It is good to give

And it's wise to know how your money is spent. As 2008 closes, check out Charitywatch.org, run by the American Institute of Philanthropy, to see how the charities you give to rate.

'Daniel Borochoff created AIP in 1992 to address the continuing need for thoughtful information regarding the financial efficiency, accountability, governance and fundraising practices of charities. Charity financial reporting is often inconsistent, unclear, and sometimes unethical and even fraudulent. AIP carefully analyzes charity financial documents to identify the charities that are financially efficient--and the ones that are not--and publishes its findings. AIP encourages donors to give to charities that will allocate most of their contributions to program services that benefit the people and causes donors wish to support. AIP also promotes charity accountability and transparency through its research on the rapidly changing nonprofit field.'

This list of top CEO compensation packages is also scary! http://charitywatch.org/Top25.html

The past does not repeat itself, but it rhymes...

...Thanks Mark Twain. What can we learn from the past about water issues? Something, I hope. This article focuses on China and connects hydrogen&oxygen to fables, engineering, and water shortages in Beijing.

There's a piece of land that's out there

Follow the Title link to an article about Moonstone Farms (a certain person's idea of the American dream :) and enjoy the Uglysuits' tune about other lovely dreams.

Goodbye, Morning Show

One-of-a-kind Place of Mat
Originally uploaded by cy_mn

We trekked to downtown St. Paul in the wee hours of the morning to salute a Minnesotan Institution (Hey, they got a proclamation from the Mayor today!) We watched the last broadcast of the morning show from the overflow church (6:30AM was too late for premium seats! Linda and Brad, at the Fitz at 5:30, enjoyed it very much.) We did have first dibs on the breakfast, though, which included this place mat.
Overall it was a great celebration of great music and community!

Ag Updates

Photo from SARE.org
Oh, the small joys for working in agriculture!

• A small grains extension agent signs his emails "Sin-cereal-y"

• I get emails from the amazing Will Allen at the fantastic urban justice growing center, Growing Power :)

• A professor I had plans to bike from Cairo to South Africa to look at food systems this semester.

A Little Reason....

....In The Season. It is so good to see a regular-old-researcher speaking TRUTH into our culture.

There are so many awesome opportunities (and reasons) for giving!
-----------------------------------------

U professor Bill Doherty works to help families recapture the deeper spirit of the holidays

In the midst of what has become the season of American hyper-consumption, Bill Doherty is helping people say, "Enough is enough."

Doherty's research and public engagement efforts at the University of Minnesota, where he's a family social science professor in the College of Education and Human Development, focus on making families stronger and making society's culture more family-friendly. Some of his past work has involved helping families slow down and simplifying birthday parties. This time, he's leading a group to challenge the frantic pace of life as the nation and world rev up for the holiday season.

"We are all bombarded with messages to buy more and bigger, and we run ourselves ragged during the holidays," says Doherty. "This group is a laboratory for seeking more balance in all of our lives—something that our society sorely needs in the midst of today's challenges."

"This [initiative] is a vanguard to reclaim the season ... [and] ... an effort to address the cultural challenges we face," says Doherty. "A lot of people I talk to don't feel like the season is fully consistent with their core values. They end up getting their kids more, or grandparents get kids more, and their kids become little customers, and entitled customers, at this time."

Watch avideo of Bill Doherty talking about how to take back what is important about the holidays and find alternatives to the culture of consumerism.

The group is staging a "countercultural event" (see details below) on what Doherty calls the "'holy day' of our consuming culture." That day, of course, is Black Friday—a day of mad shopping (retailers hope), and the one that follows the still relatively uncommercialized celebration of Thanksgiving.

Doherty says research shows that most people value their relationships, a sense of inner harmony between their actions and their behavior, and their communities far more than material things. "But you don't see that advertised very much.

