthwhile .... and makes these moments joyful as we anticipate what the future holds.

I have been remiss ...

my blogging capabilities seem to be a bit stifled of late.

i have a blog post on the go entitled "excuse the french but sh*t" .... which everyone should read
i have books and idea's coming out my ears
i have three adorable children who seem to be in a huge growth arena right now (read: emotional!)
i have a wonderful husband who is working hard and enjoying work

we seem to be on the "verge" of buying the bit of paradise that will be JustEarth .... but are trying to iron out the final details.  planning and pragmatics!

and on top of all of that .... i am heading off to the Philippines in a few days.  i am very excited.  a week at the orphanage that our children call our first home ... working with them, enjoying their company, ministering with them and ... helping them in their beginning journey towards sustainability!  it is an exciting thing and i can't wait to report on it when i return .... doing sustainable stuff in the equatorial tropics!  how cool is that!

but that is then and this is now

my brain is addled.  i'm trying to get things ready to go.  cooking meals for the family while i am gone.  ensuring kids are taken care of while daddy is at work ... shirts ironed, all of it.  and then i have to get me ready to go!

perhaps an arduous apology and justification.

sorry.  but my head is swimming.  i promise i'll be better on my return.

see 'ya on the flip side!

.... getting to know you .....

.... starting to sort stuff ..... check
.... starting to pack and tape up boxes ..... check
.... backyard being modified for rental .... check
.... seedlings and plants being given away ... check
.... arrangements coming together on the other end .... check
.... tenant for this house ..... check

so it's all a bit of "slow mo "right now .... i could bore you with what i'm packing in boxes ..... but honestly .... that is SO a waste of your time!  i might perhaps write a blog post on some of the memories i'm unearthing as i declutter .... but not now .... not today.

but rather .... i thot it might be interesting for you to see my "alter-ego", checking out the life i live when i'm not engaging with sustainable agriculture / creation care and dreaming about farming.  what is it that occupies my life?

my children.

my three gorgeous adopted Filipino kids .... the light of our lives.  

so take a sneak peak into my alter life .... go on .... it won't hurt, promise!  

The Mum Thing

why we are doing this ...

i have been doing a heap of grumbling this week .... sorry to admit it .... but that is where it is.  i even found myself walking around the garden telling the seedlings that i planted before the decision to move that i wasn't gonna water them and hoped that they would die (thank you Father Creator for sending the rain to reinforce that You are in control and not me!).

but i'd be lying if i didn't say it's been really hard.  we've toiled at making our backyard something sustainable and regenerative.  we certainly weren't "there" ... but were well on our way to it.  i had spring dreams of giant sunflowers and corn with beans growing up them.  a ground cover of asparagus and strawberries with heaps of over canopy beans.

but it's all stopped.  because we are moving.  hubby has even been pulling down the old chicken coop, where we were gonna keep the poultry / eating chickens, but in order to make this a reasonable and manageable rental, we have to pull that down.  <sigh>  i've been gradually giving away my seedlings that haven't been planted, and even pulled up a lemon tree today and gave it to a dear friend.

grumble, grumble.... and then i get pulled up by that inner voice that reminds me of everything that we do have.  of everything that we are promised, and the possibilities and the opportunities that lay ahead of us.

and even more importantly ... why we are doing this.  to create a place where our kids can live a sustainable life long after we are gone .... long after the peak oil skeptics finally cave.

we are doing this for our children.  there is no better reason or purpose ... 

thank you Father God for that reminder.

thots on relationships

... it has begun.

boxes being collected

items sorted

garage sale stuff stashed

precious memories being boxed

broken trinkets trashed

i am having a hard time quantifying my life into such black and white area's -- with rigidity and rules.  i know that this type of spring cleaning can be good for the soul ... but i am yet to experience that refreshment of heart.  


i believe it will happen ... am absolutely confident of that.  but just at this particular moment ... the reflection on the relationships and people who have become so dear to us here are the focus of my hearts eye.  and perhaps that is the key.  "things" don't make memories ... people do.


one of those beautiful things about a simple life.  memories don't clutter ... memories clarify.  memories are a part of the tapestry of our lives and loves.  a representation of the people that have meant so much to us.  a representation of the relationships that are yet a promise that is held in tomorrow.

