Beyond boxes: imagining how to move well
Also posted at Gathering Voices a blog for TheThoughtfulChristian.com
Oh, moving. Cardboard boxes. Back strains. Getting the furniture arranged just right. In a few short weeks, I’ll be doing it again. In the past five years I’ve lived in four different places (Decatur, Ga; Ayr, Scotland; Grand Forks, N.D., and now Moorhead, Minn. — and that’s not even counting time at the manse in Hallock, Minn.). As a young adult, I’m not particularly unusual. Statistics show slightly different numbers, but on average young adults move around every three years or so.
That’s a lot of boxes, and back strains, and arranging furniture. But it also makes me think: how does one move well? I mean, beyond the fancy ways to load boxes on the truck and managing to hang pictures on the wall within the first month of arriving in a new place. How does one move well in terms of integrating into a new community, getting to know one’s neighbors, and working for justice in a new place?
I don’t know. But I’ve been thinking about moving, dreaming about moving even. And here’s a little list I’ve concocted. I’m not saying I’d have the gumption to carryout all the list. But, as I consider how to move well, here’s a few ideas beyond the boxes.
Top ten things to do after moving to a new place:
- bake your new neighbors cookies and have a conversation when you deliver them
- attend worship at the closest church to your new place, whatever the denomination
- go to the nearest coffee shop, find a regular customer, and buy that person a cup of coffee and/or go to the nearest bar and do the same
- host an ice cream social at your new place, deliver invitations to all your neighbors
- spend an entire Saturday in your front yard (or apartment courtyard) — do yard work (without headphones), read a book, play with a puppy, whatever you do be visible and available for conversation
- attend a school board meeting and/or city council meeting
- seek out your local elected representatives and schedule an appointment to simply meet them and get to know one another
- subscribe to the local newspaper and read it, every day, for at least a month
- get a library card, use it once a month, and spend a day at the library
- within the first six months, volunteer with three different local non-profits
In Christianity, caring for one’s neighbor is at the heart of the faith. But I’m the first to admit that caring for folks at the local homeless shelter is much more comfortable for me than actually befriending the neighbors next door with the obnoxious yard signs, or smiling at cheapskate who steals the local coffee shop’s wireless Internet connection without even buying coffee or leaving his car. While I’m all for a broad interpretation of what Jesus meant when he said “love your neighbor as yourself,” I think his words most definitely must apply to one’s literal neighbors too.
Our culture makes it very easy to treat one’s house as one’s castle, to not venture beyond one’s garage unless in the car with the windows tightly rolled up. What if we were to measure moving well not by boxes and back aches and furniture, but by neighbors loved?
image by CBIdesign
Additional Resources from www.TheThoughtfulChristian.com
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“Movin’ Out,” by Kara Lassen Oliver (Youth Study)
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“What Community Will You Seek?” by Martha Miller (Youth Study)
Good Friday and Earth Day
Today, for the first time ever, Earth Day falls on Good Friday. So, you can stop by Starbucks or Caribou Coffee with your travel mug and get a free cup of coffee on the way to Good Friday services. What a country!
I wondered, however, if any Christians were working on the connection between the two celebrations, and here’s a quick smattering of what I’ve found.
- a glorious article by my former profs, Stan Saunders and Bill Brown entitled, “Good Friday and Earth Day: A Providential Convergence” Earth Covenant Ministry version here | AJC version here
- John Murdock asks the question on Patheos, “Is Good Friday Good for the Earth?“
- and a friend is organizing a “Good Friday Seed Bomb” event at her church today with dirt, seeds, and the promise of new life
- and Jennifer Frayer-Griggs reminds her Facebook friends of this exerpt from Wendell Berry’s novel Jayber Crow
All my life I had heard preachers quoting John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” They would preach on the second part of the verse, to show the easiness of being saved (”Only believe”). Where I hung now was the first part. If God loved the world even before the event at Bethlehem, that meant He loved it as it was, with all its faults. That would be Hell itself, in part. He would be like a father with a wayward child, whom He can’t help and can’t forget. But it would be even worse than that, for He would also know the wayward child and the course of its waywardness and its suffering. That His love contains all the world does not show that the world does not matter, or that He and we do not suffer it unto death; it shows that the world is Hell only in part. But His love can contain it only by compassion and mercy, which, if not Hell entirely, would be at least a crucifixion…
What answer can human intelligence make to God’s love for the world? What answer, for that matter, can it make to our own love for the world? If a person loved the world–really loved it and forgave its wrongs and so might have his own wrongs forgiven” what would be next?…
If God loves the world, might that not be proved in my own love for it? I prayed to know in my heart His love for the world, and this was my most prideful, foolish, and dangerous prayer. It was my step into the abyss. As soon as I prayed it, I knew that I would die. I knew the old wrong and the death that lay in the world. Just as a good man would not coerce the love of his wife, God does not coerce the love of His human creatures, not for Himself or for the world or for one another. To allow that love to exist fully and freely, He must allow it not to exist at all. His love is suffering. It is our freedom and His sorrow. To love the world as much even as I could love it would be suffering also, for I would fail. And yet all the good I know is in this, that a man might so love this world that it would break his heart.”
