Environmentalism is not just for lefties

I got to thinking today about the topic of environmentalism. I take it as the idea that we have been given an honor as being stewards of God's creation. With that honor comes a great responsibility. The main issue is that the most vocal proponents of care for Earth also have misplaced priorities. They seem to believe that human beings are even with, or even below the trees and animals.

Now, we as Christians know that this is dead wrong. God placed us in dominion above the creatures and the earth. But with that power comes great responsibility (to quote our friendly neighborhood Spiderman). We have brains enough to know not to be wasteful and do what we can. Now does this mean we should all starve to death because we need hundreds of acres of grassland? Certainly not. But we also know how to not be excessively wasteful, something that falls far short in our society today.

There should be a balance present in the discussion of environmentalism that is sorely lacking today. It should not be "limit the human population so earth can survive" - there is too much human innovation possible for that to be a valid concern. But it should also not be "We can do whatever we want - we're human!". That is lacking a balance of faith AND reason. God does take care of us, no matter what. And the world will end some day. But that doesn't mean we can do whatever because it is all going to end anyway. God still expects us to be responsible and respectful when it concerns His creation. Prudence is a virtue, indeed.

So, so behind...

When you've been away so long, where do you begin?

Do you start with the fact that you totally did not post on your oldest child's 8th birthday? Or do you speak of December where life seemed to pass by in a whirlwind?


We had a fabulous Christmas. Brennan was asking for a Nintendo DS, and I was wondering what would happen when Santa did not bring one this year (Mom and Dad had a little talk with him about no video systems, just yet). Imagine my surprise when he did not even seem to notice. I haven't heard one word about it. He has been busy putting one of his 4 Lego sets together, and quite happy about it!

Nicholas got his big Playmobil pirate ship - the one thing that was on his list. That was was all he asked for. Philip has spent most of the week dressed in his Venom (aka Black Spiderman) suit. And Jonathan loves his trains.

As for my husband and I, we have been so busy it seems. Finishing our wood floor in the hallway, decluttering the garage and the laundry room, and assembling our gift to each other - our new computer. Actually Colin assembled it - I watched! He had always wanted to build his own system, and he did a remarkable job! He was able to get things just the way he wanted it. And I am glad to have a working computer - our old one died a few weeks ago.

Speaking of exhausting appliances, my bonus gift was that my clothes dryer died, so I got to go pick a new one. It will be here tomorrow. It's a good thing too, because the load that was in the washer on Wednesday has been hanging on a line for two days and the towels and jeans are still damp. How did people live in the humidity of southeast Texas without a clothes dryer, I ask? I am drooling at the idea that this new dryer should have each load dry in an hour or less. Actually it is supposed to take 30 minutes, but seriously? My old one was taking 3 hours to dry a normal load the last few months. I am going to have such low expectations it is ridiculous!

And last (but definitely not least) is the little gymnast inside me! She is doing well, and I cannot believe how quickly each pregnancy passes now. It seems like I was pregnant with Brennan forever - I just could not wait! And while we are counting the days until we actually hold this little person, our busy life helps the days fly. I have felt great, perhaps the best I have felt with any pregnancy. Don't laugh - I am in week 27, you know, that naive time when all is well and you aren't at the "I am 34 weeks and my back is killing me" phase yet. Let me keep my amnesia-induced optimism for as long as I can!