12.26.2006
12.19.2006
What I am doing wrong?
today...
Dear Eric :
Thank you for considering Mount Carmel as a possible career choice, and taking the time to apply for the Receptionist- PT/32hr position.
We have reviewed your application and credentials and, unfortunately, we are not moving forward with your job candidacy at this time. We are focusing on other candidates with experiences and/or skills that more closely match our needs for this opening.
Thank you for your interest in Mount Carmel. Best of luck with your job search.
Mount Carmel People Services Team
November 10th...
Dear Eric :
Thank you for considering Mount Carmel as a possible career choice, and taking the time to apply for the Patient Financial Specialist position.
We have reviewed your application and credentials and, unfortunately, we are not moving forward with your job candidacy at this time. We are focusing on other candidates with experiences and/or skills that more closely match our needs for this opening.
Thank you for your interest in Mount Carmel. Best of luck with your job search.
Mount Carmel People Services Team
November 8th
Dear Eric :
Thank you for considering Mount Carmel as a possible career choice, and taking the time to apply for the Project Consultant - Human Resources position.
We have reviewed your application and credentials and, unfortunately, we are not moving forward with your job candidacy at this time. We are focusing on other candidates with experiences and/or skills that more closely match our needs for this opening.
Thank you for your interest in Mount Carmel. Best of luck with your job search.
Mount Carmel People Services Team
November 7th...
Dear Eric :
Thank you for considering Mount Carmel as a possible career choice, and taking the time to apply for the Nutrition Svcs Aide position.
We have reviewed your application and credentials and, unfortunately, we are not moving forward with your job candidacy at this time. We are focusing on other candidates with experiences and/or skills that more closely match our needs for this opening.
Thank you for your interest in Mount Carmel. Best of luck with your job search.
Mount Carmel People Services Team
Dear Eric :
Thank you for considering Mount Carmel as a possible career choice, and taking the time to apply for the Receptionist- PT/32hr position.
We have reviewed your application and credentials and, unfortunately, we are not moving forward with your job candidacy at this time. We are focusing on other candidates with experiences and/or skills that more closely match our needs for this opening.
Thank you for your interest in Mount Carmel. Best of luck with your job search.
Mount Carmel People Services Team
November 10th...
Dear Eric :
Thank you for considering Mount Carmel as a possible career choice, and taking the time to apply for the Patient Financial Specialist position.
We have reviewed your application and credentials and, unfortunately, we are not moving forward with your job candidacy at this time. We are focusing on other candidates with experiences and/or skills that more closely match our needs for this opening.
Thank you for your interest in Mount Carmel. Best of luck with your job search.
Mount Carmel People Services Team
November 8th
Dear Eric :
Thank you for considering Mount Carmel as a possible career choice, and taking the time to apply for the Project Consultant - Human Resources position.
We have reviewed your application and credentials and, unfortunately, we are not moving forward with your job candidacy at this time. We are focusing on other candidates with experiences and/or skills that more closely match our needs for this opening.
Thank you for your interest in Mount Carmel. Best of luck with your job search.
Mount Carmel People Services Team
November 7th...
Dear Eric :
Thank you for considering Mount Carmel as a possible career choice, and taking the time to apply for the Nutrition Svcs Aide position.
We have reviewed your application and credentials and, unfortunately, we are not moving forward with your job candidacy at this time. We are focusing on other candidates with experiences and/or skills that more closely match our needs for this opening.
Thank you for your interest in Mount Carmel. Best of luck with your job search.
Mount Carmel People Services Team
11.30.2006
Replanting People
Immigrant workers earn a piece of an organic farm
A year after the trade agreement took effect, Tortoledo joined hundreds of thousands of migrant farmers in a desperate search for work. Some drifted to northern Mexico to pick tomatoes for seven dollars a day. But others, like Tortoledo, endured often treacherous journeys to the U.S. to earn farmworker wages that were higher than Mexico's, yet still kept families below the U.S. poverty levels.
Tortoledo is a thoughtful man with an affable grin. Throughout his uprooting, he has held fast to the spirit of a homegrown proverb that he and his compañeros are quick to quote: No hay mal que por bien no venga—no bad comes without a good.
Today was Tortoledo's turn to experience the good. By eleven a.m., he and twenty-seven other campesinos had put away their tools, gathered at a barracklike farmstand, and, in a formal presentation, become the first farmworkers in the nation to receive certificates for an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).
Their employer, Swanton Berry Farm, an eighty-acre organic vegetable, kiwi, olallieberry, and strawberry farm near Santa Cruz, is by no means the first employer to offer ESOPs, a common form of employee ownership. But it is the first farm in the nation to extend the program beyond family members—and to reach some of the nation's most needy candidates, including workers on organic farms.
Read more
A year after the trade agreement took effect, Tortoledo joined hundreds of thousands of migrant farmers in a desperate search for work. Some drifted to northern Mexico to pick tomatoes for seven dollars a day. But others, like Tortoledo, endured often treacherous journeys to the U.S. to earn farmworker wages that were higher than Mexico's, yet still kept families below the U.S. poverty levels.
Tortoledo is a thoughtful man with an affable grin. Throughout his uprooting, he has held fast to the spirit of a homegrown proverb that he and his compañeros are quick to quote: No hay mal que por bien no venga—no bad comes without a good.
Today was Tortoledo's turn to experience the good. By eleven a.m., he and twenty-seven other campesinos had put away their tools, gathered at a barracklike farmstand, and, in a formal presentation, become the first farmworkers in the nation to receive certificates for an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).
Their employer, Swanton Berry Farm, an eighty-acre organic vegetable, kiwi, olallieberry, and strawberry farm near Santa Cruz, is by no means the first employer to offer ESOPs, a common form of employee ownership. But it is the first farm in the nation to extend the program beyond family members—and to reach some of the nation's most needy candidates, including workers on organic farms.
Read more
11.14.2006
10.30.2006
Jonathan Williams
A couple people have commented on the photograph of Wendell below. It was taken by Jonathan Williams in Port Royal, Kentucky back in 1970. Here you will find more of his photography of some real great people. Like this guy and him too, oh... and this long time friend of the late Jack Kerouac.
10.20.2006
Treehugger.com has issued the 100 Mile Thanksgiving Challenge
The farm I work at is offering a way to make it happen.
10.18.2006
...our destruction of nature is not just bad stewardship, or stupid economics, or a betrayal of family responsibility; it is the most horrid blasphemy. It is flinging God's gifts into his face, as of no worth beyond that assigned to them by our destruction of them. To Dante, "despising Nature and her gifts" was a violence against God.(n3) We have no entitlement from the Bible to exterminate or permanently destroy or hold in contempt anything on the earth or in the heavens above it or in the waters beneath it.
Wendell Berry
O Lord,
You came and set foot on desert ground
parched:cracked:broken
You revealed to us your love, yet it was an alien love
a love we didn't recognize
or understand
Yet everywhere you set foot became glad
blossomed:bloomed
You walked strait into our brokeness
with our feeble hands
weak knees
caloused eyes
deaf ears
and gave strength and understanding as a GIFT
You showed us The Way
and offered to carry us to the land of the REDEEMED
In you we find our JOY
And now, O Lord,
may we who know joy
set foot once again on desert ground
parched:cracked:broken
Make your dwelling in the {joy of the redeemed}
so that we may also know what it means to
::EMBRACE::
the feeble handed
::WALK::
with those whose knees are week
::SEE::
those who have been opressed
Teach us to love those with no eyes to see it
ears to hear it
mind to comprehend it
Only then, O Lord, will gladness and Joy overtake us
and sorrow and sighing will flee away
You came and set foot on desert ground
parched:cracked:broken
You revealed to us your love, yet it was an alien love
a love we didn't recognize
or understand
Yet everywhere you set foot became glad
blossomed:bloomed
You walked strait into our brokeness
with our feeble hands
weak knees
caloused eyes
deaf ears
and gave strength and understanding as a GIFT
You showed us The Way
and offered to carry us to the land of the REDEEMED
In you we find our JOY
And now, O Lord,
may we who know joy
set foot once again on desert ground
parched:cracked:broken
Make your dwelling in the {joy of the redeemed}
so that we may also know what it means to
::EMBRACE::
the feeble handed
::WALK::
with those whose knees are week
::SEE::
those who have been opressed
Teach us to love those with no eyes to see it
ears to hear it
mind to comprehend it
Only then, O Lord, will gladness and Joy overtake us
and sorrow and sighing will flee away
I'm selling my Chevy Prism
Manual Transmission that gets close to 40 MILES PER GALLON hwy
it's like a PRIUS... but cheaper... (and not quite the same gas mileage)
any takers?
