Mary Oliver, Part I, Wild Geese

I don't read poetry often, but my favorite poet is Mary Oliver, based mostly on her poem Wild Geese. Read it out loud, to yourself, to loved ones, to your kids. I've cried after reading just the first line.

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Washington

The First Debate was last night. Just for a minute, forget about your political opinions, if you can. Regardless of the content of everyone's politics, I don't want to lose sight of how amazing it is that this November there will either be a Black man as President or a woman as Vice President. How amazing that a young black kid can watch TV and think about her/his future, and see Barack Obama on the TV and dream big!

Same for Sarah Palin. Kids don't have the faculties to get into the nitty gritty work of all this stuff thrown around (a blessing?). If and when I have a daughter, I'd want her to look at Sarah Palin and see a strong woman and have my daughter say, "Damn right I could do that! There are no limits to what I can do!"

So let's celebrate a little. There are some real and necessary political battles that need to be fought. And we'll continue to get plenty of that. But let's not forget that these are historical times worthy of celebration.

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)

I'm in west Tennessee for a few days and I'm staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Buffalo, TN. There is not a single incandescent light bulb in this room (all CFLs!). Buffalo seems nice, but it's not exactly bustling with environmentalists! The tide is changing.

0+0+0+0+0 always = 0
1+1+1+1+1+1 = Infinitely More (and moving in the right direction!)

Change one bulb in your house. They make warm, non-stark CLFs now. You'll save money and do good. In Atlanta, check out Georgia Interfaith Power and Light.

Kickball

I'm reading a book called Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, by sociologist Robert Putnam. The gist of his book is that the social fabric of community in the U.S. has waxed and waned over our history, and that we're at a time where it's time to build up once again the social capital that makes for abundant living. Below is a excerpt from a review:

Putnam draws on evidence including nearly 500,000 interviews over the last quarter century to show that we sign fewer petitions, belong to fewer organizations that meet, know our neighbors less, meet with friends less frequently, and even socialize with our families less often. We're even bowling alone. More Americans are bowling than ever before, but they are not bowling in leagues.

My friend Colin and I talk often about the presence and deterioration of the "Third Spaces" in the US. The First Space is the home, the Second is the workplace, and the Third is that place where people bond in a social space out in the community. Churches, Elks Clubs, VFW Halls, Bowling and Pool Leagues are all examples of these Third Spaces. For instance, Colin plays in a pool league and plays hostess to numerous gatherings at her house; I play in a softball league and attend a weekly interfaith worship service.

Putnam says that many of these Third Spaces are dying, if they're not already dead. When these spaces die, depression goes up, crime goes up, addictive behaviors go up, and also home values go down, participation in democracy goes down, trust goes down. Putnam suggests that the nature or purpose of the group doesn't matter nearly as much as the fact that people are together, getting to know each other, connecting, dispelling stereotypes, and merely communing together.

Well, I am buoyed by the knowledge that kickball leagues in the US have exploded over the past decade! Grown adults get together for no other reason than to be together, have fun, compete, (drink beer, probably), kick a neon rubber ball around, and try not to get hit in the head! So community might be on the ropes, but we're not down for the count! And kickball is one of them! Check out some kickball resources in Atlanta!

A Prayer of Hope

For the Candler School of Theology General Staff Meeting
Monday 22 September 2008

We pray to you,
God who is our Mother,
God who is our Father.
We are Yours.
We pray that we may know Your love
and will for our lives.

In this School of Theology,
comfort us as we seek Your presence
in our everyday lives,
in Your Scriptures,
in Your Church.
Help us form Your leaders
as they leave this place to carry Your Good News
of love and justice.

In this State of Georgia,
make us uncomfortable,
as we are set to execute one of Your Children,
Troy Davis.
We pray for Your Gospel of Life
to stir the hearts of Your Children
Governor Sonny Purdue
and the members of the Board of Pardons.

In this space here,
be present with us. In the name of Your Child
and our Brother Jesus, Your Chosen One
who came to us not as a king,
not as a politician,
but as a helpless and unplanned Baby
and an Executed Criminal.

Amen.


Note: For those not aware, Troy Davis is a black man convicted of killing a white police officer based solely on eyewitness testimony (no murder weapon, no physical evidence of any kind). Since his conviction, 7 of 9 of the original witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony, several citing police coercion. These recantations have never been heard by a jury. To me, this is the epitome of "a reasonable doubt." Mr. Davis is scheduled to be executed tomorrow, Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. EST. Please write to Governor Sonny Purdue to request that a man can have all of the evidence in his case heard before he is put to death.

Alan Gell. 6 Years on Death Row in North Carolina. Later Found Innocent.
Raleigh, NC, September 2004

Ultimate (frisbee)

I love Ultimate. It is such a beautiful game to watch and be a part of. The wind, the arcing throws, the geometry, the flow of the game. It's gorgeous.

