tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74583718589261419092024-03-05T00:35:29.001-08:00Join the LivingSharing hope, imagination, and community wherever we find it.JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-19790965301154481962011-03-24T11:24:00.000-07:002011-03-24T11:36:53.749-07:00Bus station hospitality<style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri; }p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri; }span.MsoFootnoteReference { vertical-align: super; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">One of our friends wrote this reflection about her experience of going with community members of the Restoration Project to the bus station last week. Our community house, Casa Mariposa is one mile from the Tucson Greyhound station. Through our work with the Florence Project and with immigrants and asylum seekers being detained, we've realized that sometimes people end up stranded at the bus station over night when they are released. This is part of the response. </span><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">I didn’t know what to expect when we walked into the Greyhound station that evening around 8:30. Inside a television played low in the corner. A wall of vending machines and video games including one named “Target, Terror,” buzzed and blinked at us. A few people were dozing on benches under the low ceiling and fluorescent lights. None of the released detainees in sight. Two folks from the Restoration Project, who live at Casa Mariposa in Tucson, Arizona, and I set up camp to wait it out. </span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">An hour or two later, a lone ICE agent raced into the station and headed for the bathroom. Slowly, a small line of people formed in front of the counter. The ICE agent returned, racing as quickly out of the bus station as he had entered, muttering, “Good night, gentlemen” as he blew through the door. We exchanged bemused looks with the released detainees at the agent’s behavior. They each hugged a clear plastic bag stamped with Homeland Security’s insignia. They were quiet and some seemed scared. As they waited for the Greyhound attendant to return from his break, we began getting a feel for the group’s needs. Our small contingent had gone that evening to look for a specific woman who was to be released and stay at Casa Mariposa. Her bus ticket was for the next morning. She was not in the van that evening<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7458371858926141909#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="">[1]</span></span></a>, the others said, so we spoke with them instead.</span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The group consisted of a woman from Nicaragua, a young man from Ecuador, just 18 years old, and men from Haiti, Mexico, the Punjab region of India, and Eritrea. They were going to Chicago, New York, Minnesota and California. Some had been housed in ICE detention centers in Eloy for just a few weeks, others for a few years. Some were fighting asylum cases, others had been apprehended for other immigration reasons and were being released on bond to continue their immigration cases from outside the prison walls. </span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sometimes people the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project have represented stay at Casa Mariposa between their release and when transportation to their final destination can be arranged. Sometimes it is just overnight. Sometimes for a few days. We’ve met people from Eritrea, fleeing forced inscription and the gender-based violence involved in forced military service. We’ve met people fleeing war in Somalia and political persecution in Ethiopia who have lived in multiple countries en route to getting to the U.S. to seek asylum. These are often torture survivors who are re-traumatized as they are forced to live in the detention center. </span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Other people are released from ICE custody directly to the bus station after posting bond. It is always at night. Sometimes family members or friends have pre-arranged a bus tickets or wired money that is waiting for them through Western Union. But sometimes people arrive with no clear plan. Sometimes the buses are full and no ticket can be purchased until the next day. Sometimes there are errors that delay a money transfer through Western Union. </span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The Tucson greyhound station closes after the final bus leaves around midnight, leaving some people outside to wait until it reopens the next morning. In these cases, people who have been in custody for prolonged periods of time have sometimes found themselves on the street or struggling to find an all-night restaurant where they can wait until morning. For some, this is their first experience of the United States outside of the immigration detention center. </span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The night we went to the bus station, I sat for a long time with the young man from Ecuador, who was able to purchase a ticket to Chicago. He talked quietly and seemed anxious. He asked how many times he would need to change buses before arriving in Chicago. He followed closely behind some of the other men who had taken him under their wings. I wrote down the specific instructions he’d need, and phrases in English he could use to ask for help if he needed it.</span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">At the end of the night, two men, from India and Eritrea, were not able to secure bus tickets. We offered them a place to stay for the evening until they could arrange transportation in the morning. After we had been with them for a few hours, they agreed, and came with us to Casa Mariposa. </span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hospitality is not simply the process of opening one’s home to someone in need of a place to go. That in itself is an often radical act. Hospitality is also the process of opening one’s heart and spirit to another, inviting both to share in a common human experience. Hospitality is a willingness to be transformed by the sharing of the other person’s experiences.</span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">This bus station hospitality here in Tucson is happening organically. The next evening one of the community members walked to the station with one of the guests to catch his bus. It was the last one leaving that day. A man from Haiti, just released from the detention center, was there without a ticket. He stayed at Casa Mariposa that night. The next day, before he boarded his bus, the two of them played Bob Marley songs on guitars together in the living room. </span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Last month a Florence Project staff member was picking up a woman just released from the detention center, and called Casa Mariposa to ask if they had room for several more people to stay. That night four women in all, including an older woman, stayed and shared a meal at Casa Mariposa instead of an all night restaurant or on the street.</span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Members of the community have gone to the bus station several times over the last few weeks. Most nights everyone gets on a bus and on his or her way. But not always. And so the community and the Florence Project are taking steps to have small groups of people take turns going and waiting weeknights at the greyhound station, just to be present and see what people might need. It is happening in small steps, in each one a careful attention to the spirit of God as it appears in the experiences of people in need. </span></p> <div style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span> <hr style="height: 3px;font-size:78%;" align="left" width="33%"> <div style="" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7458371858926141909#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="">[1]</span></span></a> Unfortunately, ICE dropped her off the following morning at 6 am. The station was closed until 7 am. She had no coat. It was about 45 degrees. She waited outside. They were trying to be helpful since her bus didn’t leave until that day. </span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 51, 0); font-family: times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><br />Vicki Kline recently moved to Tucson from Baltimore, where she worked with unaccompanied minors through <a href="http://www.lirs.org/site/c.nhLPJ0PMKuG/b.5537769/k.BFCA/Home.htm">Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services</a>. In Tucson, Vicki works with <a href="http://www.nomoredeaths.org/">No More Deaths,</a> and has greatly improved the beauty of <a href="http://restorationproject340.wordpress.com/about/">Casa Mariposa</a> through a home makeover of the breakfast nook. She believes <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/205428/portlandia-i-dream-of-the-90s">the dream of the 90s </a>might still be alive in Tucson. </span>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-38589491711655774222010-08-25T12:39:00.000-07:002010-08-25T16:34:54.851-07:00Community and Tradition<o:documentproperties> <o:template></o:template><o:version></o:version> </o:documentproperties><o:officedocumentsettings><o:allowpng></o:allowpng></o:officedocumentsettings><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:0 2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Courier New"; panose-1:0 2 7 3 9 2 2 5 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:0 5 2 1 2 1 8 4 8 7; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 256 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:665323194; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:1568016560 -2031858982 -423704654 -2040731566 993458766 808228396 -1857544912 486306948 1892174752 -1870350570;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >One of the slippery areas we've encountered in creating spiritual community outside the inherited church structures is how to hang on to parts of tradition while focusing more on being the church instead of doing church. It takes some imagination and some work.<br /><br />There seems to be a growing understanding, even a longing for, being real, live community together, not just enacting religious rituals at the same time with other people in a building. It's the difference between, "They will know we are Christians by our love," and, "They will know we are Christians by our brass candle sticks, fancy robes, and approved liturgical language."<br /><br />Now, I'll be the first to say that some of that approved liturgical language and ritual is completely beautiful and serves as an invaluable container for encountering the Sacred. And of course, the tradition isn't just the outward elements of our worship. It's also the stories. It's our sacred stories held in scripture as well as in the lives of the faithful on whose shoulders we stand. Our tradition gets carried on in the quiet integrity of lives lived out of humble service and the alternative values that following Christ calls us to. And then there is the tradition of wisdom writings and the artful expressions of the last 2,000 years. No one is saying let's just pack it all up and send to the curb.<br /><br />And yet, what I sense going on today is a deep longing to be part of the flowing tradition, to be creators of the living tradition, not just consumers of the past tradition. One of my seminary professors, <a href="http://www.eds.edu/sec.asp?pageID=87">Christopher Duraisingh</a>, talks of the need to always keep <i>traditioning. </i></span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >Tradition is an alive thing, like a flowing river, we step into it. We are part of it. We keep it moving and breathing, he taught us.<br /><br />Recently I read an interesting article by a rabbi that speaks to the tension of wanting to create deep community and what that means for the tradition. I agree with a lot of it. The following is by Niles Elliot Goldstein and was published by the Alban Institute. Full article <a href="http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=9161">here.<br /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >The icons, symbols, and images of the past no longer hold power for this new generation of Americans. Some of the largest and most dynamic megachurches, for example, do not even have crosses in their facilities, let alone fixed pews or pulpits. What people seem to crave is a sense of community, a feeling of being wanted and known.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Ultimately, we want to be loved, and to find protection through that love.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >I believe that we need to rethink our congregations today less as houses of worship than as sanctuaries in the true, etymological meaning of the word—a place of safety and security. These are troubling times, and offering Americans a safe haven amidst the maelstrom around us is a very appealing gift. A sanctuary is different from a church or a synagogue. A sanctuary is not about symbols, rituals, sacred texts, or holy days—it is more about, as the Jewish evening liturgy states, being “guarded under the shelter of Your wings.” ...