"[During this season] it's a good idea to ask what your values are, not necessarily what you feel driven to do," Doherty says. "And maybe to take advantage of the fact that this year the economy isn't that good. Instead of apologizing to your children [for not getting enough presents], use this year, and this day of Black Friday, to [explore] what's most important about this season ... Most of us who grew up with Christmas don't remember a single present we ever got, but we remember the lights, the sounds, we remember the meals, we remember driving through the neighborhood and seeing the lights. Try to emphasize what is really magical ..."

Doherty doesn't recommend cutting out presents, especially for children, but to open a family conversation about what this special time means and how best to celebrate.

From: http://www1.umn.edu/news/features/UR_CONTENT_059143.html

Inclusive Science

I'm pasting an interesting idea I found from the U of M Women's Center. They posted an announcement of a NWSA Journal call for articles. It seems that lately (or always?) the definition of what science is has been open for interpretation, and has been manipulated for politics. I think the questions (highlighted in blue, below) are really valid and necessary. Especially as resources for funding scientific research dry up.... I hope that the economic pinch will force people and institutions to be more critical of where dollars are going, and in turn the quality of science will be improved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is no secret that there is a national crisis in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), particularly in terms of the involvement of women and people of color. A great deal of effort has been exerted in the past few years to patch the “leaky pipeline” – the educational and experiential pathway which leads to careers in the sciences. However, critics of science, often feminists, have pointed out that “it’s not just enough to add women [or people of color] and stir” (C. Bunch, adapted) – we must look at how science and scientists are portrayed, who gets to ask the questions, what questions are asked, what methods are used, and how data are interpreted and used. We must also teach all of our students, particularly women and those in under-represented groups, that the process of science is open to all and that, in fact, without a diversity of investigators and approaches, our sciences are incomplete. To this end, we convened a national conference this summer at the College of St. Catherine to address these issues which are critical to the success of Science, Mathematics, and Technology programs across the country. The conference brought together keynote speakers: Dr. Marlene Zuk, Dr. Sue Rosser, and Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum along with scholars in and of STEM and Women’s Studies who shared their knowledge and ideas in the areas of theory, pedagogy and activism.

To encourage dissemination of these and other ideas to a broad audience, we call for papers for a special cluster in the National Women’s Studies Association Journal with the theme: “Inclusive Science: Articulating Theory, Practice, and Action”. We will specifically consider articles which address the following intersections of science and feminism:

1. Multiple frameworks: critiques of science from multiple perspectives including gender, race and ethnicity, and class;
2. Pedagogies that engage women, students of color, and students from a variety of social classes in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and
3. Transformation: putting theory into action; changing the way we do, learn and teach science.

Guest Editors: Cynthia G. Norton and Deborah D. Wygal, Department of Biology and Women’s Studies, College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN

guide and Guide

being protected and provided for
in a new, tangible way
is like relearning how to walk
every day

see, I've been blind since birth,
dependent on a cane
I got where I was going
even if I took the long way

I was independent
self sufficient you may say
but only because I needed to be
I didn't know another way

now the cane has been replaced
with a Living guide
complete with a promise
to protect and provide

and it's so much better than the cane!
it's so much freer!
freely strolling down the lane
you'd think I have it made, yes, but,
it's a stumbling refrain
i keep reaching for that old familiar cane

see, there are doubts about this guide
like will he be on time?
will he always be right?
can I fully lean on him even when it's not light?

because I can go back- I really can-
if its an inconvenience, Guide,
I'd be happy to pick back up my cane
you just tell me when
I'll make my way alone again

but if the Guide has led a guide to stay
I will choose to learn to let go
of that trusty cane
I will learn step by step, so it is plain
I walk with My guide, and he shows me the Way

walking together
until our steps are One
until our walk is synchronized
in rain and in sun
guided, protected, provided
and prepared for
the day when guide and guided
meet their Guide.

Love is a practice

Thought for today, from Wendell Berry:

"Well, we've degraded the word love to mean simply feeling. Which is alright except you don't feel loving all the time, you know. And what Lewis is saying is love is a practice-- it is something you do. Wherether you feel like it or not, like milking your cows. And you understand that, well that's painful."

