I want to walk as a child of the light.

I want to follow Jesus.

God set the stars to give light to the world.

The star of my life is Jesus.

~ I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

World in 'plastics crisis' hitting health, report warns

Plastics are a “grave, growing and under-recognised danger” to human and planetary health, a new expert review has warned. The world is in a “plastics crisis”, it concluded, which is causing disease and death from infancy to old age and is responsible for at least $1.5 trillion a year in health-related damages. The driver of the crisis is a huge acceleration of plastic production, which has increased by more than 200 times since 1950 and is set to almost triple again to more than a billion tonnes a year by 2060. While plastic has many important uses, the most rapid increase has been in the production of single-use plastics, such as drinks bottles and fast-food containers. As a result, plastic pollution has also soared, with 8bn tonnes now polluting the entire planet, the review said, from the top of Mount Everest to the deepest ocean trench. Less than 10% of plastic is recycled.

Lord of all creation, we have relied upon plastic to “improve our lives” and “make things easier” for packaging and our day-to-day living. And now, it’s abundantly clear the harm this has caused to our health, our planet, and our future. Empower leaders to take this crisis seriously and to guide their communities towards more sustainable, regenerative ways to organize their lives.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires brings unhealthy air to large swaths of the Midwest

Smoke from Canadian wildfires hovered over several Midwestern states Saturday, bringing warnings of unhealthy air for at least the third day. Air quality alerts were in effect in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as eastern Nebraska and parts of Indiana and Illinois. Forecasters said the smoky skies would remain for much of the day. Canadian environmental officials said smoke from the forest fires would persist into Sunday for some areas. The Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir, which assesses air quality in real time, listed the city of Minneapolis as having some of the worst air pollution in the world since Friday. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was expected to reach the red or unhealthy category in a large swath of Minnesota. AQI is a system used to communicate how much air pollution is in the air. It breaks pollution down into six categories and colors, along with advice on what is and is not safe to do. They range from “good” (the color green) to “hazardous” (maroon).

God, we pray for all those with preexisting conditions, especially those in the upper Midwest for whom breathing is already a challenge. We are reminded, Lord, that we are one body: when one part of the body hurts, it effects us all. Likewise, when our planet cries out, it can be felt all over.  We must all love the home you have provided, so that we might honor you and live the lives you have called us to.

Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes, opens permanent humanitarian corridors

Hamas said on Sunday it was prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, after a video it released showing an emaciated captive drew sharp criticism from Western powers. Hamas said any coordination with the Red Cross is contingent upon Israel permanently opening humanitarian corridors and halting airstrikes during the distribution of aid. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hamas, thus far, has barred humanitarian organizations from having any kind of access to the hostages and families have little or no details of their conditions. On Saturday, Hamas released its second video in two days of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, who is skeletally thin and shown digging a hole that, he says in the video, is for his own grave. France, Germany, the UK, and the U.S. were among countries to express outrage and Israel's foreign ministry announced that the UN Security Council will hold a special session on Tuesday morning on the issue of the situation of the hostages in Gaza.

We pray for coordination across government and non-governmental bodies to deliver aid. This catastrophe continues despite more voices speaking up against it because the fundamental calculus of the problem hasn’t changed. Lord, we ask for your divine intervention. Use us! Guide us to put an end to this. Force the hands of those who do evil to put an end to this and allow us peace.

Becoming (part of) the Answer to our Own Prayers

U.S. Refugee Resettlement Opportunity

While U.S. refugee resettlement remains mostly paused, approved Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders and their families who supported the U.S. government are currently being resettled. Our partner, Exodus World Service, is recruiting sponsors to welcome these vulnerable families. Exodus guides sponsors through every step—from educating you or your congregation, mobilizing your sponsorship group, submitting your application, and simply being a constant guide throughout the entire sponsorship period. Interested in this missional opportunity? Contact [email protected] to learn more and get started today.