Fortunate

I'm lucky. I know that.

I was born into a family that could meet my needs, into a country that's the richest in the world, where we put energy toward figuring out a shopping strategy for Black Friday rather than wondering where our next meal is coming from. During the pregnancy, while I've been shocked by the cost of medical care, I haven't wondered where I'd get it or where the money would be coming from to pay for it. I'm lucky to have insurance, to have access to skilled midwives, and to have the opportunity to go to a birth center.

Not all mothers have the same choices.

Compassion International is best known for their child sponsorship programs all over the world- and they do an excellent job of connecting American Christians and needy third-world families and providing the families what they need. I've loved reading the stories of bloggers close to home who have taken trips to meet their sponsored children (with both Compassion and World Vision). Apparently Compassion has another program, Rescue Babies Now, that focuses on getting care to vulnerable mothers and the smallest children, to help infants and toddlers survive. Of course, this hits home for me this year, knowing that I'm just lucky- I've had a happy, healthy pregnancy, but I could have as easily been born elsewhere, and been one of these mothers, just hoping their babies survive.

What can you do?
- Give to a "child survival center" monthly
- Make a one-time gift to provide a birth attendant for a mother, provide birth and baby supplies, provide a month of food & supplements to a mother & baby, or provide vaccinations for a child, each for $100 or less.
- Sponsor a child 3 years old or up, to help pay for their education and support their family

Can't forget.

Once upon a time, less than a year ago, Americans cared about Haiti's plight. They were ready to welcome the orphans and feed the masses of homeless. Now? I heard on the radio there's talk of fatigue. Compassion fatigue. Donor fatigue. News cycle fatigue, because we have such short attention spans.

I can't stop caring, though.

Because I have friends headed down there for a year.

Because missionaries are being attacked.

Because people are still dying for lack of clean water.

Because the cholera epidemic may spread to the Dominican Republic, where other friends live.

Because health care and food and basic utilities and even Honda generators are still hard to come by.

I'm thankful that my church has been sending medical teams every couple months to care for those in the IDP camps. I'm also thankful that my friend Barry has kept Haiti in the spotlight at World Next Door, with 3 trips- one less than 2 months before the earthquake, the next just a few weeks after the earthquake, and the latest in September. From his reports, conditions are still dire, and millions are without homes, though groups like Nehemiah Vision Ministries are working tirelessly.

With this new threat of disease, and with the devastation that has yet to be addressed, we can't forget Haiti.

Be the Church

From weekendofservice10

Last weekend, my church closed its doors. There were no worship services scheduled, no Sunday school, no fellowship hour. For a suburban megachurch that is usually bustling Saturday night and Sunday morning, this was a big change from the normal weekend schedule. So what did the church members do, with no church service to go to? For 3800 of us, rather than going to church this weekend, we went out to be the church.

The third annual Weekend of Service was last weekend. In past years, I've helped demolish a house and clean up electronics. This year Josh and I split up, since we acknowledge we have different skills and abilities we can use to serve, so it makes sense for us to be on projects that are a good fit for us. Josh worked at a local bike shop repairing bikes for an organization called Bikes4Kids, replacing seats and tires on bikes to be given to local elementary students who can't afford one. Other projects collected food, fixed cars, sorted kids', women's and men's clothing, handed out coats, cleaned up neighborhoods,  served dinners, painted, sided, roofed, landscaped, and a host of other things.

I had a unique project. My friend Barry runs an online social justice photojournalism magazine called World Next Door, where he writes full-time about the lives on the poor and marginalized around the world.- Seriously. Around the world. Although I saw him just a few days ago, he's in India as I write this. His goal is to make fellow suburban Christians aware of issues facing these people who God loves, and give them ways to get involved or pray.

For Grace's Weekend of Service, Barry gathered a team to go out to work sites where some of the weekend's volunteers would be serving. We "embedded" in the projects as correspondents, interviewed volunteers and those involved in the ministry, took some photos, and came back to write about what we saw, felt and learned. The goal was to report back two things- What is life like here? and What is God doing here?

I'm not sure if I succeeded, but I got my story- or rather, the story of a mother and a couple other volunteers- down and sent it off. It's posted today on the site, so I'll send you over there to check it out. Feel free to leave a comment over at World Next Door, or check out some of Barry's adventures in Haiti, Kenya, India, and the Ukraine- all much more exotic than my jaunt into Indianapolis!