Manual Transmission that gets close to 40 MILES PER GALLON hwy
it's like a PRIUS... but cheaper... (and not quite the same gas mileage)
any takers?
10.04.2006
Kelly posted this:
Does God Allow His Children to Be Poor?
-Elisabeth Elliot
here's a thought I've been thinking for a couple weeks now:
It seems like the most subversive/countercultural thing to do in our American society is to "embrace" loss. Yet it seems to be what the Kingdom of God is all about. It is in the embrace of a life of downward mobility where one might find persecution in a land of religious freedom. We are taught to fear loss. A life that welcomes displacement is seen as unhealthy, irrisponsible, and even dangerous. Yet I think the call of the Gospel is one of voluntary displacement. How can I claim then to "follow" Christ and still cling to the illusions of security that my society is offering me? Could these be our idols? What are they? If I choose not to bow to them and live a life that challenges them, will I be persecuted?
These are the thoughts/questions that I have been living with for the past few weeks. I will continue to live with them... +++ may the mystery of Christ continue to challenge and transform +++
Does God Allow His Children to Be Poor?
God allows both Christians and non-Christians to experience every form of suffering known to the human race, just as He allows His blessings to fall on both. Poverty, like other forms of suffering, is relative, as Lars and I were reminded while we were in India. Our country's definition of the "poverty level" would mean unimaginable affluence to the girls we saw working next to our hotel. For nine hours a day they carried wet concrete in wooden basins on their heads, pouring it into the forms for the foundation of a large building. They were paid thirty cents a day.
Poverty has not been my experience, but God has allowed in the lives of each of us some sort of loss, the withdrawal of something we valued, in order that we may learn to offer ourselves a little more willingly, to allow the touch of death on one more thing we have clutched so tightly, and thus know fullness and freedom and joy that much sooner. We're not naturally inclined to love God and seek His Kingdom. Trouble may help to incline us- that is, it may tip us over, put some pressure on us, lean us in the right direction.
-Elisabeth Elliot
here's a thought I've been thinking for a couple weeks now:
It seems like the most subversive/countercultural thing to do in our American society is to "embrace" loss. Yet it seems to be what the Kingdom of God is all about. It is in the embrace of a life of downward mobility where one might find persecution in a land of religious freedom. We are taught to fear loss. A life that welcomes displacement is seen as unhealthy, irrisponsible, and even dangerous. Yet I think the call of the Gospel is one of voluntary displacement. How can I claim then to "follow" Christ and still cling to the illusions of security that my society is offering me? Could these be our idols? What are they? If I choose not to bow to them and live a life that challenges them, will I be persecuted?
These are the thoughts/questions that I have been living with for the past few weeks. I will continue to live with them... +++ may the mystery of Christ continue to challenge and transform +++
9.30.2006
The farm is changing as new fall greens, turnips, sweet potatoes, squash, and spinach move up through the soil. Weeds are down. Plenty of garlic orders to fill. I was able to take the boys out with me this past weekend. I helped them feed chickens, collect eggs, feed the turkeys and the cows... I hope they remember what they experienced.
The work ahead is overwhelming... cleaning out the tomato greenhouse, mulching, and planting for the winter, cleaning turkeys for thanksgiving, planting the garlic fields and other fields with cover crops...
I will try to remember my camera and post some pictures of Just This Farm
The work ahead is overwhelming... cleaning out the tomato greenhouse, mulching, and planting for the winter, cleaning turkeys for thanksgiving, planting the garlic fields and other fields with cover crops...
I will try to remember my camera and post some pictures of Just This Farm
9.29.2006
a practicing community
If we are about learning discipleship in Christ (apprenticeship), then we need others to practice disciplines with. Matt and I are practicing some very simple things together. Today, we will practice walking meditation... taking very literally the instructions the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians : "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25
Each step will be a step of peace.
Anyone want to join us?
Each step will be a step of peace.
Anyone want to join us?
Voluntary displacement
From Henri Nouwen: "According to Webster's dictionary, diplacement means, to move or to shift from the oridnary or proper place. This becomes a telling definition when we realize the extent to which we are preoccupied with adapting ourselves to the prevalent norms and values of our milieu. We want to be ordinary and proper people who live ordinary and proper lives. There is an enormous pressure on us to do what is ordinary and proper - even the attempt to excel is ordinary and proper - and thus find the satisfaction of general acceptance. This is quite understandable since the ordinary and proper behavior that gives shape to our ordinary and proper lives offers us the comforting illusion that things are under control and that everything extraordinary and improper can be kept outisde the walls of our self-created fortress" ("Compassion," 1982).
9.20.2006
Eberhard Arnold, Why We Live In Community
"Admittedly, with our present nature, without God, we humans are incapable of community. Temperamental mood-swings, possessive impulses and cravings for physical and emotional satisfaction, powerful currents of ambition and touchiness, the desire for personal influence over others, and human privileges of all kinds–all these place seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the way of true community. But with faith we cannot be deluded into thinking that these realities are decisive: in the face of the power of God and his all-conquering love, they are of no significance. God is stronger than these realities. The unifying energy of his Spirit overcomes them all."
"Admittedly, with our present nature, without God, we humans are incapable of community. Temperamental mood-swings, possessive impulses and cravings for physical and emotional satisfaction, powerful currents of ambition and touchiness, the desire for personal influence over others, and human privileges of all kinds–all these place seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the way of true community. But with faith we cannot be deluded into thinking that these realities are decisive: in the face of the power of God and his all-conquering love, they are of no significance. God is stronger than these realities. The unifying energy of his Spirit overcomes them all."
9.18.2006
community
The following is a slideshow of all the madness that happened at 827 nw bld while we were away on vacation... Jen, Kelly, Matt, Kelli, Jeremy, Jessica, Arin, Kristina, Holly, and more helped make our house really warm when we got home... others in the community helped out financially , Amy, Kyle, Kelsie, Curtis, Jeremy, Jessica, Jen, Kelli, Matt, Kelly, Arin, Kristina, Holly, and others. It was for Kerri's birthday, but also just because. Awesome.
8.27.2006
Kerri Lynn Stetler
I have been married to Kerri Lynn Stetler for well over 8yrs now. In ways we are still the same people we were when we met. She still fits right under my arm and has the most beautiful eyes. I still have crooked toes and facial hair (yet not as much hair on my head)... and these things may never change. Yet so many other things about us have changed over these years. I'm not quite as muscular, and her hair isn't red anymore. I dress funnier and she wears nursing bras. And then there is our values. Just ask anyone who knew us before we moved to Columbus, honestly, we saw the world through a completely different lens. We keep growing and changing. And somehow we keep doing it together. And today, I feel as if my heart is filled with more love for her than ever before! Maybe it is the way she smiles at me that big beautiful smile that so many people love, or it may be the way she hangs laundry on the clothes line day after day with no complaint, or the way she serves her children from the time they wake up till the moment their head hits the pillow. Maybe it is the way she listens patiently to my abstract random thoughts and then systematically filters them through her concrete sequential head. It could be the way that she works late into the evening after the kids have gone to bed so that we can pay our bills, or it might have something to do with the way she kisses me (right through my moustache without complaint!) Or it could be all of these things... but there are other reasons she is a great wife-
- She still sits down with me each week to talk about anything we want to at Staufs
- She washes more diapers out than me and never complains or keeps a tally
- She is frugal with finances and jumps at the opportunity to help someone in need
- I come home just about everyday to a meal prepared for our family + anyone else who may join us
- She is diligent about writing notes and cards of appreciation to anyone who shows us kindness
- Every day is a new day with Kerri. She will stay up late to straighten the house, do dishes, fold laundry, or make a shopping list so that the next day can be a peaceful one for everyone under this roof.
- She never holds grudges overnight and would make sure that we never lay our heads on the pillow with dissension between us.
Most of all, she is committed to me with an unending love and promise of faithfulness and will continue to dream dreams and chase after them until we at last depart.
I love her and she is my friend.