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >If we can transform congregations into sanctuaries and safe havens, we can begin to offer the shelter that so many people yearn for but cannot seem to find. But then new questions will arise that we must confront:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >With less emphasis on prayer, study, and theology, and more on interpersonal connection and inclusivity, what is it exactly that our spiritual institutions stand for?<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Are we simply giving the people what they want, or are we holding fast to age-old values and principles?<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Is it possible to strike the proper balance between creating innovative projects and initiatives and conserving the traditional pillars of our rich and ancient faiths?</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >These are difficult questions that are appropriate for these difficult times.</span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />We are living into all these questions within our community everyday. Here are some reflections.<br /><br />First, I think these are more complex than either/or situations. I don't think we have to choose for instance between deep community/ innovative projects and conserving "the traditional pillars of our rich and ancient faiths." I think there is a "both/and" path through all this. It just will take some trial and error as the generations alive now and into the next 100 years or so make our way through. We will have to find a way to not pit innovation against tradition. And we'll need to have the creativity and patience to walk that both/and way to give birth to the new thing God is doing in the world today.<br /><br />Okay. Now. It is true, our community spends more time tending the depth of our relationships, than in studying scripture or praying together. It's not that we've completely abandoned the latter. We've had theology discussions over oatmeal and while standing around making meals together. Last summer we met weekdays for morning prayer. This summer we've gathered sporadically in the living room for night prayer. We go on retreats together twice a year. Some of us take a weekly Sabbath. We have an altar in the corner where we light candles when we are praying for someone lost in the desert or in distress. We hosted an all night Easter vigil, baptized someone in the backyard, designed and led a few public spiritual gatherings, like the time we offered prayers, songs, and reflections in front of the federal building when a friend was on trial for offering humanitarian aid to undocumented migrants.<i><br /><br /></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >We could be more intentional about declaring what we stand for spiritualy and doing spiritual practices together. And that is an important growing edge of our experimental life here. At the same time, nurturing community is an important expression of what we stand for and figuring out what we—an ecumenical community of smart, compassionate, social justice driven young adults—stand for collectively in terms of faith and religious tradition is complicated. <i><br /><br /></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >Our mission statement actually puts relationship front and center. It starts like this...<i>"Nourished and empowered by the Spirit, the Restoration Project community seeks to live in right relationship with one another, the community, and the earth ..." </i></span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >I can only speak for myself here, but for me, after several decades of studying scripture, theology, and praying, I got the point that that wasn't the point. It's all a "finger pointing to the moon." Here's what I think is the point: To rest in the presence of God, to know our own belovedness, and then from that to be alive in our own special way and join in God's dance in the world that is already happening. Jesus was trying to invite us to dance, not to sit in a pew.<br /><br /><br />We can spend all the time in the world studying and praying, but if the quality of our presence, the depth of our love, the playfulness of our creativity, the lightness of our laughter, the gentleness and patience and the realness of our friendships don't show, then what is the point.<br /><br /><br />For me, spiritual disciplines are important tools to keep the windows of our souls open for the Spirit to blow through. They help us stay alive and breathing. Finding ways to pray, interact with scripture, and do theological reflecting, authentically and in life-giving ways in our everyday lives is the both/and path that we are trying to live out in community. We will keep experimenting, and learning from the rich tradition of monastics, Catholic Worker houses, saints, artists, poets, who have done this in beautiful and meaningful ways long before we attempted it. Community and spiritual practices go hand in hand.<br /><i><br /></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" ><br />In our community, we've also talked a lot about what does "spirituality" mean? And we don't really agree. But we keep listening to each other and talking about it. And since we are an ecumenical bunch, we each wrestle with our inherited tradition in different ways. We've even discussed at times if everyone was comfortable identifying as a Christian community. Some folks are recovering Catholics, or lean more toward Buddhist meditation, or are progressive in their Christianity and so recognize the wisdom and validity in other traditions. Others consider themselves to be spiritual, but not religious. One of the founding members is now studying to be a Unitarian Universalist minister. We are all okay with this. That's just the way our generations roll. <i><br /><br /></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" ><br />A gift of being an inclusive, eclectic community is that we are a safe space to have honest discussions and to get into the nitty gritty. Here's an image. Imagine that faith and tradition were a car. For some young adults it has stopped running. Here in our community, we have enough space, time together, collective knowledge/training, and grace to dismantle it, lay the pieces out on the back porch, and let them stay there awhile. We have the tools to clean the pieces, share parts from other "cars"/ faith traditions, and work together to put it back together (if that is what is wanted). It's an organic process. And it happens over drinking coffee, playing music together, chopping vegetables, resisting injustice, and cleaning out the chicken coop.<br /><br /><br />I don't think this is limited to communities that live together. I experienced this level of spiritual support as a young adult at <a href="http://www.hildegard-austin.org/">St. Hildegard's in Austin, Texas.</a> They don't live together, but they make a tremendous commitment to be a community to one another. They even call themselves a eucharistic community, not a "church." <i><br /><br /></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" ><br />From my vantage point, the inherited tradition has messed a lot of young adults up. The patriarchy, the power trips, the homophobia, the lack of seeing the reality of Jesus' teachings lived out in real day to day life, makes some of the tradition very unappealing to smart, compassionate, global-minded people of all ages. When we ask as the author of this article does, "What exactly do our spiritual traditions stand for?" Many of us don't like the answer. But we also know that there are many answers. And that some answers are just being shouted more loudly than others into the public realm. We have a different answer, a refreshing one, to share. But without a real relationship witha real person who has a different answer, who really cares to listen to it.<br /><br /><br />A recent poll of young adults by the Pew Foundation shows that more young adults than ever before are choosing to not affiliate with a religion or denomination. The full Pew Report is jam packed with interesting charts that show the landscape of religious and spiritual life among our younger generations today. Check it out <a href="http://pewforum.org/Age/Religion-Among-the-Millennials.aspx">here. </a>For those of us living it, it's not big news.<br /><br /><br />For those of us trying to build faithful spiritual communities in light of these realities, I hope it is understood by those in "traditional church models" that we too want to share "our rich and ancient faiths" with the emerging generations. Craving and creating community isn't a barrier to tradition. Community is the boat that will carry us and the tradition through the passage into the unknown future. And if the water gets a little choppy and the storm a little scary, it's okay. We aren't alone in this. Jesus was never very afraid of storms. It's going to be okay. In fact, it's going to be better than okay. That's just the way God rolls.</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-9185113401948858892010-08-25T11:32:00.001-07:002010-08-25T12:39:21.432-07:00Reflections on the last 3 years<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyX3VslwuVHHL0s0rPpqYk2ZanKE5FRDTFkgBqBwidth2XKfw1chKnmZzdLsbnxELVMNpsHjdbEExoDqKZK0AzxzNfL2FC1V6E-ERnTaimzddalQGydSWZo-ZB8zFhWiQEDryWpeP6JLj/s1600/100_0495.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyX3VslwuVHHL0s0rPpqYk2ZanKE5FRDTFkgBqBwidth2XKfw1chKnmZzdLsbnxELVMNpsHjdbEExoDqKZK0AzxzNfL2FC1V6E-ERnTaimzddalQGydSWZo-ZB8zFhWiQEDryWpeP6JLj/s200/100_0495.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509429442381433906" border="0" /></a>This fall will mark three years since Kate and I followed what we sensed was the nudge of God into the unknown.<br /><br /><p>We felt a call to create spiritual community for those not comfortable in church. We sensed that the greatest gifts the church had to offer those outside the doors was community and spiritual practices. So we walked outside the church doors and went exploring.</p><p><br /></p><p>Before we tried to do anything, we wanted to listen and learn.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4Tu3GzBzMQX2WYbozDwqb3u4XWLNqpYo3IJu9qmWX05cBBj2E-0Z2tQHiGu0A65ZYhL83yqnfQ9GF_el9f6eMEN2u0aKNiguZ15jSEHQw9NCbtUEyyRzy974BCQfyHTMqwGXzLlI7GbX/s1600/100_0908.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4Tu3GzBzMQX2WYbozDwqb3u4XWLNqpYo3IJu9qmWX05cBBj2E-0Z2tQHiGu0A65ZYhL83yqnfQ9GF_el9f6eMEN2u0aKNiguZ15jSEHQw9NCbtUEyyRzy974BCQfyHTMqwGXzLlI7GbX/s200/100_0908.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509432272910433266" border="0" /></a><br />So for three months we interviewed leaders and innovators. We observed young adults worshiping and finding meaning.</p><p><br /></p><p>We got up at dawn to sing love chants to God and do yoga with some young spiritual leaders in Santa Fe.<br />We sprawled on the floor of the Episcopal cathedral in Seattle along with hundreds (yes. hundreds) of young adults.<br />More than 500 people packed the pews and floor on a rainy, dark, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZO_jBgUA3vx-jjeubP_HsdM1DZJUTrB-BP8DT5bcJaN_bEBPBVSTazYeO0gsAYTzFCNhckBzah8UPi5KtHgCj0yB2ztkXxGbzWpzV8ngVqPjL3P4O2yaeijc5Bv666rXliRPqS3UezhKg/s1600/100_0536.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZO_jBgUA3vx-jjeubP_HsdM1DZJUTrB-BP8DT5bcJaN_bEBPBVSTazYeO0gsAYTzFCNhckBzah8UPi5KtHgCj0yB2ztkXxGbzWpzV8ngVqPjL3P4O2yaeijc5Bv666rXliRPqS3UezhKg/s200/100_0536.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509429921867593170" border="0" /></a>Sunday evening for sung compline.</p><p><br />We passed wonder bread and grape juice communion with members of an intentional art and social justice community in the Mission District of San Francisco.</p><p><br /></p><p>We visited a church with punk/funk/trance worship music, a church that met in a bar, another church that met in a Jazz club, others that worked with lay-led worship planning groups to create wildly creative experiential worship services each week.</p><p><br /></p><p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAI_FX1MFtLAS7D0hiusddxENPxMRfIsZ1xQIDNGk1gwD2ueaBGjhMFzlc-vkLSMqe7FuA5QUZu5dGSDsE5NH1ppcW736lhp4exHZ0HnryI-NAtgFqDyuQzJsav8zgfRHaYAYRuc7A7U9E/s1600/100_1042.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAI_FX1MFtLAS7D0hiusddxENPxMRfIsZ1xQIDNGk1gwD2ueaBGjhMFzlc-vkLSMqe7FuA5QUZu5dGSDsE5NH1ppcW736lhp4exHZ0HnryI-NAtgFqDyuQzJsav8zgfRHaYAYRuc7A7U9E/s200/100_1042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509430519889672818" border="0" /></a></p><p>We interviewed church planters, bloggers, priests, ministers, college chaplains, professors of social change, and a seminary professor who has studied young adults and congregational development.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Some of that journey we chronicled here on this blog. Since then we returned to Tucson, tried some experiments, met new friends,<br />and were part of forming an ecumenical, intentional community.<br />We've lived in community for the last 16 months.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwRoSRqedPETXvq_kvSxNZYPZNHWrtRRXLpdQi4l-a22I0duSPStqIbcREsPTyJTq3eiFr7iEGK0eKcUTSJwjmHQuClU8B2LS8UGbMhjUfnrD8aVbYkvIaDmTfOqR-bLiYwq5WS6NLjDU/s1600/UCC-CasaMariposa-1631.