Marian Wright Edelman is the president of the Children's Defense Fund and a prolific writer of prayers. I am encouraged by her work. This is a prayer that she wrote specifically for Thanksgiving - but it is continuing to make me think.
God help us to end poverty in our time.
The poverty of having a child with too little to eat and no place to sleep, no air, sunlight and space in which to breathe, bask, and grow.
The poverty of watching your child suffer and get sicker and sicker and not knowing what to do or how to get help because you don't have a car to get to the emergency room or health insurance.
The poverty of working your fingers to the bone every day taking care of somebody else's children and neglecting your own, and still not being able to pay your bills.
The poverty of having a job which does not let you afford a stable place to live and being terrified you'll become homeless and lose your children to foster care.
The poverty of losing your job and searching and searching and searching for another amidst an epidemic scarcity of work.
The poverty of working all your life caring for others and having to start all over again caring for the grandchildren you love.
The poverty of earning a college degree, having children, opening a day care center, and taking home $300 a week or even month if you're lucky.
The poverty of loneliness and isolation and alienation -- having no one to call or visit, tell you where to get help, assist you in getting it, or care if you're living or dead.
The poverty of having too much and sharing too little and having the burden of nothing to carry.
The poverty of convenient blindness and deafness and indifference to others, of emptiness and enslavement to things, drugs, power, money, violence, and fleeting fame.
The poverty of low aim and paltry purpose, weak will and tiny vision, big meetings and small action, loud talk and sullen grudging service.
The poverty of believing in nothing, standing for nothing, sharing nothing, sacrificing nothing, struggling for nothing.
The poverty of pride and ingratitude for God's gifts of life and children and family and freedom and country and earth and not wanting for others what you want for yourself.
The poverty of greed for more and more and more, ignoring, blaming, and exploiting the needy, and taking from the weak to please the strong.
The poverty of addiction to drink, to work, to self, to the status quo, and to injustice.
The poverty of fear which keeps you from doing the thing you think is right.
The poverty of despair and cynicism.
God help us end poverty in our time in all its faces and places, young and old, rural, urban, suburban and small town too, and in every color of humans You have made everywhere.
God help us to end poverty in our time in all its guises -- inside and out -- physical and spiritual, so that all our and Your children may live the lives that You intend in the richest nation on earth.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Good article about hunger in America
This article, Let's Feed America, raises some great questions about the source of hunger in the United States. How have you interacted with hunger issues?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Does your neighborhood have a personality?
Check out this Chicago RedEye article on Chicago neighborhood's personalities.
While I don't always agree with the article, I do think that neighborhoods do have personality! My neighborhood has a stark yet warm undertone. Think for a minute, what is your neighborhood's personality?
While I don't always agree with the article, I do think that neighborhoods do have personality! My neighborhood has a stark yet warm undertone. Think for a minute, what is your neighborhood's personality?
Monday, October 26, 2009
What would you barter?
The city has great gifts; and so does each person. I was drawn to this story about a company that helps people barter. Maybe you don't own a hotel or need 1000 air conditioning units....but what could you barter? What is your gift?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Honorable Marketing by Robert Lupton
Cheerios just got a black eye. For as long as I can remember, those little round “O”s have been a breakfast favorite of both children and adults. Kids have spelled words with them in their cereal bowls, moms have carried baggies of them in their purses for snacks, dads have shoveled down spoonfuls as they hurried out the door on the way to work. In recent years these nutritious, fiber-rich, toasted 100% whole grain oat delights have boasted an amazing ability to lower bad cholesterol. I believed them. Who wouldn’t believe in Cheerios? Then some whistle-blower or competitor cried foul and the Federal Trade Commission took a close look at these health claims. Cheerios may be nutritious but no longer can they claim to lower cholesterol. They got caught doing false advertising.
Is it buyer beware or do we want government watchdogs checking the validity of our marketing practices? Frankly, I’m glad there is some ethical standard in our society that attempts to maintain a modicum of honesty. Can you imagine living in a culture where you could believe nothing that you read or heard? What chaos! I’m disappointed in Cheerios. I wish their advertising were as wholesome as their 100% whole grain oats. But I’ll keep eating the little “O”s for breakfast. And I’ll also keep taking my cholesterol pills.
The Federal Trade Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government, is charged with keeping American business free and fair. Included in its many responsibilities is “to prevent the dissemination of false and deceptive advertising of goods, drugs, curative devices, and cosmetics.” False claims, whether by Cheerios, car dealers or snake oil peddlers, when detected are subject to public exposure, penalties and immediate corrective action. The FTC has jurisdiction over a broad spectrum of activities but there is one realm it cannot penetrate – the church. The church-state barrier offers protection against government intrusion into the practice of organized religion. Of course, one would expect that, since the Judeo-Christian traditions are foundational to the ethical and moral codes of American society, the church would be the last institution in need of ethical policing.
Certainly the church is not without its flaws. The moral failure of church leaders is legendary. The media feeds off such scandal. Yet, in spite of the damage caused by the occasional fall of religious leaders, the church as an institution strives to preserve and protect high standards of conduct. Though its members, and too often its leaders, fail to measure up to its high ideals, the church remains the primary guardian of moral and ethical values. It may wrestle with controversial issues of the day such as gay marriage and abortion, but it does so in pursuit of a moral high ground.
But there is one area that seems to have eluded the ethical scrutiny of the church. Churches from the left to the right, high and low, share the same blind spot. Perhaps it’s because the practice is so pervasive or because the claims seem so spiritual. But if the FTC were to shine the spotlight on the marketing of missions, the expose would be, well, perhaps not damning but certainly embarrassing. Take a look at most any promotional package for a mission trip and you will get the distinct impression that lost, starving, forsaken people have their last hope riding on the willingness of Christians from the US to come and rescue them. The pictures are heart-rending – a close-up of a child’s sad face, a tin-roof shack beside an open sewage ditch, an old woman struggling under a load of firewood sticks. The emotional call goes out for the “healed, trained, empowered and Spirit filled teens to be missionaries to the world.” Such experiences promise to touch lives, change the world, and have a dramatic, life-changing impact on those who will sacrifice their comfort to go. For a week!
Can we be honest? Mission trips and service projects are important. For lots of reasons. But the truth of the matter is that dropping into a strange culture for a week or even two creates far more work for the local leadership than it’s worth, except for the money and gifts we leave. And those gifts more often than not do more long-term harm than good. As one local leader told me: “They’re turning our people into beggars.” Much of the work we do is make-work – painting a church, digging a foundation, leading a summer Bible school – all work that could and should be done by locals. “Our men need the work,” a seminary president once told me as we discussed the impact of US mission trippers in her impoverished country.
But this treatise is not about the downstream impact of mission trips. Some ambitious young reporter seeking to make a name for himself will sooner or later handle that expose. This is about the dishonesty in our marketing of these trips. Our “people-are-dying-and-you-can-save-them” rhetoric may be effective spin to lure young people (and older as well) into signing up but we know that only on rare occasions is this actually true. Yes, there are Katrinas. But the overwhelming majority of our mission trips are to places where the needs for development are far greater than for emergency assistance. And development is about enabling indigenous people to help themselves, not doing the work for them. Development is much longer term, calls for professional expertise and planning, requires lending and investing – not the sort of things that lend themselves to a typical short-term mission trip.
I am not saying that mission trips don’t have value. They do. Great value. They open up new worlds, new perspectives, new insights. They expose us to fascinating cultures, connect us with new friends, allow us to experience God at work in surprising ways, inspire us, break our hearts, build camaraderie among traveling companions. Any one of these benefits might well justify the time and expense. But isn’t it time we admit to ourselves that mission trips are essentially for our benefit, not for the benefit of the ones our marketing material portray? Would it not be more forthright if we called our junkets “insight trips” or “exchange programs”? Or how about Kingdom adventures? Do we really need to justify our journeying to exotic lands under the pretense of missionary work? Religious tourism would have much more integrity if we simply admitted that we’re off to explore God’s amazing work in the world.
I know we have to have good reason to justify spending the kind of money we do on mission trips. US churches spent well over $2 billion (that’s with a “b”) on them last year. This is not at all inconsistent with our normative pattern of church spending, however. We typically spend upwards of 95% of church budgets on ourselves anyway. So to admit that mission trip expenditures are primarily for the spiritual benefit of our members would not be out of line, that is if we feel justified spending that percentage on ourselves. But that’s a discussion for another time. Our subject here is marketing with integrity.
So how do we capture the imagination, the compassion, of a younger generation if not by appealing to the tenderness of their hearts? Come to think of it, it was the story of fatherless children that drew me into urban work nearly 40 years ago. I wanted to make a difference. That was a powerful motivator. So maybe “touching lives” and “changing the world” is appropriate rhetoric after all. It certainly appealed to my compassionate side and it played at least some part in shaping my call into ministry. The idea of sacrifice was also appealing to me, to offer myself up to a cause of great importance. I wanted my life to count. That was important. But playing to those tender Spirit-sensitivities should be done with great care. Setting up unrealistic expectations can lead to discouragement. Portraying false representations can lead to cynicism. Is it not enough to simply say “come and see” and then allow the Spirit to do the touching and surprising?
Here’s my bottom line: the Kingdom doesn’t need our hype. The Kingdom needs people who speak the truth.
-Robert Lupton
Is it buyer beware or do we want government watchdogs checking the validity of our marketing practices? Frankly, I’m glad there is some ethical standard in our society that attempts to maintain a modicum of honesty. Can you imagine living in a culture where you could believe nothing that you read or heard? What chaos! I’m disappointed in Cheerios. I wish their advertising were as wholesome as their 100% whole grain oats. But I’ll keep eating the little “O”s for breakfast. And I’ll also keep taking my cholesterol pills.
The Federal Trade Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government, is charged with keeping American business free and fair. Included in its many responsibilities is “to prevent the dissemination of false and deceptive advertising of goods, drugs, curative devices, and cosmetics.” False claims, whether by Cheerios, car dealers or snake oil peddlers, when detected are subject to public exposure, penalties and immediate corrective action. The FTC has jurisdiction over a broad spectrum of activities but there is one realm it cannot penetrate – the church. The church-state barrier offers protection against government intrusion into the practice of organized religion. Of course, one would expect that, since the Judeo-Christian traditions are foundational to the ethical and moral codes of American society, the church would be the last institution in need of ethical policing.
Certainly the church is not without its flaws. The moral failure of church leaders is legendary. The media feeds off such scandal. Yet, in spite of the damage caused by the occasional fall of religious leaders, the church as an institution strives to preserve and protect high standards of conduct. Though its members, and too often its leaders, fail to measure up to its high ideals, the church remains the primary guardian of moral and ethical values. It may wrestle with controversial issues of the day such as gay marriage and abortion, but it does so in pursuit of a moral high ground.