Berry is quoted from a 2000 interview with Kate Turner, commenting on C.S. Lewis' portrayel of love as a discipline and a practice. Quoted by Matthew T. Dickerson and David O'Hara in "The Environmental Vision of C.S. Lewis" in Creation Care magazine.

the Vote

My conscience approved of voting, my mind trusts God's sovereignty, and my heart lives in the tension of the NOW but NOT YET kingdom, listening to Derek Webb's Mockingbird on repeat.

Fundamentally Filled

I was reading a depressing article in the Times about religious fundamentalim in the United States. The comments at the bottom of the page made me think of Ravi Zacharias. What would he say in response to the claim that religion has done nothing good?

I went to his website, and didn't quite find the answer to that question, but I found an article where he explains how he became the man he is today. It is quite amazing. And it is a relationship with the Living God, not religion, that filled him. It is a relationship with the living God that influenced William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, and the heroes of IJM who have done so much good-- who have righted injustices and evil and brought harmony and peace. While the skepticism at religion, especially fundamentalism, is understandable, I hate to see people arrogantly belittling my God, when what they are angry about is politics. Ravi's story encouraged me to remember His ultimate, transforming power.

RZ: I came to know Christ at the age of 17 while living in New Delhi, India, where I was reared. My father worked for the Indian government. Growing up in India, I faced many struggles, not the least of which was academic competition in a highly stratified culture. One day I realized that I really didn’t have any meaning in life. So, at the age of 17, I attempted to take my own life by poisoning myself.

Then, when I was recovering in a hospital, a friend brought me a New Testament. Because my body was dehydrated, I was receiving fluids and I could not hold the New Testament in my hands. The Scripture read to me was John 14, where Jesus said to His apostles, “Because I live, ye shall live also.”[16]

I knew that whatever else that Scripture meant, it meant more than physical life. I said, “This is the life that I have yearned for.” I made my commitment to Jesus Christ and have never looked back, except to remember how He rescued me and put a new song in my heart—new hungers, new desires, new life. He put a new hunger into my heart, a hunger for God Himself. Prior to that I was more concerned about success, good grades, good jobs. I was constantly thinking about what others thought about me. God refocused my attention on Himself.

I knew that this was not some kind of motivational therapy but a new kind of relationship. There is a difference between a person who hungers for love and one who has found love. God put in my heart that great hunger for Him, even as I knew that in Him I had already begun the process of being filled. Before I heard those Scriptures I was completely empty. Now I had found through the Person of Christ how I could be filled.

Exposed.

What was barely covered
is now exposed
the table cloth
was slipping off
pulled by the heavy load

the linen had covered
much more than wood
crumbs and moldy scraps from meals
neglected pieces which should
have been cleaned long before, should
have been seen at the kitchen door

but dirt, crumbs, and scraps they build
day by day by day
so eyes become accustomed
and noses used to smelling rotten

I can deny anything.

I can deny anything
until it is exposed to another
whose eyes won’t lie
about the table uncovered
whose nose won’t ignore
the rotting odor
whose love will provide
grace over and over.

If our sins are exposed and we confess them with faith in Christ, the blood of Jesus cleanses us.
1 John 1:9

Far bill Subsidy Myths

This was quite an interesting distillation of farm bill subsidies. Having a guide like this for the political debates would also be helpful!

--------------------------------------

Myths From the Mainstream Media
About U.S. Farm Policy
Excerpted with permission from the Institute for Agriculture
and Trade Policy.