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwRoSRqedPETXvq_kvSxNZYPZNHWrtRRXLpdQi4l-a22I0duSPStqIbcREsPTyJTq3eiFr7iEGK0eKcUTSJwjmHQuClU8B2LS8UGbMhjUfnrD8aVbYkvIaDmTfOqR-bLiYwq5WS6NLjDU/s200/UCC-CasaMariposa-1631.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509431077452040050" border="0" /></a>Three years seems a good amount of time to step back a bit and do some reflecting. Over the next few months Kate and I will use this space to reflect on what we've experienced, learned, and the questions that we are living with now.<br /></p>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-81549595014442397972010-04-17T10:35:00.001-07:002010-04-17T10:36:59.394-07:00Birthday Party tonightThe Restoration Project community at Casa Mariposa is one! We are celebrating with supper and a concert tonight at the house. Come join us. More on the community blog at <a href="http://www.restorationproject340.wordpress.com">www.restorationproject340.wordpress.com</a>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-68864354109050418882010-04-11T16:42:00.000-07:002010-04-11T17:29:34.209-07:00Kate preaching at St. Andrew'sKate preaches once a month at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Tucson. She'll preach there next on May 23. Here is Kate's sermon from today. It's about Thomas encountering the risen Jesus, wounds and all.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dygwPVoWyGzdej7GfYLkCUWCQezHGW_ZRzsSnnSlkbYZtFO2oGQIECMYL3pnV-kRegVn1-GbF7M3BxuHAbMGg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-20227029326051339452010-03-30T14:45:00.001-07:002010-03-30T14:46:59.100-07:00Holy Week at Restoration ProjectThe Restoration Project community is hosting Holy Week experiences at the house.<br /><br />Details are on our blog: <a href="http://www.restorationproject340.wordpress.com">www.restorationproject340.wordpress.com. </a>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-90166309620129712022010-02-05T14:48:00.000-08:002010-02-05T15:00:36.943-08:00Be daring and be bold!<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The following is from <a href="http://plantingcentral.typepad.com/bench/">Thomas Brackett,</a> the Episcopal Church's go to guy for new church thinking, planning, and doing. And "church" is loose. I like that. He went over to England to sniff out what the whole <a href="http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/">Fresh Expressions </a>thing is about. He asked a lot of good questions and got some great answers which he shares below.<br /><br />Here in Arizona, Kate and I are part of the statewide group in the Episcopal diocese that has worked with the Fresh Expressions way of thinking. Our group –called the Mission-Shaped program group–is available to churches to lead groups and workshops to bring this way of thinking and living into expression here. Let us know if your church would be interested. </span><br /><br /></span></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><br />“Twenty years ago, we were unintentionally pushing our young people out the back doors of our churches – mostly through indifference to the gifts they tried to offer. The long term impact of that benign neglect is that we traded a generation of young leaders and artists and prophets for various attempts to maintain the status quo. <span style="">Today, we are working on bringing new young leaders into our churches, but that’s not the same as nurturing the prophetic voice in community – training new leaders to cultivate community with a hoe instead of directing with the verger’s mace. That takes time to develop. It’s an art of ‘being in community’ that very few have ever experienced, nonetheless mastered.”<br /><br /></span></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style=""></span></span></span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style=""></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">I pressed my conversation partners further and asked, “So then, how would you recommend that we Americans might respond to this hard-earned wisdom you’ve offered?” Their answers were straightforward: “Start now – don’t wait until you have this all figured out. Experiment joyfully and publicly with new forms of ministry that match the cultures in which you find your ministries. Fail early and fail often until you learn what works. Learn to trust the young prophets in your midst and don’t be afraid when the visions they share are out beyond your comfort zones. Be daring and be bold!”</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></span></p>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-15110811175613617612009-12-12T10:27:00.001-08:002009-12-12T10:55:27.808-08:00Searching for hope in the nightWe are mostly posting over at our community blog these days: <a href="http://www.restorationproject340.wordpress.com/">www.restorationproject340.wordpress.com</a><br /><br />We've been doing Christmas Conspiracy events at the community house. This Sunday, Dec. 13, is the Barter Bazaar. We've had gift-making parties and showed the film What Would Jesus Buy?<br /><br />This advent season we've also been very involved with the federal court re-sentencing of our friend and original Restoration Project community member Emrys Walt Staton. He left gallons of water on trails in the desert south of Tucson where it is known that migrants walk and sometimes die of dehydration. Two hundred and six people died just in the Tucson sector of the desert between Oct. 1, 2008 and Sept. 30, 2009.<br /><br />Emrys (also know as Walt) was given a ticket for "littering." As a humanitarian trying to save lives, he refused to pay the ticket. He was tried by a federal jury, who under pressure from the judge, gave a guilty verdict after first saying they were not in full agreement. He has refused to do the 300 hours of community service hours, saying to do so would be admitting he did something wrong. He now faces the possibility of 25 days in prison. His next appearance before the judge is Monday, Dec. 21, 9 am, at the federal court house in Tucson.<br /><br />Last year Kate and I wrote Advent meditations. Here is a repost of the meditation for the third Sunday of Advent. We could still use the dawn of hope...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dawn of Hope</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Third Week of Advent</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO43bZNuUgAem9Vd8hthHYrv9dRPhgq28hprnct4NTCj1WYiq1eesZkzjaYRTth5gmwBp58XQqDjyP66n1vwYYB-uoFZ0vwaIVizq5NJybLMfeGzaRvUxCeToRXETLBile2LBCZJ9u0uLx/s1600-h/Uprising+photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO43bZNuUgAem9Vd8hthHYrv9dRPhgq28hprnct4NTCj1WYiq1eesZkzjaYRTth5gmwBp58XQqDjyP66n1vwYYB-uoFZ0vwaIVizq5NJybLMfeGzaRvUxCeToRXETLBile2LBCZJ9u0uLx/s400/Uprising+photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279845481069873938" border="0" /></a><br /><blockquote><br />The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.<br /><br />—Isaiah 61:1-4</blockquote><br />These verses from Isaiah were written from among a people experiencing profound loss. They had been exiled from their home, torn from their land—from all that made life make sense. They were living with the sense that God had abandoned them. Much lament and heartache come before this hopeful vision full of possibility.<br /><br />One of the first public things Jesus did according to the gospel of Luke (chapter 4, verses 14-22) was read some of these words from Isaiah. Jesus did not first demand repentance from people. First, he stood in the spiritual community of his youth and read the words from Isaiah...freedom to those held captive, good news for the poor. Jesus says that God is looking with favor on God’s people, not judgment. He’s letting us know that God shows up first with an open hand to those on the bottom. This grace-filled gesture is what Jesus first points to. This is the kingdom of God that Jesus says is already present among us. If we just wake up to see it.<br /><br />The 20th century theologian, Paul Tillich, once wrote,<br /><br /><blockquote> “Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life...It strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection of life does not appear.” </blockquote><br />The author of Isaiah, Jesus, Paul Tillich, they are all trying to tell people in great pain, people like us, that God will keep showing up.<br /><br />We can live with hope, not because we ourselves necessarily have any. But because God tells us and shows us time and time again—through prophets, through the birth and teachings of Jesus, through tiny moments of grace in our own imperfect days—that we are not alone and that freedom is both here, now, and coming.<br /><br />Hope drags us out of our beds of despair into the cold streets to stare at the dark horizon and wait for the dawn. We may find ourselves standing, waiting, half asleep and shivering, but God whispers to us, “It may be cold, but I’m still here, the dawn is coming, and I want you to be free.”<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">—Carol Bradsen<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prayer </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Great light of the new dawn, you rise each morning in the face of deep darkness. So may we too find a way to remember the hope that we are called to, and work to plant it in ourselves and in all those whom we encounter. Amen. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prayer for lighting the third advent candle this week</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">God give us hope, because we need it. </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ways to try living with hope this week</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Watch the sunrise</span>. In Tucson this week the sun rises at about 7:15 am. Try going outside to watch the sky, and wait for the sunrise. Listen. What is God trying to say to you?<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Light candles of gratitude. </span>Gratitude helps nurture hope. At the end of each day this week, find a few candles, or light the candles on your advent wreath. As you light each one, think of something you were grateful for that day. Another way is to think about the moments of the day in which you felt most alive, or happy. Sit in the silence for a few minutes before you blow the candles out.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Be kind.</span> Smile at strangers. Offer hope to people who need it.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Resist oppression</span>. Sometimes hope is incarnated in us when we say no to the powers that seek the death and destruction of those on the margins.<br /></li></ul>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-49902644381947427302009-06-22T15:23:00.000-07:002009-06-22T15:34:38.518-07:00Bread & Oranges magazineFirst issue still in the works.<br />But coming soon!<br /><br />The theme of the first issue is Borderlands with lots of first hand experiences of folks from the U.S./ Mexico border. Regular feature sections like Roots, Blessing, Morsel, and Slices include some great writing and bits you just probably won't find anywhere else.<br /><br />Thanks for hanging in there. It will be delicious.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-30242400373744656832009-06-22T12:57:00.000-07:002009-06-22T13:52:15.673-07:00The Restoration ProjectThe Restoration Project Community has tons of photos on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tucson-AZ/The-Restoration-Project-Tucson/48865129731?ref=ts">Facebook. </a>We hope you'll go there and become a fan.<br /><br />Since moving in March 1, we've hosted a May Day Wine and Fondue party. More than a 100 people enjoyed the live classical music, wine tasting, and good community vibes. And there was a fun surprise acoustic performance by band members of The Runaway Five.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9OWyOFPYPBIga8ByQvTMGlZu1Jvg_oLlCbdqWpUE14IPqPa50SdhDbWeygMPtjnDKvRJ_Uf5QVcSdUIBPptfsCYw6oebjef_XsjKBPiruxw1yukRLEjoiVsXyMmlZ3C7h5Jk6xayyupM/s1600-h/4312_77881714731_48865129731_1670691_4077273_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9OWyOFPYPBIga8ByQvTMGlZu1Jvg_oLlCbdqWpUE14IPqPa50SdhDbWeygMPtjnDKvRJ_Uf5QVcSdUIBPptfsCYw6oebjef_XsjKBPiruxw1yukRLEjoiVsXyMmlZ3C7h5Jk6xayyupM/s400/4312_77881714731_48865129731_1670691_4077273_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350256766980268706" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Also, back in March, we threw a Greening O' the Casa St. Patrick's work day, supper and worship party. After unloading sheep manure, digging garden beds and planting trees we ate corned beef, sang Celtic hymns, and danced in the hall way. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-oJl7edZS2RODM0hA4X8S83EwTE3KU2bZPY5IyhqNMN0kOyKajG0baq4EtAQpZ75QUtetmhXLb5pFkgVbbcF9DsrhAFaTAz-fYhvo2WQr5WxHm7nDT6f-z1A_Z_oOfyR4zzrr32lBFtI/s1600-h/IMG_0599.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-oJl7edZS2RODM0hA4X8S83EwTE3KU2bZPY5IyhqNMN0kOyKajG0baq4EtAQpZ75QUtetmhXLb5pFkgVbbcF9DsrhAFaTAz-fYhvo2WQr5WxHm7nDT6f-z1A_Z_oOfyR4zzrr32lBFtI/s400/IMG_0599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350249461436153842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5j9kcLi0MGJpUB4eQnAPvnpsPNswAnwqS7WshQcDB_xUm8odhaYU7nj-Ojg_VhIBAsBIJwTSTzazGGa2GjanUvWOn8gfeY7eJ7pBtMZVh7O2EST6LZIzICLdZ_2DwTqDoQgQx5q6lISf/s1600-h/IMG_1433.