But there is one area that seems to have eluded the ethical scrutiny of the church. Churches from the left to the right, high and low, share the same blind spot. Perhaps it’s because the practice is so pervasive or because the claims seem so spiritual. But if the FTC were to shine the spotlight on the marketing of missions, the expose would be, well, perhaps not damning but certainly embarrassing. Take a look at most any promotional package for a mission trip and you will get the distinct impression that lost, starving, forsaken people have their last hope riding on the willingness of Christians from the US to come and rescue them. The pictures are heart-rending – a close-up of a child’s sad face, a tin-roof shack beside an open sewage ditch, an old woman struggling under a load of firewood sticks. The emotional call goes out for the “healed, trained, empowered and Spirit filled teens to be missionaries to the world.” Such experiences promise to touch lives, change the world, and have a dramatic, life-changing impact on those who will sacrifice their comfort to go. For a week!
Can we be honest? Mission trips and service projects are important. For lots of reasons. But the truth of the matter is that dropping into a strange culture for a week or even two creates far more work for the local leadership than it’s worth, except for the money and gifts we leave. And those gifts more often than not do more long-term harm than good. As one local leader told me: “They’re turning our people into beggars.” Much of the work we do is make-work – painting a church, digging a foundation, leading a summer Bible school – all work that could and should be done by locals. “Our men need the work,” a seminary president once told me as we discussed the impact of US mission trippers in her impoverished country.
But this treatise is not about the downstream impact of mission trips. Some ambitious young reporter seeking to make a name for himself will sooner or later handle that expose. This is about the dishonesty in our marketing of these trips. Our “people-are-dying-and-you-can-save-them” rhetoric may be effective spin to lure young people (and older as well) into signing up but we know that only on rare occasions is this actually true. Yes, there are Katrinas. But the overwhelming majority of our mission trips are to places where the needs for development are far greater than for emergency assistance. And development is about enabling indigenous people to help themselves, not doing the work for them. Development is much longer term, calls for professional expertise and planning, requires lending and investing – not the sort of things that lend themselves to a typical short-term mission trip.
I am not saying that mission trips don’t have value. They do. Great value. They open up new worlds, new perspectives, new insights. They expose us to fascinating cultures, connect us with new friends, allow us to experience God at work in surprising ways, inspire us, break our hearts, build camaraderie among traveling companions. Any one of these benefits might well justify the time and expense. But isn’t it time we admit to ourselves that mission trips are essentially for our benefit, not for the benefit of the ones our marketing material portray? Would it not be more forthright if we called our junkets “insight trips” or “exchange programs”? Or how about Kingdom adventures? Do we really need to justify our journeying to exotic lands under the pretense of missionary work? Religious tourism would have much more integrity if we simply admitted that we’re off to explore God’s amazing work in the world.
I know we have to have good reason to justify spending the kind of money we do on mission trips. US churches spent well over $2 billion (that’s with a “b”) on them last year. This is not at all inconsistent with our normative pattern of church spending, however. We typically spend upwards of 95% of church budgets on ourselves anyway. So to admit that mission trip expenditures are primarily for the spiritual benefit of our members would not be out of line, that is if we feel justified spending that percentage on ourselves. But that’s a discussion for another time. Our subject here is marketing with integrity.
So how do we capture the imagination, the compassion, of a younger generation if not by appealing to the tenderness of their hearts? Come to think of it, it was the story of fatherless children that drew me into urban work nearly 40 years ago. I wanted to make a difference. That was a powerful motivator. So maybe “touching lives” and “changing the world” is appropriate rhetoric after all. It certainly appealed to my compassionate side and it played at least some part in shaping my call into ministry. The idea of sacrifice was also appealing to me, to offer myself up to a cause of great importance. I wanted my life to count. That was important. But playing to those tender Spirit-sensitivities should be done with great care. Setting up unrealistic expectations can lead to discouragement. Portraying false representations can lead to cynicism. Is it not enough to simply say “come and see” and then allow the Spirit to do the touching and surprising?
Here’s my bottom line: the Kingdom doesn’t need our hype. The Kingdom needs people who speak the truth.
-Robert Lupton
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Why I Stopped Serving the Poor - by Claudio Oliver
(Reprinted from Theooze.com)
Those who know me may find the above title curious, to say the least. Being with the poor is part of my history: My grandfather and grandmother were founders of the Salvation Army here in Brazil, and their ministry is a central reference point for my family. Their life was dedicated to the homeless, prostitutes, and in a special way to the orphans, the hurting and the renegades.
My teenage passion was consumed by the idea of fighting against poverty, hunger and injustice. Since I got married, 25 years ago, I have been involved in serving in slums, serving poor students, coming alongside needy populations, in peripheral neighborhoods, the beggars, the unemployed and other moneyless people.
I could report facts to support my pretensions over the years such as having helped “the poor” generate income, facilitated the restoration and organization of broken families, made bridges between rich and poor, fed the hungry, and facilitated the opportunity for some friends to discover professions, find their vocation and transform their own future. To “empower” people was once a key point in my practice in order to avoid creating dependency.
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After all of this, or even because of all this, today I am called to question my whole life of “service” and to give up on serving the poor.
Asking “Why?”
Throughout my life I have kept the habit of always asking myself whether what I am doing makes sense, whether my heart is aligned with God’s will, and whether or not I am missing the point. This discipline, is essentially the Three “Whys?” Rule. It forces me to question each given answer with the kind of question that only children ask, and which helps me to generate a permanent transformation vector of self-criticism and of personal adjustments. Thus, in each step I take, for every thing I do, I ask: “why?” Whatever the answer might be, again I ask, “why?”. I feel I am in the right path when what I am doing surpasses the third “why”, and then and only then, will I move on.
For some time now I have reflected on Jesus’ life, on the principle of kenosis (emptying) based on the text of Philippians 2:1-11. I’ve thought about Jesus’ incarnation into our reality and into the numerous contacts and conversations he had with miserable people such as the lepers, and rich people such as the publicans, the synagogue chiefs and princes of his people; how he spent time with middle-class families, with proprietors and with servants and beggars.
I have reflected on what Jesus saw and how he acted.
The “Rich” and the “Poor”
And all of this started to grow in me and made me think about the text in Matthew 5:3 where Jesus tells the poor to march on with their lives and rejoice for being poor, because theirs was the possibility of having their lives driven and controlled by God. Little by little, over these last few years, along with biblical reflection, I have observed how many extremely sincere friends come and go, getting very excited about serving, but soon afterwards loose their passion for serving as they get busy with their errands and preoccupations. Frequently, I also see how others pay for someone else to fulfill God’s loving service. They engage with the poor vicariously through others during certain periods of time, moved by real sincerity, even if from a distance and without personal involvement.
From another perspective I see how poverty takes over the lives of those who are poor, and how much it reveals their unfulfilled desire to own things, and have access to modern consumption – the destroyer of everything. I see how their situation is built by the seduction of the same things that seduce and destroy the rich: the same individualism, the same selfishness, and the same tendency to feel comfortable and find their identity in being able to own things. I see their same absolute adhesion to a hoped for lifestyle and a way of thinking that imprisons them to the myth of modern needs, to the mythical desire to evolve and come under in complete and un questioned submission to the myth of modern development.
Without exception, rich and poor have the same conviction that what they need is something that the market, money, the government or some other agency can offer them.
They are all convinced that they will be happy with ownership, with a full stomach (some with bread, others with croissants) and with the constant flow of money that can seemingly do anything and solve everything. And among this massive majority, there are a few well-intentioned people who extend their hand to “include” others into the lifestyle or the platform they achieved.
The stretched-out hand from top down…that’s what we call service.
Giving Up on Serving the Poor
Over the years I’ve discovered that the very position of serving the poor from a commitment to “liberate” them, has been filled with a sense of superiority. A kind of superiority that is translated into giving others what I have, assuming through my actions that what I have or do is what he/she should have or do. This subtle translation is noticed in the subtle arrogance of the so-called politics of “inclusion”, always trying to put the other inside the box where I live, including them in the sameness of my lifestyle.
All of this led me to give up on serving the poor. By making this kind of statement I am not taking sides with those who, from their positions of wealth, comfort and well being say, “See? That’s what I have always thought.” I’m sorry to inform these people that in no way do I believe in or embrace their lifestyle. A lifestyle that by design, separates them from contact with the poor, the sick, the hungry, the naked, the ugly, the smelly, and the “uncivilized” barbarians.
I do not side with those who pay their taxes or contribute to charity saying in that way they are fulfilling their role. To these people I keep on retransmitting the message of Jesus that confronts their blind, insensitive and arrogant lifestyles, a message that calls madness what the worlds calls security.
Seeing Ourselves in the Poorest of the Poor
I have given up on serving the poor for another reason.
Since 1993, when I regularly went to the streets with a bunch of kids to reach out to the homeless, I developed a spiritual discipline. On the cold nights when we would go out to the streets of my city, I made a point to the kids that we were not going out to meet the “homeless” or the “needy”. I would tell the kids that in all honesty, I never really ever felt excited about serving bread to a homeless beggar, or making him or her a bed, or clothing their nakedness. The spiritual discipline we instated was to constantly use the motto “we go to meet Jesus in the poorest of the poor”. Serving, feeding and clothing Jesus was our motivation. Now, that excited me.
We discovered each time we went out, that in each of these encounters with a camouflaged Jesus, the so-called “Miserable” would be transformed into Masters - into those who denounced our personal misery, and who were transformed into unveiling agents of our manipulative mechanisms.
We suddenly saw ourselves mirrored in the very “poor” we were serving. We recognized that we were constantly using the same excuses and lies to get what we wanted - perhaps more successfully, and surely with more social acceptance and security mechanisms. But throughout this process we came to discover that we were “the poor”.
Those of us who experienced that spiritual perspective were freed of ourselves. We grew, and we changed. Confronted by Jesus and taught by him through the contact with his poverty and misery, many of us discovered what the Gospel (good news) really meant. During those days, many of us were transformed by Jesus’ touch and by the good news that he transmitted as we discovered ourselves as “the poor”.
An Alternative to “Serving” the Poor
However, this somewhat mystical sense of awareness was not always a constant burning flame. I would so often return to that worldly perspective to serving the poor, letting myself believe that I was the healthy, privileged helper, many times forgetting my own misery. As I have already mentioned, the alternative is not to stay away from the poor, judging their conditions, circumstances and attitudes from a top of my comfortable superior social position. Nor is it helping the poor, by raising their own awareness of their situation or “including” them in an unquestioning submission to the development politics of the last 60 years. The alternative I present here is different, discovered through encounter, recognition and identification.
I’ve given up on helping the poor, given up on serving and saving them. I have rediscovered a hard truth:
Jesus doesn’t have any good news for those who serve the poor. Jesus didn’t come to bring good news of the Kingdom to those who serve the poor; he brought Good News to the poor. He has nothing to say to other saviors who compete with him for the position of Messiah, or Redeemer.
God Shows Up in Our Need to Be Healed
Jesus’ agenda only brings a message for those who recognize themselves as poor, naked, hurt, tired, overburdened, needy and hopeless. As for the rest, his agenda has little or nothing to offer.