One of Megan’s Facebook friends wrote off-handedly this morning in her status about the insignificance of Earth Day as compared to Good Friday. I get it. Good Friday came first. But, on second thought, Earth Day can really only take its full meaning with God’s love in Jesus in mind. Blessings for a Good Earth Day and Holy Friday to all.
image by brianloc
Twenty Eleven NOT Two Thousand…
I posted on this a few years ago, but the whole world has not yet come to understand the brilliance of my position. So, I post again and will keep re-posting until the world transforms. I am a patience man. I will succeed.
In a nutshell: do not say “two thousand eleven” for the upcoming year, but “twenty eleven.” If you say it correctly, maybe the long-winded ridiculous “two thousand eleven” people who hear you and correct their unfortunate ways. Then I can move my pet grievances to another oh-so crucial topic of personal pet peeve pettiness (yes, I have a list).
There is hope, however, as I first posted this two years ago when concise “twenty ten” speakers were rare. Now about half time I hear the date spoken it’s said correctly. My plot is succeeding. They may win some small battles, but I will win the war!
Here’s a few reasons to say “twenty eleven” rather than “two thousand eleven.”
- Do you say “nineteen hundred ____ ____” for the year you were born? No you say, “nineteen _______” 19! Stay consistent.
- It takes longer to say “two thousand” than “twenty.” I appreciate economy; particularly economy of words.
- My way of saying it will eventually catch on (and has, I’m told in reasonable English speaking countries other than the US), so you might as well be on the right side of the curve.
- All the cool kids say “twenty ten” (I don’t actually know this to be true, as I don’t know any cool kids. But I figure it probably is, or enjoy living in my fairytale world in which it is so.)
- And, finally, if you’re being consistent and say “two thousand eleven” you should really write 2,011 with a comma to be consistent. You don’t want to do that, so just say it the right way.
Join the movement! Keep it simple: twenty eleven, 20-11, 2011!
image by Billy Alexander
Monday Mind Dump
- North Point Community Church in Atlanta’s iBand is pretty, well, disturbingly fantastic.Check out Carol of the Bells and Feliz Navidad. Crazy music, all done on iPads and iPhones. (no word yet on iPeace or iJustice)
- So the Metrodome in Minneapolis collapsed yesterday under the weight of 17 inches of snow. The Vikings’ Sunday game was postponed and moved to Detroit, but I say Fargo would have been even better. The Fargodome sits 25,000 and it surely could
have been at capacity. Also would have been a smart move by the owners to emphasize the importance of the franchise to the entire region. - I’m increasingly disgusted at the inability of the Senate to pass a law banning the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law in the military. While McCain’s ever-changing position is maddening, what’s even more annoying is that Sen. Lieberman promises the votes are their to repeal it if it gets sufficient floor time.
- While I’m on politics, I would so love to see the DREAM Act passed.
- You know you go to Starbucks a lot when you get a Starbucks handwritten Christmas card from an employee with coupons for free drinks.
- One more use for my HTC Droid Incredible phone: recording the Confirmation students introducing a scripture lesson before reading it, then playing the recording during worship in place of reading the scripture lesson.
- I’m pretty certain that, in heaven, everyone will be wearing SmartWool socks.
image by Alfred Borchard
Tiger Woods: PR Grace or Simply a Disgrace?
After working on rehabilitating his personal life, Tiger Woods last month started to rehab his public image too. And, for this skeptical un-fan at least, it’s a good start.
The first step in his off-season PR moves was a Newsweek article, “How I’ve Redefined Victory.” I’m not naive enough to think Tiger wrote much of it himself, but if he signed off on it, I’m well-pleased.
Sure, as Lilit Marcus argues, he could have been a bit more explicit in why exactly he’s redefining his notion of victory — sexual addiction, infidelity, colossal stupidity aren’t exactly admitted. But he does write,
This much is obvious now: my life was out of balance, and my priorities were out of order. I made terrible choices and repeated mistakes. I hurt the people whom I loved the most. And even beyond accepting the consequences and responsibility, there is the ongoing struggle to learn from my failings.