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5j9kcLi0MGJpUB4eQnAPvnpsPNswAnwqS7WshQcDB_xUm8odhaYU7nj-Ojg_VhIBAsBIJwTSTzazGGa2GjanUvWOn8gfeY7eJ7pBtMZVh7O2EST6LZIzICLdZ_2DwTqDoQgQx5q6lISf/s400/IMG_1433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350250098641057746" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The chickens were part of the wildly popular, sold-out Tucson Chicken Coop tour. More than a 100 chicken enthusiasts came to our back yard to meet the girls and learn about how we are trying to live sustainably as a community.<br /><br />When one of the Restoration Project community members was put on trial for offering humanitarian aid to migrants in the desert, our community worked together to lead a peaceful, prophetic action in front of the federal courthouse to support him.<br /><br />We've also opened our doors to welcome visiting priests, activists and family and friends who have stayed in our two hospitality rooms along with many others who have joined us for a meal or a cool drink and conversation on the porch.<br /><br />We've gathered folks together to study innovative ways of doing church.<br /><br />We invited clergy in their 20s and 30s from many denominations in Tucson to come have supper together at the house and meet one another.<br /><br />College students visiting the border from other states have come to the community to study us. They came to learn about how we offer spiritual support to activists and work together to offer life-giving options to the separation and pain that the border often causes.<br /><br />We often are the site of meetings for the border action group, No More Deaths.<br /><br />We are growing eggplant, tomatoes, squash, cucumber, basil, okra, peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, in the garden.<br /><br />As a community, we continue to gather for our weekly Sabbath meal and community check-in. And take turns making supper most of the rest of the week. The support we give and receive from one another is already making a difference in our lives and work out in the world.<br /><br />It has been a real joy to live into our mission statement and we have only just begun...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"We seek to live in right relationship with one another, the community, and the earth through hospitality, simple and sustainable living, playful spirituality, and peaceful, prophetic action."<br /></span><span><br />Come see us sometime: </span><span>340 S. 3rd Ave., Tucson, AZ 85701</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-50309906374262903542009-06-22T11:48:00.000-07:002009-06-22T12:21:29.189-07:00More Light Sermon, June 14<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Here's the text from the sermon Carol gave on More Light Sunday at Southside Presbyterian church, June 14, 2009, Tucson. More Light Sunday is a tradition in Presbyterian churches that want to celebrate the gifts of gay, lesbian, bi, and trans folks in their congregation. Currently the Presbyterian church does not ordain leaders who are gay. Carol grew up in the Presbyterian church and around the age of 12 started getting inklings of becoming a Presbyterian minister some day. She was ordained a deacon in the Presbyterian church as a teenager. Presbyterians ordain lay people, you see. But these days Carol pals around with the Episcopal tribe. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqea6RvSYoUjH_J_rYU5oWrdiCdvuaVjqyoXDIgEq9jSC60bjYR6pmOOsnR_GChhBvUY2YUm-GfuwvHXd4Vastk3aFvHYn40IhoPwA_gNhpJyFiYB1HpALhO3SOyrQPBHfCAR6D51nkov/s1600-h/iStock_000005635569Medium.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqea6RvSYoUjH_J_rYU5oWrdiCdvuaVjqyoXDIgEq9jSC60bjYR6pmOOsnR_GChhBvUY2YUm-GfuwvHXd4Vastk3aFvHYn40IhoPwA_gNhpJyFiYB1HpALhO3SOyrQPBHfCAR6D51nkov/s400/iStock_000005635569Medium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350233613524157186" border="0" /></a>It is a real honor to be with you today. This church lives out what it means to be the beloved community and to share good news. Thank you for your witness not just to Tucson, but to the world. And thank you Alison for inviting me to speak to your community on this Sunday when you are celebrating the lives and gifts of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered folks. It’s really something for me to be here today. It’s humbling and challenging and encouraging.<br /><br />18 years ago, this exact week in June, I attended the Presbyterian General Assembly. I was a youth advisory delegate. We met in Baltimore. And the hot topic that year was the Report on Human Sexuality. At that national gathering of Presbyterians, I voted to deny gay and lesbian people from serving as leaders in our church. Little did I know that I was voting against myself.<br /><br />That summer I was also the editor of my university newspaper and I published a column about it. I voiced my absolute approval of the Presbyterian church’s action. The church should be like a lighthouse, I wrote, shining out truth, no matter how loudly the waves of our culture clash against rocks. Pretty poetic and dramatic, eh? At that time, I thought the scriptures were clear on the matter. I personally wanted nothing more than to please and serve God. And God’s way seemed straightforward.<br /><br /><br />So, how in the world, 18 years later, do I stand before you in this Presbyterian congregation on More Light Sunday. How do I stand here as a woman wearing this ring to proudly announce to the world that I have made a commitment to love and cherish another woman for the rest of life? How do I stand before you today with the good news that the love of God is surprisingly bigger and deeper and more creative than we might imagine.<br /><br />How, indeed?<br /><br />In the gospel reading this morning we hear Jesus tell this parable about the mysterious way God works.<br /><br />"The kingdom of God is as if someone scatters seed on the ground, and then goes to sleep and gets up again the next day, day after day, and then the seed sprouts and grows, she does not know how.”<br /><br />I’m part of an intentional community called the Restoration Project. And one of the things we are doing is growing a garden together. It is quite a learning experience. One of our housemates planted some squash seeds early on in one of the garden beds. At first I diligently watered the dirt. Some of the squash came up and other seedlings started to take off except a couple of the areas where some of the squash seeds were. I figured they were just bad seeds or something. I told my housemate, I think those seeds didn’t make it. She said, "Let's just wait. You never know."<br /><br />And then I got busy and other people were watering the garden for a few days. And the next time I went out there, there was a squash plant, and several days later, there was another one. It’s like they came out of nowhere. And, I don’t mean to get all Jesusy about it. But one of those zucchini plant is now truly the biggest one in the garden. It was kind of hard to believe when I first saw it. I wasn’t sure how it happened.<br /><br />And that’s a lot like the way God has worked in my own life. I might not believe it if it had not happened to me. I’m not sure why I’m surprised. Jesus tries to warn us. When the seed of God gets planted in you. Watch out. Transformation is on its way. And it’s not just about you. It’s going to be for the whole community.<br /><br />Could you imagine, if you could talk to a seed, and tell it. Look little guy, this tree is what you will become. I bet it would laugh. Or just not believe you. The seed might say, No, thanks. I like being a seed. I could syphathize with a seed like that.<br /><br />It took me a while to come fully alive. To live into the edges of all that God intended and wanted for me. Years after that Presbyterian General Assembly, when I began to question my sexuality, I didn’t want to believe it. At first it was too much. At that time I placed all authority in life outside myself: in the bible as others had explained it to me, in the church, in a God that left no room for my own passions and experience, in a God that seemed to want me dead, or at least to be miserable.<br /><br />When you are like a little seed, buried in dirt, awaiting transformation, you can’t see what’s going to happen. And it’s scary. That in between place, between being planting and the harvest.<br /><br />And so I can have compassion on those in the church who are in that place about what to do with gay folks. It’s a frightening thing to let go of what you thought God was like. To die to all that came before, and not quite understand how a harvest of anything good could come.<br /><br />We might not understand it. But this is the way God works. And the scripture tells us, we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God and who have been called according to God’s purpose.<br /><br />When Jesus healed people it was a sign of God’s kingdom. And when he healed people, part of the healing included restoring people back into community. When I was coming out I couldn’t stand to go to a Presbyterian church. It was too painful to listen to all the familiar songs and scripture that I had heard for years as condemnation, not good news. At the beginning it was hard enough to fight for my own life, I couldn’t also fight for a place in the church. But at the same time I was led into a progressive Christian community that held me while my faith fell apart and then helped me begin to rebuild.<br /><br />Looking back on that time I spent buried in the dirt, when I was struggling to come out, I can now see that God never abandoned me. God wasn’t trying to hurt me. God just wanted me to be fully alive, to have abundant life, to grow toward the light.<br /><br />It is not unreasonable for God to do things that surprise us. Or through out time, for our faith communities to be led by the Spirit into new places that surprise us. Jesus talked about the reign of God in very surprising and subversive ways. Jesus himself was surprising and subversive to the way many things of his day were understood.<br /><br />In history, the bible has been used to justify slavery and to stop women from being ordained. We can now see that it is reasonable and faithful to see those verses and teachings in the context of their time.<br /><br />When we hang in there with God, there are gifts. There is a harvest after all the transformation. In my life, coming out was like a crowbar that opened my heart up to God’s love. Realizing I was gay and being honest about it put me on the margins of the church and in much of society. And even that is a gift. As a white person in the United States, I was blind to much of my privilege. Coming out helped me gain some understanding of what it is like to live on the margins. It opened my eyes to see others on the margins. And to see the injustices. And helped me gain more understanding about Jesus and all that he taught. Because he preached to folks on the margins. Under the thumb of an Empire.<br /><br />When Jesus told stories like today, and talked about the Kingdom of God. I think he was being subversive. One of the ways to think about the kingdom of God, or reign of God, is the way things would be if God’s way was lived out. And that’s very different from the Roman Empire in Jesus’ day, or some of the parts of Empire we live under in the United States.<br /><br />The reign of God is a revolution of love that subverts the status quo. And it is very queer. I’m sorry if some of you take offence to that word, queer. These days emerging generations of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people have reclaimed the word queer. I like it because it puts me in solidarity with everyone else whose sexuality and gender identity puts them on the margins. And it also points out that I’m not trying to pass as straight. I am queer. I’m not trying to fit into the status quo. I don’t see the world as others might. I’m queer. And so was Jesus. And so is the kingdom of God.<br /><br />This kingdom isn’t a place you could visit, like the state of Arizona. It seems Jesus was saying it is more like a state of mind. When we begin to live into the reality of how things are and could be through God’s eyes, we’ll be seen as queer by the powers that be. But Jesus let us know through his teaching and death and resurrection that those other powers are of no consequence. It’s God’s Empire, God’s way of doing things, God’s family that matters.<br /><br />And where God rules there is liberation and freedom for all people. In this day and age, liberation and freedom for all people is pretty queer.<br /><br />When God rules in our hearts the Roman Empire or the United States Empire isn’t the final word. When God rules in our lives, the religious authorities or the denominational powers that be don’t have complete power over our lives. When the seed of God gets into our mind and heart and life, it takes root and we begin to know that we are God’s beloved. We are not powerless in the face of absurd and power-driven hierarchy. We are not merely victims of prejudice and fear. We are the beloved. We are friends of God. And together we can live into the reality of the reign of God in the here and now.