Social Justice

There are lots of issues on the nightly news that can grab your attention: the economic crisis, bailouts, rising unemployment, and the list goes on. What doesn't seem to get equal air time are issues concerning worldwide Social Justice. Our tastes are far too immediate and shallow it seems. Why is that? Could it be that we Americans have distanced ourselves from pain, from suffering, so that we can pretend the reality of our commercials is all there is?

I realize these are tough accusations. I also know that we need to be made aware of the lives of others; One person really can make a difference. Many of us watched our televisions numbly while accounts of hurricane and flood victims were flashed on the screen. Bono and others have been championing the concerns of the millions in Africa who have been impacted by Aids. There are thousands of children abducted in Southeast Asia who are then forced into prostitution in Thailand. There are countless children in Sri Lanka who have been forced to become soldiers in a 25 year civil war that is currently escalating.
You may have heard of Joseph Kony and the LRA in Uganda. The organization Invisible Children began in 2005 to bring awareness to the world of the Child Soldiers in Uganda, forced through torture and manipulation by Kony and the LRA to become torturers themselves.

What are we to do with all this tragedy? Weep with those who weep first of all. Another response is your voice matters. Clearly, the recent election in the US demonstrates that getting out and expressing one's opinion through the polls does make a difference. The call to service by our new President has been made. I want to suggest a way you can serve those in another part of the world that looks to America as their source of hope.

On April 25 there will be an event to bring attention to the ongoing abduction and torture of children in northern Uganda. To check out more about the event called The Rescue, go to http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php

I think about these issues around the world daily. Knowing that there are children who are hurting and hungry and homeless and orphaned breaks my heart. What breaks your heart? What's something you are going to do about it? Let me know....

Where are you headed?

I spent quite a few years teaching children to express themselves; developing skills of communication. One of my favorite tools was the photograph.

Seeing an image like this one would be a great "story starter" for many students. We would spend a few minutes brainstorming potential ideas about the what, the where, the why, the who and the how. I'd put on some classical music that I thought might work with the photo's mood and off they'd go writing down their stories. Great stories too, because they were so fresh and uninhibited.

What about today? What is something that gets your imagination flowing? Do you make time to be creative, or do you fill your time with tasks that simply have to be done? I know we have those to do lists; I often joke that mine should be written on a roll of toilet paper since it just goes on and on! But if we are just about "getting things done" how are we fulfilling the role that we are really here to fill? If we are just about "getting things done" isn't it easy to lose our bearings, to lose sight of the big picture as we are caught up in the details of life?

As I look at this photo and I know exactly which way I was going and who I was traveling with. I remember the purpose of our trip, the moods we were experiencing and the talks we were having. This particular trip was local; a drop what we were doing and let's go for a drive to shoot pictures experience.

So stop for a moment, look at this photo, and ponder what you can do today to allow your creative outside the box self some wiggle room. Stop and reflect on the big picture of your life and think about "where am I headed?"

I'd love to be in the discussion with you....

Creativity

Have you been marveling at creativity lately? There are amazing new uses for old things as people cut back for financial reasons and to help the planet. I saw a recumbent bike towing a homemade trailer the other day. Its owner/creator possesses skills in welding and structural design that go way past basic creative skills. I have seen purses, book bags, and back packs made from re-used denim jeans. Real Simple magazine has a regular feature "New Uses for Old Things" which is one of my favorites! Everyday folks share a new use for a common item, helping reduce things heading to the landfill and saving some pennies along the way. In this current economic climate "reduce, reuse, recycle" takes on additional motivation and stimulates creativity.

How are we creative? What stimulates our creative juices? Why are some minds more prone to coming up with new ideas than others? I suspect there are doctoral students in behavioral psychology who are doing longevity studies on these questions, but ever drawn to simplifying things, I have a guess. We all possess the ability to be creative from the get go. Thinking creatively is how we first learn as infants. Trial and error; discovery and reinforcement. Inadvertently some families encourage creativity while others squelch their creative progeny. The parents of Nate Saint allowed he and his brothers to build a roller coaster in the backyard. The fast flying feeling motivated Nate to want to be a pilot when he was older. My own dear husband was given an old telephone as a gift so that he could take it apart to see how it worked. He is a design engineer today.

How can you tap in to your creative side? Take some time to think about what draws you to say, "what a great idea!" or "I can do that." Make some time everyday to actually do that creative thing, don't just think about it. Whether you are re-using something around the house in a new way or making a new recipe from the ingredients you have on hand, give yourself creative credit.

Being creative doesn't come out of nowhere. I believe we are all made in the image of God, who is both the source and originator of creativity. Living creatively both fulfills who we are intended to be and shows off God as the giver of good gifts.
So do something creative today! Let me know what new things you have done!

What Makes History?

Have you ever stopped to think about what "makes history"? Books are written about events of the world, political accomplishments, famous figures' lives; but why is this what we call history? What about the information of how lives were actually lived? What were their challenges, their joys? Couldn't this be instructive for us today? In looking into a period of history, I am drawn to the stories of the lives that were actually a part of the times; what were the challenges for them economically, health wise, culturally, educationally?

