Dear Ed and Julia: I am concerned about God’s creation and so I try to stay informed and engaged about climate change. I am greatly troubled by the recent announcement that the host government for COP28, U.A.E., has appointed Sultan Al Jaber to serve as the president of the climate summit. Meanwhile, Al Jaber intends to retain his role as CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), one of the world’s largest petroleum producers. Read More

It’s December 2018 at the COP24 climate summit in Katowice, Poland, and I am as depressed as I have ever been. It didn’t help that I had an attack of kidney stones during my layover in Brussels. It didn’t help that my normal set of colleagues at these climate summits weren’t attending this one. I was alone. I was alone on a mattress on the floor of my price-gouging AirBnb, touk and gloves on to try and ward off the cold. And then there was the summit itself. Poland was hosting COP24 in their coal-mining region, promoting “just transition” seemingly as a way to keep promoting the fossil fuel itself. When the climate march rolled around on the Saturday after the first week, phalanxes of Polish police in riot gear were out in full force. COP24 is generally considered a “failed” COP, precisely at the time when the Paris Agreement needed to shift into a higher gear.

Deuteronomy is about the 'treaties' that we make with God that supersede any treaty, like the Paris Agreement, that nations make with each other. Its stated motivation behind its restatement of the Ten Commandments is markedly humanitarian. And its theme that 'the past is always present' should encourage us that God is still as active in 2022 as he was when the shekinah glory fell on Moses.

Today, William Carey International University is officially launching our newest Institute, The Eden Vigil Insitute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment under the direction of Lowell Bliss. We are continually humbled by the caliber of people who have made WCIU their home and nothing could be truer about Lowell Bliss and the work he has done with Eden Vigil. We invite you to read further and get to know the vision behind the Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment, Its history, and where we see things heading. READ MORE…

Explore the significance of Jesus's Parable of the Two Sons in the context of global climate action at COP27. Learn how countries like Australia and the USA can pivot from inaction to meaningful engagement. Join Climate Intercessors in strategic prayer, seeking divine guidance for impactful decisions at COP27. Read on for insights and join our global prayer meetings.

This summer, Eden Vigil severed its last official tie with one of these movements and will seek to serve, to the extent of our wisdom, each of the five movements as an Institute of Adaptive Leadership and the Environment at William Carey International University.

In 2013, a chance encounter and Psalm 77 sparked a vision for climate action. Explore how this ancient text continues to inspire our pathway to COP27 in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt.

“How could we be so naïve as to think that Manchin would have acted otherwise? But while we are at it: are we climate activists guilty of other naivetes: not only toward individuals, but in a failure to critique systems, in-a-vacuum postures, and loyalties and longings which abandoned us long ago?”

In Acts 4, Peter and John's overnight jail time prompts reflection amidst early church fervor. As we face climate challenges, we echo their prayers for courage and divine intervention: 'All the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God.

“It’s impossible for me to write a review of the new Greta Thunberg documentary because, you see, I appear in it…”

Originally Published on 1/27/20

This blog is from the archives of Eden Vigil. Our hope is that it helps you get to know our new Institute, The Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment. Enjoy and please feel free to leave comments and continue the conversation! Be on the lookout for more posts by Lowell Bliss in the near future.

“Climate change is no longer a problem to be solved; it is a journey we all must undertake—both individually and collectively.”

Originally Published on 11/29/19

This blog is from the archives of Eden Vigil. Our hope is that it helps you get to know our new Institute, The Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment. Enjoy and please feel free to leave comments and continue the conversation! Be on the lookout for more posts by Lowell Bliss in the near future.