Contrary to what some of you may have thought after my previous blog concerning Global Warming, I do care about the environment. I may have no idea what I yet believe about gw, because I have not done enough research, but I do believe that either way I should be committed to taking care of what God has given me. In the last year Jess and I have been making subtle changes to how we live and take care of our home. I’ve always viewed my life as a spiritual journey, growing and changing and developing in my faith as I age. But I’ve often forgotten that I serve a holistic God who desires for the renovation of all of creation, not just my spiritual self. Here is a bit of our journey, and what has changed. It’s a process and I’d love input and challenges. Give me good books to read and ideas to pursue.

• We’ve gone virtually chemical free in our house. Getting rid of all of the cleaning chemicals, the soaps that are filled with poison for our bodies, and the air fresheners that poison our air. Did you know that the air inside your home is extremely more toxic than that outside? We now use cheaper and cleaner Norwex products (check it out online) and lots of vinegar, baking soda, and all that natural crap. It’s been great for our families health and budget.
• We live in an apartment which makes it a bit harder to live green (no solar power, rain catcher things, recycling pickup, etc.) but we visit our local recycling center every other week, we dry most loads on a clothes line, we use cloth diapers and wipes for Jones, we don’t use paper products anymore (napkins, paper towels, etc.), we use rechargeable batteries, and all that fun stuff that helps to reduce waste in our world and even saves us money.
• We’ve been on a journey of simplifying, realizing that we don’t need much of the crap that we own. Craigs list and used clothings stores have been an asset for getting rid of crap and getting money back.
• Riding the bus would be next on our agenda, but because of Jess’ bed rest we’ve been forced to wait until it better fits our life. It’s frustrating because siting on a bus reading a book while someone else drives for me sounds very appealing. Not to mention we get a discount for being poor so it will save us lots of money too (are you starting to notice a trend? Am I obsessed with money? Maybe…hopefully in a good healthy way though…but maybe not)
• We’ve smashed a handful of new plants into our house and balcony. They say that you should have one plant for every 100 square feet to clean your air. The fresh tomatoes will be nice in addition to the herbs and spices. And Jones really enjoys watering them.
• Instead of using air fresheners we’ve gotten a few essential oils to make our house smell better and more soothing. It kind of creeps us out though because there is extreme power in aromatherapy so we’re very careful in this aspect because we still do not know a whole lot.

The list could go on of different subtle changes. We know we still have a huge number of things we’d like to change, and of the changes we’ve made most are probably incomplete. It’s a journey, not a destination. It has been a very enjoyable journey so far, one that has saved us money and brought peace to our home.
We would still like to purchase more local and organic foods, but cannot afford it just yet. We’d also like to change our eating habits. We’re contemplating a vegetarian diet. Who knows, maybe we’ll do a crazy raw food diet for a month and see what we think. (we do have to be careful when it comes to nursing and Jess’ celiac disease-wheat allergy) It’s not like we’re just trying to be weird or like we’re trying to fit in with Portland or something. We are just trying to make as many changes, one at a time, that might make our family more healthy, our world cleaner, and life more peaceful.

Got any input? Any ideas? Have you made any changes? Read any books?

So I don’t know what I think about global warming. I’m taking my time doing some research and studying both sides. Both sides seem to make it perfectly clear that their sides are the obvious choice. This blog is not about that choice.

Moses made some stupid choices. He killed people. He treated his wife like a whore. He did some stuff that would call his character into question. He also probably wrote most of the first five books of the Old Testament. Does that mean that we cannot trust what he wrote? I don’t think so. There are times when an authors words are put in a way that requires their show of good moral character (I’m not saying Moses was void of moral decency, just go with me here). If Shakespeare was a jerk it doesn’t make his love stories less romantic. They don’t rely on his character. The same could be said of Moses and the Bible. Moses tells us his faults. Moses’ story is corroborated (in some ways) by other people/events. etc. etc.

Joseph Smith was a messed up dude. There are factual accounts (corroborated by legit sources)that show him as a charlatan and a lunatic among other things. He wrote the book of Mormon. Does that mean that we cannot trust the Book of Mormon? I would say at the very least it should call it into serious question because the book (and the background story associated with it) stands on Smiths character. So therefore if he is shown to have a pathetic moral nature we should be forced to call into question books and writings that rely on that nature.