The only way to remain with the poor is if we discover that we are the miserable ones. We remain with the poor when we recognize ourselves, even if well disguised, in him/her who is right before our eyes. When we can see our own misery and poverty in them, when we realize our own needs and our desperate need to be saved and liberated, then and only then will we meet Jesus and live life according to His agenda.
God is not manifest in our ability to heal, but in our need to be healed. Finding out this weakness of ours leaves us in a position of having nothing to offer, serve, donate, but reveals our need to be loved, healed and restored.
Herein lies the meaning that the power within us is not the power of our strengths, abilities and wealth, but rather, in the power that is present in our personal misery, so well hidden and disguised in our possessions and false securities. As Jean Vanier says in a book I recently read. “We are called to discover that God can bring peace, compassion, and love through our wounds.”
How much more sense does Isaiah’s text about the Messiah make now: “by his wounds we are healed”. The remaining messiahs of this world tend to avoid Jesus’ example of emptying himself (kenosis) to the point of becoming one of us, of dying with us and thus opening the door of resurrection for us.
The power that Jesus used to heal us, and uses to keep on healing us, does not reside in his access to universal power, but in his identification with us on the cross; in opening himself in wounds, in becoming one of us, in living our life.
I have given up on serving the poor. I’m going back to encountering the poor and finding myself in them.
Again, I have discovered the misery that hides in the very-well structured lives of my own false security. Seeing things from this perspective helps me understand this Jesus who talks with lepers and wealthy businessmen, with tax collectors in their parties and with the sick and miserable on the streets. In his identification with each and everyone, Jesus saw what perhaps no one else did: the extreme misery and poverty of the human condition, apart from any status or social gown.
Serving from the Bottom-Up
I came to re-encounter my poverty, to see myself in each situation of misery, and to get in touch with my inner pain. From there, I pray for healing, freedom, community and love. I ask for mercy and restoration.
Whoever serves out of the sense of having something to offer, serves from the top down.
Jesus calls us to become incarnate and to see ourselves in the other and to place ourselves under him or her as powerless dependents. He calls us to give up in trusting our own capacity to impart goodness and to change our direction in order to encounter and recognize our own wounds, weakness and pain. From there, we discover the power that lies in being less and not more.
I have given up serving on the poor. I have rediscovered my poverty. And with it I can cry out again: “Son of David, have mercy on me.”
About Claudio Oliver: Claudio is a pastor of Igreja do Caminho church in Curitiba, Brazil. He is also a Red del Camino Network connector, both in the Brazilian Network and the regional Latin American Network movement.
Want to support the work of Igreja do Caminho? Click here learn more.
View THEOOZE.TV video of Claudio Oliver interviewed by Spencer Burke
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Cross Cultural Lessons
I just finished the book Life Could be Sweeter: 101 Great Ideas from Around the World for Living a More Rewarding Life by William Sinunu. Sinunu traveled around the world for pleasure and as a flight attendant and he shares lessons of ways that those visits have allowed him to see new ways of doing things and new ways to think about situations, money, and time.
I have been in the city just long enough to not always remember what these lessons have been for me but not long enough to think that I am anywhere close to being actually from the city. Here are some of my own learnings about the city.
1. A conversation on the sidewalk is more important than being on time to a meeting or anything else for that matter.
2. Do not judge a home by its front door.
3. City living is not a way to be anonymous, community exists in ways I never understood anywhere else.
What are some of the lessons that you can learn from your travel or service?
I have been in the city just long enough to not always remember what these lessons have been for me but not long enough to think that I am anywhere close to being actually from the city. Here are some of my own learnings about the city.
1. A conversation on the sidewalk is more important than being on time to a meeting or anything else for that matter.
2. Do not judge a home by its front door.
3. City living is not a way to be anonymous, community exists in ways I never understood anywhere else.
What are some of the lessons that you can learn from your travel or service?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Revolutionary Kitchen Work
Revolutionary Kitchen Work
By Ana Yoder
Everyone wants a revolution but no one wants to do the dishes.
That quote from Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s book Becoming the answer to our prayers, ran through , my head a lot today as a group of us stood in the kitchen at Cornerstone (one of JesusPeopleUSA’s homeless shelters).
I relate a lot to this quote. Often, I have these great ideas running through my head and heart but often it’s the little things I overlook – seeing them as insignificant (and a real drag to do). After all, who wants to do the dishes? No one.
Well I didn’t do the dishes today. I stood in the kitchen at Cornerstone, awkwardly not knowing what to do. Actually, there wasn’t a whole for us to do. At all. In fact, when we arrived the staff at Cornerstone didn’t really know we were coming. (How the hippies at JPUSA ever get anything accomplished is beyond me). So we were eventually packed into the kitchen.
In the end, I helped serve lunch, followed by scrubbing down the walls in the cafeteria. It was a pretty uneventful day (especially since my group got to leave the latest and arrived back at the flat before everyone else). Yet, I know that the little things are helpful. Ed, the head guy in kitchen, told us that we helped them get stuff accomplished that they typically wouldn’t in one day. So I guess that’s something, even if it feels like nothing.
Scooping out peaches for Jesus is never exciting. But that's what I did today.
By Ana Yoder
Everyone wants a revolution but no one wants to do the dishes.
That quote from Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s book Becoming the answer to our prayers, ran through , my head a lot today as a group of us stood in the kitchen at Cornerstone (one of JesusPeopleUSA’s homeless shelters).
I relate a lot to this quote. Often, I have these great ideas running through my head and heart but often it’s the little things I overlook – seeing them as insignificant (and a real drag to do). After all, who wants to do the dishes? No one.
Well I didn’t do the dishes today. I stood in the kitchen at Cornerstone, awkwardly not knowing what to do. Actually, there wasn’t a whole for us to do. At all. In fact, when we arrived the staff at Cornerstone didn’t really know we were coming. (How the hippies at JPUSA ever get anything accomplished is beyond me). So we were eventually packed into the kitchen.
In the end, I helped serve lunch, followed by scrubbing down the walls in the cafeteria. It was a pretty uneventful day (especially since my group got to leave the latest and arrived back at the flat before everyone else). Yet, I know that the little things are helpful. Ed, the head guy in kitchen, told us that we helped them get stuff accomplished that they typically wouldn’t in one day. So I guess that’s something, even if it feels like nothing.
Scooping out peaches for Jesus is never exciting. But that's what I did today.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
City's Stories in Murals
Murals tell stories of the city all the time.
Here is one video done by Arlington Memorial Library about a muralist in Chicago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecVKuxTsJHY&feature=related
In the comments, please share your favorite murals –pictures optional.
Here is one video done by Arlington Memorial Library about a muralist in Chicago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecVKuxTsJHY&feature=related
In the comments, please share your favorite murals –pictures optional.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Living the Call on the Bus
This is also posted on Krista Dutt's blog. Krista is the National Program Director for DOOR. She really does keep em going.
Living the Call on the bus
For a couple days now I have been working with the Radical Journey participants. We have worked on a covenant, shared personal faith stories and lots of other cool stuff. On Tuesday, the leaders asked for questions that people had. Darrell (the other leader) and I looked at those questions and had a conversation – modeling how to have good conversation about things that you may not agree on. One of the questions that we talked probably the most about was How do I know what I am called to do? Darrell shared and I did too.
I talked about my internal sense that it was more than just a passion, almost to the degree of unexplainable. For example, I am passionate about food. However, I can usually describe why I like to cook, bake, or serve food. I really can’t even begin why I feel so passionate, beyond passionate about issues of class and race. I also shared a moment I remember in a SCUPE class that would be the community calling me to work with these issues alongside those may not understand. I told Darrell (and the 20 others that happened to be in the room) that I felt that moment in the SCUPE class happened 10 minutes ago instead of almost 10 years ago – it that strongly effected who I am today.
We finished the day and then Darrell and I took the bus to go back to Jim and I’s house. It was rush hour, but the bus we happened to be on had lots of seats empty. A man got on the bus and sat next to me, after a stop or two looked at me and said:
Man: “Chicago is sure full of lots of cultures.”
Krista:“Yes, isn’t it beautiful?”
Man: “Sometimes it causes a lot of conflict though.”
Krista: “Yes, that happens sometimes”
Silence
Man: “Where you from?”
Krista: “here (Chicago)”
Silence
Man: “What do you think about bi-racial dating?”
Krista: “I think it is fine.”
Silence
Man: “You mean if a german woman with blue eyes and blonde hair started dating an Islam Middle Eastern man, you wouldn’t care?”
Krista: “No.”
Man: “What about the way that culture treats women?”
Krista: “Well, if the woman feels comfortable with the man, then I am okay.”
Silence
Man: I believe you shouldn’t harm anyone.”
Krista: Me too.
Silence
Man: I am not prejudice but I think I would have a problem with if my sisters started dating a black man.
Krista: But you wouldn’t do any harm to them would you? That is what you said you believed, right?
Man: Yeah, but they are so violent…
Krista: Well, not all people live in the stereotypes that are given in society.
Silence
Man: Its hard to find people who are willing to talk about the hard issues
Krista: Yeah, its sorta my job
Man: Oh yeah, what do you do…
Krista: I help direct a program that hopes to teach people to have these hard conversations
Man: Cool
Silence
Man: I guess I don’t live in a lot of the stereotypes of a jewish male…I am not cheap, I tip well.
Krista: Cool. This is our stop (it really was), have a good ride.
Darrell and I spoke of this a bit when getting on the next bus, but the conversation got much more animated when Jim (husband) came to dinner with us. Darrell was able to give him the run down of what had happened. Jim’s response? “Oh yeah, that happens all the time. She just keeps them going.”
All in all, we could think of 4 or 5 times in the last 6 months that I i have had conversations like this one. And yes, I do “keep them going”. I engage folks who talk to me. I admit that sometimes I want to ignore people, but I just can’t. I am not saying I am perfect, I can easily stick my nose in a book and put headphones on and ignore the world on the bus.
One of the great things about living in the city is that I can interact with folks that I normally wouldn’t or folks that I disagree with. What if I really took more time to listen? What if I “keep them going” more?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A Big Blue Ocean Strategy
The following is the first of four articles that Bill Ferguson wrote for the Church of God Florida Ministries state paper. Then the Indiana Ministries decided to run it in their state paper as well.
They articulate in part Bill's philosophy for ministry.
“A Big Blue Ocean Strategy”
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21, NIV)
About 3 years ago, I began paying attention to some inner dissonance that I had been experiencing in ministry. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit speaks to me through dissonance. I felt like a “fish out of water” or at least a fish that was not satisfied with swimming exclusively in the “aquarium” of the church. To make a long story short, this led me in 2008 to begin venturing into organic and incarnational models of ministry and church life in Miami. In this time, I have asked many questions, considered new ideas, revisited scriptural principles and the words of our Lord … all of this and more, in order to think deeply and strategically about being a person sent to engage culture outside the church for Christ. I’ve found a “big blue ocean” of people in my community and city disconnected from Christ and the community of faith. Frankly, I was not trained to be in this culture. I was trained to be in the church. Much of what I was taught to do in the church is disengaged with the wider culture. When you find yourself in a situation like mine, you need to develop a different way of thinking and acting as a person of faith, as a pastoral leader and as a church to reach the big, blue ocean. If you feel this dissonance, then maybe what I share will help you think deeply about ministry in your community.