Wanna see what else happened this weekend?
Pictures on the church's Facebook page
My pictures from Shepherd Community Center
World Next Door's Weekend of Service stories (more to be posted later this week!)

Perspective on the Nursery

The Telegraph has a series of photographs from a new book called Where Children Sleep. LIFE has a photo series too, with some additional children. Check it out. Thanks to my friend Michelle for the link.

The photos depict bedrooms (or, lack of bedrooms) from all over the world, with portraits and short introductions of the child who sleeps there. Some of them are just a one-room hut, or even a bed in a literal dump full of trash and old tires and used gym equipment. Living in our three-bedroom house... setting up a nursery for a yet-to-be-born baby who probably won't even sleep there for months to come... it puts our 6'x10' nursery (that I think feels tiny) into perspective. I have had a lot of fun perusing etsy for decor ideas, but coordinating crib sets* seem to matter less when I'm reminded that many children don't even have a bed, nevertheless a bed in their own room.

* For the record, I'm not registered for a coordinating crib set. Didn't really see the point, since quilts & bumpers & pillows aren't recommended, anyway.

This is How the World Will End

From The Elms, a video filmed in 2008 in Haiti:


When the dollar made with blood is spent,
When an enemy can't become a friend.
When the better man won't lend a hand,
Baby, this is how the world will end.
When a day of hope is a rarity,
Or a diplomat hasn't time to see
That a child lost is a true offense,
Baby, this is how the world will end.

CHORUS:
Bring a chair up to the table.
Bring a message to the crowd.
Where's a common trust to deliver us from the wretched and the proud?
Sing a tune about the promise.
Speak on that which we depend.
And if a certain light don't shine again,
Baby, this is how the world will end.

When the poorest kid is fending for himself,
Or the widow cries, but she gets no help.
When we know what's true, but we still pretend,
Baby, this is how the world will end.

I'm still overwhelmed at the loss in Haiti. Friends of mine were just there a couple months ago, and reported back on the abject poverty they saw- before the disaster. Check out their articles on World Next Door both before and since the earthquake, especially Barry's post Heartache. This CNN article tugged at my heart as well, and made me aware and concerned for the orphans in Haiti- the orphanages that were full before the quake, and the many, many more beds needed in those children's homes now that so many more parents have died. My heart breaks.

Garden Party: Matthew Jose of Big City Farms

I think I've mentioned my church's community garden in the past. It's an interesting concept, really: People join the garden for a small investment, volunteer weekly, and take home the bounty. Leaders of the plots don't have to pay, but have complete responsibility for the production. Shareholders who can't volunteer pay more. A tithe of the garden is given to the local food pantry, providing the neediest in our community wholesome, organic vegetables.

I'm disappointed I can't be more involved in the Grace Garden, but I've got my hands full with my own. I have helped promote the garden around the church, and the ministry leader Sara invited me to a garden party last Thursday to celebrate the progress so far. We ate, visited with other volunteers, and ended the night with a talk by Matthew Jose of Big City Farms and then (for me) a garden tour.


Jose is just my age, 25 - which is unbelieveable, considering all he's achieved already. He is the owner of Big City Farms, a community-supported agriculture organization that grows its food on empty lots on the near-Eastside of Indianapolis. The urban-farming concept is using what would be otherwise-unused land, beautifying urban neighborhoods, and bringing fresh produce into areas where it's hard even to find a grocery store. Recently, his efforts have been highlighted in a Mother Nature Network article and Indianapolis publication Nuvo.

Most of what was discussed was organic farming strategies and tips, but I especially appreciated the higher-level local food philosophy he spoke of, focusing on the interconnectedness of a local food economy. He talked about a local restaurant that, rather than pulling all of its ingredients from one industrial supplier, decided to contact local farmers, see what ingredients that they could provide, and plan a weekly menu based on what's in season in the local foodshed. This is a complex task- the restaurant must have lots of farm contacts that each grow different vegetables or fruits, check with them to see what kind of quantity they can provide each week, and plan accordingly. Keeping a static menu and having ingredients delivered on a truck is simpler, sure, but so much is lost. Sourcing locally, the restaurant is supporting farmers in the community, getting fresher produce than any of its competitors, and, because the produce is organic and local, leaving a smaller footprint on the earth (which many customers appreciate and will pay more for).