... a fork in the road

so ... for better or worse, you guys are following my blog as our family embarks on the suburban sustainability adventure.  are you ready for the divergence in this yellow brick road that we are wandering down?

what would you do if your biggest dream was presented to you on a serving tray ... beautifully wrapped with all the trimmings and you were told .... GO FOR IT!

would you believe it?

would you laugh at it?

would you embrace it?

or ....

would you want to run the other direction because this is so exciting it is scary?

that is where i find myself.  hubby has been offered a job in rural NSW .... and not just any job, but a Sr level exec IT position that would be a great challenge for him.  wow.  my spine starts to get a bit tingly.  we go out to check on schools .... two great schools to choose from.  land?  oh yeah .... large acreages that are so within our price range and reach!  we could live the life the way we want .... and truly embark on that sustainability train ride hard core.

so why am i so nervous?  why does it scare me?

i have to make a confession:  i'm comfortable where i am ... i have poured so much into our lives and times here ... and it's really starting to show fruit.  why would i want to leave that now?  dare i admit that i'm a little scared?  what if we fail?  what if it's all too hard (inspite of the fact that we can get interns and woofers on board) .... what if?  what about?  have i thot of????? all the excuses start flowing.

why do it?  because of the challenge (when i started this blog i stated quite clearly that life could be better post 50!).  because i want to support my husband (it is a great job opportunity for him) .... and because of the life that we would be making for our family (creation care).

cherish the memories we have made, but don't look back .... look to the future

so i hope you will continue to join me in our quest to detach and get rid of things here.  to make the move.  truly finding sustainability on a back patio as we rent until we find a piece of land we can reclaim and be wise stewards of in our application of regenerative agriculture and permaculture principals.  i have a feeling that it is going to be a roller coaster.  but one that will be life changing for our family.  i can't ask for more than that.

so here we go .... with the next few months simplicity focusing on "shedding" excess .... so we can move simply!

A Kid's World

yesterday was a great day ... i had another one of those affirmative epiphanies.

yesterday we had a few mums and their kids over for a play date.  my children, being the highly social type .... thot this was gonna be a grand day.  i have to admit a slight bit of trepidation on my part.  we have done all this work in our backyard .... what will having 10 kids under the age of 10 do to our yard?  will they trip and fall into the beds .... or worse yet .... step on and destroy all the new plants that i've just put in?  i was truly feeling very protective about our garden and all that we had accomplished so far.

slap yourself maggs ..... silly girl!  several of the mums simply said ... wow!  this is such an interesting garden now!  so many nooks and crannies for the kids to play in and be interested by.  and that is exactly what happened.  the kids had a blast .... running between the beds with their light sabers or swords .... swinging from the trees like little monkeys.  oh yes, and the animal husbandry inclined just couldn't leave the chooks alone ... and had to hold every single one of them and get the others to do the same (i am wondering a bit what that will do to our egg production the next few days!).  and at the end of it all .... nary a plant was plowed or busted up!  i should've given the children more credit than that.  seeing them play in the yard and enjoy that space truly  warmed my heart.

and it really got me to thinking about our move to a sustainable lifestyle.  isn't this why we are doing this?  to provide a better future for our kids, their kids and so on?  to affect the lives of these little ones who's futures we can mold and shape to care for this amazing creation that God has blessed us with?

i have been really pleasantly amazed at how much our kids love being out in the backyard now.  the other day, they came home from a full morning of playing and skating in the park with school mates .... only to wolf down their lunch and go straight back outside .... and the three of them spent all that time just drawing .... they could've done that inside ... but because they are falling in love with their world, they wanted to be out and "in" it.

i am being grounded.  reminded of why we are doing what we are doing.