- She still sits down with me each week to talk about anything we want to at Staufs
- She washes more diapers out than me and never complains or keeps a tally
- She is frugal with finances and jumps at the opportunity to help someone in need
- I come home just about everyday to a meal prepared for our family + anyone else who may join us
- She is diligent about writing notes and cards of appreciation to anyone who shows us kindness
- Every day is a new day with Kerri. She will stay up late to straighten the house, do dishes, fold laundry, or make a shopping list so that the next day can be a peaceful one for everyone under this roof.
- She never holds grudges overnight and would make sure that we never lay our heads on the pillow with dissension between us.
Most of all, she is committed to me with an unending love and promise of faithfulness and will continue to dream dreams and chase after them until we at last depart.
I love her and she is my friend.
8.24.2006
8.18.2006
8.13.2006
Not yet having a liturgy of our own, many of us at Landing Place use Celtic Daily Prayers as a "borrowed" liturgy from the Northumbria Community. Reading Alan Creech's blog about a recent conversation at his place with Dave Nixon re: litugy;praying the psalms/divine hours... one of his bullet points from the conversation : We can pray AS the community even when we are alone physically...
This seems important to our community because of the way we are spread all over the city. Many of us long for a way to share space, yet space seems to be so hard to aquire in a growing urban Columbus. So for now, those of us who pray these prayers will pray them "together" in each others physical absence.
This seems important to our community because of the way we are spread all over the city. Many of us long for a way to share space, yet space seems to be so hard to aquire in a growing urban Columbus. So for now, those of us who pray these prayers will pray them "together" in each others physical absence.
8.09.2006
The Future of Food party was a sucess... good to see Chris Bean in attendance, as well as the new director for the ACGA. There is so much information in this documentary that is so very important that I would be willing to travel to your lands and lead a viewing/dialoge in your space!
The big word that resonated with me this time I viewed the documentary was "compassion." Who ever thought that what you buy at the grocery could have ramifications globally? We need to begin asking ourselves "are the decisions I'm making to save a few dollars marginalizing the poor?" We make choices everyday in ignorance that have a long lasting impact on our world systems and ultimately people. The question is: Are we willing to challenge our status quo? -or is our comfort simply more convenient than asking hard questions?
this article seems to be a good start:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/GlobalWarming/story?id=2277893
or even something like this:
Wendell Berry writes
A typical example of the conduct of industrial heroism is to be found in the present rush of experts to "solve the problem of world hunger"--which is rarely defined except as a "world problem" known, in industrial jargon, as "the world food problematique." As is characteristic of industrial heroism, the professed intention here is entirely salutary: nobody should starve. The trouble is that "world hunger" is not a problem that can be solved by a "world solution." Except in a very limited sense, it is not an industrial problem, and industrial attempts to solve it--such as the "Green Revolution" and "Food for Peace"--have often had grotesque and destructive results. "The problem of world hunger" cannot be solved until it is understood and dealt with by local people as a multitude of local problems of ecology, agriculture, and culture.
The big word that resonated with me this time I viewed the documentary was "compassion." Who ever thought that what you buy at the grocery could have ramifications globally? We need to begin asking ourselves "are the decisions I'm making to save a few dollars marginalizing the poor?" We make choices everyday in ignorance that have a long lasting impact on our world systems and ultimately people. The question is: Are we willing to challenge our status quo? -or is our comfort simply more convenient than asking hard questions?
this article seems to be a good start:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/GlobalWarming/story?id=2277893
or even something like this:
Wendell Berry writes
A typical example of the conduct of industrial heroism is to be found in the present rush of experts to "solve the problem of world hunger"--which is rarely defined except as a "world problem" known, in industrial jargon, as "the world food problematique." As is characteristic of industrial heroism, the professed intention here is entirely salutary: nobody should starve. The trouble is that "world hunger" is not a problem that can be solved by a "world solution." Except in a very limited sense, it is not an industrial problem, and industrial attempts to solve it--such as the "Green Revolution" and "Food for Peace"--have often had grotesque and destructive results. "The problem of world hunger" cannot be solved until it is understood and dealt with by local people as a multitude of local problems of ecology, agriculture, and culture.
8.01.2006
What life looks like these days...
Every morning I have been jumping out of bed eager to get to the farm... I love the hot days and hard work. I think I'm becoming somewhat addicted to manual labor. The farm I work at now is an organic farm located just outside the city. Kevin, the farmer, is pretty excellent. He has taken me under his wing and taught be so much about simple living, organic farming, the history of agriculture, composting, environmentalism, energy efficiency (he built his own house to be energy efficient), Tao chi, and so much more.
Today we picked blackberries the size of small plums, ate plums and peaches right off the tree, tied up tomato plants, and seeded broccoli, lettuce, cilantro, zucchini, basil, and coriander...and finished the day off by collecting eggs. Tomorrow we will harvest for a special market on Thursday for low income families. I am excited that he is taking me with him as this will be my first market experience with Kevin.
I come home at night to find my apartment littered with friends and family... and we share stories a little too late... so now I am tired and will retire for the eve.
Today we picked blackberries the size of small plums, ate plums and peaches right off the tree, tied up tomato plants, and seeded broccoli, lettuce, cilantro, zucchini, basil, and coriander...and finished the day off by collecting eggs. Tomorrow we will harvest for a special market on Thursday for low income families. I am excited that he is taking me with him as this will be my first market experience with Kevin.
I come home at night to find my apartment littered with friends and family... and we share stories a little too late... so now I am tired and will retire for the eve.
7.09.2006
Updates on Sustainable Wellness site...
also...
Health Talks
Let me know if you are interested in a good vegan meal with friends in my home or yours with dialogue on topics related to this site.
also...
Health Talks
Let me know if you are interested in a good vegan meal with friends in my home or yours with dialogue on topics related to this site.
7.08.2006
7.01.2006
i've been wearing a shirt around for about 3 years now... picked it up at the local thrift store...
it reads
centreo obrero fronterizo, la mujer obrera
"frontier working center, the working woman"
I'm glad I stumbled across such a great organization
http://www.mujerobrera.org/
it reads
centreo obrero fronterizo, la mujer obrera
"frontier working center, the working woman"
I'm glad I stumbled across such a great organization
http://www.mujerobrera.org/
6.27.2006
Check out my new website.
It will be devoted entirely to the idea of sustainable wellness.
I've set up an rss feed, but most of the info that I will post wont be rss.
enjoy
It will be devoted entirely to the idea of sustainable wellness.
I've set up an rss feed, but most of the info that I will post wont be rss.
enjoy
6.23.2006
We have been getting garlic scapes every week from Kevin at "Just this farm." I have sooo many that I need to give some away. come to my house and get yourself some.
Garlic scapes are the green curly shoots that grow out of garlic when it's young, and only hardneck garlic produces garlic scapes. The scapes are sometimes called green garlic or garlic spears, although many sources call the young, underdeveloped garlic bulbs green garlic. If your a real foodie... you will enjoy coming up with ways to use them...
They have a very mild garlic flavor with a "green onion" flavor. They can be used in anything you use onions in. I put them in scrambled eggs, salads, pasta, chop them up with olive oil and use it as a hummus topper. mmmmmm! Grab some from Kevin at the North Market Farmer's Market Sat.
garlic scape recipes
more garlic scape recipes
and even more
Kevin mentioned that garlic scape pesto was the most common American use...but they are a delicacy in Chinese food.
i have a real bad feeling that the headlines in today's news will soon be feuling a "renewed" justification for extreme violence... someone will need to pay for stepping on the toes of an empire
Arrested Miami men planned 'war' against U.S.
Iran aiding Shiite attacks inside Iraq, general says
Arrested Miami men planned 'war' against U.S.
Iran aiding Shiite attacks inside Iraq, general says
6.21.2006
thoughts on LP
recently I have been waking up in the morning with my spiritual community on my mind. I pray for us... I wonder about us... I dream about us...
what does it look like for our little community to move forward now. What's real hard is that if we move forward "in the Spirit" we change. We are different. We won't ever be the same again. And in light of where we've been as a community... well...
it's not that lp isn't moving forward. That claim would be to harsh. We are moving forward slowly - and slow is ok. I like slow... but understand that there are only seasons of slow and that we won't stay here forever. I sence that we are nearing the end of that season... (yet not the end of grief and healing) and one thing always remains... Hope.
what does it look like for our little community to move forward now. What's real hard is that if we move forward "in the Spirit" we change. We are different. We won't ever be the same again. And in light of where we've been as a community... well...
it's not that lp isn't moving forward. That claim would be to harsh. We are moving forward slowly - and slow is ok. I like slow... but understand that there are only seasons of slow and that we won't stay here forever. I sence that we are nearing the end of that season... (yet not the end of grief and healing) and one thing always remains... Hope.