We, too can source our food locally, but, like the restaurant, it's complex. We may have to visit many booths at the farmers' market to get everything we need. We may have to have a different farmer we go to for chicken, eggs, beef, and pork. We may have to plan our menus around what's in season. Because we need this complex web of relationships to eat locally, when we make the effort, we strengthen the community. Rather than picking up plastic-wrapped cucumbers anonymously at a big box store, we're meeting the growers, getting interesting varieties of the freshest vegetables, and we're healthier for it. And really, it's not much more expensive than the grocery store- and the food is so much higher quality. It's kind of like buying something from free online auctions vs craigslist- in the former, you've got convenient, one-stop shopping and anonymity, in the latter, you've got community connections, a lower carbon footprint, and a better deal.

:: getting off my soapbox ::

Check out what's growing in the Grace Garden!


See all photos from the event here.

Book Review: Enough by Will Samson

To start, let's just say this book wasn't at all what I expected.

I had expected Enough: Contentment in an Age of Excess by Will Samson to be a long rant about how much plastic we consume, the Barbies and shopping malls that brainwash us into buying, buying, buying, and the awfulness of capitalism. Instead, in this fairly-quick read (just 160 pages) was a very thoughtful look not at WHAT we're consuming, but what it is doing to us- to our bodies, environment, economy, and community. The book is also very timely (as in, go read it NOW), talking about the recession that we are now in and some of the causes.

That said, this isn't a rant, or a scolding. Samson is writing to Christians specifically- he says so in the introduction. He expands on ways the consumer culture is ruining our churches and our spiritual lives, and suggests the alternative of Eucharistic community. At the end of the last few chapters, there are really, really practical suggestions that help combat consumerism in our lives. I appreciated the ideas like "Spend locally" "Eat together" and "Get out of your car". Stuff I can do, and stuff I can be aware of in my day-to-day, not just nice theories that I may or may not apply. Enough reminds me that I don't need to consume, hoard, or buy out of fear. If I trust God I have enough and that he will provide, I can opt out of the crazy rat race the rest of the culture is running. And I'm all for that.

Here's a few excerpts I appreciated:

"There is a saying in philosophy: Every ought implies a can. In other words, it is assumed that everything we should or ought to do is also something that we have the ability to do. But in America we seem to have turned that equation on its head: Every can implies an ought."

"If you want to understand that there is no ready access in this world, plant a garden. ... I also think of planting a garden as a simple step in the revolution to transform life from the erotic to the aesthetic. There is nothing sexual about my tomatoes. But there is something good about them. ... When cared for, they stand as a monument to the beauty of creation, with red and green and yellow, the burst to tell a story of hope for the future."

"Too many of us who were raised as "Bible-believing Christians" have often approached Scripture to affirm the things we wish to be against, and to provide permission for things we wish to do, like spending frivolously without concern for the future. But we do not have that freedom."

I'll definitely be including this one in the church library- if you're in the area, come pick it up! If you're not, read this excerpt.

Our Christmas Cow

We have 1/8 of a cow in our freezer.

That may not sound like much, but it's about 50 pounds. If we eat one pound of beef a week, the 1/8 of a cow won't last us until next Christmas, to put it in perspective.

How did we end up with 50 pounds of beef in our freezer, and more importantly, why?

How:

Well, we just went over to our friend's farm & picked it up. Obviously. How do YOU get YOUR beef? The farmer who raised the cow had dropped it off earlier that day, and we were splitting the quarter-cow with another couple, so we went over to pick up our share. Our "cowshare", or, the trendier name, "cowpooling". That's right, we're trendy. All in all, it wasn't a bad deal. The beef was $4 a pound, and that's pricy if you're used to buying just on-sale ground beef at the grocery store, but when you take into account the quality of the meat PLUS the fact we got a good number of steaks & roasts in the mix, it was a fabulous deal.

Why:

This is the important part.