<br /><br />The Presbyterian church may try to stall and squash the ordination of people like me for the time being. But not even the Presbyterian church can stop the kingdom of God. The Presbyterian Book of Order might officially forbid queer folks from enacting religious rituals in the name of the church, but they can’t stop us from living in the name of God. We will still embody the good news. We will still heal and bless and proclaim that all of life is sacred. And we do it in the name of God.<br /><br />No matter if you are queer because of who you love, or queer because you follow Jesus. The powers that be can’t silence you either. They can’t stop us. We are part of God’s Reign. We are God’s beloved community; we already have our marching orders. Forget the official papers, or permission slips. There is nothing stopping us from going right on ahead and making the Reign of God reality right here in our lives and community.<br /><br />Following Jesus’ lead: We can feed those who are hungry right in this courtyard outside.<br />We have permission to give water to those who are thirsty in the desert. Nothing is stopping us from writing letters and visiting those locked up and treated badly in our prisons.<br />Or from welcoming strangers into our homes with radical hospitality.<br /><br />No matter if you call yourself a More Light church or not, you can go ahead and welcome all people into the beloved community, You can welcome compassionate lesbians and gay men, bi-sexual moms, gender-queer teenagers, beautiful drag queens, and sexy drag kings, folks who are right in the middle of transitioning to the gender God made them on the inside, and all the good and faithful people who are just questioning everything.<br /><br />When the seed of God’s justice and love is planted in here, we’ll do all those things and more. We’ll know that we are the beloved And Love will grow in us. And we will be a force of love that this neighborhood and town just can’t get rid of. We will send out our roots deep and strong. We’ll be a shelter for all those who need a home. And we will love. And we will demand and work toward justice for all.<br /><br />Jesus said that is what God’s kingdom is like. And that it is here. It is among us and in us. Right now. We have no excuses. God’s kingdom is here and it is coming. So come on. Let that seed of God grow in you, if you dare, if you really want to be fully alive. And let us go forth together, to live and love in the name of God.JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-17787470594415021322009-04-15T10:28:00.000-07:002009-04-15T11:24:50.753-07:00How finding like-minded spirits changes the worldThis article is great. It was posted by <a href="http://plantingcentral.typepad.com/">Tom Bracket</a>t, who helps midwife innovation in the Episcopal church. He posted it on the <a href="http://anglimergent.ning.com/forum/topics/money-and-anglimergence-in-the">Anglimergent ning </a>site.<br /><br />I'm personally finding a lot of connections between what's happening within The Restoration Project community and all this. --CB<br /><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><b></b></span><blockquote><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:130%;" ><b>USING EMERGENCE TO TAKE SOCIAL INNOVATIONS TO SCALE<br /><br />by Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze ©2006<!-- #EndEditable --> </b></span> <div align="left"> <p><!-- #BeginEditable "body" --><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">In spite of current ads and slogans, the world doesn't change one person at a time. It changes as networks of relationships form among people who discover they share a common cause and vision of what's possible. This is good news for those of us intent on changing the world and creating a positive future<i>. </i>Rather than worry about critical mass, our work is to foster critical connections. We don't need to convince large numbers of people to change; instead, we need to connect with kindred spirits. Through these relationships, we will develop the new knowledge, practices, courage, and commitment that lead to broad-based change.<br /><br />But networks aren't the whole story. As networks grow and transform into active, working communities of practice, we discover how Life truly changes, which is through <i>emergence</i>. When separate, local efforts connect with each other as networks, then strengthen as <i>communities of practice</i>, suddenly and surprisingly a new system emerges at a greater level of scale. <i>This system of influence</i> possesses qualities and capacities that were unknown in the individuals. It isn't that they were hidden; they simply don't exist until the system emerges. They are properties of the system, not the individual, but once there, individuals possess them. And the system that emerges always possesses greater power and influence than is possible through planned, incremental change. Emergence is how Life creates radical change and takes things to scale. <a href="http://www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/emergence.html">Click here to continue reading...</a></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div align="left"><p><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:130%;" ><span style=";font-family:arial;" ><a href="http://www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/emergence.html"><br /></a></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span></span></p></div>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-20668877202219487742009-04-14T10:02:00.000-07:002009-04-15T11:27:00.151-07:00Prayer in ActionA few weeks ago Carol spoke with students at the Episcopal Campus Ministry at the University of Arizona. They were headed to a weekend retreat on the theme Prayer in Action and asked her to speak to them about the theme. Here are her notes from beforehand...<br /><br /><br />This morning I fed our chickens. Eight full grown hens. It was my first time to get to feed and water them at our new place since they moved over from our friend’s house yesterday. I loved it. And I smiled the whole time. Watching them crowd the gate when I brought their feed inside the coop. I even smiled as I carried over a bucket of water. They are beautiful creatures. A couple are Rhode Island Reds, most of the others are, and there’s one black and white speckled one.<br /><br />After feeding the chickens, I walked over to St. Andrew’s Episcopal church. I go there on Thursday mornings to volunteer in the kitchen. They make hundreds of meals a week that go to folks too sick to cook for themselves. This morning I chopped carrots and celery and washed a giant stack of pots and pans.<br /><br />Why am I telling you about chickens and carrots and dishes? Because within these very mundane things are examples of prayer in action.<br /><br />In the Book of Common Prayer there are written prayers of the people. One of the lines from form V says, <span style="font-style: italic;">“For a blessing upon all human labor, and for the right use of the riches of creation, that the world may be freed from poverty, famine, and disaster, we pray to you, O Lord.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For the right use of the riches of creation…</span><br />The chickens are helping reclaim the soil beneath their coop. Their nutrient rich poop, their scratching and pecking will renew the dirt that for years was under an inch of asphalt. We actually tore up the asphalt this week. It came up in huge hunks of black tar.<br />By getting rid of that section of asphalt we’ll help in a very small way to liberate the earth and to live in right relationship with it. The temperature will be lower in the backyard because that tar won’t be there to absorb the sun. It won’t solve global warming in and of itself. But it is a step we can take.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We pray to you, O Lord. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">That the world may be freed from poverty, famine, and disaster…</span><br />The chickens, or “the girls” as our housemate Emrys calls them are helping us produce some of our own food. We are also growing some squash, and are getting basins ready to plant some tomatoes and peppers and watermelon, and corn and well, we have a long list. By using permaculture techniques we hope to grow a lot of our own food. This will cut down on our collective use of fossil fuels to transport food to us, and hopefully one day we will grow enough that we can share some of the vegetables with our neighbors who may not have enough to eat.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We pray to you, O Lord. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger; that they may be relieved and protected…</span><br />At St. Andrew’s kitchen meals are made every weekday for people who have HIV-AIDS and have become too weak to cook for themselves. The deacon there is a chef and directs the volunteers preparing and packaging things like smothered steak, chicken enchiladas, tamale pie, brownies, and meatloaf and mashed potatoes. More volunteers come earlier every morning to pick up a map and bags of food to take to people all over the city. Some of the clients who are sick have lost the support of family and friends or they spend any extra money they have on medications and have nothing left for food. The volunteers who bring the meals may be one of the only people they see each week.<br /><br />In the chopping of carrots, the washing of dishes,<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We pray to you, O Lord. </span><br /><br />The word Liturgy actually means, “the work of the people.” Without us there is no worship. Without we the people, the prayers have no life. Verna Dozier, who was a lay woman in the Episcopal church and wrote and taught a lot about what it means to be the church, said some good stuff about all this. In her book, The Dream of God, Verna warns us that we shouldn’t get so distracted by doing church, that we loose site of being church. She challenges us to not just worship Jesus, but to follow Jesus. This is true prayer in action. She writes:<br /><blockquote><br />“Worship is setting Jesus on a pedestal, distancing him, enshrining (enshrouding) him in liturgies, stained glass windows, biblical translations, medallions, pilgrimages to places where he walked—the whole nine yards. Following him is doing what he did, weeping over a situation that was so far removed from the dream of God and spending his life to make it different. Following is discipleship.”<br /><br /></blockquote>Following Jesus is putting feet and hands and tears and callouses and ears to our prayers.<br /><br />It does not mean giving up worship or prayer. Following Jesus just means embodying our worship and prayers when we leave the pews or pillows or couches.<br /><br />The baptismal covenant is a great guide to what it means to put prayer into action. Every time we who follow in the way of Jesus head out the doors of a church or service we are going out into the world to live into this covenant. Many churches place a bowl of water near the entrance/exit. Next time you leave a service and see water. Try touching it. Remember the covenant. Pray that with God’s help, you will live into it.<br /><br />and then we read them together...<br />Will you continue in the ….JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-22816810945432373642009-03-11T12:04:00.000-07:002009-03-11T18:23:30.766-07:00BlessedAbout 75 people came to the house blessing and open house on Sunday. Thanks to all those who blessed us in person and from afar. It was an incredible day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYsbO-uQfuhuPMBiSMG0eKgKTcNZOwfKGmaivnLj09iJQGdz1YUsdpHknMmP9jJzDOb4QSe44OMIC9ptcU3GTi_tSyByEtR5zcVyCzxn6mVxDpCR1Xxf1RSytqqoymUExQvnm_ZEDtdFr/s1600-h/n48865129731_1381352_1842899.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYsbO-uQfuhuPMBiSMG0eKgKTcNZOwfKGmaivnLj09iJQGdz1YUsdpHknMmP9jJzDOb4QSe44OMIC9ptcU3GTi_tSyByEtR5zcVyCzxn6mVxDpCR1Xxf1RSytqqoymUExQvnm_ZEDtdFr/s400/n48865129731_1381352_1842899.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312008527002024098" border="0" /></a><br />The very next day this little friend was seen in the backyard of Casa Mariposa (The Butterfly House). Gretchen got this picture before he flew away.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4H1Q2EcX0LIgyV0HY9kR5PD2GAditQnRZf4ZdhArq_1YeRaTaw-C9bXfpNCc5KVB2BqfSYXK9w5_-jqOa1G48QCrA9JnXu9r7PuaXTO1FKIgl2aP7re9GL9V3OTHySiDRt0bGYsiTvJWK/s1600-h/n48865129731_1381357_1887475.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4H1Q2EcX0LIgyV0HY9kR5PD2GAditQnRZf4ZdhArq_1YeRaTaw-C9bXfpNCc5KVB2BqfSYXK9w5_-jqOa1G48QCrA9JnXu9r7PuaXTO1FKIgl2aP7re9GL9V3OTHySiDRt0bGYsiTvJWK/s400/n48865129731_1381357_1887475.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312008891327458274" border="0" /></a>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-6910258310599718242009-02-25T09:07:00.000-08:002009-02-25T09:54:51.447-08:00Upcoming Restoration Project happeningsThis weekend is the big move. Eight of us. Four separate households combining stuff. I'm not sure we have any idea what we are in for. And that's okay. We are taking it one step at a time. And singing. And trusting. This community spirit is so much bigger than us.