6.20.2006
Attn Columbus Meat-eater Friends
this just in from my new friend Kevin:
I go out on fridays so email/call me and I will pick it up for you!
Now, about the chickens:
I am selling pasture raised chickens, that are being raised by a friend who has a farm 15 miles west of my farm. She does a great job with the chickens. They are raised using organic feed, on organic pasture -where they have the benefit of fresh air, sunshine, exercise, and access to grass and bugs, as nature intended. The result is very flavorful and tender chicken. I have up to fifty fresh (unfrozen) whole chickens available for pick-up this week. You could pick them up at my farm Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday this week, or I could deliver them to you at the North Market on Saturday morning.
If you are interested, please let me know by email or telephone (805-5776) as soon as possible. The cost is $3.50 per Lb, and chickens should be about 5-6 lbs each.
Every three weeks throughout the summer, I will have chickens for sale.
I also have frozen grass fed beef and lamb still available from last fall. Let me know if your are interested.
I am also raising turkeys that will be available for Thanksgiving - FYI.
Thanks,
Kevin Eigel
Farmer
Just This Farm
I go out on fridays so email/call me and I will pick it up for you!
6.17.2006
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a great source of beta carotene, as well as carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin. A medium baked sweet potato contains about 3.4 grams of fiber, only 117 calories and almost no fat.
There are two types of sweet potatoes. Moist, or orange-fleshed are sweeter and are often referred to as "yams." However, the yam is a large root vegetable that can grow to over 100 pounds, is grown in Africa and Asia and is rarely seen in Western stores and restaurants. These moist yams are not only terrific baked, but are also delicious raw. Slice them and dip in hummus or a dressing of your choice, or you can shred them and add them to any raw salad.
The other type of sweet potato is starchier, and yellow-fleshed. These taste less sweet but are also delicious.
The easiest way to prepare sweet potatoes is to bake or steam them. To save time, you can bake several at once, as they will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, and actually are not only good re-warmed, but cold. Top a baked sweet potato with a little cinnamon and toasted wheat germ to add some flavor.
Sweet potatoes are a great addition to any recipe containing squash, and sweet potato pie is a wonderful holiday treat. Many vegetarian cookbooks feature recipes using sweet potatoes creatively.
There are two types of sweet potatoes. Moist, or orange-fleshed are sweeter and are often referred to as "yams." However, the yam is a large root vegetable that can grow to over 100 pounds, is grown in Africa and Asia and is rarely seen in Western stores and restaurants. These moist yams are not only terrific baked, but are also delicious raw. Slice them and dip in hummus or a dressing of your choice, or you can shred them and add them to any raw salad.
The other type of sweet potato is starchier, and yellow-fleshed. These taste less sweet but are also delicious.
The easiest way to prepare sweet potatoes is to bake or steam them. To save time, you can bake several at once, as they will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, and actually are not only good re-warmed, but cold. Top a baked sweet potato with a little cinnamon and toasted wheat germ to add some flavor.
Sweet potatoes are a great addition to any recipe containing squash, and sweet potato pie is a wonderful holiday treat. Many vegetarian cookbooks feature recipes using sweet potatoes creatively.
6.09.2006
evan daniel is here!
this woman is awesome
Here's me feeling somewhat responsible for this
little dude says... here I am world, don't mess with me
=
Here's me feeling somewhat responsible for this
little dude says... here I am world, don't mess with me
=
6.04.2006
Ezekiel 37:1-14
37The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.
6.03.2006
THE THINGS THEY DIDN'T TELL YOU ABOUT ETHANOL
In the wake of ever-escalating gasoline prices, the ethanol craze has officially taken hold. Congress has approved $5.7 billion in federal tax credits to support the ethanol market, in addition to the $10 billion U.S. corn farmers annually receive in subsidies. While the corn-industry-lobbying-machine has President Bush predicting ethanol will replace gasoline, the science behind corn-based ethanol seems to suggest this alternative fuel may be more about politics than an actual solution. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it takes the equivalent of three barrels of oil to create four barrels of corn-based ethanol. Couple that with the fact that ethanol gets lower miles per gallon than gasoline, and the corn-based solution begins to show its true colors. But other nations are demonstrating that plant-based ethanol fuels can help meet our energy needs. Brazil makes ethanol from sugar-cane, which is almost eight times more energy efficient to produce than the US corn-based fuel. Crops with high cellulose or sugar content that can be easily grown in the U.S., such as sugar beets, hemp or switch grass, make much more efficient fuels. But, in the U.S., where special interests, not the public seem to govern federal policy, it appears the immediate future of U.S. automotive fuel is going to the highest bidder: genetically engineered corn.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_461.cfm
In the wake of ever-escalating gasoline prices, the ethanol craze has officially taken hold. Congress has approved $5.7 billion in federal tax credits to support the ethanol market, in addition to the $10 billion U.S. corn farmers annually receive in subsidies. While the corn-industry-lobbying-machine has President Bush predicting ethanol will replace gasoline, the science behind corn-based ethanol seems to suggest this alternative fuel may be more about politics than an actual solution. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it takes the equivalent of three barrels of oil to create four barrels of corn-based ethanol. Couple that with the fact that ethanol gets lower miles per gallon than gasoline, and the corn-based solution begins to show its true colors. But other nations are demonstrating that plant-based ethanol fuels can help meet our energy needs. Brazil makes ethanol from sugar-cane, which is almost eight times more energy efficient to produce than the US corn-based fuel. Crops with high cellulose or sugar content that can be easily grown in the U.S., such as sugar beets, hemp or switch grass, make much more efficient fuels. But, in the U.S., where special interests, not the public seem to govern federal policy, it appears the immediate future of U.S. automotive fuel is going to the highest bidder: genetically engineered corn.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_461.cfm
4.27.2006
Kerri is my wonderful wife and I miss her and the boys as I am away in North Carolina. Do you read her blog? It's better than mine.
Kelli is my friend. Have you read her blog? It's quite inspiring.
and I'm real excited to go here with both of these ladies, ., blake, matt, and mike, lianne... and others who I miss... to see the wharton's.
Kelli is my friend. Have you read her blog? It's quite inspiring.
"I went to bed that night with my heart at rest. Forgiveness. Confession. Reconciliation. Death to self. Vulnerability. Intimacy. Love. Fear. Pain. Rest. Peace. Joy. Its all so necessary, so worth it."
and I'm real excited to go here with both of these ladies, ., blake, matt, and mike, lianne... and others who I miss... to see the wharton's.
The Christian face of immigration
__________________________________
The Christian face of immigration
by David Batstone
Diana Villanueva-Hoeckley did not take the typical path to Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts college in Montecito, California. The 19-year-old sophomore was born in Guatemala, and then smuggled into the United States at the age of 7. Her story makes you want to cry. What the U.S. Congress may do to her makes you want to scream.
Diana's mother came to the United States legally in the mid-1990s. Once she had established some semblance of a life for herself in the Los Angeles area, she tried to obtain a visa for her daughter to come and live with her. The U.S. Embassy turned down her application. Desperate to have her daughter by her side, she paid a "coyote," or migrant smuggler, to deliver Diana to California.
Imagine the fright of being told at age 7 that you must take a long, covert journey with a stranger, all alone. Diana today can only recall snippets: a bus journey, a short plane ride, hanging out at borders waiting for the right moment to cross. "I just kept focused on how great it would be together with my mother again," says Diana.
Not long after her arrival into the U.S., Diana and her now-pregnant mother moved to Santa Barbara. Diana's sister, Estrellita, was born. Earning a meager income from a string of housecleaning jobs, her mother moved the family into a small trailer. Diana attended public schools in the Santa Barbara area starting in the third grade.
During her freshman year in high school, Diana took note that her mother was not looking well. Lacking health insurance, her mother visited a health clinic serving a low-income population. At first she was diagnosed with pneumonia, but slowly it became apparent that something much more serious was going on. She had lung cancer, and died within two years.