After 23 years in pastoral ministry, I have come to see that the conventional pattern of church and pastoral ministry is often about taking care of the church “aquarium” rather than engaging the big ocean of culture. This is not necessarily good; it is just reality. Church conflicts, in my experience, have most often been about life “in the tank,” rather than about problems of engaging the big blue ocean of culture with the love of Christ. Consequently, pastors (including myself) have become experts on “life in the tank” and they focus much of their time and attention there. If you will further indulge me in this aquarium metaphor, the pastoral or caretaker’s job description looks something like this: a) Attract and welcome new fish to the tank, b) Create programs to “school” new and old fish in the ways of the tank (couldn’t resist the pun!), c) Inspire, encourage or admonish those in the tank to swim lovingly together, d) Provide good food and appropriate feeding mechanisms, e) Monitor the tank for adequate size and comfort for those who want to be there, and, if there is time, f) Get out into the big blue ocean. It’s a big job with high expectations and many challenges.
As a caretaker of “church aquariums” in Indiana, Washington, D.C., and Miami, there have been many times when I have asked, “Is this what ministry is all about?” or, “Is this all there is?” Dr. Greg Wiens touched on the “something more” that is out there, when he published an article several years ago about the percentage of the population in Florida that is “churched.” It was not good news. Basically, the percentages ranged from 14% to almost 20% statewide. SE Florida, where I serve, was listed at 14% for church attendance.
I began looking at our church practices, my pastoral expectations of members and myself, as well as how and where we spent our time and money. It became obvious to me that if other churches were similar in their approach (and they are) that our culture was going untouched by the church on the whole. I knew that the Lord had sent me as a believer and called me to send others, as a pastor, but most of our time (mine and those in churches I pastored) was spent on ourselves. I began asking some important questions that lead me to begin working on my “Big Blue Ocean Strategy.” My responses to these questions have led me to work on planting an organic network of faith communities (sometimes called “house churches”) in neighborhoods in Miami. My responses to these questions have led me, as a follower of Christ and as a leader in the church, to focus less on creating programs, services and events that attempt to attract unchurched people to a campus or a service, toward a strategy of developing loving communities of disciples whose primary activity is to engage people --- spiritually interested, relationally open, but disoriented in their world --- where they live. I don’t claim to have the strategy all worked out and running well. I feel like I, and the communities of faith associated with our network, are simply trying to learn how to swim outside the church tank!! It’s a big and unfamiliar blue ocean that God created and loves. We’re determined to engage it!
For me, the issue is not whether you agree with my strategy or take on the model I am working to develop. That is not my purpose here. Rather, it is important to think deeply and honestly as a follower of Christ and/or as a leader in the church about being “sent.” I want to leave you with some important questions about which I have been thinking, that I believe God’s Spirit can use to lead you and your ministry beyond the “church tank” into the big ocean of your culture for Christ.
What percentage of the population in your community is disconnected from Christ and a faith community? How do you plan to bridge the gap with those who aren’t interested in taking the first step to come to you or your church?
Do you feel that people in your city or sphere of influence are waiting for your church to be run better, or for your campus to look prettier, or for what you offer to be more contemporary, high tech or “full-serviced,” in order to connect with your church, so that they can experience the love of Christ through you?
Is it the responsibility of those in your community who are not connected with Christ or the church to be attracted to your services and programs in order to experience the love of Christ and be involved with a faith community? What church activities are you willing to stop doing in order to go to those in your community on a consistent basis (I’m not talking about episodic drive-by connections for Jesus)?
Are you willing to let people in your faith community spend their time for ministry outside the church walls and outside its programs, in order to engage, live with, bless and serve people who are not connected to Christ or the church?
If you would like to interact and discuss these thoughts further, please email me at billf@flcog.org
They articulate in part Bill's philosophy for ministry.
“A Big Blue Ocean Strategy”
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21, NIV)
About 3 years ago, I began paying attention to some inner dissonance that I had been experiencing in ministry. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit speaks to me through dissonance. I felt like a “fish out of water” or at least a fish that was not satisfied with swimming exclusively in the “aquarium” of the church. To make a long story short, this led me in 2008 to begin venturing into organic and incarnational models of ministry and church life in Miami. In this time, I have asked many questions, considered new ideas, revisited scriptural principles and the words of our Lord … all of this and more, in order to think deeply and strategically about being a person sent to engage culture outside the church for Christ. I’ve found a “big blue ocean” of people in my community and city disconnected from Christ and the community of faith. Frankly, I was not trained to be in this culture. I was trained to be in the church. Much of what I was taught to do in the church is disengaged with the wider culture. When you find yourself in a situation like mine, you need to develop a different way of thinking and acting as a person of faith, as a pastoral leader and as a church to reach the big, blue ocean. If you feel this dissonance, then maybe what I share will help you think deeply about ministry in your community.
After 23 years in pastoral ministry, I have come to see that the conventional pattern of church and pastoral ministry is often about taking care of the church “aquarium” rather than engaging the big ocean of culture. This is not necessarily good; it is just reality. Church conflicts, in my experience, have most often been about life “in the tank,” rather than about problems of engaging the big blue ocean of culture with the love of Christ. Consequently, pastors (including myself) have become experts on “life in the tank” and they focus much of their time and attention there. If you will further indulge me in this aquarium metaphor, the pastoral or caretaker’s job description looks something like this: a) Attract and welcome new fish to the tank, b) Create programs to “school” new and old fish in the ways of the tank (couldn’t resist the pun!), c) Inspire, encourage or admonish those in the tank to swim lovingly together, d) Provide good food and appropriate feeding mechanisms, e) Monitor the tank for adequate size and comfort for those who want to be there, and, if there is time, f) Get out into the big blue ocean. It’s a big job with high expectations and many challenges.
As a caretaker of “church aquariums” in Indiana, Washington, D.C., and Miami, there have been many times when I have asked, “Is this what ministry is all about?” or, “Is this all there is?” Dr. Greg Wiens touched on the “something more” that is out there, when he published an article several years ago about the percentage of the population in Florida that is “churched.” It was not good news. Basically, the percentages ranged from 14% to almost 20% statewide. SE Florida, where I serve, was listed at 14% for church attendance.
I began looking at our church practices, my pastoral expectations of members and myself, as well as how and where we spent our time and money. It became obvious to me that if other churches were similar in their approach (and they are) that our culture was going untouched by the church on the whole. I knew that the Lord had sent me as a believer and called me to send others, as a pastor, but most of our time (mine and those in churches I pastored) was spent on ourselves. I began asking some important questions that lead me to begin working on my “Big Blue Ocean Strategy.” My responses to these questions have led me to work on planting an organic network of faith communities (sometimes called “house churches”) in neighborhoods in Miami. My responses to these questions have led me, as a follower of Christ and as a leader in the church, to focus less on creating programs, services and events that attempt to attract unchurched people to a campus or a service, toward a strategy of developing loving communities of disciples whose primary activity is to engage people --- spiritually interested, relationally open, but disoriented in their world --- where they live. I don’t claim to have the strategy all worked out and running well. I feel like I, and the communities of faith associated with our network, are simply trying to learn how to swim outside the church tank!! It’s a big and unfamiliar blue ocean that God created and loves. We’re determined to engage it!
For me, the issue is not whether you agree with my strategy or take on the model I am working to develop. That is not my purpose here. Rather, it is important to think deeply and honestly as a follower of Christ and/or as a leader in the church about being “sent.” I want to leave you with some important questions about which I have been thinking, that I believe God’s Spirit can use to lead you and your ministry beyond the “church tank” into the big ocean of your culture for Christ.
What percentage of the population in your community is disconnected from Christ and a faith community? How do you plan to bridge the gap with those who aren’t interested in taking the first step to come to you or your church?
Do you feel that people in your city or sphere of influence are waiting for your church to be run better, or for your campus to look prettier, or for what you offer to be more contemporary, high tech or “full-serviced,” in order to connect with your church, so that they can experience the love of Christ through you?
Is it the responsibility of those in your community who are not connected with Christ or the church to be attracted to your services and programs in order to experience the love of Christ and be involved with a faith community? What church activities are you willing to stop doing in order to go to those in your community on a consistent basis (I’m not talking about episodic drive-by connections for Jesus)?
Are you willing to let people in your faith community spend their time for ministry outside the church walls and outside its programs, in order to engage, live with, bless and serve people who are not connected to Christ or the church?
If you would like to interact and discuss these thoughts further, please email me at billf@flcog.org
Friday, August 21, 2009
Congratulations Leonie Hermantin!
Congratulations Leonie Hermantin! Leonie is one of our valuable speakers for our Miami program. Leonie serves Haiti through her work with the Lambi Fund and her involvement in Miami's Haitian community.
August has been a fabulous month for the Lambi Fund of Haiti! Our very talented Deputy Director, Leonie Hermantin, received the 2009 Community Service Award from the Haitian Diaspora Unity Congress.
She was honored for her outreach work in advocating for sustainable agriculture and reforestation in Haiti's rural communities. Past recipients of this prestigious award include Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald and Wyclef Jean of the Yele Foundation.
Keynote speakers at the event included Bill Clinton, UN's Special Envoy to Haiti, and Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, the Prime Minister of Haiti.
In other news, a very big thank you is in order for helping us reach the SG Foundation's Giving Challenge! Thanks to you, we more than exceeded our goal, and the first $12,500 donated in July were matched by the SG Foundation. We truly couldn't have done it without you.
Here's to hoping this email finds you well and to continued growth and empowerment in Haiti.
Peace,
Karen Ashmore
August has been a fabulous month for the Lambi Fund of Haiti! Our very talented Deputy Director, Leonie Hermantin, received the 2009 Community Service Award from the Haitian Diaspora Unity Congress.
She was honored for her outreach work in advocating for sustainable agriculture and reforestation in Haiti's rural communities. Past recipients of this prestigious award include Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald and Wyclef Jean of the Yele Foundation.
Keynote speakers at the event included Bill Clinton, UN's Special Envoy to Haiti, and Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, the Prime Minister of Haiti.
In other news, a very big thank you is in order for helping us reach the SG Foundation's Giving Challenge! Thanks to you, we more than exceeded our goal, and the first $12,500 donated in July were matched by the SG Foundation. We truly couldn't have done it without you.
Here's to hoping this email finds you well and to continued growth and empowerment in Haiti.
