Confession 210: I Already Have

This past Sunday, my husband preached a sermon on gratitude in which he spoke of the appropriateness of Thanksgiving coming prior to Christmas.  As we've been trying to explain to our 5 year old with the mile long Christmas list, Thanksgiving is important because it calls us to remember what we already have BEFORE we start listing our wants.  And so, I thought I would put together an I Already Have list for this week to remind myself as I'm being inundated with "spectacular deals" for Black Friday that I already have more than enough.

I Already Have.....

Love in Abundance

A loving husband, two beautiful boys, parents and in-laws who show me what unconditional love truly means, a sister who is my best friend, best friends who are my sisters, a church home filled with God's Spirit, online friends and writers to share the Christian journey with, God himself dwelling within my heart.

I Already Have....

Security Within My Citadel

A roof that is paid for, warmth and coolness at the touch of a button, cabinets filled with food, milk to drink, blankets made with love, clothes for every season, 3 jackets, 2 coats, shoes and boots, freedom to worship, freedom to pray, freedom to walk down the streets of our town unharmed, a safe community,sleep uninterrupted by violence, fear, or hunger, neighbors who look out for one another. 

I Already Have....

Time for Every Activity Under the Heavens

Quality time to spend with my children each day, time to write, time to study God's Word, time to give to others, time to engage in ministry, time to cook meals for my family, time to clean up the messes of the day, time to visit friends and family, time to scrapbook, time to begin new projects, time to waste.

I Already Have....

Enough

Enough love, enough security, enough time, enough resources to do all that God has asked me to do.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Blessings and Peace,

Sara   

Linking up with Graceful today. 

 

Confession 209: Water, Water Anywhere???

"Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of the Earth." Genesis 1: 28

Each year our United Methodist Women's group has a program entitled "A Call to Prayer and Self-Denial".  During the evening we look at a particular issue that is affecting our world and learn about ways to get involved to make a change for good.  This year, the focus was on the global water crisis with an emphasis on the damaging effects bottled water is having on our world.  Yes, you heard right, bottled water is quickly breaking down our planet!!

Here are a few quick facts:

1. Each year there are 3 billion pounds of waste from bottled water!!  As most of us know, plastic is not biodegradable.  Where does that plastic end up?  Much of it finds it's way into our oceans, streams, rivers and lakes where it breaks down enough for fish and animals to eat it.  Slowly and surely, the plastic we discard is making it's way back up our food chain.  That thought gives me pause as I bite into a piece of chicken.

2. Making bottled water wastes water.  It takes 3 times the amount of water to produce the bottle as it does to fill it!!  Plastic production requires the use of water, as does filtering the water that goes into the bottles.  40% of the water used to make one bottle of water we pull from the gas station is simply poured down the drain.

3. Making bottled water wastes oil.  17 million barrels of oil are used in the production of bottled water each year!!  Look at a bottle of water.  Imagine seeing 1/4 of that bottle filled with oil.  That's how much oil went into the production of that bottle of water.  That's what we're drinking.

4. Bottled water is not held to the same FDA test standards as tap water.  There are more stringent government regulations on tap water than bottled water.  Bottled water companies are not legally required to divulge the source of their water.  AND, 40% of all bottled water sold is actually tap water!!

5. Producing bottled water dries up sources of water for communities and farms throughout the country.  If we continue to consume water at the rate we are currently consuming, it is only a matter of time before communities in the United States are affected by the global water crisis.

Here are some resources if you'd like to check the facts.
water.org
onedrop.org
onlineeducation.net/bottled_water

I am committing to end my use of bottled water.  Would you do the same?

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 208: Seeds of Faith

Posting today over at Seeds of Faith!!  Come check out the site.  There's a lot of good stuff going on there! :-)

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

P.S. Posting tomorrow about the global water crisis.  Will you pledge to no longer buy bottled water?