Chris Hoeckley and Cheri Larsen Hoeckley are both professors at Westmont College. Their daughter, Mackenzie, was Estrellita's classmate at the local public school. Many there were heartbroken by Diana and Estrellita's loss. The Hoeckleys reached out and embraced the girls into their family.
The Hoeckleys had for some time looked to adoption as an avenue for growing their family. Their desire to parent matched their religious conviction that God calls us to care for the orphans in need. They went through the county process to legally adopt the Villanueva children. In the midst of much tragedy, the Hoeckleys, now 5 in number, patched together a loving connection.
If only the story could move on from there to focus on the life experiences that all families look to create. But most families do not face criminal prosecution. Yet, Diana may one day soon be charged as a felon for illegally immigrating to this country 13 years ago. And her adoptive parents also could be criminally charged for aiding and abetting an illegal immigrant.
Legislation currently being debated in the U.S. House of Representatives actually contains these provisions. Diana cannot believe this is happening in a country she has come to love. "I'm shocked that people don't see me as someone who belongs here; this is my home," she told me sadly. Though Diana was legally adopted by the Hoeckleys, in many renditions of the legislation she would not be protected. And now that she is 19, she would be prosecuted as an adult.
"I look around and see so many immigrants here who are working so hard to make a good life," Diana said. "Why can't people see the big picture?"
Indeed, the big picture tells a different story to the political fear-mongering on immigration. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants are living in the U.S. A number of studies demonstrate that they are anything but a "drain" on the U.S. economy as is widely feared. Douglass S. Massey, a Princeton University professor, has documented the contributions of undocumented workers to the government: 62% have taxes withheld from their paychecks, and 66% pay Social Security. Their payments to Social Security totalled $7 bilion in 2004, and in the same year they paid $1.5 billion to Medicare. Ironically, Massey found these workers usually don't take advantage of these programs, fearing the INS will be alerted to their presence in this country, Forbes reported.
All too many Americans do see immigrants as criminals, unfortunately. The New York Times on April 25 cited a Survey USA poll taken in the state of Kansas that shows nearly three-quarters of adults in the sample surveyed agree to the proposal that "the United States should find and deport all illegal immigrants." If only they could meet the Dianas who will suffer from this xenophobic zeal.
Diana studies in Westmont's San Francisco Urban Program in this semester. As part of her school work, she interns with a Catholic Charities program that aids immigrants. She is beginning to make a deeper connection between her life story, and that of other immigrants, to the gospel. "It comforts me that Jesus was seen as an outsider, and gathered around him followers who also were considered outsiders," said Diana. "Too many Christians at this moment are too scared and confused to see Jesus in the stranger, and realize how lives would be torn apart by these new laws."
If she is allowed to remain in the U.S., Diana has dreams of going to law school and eventually helping out vulnerable immigrants who cannot afford legal advice.
The Hoeckleys are most frightened to lose their daughter. "I have three daughters, full stop," says Cheri. "Now the government is trying to take away one of them."
From time to time, both professors lead discussions on immigration at church adult education classes. They express dismay that even socially-oriented religious communities have not reflected biblically or theologically to any great extent on immigration.
The Hoeckleys are encouraged by the principled position taken by several Christian churches to support the orphan, the widow, and the foreigner regardless the direction that legislation takes. The high profile stand made by Cardinal Roger Mahony also, they hope, will help Christians evaluate their politics on immigration.
"Our primary obligation as Christians is to embrace the foreigner, the stranger amongst us," said Chris. "I wish American Christians could see that appeals to 'national interest' or 'homeland security' should not lead us to abandon our highest principles."
There are hundreds of Christian colleges, both Protestant and Catholic, operating in the U.S. Imagine the impact these schools could have on the immigration debate if they would rally around families such as the Hoeckleys who find themselves threatened by this legislation. Christian colleges exist to educate young hearts and minds for Christian service. What better moment for faculty and students at Christian colleges to fulfill their vocation and welcome the stranger.
It is a movement waiting to be born. I pray God stirs some hearts.
The Christian face of immigration
by David Batstone
Diana Villanueva-Hoeckley did not take the typical path to Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts college in Montecito, California. The 19-year-old sophomore was born in Guatemala, and then smuggled into the United States at the age of 7. Her story makes you want to cry. What the U.S. Congress may do to her makes you want to scream.
Diana's mother came to the United States legally in the mid-1990s. Once she had established some semblance of a life for herself in the Los Angeles area, she tried to obtain a visa for her daughter to come and live with her. The U.S. Embassy turned down her application. Desperate to have her daughter by her side, she paid a "coyote," or migrant smuggler, to deliver Diana to California.
Imagine the fright of being told at age 7 that you must take a long, covert journey with a stranger, all alone. Diana today can only recall snippets: a bus journey, a short plane ride, hanging out at borders waiting for the right moment to cross. "I just kept focused on how great it would be together with my mother again," says Diana.
Not long after her arrival into the U.S., Diana and her now-pregnant mother moved to Santa Barbara. Diana's sister, Estrellita, was born. Earning a meager income from a string of housecleaning jobs, her mother moved the family into a small trailer. Diana attended public schools in the Santa Barbara area starting in the third grade.
During her freshman year in high school, Diana took note that her mother was not looking well. Lacking health insurance, her mother visited a health clinic serving a low-income population. At first she was diagnosed with pneumonia, but slowly it became apparent that something much more serious was going on. She had lung cancer, and died within two years.
Chris Hoeckley and Cheri Larsen Hoeckley are both professors at Westmont College. Their daughter, Mackenzie, was Estrellita's classmate at the local public school. Many there were heartbroken by Diana and Estrellita's loss. The Hoeckleys reached out and embraced the girls into their family.
The Hoeckleys had for some time looked to adoption as an avenue for growing their family. Their desire to parent matched their religious conviction that God calls us to care for the orphans in need. They went through the county process to legally adopt the Villanueva children. In the midst of much tragedy, the Hoeckleys, now 5 in number, patched together a loving connection.
If only the story could move on from there to focus on the life experiences that all families look to create. But most families do not face criminal prosecution. Yet, Diana may one day soon be charged as a felon for illegally immigrating to this country 13 years ago. And her adoptive parents also could be criminally charged for aiding and abetting an illegal immigrant.
Legislation currently being debated in the U.S. House of Representatives actually contains these provisions. Diana cannot believe this is happening in a country she has come to love. "I'm shocked that people don't see me as someone who belongs here; this is my home," she told me sadly. Though Diana was legally adopted by the Hoeckleys, in many renditions of the legislation she would not be protected. And now that she is 19, she would be prosecuted as an adult.
"I look around and see so many immigrants here who are working so hard to make a good life," Diana said. "Why can't people see the big picture?"
Indeed, the big picture tells a different story to the political fear-mongering on immigration. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants are living in the U.S. A number of studies demonstrate that they are anything but a "drain" on the U.S. economy as is widely feared. Douglass S. Massey, a Princeton University professor, has documented the contributions of undocumented workers to the government: 62% have taxes withheld from their paychecks, and 66% pay Social Security. Their payments to Social Security totalled $7 bilion in 2004, and in the same year they paid $1.5 billion to Medicare. Ironically, Massey found these workers usually don't take advantage of these programs, fearing the INS will be alerted to their presence in this country, Forbes reported.
All too many Americans do see immigrants as criminals, unfortunately. The New York Times on April 25 cited a Survey USA poll taken in the state of Kansas that shows nearly three-quarters of adults in the sample surveyed agree to the proposal that "the United States should find and deport all illegal immigrants." If only they could meet the Dianas who will suffer from this xenophobic zeal.
Diana studies in Westmont's San Francisco Urban Program in this semester. As part of her school work, she interns with a Catholic Charities program that aids immigrants. She is beginning to make a deeper connection between her life story, and that of other immigrants, to the gospel. "It comforts me that Jesus was seen as an outsider, and gathered around him followers who also were considered outsiders," said Diana. "Too many Christians at this moment are too scared and confused to see Jesus in the stranger, and realize how lives would be torn apart by these new laws."
If she is allowed to remain in the U.S., Diana has dreams of going to law school and eventually helping out vulnerable immigrants who cannot afford legal advice.
