Writings From the Grassroots

Monday's Remedy: Moments

We often hear that the grass is greener on the other side.  However I refuse to accept that.  I prefer the grass on my side, even if it is yellow and dead, than the greener pastures on the other.  Because I am here. 

A Sabbath Rythym

I am starting a new series of posts.  I have decided to call them "A Sabbath Rhythm" .  The Idea is that there
is a harmony (refer to the post, "My Christianity" Movement two) to life,a best way to live and experience life, namely - living in the harmony that God creates.  For me Sabbath is a day when we get back in rhythm with this Harmony. When we get connected to God and others.  A day when we get a 'glimpse' into eternity'.   I hope to experiment with this, from Sabbath to Sabbath it will be something different, a youtube video, a poem, a thought, a Biblical Text, anything really.  Its purpose, hopefully, is to move us to feel, contemplate, pray, celebrate, worship...

"Contemplation is the highest expression of man's intellectual and spiritual life.  It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive.  It is spiritual wonder.  It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being.  It is gratitude for life, for awareness and for being.  It is a vivid realization of the fact that life and beings in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent and infinitely abundant Source(New Seeds of Contemplation pg. 1)."

My Christianity

This past Monday, I was invited to lecture at the local college on Christianity.  It was a world religions class, my task was to present a clear and concise picture of Christianity.  Preparing was much more difficult than I had anticipated.  I was fortunate to be able to present Christianity as I have observed it, and what I felt Christianity should be like.  At a time when Christian's have taken a lot of heat, and perhaps are viewed as intolerant I was excited to present a more reconciling view of Christianity.  Through out the lecture I weaved in Biblical Narrative and Social Commentary. In a sense I was able to paint my picture of Christianity in its rawest, stripped of everything that gets in the way of embracing God in order to most appropriately engage our world. 

I set up the lecture in three different movements (as in a movement in a Symphony-I had just finished reading Simply Christian and Wright talks about movements, mine don't reflect his book)

Movement One:  ORIGINS - Most Christians agree that central to our understanding of our origins is that God is behind the created order.  Humanity is created in the image of God (Which would later play a central role in the lecture) and as such, there is harmony about life - a way things 'ought' to be and 'could' be.  Like all of humanity is equal, one person isn't more valuable than another.  And when one person is treated as anything other than equal - all of creation 'ought' to care, and do whatever it takes to make it right.  One might even call it our role, or rasion d' etre.  This reason for existence comes in movement two.

Movement Two:  REASON FOR EXISTENCE - The Biblical narrative tells of the actions of humans, at times, have created a separated mode of existence, between God and humanity.  Perhaps we could say this happens when humanity lives outside the harmony of God, we call this sin.  At the center of who we are, and why we are - is Jesus and his work reconciliation.   If Jesus, does indeed, reconcile us to God, if he bridges this chasm, then it makes sense that we enter a new mode of existence.  One in which we are in harmony with God again.  The New Testament writer Paul calls this, a 'new creation'.  A new Origin.  A new origin in which the hope is that humanity will live in  harmony with God, and what is important for God now becomes intimately important to this new creation.  Namely, reconciliation, restoration, redemption - wholeness.

Movement Three:  MODUS OPERNADI (or mode of operation) - This 'new creation', if they really hold true to the reconciliation in Jesus, then must live in such a way that takes part in the work of God in this world.  Where their task is to work towards what 'ought' to be, what 'should' be, and what 'could' be.   

So there it is.  This was the sequence of the lecture.  I didn't think of putting it into three movements, which now I think would have been more clear.  I don't presume to say that there are only three major realities/ ideas in the Biblical Narrative.  These are just what thought I could accomplish in the hour I was given.  Hope you have enjoyed this. It was much more difficult to put this lecture together because I wanted to keep on talking and speaking of my faith, however time did not allow me. I hope to flesh this out more in the future.  Tell me your thoughts.

Monday's Remedy: From Morrie

By Way of Explanation:  The reason for these, "Monday's Remedy" posts are because sometimes Monday mornings are the most difficult mornings to wake up to.  It marks the end of the weekend that was filled with leisure activities, fun and Rest or Sabbath (among other things).  As I have thought about this "Monday morning feeling" that I can only describe as drinking a glass of 'warm lemonade on a hot summer day' (not good) I have entertained the idea that the reason that many (because there are some that like Monday's) don't like Monday mornings perhaps lies in something deeper.  Perhaps a feeling in our society of a cycle of life that is less than fulfilling:  work, eat, sleep, work eat, sleep,etc...  So today for our Monday's Remedy which I realize I am posting in the afternoon is an excerpt from a book that has influenced the way I look at the world in a very simple way:  Tuesday's with Morrie.

