The benefits of Earth Hour Ben Pfahlert

Ben Pfahlert

On Saturday night, our family participated in Earth Hour. My eight-year-old daughter was very keen to do so. These are some of the thoughts I had during Earth Hour:

  • I am addicted to information and entertainment: I don't spend a lot of time watching screens, but I was surprised by how bored I got so quickly. Earth Hour felt like Earth Year, with no TV, no internet and no bright lights to make things like reading easy. In the end (i.e. 20 minutes in), I asked Bella if she'd like to go for a run. She said, “Yes”. Yippee! Off we went.
  • I am so judgemental: On the run, I piously noted all the houses failing to “care for the planet”, while trying vigorously to push to the back of my mind the knowledge that we didn't do Earth Hour in '08.
  • Isn't light great! I was refreshed in my appreciation of Genesis 1:16: “And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day ...”.
  • Thank you, Lord, for the gift of eyesight! I hadn't thanked God for eyesight for ages. I can see! Woohoo! Imagine how hard life would be if you were Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46; imagine being blind!
  • How did those Christians in history do so much Bible translation by candlelight? Think of, for example, the LXX translators (who were around during the third and first centuries BC), and Luther and Tyndale.

Earth Hour encouraged me to leave a smaller ecological footprint, but it had heaps of other benefits too.

2 Comments »

Well done, Ben! 

A short post on the Sola Panel? Will wonders never cease! And under 300 words—a very good sign.

Mike

(oh, and the content was good to!)

Hi Mike,
Thanks for your comment.
I have prepared a 570 word response . . . (just joshin’).
Hey, I’m trying to write shorter blogs from here on in.
Benny

Commenting rules

If you would like your comment to be considered for publication, please observe the following rules:

  1. Please use your FULL NAME (your real name, not an alias).
  2. Stay on topic.
  3. Be godly.

Failure to adhere to these rules will result in your comment being quietly deleted.

If you want to give us feedback but don't want your comments to appear on the blog, DON'T use the form below. Instead, please send us an email or click on the button below.

Your Comment

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
By God’s Word Volumes 1 and 2

Sponsors

Placeholder

Recent comments

RSS logo

Stephen Jackson on The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel!

Sam Freney on The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel!

Marty Foord on The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel!

Dianne Howard on The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel!

Mike Bull on Daniel 2-7, Harry Potter and Narnia

Current discussions

RSS logo

Recent posts

RSS logo RSS logo

The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel! by Tony Payne (4 comments). Regular Sola Panel readers will no doubt have detected a little slowness and quietness over the past six weeks or so. … more

Kids’ culture watch spot: Facing fear by Gordon Cheng (3 comments). By popular demand (two people asked), here is my next script for a culture watch spot I did with the kids … more

Daniel 2-7, Harry Potter and Narnia by Gordon Cheng (1 comment). It's a Sunday as I write this, and I'm speaking on Daniel 2 and 7 later this morning at a friend's … more

A constituent on same-sex marriage by Sandy Grant (34 comments). Last year, the Australian Parliament agreed that its Members of Parliament (MPs) should seek the … more

A tribute to John Stott by Sandy Grant (2 comments). Friends, I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear when I opened up my computer on Thursday morning to read … more

Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 3): On giants’ shoulders by Scott Newling (26 comments). This is the third post in this series; you can read part one, and more

Bible reading with kids by Sandy Grant (0 comments). I was asked for recommendations for resources that would encourage parents to read the Bible with their kids, especially … more

Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 2): Stepping aside (not out) so others can step up (not in) by Scott Newling (3 comments). This is the second post in this series; you can read the first post, Unassuming … more

One more sip of the coffee by Tony Payne (8 comments). Sandy Grant is a man of integrity. Back in the early days of Sola Panel, I wrote a post … more

Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 1): Unassuming generations by Scott Newling (30 comments). There is a model of ‘intergenerational theological decline’ that has been doing the rounds of late, and perhaps you … more

Tony Payne

Tony Payne

Paul is one of the Staff Editors at Matthias Media. He is married to Cathy and has three fantastic kids. He loves student ministry, reading, writing music and playing the saxophone, and is looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.

Sola Panellists



Some other sites
we like  (Why these?)

Ministry partners