We have been experiencing the strangest weather for January that I can remember. We did have the one cold snap that lasted a few days, but otherwise it has been like late fall and early spring.

Having lived in Indiana and Michigan, I have to admit something to you. I like 70 degree weather in January. I can play golf, fish, walk outside, and even sit on the back porch and enjoy my dog and the birds at my feeder.

Still, we know that there is this issue of climate change. Boy is that ever a political football right now. I tell you up front that I am not a scientist.

I remain confident that there is no major conflict between science and faith, and the truth is that the majority of the earliest scientists were Christians. Their belief in a God who is unchanging and consistent led them to see his creation could be observed and understood in a scientific manner.

But back to my thoughts on the weather. Two things come to my mind. First, creation belongs to God. Ultimately he is in control. He can be trusted to do what is right. There have been cycles in the weather since the beginning of time. God knows what is best.

My second thought is this. In the book of Genesis, God gave Adam instructions to care for the Earth. He said, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth, and subdue it and have dominion over it."

The biblical teaching is that God created the Earth and the universe for the benefit of mankind. Arguments can be made that Earth itself was created as it is with humans in mind.

Still, there is great responsibility implied in these instructions. We are more important than the universe, but that does not mean that we are to abuse it. We should be careful not to pollute our rivers and streams mindlessly. We should take care to recycle and reuse those items that we can. We should love and care for the place that God gave us to inhabit.

In no way am I trying to make a political statement today. Rather I am seeking to make a theological point. God created human beings as the crowning glory of all that he made. We have a special relationship to him. But he wants us to care for that which he has given us.

I encourage you to show your gratitude to him in every aspect of life.