I’ve been hearing tons lately about New Years Resolutions. They mainly revolve about getting healthy: either eating better or exercising more. I for one, and not big into resolutions. I don’t think they work. You either want to change or you don’t. The fact that it’s the New Year shouldn’t matter. But I digress…

What I wanted to do in this post was brag on the awesomeness of my wife. About a year and a half ago, she decided that we needed to be a family that ate healthy and was more environmentally friendly. It’s been a process for us to refine our eating and living habits, but it’s truly been great. We’ve gone partial organic, she makes her own bread and pretty much everything else from scratch. The processed foods aren’t all gone, but they are a rarity around here. We recycle more and buy less. It’s been a family thing. We didn’t do it all at once, like I said, it’s been a process. Each day we’re a little more healthy and a little more green. I don’t know where this family would be without her.

If you’re ever interested about being green and a Christian, I’d recommend this excellent book by Matthew Sleeth: Serve God, Save the Planet. It’s a great starting point.

You know who’s cool? Matthew Sleeth. That’s who.

He’s the director of the US branch of A Rocha a Christian nature conservation organization. He’s the author of Serve God Save the Planet a book about our duty as a Christian to care for the environment by the way we live. He’s spoken at churches like Mars Hill and lectures all over the country. He was a emergency room physician who began to see how our lifestyle and treatment of the environment was taking a toll on our bodies. He was a man to whom God opened his eyes and called out onto a journey.

So is that why Matthew Sleeth is cool?

Nope, he’s cool because he’s all these things and he still took the time to email me. I quoted him a few weeks back and because of that, he shot me an email thanking me for what I had said. And to boot, he’s sending me a copy of his book, Serve God Save the Planet. When I get it, I’ll read it and review it here. So thank you, Matthew Sleeth, for working to save the world, but still taking time to email the little guys.

If you don’t already have iTunes you really should get it (and it’s free). There are so many speakers, pastors, and churches that podcast their services and are available for download weekly. It’s great for daily commutes or popping in your iPod. Just listen and go.

One I’m currently enjoying is Mars Hill Bible Church’s (Rob Bell) current series on God is Green. The thing I love about Rob Bell is that he’s not into himself. They’ve had so many different speakers come in and fill the pulpit week after week. His heart is getting the message out there, no matter who needs to speak it.

This series has really challenged my views on the environment. I had always prided myself on being pretty ecologically good, but I realize,  we have a ways to go as a family.

I also love the fact that they’re emphasizing that as Christians we should be green. The Bible calls us to do that. It amazes me that this is one area we’ve sorely dropped the ball in. It’s gotten politicized so much that the environment has been left on party lines. I mean, Jesus is of course a Republican and Republicans could care less about the environment, so I should be like Jesus and not care about the environment either. Isn’t that the rationale?

You can either download them via iTunes directly or go to the Mars Hill website here. They’re free, they’re good and they’re worth your time.

Well, it was a fun Saturday to relax and do everything green! Here’s some pictures from out day. We ate green eggs and ham [bacon] for breakfast, dressed in green, made green cookies, and ate green calzones for dinner. It was a great day!