<br /><br />The Restoration Project will host weekly gatherings at the community house at 34o S. 3rd Ave. All are invited. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Starting this Sunday, March 1, we'll host Sunday mornings at the house.<br /><br /></span>SUNDAY BRUNCH CHURCH<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>This gathering will include silent meditation (from 10:30 am till 10:50 am), readings from the bible and other sacred, provocative sources, singing, group reflection, and sharing bread and wine as part of communion (from 11 am till noon) and then brunch/lunch (noon). Anyone can come to any part. We'll meet in the back yard until we get a chair ramp into the house built. You can enter from the alley. We'll still have boxes and stuff everywhere this Sunday. But we wanted our first official day in the house to begin with worship. So come join us in our incomplete imperfection.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The weekend of March 7 & 8 will be a busy one at the house. </span><br /><br />YARD SALE<br />Saturday the 7th we're having a yard sale in the back yard. 8 am till 4 pm. Enter through the alley.<br /><br />HOUSE BLESSING<br />Sunday, March 8, is an open house and house blessing. We'll serve lunch after the morning worship and then have an open house till 2:30 pm. The house blessing ritual will happen around 1:30 pm. Come for lunch or for the blessing or just stop by before 2:30 pm. After that we'll probably all be taking Sabbath naps!<br /><br />We have a Facebook page. It has lot's of pictures from the three Saturday work parties. Type in "The Restoration Project, Tucson" to find it on Facebook.JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-8890759412555624752009-02-11T13:33:00.000-08:002009-02-16T20:40:58.975-08:00Saturday morning house partyOkay, so the party includes paint brushes and mops and scrubbing. But it will be great fun. Come on over to the new community house to say Hi and help out. We'll be working on the back porch where worship, meditation, and lots of gathering will happen. As well as the giant hall where potlucks of great delight will soon begin to flourish.<br /><br />This coming Saturday and next we'll work and clean from 9:30 till noon. Saturday, March 7, we'll sell all our stuff that doesn't fit in the house at a yard sale. Come on over and lend a hand! We'd sure appreciate it.<br /><br />Location is: 340 S. 3rd Ave. (South of downtown a few blocks).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Restoration Project is now on Facebook: The Restoration Project, Tucson. </span>Check out more there.JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-24906981698008973402009-02-09T17:50:00.000-08:002009-02-09T18:47:22.513-08:00Sermon from Sunday<span style="font-style: italic;">Carol preached at First Christian Church in Tucson Sunday. Here's the gist of it...</span><br /><br />Year B<br />Fifth Sunday after Epiphany<br />February 8, 2009<br /><br /><a href="http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/BEpiphany/bEpiphany5.htm#isaiah">Isaiah 40:21-31</a><br /> <a href="http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/BEpiphany/bEpiphany5.htm#psalm147">Psalm 147:1-11, 20c</a><br /> <a href="http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/BEpiphany/bEpiphany5.htm#corinthians">1 Corinthians 9:16-23</a><br /> <a href="http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/BEpiphany/bEpiphany5.htm#mark">Mark 1:29-39</a><br /><br />In the small town I grew up in, the Presbyterians were pretty proud of the fact that they always got of church earlier than the Methodists across the street. This was exiting to the Presbyterians because it meant that on most ordinary Sundays they got to the one restaurant in town first.<br /><br />It was a pretty ordinary Sabbath when Jesus left the synagogue. Maybe he and his friends were hungry. I’m guessing there weren’t any restaurants in town. Maybe they were hoping that Simon’s mother-in-law had made that delicious fish casserole she promised last time. For whatever reason, on this ordinary Sabbath day they head straight to Simon and Andrew’s house after synagogue. And when they get there the first thing Simon says to Jesus is that his wife’s mom isn’t feeling too good. She’s got a fever. There will be no famous fish casserole.<br /><br />We don’t really know what is going on behind the scenes in this family. The disciple Simon has or had a wife. Maybe she’s died; maybe she’s taking care of the children. The Bible doesn’t always mention women and children, even when they most surely are there. But here is Simon’s mother-in-law.<br /><br />Now what Jesus does next isn’t really socially appropriate, if you follow all the rules. In this culture at this time, men weren’t supposed to be touching women they weren't related to. But Jesus goes right in and takes her by the hand. Jesus crossed a line here. He crossed the boundaries of who is family and who isn’t. It was love and compassion that compelled him. You could call Jesus a border crosser. Crossing borders brought healing. Not playing by the established social rules, brought healing and freedom.<br /><br />After Jesus heals her, this dear woman gets up and starts serving all the four men gathered there.<br /><br />At first this perturbed me. Here you go, here’s some healing, now make us supper, woman.<br /><br />Most translations shortchange this healed woman by translating the word for what she did next for Jesus as “serve.” … Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. In Greek the word used here for serve is the same used just a little earlier in Mark when it talks of Jesus being tempted in the desert for 40 days, and it says that angels “waited” on him, or in some translations, “ministered” to Jesus. The Greek word is the same. What this woman offered to Jesus was on the same level as angels. <br /><br />Her healing allowed her to offer her gifts, and perhaps it truly was her deepest hearts desire to minister to her guests. Hospitality is a tremendous spiritual gift. It can be as comforting as having angels minister to you. And she was freed to serve, to share her gift.<br /><br />As another generous response to her healing, she next opens her door to the whole community. Other families and friends brought those who were sick or possessed with demons to her house to be touched and healed by Jesus. From the threshold of her home, healing poured to a whole community. She gives us an example of faithful discipleship. She did what she could, opened her home, as a source of healing. She didn’t do anything drastic, just opened the door on an ordinary day. And the whole city limped and was carried and made their way there where Jesus healed many of them. Notice it doesn’t say, all of them. Many of them.<br /><br />Early the next morning, before the sunrise Jesus goes and finds some solitude and talks to God. Wouldn’t you like to watch and listen to Jesus pray? Don’t you just wonder what he was thinking that morning?<br /><br />Maybe he had questions?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Why couldn’t I heal everyone? Didn’t you see that man, the look on his face? Why couldn’t I heal him? Why wouldn’t you heal him?</span><br /><br />Maybe Jesus was afraid?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You heard those demons. They knew who I was. They are going to out me. I’m not ready for everyone to know </span><br /><br />Maybe he had doubts about what to do next.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I love these people so much. I’m so welcome here. There’s more I could teach them. Do I have to go? Simon’s mother in law could really use a new table. I could stay here and build her a table. And all those people. Those faces. They need me here. </span><br /><br />Don’t you bet Jesus could still picture their faces from the night before? All those people, longing for healing. Wanting to be free. Pressing into him with so much hope and despair in their eyes.<br /><br />It wouldn’t surprise me if Jesus did have questions and fears and doubts. He was human. He was one of us. And so many of us wonder what to do next. We question our ability, we are afraid.<br /><br />Gandhi once gave some good advice to people like us. It’s wisdom that Jesus seemed to know and live by too. I’m pretty sure they were both tapped into some of the same sources of wisdom. Here’s what Gandhi said…<br /><br />“Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man or woman whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore her to control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away." [<span style="font-style: italic;">quote changed to use inclusive language</span>]<br /><br />By the next morning, when his friends found Jesus, if he had any doubts and self, they seemed to have melted away. Without fear or hesitation, he said, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”<br /><br />I am struck by the phrase came out…“for that is what I came out to do.” This passage is at the beginning of Mark. Jesus is just getting things rolling. He’s just coming out. The night before he didn’t want the demons to out him publicly. He wasn’t ready. But perhaps it was those faces, that woke him up early, that drove him to prayer, that made his next step clear.<br /><br />When the issues and headlines turn into faces for us, we often know what to do next. We may at first be disturbed and loose sleep. But Jesus gives us a model that will show us what to do. He prays. He takes time to perhaps share his doubts and fears with God, perhaps he sits in silence or perhaps he only groans. Those faces plant seeds of compassion. When compassion takes over it leads us along the way of Christ. Perhaps the issue is the border. Maybe it’s racism. Maybe it’s gay marriage. Maybe it’s poverty. But when that “issue” has a face and story and name, we often stop and re-consider our next steps.<br /><br />This passage for today shows that we have a very queer God. Jesus didn’t obey the social norms of who was family and who was not. Jesus was creating a new family of God. This was part of his message. This was part of the way he lived. Even Jesus had to “come out” about who he was and how he was meant to do his loving in the world. Yes, this one sent to incarnate God among us, points us to a very queer God indeed.<br /><br />As Jesus unmasks this God to us. We find a transgressive God. A God that moves beyond social codes, that transgresses boundaries and borders. Jesus was a border crosser. God is a border crosser. God is willing to go where we don’t expect.<br /><br />We also discover through this act of Jesus that God comes to us in ordinary ways. We don’t get any indication that this dear woman was in danger of dieing. She wasn’t getting to live fully. Jesus wanted her to have abundant life right then. And so he healed her.<br /><br />But what about us? What about those of us who are unemployed or underemployed. Where’s our abundant life? What about those of us who can’t afford medicine that we know we need? What about those of us who owe more on our house or car than it’s worth? Where’s our abundant life? What about those of us knocked down time and time again by one of those demons named ism…racism, sexism, ageism, classism? Where’s our healing? Where is the healing for our community?<br /><br />We are living in extraordinary times. The front page of the New York Times this morning tells the story of Lehigh Acres, a town in Florida. One in four residents received food stamps in December. 221 families stood in line for free bread at a church one recent Friday morning. The reporter calls it the American Dream in high reverse. And says, I quote, “and now the bust is testing whether the experience of shared struggle will pull people together or tear them apart.”<br /><br />Isn’t that the question for all of our communities these days? Will the shared struggle pull us together or tear us apart.<br /><br />Jesus lived in a time when empire and poverty was trying— and often greatly succeeding in tearing people apart. Jesus responded by healing whole communities as he did in the passage today. He restored those who were outcast by their diseases back into community. He touched and restored women, even in a society that didn’t care much about them. He showed that he meant it when he said, “I have come that you might have life, and have it to the full.”<br /><br />He also said, I will not leave you alone. Whenever two or three of you are gathered in my name, there I will be with you.<br /><br />We are not alone in this. You are not alone in your struggle and pain and heartache and grief. You do not have to face your demons alone. God is still at work and the spirit of Christ is here. God wants you to be free. God wants the whole world to be free.<br /><br />As difficult as our lives may seem sometimes here in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States of America in 2009, most of us are pretty blessed compared to much of the world. Bombs don’t fall on our city everyday. Drinkable water comes out of public and private faucets. The air is clean enough that we can see the mountains around us almost everyday. A free lunch and clean clothes are available for those who can get to Casa Maria. We don’t have to worry about being blown up by a buried bomb in the dirt as we walk down the street.