The Hoeckleys are most frightened to lose their daughter. "I have three daughters, full stop," says Cheri. "Now the government is trying to take away one of them."
From time to time, both professors lead discussions on immigration at church adult education classes. They express dismay that even socially-oriented religious communities have not reflected biblically or theologically to any great extent on immigration.
The Hoeckleys are encouraged by the principled position taken by several Christian churches to support the orphan, the widow, and the foreigner regardless the direction that legislation takes. The high profile stand made by Cardinal Roger Mahony also, they hope, will help Christians evaluate their politics on immigration.
"Our primary obligation as Christians is to embrace the foreigner, the stranger amongst us," said Chris. "I wish American Christians could see that appeals to 'national interest' or 'homeland security' should not lead us to abandon our highest principles."
There are hundreds of Christian colleges, both Protestant and Catholic, operating in the U.S. Imagine the impact these schools could have on the immigration debate if they would rally around families such as the Hoeckleys who find themselves threatened by this legislation. Christian colleges exist to educate young hearts and minds for Christian service. What better moment for faculty and students at Christian colleges to fulfill their vocation and welcome the stranger.
It is a movement waiting to be born. I pray God stirs some hearts.
4.18.2006
Just finished up a meeting with my friend Jen. She is a warrior. Fighting against what "life" has left on her plate. We talked about many things, among them... grief. Jen said to me "I'm not sure how to grieve." But as she told me about her days these past weeks, I saw in her the answer... Give of yourself. A huge bomb shell has exploded in our little community. There are casualties, injuries, and there is pain... and Jen has spent most of her time loving the one who was hit the hardest, ...Amy. That is grief in it's truest sense. "Suffering with." I hear people talk about their grief and the thing I hear most is "I"... How they are coping, what is getting them through... Jen is aware of her surroundings and she isn't going to isolate and lick her own wounds. She is prepared to "be" with those who hurt the most. What's awesome is that Jen isn't the only one doing this.
I have felt the pull to retreat, abandon, flee the aftermath of Palmer's death. But I won't.
I have felt the pull to retreat, abandon, flee the aftermath of Palmer's death. But I won't.
4.14.2006
Curtis and I have been in dialoge about the cross event... how it's so much more than an event. What a tradegy it is to reduce the cross of Christ to a historical event. present crucifix. present risenness. It is the Jesus on the cross who is dying with, suffering with, screaming to the father "eloi eloi, lama sabachthan." And we join with Him in "grief work"... in a broken world. It's friday, but sunday is coming... the kingdom of God is now, but it is not yet.
4.04.2006
underground seminary
Jen has posted about underground seminary and it reminds me that I have Mark's recorded teachings on my laptop that I have no idea how to extract from Microsoft Word Notebook. If anyone wants these audio files and knows how to get them off of my computer, come and get 'em.
3.31.2006
yesterday at mark's graveside...
I saw the kingdom of God revealed in a cardinal
I experienced intense reconcilliation with my wife
I renewed my vows to my community
I was up against a thin place where the kingdom of heaven and earth meet
and then there's this
3.26.2006
3.24.2006
check out the May Sojourners is a special issue on food. Thankful that there is at least one Christian voice ready to speak profetically on food.
membership with these folks isn't a bad idea either.
the special issue will be featuring these articles:
1. Shopping for Justice–Find out how our muzak-themed grocery shopping experiences are mostly a label-designing, meat-coloring, cookie-positioning scheme to keep us occupied and ignorant about what’s in our carts.
2. A Farm Grows in Brooklyn–Fruits, vegetables, and hope are blossoming in Red Hook, a low-income neighborhood struggling with high unemployment and a booming drug trade. Read how a local farmers market is sowing seeds for change.
3. Check Please!–What’s the story behind each of the food items we buy? Surprise–it involves pollution, long-distance travel, the use of fossil fuels, and dangerous chemicals. We have thousands of food choices in America, but at what cost?
4. Grub for Body and Soul–Food activists share new ideas for eating ethically. Hint: They include “grub parties,” organic food, and great music–key provisions for the food revolution.
5. Blessing the Hands That Harvest–With the help of churches, farm workercampaigns are raising awareness of exploitation in agricultural jobs.
6. Dumpster Diving–Turn up your nose, but dumpster diving is one real option for living a frugal, yet abundant, life.
membership with these folks isn't a bad idea either.
the special issue will be featuring these articles:
1. Shopping for Justice–Find out how our muzak-themed grocery shopping experiences are mostly a label-designing, meat-coloring, cookie-positioning scheme to keep us occupied and ignorant about what’s in our carts.
2. A Farm Grows in Brooklyn–Fruits, vegetables, and hope are blossoming in Red Hook, a low-income neighborhood struggling with high unemployment and a booming drug trade. Read how a local farmers market is sowing seeds for change.
3. Check Please!–What’s the story behind each of the food items we buy? Surprise–it involves pollution, long-distance travel, the use of fossil fuels, and dangerous chemicals. We have thousands of food choices in America, but at what cost?
4. Grub for Body and Soul–Food activists share new ideas for eating ethically. Hint: They include “grub parties,” organic food, and great music–key provisions for the food revolution.
5. Blessing the Hands That Harvest–With the help of churches, farm workercampaigns are raising awareness of exploitation in agricultural jobs.
6. Dumpster Diving–Turn up your nose, but dumpster diving is one real option for living a frugal, yet abundant, life.
3.23.2006
Mark Palmer is home from the Hospital and CPTer's are released!
CPT rejoices in the release of our peacemakers
by Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose
Our hearts are filled with joy today as we heard that Harmeet Singh Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember have been safely released in Baghdad. Christian Peacemaker Teams rejoices with their families and friends at the expectation of their return to their loved ones and community. Together we have endured uncertainty, hope, fear, grief and now joy during the four months since they were abducted in Baghdad.
We rejoice in the return of Harmeet Sooden. He has been willing to put his life on the line to promote justice in Iraq and Palestine as a young man newly committed to active peacemaking.
We rejoice in the return of Jim Loney. He has cared for the marginalized and oppressed since childhood, and his gentle, passionate spirit has been an inspiration to people near and far.
We rejoice in the return of Norman Kember. He is a faithful man, an elder and mentor to many in his 50 years of peacemaking, a man prepared to pay the cost.
We remember with tears Tom Fox, whose body was found in Baghdad on March 9, 2006, after three months of captivity with his fellow peacemakers. We had longed for the day when all four men would be released together. Our gladness today is made bittersweet by the fact that Tom is not alive to join in the celebration. However, we are confident that his spirit is very much present in each reunion.
Harmeet, Jim and Norman and Tom were in Iraq to learn of the struggles facing the people in that country. They went, motivated by a passion for justice and peace to live out a nonviolent alternative in a nation wracked by armed conflict. They knew that their only protection was in the power of the love of God and of their Iraqi and international co-workers. We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.
Today, in the face of this joyful news, our faith compels us to love our enemies even when they have committed acts which caused great hardship to our friends and sorrow to their families. In the spirit of the prophetic nonviolence that motivated Jim, Norman, Harmeet and Tom to go to Iraq, we refuse to yield to a spirit of vengeance. We give thanks for the compassionate God who granted our friends courage and who sustained their spirits over the past months. We pray for strength and courage for ourselves so that, together, we can continue the nonviolent struggle for justice and peace.
Throughout these difficult months, we have been heartened by messages of concern for our four colleagues from all over the world. We have been especially moved by the gracious outpouring of support from Muslim brothers and sisters in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. That support continues to come to us day after day. We pray that Christians throughout the world will, in the same spirit, call for justice and for respect for the human rights of the thousands of Iraqis who are being detained illegally by the U.S. and British forces occupying Iraq.
During these past months, we have tasted of the pain that has been the daily bread of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Why have our loved ones been taken? Where are they being held? Under what conditions? How are they? Will they be released? When?
With Tom's death, we felt the grief of losing a beloved friend. Today, we rejoice in the release of our friends Harmeet, Jim and Norman. We continue to pray for a swift and joyful homecoming for the many Iraqis and internationals who long to be reunited with their families. We renew our commitment to work for an end to the war and the occupation of Iraq as a way to continue the witness of Tom Fox. We trust in God's compassionate love to show us the way.
Living through the many emotions of this day, we remain committed to the words of Jim Loney, who wrote:
"With God's abiding kindness, we will love even our enemies.