Peace,
Karen Ashmore
Saturday, August 8, 2009
God of this City
Recently, I was in Hollywood for a week. Our city director there started the week with the song “God of this City”. DOOR believes this – that God is indeed in the city. I am excited to visit the DOOR cities this summer, as I get to experience God working in each – and watch how folks each day are experiencing God in news in the city.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Homegirl Cafe'
By Krista Dutt, National Program Director
I grew up thinking that I would end up being the white house chef. President George W. Bush named the first woman to the post right around the time that I figure I might have been ready to take the position actually. Most that know me know that I am a foodie, most things don’t make me as happy as being in the kitchen or trying a new hole in the wall place that I have come across in my own city or as I travel.
Now, I have the honor to visit ministries and see the good work that they are doing for the neighborhood in which they reside as well the greater Kingdom work that these ministries inspire. On my recent trip to Los Angeles, my passions collided at Homegirl Café.
In my understanding, Homeboy-industries, Homegirl Café’s parent, was born out of a priest’s wanting to bring something to the community for the young people that offered a job that was not dealing drugs. Offering a secure job and a safe place, Homeboy Industries has reached out to many young people along the way. Homegirl Café is the newest addition to the many programs they offer. Teaching young people accounting, waitressing, food preparation, and managing skills are all a huge part of the process at Homegirl. I would want to go there just to support that mission! On the other hand, to go there and not have the pineapple guacamole would just be a shame.
For more information on Homegirl Café and other job creation programs go to http://www.homeboy-industries.org/homegirl-cafe.php.
I grew up thinking that I would end up being the white house chef. President George W. Bush named the first woman to the post right around the time that I figure I might have been ready to take the position actually. Most that know me know that I am a foodie, most things don’t make me as happy as being in the kitchen or trying a new hole in the wall place that I have come across in my own city or as I travel.
Now, I have the honor to visit ministries and see the good work that they are doing for the neighborhood in which they reside as well the greater Kingdom work that these ministries inspire. On my recent trip to Los Angeles, my passions collided at Homegirl Café.
In my understanding, Homeboy-industries, Homegirl Café’s parent, was born out of a priest’s wanting to bring something to the community for the young people that offered a job that was not dealing drugs. Offering a secure job and a safe place, Homeboy Industries has reached out to many young people along the way. Homegirl Café is the newest addition to the many programs they offer. Teaching young people accounting, waitressing, food preparation, and managing skills are all a huge part of the process at Homegirl. I would want to go there just to support that mission! On the other hand, to go there and not have the pineapple guacamole would just be a shame.
For more information on Homegirl Café and other job creation programs go to http://www.homeboy-industries.org/homegirl-cafe.php.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (named Materialism)
This was written by Anton Flores, one of our valued board members in Atlanta.
Every single one of the 50 habits listed below is a change that Charlotte and I have undertaken. The key for us was not simplicity or voluntary poverty but a theology of enough. However, we are still living at a level of consumption that is not sustainable at a global level. Join us on a journey to right living.
1. Postpone purchases and ask yourself if the purchase is worth the amount of time it took to work to earn that money.
2. Make homemade gifts.
3. Use your credit card (why do you need more than one?) for only essentials like gasoline and groceries if you can’t go to an all cash system. Also, if you can’t pay your credit card balance in full every month, get rid of the card.
4. Resist the urge to keep up with technology. Do you really need that I-Pod?
5. Shop around for the lowest home and auto insurance rates.
6. Dump the dryer. Line-dry your clothes.
7. Take a fast from buying clothes. If you must buy, buy at a thrift store.
8. During the winter, set your heat at 68o in the day and lower at night and snuggle! Set your AC at 78o in the summer if you even have to turn it on!
9. Use CFL lightbulbs.
10. When needed, replace your water heater with a tankless one.
11. Put a brick or half-gallon jug filled with sand in your toilet to decrease the water flow.
12. Track your energy consumption and try to lower your usage.
13. Lower the temperature on your water heater.
14. Raise the temperature in your fridge.
15. Insulate your attic.
16. Seal drafts in your home.
17. Who needs Tupperware when you can reuse food containers for leftovers or storage?
18. If you have plastic bags from grocery stores, reuse them for trash.
19. Turn lights off in rooms that are not occupied.
20. Unplug phone chargers or even unused appliances like TVs and microwaves.
21. Don’t let the water run to heat up the bath or while washing dishes.
22. Xeriscape, plant native plants and/or view your land as being functional. Don’t spend money on fertilizing and landscaping.
23. Develop a sharing cooperative with neighbors for things like yard equipment, tools, etc.
24. Take a vow of stability and don’t move (unless you want to move to Jefferson Street and join Alterna!). Every move has significant economic (and relational) costs.
25. Live in community and share your resources with others by living interdependently.
26. Move into a neighborhood where housing costs are low and buy a less expensive house than what the bank says they’ll loan you. It’s so thrilling to pay off your mortgage!
27. When and if needed, purchase a hybrid vehicle.
28. Walk, not just for exercise, but as a true form of transportation.
29. Bicycle for places too far for walking.
30. Combine as many trips into one outing as possible so as to cut down on time spent driving.
31. Drive your car until it dies a natural death.
32. When grocery shopping, stick to a list.
33. Plan your grocery list around coupons and, when possible, buy in bulk.
34. Forget name brands, buy generic food.
35. Invite folks over for a home-cooked meal. It’s cheaper than going dutch at a restaurant and a nice gift for your friends.
36. Cook more food from scratch.
37. Make your yard an edible one by starting a garden.
38. Raise chickens for eggs and meat.
39. Do away with disposable. Use cloth napkins and real dishware.
40. Give up meat.
41. Never buy bottled water.
42. Plan meals around what is on sale or growing locally in season.
43. Kick the TV addiction. If you can’t go cold turkey, systematically reduce the number of hours spent watching it.
44. Check out free books and movies from the library before spending money.
45. When you dine out, drink water.
46. Enjoy what’s free!
47. Find a family member or friend to give you haircuts.
48. Find creative ways to barter with friends, family and neighbors.
49. Lodge with family and friends when you travel instead of hotels.
50. Be generous with your money! (Yes, this actually helps save money because it puts money in perspective.)
Every single one of the 50 habits listed below is a change that Charlotte and I have undertaken. The key for us was not simplicity or voluntary poverty but a theology of enough. However, we are still living at a level of consumption that is not sustainable at a global level. Join us on a journey to right living.
1. Postpone purchases and ask yourself if the purchase is worth the amount of time it took to work to earn that money.
2. Make homemade gifts.
3. Use your credit card (why do you need more than one?) for only essentials like gasoline and groceries if you can’t go to an all cash system. Also, if you can’t pay your credit card balance in full every month, get rid of the card.
4. Resist the urge to keep up with technology. Do you really need that I-Pod?
5. Shop around for the lowest home and auto insurance rates.
6. Dump the dryer. Line-dry your clothes.
7. Take a fast from buying clothes. If you must buy, buy at a thrift store.
8. During the winter, set your heat at 68o in the day and lower at night and snuggle! Set your AC at 78o in the summer if you even have to turn it on!
9. Use CFL lightbulbs.
10. When needed, replace your water heater with a tankless one.
11. Put a brick or half-gallon jug filled with sand in your toilet to decrease the water flow.
12. Track your energy consumption and try to lower your usage.
13. Lower the temperature on your water heater.
14. Raise the temperature in your fridge.
15. Insulate your attic.
16. Seal drafts in your home.
17. Who needs Tupperware when you can reuse food containers for leftovers or storage?
18. If you have plastic bags from grocery stores, reuse them for trash.
19. Turn lights off in rooms that are not occupied.
20. Unplug phone chargers or even unused appliances like TVs and microwaves.
21. Don’t let the water run to heat up the bath or while washing dishes.
22. Xeriscape, plant native plants and/or view your land as being functional. Don’t spend money on fertilizing and landscaping.
23. Develop a sharing cooperative with neighbors for things like yard equipment, tools, etc.
24. Take a vow of stability and don’t move (unless you want to move to Jefferson Street and join Alterna!). Every move has significant economic (and relational) costs.
25. Live in community and share your resources with others by living interdependently.
26. Move into a neighborhood where housing costs are low and buy a less expensive house than what the bank says they’ll loan you. It’s so thrilling to pay off your mortgage!
27. When and if needed, purchase a hybrid vehicle.
28. Walk, not just for exercise, but as a true form of transportation.
29. Bicycle for places too far for walking.
30. Combine as many trips into one outing as possible so as to cut down on time spent driving.
31. Drive your car until it dies a natural death.
32. When grocery shopping, stick to a list.
33. Plan your grocery list around coupons and, when possible, buy in bulk.
34. Forget name brands, buy generic food.
35. Invite folks over for a home-cooked meal. It’s cheaper than going dutch at a restaurant and a nice gift for your friends.
36. Cook more food from scratch.
37. Make your yard an edible one by starting a garden.
38. Raise chickens for eggs and meat.
39. Do away with disposable. Use cloth napkins and real dishware.
40. Give up meat.
41. Never buy bottled water.
42. Plan meals around what is on sale or growing locally in season.
43. Kick the TV addiction. If you can’t go cold turkey, systematically reduce the number of hours spent watching it.
44. Check out free books and movies from the library before spending money.
45. When you dine out, drink water.
46. Enjoy what’s free!
47. Find a family member or friend to give you haircuts.
48. Find creative ways to barter with friends, family and neighbors.
49. Lodge with family and friends when you travel instead of hotels.
50. Be generous with your money! (Yes, this actually helps save money because it puts money in perspective.)
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Gardening the Westside of Chicago
In Chicago, most of the folks that come through DOOR get a chance to work with Openlands. Openlands is an urban gardening project that walks alongside different neighborhood blocks to tend to gardens throughout the Westside. DOOR participants often learn more history of the neighborhood and of the people on the block than they do tending to the weeds and flowers and anything else they are asked to do. I appreciate that. Gardening with local people, participants learn about what is a weed as well as a personal story that often spans decades. The following is a tour of some of the many gardens that DOOR spends time. Velma Jackson, a leader in gardening on the west side passed away this year, is featured as a living tribute of the importance of green space in Chicago.
http://vimeo.com/4337450
http://vimeo.com/4337450
Sunday, July 12, 2009
"Help" Homeless
I admit that I am a bit of a blog junkie – its where I get news, opinions, cooking ideas and even comics. One way, I keep learning about my city is blogs. This morning, I read this blog -http://www.uptownupdate.com/2009/07/helping-those-who-live-in-parks.html.
Reading the text and the comments outlines an interesting debate about how people look at things differently. The alderman (who in other places might be called a councilperson) has started a program to “help” homeless folks by going into the parks and when coming across someone who is assumed homeless letting them know about services that can be provided and a reminder that folks are not allowed to sleep in the park. Is this really helpful? A writer on the blog wrote as if this was a true service, and many commenters believe that it is a disservice.
I am solidly in the camp of the many commenters thinking this is a disservice and a way for the alderwoman and men to usher people they would rather have hidden into hiding. And yet, I understand how this can be understood as a way to help. Many times, “help” is help to some and harm for others. What are some things that could be seen in both ways in your home area?