<br /><br />Some of us don’t need healing. We just need to wake up to our freedom. Our healing has come. We are freed. Now it’s time to serve.<br /><br />No matter where you are today, desperate for healing, out of touch with your own pain or grateful for the healing and freedom you’ve been given from God, Christ is here among us and with us.<br /><br />Christ still stands on the threshold. He’s not afraid to go in. He’s here and willing to meet you at the place of your deepest pain and longing. He’s still willing to take your hand, lift you up, and free you to serve.<br /><br />Let us pray.<br /><br />God you are as near as our breath. We thank you for the life that flows through us. For the gift of breath, of shelter, of food, of community. You have promised never to abandon us. We know that nothing can separate us from your love. God we know that you want all people to experience abundant life. And that wherever healing is present, you are its source. Transform us now in our body, mind, spirit, emotions, and relationships to be more free, more whole, more able to serve you and love our neighbors. Amen.JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-41255336381624578212009-02-04T07:42:00.000-08:002009-02-04T07:50:26.833-08:00First Work Morning at the Restoration HouseThis Saturday, February 7, will be the first work day at the Restoration Project community house.<br /><br />We could sure use your help in cleaning, painting, and getting garden beds ready. Bring a shovel, paint brush, mop, if you have one, or just come on over and help make it a real community house!<br /><br />340 S. 3rd Ave.<br /><br />9:30 am till 12:30 pm<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnBvdpDhU3aAzEC9zpMvCwYfxJKnslyVC5Juedw5asjtR_nYpjLDKlCuDlt5PIuzCJp1YKsXcPOmu5tSsNa0Ju0qbOnHyQyzRDoswMKqvZLt78op6c5TqeBvjazp9W9SQp_7XpcZXWHmy/s1600-h/IMG_1090.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnBvdpDhU3aAzEC9zpMvCwYfxJKnslyVC5Juedw5asjtR_nYpjLDKlCuDlt5PIuzCJp1YKsXcPOmu5tSsNa0Ju0qbOnHyQyzRDoswMKqvZLt78op6c5TqeBvjazp9W9SQp_7XpcZXWHmy/s400/IMG_1090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298969578890488498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl55tsgC2x7s-kG5pxDZNMCm-VEHNm8gqu5g-c2uhHGyvg3RvqBf5m3EtSUqCptRcLMGBnjM7Wjj8Twm0YqoVk8HZIujnf0X_lu7-MadMLJJ5kvxXAxoEuTvdrgEkdiZzoVwx6LrN7d9zM/s1600-h/IMG_1072.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl55tsgC2x7s-kG5pxDZNMCm-VEHNm8gqu5g-c2uhHGyvg3RvqBf5m3EtSUqCptRcLMGBnjM7Wjj8Twm0YqoVk8HZIujnf0X_lu7-MadMLJJ5kvxXAxoEuTvdrgEkdiZzoVwx6LrN7d9zM/s400/IMG_1072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298969768300280898" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ43FGOW7AGQbQ8yyaFK9SF4UhX55XlF8KRSmFNLgkvxKpPLmOcinEYXM6QLK3pOiPTuUx4AOCMS29tWiofDOAFURAj_sA3-T3EflLIi2tBCg7rZTzqfZXc8ecRVKjdFTiIw61pa9bUrf/s1600-h/IMG_1079.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ43FGOW7AGQbQ8yyaFK9SF4UhX55XlF8KRSmFNLgkvxKpPLmOcinEYXM6QLK3pOiPTuUx4AOCMS29tWiofDOAFURAj_sA3-T3EflLIi2tBCg7rZTzqfZXc8ecRVKjdFTiIw61pa9bUrf/s400/IMG_1079.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298969929987800610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:78%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:78%;" >Front, Back, and inside</span><br /></div>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-35090572977453037622009-02-02T05:09:00.000-08:002009-02-02T08:08:57.546-08:00Introducing the Restoration ProjectFor almost exactly 9 months, 7 of us have met weekly to discuss how we might integrate our faith into everyday life and how we might be freed up to love and serve the world more.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G1OXLeI-Wj8OhIWEZt026iNOmXYg7LNBemoEDHY0GaK5ePRIEiO5HhVaJCHrcozSewFJpjNPiCQebbAbrSO018OD_UyaYxId2u98gbVOE3GPRpsgzdkMlojihMNfoywQMg75iSoWQHw/s1600-h/IMG_0802.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G1OXLeI-Wj8OhIWEZt026iNOmXYg7LNBemoEDHY0GaK5ePRIEiO5HhVaJCHrcozSewFJpjNPiCQebbAbrSO018OD_UyaYxId2u98gbVOE3GPRpsgzdkMlojihMNfoywQMg75iSoWQHw/s400/IMG_0802.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298206096884564162" border="0" /></a>As we sang together, shared a meal almost every Friday, and dreamed, it became clear that we wanted to live closer together. We imagined the abundance we might feel if we took turns preparing meals. If there were more eyes and hands to watch over and play with little ones. What if we could check in with one another over coffee at breakfast instead of spending an hour going through our calendars to find an evening next month. (this happened to us once, no joke.) What if we could work together to use permaculture techniques to transform the yards into almost year round edible beauty. And how great might it be to have others to pray/meditate with daily.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;">From bottom, center, and clockwise:</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Maryada, Lilly, Gretchen, Ben, Kate, Carol, Patricia (not pictured is Emrys.)</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span>After a retreat in the fall, lots of visioning, and sitting in silence, we knew that our next step meant finding a house where we could all live, or at least live nearby one another. Last week way opened. If all goes well, we will be moving into an old boarding house just a couple of blocks south of downtown Tucson on March 1. There's room enough for all of us and to have extra room to offer hospitality.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></div><br />In the near future we will offer ways to come and be part of community and spiritual practices at the house. So far there's talk of a Wednesday night meal and silent worship led by a member of the community that's a Quaker. And Kate is talking about a Sunday morning house church sort of gathering followed by brunch and daily contemplative prayer, probably at 6:30 am. And there's plenty of gardening and permaculture to get going. But we'll share more details when they are all in place.<br /><br />Here's our freshly minted mission statement...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Nourished and empowered by the Spirit, the Restoration Project seeks to live in right relationship with one another, the community, and the earth through hospitality, simple and sustainable living, playful spirituality, and peaceful, prophetic action. </span></blockquote><br />Right now among us are a 29-year old Quaker folk singer, two Presbyterian ministers in their early 30s, and their 18-month-old daughter who is learning sign language, Spanish, and English all at once. A 30-year old Episcopal priest with a call to re-imagine Christian community to be sustainable into the next generations, a 25-year-old who was raised evangelical and for the past two years lived in a Catholic Worker house and worked full time on humanitarian issues around the U.S./Mexico border, a 27-year-old Unitarian Universalist peace activist and independent journalist. And a 37-year old writer with an M.Div. and a penchant for mysticism.<br /><br />Living in community is our attempt to live with hope and imagination during this time of global economic and environmental insecurity. Here in the desert and borderland of Southern Arizona we face many harsh realities—dwindling resources, water scarcity, a militarized border. By joining together in ecumenical worship we hope to be sustained for the work of serving and loving our community. By living simply and sharing resources we hope to live with a sense of abundance and to leave behind fear and scarcity. By using permaculture techniques we hope to eventually be able to grow a lot of our own food, and even have enough to share with others. We pray that our lives will be used by God and that we may join in Love's restoration of all creation so that all the earth may one day live in joy and harmony.<br /><br />One of the songs we like to sing as a group is Freedom is Coming... "Oh Freedom, Freedom. Freedom is coming. Oh, yes I know." It captures that tension of living into the dream of God, knowing that it is both here now and yet longing for it to unfold even more fully.<br /><br />We are blown away by the Spirit's work in our midst. And are walking around these last few days in awe-filled gratitude for the opportunity to live into the vision stirred within us. More to come!JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-78140605692252036192009-01-26T11:26:00.000-08:002009-01-26T13:37:13.969-08:00Join the Living in Congregations magazineUprising, the all-night interactive Easter vigil we threw last year is explained in the latest Alban Institute's* <span style="font-style: italic;">Congregations </span>magazine.<br /><br /><blockquote><span id="ctl00_ctl00_ctl00_botleftPlaceHolder_botleftPlaceHolder_default_botleftPlaceHolder_CB"><p>A few years ago at an Episcopal Easter vigil I noticed that something was missing. Someone, actually. No teenagers were present and only a few people in their twenties or thirties were in the gathered congregation of about 80—and that included me. I remember thinking, How sad, because this is the most creative, sensual service we’ve got going.</p> <p>That experience re-sparked questions that I, and many others, ponder: What would it take to make the stories and rituals of our tradition meaningful to our rising generations? And how can we share the gifts of our faith with others who would never, ever, dare set foot inside a church?</p> <p>A deep consideration of those questions led my partner and me to form an organization called Join the Living, whose broad mission is to connect our next generations with spiritual practices and community. In the spring of 2008 we hosted our first collaborative experiment: an all-night interactive Easter vigil in the desert of southern Arizona. We called it Uprising, a celebration of the force of life that cannot be stopped.</p><p>Continue reading <a href="http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=7014">here.</a><br /></p></span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*<a href="http://www.alban.org/about.aspx?id=176">The Alban Institute</a> was founded in 1974 as a major resource for American congregations facing the challenges of a changing society. Alban stands at the forefront of knowledge and experience regarding congregational vitality and positive trends across denominations and faith traditions. Our work is helping shape the strong congregations of tomorrow.</span>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-41399889841136825342009-01-26T11:22:00.000-08:002009-01-26T11:39:49.210-08:00Flash Mob at the CathedralAt St. Paul's Cathedral in London <span>Everyone brought a walkman along and at 18:46 pressed play and danced. I just love this particular flash mob scene. The Spirit is alive and kicking it outside the cathedral at least. </span><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V0TYKnu0y_Y&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V0TYKnu0y_Y&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-17256220343560021922009-01-14T07:01:00.000-08:002009-01-14T07:31:47.380-08:00Upcoming Tucson Events Worth Noting<span style="font-family: arial;">A lecture by a leading Jewish scholar and a Hootnanny for peace are two out of the ordinary events happening January 25 & 26 in Tucson. We were excited to hear about them and plan to attend. Just wanted to pass the news on to Tucson folks.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">First up is Amy-Jill Levine. Dr. Levine is Jewish and writes and lectures about Jesus. I heard her speak once in seminary and was blown away by her insights. This is an incredible opportunity to hear her in person.</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" name="11ed4cd3f5437036_article6" shape="rect"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.02em; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >Jesus: The Misunderstood Jew </span> <span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" > Special Lecture by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine </span> <br /><br /> <img alt="Amy-Jill Levine" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs021/1101306231754/img/36.jpg?a=1102404802377" align="right" border="0" height="150" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="113" /> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" > <b>Jesus: The Misunderstood Jew</b><br />Date: Monday - January 26, 2009<br />Time: 7:00PM<br />Location:</span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial;font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.tucsonjcc.org/"> The Tucson Jewish Community Center</a><br /><br />Jesus of Nazareth followed the Torah of Moses, found inspiration in the Prophets of Israel, and offered a teaching that some Jewish men and women found compelling. Yet too often Christians and Jews incorrectly regard Jesus as rejecting Judaism. Prof. Levine' lecture will explore her recent research on this historical Jesus and his portrayal in the earliest sources. She will explain how understanding Jesus in his Jewish context can bring new meaning to his parables, his politics, and his piety. At the same time, this new understanding can offer new a path for Jewish-Christian relations.