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BLESSED EARTH

April showers of new blessings!

S e r v i n g G o d , S a v i n g t h e P l a n e tAPRIL 2009 NEWSLETTER || WWW.BLESSEDEARTH.ORG || VOL. 1, NO. 3

Friends,

Spring has ofcially arrived, and the wholeearth, it seems, is literally going green.Kentucky is known as bluegrass country,but I dont think Ive ever seen elds so lushand verdant. It feels great to work outsideand get our hands dirty in the earth.

Matthew and I have expanded our veg-etable garden by about a third, and haveplanted peas (LOTS of them), spinach,potatoes, onions, and beets--with more tocome. Later this spring, we will be host-ing a neighborhood pea shelling party withmusic and fellowship--sharing our antici-pated abundance with others and togetherputting up our harvested peas for the wintermonths.April is usually our busiest month, andthis year is no exception. Lots of speaking

engagements, Earth Day celebrations, andexciting lm projects are lined up. Best ofall, in the beginning of May our daughterEmma nally comes home from serving inIndia!Now that the weather is so irresistibly invit-ing, we are spending much of our leisuretime outdoors, yet Matthew and I still maketime to read.

This week Ive been immersed in Enoughby our friend Will Samson, which advo-cates contentment in an age of excess. In

Creation Care Scripture Green Tip of the Month

PO BOX 227 || WILMORE, KY 40390 || CONTACT@BLESSEDEARTH.ORG

Hear what the LORD says: Rise,plead your case to the mountains,and let the hills hear your voice.

Micah 6:1

these difcult economic times, we all need toredene the meaning of wealth and becomegrateful stewards of Gods green earth.

As my wise husband says, the problem liesnot in us owning things, but in things owningus. Enoughserves as a timely reminder notto confuse Christianity with Capitalism--anda refreshing invitation to begin banking inGods economy.

With every blessing,

Nancy Sleeth

Program Director

A common, but useful tip: As the weatherbegins to warm up, turn up your indoorthermostat just three degrees than it is out-side -- and still stay cool! Save the planet, andsave money!

Pictured: Nancy Sl

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Letters from you: How to have a free saleMarcie Kahler-Davis

Spring is rapidly approaching and, as we allknow, that means its time for Spring Clean-ing! Spring also brings in the early wavesof yard and garage sales. While Im a bigsupporter of yard sales, sometimes they are

more of a hassle than what they are worth.One day my husband I just decided to havea free yard sale instead of a real yard sale.I just wanted stuff GONE and, personally,I hate doing yard sales. I like to shop atthem, dont like to put them on.

For me, a yard sale means a long day ofseeing your stuff picked through and deal-ing with pricing the items, setting it all out,advertising, making change, the chanceof rainy weather, kids breaking your stuff,and the list goes on. I know I sound like a

downer, but yard sales are a lot of work!

So instead of a yard sale, consider a FreeSale. They are much easier and less work.We posted an ad on Craigslist and Freecy-cle (free advertisements!) and kept an eyeon the pile at the actual sale. Sure, everyso often we would go out and make surethe pile wasnt all over the driveway, butmostly it was pretty easy. We watched with

giddy excitement as people pulled up andstarted loading what we consider junk intotheir cars. And besides, it saved me havingto haul items to the Goodwill -- and whodoesnt like free stuff!?

And why not do a Free Sale when so many

people are out of jobs? We watch the newsand wonder if theres anything we can doto help make things better for our country. Ifany of my things that are just lying around,they can be given to someone who needsthem. A Free Sale can be my act of lovetoward those who are out of work.

Tips for Having a Successful Free Sale:

Take pictures beforehand for an onlinead. Having a picture to show how largeyour pile is will encourage people tocome by.

Put a lot of stuff out there! If you havejust a few things, it wont be worth it forpeople to stop by.

Post a BIG sign! Be clear what isnt free if you have to

place items near things you dont wanttaken. I had one guy assume my 2 carswere also part of the Free Sale!

List the items you have in your onlinead. We had a ton of tile and people

ocked to get it. Update your online ad as much as pos

sible. You dont want to upset anyone. Be honest. If you dont want people to

email you about your pile, tell them inyour ad. I had to state I would not holdanything, but I did update my ad as of

ten as possible so as not to disappoin Be real with yourself. When you start

making your pile, ask yourself, Do Ireally use/need/want this item? If youcan use it, keep it; if not, pile it up!

Dont leave your pile unattended. Itemmight end up all over your front yard!

Take down the online ad when your pihas dwindled down.

It is such a relief to have clutter gone. I canopen drawers or closets and not cringewhen I see all the excess stuff in there. Sothis Spring rather than fretting about havin

a yard sale, consider a Free Sale! Its funto see people get excited about somethingyou have, but its even more fun to have thclutter gone!n

To write a letter to Blessed Earth, pleas

contact willsears@blessedearth.org.

MEDIA&SPEAKING EVENTSPrayer & Praise For churches and nations around the worldto use this economic slowdown as a timeto rethink how we use Gods resources andcommit to becoming wiser stewards forfuture generations.

For eyes to be open to see and ears to hearthe creation care message that we share aswe travel throughout the country duringthe weeks leading up to Earth Day.

For hearts to be changed, so that EarthWeek messages grow into life-changingcommitments for serving God and caringfor His creation.

For strength, safety, and perseverance forour daughter Emma and friend Val, as theycomplete their last month of service inIndia.

April 1

Orange City, IA

Dr. Matthew Sleeth

Northwestern College

See website for times!

April 4

Linden, TN

Dr. Matthew Sleeth

Spring Leadership Conference

CLOSED EVENT

April 13Wilmore, KY

Dr. Matthew Sleeth

Asbury Theological Seminary

6:30-8:30 p.m.

April 15

Athens, Ohio

Dr. Matthew and

Nancy Sleeth

Ohio University

Various Events

April 18

Louisville, KY

Dr. Matthew Sleeth

Kavanaugh Creation Care Confere

(Register)

April 19

Clarksville, TN

Dr. Matthew Sleeth

Madison Street UMC

Morning Services

(8:15 a.m. & 10:45 a.m.)

April 23-26

Wilmore, KY

Dr. Matthew Sleeth

Oklahoma Society for Science & F

CLOSED EVENT

April 28

Berea, KY

Dr. Matthew Sleeth

Berea College

8:00-9:30 p.m.

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Meet Ian and Carolyn ReillyBlessed Earth Stories of Triumph

In March, Ian & Carolyn Reilly saved$90 on their utilities bill by goinggreen! Their major changes wereline-drying clothes, being moremindful of turning lights off when

theyre not in the room, and takingshorter showers. Ian and Carolynmake their home in Gainesville, FL,with their three beautiful children --and a fourth on the way!

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we build bridges that promote measurable environmental changeand meaningful spiritual growth.

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