it's about quality of life .... about caring for this world, our family and our community. learning to respect the way God put the systems in place that work in such an amazing way.  about caring for our family and showing them love and respect.  and thinking about our global community that doesn't have what we have and what can we do to help and meet those needs.

it's about a sustainable, yummy lifestyle.  the kids are helping me to plant veg.  yeah!  they love seeing that.  and seeing that translate as they harvest the food, help cook it and enjoy eating it.  new flavours that THEY helped grow.  that THEY had an active part in bringing about.  and being really honest .... they love spinach from our garden .... but i just don't think they'd get as excited about the slimmy frozen stuff from the grocer!  i can't keep the cherry tomato's or pea's!  they eat them all before i have a chance to bring them in for dinner ... and they are proud because they helped to grow them too!  ENGAGEMENT.

it is truly a kid's world.  it is their future.  i have a responsibility to be a wise steward of what God has given us.  for them.  because the future is theirs.

Kid Friendly Sustainability Web Sites

• Eco Kids
• KidsPlanet
• KidsRegen
• The Big Blue Bus
• A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change
• Massive list of links to kid's eco-friendly web sites

my daughter's rendition of me in the backyard ..... <g>  way cool!

why we do what we do!

a day on the farm ....

national permaculture day today, if you weren't aware.  a day when those of us "permies" take great pride in being in full blown sustainability mode and show off what we are doing.  across sydney, there were heaps of backyards and allotments open for folks to see and be inspired by.  we chose to go another route .... instead heading away from the city to a small farm out near mudgee called Milkwood, where they have embraced permaculture from the ground up, literally.

My  beautiful boys loving
the farm way!

the husband and wife (and bub who is 2!) that run this place truly inspired scott and i.  a couple who abandoned their city lifestyle and embraced  permaculture with their whole hearts.  to those of us who get overwhelmed easily by this stuff and feel that you have to know heaps is encouraging to know that they started simple too! they are still doing it simple -- committed to using recycled materials where possible and appropriate, and saving an immense amount of money because of this focus.  you can tell they are always asking the question ... how can we re-use, recycle and make it happen with what we've got access to.

it was great to see a real life implementation of swales .... and how that can significantly help retain water .... or building beds on contour to maximize the use of water run off .   seeing the start of their own food forest .... and that it is, well, pretty darn simple!  and practical too!  it helped me to realise that we could actually do this!  i have to say the composting chicken coop really was amazing ... a home for 20 or so chickens where you put items for composting in at the top of the hill and watch the chickens scratch and do their good stuff in it  as it meanders and makes it's way to the bottom.  how ingenious!  <g> 

i must confess to being a mad follower of their blog.  the missus is the author and she shares a great yarn about the day-to-day triumphs and just living that they do on the farm.  it makes it all very personal and very achievable to us green horns.

and they are very generous.  they are learning and growing in their own methods of trying things and have started their business, teaching others about permaculture.  they have interns on their property that live there and learn and help them out .... everyone learning together and from each other. 

i had met Nick, the husband, at an intro to permaculture course and found him very down to earth.  and when we arrived at the open farm day, i found his wife no less engaging and genuine.  these are real folks, embracing a sustainable lifestyle because they want to have a better life for themselves and their family.  and their farm is a growing testimony to that .... seeing their successes and works in progress (nothing is ever a failure, btw, it's a learning experience!).  it was truly inspiring. 

oh, and psst ... the kids had fun too!  <g>  there is talk afoot that they will be starting a permie kids program that the children can be a part of along side parents doing the two week PDC (permaculture design course) .... i am hanging out for that!  what a learning opportunity for my kids!  <g>

anyway .... here are a few photo's from our day on the farm ....