With the love of Christ, we will resist all evil.
With God's unending faithfulness, we will work to build the beloved community."
Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose are co-directors of Christian Peacemaker Teams.
by Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose
Our hearts are filled with joy today as we heard that Harmeet Singh Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember have been safely released in Baghdad. Christian Peacemaker Teams rejoices with their families and friends at the expectation of their return to their loved ones and community. Together we have endured uncertainty, hope, fear, grief and now joy during the four months since they were abducted in Baghdad.
We rejoice in the return of Harmeet Sooden. He has been willing to put his life on the line to promote justice in Iraq and Palestine as a young man newly committed to active peacemaking.
We rejoice in the return of Jim Loney. He has cared for the marginalized and oppressed since childhood, and his gentle, passionate spirit has been an inspiration to people near and far.
We rejoice in the return of Norman Kember. He is a faithful man, an elder and mentor to many in his 50 years of peacemaking, a man prepared to pay the cost.
We remember with tears Tom Fox, whose body was found in Baghdad on March 9, 2006, after three months of captivity with his fellow peacemakers. We had longed for the day when all four men would be released together. Our gladness today is made bittersweet by the fact that Tom is not alive to join in the celebration. However, we are confident that his spirit is very much present in each reunion.
Harmeet, Jim and Norman and Tom were in Iraq to learn of the struggles facing the people in that country. They went, motivated by a passion for justice and peace to live out a nonviolent alternative in a nation wracked by armed conflict. They knew that their only protection was in the power of the love of God and of their Iraqi and international co-workers. We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.
Today, in the face of this joyful news, our faith compels us to love our enemies even when they have committed acts which caused great hardship to our friends and sorrow to their families. In the spirit of the prophetic nonviolence that motivated Jim, Norman, Harmeet and Tom to go to Iraq, we refuse to yield to a spirit of vengeance. We give thanks for the compassionate God who granted our friends courage and who sustained their spirits over the past months. We pray for strength and courage for ourselves so that, together, we can continue the nonviolent struggle for justice and peace.
Throughout these difficult months, we have been heartened by messages of concern for our four colleagues from all over the world. We have been especially moved by the gracious outpouring of support from Muslim brothers and sisters in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. That support continues to come to us day after day. We pray that Christians throughout the world will, in the same spirit, call for justice and for respect for the human rights of the thousands of Iraqis who are being detained illegally by the U.S. and British forces occupying Iraq.
During these past months, we have tasted of the pain that has been the daily bread of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Why have our loved ones been taken? Where are they being held? Under what conditions? How are they? Will they be released? When?
With Tom's death, we felt the grief of losing a beloved friend. Today, we rejoice in the release of our friends Harmeet, Jim and Norman. We continue to pray for a swift and joyful homecoming for the many Iraqis and internationals who long to be reunited with their families. We renew our commitment to work for an end to the war and the occupation of Iraq as a way to continue the witness of Tom Fox. We trust in God's compassionate love to show us the way.
Living through the many emotions of this day, we remain committed to the words of Jim Loney, who wrote:
"With God's abiding kindness, we will love even our enemies.
With the love of Christ, we will resist all evil.
With God's unending faithfulness, we will work to build the beloved community."
Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose are co-directors of Christian Peacemaker Teams.
3.17.2006
CONGRESS BLINDFOLDS CONSUMERS- REMOVING RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT'S IN YOUR FOOD
On March 8, despite massive public opposition, including 50,000 calls and letters from supporters of the Organic Consumers Association, the House of Representatives passed the controversial "national food uniformity" labeling law, which would eliminate over 200 state food safety labeling laws. The law basically takes away local government and states' power to require food safety labels such as those required in California and other states on foods or beverages that are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning. The bill would also prevent local municipalities and states from passing laws requiring that genetically engineered foods and ingredients be labeled. Under the bill, hundreds of state laws and regulations would be eliminated, including those relating to the safety of milk, fish, and shellfish. In order to become law, the bill will now have to go to the Senate for a vote. Because of the enormous public backlash against the bill, Washington analysts believe the bill will have great difficulty passing in the Senate. OCA and other public interest organizations have vowed to go "all out" to stop this anti-democratic, anti-consumer bill in the Senate.
Take action here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/labeling.cfm
Oh yeah, and one more thing: In the 2006 election cycle, big agribusiness has already given $14,562,681 in campaign contributions to members of Congress.
On March 8, despite massive public opposition, including 50,000 calls and letters from supporters of the Organic Consumers Association, the House of Representatives passed the controversial "national food uniformity" labeling law, which would eliminate over 200 state food safety labeling laws. The law basically takes away local government and states' power to require food safety labels such as those required in California and other states on foods or beverages that are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning. The bill would also prevent local municipalities and states from passing laws requiring that genetically engineered foods and ingredients be labeled. Under the bill, hundreds of state laws and regulations would be eliminated, including those relating to the safety of milk, fish, and shellfish. In order to become law, the bill will now have to go to the Senate for a vote. Because of the enormous public backlash against the bill, Washington analysts believe the bill will have great difficulty passing in the Senate. OCA and other public interest organizations have vowed to go "all out" to stop this anti-democratic, anti-consumer bill in the Senate.
Take action here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/labeling.cfm
Oh yeah, and one more thing: In the 2006 election cycle, big agribusiness has already given $14,562,681 in campaign contributions to members of Congress.
3.12.2006
3.04.2006
The question of where to live and what to do is really insignificant compared to the question of how to keep the eyes of our hearts focused on the Lord. You can be teaching, working at a business, or traveling, and feel totally useless, miserable and depressed in any one or all of these situations. There’s no such thing as the right place or the right job. You can be happy or unhappy in all situations. You’ve probably felt distraught and joyful in situations of abundance as well as poverty, in situations of popularity as well as loneliness, in situations of success as well as failure. The difference was never based on the situation itself, but always on your state of mind and heart. When you’re walking with the Lord, you always feel happy, secure, fearless and at peace all at the same time. When you’re entangled in your own complaints and emotional needs, you always feel restless and divided.Henri Nouwen
What you really do with your life is no great decision. Turning fully, unconditionally and without fear to the Lord is.
2.28.2006
"Jesus’ program of discipleship was simple. Hang out with the disciples; let them see you at your best and worst; spend lots of time alone; teach truths none of your disciples can grasp at the moment; avoid crowds; go slowly; spend hours in solitude; don’t worry about opposition; ignore criticism; and don’t expect immediate results."
- mike yaconelli
It's been challenging lately... figuring this whole thing out with others. I think the example of Christ might come in handy through it all.
- mike yaconelli
It's been challenging lately... figuring this whole thing out with others. I think the example of Christ might come in handy through it all.
2.13.2006
Jen Leonard to me
I read this in the Rohr today . . . and I would really like to talk with you about this . . . about the implications I want this to have in my life. It is along the same lines to your defense againist eating pop-tarts a few months ago, about the way we view consumption.
"We need to consider and reconsider the symbolism of food in our own lives. In retreat houses and homes across the land, people are starting to reevaluate the social, political, economic and nutritional meaning of food. America's love affair with beef for example, and the disastrous effects that is having on the Third World, has come under question in recent years. Rain forests are being cut down, land and resources are being spent so that we can have burgers aplenty.
I was staying with a cattle rancher in California recently, and to his credit he was reading a book describing the ill effects of cattle and beef production on the earth. The first day he wasn't too happy with it. He came in the second night, troubled. (This is a very good Irish Catholic man; there is no doubt in my mind faith is first to him.) He said to me, "Richard, I have to change my life." He saw that his livelihood could well be contributing to starvation overseas. "
I have thought about this whole concept on and off for the last few months, but have never been able to stick with any of my conclusions or desire for change. But I need to . . . and I would like your help with that.
Let's chat.