Reading the text and the comments outlines an interesting debate about how people look at things differently. The alderman (who in other places might be called a councilperson) has started a program to “help” homeless folks by going into the parks and when coming across someone who is assumed homeless letting them know about services that can be provided and a reminder that folks are not allowed to sleep in the park. Is this really helpful? A writer on the blog wrote as if this was a true service, and many commenters believe that it is a disservice.
I am solidly in the camp of the many commenters thinking this is a disservice and a way for the alderwoman and men to usher people they would rather have hidden into hiding. And yet, I understand how this can be understood as a way to help. Many times, “help” is help to some and harm for others. What are some things that could be seen in both ways in your home area?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Oh look at the pretty buildings :)
Chicago – it’s the city that invented the skyscraper, it’s the city that has declared that the all lake front property should be free and public land. The Chicago Architecture Foundation recently unveiled a model of the city with all the skyscrapers and other buildings from Roosevelt St to Oak St. I admit I am a sucker for such things and I will make sure I go see it soon. If you would like to get a tour yourself, yochicago has produced a YouTube video that can be found here.
Even though it is on my to do list to go see, it is not a true representation of the city that I love. Buildings are cool, skylines make me smile deeply…but really, people are the reason I love the city. Plus, the buildings that really mean something to me, due to the experiences I have had there, are not in the city core, as the tour guide on the YouTube names downtown. Instead, they are in the neighborhoods, specifically for me on the West side.
If you want to come to DOOR to find out more about the tourist sides of town, maybe you should rethink that trip. DOOR wants to show you the parts of the city that we love, the neighborhoods and the people. May we all see the face of God in the city again this summer.
Even though it is on my to do list to go see, it is not a true representation of the city that I love. Buildings are cool, skylines make me smile deeply…but really, people are the reason I love the city. Plus, the buildings that really mean something to me, due to the experiences I have had there, are not in the city core, as the tour guide on the YouTube names downtown. Instead, they are in the neighborhoods, specifically for me on the West side.
If you want to come to DOOR to find out more about the tourist sides of town, maybe you should rethink that trip. DOOR wants to show you the parts of the city that we love, the neighborhoods and the people. May we all see the face of God in the city again this summer.
Friday, June 12, 2009
A Short History of First Church of the Brethren, Chicago
A Short History of First Church of the Brethren, Chicago
by Pastor Orlando Redekopp
First Church of the Brethren put down roots in East Garfield Park in the mid-1920s. Through a generous gift from a Mrs. Fahrney, the congregation purchased the building at the corner of Central Park and Congress Parkway from the Presbyterians. Worship actually began in 1885 on South State Street, moving to Hastings Street in 1892. The current church home was dedicated in January 1925. Other Church of the Brethren institutions in the neighborhood, Bethany Seminary (1905) and Bethany Hospital, ensured a full house on Sunday mornings.
First Church played a vital role in developing additional ministry and worshiping groups. From 1908 to the 1960s, a Chinese congregation worshipped in the building. During the 1940s, the York Center mission began in Lombard. First Church purchased the building next door to house its growing youth ministry. Brethren in Chicago provided temporary housing to released people of Japanese descent interned during the World War II. During the 1950s, a Spanish-language group worshipped in First Church's chapel before moving to Douglas Park.
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| Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks at First Church of the Brethren in Jan. 26, 1966 public hearing on unjust housing. Left: Pastor Tom Wilson. |
When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. focused action in Chicago in the mid-1960s, First Church provided the Southern Christian Leadership Conference office space. Dr. King also preached from the pulpit. During this decade Bethany Seminary moved to Oak Brook, taking with it a number of First Church members.
In the mid-1970s, just after the congregation celebrated fifty years in Garfield Park, the boiler burned out, the pipes froze, and the ceiling fell in, forcing the congregation next door into the youth-ministry house.
In the late 1970s, after minor renovations, the congregation, numbering fewer than 30, moved back into the church building, using a Sunday school room for its sanctuary. In 1989, following a major eight-month renovation, services returned to the sanctuary after surviving thirteen years in exile. The building was rededicated in March with a day-long celebration. A community garden that sprouted on the corner north of the church was beautified in 2008 -- signs of renewed vision for the church and community.
The Bethany Brethren Community Center, which grew out of the historic relationship between the church and Bethany hospital, provided a variety of services for and activities with neighborhood children, youth and elderly from 1991 to 2006. Chicago Community Mennonite Church (formerly Oak Park Mennonite) began sharing worship space with First Church in 1998. Roca de Esperanza Mennonite Church worships there Sunday afternoons. The DOOR and Radical Journey programs housed at the church provide youth and young adults cross-cultural experiences in urban and international settings. Other forces for change such as Crossroads Ministry (dismantling systemic racism and building anti-racist multicultural diversity), have been housed at First Church.
In 2007 First Church held a series of visioning gatherings. Out of these came an awareness of our church's unique positioning and a sense of call to minister with young people in the church and the surrounding neighborhood. After a period of discernment, prayer and planning, Rev. Denise Plair joined First Church as Youth Minister in November 2008.
Choirs practice, community groups gather, volunteers tutor, gardeners glean, prophets and peacemakers bear witness and members sing and pray as the church continues to minister in East Garfield Park after more than 120 years as a believing community and eighty in the current building.
Praise God!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
From DOOR Hollywood
In the story of Jonah, after the famous whale and the frustrating vine, God leaves us all with the final question, “Should I not be concerned about that great city?”
It was the mission of DOOR, to “See the Face of God in the City,” that first caught my heart’s attention. What a joy it is to report that, yes friends, God is concerned about our dear Hollywood just as it was with the great city of Nineveh.
I have seen the face of God in the work of our Dwellers. Stephanie, Sara, Mary & Alison arrived last September a little awestruck, a little star-struck, and certainly a bit overwhelmed. During their orientation, I presented them with a bit of a predicament: how will you all honor the amazing and faithful legacy of the Hollywood Urban Project and the many expectations upon that little house on Gregory Avenue while still making room for the voice of God and the unique way you might be called this year? Oh, and by the way, don’t come in with an airtight agenda, but spend ample time in relationship with your neighbors before planning any projects. And don’t be late for your worksite placements. Oh, and by the way, make sure you plan MANY projects. And did I mention you need to meet with your prayer partners regularly as well as with me? And don’t forget to make space for your own personal weekly Sabbath. And you need to do this all on less than $200 a month!
And what have we seen? A miraculous thriving. How? Through prayer and the grace of God. There is real growth happening during tutoring, as ABC’s are turning into times tables and tough vocabulary words are being cleverly used in jokes; there is real growth happening in the front yard, once dry and dying grass, now little strawberries, okra, peppers, jalapenos, vines, sweat and laughter. There is real growth in courage, conquering economic issues of community living and how one could possibly survive on the equivalent of $1 per meal to traveling to churches involved in the New Sanctuary Movement and meeting undocumented immigrants whose families are torn between complicated legal battles. And the work that’s being done at the agencies focused on homelessness and street-life is powerful and significant. There are many et cetera's applicable here, and to that I say, praise God!
I have seen the face of God through Discover, in that I have been so humbled by God’s ability to communicate through out-of-town and local people coming together in service throughout Los Angeles, no matter that it is only for one week. From time to time, we have groups that ask us to tone down the Scriptural references because the group dynamic is one of mixed beliefs and backgrounds. After a long day of service and during a tour of Skid Row, a participant in a non-faith based group once asked me, “so, what’s it like working on projects with people who aren’t churchgoers?” I responded, “well, what would you say if I told you that for about 10 years I avoided setting foot in churches because I was terrified of the judgment and expecting a world of hypocrisy?” The silent and pondering gaze was enough of a response for me, but God would even bring more encouragement. I’ve received emails from participants when they return back home, including that particular one, saying they find themselves intrigued by the idea of this Jesus guy, that there are people back home who speak about Jesus to them, and they find themselves a little more interested in listening.
Last, but most importantly, I have seen the face of God in the faces of people directly around this church and this house. Earlier this month, many of you know this neighborhood suffered the tragic loss of Cecilia Monjares, a 31 year old mother of four, at the hand of an early morning drunk driver on Fairfax. Cecilia volunteered very regularly at the Lord’s Lighthouse and with DOOR, often helping cook for events and gatherings, and integral in welcoming incoming Dwellers each year. The pain of it all is still very present for the family and the neighborhood, but God is indeed bringing comfort through the love of community. Over 100 people turned out on the driveway to share stories and memories about Cecilia at the Memorial gathering hosted by YoungLife, DOOR, and Hollywood Presbyterian Church. The neighborhood alone donated thousands in money, food, and services to the family. This is not to mention how the church has come together, and the countless phone calls I’ve received on how to best direct donations and collections of food. Of course, prayers, money, and help are still needed, but I am so warmed and encouraged that we have a God who reveals divine caretaking through spurring all of us on towards reaching out to neighbors in pain or need.
Come see for yourself at our Open House on Sunday, May 24th from 1:30-5:30, so swing on by and please bring some food to share! Click here for directions to La Casa de la Comunidad, and hope to see you in the neighborhood!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Muzik from Denver- Age Sandoval
Age Sandoval is a member of the Denver DOOR board. He tells his story in this autobiographical video. Blessings to godstylerecords.com and Age’s many ministries.
or paste this to view.
http://visualstorynetwork.ning.com/video/age-autobiography
or paste this to view.
http://visualstorynetwork.ning.com/video/age-autobiography
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
In Memory of Cecilia
As you may have heard already, we lost a dear member of our community on Saturday. Cecilia (31 years old and mother of 4) died early Saturday morning on her way to work. Her husband and son left the house around 4:30 a.m. to drive her to her housecleaning job near Pacific Palisades. At 4:40 a.m. a drunk driver hit the side of their van at Beverly and Fairfax and sent the car spinning. Cecilia was sitting in the back of the van and flew out of the car and landed on the sidewalk and died a few minutes later. Alexis (her 11 year old son) was very brave and tried his best to save his mom (checking her pulse and giving her mouth-to-mouth). Alexis also helped get his father, Froilan, out of the car as he was injured pretty badly. Froilan spent one night at Cedars-Sinai and was released the next day. He is now recovering at his sister's house which is close to their apartment in Hollywood.
Cecilia and her husband are undocumented and are what our country would call "illegal" even though they have been living and working here in the U.S. for over 17 years. Froilan doesn't have a license and is unsure about what will happen to him through this whole investigation.
Needless to say, the children and family are very worried and frightened.
Cecilia's four children are doing the best they can right now and are being an amazing support system for each other. Alicia (14) is the oldest of the four and is a freshman at Fairfax High School. Wendy (13) is a 7th grader at Bancroft Middle School. Alexis (11) is a 6th grader
at Bancroft Middle School. And baby Arelli is a year and a half.