“Dying,” Morrie suddenly said, “is only one thing to be sad over, Mitch.  Living unhappily is something else.  So many of the people that come to visit me are unhappy.”
Why?
“Well, for one thing, the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves.  We’re teaching the wrong things.  And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.  Create your own.  Most people can’t do it.  They’re more unhappy than me-even in my current situation. (emphasis added, pg. 34-35).

Perhaps the essential task of our lives, is to engage in creating a new culture.  Imagine if a group of people who believed that there was a better way, one that exceeds even the greatest good and accomplishments of our current situation was possible - what would life be like, then?

Monday's Remedy

This Monday, I wanted to share the song "Grace" from U2.  If you listen to the words I hope you find yourself in them.  Our need for grace.  How it makes beauty out of ugly things.  Enjoy the pictures too.

The Human Footprint: On National Geographic Channel

Have you ever wondered what happens with all of the stuff we throw away?  Have you ever wondered where the material comes from that all of our stuff is made of?  If you've never had those questions perhaps it's time to begin to ask those questions. The Human Footprint is a special presentation produced by the National Geographic Network that will show us what happens to all of the stuff we throw away.  It will also show how much we as American's consume and how these amounts compare to families in other parts of the world.  Here is an excerpt from the National Geographic website, "

Our human footprint doesn’t end after we buy and consume things; the final impact occurs when we discard items – and we Americans discard four-fifths of a ton of trash per person, per year.

Here are the numbers: Americans generated 251 million tons of trash in 2006, the most recent year for which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has data. Our per capita trash disposal rate was 4.6 pounds per person, per day. Sixty-five percent came from residences, while 35 percent came from schools and commercial locations such as hospitals and businesses.                

Where does it all end up? Fifty-five percent gets buried in landfills, 33 percent gets recycled, and 12.5 percent goes to incinerators."  to continue reading click HERE to be redirected to the National Geographic website.

Heber Tree Project: UPDATE

Yes that's right!  That thing is supposed to be an artificial tree.  There was actually a person standing inside that pinata looking tree, and she kept following me around as I tried to keep a straight face and talked about the importance of trees and how they improve the air quality.  This event (The Heber Tree Project) was the pilot program for tree planting that was sponsored by the Clean Air Coalition of the Imperial Valley.  The trees were donated by local business, churches and individuals. 

This tree planting program is one of the tangible steps we are taking in making our environment better.  Next week I will be meeting with the Interfaith Council of Imperial Valley (click HERE to their blog) and setting out clear steps for us as the faith community to make way in environmental stewardship.  I first brought this up to the Interfaith Council last week and they were excited to take part in this. Updates to follow.

A Sabbath Thought

"The art of keeping the seventh-day is the art of painting on the canvas of time the mysterious grandeur of the climax of creation:  as He sanctified the seventh day, so shall we.  The love of the Sabbath is the love of man for what he and God have in common.  Our keeping the Sabbath day is a paraphrase of His sanctification of the seventh-day." (from Abraham Joshua Heschel's The Sabbath)

Clean Air Initiative

Last summer as I was walking into Anazao Coffee Company (the best place to get coffee in the Imperial Valley) a poster on the window caught my attention.  The poster announced an "Asthma Walk" fund raiser sponsored by the American Lung Association.  I dialed the phone number on the flier and from that moment on began my involvement in the Clean Air Coalition of the Imperial Valley.  Monique Lopez is the Clean Air Coordinator and she has done an amazing job organizing the Clean Air Coalition.  The main purpose of this coalition is to bring awareness of the air quality and finding tangible solutions to improve the it.  This of course is no easy task to accomplish.  You see, we live in the Imperial Valley "The County's geography and location leads itself to be an area of high concentration of particulate matter and other types of pollution.  Imperial County is located on the south eastern corner of California and is adjacent to the Mexican Border. Within the same air basin, due to NAFTA and the maquiladoras in Mexicali, there is much semi-trailer trtraffic trucks which releases diesel emissions and industries in Mexico that do not operate at EPA standards.  Imperial County is a valley in the the desert surrounded by mountains. 
This bowl-like condition provides little escape for air pollution to disperse, instead conditions are heightened.  Moreover, it is a rural agricultural community and manyo of the activities from this industry and other industries in the region contribute to increased particulate matter and other types of pollution.(From the CAIR Website)."  Click HERE and you will be re-directed to the Clean Air Initiative website where you can learn more about our cause.  If you live in the valley I highly encourage you to take a look at the CAIR website if you don't live in the Valley you this website is a good place for information on air quality and air pollutants.  Join us, won't you?

Monday's Remedy

 The road of happiness is dotted with many tempting parking places.  ~Author Unknown

Don't let today be a parking place, instead make it a yield and keep on going.