Josh & I both read The Omnivore's Dilemma earlier this year. Really interesting book. I recommend it. The author, a journalist, traces his food to the source, and talks about "factory farming", "industrial organic," sustainable-farming, and hunter-gatherer sources of food. There was a lot more that could be said about all of the types of food sources, but at the end of it all, we were convinced that cows were meant to eat grass, food policy is too slanted towards corn, and we wanted to gradually work towards eating more sustainably. One step in that was finding a source of local, grass-fed, free-range, organic beef. We're also concerned about the sources of our poultry, dairy, & pork, but beef was a starting place for us.
Baby steps.
And this was a baby step that filled our freezer.

What did YOU find in your stocking? A train set, silk ties, or raw meat?

Ministry highlight: Food Rescue

Below is a guest post from Mary, my sister's mother-in-law (or, as they like to say, "mother-in-love"!). Mary is a talented, big-hearted woman who is kept busy raising 4 kids, scrapbooking, and working in the local high school's performing arts department. She's involved at our church, and recently her family has been helping with a ministry called Food Rescue, going to local restaurants and taking leftover food to local food pantries. Here's her story.

Our family volunteers for Food Rescue, a national program seeking to rescue good food that would otherwise be thrown in the trash, and giving it to shelters and needy organizations.  This is the food left over at restaurants at the end of the day, there’s nothing at all wrong with it, it’s just that it was excess.  They throw this food away, people. There are homeless everywhere, yet millions of dollars of food is thrown away.  Bugs the living daylights out of me.

We go to Paradise Cafe and pick up one Monday a month.  Last week we picked up 6 bags of their incredibly good cookies that would have been thrown in the trash, and delivered them to Third Phase, a women’s shelter and food pantry.

Here’s a recent letter from John, who is the Indiana chapter president.  They could use some donations, if you feel so called to this ministry.

Hello Friends,

 In the past year, Food Rescue, through our website FoodRescue.net as scheduled 750 “food rescues” around the country.  We have over 1200 volunteers and 40 Chapter Presidents around the country serving once a month for 90 minutes to care for people in need in their community.

The IRS just awarded Food Rescue 501c3 status last week.   The retail value of the food that we have scheduled to save from the dumpster is nearly 3 million dollars annually since November of 2007.

These totals reflect the efforts of over 1200 volunteers doing a very small thing to make a very big impact.  Our hope is that the work of Food Rescue can be financially supported in the same way.  We are trying to have all 750 Food Rescues sponsored at $10 per month.  There are currently over 100 times slots sponsored, and can be seen here:  foodrescue.net/volunteers/schedule.  Click on Indianapolis Schedule for an example.

If the outrage of 27% of food being wasted in our country in this or any economy is strong enough in your heart, could I ask you this Christmas to consider giving $10 to sponsor a Food Rescue and forward this message onto your friends to see if they would do the same.  I can’t begin to estimate the number of people in need that have been fed from the sacrificial volunteering of time from our volunteers around the country, and I pray that your $10 gift and forwarding to friends would make the same impact.  

 You can make this donation at FoodRescue.net using the paypal Donate button in the lower left hand corner, or mail the check to the address below.  As times are as difficult as they have ever been in our country, we do not underestimate the sacrifice of even $10.

God bless and thanks for you consideration,

John Williamson, Food Rescue President

Want to get involved? Check out the websites mentioned and see if there's a chapter of Food Rescue near you. If there's not, look into starting one or starting something similar- as she said, it's appalling that there are both tons of food going to waste AND hungry people among us.

Here, Mary, (in green) is with her 2 daughters and her friend, setting up for Caroline & Josh's rehearsal dinner in June. She blogs at a private family blog, and I wish she wrote more guest posts for me, because she's a hilarious and animated writer- and a great photographer, too!

Desktop Themes that Matter

I've mentioned Just Wallpaper before... Now Google's getting in on the action.

Do you use the iGoogle page? If not, you should, especially if you haven't jumped on the larger RSS Reader bandwagon. Seriously, check it out.

iGoogle is now offering themes related to different causes & organizations. Deck out your page with the (ONE) Campaig or the Red Cross, or the World Wildlife Fund.

These wallpapers & themes may seem silly- I mean, what difference are they making? They're not raising any money for anything, because they're free. They're not teaching people anything in a broad sense. No one's life is being saved. Here's where I think they're valuable: Many of us spend ALL DAY in front of a computer screen. What we see affects our thoughts. By putting Invisible Children or World Hunger in front of me all day, I become aware of the issue, curious about it, and care more. A coworker or guest may ask me about it. I can talk (and blog!) about it. In the case of the iGoogle theme, it offers a link to donate to the theme's cause.