I ask that you please keep this family in your prayers. We are planning on having an informal gathering this Friday at the Community House at 6:30 to remember Cecilia and to pray for her family. Please feel free to come if you are able to attend.
The family is also in need of financial help. Froilan has been unable to find work for months now and Cecilia was the only one in the family that was working. As you know, funerals are very expensive and they also have rent that is going to be due in the months ahead while Froilan is recovering. If you are able to give and feel led to give, please contact me as I am in close contact with the family. If you're not able to give financially, but would still like to help, the family would appreciate any meals or bags of groceries.
Cecilia has been a part of my life since I was a city dweller and her family has always been very special. We've spent almost every Thanksgiving together, every birthday together, and I was Alicia, Wendy's and Alexis' teacher at Vine Street Elementary. She was an active parent through the HUP years and has been involved with the Lord's Lighthouse for years. Her faith was very strong. She lived her life with sincere integrity and sacrifice.
Thank you for keeping this family close to your prayers.
Love, Becky
Cecilia and her husband are undocumented and are what our country would call "illegal" even though they have been living and working here in the U.S. for over 17 years. Froilan doesn't have a license and is unsure about what will happen to him through this whole investigation.
Needless to say, the children and family are very worried and frightened.
Cecilia's four children are doing the best they can right now and are being an amazing support system for each other. Alicia (14) is the oldest of the four and is a freshman at Fairfax High School. Wendy (13) is a 7th grader at Bancroft Middle School. Alexis (11) is a 6th grader
at Bancroft Middle School. And baby Arelli is a year and a half.
I ask that you please keep this family in your prayers. We are planning on having an informal gathering this Friday at the Community House at 6:30 to remember Cecilia and to pray for her family. Please feel free to come if you are able to attend.
The family is also in need of financial help. Froilan has been unable to find work for months now and Cecilia was the only one in the family that was working. As you know, funerals are very expensive and they also have rent that is going to be due in the months ahead while Froilan is recovering. If you are able to give and feel led to give, please contact me as I am in close contact with the family. If you're not able to give financially, but would still like to help, the family would appreciate any meals or bags of groceries.
Cecilia has been a part of my life since I was a city dweller and her family has always been very special. We've spent almost every Thanksgiving together, every birthday together, and I was Alicia, Wendy's and Alexis' teacher at Vine Street Elementary. She was an active parent through the HUP years and has been involved with the Lord's Lighthouse for years. Her faith was very strong. She lived her life with sincere integrity and sacrifice.
Thank you for keeping this family close to your prayers.
Love, Becky
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Invisible People- Donna is not invisible.
Mark Horvath, a DOOR Hollywood board member, interviews “real people with real stories” and shares the stories of those who are experiencing homelessness. He seeks to tell stories to make the less invisible. DOOR is thankful to Mark for his work, and happy to share it here, www.invisiblepeople.tv/blog.
Donna
Posted by invisiblepeople | Filed under real stories by real people
Donna is a single mother of five children. She has been homeless for about a year, choosing to live in a tent by the river instead of staying in a shelter. Although she has encountered unthinkable dangers while living outside- vandalism, assault- she still prefers this over staying in a shelter. This may seem counter-intuitive to those who have never been homeless. But remember that shelters have increasingly become overcrowded, so the lines for a bed, food, and showers have become longer and longer. Besides, Donna says she doesn’t feel safe anywhere.
I met Donna at the Prado Day Center. She caught my attention because she was there both as a client and as a volunteer. She was doing laundry for other homeless people using the day center. She mentions that she has gone weeks without clean clothes, so she appreciates what clean clothes will mean to other folks at the center. (Learn more about Laundry Love and become involved in your community.)
My heart breaks for Donna and all of the other women I see living alone on the streets. Nobody wants to imagine their mother or grandmother living in a vulnerable situation. But the sad reality of homelessness today is that many ladies living without a home look just like my grandmother.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Lighthouse Church, Prayer Room and Music Ministry in Miami
This week we are sharing the story of The Lighthouse, a ministry that we partner with in Miami. Our friend Laura is on the DOOR board in Miami and is active at the Lighthouse.
THE LIGHTHOUSE: ministry, community, something altogether
“Being in community forces us to understand and confront complex issues of compassion, justice, morality, behavior, faith, love and on and on.”
–Bruce Reyes-Chow and Mission Bay Community Church
I think the hardest part about talking about the Lighthouse, is talking about the Lighthouse. I think it is a special and rare thing to have a community that is like a family, ministry, church, home, physical place, spiritual retreat, rock band, school, mission camp, place of safety and shelter, and more! I typically see “church” as an institution. It displays a sense of organization. It has rules. It attempts to be living in that it gathers members, deters members, lives, breathes and sometimes dies. I love the living institutional “church.” Mostly, because I love organization, in every sense of the word. I attend regularly and have many responsibilities in a Sunday morning “church.”
The Lighthouse is hardly an institution, but it is a church, or maybe a ministry, or maybe any of those words above. A better description for the Lighthouse is that it is a community and within that community its being attempts to shines God’s love in the city of Miami. It does this through relationships, learning about Jesus Christ, worship, music school, volunteer service, developing church leadership, home cooked meals, the worship arts and greatest of all, prayer.
I have been a part of the Lighthouse community for six years. In that six years it has been all of those words and more for me. I have watched people and programs come and go. I have celebrated with and for the Lighthouse. I have cried and anguished over personal matters, decisions and loss within it. It is not always an easy or comfortable place to be. It is not always welcoming. It is always safe and it is always where God is. It helps me to understand and confront issues that I never would have otherwise. I think like the quote above discusses, the Lighthouse is a part of my commitment as a Christian because every time I enter its doors or think upon its complexity I am entering and confronting the world in which I live and the ways in which God wants me to shine His love to others.
By Laura Fothergill
DOOR-Miami Board member
THE LIGHTHOUSE: ministry, community, something altogether
“Being in community forces us to understand and confront complex issues of compassion, justice, morality, behavior, faith, love and on and on.”
–Bruce Reyes-Chow and Mission Bay Community Church
I think the hardest part about talking about the Lighthouse, is talking about the Lighthouse. I think it is a special and rare thing to have a community that is like a family, ministry, church, home, physical place, spiritual retreat, rock band, school, mission camp, place of safety and shelter, and more! I typically see “church” as an institution. It displays a sense of organization. It has rules. It attempts to be living in that it gathers members, deters members, lives, breathes and sometimes dies. I love the living institutional “church.” Mostly, because I love organization, in every sense of the word. I attend regularly and have many responsibilities in a Sunday morning “church.”
The Lighthouse is hardly an institution, but it is a church, or maybe a ministry, or maybe any of those words above. A better description for the Lighthouse is that it is a community and within that community its being attempts to shines God’s love in the city of Miami. It does this through relationships, learning about Jesus Christ, worship, music school, volunteer service, developing church leadership, home cooked meals, the worship arts and greatest of all, prayer.
I have been a part of the Lighthouse community for six years. In that six years it has been all of those words and more for me. I have watched people and programs come and go. I have celebrated with and for the Lighthouse. I have cried and anguished over personal matters, decisions and loss within it. It is not always an easy or comfortable place to be. It is not always welcoming. It is always safe and it is always where God is. It helps me to understand and confront issues that I never would have otherwise. I think like the quote above discusses, the Lighthouse is a part of my commitment as a Christian because every time I enter its doors or think upon its complexity I am entering and confronting the world in which I live and the ways in which God wants me to shine His love to others.
By Laura Fothergill
DOOR-Miami Board member
Monday, April 20, 2009
MIchelle Obama's Essay on the Spirit of Giving
via The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com by The Huffington Post News Editors on 4/15/09
In an exclusive essay for USA Today, Michelle Obama extols the importance of giving -- especially in these trying times. She writes, "When so many people are struggling to make ends meet, we need everyone pulling together to solve our nation's problems and to lift up our fellow Americans." She also highlights the importance of fostering service and social consciousness in our youth, noting that "the current generation of young people is one of the most socially conscious and active, with 61% of 13- to 25-year-olds saying they feel personally responsible for making a difference in the world."
Her essay focuses on the new Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which "promotes the cause of service among young people by investing in service-learning" and which will "dramatically increase the number of full- and part-time service opportunities for college-age students."
But the best part is, she's not just talking. As we've pointed out plenty of times, Michelle Obama walks the walk -- and encourages others to do the same!
And most importantly, Michelle takes time to put a spotlight on those smaller acts of community service -- the ones that don't involve a food bank, donations, or a special occasion.
Every day we hear stories of people rising to the occasion and making a real difference: the retiree who volunteers at the local elementary school to help children learn to read; the woman down the block who watches out for her neighbor's kids after school -- providing a snack, some wisdom and a home with a light on until parents return from a long day of work; the mothers and fathers in a neighborhood who coach Little League and soccer and teach kids about good sportsmanship and perseverance and teamwork.
Read the rest of the USA Today article...
We want to put a spotlight on these stories as well, which is why we've asked you to help us! Like we said, difficult times bring communities together as people lean on one another for support. In this recession, there's no shortage of communities around the country that have rallied around a struggling neighbor, reached out a helping hand to those around them, or donated free dry cleaning to the job-seeking and unemployed. We know there are more stories like these and HuffPost wants to highlight them. If you read or hear about an act of kindness in your community, email us the story at goodnews@huffingtonpost.com.
And just in case you're looking for inspiration, we've always found this slideshow particularly uplifting:
*Follow HuffPostLiving on Twitter and become a fan of Huffington Post Living on Facebook*
In an exclusive essay for USA Today, Michelle Obama extols the importance of giving -- especially in these trying times. She writes, "When so many people are struggling to make ends meet, we need everyone pulling together to solve our nation's problems and to lift up our fellow Americans." She also highlights the importance of fostering service and social consciousness in our youth, noting that "the current generation of young people is one of the most socially conscious and active, with 61% of 13- to 25-year-olds saying they feel personally responsible for making a difference in the world."
Her essay focuses on the new Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which "promotes the cause of service among young people by investing in service-learning" and which will "dramatically increase the number of full- and part-time service opportunities for college-age students."
But the best part is, she's not just talking. As we've pointed out plenty of times, Michelle Obama walks the walk -- and encourages others to do the same!
And most importantly, Michelle takes time to put a spotlight on those smaller acts of community service -- the ones that don't involve a food bank, donations, or a special occasion.
Every day we hear stories of people rising to the occasion and making a real difference: the retiree who volunteers at the local elementary school to help children learn to read; the woman down the block who watches out for her neighbor's kids after school -- providing a snack, some wisdom and a home with a light on until parents return from a long day of work; the mothers and fathers in a neighborhood who coach Little League and soccer and teach kids about good sportsmanship and perseverance and teamwork.
Read the rest of the USA Today article...
We want to put a spotlight on these stories as well, which is why we've asked you to help us! Like we said, difficult times bring communities together as people lean on one another for support. In this recession, there's no shortage of communities around the country that have rallied around a struggling neighbor, reached out a helping hand to those around them, or donated free dry cleaning to the job-seeking and unemployed. We know there are more stories like these and HuffPost wants to highlight them. If you read or hear about an act of kindness in your community, email us the story at goodnews@huffingtonpost.com.