<br /><br />Amy-Jill Levine is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Department of Religious Studies & Graduate Department of Religion. This lecture is sponsored by <a href="http://fp.arizona.edu/judaic/jus_events/pozez_lecture_series/amy-jill_levine.htm">Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona. </a></span> <a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://fp.arizona.edu/judaic/jus_events/pozez_lecture_series/amy-jill_levine.htm"><br /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Hootnanny for Peace</span><a style="font-family: arial;" name="11ed4cd3f5437036_article6" shape="rect"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.02em; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" > </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >Jews, Muslims, and Christians eating and singing together</span><br /><br /> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Multi-faith Folk Festival</span><br />Date: Sunday - January 25, 2009<br />Time: 6:00PM<br />Location:</span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial;font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.tucsonjcc.org/"> St. Francis in the Foothills Methodist Church</a></span><span style="font-family: arial;">, </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >4625 E River Road</span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrThkhuyp4YnM1WeVllipchn4NoT1thhCQJdGZdq8PscfOJ7srMPcYKU7tzwAmDFxOCS7bwcybu3d0xnJxbOkWEThM4gVsEggwyMxQMiU9dzrsqodUkWo_I5DXoXxFe3cIh9QNMRYDFU/s1600-h/bebacf9903.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrThkhuyp4YnM1WeVllipchn4NoT1thhCQJdGZdq8PscfOJ7srMPcYKU7tzwAmDFxOCS7bwcybu3d0xnJxbOkWEThM4gVsEggwyMxQMiU9dzrsqodUkWo_I5DXoXxFe3cIh9QNMRYDFU/s200/bebacf9903.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291170572595620706" border="0" /></a><br />Jews, Muslims and Christians, will gather together to sing folk songs, peace songs, and oldies by Judy Collins, Peter Paul and Mary, Joni Mitchell, Pete Seager and The Weavers. Added to this will be Jewish Folk songs, and Sufi Dancing. Those gathered will also eat and pray together. Are these not the ingredients for creating Peace on Earth?<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><br /><div style="font-family: arial;"><br /></div> <div style="font-family: arial;"> </div> <div style="font-family: arial;">The evening starts with a Pot Luck dinner at 6 pm.<br /><br />Organizers have asked that if your last name begins with</div> <div style="font-family: arial;"> A-J: Bring a Main Dish for eight.</div> <div style="font-family: arial;"> K-Q: Bring a Salad for eight.</div> <div style="font-family: arial;"> R-Z: Bring a Dessert for eight.<br /><br /></div> <div style="font-family: arial;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"> Members of the Tucson Mosque will teach dancing. Three folk groups will lead the singing, which starts at 6:45 pm. </span><div> </div></span>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-11317123822149798902009-01-12T15:04:00.000-08:002009-01-12T15:33:33.596-08:00Community in the neighborhoodLoss is everywhere it seems lately. Jobs, retirement savings, houses.<br /><br />Community helps make the sting not hurt quite so bad. Just today an older neighbor and her dog came over to visit our dogs at the Howard House. She said she hadn't been feeling too well. "Sometimes it seems life is slipping away from me," she said. But the sunshine and conversation we shared in the backyard made her feel a little better, she said.<br /><br />And then as I walked her back to her house since she was feeling a little wobbly, we met two other neighbors we didn't know. Walking with dogs always helps with these connections it seems. We admired our new acquaintance's beautiful, shiny white hair. Learned her accent was Russian, that her husband had died just three years ago, and she'd recently lost her house in a fraud case. And then she and her son walked on with us. Soon we were sitting in another backyard. More connections were made. Conversation and fresh oranges from trees planted by our neighbor years ago were shared. I'm sure we'll all visit with one another again soon. This is what neighborhoods are for. And I'm grateful for my neighbors who shared the gift of community and presence with me today.<br /><br />—CarolJointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-6156739206600349512008-12-21T07:49:00.000-08:002008-12-21T08:03:28.847-08:00Daily Advent Reflection: Dec 21<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fourth and Final Week of Advent, December 21 — December 24</span></span><br /><br /><blockquote>In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! God is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.<br /><div style="text-align: right;">— Luke 1:26-31<br /></div><br />In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”<br /><div style="text-align: right;">—Luke 1: 39-42<br /></div><br />And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of God’s servant. ... God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God had filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”<br /><div style="text-align: right;">—Luke 1: 46-48, 52-53</div></blockquote><br /><br /><br />“With haste” Mary went to visit her relative Elizabeth. Mary had just found out, from an angel, that she was pregnant. And the angel told her that Elizabeth, her older cousin, was pregnant too. So it must have been a comfort to be with Elizabeth, another woman, a relative, someone else who was pregnant, during an undoubtedly scary time.<br /><br />Mary was in big trouble—by society’s standards. She was to be married soon to Joseph. To outsiders, she was simply knocked up outside the boundary’s of what was acceptable. Joseph wasn’t involved. By the law of their society, Joseph could have Mary stoned to death.<br /><br />Keep in mind that Mary was very young, maybe about 13. She was living in an occupied land. Empire seeped into her everyday life. Violence of all sorts, killing, rape, extortion, were common. She was not powerful. She had no voice in this culture. And from this context, perhaps afraid, and running for her life, she seeks the comfort of another woman.<br /><br />And Elizabeth smiles and embraces her, and calls her blessed. From this embrace of blessing, she remembers the words of the angel, “God is with you.” And Mary’s soul sours. She sings a song of liberation. It is a song for all who experience oppression. For all who have been forced to live with the stares of others brought on from breaking society’s sexual norms. Even though she lives in the belly of the empire, she holds within her hope. And her song, can become our song, and our hope, too. God will bring down the powerful and lift up the lowly. God’s mercy is great. God is with us. God will bring life where there was shame.<br /><br />Let us be quick to remember our blessing. Let us be quick to bless. And never forget that in the reign of God the voiceless give birth to hope and sing songs of liberation that bring life to the world.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prayer</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sweet mother of us all, only you know the true potential that is carried deep within each of your children. May we live with pregnant expectancy in the coming weeks, as we wait and work for your justice. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prayer for lighting the fourth candle. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">May we remember our blessings, and be a blessing to others. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Activities for this week</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Attend a Christmas service.</span> Many churches have candlelight services, or reflective services that can help create a space of calm and beauty in the midst of a stressful season. Join the Living will host a candle light service on Dec. 21 at 6:30 pm at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church 545 S. 5th AVE, Tucson. The church will also be open for quiet meditation from 4 pm until 6:30 pm. We’ll offer a meal to share together at 5:30 pm. Come for any of the evening. See the blog entry below for more about the service.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Remember those whose sexuality makes them second class citizens.</span> Women as well as people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (just to name a few) are often demeaned or discriminated against because of issues related to sexuality. If this resonates with your own experience, consider how Mary’s story may speak to you. If you aren’t already an ally to the LGBT community, consider becoming one and becoming more involved at <a href="http://www.wingspan.org/">wingspan.org</a>.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Give money away.</span> A movement called <a href="http://www.adventconspiracy.org/">Advent Conspiracy</a> invites people to give more money away at Christmas. If you have money to give, consider helping build water wells in Africa (<a href="http://www.water.cc/">www.water.cc</a>), or helping the <a href="http://communityfoodbank.com/">Community Food Bank in Tucson</a>, which last we heard, was so overwhelmed with trying to meet people’s basic food needs, it did not have enough resources to provide Christmas boxes to families this year. </li></ul>JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7458371858926141909.post-82740205610868353762008-12-20T08:01:00.001-08:002008-12-21T08:06:59.517-08:00Longest Night Christmas Service Tomorrow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsB4R75x-6xy7Qy2_YfBluZByB9gQAaJfhRXUdRudjud8fDnshCdmO1uK2mooNvi4L43qLuKvOY_eRx-nyT1Pb0x3xq5q3byvLLE0CC89ruvAcWjBt8cAGHH7HlalHIZfdfEaBuCoM6c7/s1600-h/2003cry007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsB4R75x-6xy7Qy2_YfBluZByB9gQAaJfhRXUdRudjud8fDnshCdmO1uK2mooNvi4L43qLuKvOY_eRx-nyT1Pb0x3xq5q3byvLLE0CC89ruvAcWjBt8cAGHH7HlalHIZfdfEaBuCoM6c7/s400/2003cry007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281905864939679074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, Dec. 21</span> Join the Living will host space for meditation, community meal sharing, and a time for collective reflection and prayers. All are welcome to participate in any part of the evening.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4 — 6:30 pm</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Silent, personal meditation and prayer in the Sanctuary.</span><br /><br />The small stone and wood sanctuary of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church will be lit with candles and decked out with fresh Christmas greens. It will be true sanctuary and refuge. Come and go any time from 4 to 6:30. Simply sit in the silence for as long as you like, or light a candle, or say a prayer. It's open space for you. All welcome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo6EZ_gOZAknfhOYWorP3K5cPg_HARCHHLCx48nFybX3rnCU8PKMZmrBSySA5XP4rW7VRHlTWAM65vzXG_ikA7zP0iQOaxwBQXVx-VHREg9pkQ3SL1lfi3jA7sVbSKBtwCbNskqd1jlbE/s1600-h/n1060852808_1875285_6352.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo6EZ_gOZAknfhOYWorP3K5cPg_HARCHHLCx48nFybX3rnCU8PKMZmrBSySA5XP4rW7VRHlTWAM65vzXG_ikA7zP0iQOaxwBQXVx-VHREg9pkQ3SL1lfi3jA7sVbSKBtwCbNskqd1jlbE/s400/n1060852808_1875285_6352.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282275330672210242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5:30 pm</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />A meal will be available in the parish hall.</span><br /><br />Vegetarian. Local food. By pay-what-you-can donation.<br />All welcome.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6:30 pm</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />A short service of readings, prayer, reflection, and music.</span><br /><br />We will honor the longest night, as well as the grief, sadness, fear, and anger we may carry with us at this time, but we will also celebrate the light of Christ, and pray that the light be born in our world anew. All Welcome.<br /><br /><br />St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is located at <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20width=%22425%22%20height=%22350%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20marginheight=%220%22%20marginwidth=%220%22%20src=%22http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=545+S+5th+Ave,+Tucson,+AZ+85701&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.450489,64.6875&ie=UTF8&ll=32.225799,-110.962601&spn=0.008986,0.015793&t=h&z=14&g=545+S+5th+Ave,+Tucson,+AZ+85701&iwloc=addr&output=embed&s=AARTsJonjdG-CDgVvhRzaabu2Xve655wZg%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Csmall%3E%3Ca%20href=%22http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=545+S+5th+Ave,+Tucson,+AZ+85701&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.450489,64.6875&ie=UTF8&ll=32.225799,-110.962601&spn=0.008986,0.015793&t=h&z=14&g=545+S+5th+Ave,+Tucson,+AZ+85701&iwloc=addr&source=embed%22%20style=%22color:#0000FF;text-align:left%22%3EView%20Larger%20Map%3C/a%3E%3C/small%3E">545 S. 5th Ave</a> (at the corner of 5th Ave and 16th Street)</span>.<br /><br />Parking is available on the street in the neighborhood. The church is wheelchair accessible.JointheLivinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08558762846590986683noreply@blogger.com0