Hey! A big public thanks to all the folks who came out on Saturday and helped us to clean up First Creek as one of our Ridge Church service projects! Thank you for sharing your love for our city with others who enjoy nature!
First Creek is one of the city's major tributaries that runs through Fountain City area (apparently it starts up near Parkdale Road where it traverses Black Oak Ridge) all the way to the Tennessee River. It is a historic part of Knoxville's very existence! In 1786, James White built White's Fort right near where First Creek runs into the river. And White's Fort became Knoxville, and Knoxville is where we live!
For you history nuts out there: In 1863 during the Civil War, First Creek became a strong part of the Union defense line during the siege of Knoxville. The Yankees damned it to flood the area and keep the Confederates from attacking on that side of town. You can read about Knoxville Civil War battles here. (It's a cool driving tour. OK, at least I think it's cool...)
Anyway, why do we do stuff like cleaning up First Creek? Because we believe that God has called us to be stewards not only of our funds but of the planet He made for us to enjoy. That means we are supposed to manage it well, and it means that the Earth is God's and it is good. We should take care of it; it is not merely ours to abuse as we see fit.
All in all, it's an issue of Sovereignty. We believe God is our King, and our world is part of His Kingdom. As members of God's family due to our faith in Christ, we have a responsibility to take care of His stuff and set an example for others to follow. So, that's why we cleaned up First Creek! (Incidentally, that's why the Layne family recycles everything Knox County will accept. It's not hard and it keeps nasty stuff out of First Creek!)
To be very clear... At Ridge Church we are not "Tree Huggers" who worship nature, we are "God Lovers" who believe that His trees and flowers and mountains and "critters" are awesome and give us a small glimpse of God's majesty and glory.
As Romans 1:19-20 notes, nature points Christ-followers and even those who have yet to place their faith in Christ to our Creator and Lord and Father. So, we should enjoy and maintain it with care, as this was God's command to Adam and Eve. That's our approach, and it's really pretty simple. Besides, who wants bikes and monster truck tires and road signs in First Creek? Those aren't good for the ducks and who wants to wade in that? Haha!
Anyway, thanks again to those who served, and have a great week! See you Sunday at Panache at 10 a.m.!
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