Give it a try. Maybe, together, we can create a Just Christmas.

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day.
I remember once-upon-a-time when the AIDS crisis was treated like a crisis, and it was in the news all the time. Today, I hear very little about it in the media. Contrary to what you might ahve heard, the problem has NOT gone away. It breaks my heart that the West is practically ignoring the epidemic, treating Africa as a hospice rather than the home of millions of our brothers and sisters.

One organization that is making a difference in a very strategic way is Loving South Africa. South Africa is the epicenter of the crisis, and LSA is trying to find a holistic way to alleviate some of the suffering there. They are attacking the the disease from all angles by partnering with groups in the Kwazulu Natal region that treat different aspects of the disease.
Evangelism
Prevention
Testing
Treatment
Orphanages
Hospice

I particularly appreciate the whole-person approach LSA is taking. Bring the good news to people. Give them practical life skills to not only avoid contracting HIV but hold a job and become a leader. Offer testing for those who want it, to catch the disease early. Provide affordable treatment. Care for the children of the victims of the disease- many of whom are sufferers as well. Treat those dying from AIDS with love and respect. A beautiful plan- if any one of the aspects of the ministry was missing, there would be a hole that sufferers would fall through. This approach is truly "loving accurately".

Shane Claiborne's Prayer

An excerpt:

Give us the courage…
to bless the poor in a world that blesses the middle class.
to bless the meek in a world that admires aggression.
to bless the hungry in a world that feeds the already fed.
to bless the merciful in a world that shows no mercy on evildoers.
to bless the pure in heart in a world of clutter and noise.
to bless the peacemakers in a world that baptizes bombs.

Read the whole thing.

Brave Not Safe

In a somewhat-unrelated blog post titled From Reagan to Obama, a Brief Political History, author Donald Miller wrote these words:

[Due to the insular nature of the suburban church] When we’ve never met people, we are easily manipulated into demonizing them. We are easily made to fear.
...
Last year I vowed I wouldn’t make decisions out of fear. And because of that I’ve had one of the greatest years of my life. I went to Uganda and got to meet with the man who helped write their constitution. I wrapped up an evangelism project I believe will introduce more than a million people to the gospel. I rode my bike across America. All of this stuff took some degree of risk. But when calculating those risks, I realized the only reason not to try was fear. What if I was wrong, what if I couldn’t make it, what if the project didn’t work? But none of my heroes are controlled by fear. The commandment most often repeated in scripture, in fact, is “do not fear.” Fear is often something unrighteous trying to keep you from doing something good.

They will never write stories about people controlled by fear. Stories are written (and for that matter lived) by people willing to take stands against bullies and think for themselves. A month after returning home from Washington D.C., where the bike tour ended, I got a call and was asked to deliver a closing prayer at the DNC. Many of my friends told me not to go, that it would hurt my career. I was afraid, for a second, but then knew when you were asked to go somewhere and pray, you should. Fear is always a sign that a great story is about to be written (or not, depending on how you respond.) People live the most boring lives because they stand down when they encounter fear. And so I said yes.

Lots of people are being Brave. A friend is leaving for India in a week. Another just got back. Another is undertaking an ambitious project to help her local homeless shelter. Some are praying Brave Prayers. I'm excited to say, this weekend, many, many people set aside fear, set aside their "insular suburban church," and were Brave. Over 3,000 people from my very suburban church stepped out and headed out into Hamilton County and south to Indianapolis. They worked on almost 80 projects for 30+ organizations. What does being Brave Not Safe look like?

My dad told me the story of he & my mom's project. Their small group signed up to help at Third Phase, a food pantry & women's shelter in this county. Their task was to clean out the actual food pantry-closet- a room full of deep shelves on every wall. The cleaning wasn't hard, since the shelves were practically empty- there weren't many cans to move out of the way. Food pantry donations are at an all-time low, and they saw this firsthand. This was not to be the case for long, though! Some other Brave people were standing outside local Krogers collecting food and handing out flyers. Other groups were going through Hamilton County neighborhoods collecting food. By the end of the first shift Saturday, my dad said the room was full- and the director who was there with them looked around at the pantry and almost in tears at the shelves full of canned goods. (Wanna be involved in food collection on a regular basis? Check out the Hamilton County Food Pantry Drive.)

