This article is the third in a series. You can read the first post here. and the second one here.“Gratefully, nature does not have to wait another century or so for the air’s CO2 concentration to double before reaping benefits from enhanced water use efficiency. It has already begun to profit in this regard from the approximate 50% increase in atmospheric CO2 that has occurred since the Industrial Revolution began.”In my last article I wrote about increased plant productivity … [Read more...]
The Best Way Out For The Poor
Thoughtful, sensitive, considerate people are rightly concerned about the multiple hardships that the poor in the world are subjected to. Is there something reasonable that can be done to alleviate their pain and dire straits? The good news is YES.The simplest, most effective change that we can offer these disadvantaged people, is to quickly make available to their communities: low-cost (the lower the better), reliable energy, 24/7.Giving citizens in third-world countries low-cost, reliable, … [Read more...]
Prayer for 2019: A call to pray for missions, leaders, and development
As 2018 passed into 2019, I found myself thinking about how to pray for matters on a global scale. Having had some time to ruminate on it now, I’d like to share some of my thoughts with you. There is always a reason for hope for those in Christ. God, through His Son, has not only given us assurance of “good things to come” but also called us to actively participate with Him in reconciling this world to Him through Christ. The least a believer can do is pray for the poor and hurting in our … [Read more...]
We Pray for Those Working in the Jardim Gramacho Landfill, Brazil
BACKGROUND REPORT by The Rt. Rev. William Mikler The Jardim Gramacho landfill is the largest garbage dump in South America. No longer active, this enormous trash heap is home to 12,000 people who have neither running water nor sewage. Most all live in shacks made of cardboard or tin, and share the dump with wild pigs, vermin, snakes, and buzzards. Many of the inhabitants are children who do not know who their father is. The Life Change Project Rio team that serves in the dump is comprised of … [Read more...]
We Pray for Those Who Lack Access to Safe Drinking Water
O God, who causes streams to flow in the wilderness and the desert to blossom as a rose, look mercifully, we beg you, on the plight of those who lack access to safe drinking water. You have bestowed upon us mercy that surpasses human comprehension already in the sacrifice of your Son. Yet we beseech you, the Father of all mercies, to supply nonetheless the needs of those deprived of clean water to drink. This problem, O God, far exceeds the capacities of human ingenuity, and we can hope to … [Read more...]
We Pray for Literal and Spiritual Water
O Lord, our creator and sustainer, we come to you this day mindful of how richly your Word uses the word “water.” It speaks of water in the literal sense as when, for instance, David, pursued by Saul, yearned for a taste of water from the well of his hometown of Bethlehem. But it also uses the physical need and desire for water to picture for us our need for You (“as the deer pants for the water brooks”), your provision for your people (“He leads me beside the still waters”), and even of the … [Read more...]
Is Fighting Global Warming the Solution to Water Shortages in Malawi (or Elsewhere)?
In late May two evangelical environmentalists, recently returned from visiting Malawi, published articles in which they said poor Malawians are suffering from reduced rainfall caused by manmade global warming. Jonathan Merritt wrote for Religion News Service, “In America, climate change is a matter of debate, but in places like Malawi, it’s a matter of life and death.” Judd Birdsall wrote for Huffington Post, “In Fombe village, Malawi, climate change is not a matter of political or scientific … [Read more...]