And just in case you're looking for inspiration, we've always found this slideshow particularly uplifting:
*Follow HuffPostLiving on Twitter and become a fan of Huffington Post Living on Facebook*
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Earbud Urbanism
http://thewhereblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/earbud-urbanism.html
via Where
I was walking down the in downtown Chicago recently wearing my white earbuds, loud tunes pumping out of my iPod into my head, and it got me thinking. When you have earbuds in, it's almost as if the music is inside your head. It overtakes your thoughts. Ok, maybe not completely, but it would be hard to deny the fact that what we listen to affects our mood and our perception of our surroundings.
On this walk, I started to become aware of how many people were walking around with one of their five senses -- hearing -- completely disconnected from their environment, and I thought to myself: how does this disconnection alter our perception of the urban condition as we experience it? I wonder how many urban designers take into consideration the fact that people are walking around detached from their environment, being highly influenced by a source that the designers themselves cannot control. Personal technology is taking over how we interpret our surroundings and changing the way we feel about places, and this should be considered as we move further and further into interactive technologies.
So, imagine: your music is playing in your ears, and you're walking down the street with a certain demeanor dictated by the recent events in your life, the weather, and of course your music; what's the last thing you notice? Advertisements. Ironically, the ads placed all around the city to get you to buy devices with white earbuds are suddenly ineffective, blending into the grey zone of focus deprivation caused by the mood enhancing device sending electrical waves to your brain. In the end, it is the corporation, the large companies that build and control our urban experiences. Storefronts are often completely detached from the context of the buildings they are plugged into, creating a street level experience dictated more by the corporate retailers than the architect or planner. So it is fair to say that these businesses have a significant stake in our urban experience, and will not keep pumping money into failing advertising mediums but will instead resort to new mediums, capitalizing on our newfound technological dependency.
I can imagine, in the near future, holding your electronic device up to a window display and downloading music from a record store. The technology is already here; its just a matter of how that tech is eventually used as a marketing tool that will change the way we experience the city and our daily life. Instead of billboards, there will be giant digital displays. Using the technology showcased in the Mini ad a while back, called "augmented reality," these displays will reflect you as you walk by, but will project a certain brand of clothing onto your image, detecting your body size and instantly altering the clothing image to fit you using a complex algorithm. These displays will show you in real-time with a Snickers and a Coke in your hand asking "Why Wait?"
So I wonder: how much of what we experience is predetermined by a planner, an architect, or a corporation, and how much of it is dependent on sources we create and introduce ourselves? My guess is that we will increasingly be adding our own sources and corporations will tap into this and use it to promote their agendas, thereby creating a new urban condition. Earbud Urbanism, anyone?
(Photos from Apple and Designboom . The original full-sized color version can be viewed by clicking the photo.)
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via Where
I was walking down the in downtown Chicago recently wearing my white earbuds, loud tunes pumping out of my iPod into my head, and it got me thinking. When you have earbuds in, it's almost as if the music is inside your head. It overtakes your thoughts. Ok, maybe not completely, but it would be hard to deny the fact that what we listen to affects our mood and our perception of our surroundings.
On this walk, I started to become aware of how many people were walking around with one of their five senses -- hearing -- completely disconnected from their environment, and I thought to myself: how does this disconnection alter our perception of the urban condition as we experience it? I wonder how many urban designers take into consideration the fact that people are walking around detached from their environment, being highly influenced by a source that the designers themselves cannot control. Personal technology is taking over how we interpret our surroundings and changing the way we feel about places, and this should be considered as we move further and further into interactive technologies.
So, imagine: your music is playing in your ears, and you're walking down the street with a certain demeanor dictated by the recent events in your life, the weather, and of course your music; what's the last thing you notice? Advertisements. Ironically, the ads placed all around the city to get you to buy devices with white earbuds are suddenly ineffective, blending into the grey zone of focus deprivation caused by the mood enhancing device sending electrical waves to your brain. In the end, it is the corporation, the large companies that build and control our urban experiences. Storefronts are often completely detached from the context of the buildings they are plugged into, creating a street level experience dictated more by the corporate retailers than the architect or planner. So it is fair to say that these businesses have a significant stake in our urban experience, and will not keep pumping money into failing advertising mediums but will instead resort to new mediums, capitalizing on our newfound technological dependency.
So I wonder: how much of what we experience is predetermined by a planner, an architect, or a corporation, and how much of it is dependent on sources we create and introduce ourselves? My guess is that we will increasingly be adding our own sources and corporations will tap into this and use it to promote their agendas, thereby creating a new urban condition. Earbud Urbanism, anyone?
(Photos from Apple
Things you can do from here:
Subscribe to Where
Get started using Google Reader
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
DriveFast - Anton Flores
DriveFast is what I’m calling my 40-day Lenten fast from driving an automobile. You see, I hold two ideals that will collide this Lenten season.
The first ideal is a belief that fear is the greatest wall keeping Americans from loving our unauthorized immigrant neighbors. No law or policy can destroy this wall; only a fearless love can do that. The other ideal that has a grip on my heart is the belief that as a privileged American, I must reduce my carbon footprint for the sake of the world’s fragile ecology and the globe’s poorest inhabitants who bear the brunt of my excess consumption.
So how will these two ideals collide this Lenten season?
“Perhaps this will teach you to stop driving,” is a common refrain uttered by local judges as they impose harsh sanctions against undocumented immigrants who are ticketed for driving without a license. These “un-licenseable” immigrants are often nabbed at roadblocks going to and from work, worship or Wal-Mart. However, Georgia’s anti-immigrant sentiment has given the illusion of short-term political capital and legislators have now made driving without a license a moving violation that can include fines well over $1,000, months of incarceration and can even be elevated to a felony. In a car-crazed culture like ours, in a community like LaGrange that offers no public transportation, how can anyone expect an un-licenseable immigrant to stop driving? This law is a form of entrapment that is designed to further scapegoat immigrants when it is our insatiable greed and incongruous immigration policies which are greater causal factors for the presence of 12-20 million hardworking, faithful newcomers without legal authorization.
So, I am fasting from driving this season of Lent. A major catalyst for undergoing such a fast is to stand in solidarity with these men and women who come here in search of their daily bread in a land where bread is located driving distance away in the area grocery stores.
On the other side, I would love to become a car-free person by choice, not by coercion. I already drive a hybrid, try to walk or bike for transportation and not just for exercise but I wonder if I can do better. I drive about 12,000 miles per year. Can I significantly reduce that? What will I learn about myself and my lifestyle by fasting from driving? What dark corners of my soul will be exposed by this “experiment” in renunciation of a cultural norm?
With this being a Lenten fast, prayer will also be an important component to this period of fasting. Pray for me and visit this blog as I post my prayers and reflections on what living car-less and in solidarity with immigrants looks like.
-Anton Flores serves on the DOOR Atlanta board as well as the DOOR Network National Board. We are continually improved, challenged and shaped by Anton and the other passionate voices of our cities. For more information on Anton's passions and community http://www.alternacommunity.com/
The first ideal is a belief that fear is the greatest wall keeping Americans from loving our unauthorized immigrant neighbors. No law or policy can destroy this wall; only a fearless love can do that. The other ideal that has a grip on my heart is the belief that as a privileged American, I must reduce my carbon footprint for the sake of the world’s fragile ecology and the globe’s poorest inhabitants who bear the brunt of my excess consumption.
So how will these two ideals collide this Lenten season?
“Perhaps this will teach you to stop driving,” is a common refrain uttered by local judges as they impose harsh sanctions against undocumented immigrants who are ticketed for driving without a license. These “un-licenseable” immigrants are often nabbed at roadblocks going to and from work, worship or Wal-Mart. However, Georgia’s anti-immigrant sentiment has given the illusion of short-term political capital and legislators have now made driving without a license a moving violation that can include fines well over $1,000, months of incarceration and can even be elevated to a felony. In a car-crazed culture like ours, in a community like LaGrange that offers no public transportation, how can anyone expect an un-licenseable immigrant to stop driving? This law is a form of entrapment that is designed to further scapegoat immigrants when it is our insatiable greed and incongruous immigration policies which are greater causal factors for the presence of 12-20 million hardworking, faithful newcomers without legal authorization.
So, I am fasting from driving this season of Lent. A major catalyst for undergoing such a fast is to stand in solidarity with these men and women who come here in search of their daily bread in a land where bread is located driving distance away in the area grocery stores.
On the other side, I would love to become a car-free person by choice, not by coercion. I already drive a hybrid, try to walk or bike for transportation and not just for exercise but I wonder if I can do better. I drive about 12,000 miles per year. Can I significantly reduce that? What will I learn about myself and my lifestyle by fasting from driving? What dark corners of my soul will be exposed by this “experiment” in renunciation of a cultural norm?
With this being a Lenten fast, prayer will also be an important component to this period of fasting. Pray for me and visit this blog as I post my prayers and reflections on what living car-less and in solidarity with immigrants looks like.
-Anton Flores serves on the DOOR Atlanta board as well as the DOOR Network National Board. We are continually improved, challenged and shaped by Anton and the other passionate voices of our cities. For more information on Anton's passions and community http://www.alternacommunity.com/
Friday, March 6, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Known Neighborhood by Krista Dutt
Growing up, if a package came to our address they just left it on the porch. They don't do that in Chicago. Instead, the postman fills out a form and says to pick it up at the neighborhood post office. I don't like doing this - while the post office isn't far away it is in the direction that I don't often go by so I do have to make a special trip during post office hours which is often quite hard to do. However, Friday I went to pick up a package and when I went to the window with card and my ID all ready - the friendly woman handed me my package. Normally, they check the id and the card, go search for it and 10 minutes later get the package. Admiring my shock, the postwoman said - I saw you coming in the front door when I was in the back - I just pulled it then.
Neighborhoods are an important part of Chicago. Often folks don’t have reason to leave their neighborhoods, so it functions in some ways like a small town. I used to laugh at this notion, but it is true. Yesterday, I walked to work, then walked home for lunch, then went to a worship service all on the same block. I didn’t leave my neighborhood at all.
When people ask me about living in the city, these are my experiences. Yes, the city has issues that I didn’t even think about growing up, but nothing a neighborhood can’t handle together. I am thankful that I live here, work here, worship here, and serve God here.
Neighborhoods are an important part of Chicago. Often folks don’t have reason to leave their neighborhoods, so it functions in some ways like a small town. I used to laugh at this notion, but it is true. Yesterday, I walked to work, then walked home for lunch, then went to a worship service all on the same block. I didn’t leave my neighborhood at all.
When people ask me about living in the city, these are my experiences. Yes, the city has issues that I didn’t even think about growing up, but nothing a neighborhood can’t handle together. I am thankful that I live here, work here, worship here, and serve God here.
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