Innovate~Educate~Collaborate

Tag: pastors

  • Reflections of acts of kindness to Mother Earth ~ Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Each time you choose a nature-compatible substitute for a plastic item or simply eliminate plastic materials in your life, you engage in an act of kindness on behalf of Mother Earth.  The science community continues to gather information on the disastrous effects of our plastic addiction, much of which is in plain sight. In 2014,…

  • Ecological hermeneutics of MT 25

    “I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me … Just as you…

  • Feast Day of the original “Ecotheologian”

    Today is the feast of St Francis, celebrated by Anglicans, Lutherans, and Catholics, and believers of all who see the protection of our environment important. Francis, whom I consider to be the original “Ecotheologian“. A person who understood that creation was the first bible. St. Francis, during his life, lived in a pivotal period when Western…

  • GREEN JUNCTION 26 AUGUST 2019 BY JULIE PELLER PH.D​.

    Young people and future generations are set to suffer most from the changing climate and immense environmental degradation (species loss, polluted air, and water, etc.), largely generated over the past several decades.  It makes sense to educate children on these critical matters and discuss them.  I suggest that young people challenge adults by asking them…

  • The River under our feet

    Meister Eckhart once said, “God is like an underground river.” It suggests God is universal and not confined to one location, is all moving. As the old saying goes, “you can’t step into the same river twice.” The statement tells us that we all can access the Source (God) if we dig (our wells) long…

  • And Merton writes….

    Thomas Merton writes, “What every man looks for in life is his own salvation and the salvation of the men he lives with. By salvation, I mean first of all the full discovery of who he himself really is. Then I mean something of the fulfillment of his own God-given powers, in the love of…

  • Is Religion divorced from the work-a-day world?

    As a “Hoosier” I was exploring the on-line libraries in the state. I Came across this site about Merton and Music. https://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/soul-swing-jazz-religion/?fbclid=IwAR2jBfurRAbOa5k2DKislZc3_zmwu27xZogh4mrrEw5U0FFMbsLsXXv335A I think we see how Jazz was the Christ speaking to Merton.  Jazz a language with much religious tones and meaning.  Jazz is not divorced from religion or the work-a-day world, especially in…

  • GREEN JUNCTION 13 JULY 2019 BY JULIE PELLER PHD.

    I had the wonderful opportunity to take a nature walk at a local park, which included hiking through grassy fields and along beautiful areas of wildflowers. These fields are allowed to grow naturally; they are not manipulated by the input of chemicals to eliminate plants that are not grass, the more common scenario when it…

  • Ecotheology: It’s time for a hermeneutic

    What is Ecotheology? I found this to be spot on…as the saying goes, and it is from Portland Seminary: “Ecotheology is a form of study and thinking that combines the disciplines of ecology (the study of organisms and their environments) and theology (the study of God and religious beliefs). Ecotheology examines creation through the lenses…

  • Reflections 6.19.19

    Lord, as we start out each day, nudge us to be kind, to say only that which builds up one another. To reach out to those in need and be a source of comfort. Each day I reflect on the writings of my favorite Patristic teacher, Ephrem. “Scripture brought me to the Gate of Paradise,…