Love Thy Neighbor

I will start today’s reflection with a reading from the Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 12, verses 28-34. “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.”

Loving God and loving your neighbor are two of the most paramount teachings of the Christian faith. I’ve stated this before in my reflection, but it bears repeating – the ten commandments are actually structured to cover these two overarching commandments of love for God and Neighbor. The first four commandments concern loving God (No other God’s before him, no worshipping of idols, no taking the Lord’s name in vain, and keeping the sabbath holy). The last six commandments concern loving your neighbor (honoring father and mother, no killing, no adultery, no stealing, no false witness, no coveting of neighbor’s possessions). This is the simple structure and the simple truth of all of the teachings of Christ and those who came before him. In the scope of everything we do in this ministry, this is the most important piece of data that you need to trust.

So why do I bring this up again? For starters, this lesson cannot be repeated or overstated enough. But in all truthfulness, I bring it up today because of what is going on in my own life and in the lives of my neighbors. I live in Berkeley County, West Virginia. Our community was just informed of the planned construction of a 1.9 million square foot data center on 540 acres of farm land right in the heart of our town. While I personally do not disagree with the need for data centers, this particular bit of news hit me hard. And it hits hard because of where this data center is being placed. Our community stands to lose 540 acres of farmland. This facility will put an unprecedented strain on our power grid, inevitably raising the price of everyone’s electric bill. The strain on water resources will be even more intense, with this manner of data center requiring 3 million to 5 million gallons of water on a daily basis to cool the facility. If left unchecked, a tap into the local water tables could deplete water levels and empty water wells of local residents. And then there is the noise factor. A data center of this magnitude almost always has cooling fans and outside generators to ensure increased “uptime,” which can produce a constant humming sound in the 90-100 decibel range. If you had a busy eight lane highway built next to your house, this would be louder.

I am opposed to this not because of the data center itself, but because of the sheer lack of planning on behalf of the state, and the sheer lack of concern for local residents. The situation described above represents the intersection of science, policy, and faith in a very real and impactful sense, and it absolutely emphasizes the need for a ministry like Data Trust. With a lack of government transparency on this project, I was able to conduct several interviews and engage in several hours of careful research. The result was a detailed map, provided to our community, that showed where this data center would likely be placed, along with its scope. From there, I will, in the future, be able to conduct additional research and estimate whose water wells are most at risk, and who will be most affected by the noise. This collection of data will help us push for better policy, as local legislators have voted against protections of water resources for us and our neighbors. And while I share all of this information freely on social media, I do not share it for popularity or likes and follows. I desire none of that. I share it because I love my neighbors. I care about their well-being. I worry that as a result of this, many will have reduced quality of life, along with reduced access to clean water. The good, hard-working people of West Virginia are steadfast and reverent, and I love them for it. But we are not typically known for being independently wealthy, and so sadly, this state is slowly transforming into a dumping ground for the greed and ambition of others in their unholy and untruthful endeavors.

If you’ve seen any of our ministry posts on Facebook, you will see that I am rather blunt with state legislators, but this is only because I desire the truth, and it is only because I desire to see people taken care of. God did not call on us to be “nice.” Rather, he called on us to be “good.” And there is a difference here that is important to emphasize. Christians are not meant to be crowd pleasers – we aren’t meant to make people feel validated in what they are doing. Rather, we are here to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ, and in today’s society, those teachings run counter to what much of the world has to say. And it certainly runs counter to what many in the state-level offices of West Virginia seek to do, in a land we call “Almost Heaven.”

So to my fellow West Virginians, and those in all other regions of Appalachia where poor public policy has led to scenarios such as this, stay strong and trust in the Lord. I know he will deliver good people to you who are willing to help. It may not seem like it, but there are many who love their neighbors and want to do everything in their power to help one another. And I am one of those people.

May the Lord watch over you in these challenging times. God Bless.