And if the essay is to be believed, learning he is. Actually, after reading the piece I’m more open-minded and even hopeful for Woods. “[My previous self-reliance] made me think that if I was successful in golf, then I was invincible. Now I know that, no matter how tough or strong we are, we all need to rely on others” he writes.
Maybe I’m a sucker. (And yes, I surely am for grace and forgiveness and a fresh start — call me Christian, or call me American since such things are essential to the fabric of both my faith and my country.) But I really feel for the guy, and I wish him the best. He’s right when he says he can never truly repair the damage he’s done. But that doesn’t mean he should stop trying, or he should stop playing golf, or he should stop loving his children.
In a predictably caustic rebuttal of the Wood PR blitz Tim Dahlberg scoffs
“The most miserable year [Woods] could ever imagine is about over. He should be shouting in joy that he’s survived, even if his golf career may be ruined forever.
Except this time it won’t work.
Instead he’s trying to sell himself to the world in the same calculating way he once sold Nike’s golf equipment.
Besides the fact that Dahlberg seems to enjoy wielding blanket unsupported statements to back his depressing thesis as much as Vikings fans, in recent weeks, like to rip on Brett Farve, Dahlberg’s view that Woods public image is irredeemable simply isn’t accurate. Heck, in a strange way, I think Woods’ image has even more cache now, because America loves a tragic hero.
To be honest, I wasn’t much of a Woods fan before the affair++, but now, for some reason and really for the first time, I’d like to see Woods do well. And regarding the PR efforts, I guess I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. I wish him luck as he begins to rebuild his image through Twitter and Facebook, TV appearances, and, well, maybe even winning some golf tournaments again.
image by Brandon Ledger
Thursday Mind Dump
I usually blog structured reflective short essays, but I’ve got too much going on at the moment. So, a change in form (Steve likes lists):
I’m excited and a bit overwhelmed that:
- Another article of mine was published in The Christian Century, (sorry no link, dead tree edition only). It’s entitled “Songfest: Challenges for a hymnal committee.”
- I will be the preacher for two weeks of Montreat Youth Conferences in early June 2011
- I will begin an eight-week stint blogging as The Christian Century featured blogger next week (site relaunch to come on their end soon, I’m told)
- I’m taking Comm 507: Communication, Technology, and Media at the University of North Dakota this semester
- I’ll be preaching on Oct 24th, with Dr. Martha Moore-Keish, at the 25th Anniversary celebration of my parents’ time at First Presbyterian in Tallahassee.
I’m grateful that:
- I have been at First Press Hallock for a year and much of the first-time craziness has worn off
- I just got back from a time of vacation and rest
- the food from Red Goose Gardens, our CSA, is so delicious
- I read Everything: A Novel by Kevin Canty – dazzling writing, gripping story
- Autumn temperatures have arrived
- Megan and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary last weekend
I’m considering especially:
- if Minnesota Public Radio really means to announce their BBC Proms programming with the adjective “infamous” as in their frequently-heard advertisement this week: “the infamous last night of the Proms”–or am I just missing something?
- my first go at teaching confirmation and looking forward to using re:form
- how on vacation, I rarely looked at Facebook, and that was ok, even nice
- why pine nuts are so darn expensive
- race and how we speak of racism in American and reading White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privilidged Son by Tim Wise and Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum.
image by Fred Fokkelman
Outdoor Baseball and Target Field
Change is hard, especially if it is from a dependable convenience to uncertainty. Such is the case in Minnesota this season, as the Twins transition from the covered climate-controlled Metrodome to the outdoor Target Field. After personally taking-in a weekend of cold rainy baseball — and the first rainout in thirty years — I’m still very happy with the switch.
Yes, families from out of town can’t plan trips to Minneapolis with total certainty a game won’t be rained out — but that’s how nearly every other baseball city functions, and they get by.
Yes, some games will just be darn cold. Some will be snowed out. But there are some big heat lamp things near the concessions for folks who are especially chilly, and, well, wear some layers and enjoy creation.
Yes, it would have been handy to have a stadium with a retractable roof, but those things are expensive and Minnesotans are cost-conscious folk.
After taking in two games at Target Field last weekend, I have to admit I was blown away with the quality. The seats are comfy, roomy, cup-holder-equipped, and face home plate. The local limestone highlights all over are gorgeous, without being too much. The food, though expensive (of course) is tasty and they do feature some local beers and restaurants. And I love the huge Minnie and Paul retro logo in right — the character shake hands after every Twins home run. In sum: I’m a big fan of Target Field. Well done all. Go Twins!
images by Fifteenthirty and Dana Leigh
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