What's really important?

"Religion asks us to reanalyze what is really important ... it asks us to give away or sacrifice what is difficult to give away." R. McKim

Two conferences in three days, both intriguing. First up was the Illinois Water Conference where I learned that the sediment I sampled the last two trips I took to Chicago isn't any good. I need to analyze it fresh. Currently on my plate is the U of I's Workshop on Religion and the Environment. I had made plans to attend a lecture entitled "Salvation and Ecology", but ended up getting to hear McKim's talk entitled "Can the Religions Help?"

Here are are the thoughts I penned out in an email a couple of minutes ago:

Although McKim encouraged the audience to look intently to the world's relgions in addressing the numerous environmental issues of our day, it sure made me think about my personal religion. Fasting, sacrificing time for prayer or fellowship, money toward tithing are central aspects of Christian devotion. Is this where the Christian idea of sacrifice ends? Or, will it extend to the sphere of God's creation? After sin, well, and resulting from it, the world is faced with numerous problems - food shortages, population explosion, poor drinking water. Should a true religion claim to have the answers to such problems? Can Christianity rise to answer the spiritual, as well as the humanitarian and environmental problems of our day?