I especially like that Ultimate, as a whole sport, promotes hard play and competition that brings out the best in people. Ultimate has no referees, ever. From pick-up games in Piedmont Park to the World Championships, players call their own games. And the culture of Ultimate is that people play with respect, even as they play hard. So people who are jerks don't fit in. Competition, yes, and yet the competition is all within the bounds of what's called The Spirit of the Game (SOTG). The Official Ultimate Players Association guides define the SOTG thusly:

• Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship which places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling, or other 'win-at-all-costs' behavior are contrary to the spirit of the game and must be avoided by all players.

I find Ultimate hopeful because it is a place where people of all political, religious, chronological, gender, cultural, and racial backgrounds and persuasions can come together, have fun, play hard, and get some good exercise. And yet Ultimate takes place under the agreed upon tenets of the SOTG. In this divisive election season, I offer these observations about how Ultimate can bring us all together, Left and Right:

Republicans should celebrate Ultimate because it proves that a group can exist and progress towards their goals successfully with NO OUTSIDE REGULATION of any sort. No Big Government. Hell, no government at all. Take away the top-down rules and people and groups will excel and push each other to be the best they can be.

Democrats should celebrate because Ultimate proves that the good nature and intentions of individuals and groups really is what ties people together and orders the society. The SOTG is evidence that the essence of people really is good, and that this innate good nature really can be the backbone and structure of a successful society. Love, respect, and tolerance, when nurtured by the group and allowed to thrive in the proper environment, are all that are needed for a robust democracy.


See, we can all get along. Let's go play some Ultimate!

The Onion

New Remote Control Can Be Operated By Remote

The Onion: America's Finest News Source is a brilliant satirical "news" source. You can pick up print copies in Chicago, New York, and I'm sure other cities, but these days I catch them mostly online. There are only 12 writers for the entire website/newspaper, which comes out weekly. The writers are very well-read, sharp folks, their material is always irreverent, and often times delving (funnily) into the inappropriate. "Funny, but wrong" is often my reaction to their stuff. They have full stories, fake interviews, "man on the street" segments, and just plain old headlines.

Speaking as a hope blogger, I find that the Onion rarely goes down a cynical path; rather they touch some very funny nerves regarding very serious and important issues.

Just a very few examples, appropriate for this blog, are:

Bush Told To Sign Birthday Treaty For Someone Named 'Kyoto'

Bags Filled With Sand Still Most Advanced U.S. Anti-Flood Technology

Alumni Furious Over High School's Constant Improvements

Hank Williams Jr. Honored By Institute For Football Preparedness

Boyfriend Ready To Take Relationship To Previous Level









Jonathan Papelbon's 95 mph Water Balloon Ruins Family Barbecue

Julie Bonhoeffer: Badass

“The Jews are our misfortune!”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was greatly influenced by his family, especially his paternal grandmother Julie, who was by all accounts a very feisty woman. When Hitler came to power in Germany, his government's first official act against the Jews was a one-day boycott of Jewish businesses on April 1, 1933. Pickets were placed in front of factories, stores and shops belonging to Jews.

Dietrich's grandmother, Julie Bonhoeffer, at the age of ninety-one(!), boldly walked through a group of Swastika-d Nazi Storm Troopers into a Jewish department store like the one pictured above and made a purchase. "(Julie) said she was not going to be told that she couldn't go inside because the owner was Jewish, so she walked right in and bought the strawberries... They didn't dare take this elderly woman. She was very alert and walked elegantly. So nobody was going to stop her!" Can you picture it! If only so many in the German churches and elsewhere had the courage of this woman to stand up for the Jews, stand up for those who are the marginalized and oppressed--the gypsies and homosexuals among other people, for the Nazis, deemed "impure."

Reminds me of Rosa Parks. Simple acts, taken at great personal risk, by brave women. The stories could be multiplied many times.

Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama

The collaboration between Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama has been a source of great strength and hope for me. There is something about black Gospel music that is knowingly hopeful. Without trivializing or dismissing very real suffering and injustice, the Good News remains as a light in darkness, a testimony, dare I say a witness to the fact that darkness and death are not the end. And this Good News Music is sung in community, with the collective breath (The Hebrew is ruach; the Greek is pneuma--the word used for the Holy Spirit by Christians) of the Church. So I don't even have to believe at this moment that there will be a light in the midst of this darkness, but I can sing anyway, I can sing with my community, and the Spirit, the Breath, can still be at work.


Take a watch and listen to these.

Take My Hand Video from YouTube

Audio of There Will Be a Light

Inspire

Perhaps a shift is coming. Even if it's true that you might only have one little drop, why not put it in the right bucket?


