Community, Hope, and America's Future

By community I mean the commonwealth and common interests, commonly understood, of people living together in a place and wishing to continue to do so. To put it another way, community is a locally understood interdependence of local people, local culture, local economy, and local nature. (Community, of course, is an idea that can extend itself beyond the local, but it does so only metaphorically. The idea of a national or global community is meaningless apart from the realization of local communities)...
- Wendell Berry, Sex, Economy, freedom & Community

I watched and listened to Barrack Obama's acceptance speech last night and was moved. I then listened and read commentary, hatred, and condemnation for everything the man said. To say the least, the negativity and hatred saddened me. The quote above is from a book of essays by Wendell Berry. Berry truly does transcend the liberal/conservative divide.; he opposes big government and big business- (though some call 'transcendence' elitism, I believe that is a naive critique). I believe that there are commonly held values by Americans. The pro-life/pro-choice debate is bogged down in divisive and thwarting rhetoric. Global trade has been reduced to a morality based on monetary gain; what value is their in gaining the whole world yet forfeiting your soul? The environment has been reduced to extreme radicals (Gore/Evangelicals). Most Americans want unwanted/teen pregnancies reduced. Many Americans long for monetary, cultural, and social equity. Many Americans and people of faith (Christian, Muslim, Jewish) long for responsible stewardship of the good earth, even if its not profitable.

Community is the only third party interest that can truly transcend the liberal/conservative divide. America has many problems: lack of self-restraint, indifference to the environment, consumerism, racism and acceptance of the myth of redemptive violence. Local people, cultures, economies, and stewardship of the earth will bring about the change that this nation needs. I am not speaking of some conservative limited government/free market utopia; neither am I speaking of some liberal government program solution. I am talking about local people, citizens of neighborhoods, members of churches and lions clubs taking a stand for their commonly held values and passions.

As I thought about the many view points presented after Obama's speech I thought about my own involvement in my local community. After long hours of meditation, I was saddened. I do not participate as I should in the local economy. I do not promote peace in every aspect of my life. I do not strive to do the best I can (pragmatically) to be a good steward of the good earth, created by our loving creator. In other words, I realized I was a hypocrite. What then are we/I to do?

I believe that as a nation we must realize the importance of local economies, cultures and environments. Our military receives more funding than our endangered species protection agencies. If we are going to continue down this road I would appreciate it if the people who claim we are a 'christian' nation rip out Psalms, Isaiah, and Job. Cherishing and supporting our local economies, cultures, and environments is our only hope of achieving a sustainable, spiritually sound, and responsible solution to our nations ailments. The global/industrial economy deals in abstractions, not humanity and the common good.

Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world". I agree. It must begin with me. Obama has been creating many realities with the use of his inspiring language but, without action it is meaningless. Through language Dr. King made possible the reality of equity among peoples of differing cultures. Through creative action he gave the empiricists something tangible to grasp; the idealist something to hope for; the cynics something to ponder. If Obama desires the highest office in the land, he will need to find concrete solutions, rooted in local communities, that will build a bridge between tradition and progress. Speeches are inspiring, action is world shaking.

Come on Obama, give us something to hold on to.

As above, so here on earth.

The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible

In a weeks time I will be blogging about Scot Mcknight's new book, The Blue Parakeet. The book is in the mail and it should be an exciting read. If you are not familiar with Scot Mcknight his blog is a must read: http://www.jesuscreed.org/. I have gained much wisdom and my faith has been enriched by his writings. Below is a snippet from the back cover:

“Why Can’t I Just Be a Christian?”Parakeets make delightful pets but they can’t be tamed. The Bible, Scot McKnight contends, also can’t be tamed though many have tried. Both conservatives and liberals have tamed the Bible and McKnight calls us to untame the Bible and let it be what it is.McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet has emerged at the perfect time to cool the flames of a world on fire with contention and controversy. It calls Christians to a way to read the Bible that leads beyond old debates and denominational battles. It calls Christians to stop taming the Bible and to let it speak anew for a new generation.In his books The Jesus Creed and Embracing Grace Scot McKnight established himself as one of America’s finest Christian thinkers, an author to be reckoned with.In The Blue Parakeet, McKnight again touches the hearts and minds of today’s Christians, this time challenging them to rethink how to read the Bible, not just to puzzle it together into some systematic theology but to see it as a Story that we re summoned to enter and to carry forward in our day.He calls his bold new approach to the Bible the “Third Way,” a path that walks confidently—and joyfully—between theological extremes.The Third Way is rooted in the Bible as Story, in the Bible as God’s Word to which we listen, in the Bible as revealing a life that we can apply anew in our day.In his own inimitable style, McKnight sets traditional and liberal Christianity on its ear, leaving readers equipped, encouraged, and emboldened to be the people of faith they long to be.The Blue Parakeet is an engaging, warm narrative that is both deeply reasoned and spiritually sound … a book that will appeal to millions of disenfranchised Christians who will be drawn to it because of its refreshing—and liberating—new approach to reading the Bible.

Gardening (Irisis in Monet's garden)

I have recently become interested in vegetable gardening. I have read and researched various methods of growing vegetables and have decided on organic. The process takes time, patience and self-restraint; qualities that I lack an abundance of. Today, I began preparing a patch of our yard for the process of conditioning the soil.

As I continue to learn about gardening I hope it becomes a spiritual act: a way to recognize how impurities take root in my life. As I was digging today I noticed that many of the roots were connected and tangled; very similar to how impatience, a lack of self-restraint and consumerism takes roots and becomes tangled and connected. Digging up roots and rocks has been a challenge but the work will pay off in green veggies and patience.

Waterfall by Hiroshi Senju

Being Awake to Beauty (Sky Above White Clouds)

I have always been fond of Georgia O'Keeffe's art. I was born in New Mexico and lived there until I was about 12. There are many people who would say that the New Mexico landscape is barren and ugly. There are many who say the same about the Texas landscape. What constitutes beauty in nature then? Is it merely a preference? or opinion?

It seems to me that what most people call beautiful are areas that have little to no economic benefit. The 'barren' places of earth are the ones that are condemned and drilled in or slashed and burned. I am realizing that if I cannot find beauty in large expanses of seeming emptiness I am merely a tourist, not a nature lover. Its difficult to make new discoveries when passing through in your car or taking pictures at the condo. In my journey to be awake to my surroundings and God's beautiful and good creation I am taking Wendell Berry's advice:

If you want to see where you are, you will have to get out of your spaceship, out of your car, off your horse, and walk over the ground. On foot you will find that the earth is still satisfyingly large and full of beguiling nooks and crannies

A New Discovery

I came across this poem today and stopped what I was doing. Poems that slow us down, give us pause in a busy day are worth the time it takes to get to know them. I'm still reading over it and thinking about it. My initial reaction is what are blessings? what do we consider blessings and have we become too rigid what we consider blessings. More to come....



A Blessing

by James Wright
Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more,
They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl's wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.