Al Gore has set himself up as one of the leading spokespersons for Global Warming. GW won him an Academy Award. He’s encouraged thousands and thousands of people to be more active in protecting our environment (which is a good thing no matter where you stand on GW). But one must call into question the character of Al. Al has stated that we have ten years to make changes, that in ten years we will have run out of time. In essence, he has taken on the roll of Chicken Little by telling us that the sky is falling…in ten years. If he is right then there must be urgency, intense urgency, immediate urgency (redundant?), urgent urgency (redundant?). And yet, in one month following An Inconvenient Truth, just one of the Gore’s multiple homes used more energy than the average American does in one full year. The response I’ve seen by liberals (some how GW has turned into a liberal/conservative debate…strange) is that it’s ridiculous to debunk GW because one of its spokespersons is “unclean”. While I see this being true, I believe that Gore has made it an issue of his character when he calls the world to an urgent (ten year) response. If that is really true shouldn’t he be responding urgently in reducing his carbon footprint? Does this mean that we throw out Global Warming altogether? Nope. But it does make you wonder doesn’t it?

PS Al Gore is wiener-baby. And that is a fact.

I played this at Renovatus on Sunday within the context of showing someone who harnessed the arts to communicate Jesus. If this doesn’t inspire you and make you want to cry like a little girl then I’m not sure anything will.

I was able to speak at Renovatus last week about Matthew 13. I had been looking forward to it for quite some time. I am only the primary speaker about once a month so I always anticipate and dread that day. In this instance I felt like I had something to teach, something God had been teaching me for some time that I greatly desired to share with the community. In the end I believe my presentation to be weak, but the message to have come through honestly enough (God has a way of doing that you know). I mostly spoke concerning the Mustard seed.
It was a common plant to Palestine, I imagine as Jesus sat in a boat on the edge of the Sea of Galilee he looked and saw such a plant growing on the shore and thus causing him to point and tell a story.
The message that we’re often taught from his parable is: small seed, big plant=God can do great things in small packages. That is a good message. But it only scrapes the surface of what I’ve come to understand the average Jew (joe) would probably have understood. Let me unpack it a little bit…
The Black Mustard Plant was a feared plant by those who knew anything about gardening. It was a dangerous weed in those days (in fact, it is still quite dangerous today, considered a noxious weed by the USDA). The Mishnah (the Jewish oral tradition put on paper) actually forbade planting it in small gardens because of its rapid and overwhelming growth patterns. The Mustard plant grows so fast and easily it quickly takes over any other crop. It was a dreaded and terrible thing if a wheat farmer found a mustard plant growing in their field. It meant the potential destruction of their crop.
The mustard plant could grow anywhere. It would grow in the cracks of rocks, it was known to grow on the side of buildings, even to the point of splitting stones apart by its roots…all from such a tiny seed.
The Jewish people were waiting for a kingdom. But they waited for one that came with strength and power, one like their ancestor David. But, instead of talking about a kingdom represtend by a great tree where eagles nested and the whole world could see; Jesus spoke of a weedy kingdom where fowl (you know, the kinds that scarecrows were meant to keep out of gardens) could rest.
Nobody likes weeds. Weeds are plants growing in the wrong spots. If grass grows where it doesn’t belong it is a weed. Weeds are a nuisance. Weeds get in the way.
Is that what the Jesus kingdom is supposed to be about? Intriguing…so what does that mean? To an audience who most likely knew all of this (being that it was their cultural reality), what were Jesus’ words communicating?
My guess is that the kingdom is supposed to grow. It’s supposed to be a miraculously growing movement of people. But it does not grow though external means of power, it does not grow through good looks or popularity, it does not grow through brute strength. Rather it is subtle, even subversive. It is a grassroots movement. It is weed-like. It does not bow to the culture of the world, a culture that tells you to love only those who deserve it and to buy lots of stuff before you die and that you’re not worth it. Rather it loves people one at a time, its seeds fit in the small cracks that people leave available and then love until it overcomes and splits them wide open.
I won’t say anymore.
Oh, and the best way to keep mustard from taking over is by segregating itself from the crops. If it stays by itself the rest of the garden will remain unchanged. It excites me that the common world view in Christianity is changing. We aren’t supposed to be in this world to stay to ourselves, rather we’re here as salt and light to wheat around us. I think that great things will be done in the name of Jesus in the next fifty years and I hope to be a part of it (I’m not implying that great things have not been done, rather that this possible shift will allow Christ followers to have a greater impact in the world around them).

Guys be jealous, girls be envious…I’ve got an amazingly gorgeous wife. And the most amazing thing is that she’s an amazingly wonderful person too.
I just wanted to say sorry to the rest of the world. You’ll have to settle for second best.
And here’s the evidence (she didn’t like this picture much, but I think it’s sexy):