The Shift Movie

Kudzunol

There's a company in Tennessee that is working converting kudzu into ethanol! How fantastic is that? Ok, if you're not from the SE United States, the picture to the right is an ubiquitous site in the South, where the weed-like kudzu vines grow like crazy along every highway and backroad in sight. It grows a foot a day(!) and up to 60 feet a season. It requires zero watering or care or anything and has no natural predators, so the only thing is does is overgrow everything. It's kind of a pain to harvest, apparently, but the folks at Agro Gas Industries are working on it. Not sure how viable it will be, but I actually first hear about this on ESPN--apparently NASCAR is looking into mandating some non-corn ethanol be used in their race cars. Hybrids are still a little ways off for the Busch Series...

Artists Leading the Way

As an overly heady guy, I am growing to appreciate, more and more, the role of the right brain, the artistic, the non-linear, and the poetic (broadly defined) in the world. In religion. In social change. In the way I navigate my daily world. Here's a great YouTube video about Global Warming. It's not a heavy-handed, Leftist diatribe. Just some simple images. Tell me you aren't moved, though.

VIDEO

Hope is a choice.

Actually, I think hope is many things, among them, a choice. Stop. Breathe. Look around. Is this world full of evil? To be feared? Is it really you versus everyone else? Or is there Beauty (another name for God?) behind every corner? Are there a Thousand Points of Light, as George Bush the Greater showed us. Check out Marcus Taylor’s blog. Marcus is the web guru for Candler School of Theology and a fantastic photographer. He publishes a new photograph- like the yellow daisy above- every day or so. I think Marcus captures much of the Beauty in the small things. He certainly helps me to slow down, to pay attention, to be open to the Spirit who is present whether I am aware of Her or not. I especially love the ironic One Way sign!

Thanks, Marcus.

New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium might be my favorite company in the US, for so many reasons. In addition to making great beer (Fat Tire Ale is their flagship beer), they are also the brewing industry leaders in eco-friendly practices and they treat their workers fantastically.

New Belgium, out of Fort Collins, Colorado, saves $2,500 to $3,000 a month by generating some of its own electricity (the rest comes from wind farms). They have a system that collects methane from the brewing wastewater and uses it to fire an electric generator. In the brew house, heat typically released as steam preheats incoming water. All this adds up to them using 40% less energy per barrel of beer than the average brewer.

Outside Magazine named New Belgium 'Best Place To Work In America' for 2008. Each of the 260 employees gets a free case of beer a week and a free bicycle on the 1-year anniversary of their hire. 40% of the staff rides bikes to work every day! After working there for 5 years, employees get an all-expense paid pilgrimage to Belgium to learn about beer culture.

See, you can make money (annual revenue $70 million) and fantastic beer, treat people well, and still run a Green company. Rock on.

Shopping bags

I am the proud owner of six reusable shopping bags. They cost me less than $5 total. I was at the grocery store tonight and during my time there four of us checked out. And three of us had reusable bags. Keep it going, people! Do it for national security! No disposable commercial-goods-toting-devices made from foreign petrochemicals!!!

Great Beer

Of all of the trends in American capitalism, the one that makes me most hopeful is the blossoming of the microbrewing industry. 30 years ago, you could get crap mega-corporate beer and that was about it. Now the art of brewing has taken off and Beauty can be sipped in thousands of different forms by brewers across the country and the world. Halleluia!!! Oh, and Avery Czar is a ridiculously good beer.

Luke 5:17-20

One of my favorite passages from the New Testament about hope and community is from Luke’s Gospel.

One day as (Jesus) was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some people came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take her into the house to lay her before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered her on her mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

-----------

Did you hear the good news? Because of their faith--not her faith--she didn't have it that day--because of their faith, she was healed. Sometime we have faith and hope enough for ourselves and others, and sometimes we just don't. But that's when our community carries us. Can I hear an amen?!

Environmentalism at Emory

I am proud to work at Emory University and be a part of the Office of Sustainability. Emory jacked up the parking costs in order to encourage non single-occupancy-vehicles on campus. Biking and walking remain free. All of the free Emory shuttles are either biodiesel or compressed natural gas vehicles. Plus every building Emory ever builds from now on will be a LEED certified building, including our new Theology building. Woohoo!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I am taking a class at Candler School of Theology this fall on the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. If you don't know, Bonhoeffer was a young German theologian who stood up to Hitler and the Protestant Reich Church that had capitulated to Nazi politics. He studied in the US in the early 30s, and yet chose to go back to Hitler's Germany in 1931, well aware of the danger of this move. He was executed in a concentration camp at the age of 39. And his life and message and call to strongly question any who would equate the Christian Gospel with any one political agenda have carried far beyond the audience he reached during his lifetime.

Dixie Glass Hoppers

I recently completed a cherry mirror for a woodworking client. I bought the mirror at Dixie Glasshoppers in Decatur, GA. I arrived just before closing, and was going to pay with my Amex card. But they don't take it, and I didn't have enough cash. I expected that I would have to leave work early again the next day and come back. Yet without hesitation the woman behind the counter told me to just slip the money under the door when I get it. Who does that these days??? She didn't have my name or phone number or anything. And so I walked out of the store with my mirror and a little more faith in humanity! And dropped the money under the door later that evening.