30 Days Wild

Since the lockdown began, I have been listening to Andy Croft and Mike Pilavachi’s ‘Take Heart’ series and saw the latest upload as ‘The secret to happiness, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.’ That’s definitely one to listen to on day 101 on lockdown!

In this short talk, Andy Croft reminds us that God asks us to give thanks in all circumstances (note – not for all circumstances) and to enjoy the little things. We’ve certainly all had ample time to practise the latter these stay-at-home days (albeit rather annoyingly at times). Andy also quotes theologian G K Chesterton: ‘We sit perhaps in a starry chamber of silence, while the laughter of the heavens is too loud for us to hear.’  I had this image of us humans confined to our little boxes (homes) whilst all around creation rejoices and sings, laughs and chatters God’s praises! Curious to read more, I googled G K Chesterton. What he writes immediately after is this: ‘joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian.’

Is that true for you? I am certainly not known for being Jennifer-Joy-Plummer for the most part. I’ll be taking part in The Wildlife Trusts’ ‘30 Days Wild’ challenge in June and trusting that God will turn each of these ‘Wild’ days into days to enjoy his creation and become a bit more joyful through the process.

The challenge’s aim is to bring people closer to nature where they live, taking small actions that can collectively have a big impact: every Random Act of Wildness counts! When you sign up with The Wildlife Trust, you’ll be able to download a host of goodies to help you plan your month, including a wallchart, wildlife bingo, an activity passport and a nature table template. 

I am excited to be taking part with my daughter. I’d really encourage you to take up this challenge too (individually, as a household or with your church community). There is a ‘30 Days Wild’ app, which you can download here, and you can sign up for the daily email here. 

I would love to hear from you if you are planning to take part! We’re hoping to include a collective spotlight special for our ‘nature and community’ email in July and would love for those participating to share one Random Act of Wildness they’ve completed with the rest of the Wild Christian community by writing a paragraph on how you’re finding the challenge and sending a photo to: wild.christian@arocha.org. You can also send us a message plus photo via our social media channels @ARochaUK (Twitter), @arocha_uk (Instagram) or @A Rocha UK (Facebook).

Jennifer Plummer, Wild Christian Programme Coordinator and A Rocha UK Communications Officer.