-Jen
Eric Stetler to Jen
the average north american uses five times as much grain per person yearly as does one of the two billion persons living in poor countries. We use about two thousand pounds each. All but 150 pounds of this we consume indirectly in meat milk eggs and alchoholic beverages. (more with less)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/safe/howmuch.html
Madeline Drexler argues that farm animals in this country live in unmatched squalor. "The site of modern meat production," she writes in her book Secret Agents, "is akin to a walled medieval city, where waste is tossed out the window, sewage runs down the street, and feed and drinking water are routinely contaminated by fecal material." And these kinds of conditions lead to problems. One USDA study found that 50 percent of feedlot cattle carried the E. coli O157:H7 bacterium in their intestines during the summer months; another study found that 7 percent of chickens sampled at slaughterhouses had salmonella and 30 percent had campylobacter. Drexler is a former medical columnist for The Boston Globe and was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1996 to 1997. Here is her account of how contamination is pervasive in the meat industry. (pbs)
this sickens me, yes because of the environmental.. and the treatment of animals.... yes.. but more because of the levels to which the american consumer will go to demand that they have a choice cut of beef within 3miles of their home anywhere in the country!!! We are sickly spoiled consumers... killing ourselves with our blind consumption of all things cow!
We are overspending money. We are overeating calories, protien, fats, sugar, superprocessed foods. We are overcomplicating our lives. (MWL)
when we make food an intregal part of our lives and our homes, it becomes part of our theology... we are nurturers instead of consumers... co-creators with God & Stewards fo God's Garden. (MWL)
we need a good theology of food jen... one that leads to regular times of fasting... fasting from the dominant consumtion of food. a new level of awareness will emerge only when we become sick of our own gluttony, tired of our levels of consumerism, and healed from our addictions to food.
protest is in order. protesting the gross manipulation of what God created for man's sustainablility.
I would love for rice to become a more consistant staple in our home. a simple grain.. sometimes, that would be enough for dinner alone.
Eric
....so tonight we ate rice
__________________________________
currently playing::devendra banhart
I read this in the Rohr today . . . and I would really like to talk with you about this . . . about the implications I want this to have in my life. It is along the same lines to your defense againist eating pop-tarts a few months ago, about the way we view consumption.
"We need to consider and reconsider the symbolism of food in our own lives. In retreat houses and homes across the land, people are starting to reevaluate the social, political, economic and nutritional meaning of food. America's love affair with beef for example, and the disastrous effects that is having on the Third World, has come under question in recent years. Rain forests are being cut down, land and resources are being spent so that we can have burgers aplenty.
I was staying with a cattle rancher in California recently, and to his credit he was reading a book describing the ill effects of cattle and beef production on the earth. The first day he wasn't too happy with it. He came in the second night, troubled. (This is a very good Irish Catholic man; there is no doubt in my mind faith is first to him.) He said to me, "Richard, I have to change my life." He saw that his livelihood could well be contributing to starvation overseas. "
I have thought about this whole concept on and off for the last few months, but have never been able to stick with any of my conclusions or desire for change. But I need to . . . and I would like your help with that.
Let's chat.
-Jen
Eric Stetler to Jen
the average north american uses five times as much grain per person yearly as does one of the two billion persons living in poor countries. We use about two thousand pounds each. All but 150 pounds of this we consume indirectly in meat milk eggs and alchoholic beverages. (more with less)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/safe/howmuch.html
Madeline Drexler argues that farm animals in this country live in unmatched squalor. "The site of modern meat production," she writes in her book Secret Agents, "is akin to a walled medieval city, where waste is tossed out the window, sewage runs down the street, and feed and drinking water are routinely contaminated by fecal material." And these kinds of conditions lead to problems. One USDA study found that 50 percent of feedlot cattle carried the E. coli O157:H7 bacterium in their intestines during the summer months; another study found that 7 percent of chickens sampled at slaughterhouses had salmonella and 30 percent had campylobacter. Drexler is a former medical columnist for The Boston Globe and was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1996 to 1997. Here is her account of how contamination is pervasive in the meat industry. (pbs)
this sickens me, yes because of the environmental.. and the treatment of animals.... yes.. but more because of the levels to which the american consumer will go to demand that they have a choice cut of beef within 3miles of their home anywhere in the country!!! We are sickly spoiled consumers... killing ourselves with our blind consumption of all things cow!
We are overspending money. We are overeating calories, protien, fats, sugar, superprocessed foods. We are overcomplicating our lives. (MWL)
when we make food an intregal part of our lives and our homes, it becomes part of our theology... we are nurturers instead of consumers... co-creators with God & Stewards fo God's Garden. (MWL)
we need a good theology of food jen... one that leads to regular times of fasting... fasting from the dominant consumtion of food. a new level of awareness will emerge only when we become sick of our own gluttony, tired of our levels of consumerism, and healed from our addictions to food.
protest is in order. protesting the gross manipulation of what God created for man's sustainablility.
I would love for rice to become a more consistant staple in our home. a simple grain.. sometimes, that would be enough for dinner alone.
Eric
....so tonight we ate rice
__________________________________
currently playing::devendra banhart
2.10.2006
getting ready to leave overnight with kerri. it's nice to be spending time with WIFEY ONLY. sometimes with kids everywhere you step it's easy to forget what good friends we are. our times together are rich in conversation. kerri's insight is deep and intellectually stimulating. great advice/discernment. she's fun. we spent one year of our lives in gambier living a fairly simple life and focusing on our newly formed marriage. It was a good year. It seems very fitting that we would return there every year as something of a pilgrimage. Things we like about gambier:
Kenyon college bookstore
red door cafe
harcourt parish
communion
long walks
trees
adirondack chairs everywhere
kenyon inn
__________________________________
currently playing:: Whiles: Colors of the Year
2.09.2006
anyone out there have an extra power cord that would fit a mac ibook G-4?
__________________________________
currently playing:: cat power: the greatest
__________________________________
currently playing:: cat power: the greatest
1.28.2006
honestly, I've been tempted to do this myself
...incident reportedly began when the motorist tossed litter out his window, and the bike-courier threw it back...
1.25.2006
1.24.2006
1.23.2006
morning edition
pilgrimage... compassion... non-violence... Tibetan Buddhism
fascinating
This is week three on a radio program series called Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo
Day 1: The Lessons of the Buddha
Day 2: Mortality and the Gift of the Moment
Day 3: Mountain Home of a Warrior God
I'll post more as they broadcast
fascinating
This is week three on a radio program series called Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo
Day 1: The Lessons of the Buddha
Day 2: Mortality and the Gift of the Moment
Day 3: Mountain Home of a Warrior God
I'll post more as they broadcast
1.22.2006
New-folk artists Iron and Wine join the roots rock group Calexico for a night of music, recorded live at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club. Hear and download the full concert by both bands, originally webcast live on NPR.org on Nov. 30 with special guest, flamenco guitarist Salvador Duran.
yeah... and enjoy it in your living room with your favorite beverage!
all songs considerd
... it's a fantastic program
yeah... and enjoy it in your living room with your favorite beverage!
all songs considerd
... it's a fantastic program
1.20.2006
Yesterday the whole family was upstairs playing "hide and seek" in our small little town house. It was one of those moments that Kerri and I knew would be a memory for some time. Today, Riley wanted to recreate that moment. While I was "seeking" for Riley, he gave himself away from under the crib..."Daddy, how did mommy's fat belly fit under here yesterday?"
Home is a good place to be. It is a place where you know you are understood. Coming home from Starbucks Sugar Co. today I felt such a sense of relief. I knew that noone there would be talking behind my back... that everyone there would understand my values... it would be ok if I wanted to be quiet. I knew that noone would ask me for another damn latte. My family (spiritual and blood) is where I rest-recover-recreate-renew. It's good to be home... so now i'll get off the computer.
Home is a good place to be. It is a place where you know you are understood. Coming home from Starbucks Sugar Co. today I felt such a sense of relief. I knew that noone there would be talking behind my back... that everyone there would understand my values... it would be ok if I wanted to be quiet. I knew that noone would ask me for another damn latte. My family (spiritual and blood) is where I rest-recover-recreate-renew. It's good to be home... so now i'll get off the computer.
1.16.2006
1.12.2006
The Future of Food, a film by Deborah Koons Garcia, is back in stock at the OCA headquarters. As a result of overwhleming demand for the film, they were temporarily out of supply. The Future of Food provides an in-depth investigation and critique of genetically engineered foods and crops, including interviews with farmer activists such as Percy Schmeiser. According to the Telluride Daily Planet, "This stylish film is not just for food faddists and nutritionists. It is a look at something we might not want to see: Monsanto, Roundup and Roundup-resistant seeds, collectively wreaking havoc on American farmers and our agricultural neighbors around the world. In the end, this documentary is a eloquent call to action." Get it here
1.10.2006
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