Our project was a different sort. We went to downtown Indianapolis to work with a group called Rebuilding the Wall. The group's goal is to " renovate vacant inner city properties and give low-income families the opportunity for homeownership" while inviting suburban Christians to come help in the project, breaking down racial & socioeconomic barriers. Our project? Demolition. The guys were particularly excited about this one. I mostly hauled demolished pieces to a dumpster or burn pile, and my burly husband swung a sledgehammer to break up sidewalks around the house. Oh, and I also took pictures. Of course.

Others worked to demolish a chimney, remove gutters, and remove a big tank from the basement. What we did was just a small part of readying this house for rehabilitation and for a family- there's a lot of work left to do. The act of us being there, the neighbors seeing that we cared about their neighborhood, and, for our own hearts, the act of serving made the time well-spent.

Whether it's cleaning a pantry, hauling trash, or collecting cans, "whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me"

Wanna hear more about being Brave Not Safe? Greg Paul, author of The Twenty-Piece Shuffle, will be speaking at weekend services at Grace this weekend, about why the rich and poor need each other. Also listen to the conversations the last two weeks with inner city ministry leaders and a South African ministry leader fighting the AIDS epidemic in his country.

Did any of you participate this weekend? What's your story? I'd love to compile even more!

Quick CD Review: Evensong Rising

I got this CD by Evensong Rising in the mail, and the packaging fascinated me. I mean, sure, the cardboard CD case is pretty standard, but the insert, rather than containing lyrics, was an overview of the band's philosophy. A why-they-do-what-they-do of sorts.

A couple of years ago, a few friends came together to make a big impact in the world. We saw problems like the AIDS Pandemic, children in sexual slavery, absolute poverty, systemic injustice, environmental degradation... and we wanted to do something to help. What we discovered was we could accomplish more together than we could ever do individually.

The mission of this group is creative and bold, and I really, really appreciate that. The music is just as creative. The series of songs walks the listener through a worship service, and the lyrics are thoughtful and meaningful. The style would really be appropriate in intimate, contemplative worship services Their specific "sound" is "a fusion of styles, from rock to bluegrass to reggae to jazz to soul," which is what you get when you have three Jamaicans, a Celtic violinist, a rock drummer, a pop guitarist, and a lead singer from the south.

The group raises money through the Rising Group for causes like Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief, Indigenous Leadership Development, Spiritual Awakening, Justice Work and Advocacy, and Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Living.

Seriously, a fun, diverse group committed to great causes, and putting their talent where their passion is. Awesome. Check out their website.

Blog Action Day: Poverty

We'll be singing a worship song called "God of Justice" this weekend at church as the sermon series "Shake The System: Brave Not Safe" kicks off. Here are part of the lyrics:

We must go
Live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward
Keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go
To act justly every day
Loving mercy in every way
Walking humbly before You God
You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

Speaking of church stuff, a couple guys my age from church, Curtis and Barry, started a blog Brave Not Safe to highlight social justice issues. Barry just got back from spending a few months in India working with Truthseekers, and Curtis works for the church and makes desktop backgrounds promoting social justice issues in his spare time. (I had this one as my background at work for a while. Not only a great message and reminder- the black background may be environmentally friendlier!)

As part of the sermon series, weekend services November 1-2 are canceled . Instead, everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE. Have you signed up yet? Got the tshirt ? The desktop background ?) is going out to serve. Shifts are on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning, and Sunday afternoon, and the projects are as varied as the people who will participate. Eighty projects. Three-thousand people. Thirty-five organizations. One metro area. One church serving together. I'm so excited.

My contribution at church is at the library, where I spend about 2 hours a week re-shelving and cleaning up. It seems small and far away from the mission work and fight against poverty that is happening in so many other corners of the church's ministry. Last night, while I was cleaning up at the library, I saw that I could make a difference, too. I created a display of books for the sermon series, pulling out books like Good News About Injustice, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, God in the Alley, and Death By Suburb (links to Amazon books). By making people aware of issues (and aware that they can learn about issues via our library!) I'm helping to support the mission of the church, and helping church members be Jesus in the community. If, through the library, the ministry can help educate and turn hearts toward the priorities of God, the library has served its purpose. If those people are mobilized because they are informed and have concrete ways to act, change will happen in the city and around the world. Other good books are in the library too,absolutely- about parsing theology and getting through hard times and working on your marriage and raising your children. There will be a time (and a sermon series) for all of those, but for now, for this time, I was really excited to put up a display about God's heart for the poor. Fighting poverty matters.