I guess that is why I love to read a good biography. A well written personal history can give us a window into the world at large as well as the individual's experiences. I am currently reading The Narnian, Alan Jacobs' biography of C.S. Lewis. I am an history buff by hobby and I am learning so much about pre-World War I British life, not to mention the life of one of my favorite authors.

What will be chronicled about our period of history? Our gluttony? Our ravaging of the planet? Our disregard for human life? Or are we on the cusp of change as the new President seeks to inspire us toward? What about your own life? What of you? Will you be known as a consumer or a producer?

Let me know your thoughts....I want to make history with my life; how about you?

25 Things About Me

So if you are a facebook person, you may have been tagged with the 25 Random Things about Me note craze. I gave in and thought I would get back into my blog by posting my list.

Here they are:

1. I have six a.k.a.s
2. I fell out of a pine tree from 12 feet up when I was five; no broken bones but knocked unconcious (I know, that explains a lot!)
3. My grandfather built me a one room playhouse from reclaimed building materials and put a chalkboard in it.
4. I played school from age 5 teaching my stuffed animals!
5. I had a safari set, Tonka trucks, science kits but no Barbie
6. I cut a one dollar bill into tiny pieces to get George Washington's portrait on his birthday.
7. When I was a kid I loved cream of wheat with a scoop of neopolitan ice cream ( I might have to try it again!)
8. I have skied black diamond runs
9. I have jumped off a 20 foot cliff into a pool of water in Hawaii
10. I have been to the top of the Sears Tower, Empire State, and Seattle's Space Needle
11. I have been to 48 of these United States of America
12. I have had lunch where the Inklings used to eat every Tuesday
13. I like to garden
14. I like to sing and play guitar
15. I am a sorority girl! (and proud of it!)
16. I collect sea glass
17. I love to bake but don't like to cook on a daily basis!
18. I love coffee that is strong and I put half and half in it
19. I love red wine, Tobintinis, and Keoki coffee (not all at once!)
20. I would rather get lost in a good book than clean house any day!
21. I am attempting to get caught up with scrapbooks!
22. I am more of a cat person than a dog person although we have both
23. I have never owned a horse but am enjoying learning to ride and might like to have my own someday
24. I collect and write quotes in blank books
25. I believe passionately that whether I eat, or drink or whatever I do, I do it all for the glory of the Lord

There is my random list. What's on your list? Do we have random things in common?

Ten Essentials for Life

I have been looking back over the vista of my life and reflecting on all those hills and valleys I have walked and marveling at all the path's twists, turns, and sidetracks! I have really been about reviewing the scrapbook of my life and categorizing things as monumental, incidental, and inconsequential. It's amazing to see the number of monumental events; they stand out as the mountains in the vista as I look back. Some were extremely painful, some were completly joyful but many were bittersweet.

I have also been examining my pack: what are my core values, the ten essentials of my life, that I carry with me on a day to day basis, so that I am prepared as I encounter the monumental, incidental, and inconsequential for the rest of my days? This process has been a fabulous one! I have been about decluttering my pack and lightening the load! What a relief! I don't have to carry around my family of origin and all their dysfunction and the pain they continually dish out! I don't have to carry around bitterness for hurts that were thrown to me from those whom I thought loved me in days gone by. I have been offered the opportunity to offload this junk! I am so relieved!

I came across this list today as I was reading "A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants". It has 9 things on the list. See if these are 9 essentials that you can agree with:

1. I declare myself to be a world citizen.
2. I commit myself to lead an ecologically sound life.
3. I commit myself to lead a life of creative simplicity and to share my personal wealth with the world's poor.
4. I commit myself to join with others in reshaping institutions in oreder to bring about a more just global society in which each person has full access to the needed resources for their physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth.
5. I commit myself to occupational accountability, and in so doing I will seek to avoid the creation of products which cause harm to others.
6. I affirm the gift of my body, and commit myself to its proper nourishment and physical well being.
7. I commit myself to examine continually my relations with others, and to attempt to relate honestly, morally, and lovingly, to those around me.
8. I commit myself to personal renewal through prayer, meditation, and study.
9. I commit myself to responsible participation in a community of faith.

the above list is taken from Visions of a World Hungry, by Thomas G. Pettepiece

I would add my tenth essential, which really simply is,
10. I commit myself to searching out , discerning, and following the model of life Jesus Christ demonstrates through the Word of God.

So, what are you ten essentials for traveling through life?

Creating Community

Friday and Saturday there was a terrific seminar on C.S. Lewis that my husband and I attended. It was terrific to get a picture of the Inklings as amateurs; people who have a love and passion for something and give their all to it. The Inklings were a community of friends who supported each other and spurred one another on to greatness. They gathered around the ideas of their writings yet they also shared a deep Christian faith. Their community spanned twenty years of their lives, and stimulated the publication of such well known works as Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.


We had the privilege of visiting Oxford this past summer and had lunch in one of the Inklings favorite spots, the Eagle and the Child, which they often called the Bird and Baby. The pub had great food and atmosphere, but even more the evidence of a mystique regarding the former regulars. I watched and listened to the conversations among locals and visitors. There was definitely a sense of a place set apart. That was a great experience for me.

What can we learn from the elements of their community? How can our lives be enriched, not only from their wonderful writings, but by following their model for community?