Lea and JJ listening (haha) to Nick talk about, and showing us, the swales
they have on their property.  He also discussed the the tree planting and how
that aids in water retention on the property.  (btw, scott and i
were thoroughly engrossed!)

the earth dome.  done in a workshop on site as a test
and prototype.  cost effective, very stable and cozy ....

the chook dome (one of three chook runs).  this is meant to be moved
regularly for the birds to live, scratch and leave their lovely stuff to
improve the soil!

chook run #2. Nick is talking about how it's on a slope and they add materials at the top
and the chooks "do their thing" so that it comes out as at the bottom as compost
to be used on the food forest.

the start of their food forest. can't really show just
how cool it was to see this growing. nick talked a lot
about planting based on consistent, reliable produce
rather than sometimes heaps and inconsistently.

chook run #3.  had some chicks in this and a few sussex.  and a few breeds i couldn't
even try to spell.  these guys are getting into the interesting breeds ...
picking those that are best suited
for the uniqueness of the Mudgee climate.

the veggie patch out behind the shed (may not look much at the moment, but that's because
winter is coming in and their winter  crops are just starting to peak through).   scott and i have completely
rethought out back garden based on this.  looking at the lay of the land
they have built these beds on contour to catch as much of the natural rainfall as possible.

another look at what they've done.  simple ... wood borders, no dig beds,
mulching from the trees for paths .... how simple can you get?

 i am not sure i can sum up just how eye-opening this day was for us.  seeing the stuff that we are working towards in our own lives lived out really lifted our souls on the next step of our journey to sustainability and responsible living. 

Contemplation.

i have just turned 50.  woohoo.  <g>  instead of a big party i did something for myself .... i indulged in what has until now been a fairly closet passion: a greenie love of the environment. i went to a permaculture course, had a blast -- and had my eyes opened!

surely my christian friends would laugh at me.  surely compared to the need to show God's love and grace to others this is miniscule in comparision.  so i rarely talk about it .... rarely discuss what sits heavy on my heart: God gave us this world to use, love and be wise stewards of .... and, quite frankly, we've screwed it up.  this time away taught me that i should no longer be quiet about it.

we have a mandate now more than ever to care for the Creation that God has entrusted to us.  i want my kids to enjoy fresh, non GM food and to live an abundant life .... and to know our Saviors love through that.   so for me, being a wise steward (trying ... not perfect, but trying!), and teaching my kids how to cherish God's world will only make them fall in love with the Creator more ... and want to share His amazing Love with others.

i learned a term this weekend ... Evangelical Environmentalism.  it is the new term for those believers who take seriously our stewardship of this world.  now this course was certainly not about faith or about religion!  but i saw the core principles of permaculture and said .... man!  those are straight from the bible!  they are using God's mandate to love others, care for others, live in community and be wise stewards .... all which can be scripturally supported. 

 i am forced to reflect on so much.  i have wanted to live today better than yesterday and hope for tomorrow more than i have today.  i think of two things from the weekend that have been profound for me.
-- life happens!  it is the way that God designed it.  i see this in the area that our chickens are scratching away at ... the left overs i feed them and the borlotti beans and cherry tomato's that can't help but spring up!
-- we have all been made in the image of our Grand Designer.  He has given us the ability to design and reclaim this world in the way He intended it to be.


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reflection  ..... 5 July 2011

so ... i've been doing this blog for over 3 months now .... is my heart still passionate about our role in God's redemption of Creation?  of what he has called us too?  for me, and more importantly, for our family .... that answer is a resounding YES.

each day we are learning a little bit more about the small and big things we can do to honour our Lord by understanding how He created this planet, the systems that are the best for growing things and providing for our family.  what does that mean?  well, truthfully .... it means heaps of fun!  we are learning about cool things in our garden .... mushrooms, aquaponics ... how to grow stuff with less effort and more reward -- and regenerating and making good soil to boot!  understanding that we don't have to have things brand spankin' new .... but that recycling and reusing is actually MUCH MORE REWARDING!  and ... learning about our friends and neighbors .... living in community more.

so yes ... we are continuing to move towards a creation care mentality .... and with each step we take, we are more committed to it and this call that God has placed on our hearts.  will you join us?

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

His hand the wonders wrought.