In other news, I've gotten word from another library volunteer that books have already been taken from the display, and it hasn't been up 24 hours yet! Looks like other people are just as interested to read about & tackle the topic of poverty as I am! I'll go Friday night or Saturday morning & make sure the display's refilled in time for weekend services.

Psalm 82

I thought this was particularly applicable at the start of the Democratic National Convention. Here's a psalm about God calling a convention of his own, and being the only keynote speaker.

God presides in the great assembly;
he gives judgment among the "gods":

Can you picture it? The "principalities and powers" are being gathered, called together by the God of the Universe. All the ideologies and the religions and the governments people follow and put their trust in- their 'gods'. The 'Isms' are all invited- Materialism, Atheism, Communism, Socialism, Environmentalism, Hinduism, Buddhism- and yes, even Protestantism, Evangelicalism, and Catholicism. Nationalism. Conservatism. Liberalism. Capitalism. Humanism.

The crowd gathers. What is it God is judging them for? What could be the message to these 'gods'?

"How long will you defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?"

There are a whole bunch of well-meaning ideologies here. What more can they do? Fingers get pointed, but all are guilty. No System or Ideology has cared for the downtrodden to God's liking. He continues:

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

These people, the forgotten ones that have fallen through the cracks of the world's Systems, are the ones closest to the heart of God. Neglecting them makes him angry. Finally, God makes an aside to his attendants:

"They know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

He turns to the assembly once more, in a huff:

I said, 'You are "gods";
you are all sons of the Most High.'
But you will die like mere men;
you will fall like every other ruler."

These Systems, these 'Isms' are temporary. They will rise and fall and be no more. They are not as powerful as we would like to think, as many followers as they have now. 'The foundations of the earth are shaken'- any organization or construct we build here will not be perfect, and will fall short. The best we can, let's heed God's challenge. Defend the cause of the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the needy. Rescue the weak. With those goals, we can't go wrong.

"Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance."

* Adapted from this week's sermon and Psalm 82
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Adventures in India

Just wanted to drop a note to highlight a friend's blog...
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Barry, a friend from high school and beyond, is off again on another one of his adventures. In the past, he's spent months in Kenya and interning at our church. This time he's in India for 3 months with Truthseekers International. He's blogging some of his experiences with some awesome pictures over at Stop Caste Now!

On planning a party

Luke 14:12-14

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Millionaire birthday boy parties with homeless

Taj Chahal has thrown himself some great birthday bashes. He has rented limos to take his friends to San Francisco. He's flown to Vegas.

This year, for his 29th birthday, Chahal decided to do something a bit different: He hosted a surprise party for 300 total strangers - complete with birthday cake and party favors for everyone - at Martha's Kitchen, a San Jose charity that serves meals to the homeless and working poor.

Church happenings

A new series is starting up at church this week (see right). I'm excited about it, because I care deeply about social justice issues, and I appreciate that the church is addressing them head-on. My alma mater is addressing the issues head-on as well, with a Social Justice week. And, in a weird connection, the pastor of my church will be receiving an honorary doctorate from my alma mater in a few weeks.

Another exciting development at church: a community garden that will used to grow fresh produce for a local food bank. I think it's a great idea. I hope it flourishes well. They're going to try to use sustainable, chemical- and pesticide-free methods in the half-acre garden, making it not only an effort to end hunger, but part of the creation-care value of the church as well.

"Let him have your cloak as well"

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. - Matthew 5:38-42

From NPR:

[Julio Diaz was in the subway and ]"He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.

"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

Read the whole story.

Grace is a funny thing, as it is so backwards from our instincts. This story is literally what we're called to. What if, instead of being hyper-alert and defensive, like a constant alarm system monitoring our surroundings, we instead have a response to our enemies- Hey, here's my wallet. And my coat. And, want to go to dinner?