BFor quite a few years, April 22 has been set aside as Earth Day. According to the EPA website, “On that first Earth Day in 1970, 22 million Americans celebrated clean air, land and water.” Earth Day was established to help raise awareness of problems and find ways to protect and nurture our planet. I don’t know what all they do or suggest, but as a Christian, I do know we need to be good stewards of the earth, which is our home.
I love to go outside and watch clouds, listen to the wind or hear the birds and insects.
Sitting outside on the porch is a way I can relax and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. Nature often inspires my writing and my art. Today I made a collage with found poetry in my art journal. After I finished I remembered that today was Earth Day, and I thought my page would fit in with the theme, at least indirectly.
Nature is a gift from God and I want to do what I can to take care of it and continue to enjoy its benefits.
I’m linking up with: #InspireMeMonday, #TrekkingThru, #TeaAndWord, #TellHisStory, #CoffeeforYourHeart, #porchstories
Now on to our weekly linkup. First let’s meet your hosts:
Gayl at Words, Photos and Art
Blog/Facebook Page/Twitter/Pinterest/ Instagram/
Mary at Mary-andering Creatively
Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/ Instagram/Google+
Last Week’s Top Clicked Post
Too tired to fight
By JD at Dotted Lines
JD wrote these lines in this post that struck so close to Mary’s heart:
“While our times in the heat of battle are good for instruction and growth in our own lives, it’s not always about us. What God is doing in and through our struggles is often for the instruction, edification and evangelism of the rest of the world.”
Mary also loved this scripture that she shared:
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (ESV)
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
I will leave it at these wonderful quotes. To fully fill the impact of this post, you will need to read it.
My Favorite Post of the Week
Photography, the Other Art
by Anita Ojeda
Anita helps us see photography as an art form we can all use. She shares with us some practical tips for taking better nature photos. Some of them are surprising simple, and others might require getting up early in the morning. Along with the tips she shares some of her beautiful photos! You won’t want to miss this great post!
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Now, it is time to link up to the Literacy Musing Mondays hop!
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Thanks, Gayl, for good thoughts on Earth Day. As believers, we become cynical at times with so many strong words flying around about nature as an idol. It’s so refreshing to consider it instead as an icon through which our hearts are taken into a deeper appreciation for God’s creativity and provision!
Thank you, Michele, for your insightful comments. I definitely have a deeper appreciation when I spend time observing and enjoying nature. Blessings to you, dear sister! xo
Dear Gayl,
Your photos and your poetry about nature always touch me! And I agree that we should be looking for ways to steward the gift of this earth. Thank you for reminding us to take the time to step outside and to enjoy the music of the wind! Blessings, love and hugs to you! xoxo
Dear Bettie,
Thank you as always for you encouraging comments. I had cut out those words, “the sound of wind through the trees” awhile ago but had not found the right place for them until I did this page. 🙂 Often I will cut out pictures or words that stand out to me but don’t use them until much later. But I love doing it. 🙂
Blessings to you, dear sister! xoxo
Oh, Gayl, I LOVE the found poetry art journal entry you have shared with us! How inspiring! The images blend together beautifully and offer visual perspective as well as space to sit, breathe and be. The words you use are like unobtrusive shadows brought into the light by the frame of your thinking. Lovely! On Earth Day especially, it’s good to be reminded of the beauty of the created world around us. Thank you for stirring us creatively and reflectively. Blessings, hugs and love! xoxo
Dear Joy, Thank you so much for your sweet encouragement! Oh, I love the words you used here, “like unobtrusive shadows brought into the light by the frame of your thinking.” So poetic and such a wonderful compliment. Thanks for being here, Joy. Blessings, love and hugs right back to you! xoxo
A lovely collage, Gayl! I enjoyed your post and continue to discover how much we have in common, my friend. Happy Earth Day every day! <3 xo
Thank you so much, Bette! I’m also happy to see that we have so much in common. If we ever make it back up to Maine, we’ll have to find a way to meet. 🙂 Blessings to you! xo
Earth day here, He’s watering it big time. Second day of rain supposed to last all week. April showers of blessings, to bring flowers, rest and His Spirit.
Yes, we’re getting plenty of rain, too, for a few days! And it’s very windy. Looking out my window I see the trees swaying and I hear the wind whistling. It feels like winter again. lol Of course, I am thankful for the rain. It’s great for my garden! Blessings to you, Rebecca!
Nature inspires me too. Thank you for sharing and reminding me its a gift.
Thanks for visiting, Maree Dee! I’m glad you are also inspired by nature. Blessings to you!
Aww! Thank you for liking my photogrpahy post :). I, too, love nature, and I love seeing your photos of a different part of our beautiful country.
My pleasure, Anita! I found it very helpful. 🙂 It’s great we can share pictures from different parts of the country ! Blessings to you!
Hi Gayl! I completely agree with you. We should be good stewards of what God has given us, including this beautiful planet we call our temporary home. Many blessings! 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Connie. And you’re right, this beautiful planet is a temporary home. Blessings to you!