The complete list of the top 10 myths
is available at tinyurl.com/farmpolicy.
1. Myth: Rich farmers get all the money from the Farm Bill.
Reality: Sixty-eight percent of the Farm Bill goes to nutrition
programs. Eleven percent goes to farm commodity programs.
And eight percent goes to conservation programs.
2. Myth: Farmers don’t need government support. They’re
getting rich off rising food prices.
Reality: Farmers receive less than 20 cents of the food dollar.
Costs of production have skyrocketed. Since 2002, farm
expenses have increased 45 percent.
3. Myth: Rich farmers benefit most from the Farm Bill.
Reality: Big agribusiness companies like Monsanto, Cargill
and Archer Daniels Midland are the big winners. They reap
the bounty, while farmers do the work and take the risk.
4. Myth: Only rich farmers receive subsidies.
Reality: Middle and small scale family farmers also receive
subsidies—and in some ways are more reliant on them to
survive when times get tough.
5. Myth: If we eliminated subsidies, the market would level the
playing field for family farmers.
Reality: Without ensuring a fair price, family farmers would
more easily succumb to market volatility.

Picture: Mine. Soybeans in Blairsberg, Iowa.

A Sort of Edible Treasure Map

A partnership of awesome local food policy/ag related organizations:
The University of Minnesota’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Land Stewardship Project, and the Minnesota Project
are coming together to create totally new concept: “Mapping Minnesota’s Local Foods Infrastructure.”

Using GIS, a graduate student will create "an interactive map of Minnesota’s local foods infrastructure. Maps will include entities such as: fruit, vegetable, dairy, meat, poultry farmers, artisan food producers, as well as restaurants, retailers, hospitals, schools, food distributors, and processors that sell local foods."

I'm excited to see what this will look like-- and will people use it? Their aim is that "This project responds to the expressed need for baseline data on existing local foods infrastructure by local, regional, and state policy makers, economic development agencies, and planners. Researchers and non-profits can use the maps to guide further initiatives and projects in areas such as food distribution and processing, and to address inequities in healthy food availability. Farmers, restaurants, retailers, distributors, and processors will have a tool to determine potential local food supply or demand in an area." That would be awesome to see happen.

Aware (or just thinking too much?)

Working at the U of M, there is a lot of bureaucracy. With an "Office of Service and Continuous Improvement," you don't wonder as much about tuition hikes... But hopefully there is progress somewhere in the mix. I gleaned this truth from an article where people reflected on the benefits of a leadership class.

"I now better understand how I can help students align their real selves--that is, their actions and behaviors--with their ideal selves, or their values and goals," says Stacy Crawford, assistant academic adviser for the School of Fine Arts.

It boggles my mind that there is such a disconnect between who we are and we want to be. But I see it in myself! There might even be a third aspect-- who we perceive ourselves to be, which is different than who we are and who we want to be.

The training aimed to make people more self-aware, so they can then help others become more self aware-- and hopefully in being self aware, our real selves will become more like our ideal selves.

Building Green

Move over vinegar and baking soda volcanoes-- there's a new use for 2-liter soda bottles! It's a green house. This is just about the coolest idea do-it-yourself pop bottle idea I've ever seen. And it would look pretty snappy in the back yard.



Photo from Blue Rock Station

poet-try

Try might be the key word. But here are some words I wrote for my best friend. I want to, and hope to, share more.


All that was broken in the first garden, He redeems.

Assured and
Comforted by confession
After a dark night in the garden

Still with hesitation,
Regrets.
But let there be no doubts--
He who has comforted
Will comfort
He who has led
Will lead.

Assured and
Comforted by solace
After grace spoken in the garden

Still, with hope
And still with hope--
Is the moment
The gate latches
We depart.

Investing intelligently in science for development

My Alumni CFANS' Magazine published an article by Becky Byers. In it Professor Phil Pardey recommends more strategic investment in agriculture. YES! Things have slowed down dramatically from the 60's and the Green Revolution.

He and colleagues have created an interactive database for agriculture in developing countries called HarvestChoice Project. What an awesome resource to find out about crops and growing conditions in the developing world!

Consumption and Creation

An advertisement for an upcoming talk grabbed my attention because it had two of my favorite, most used words (at least 5x a day?)-- sustainable agriculture. Here is an excerpt from the blurb on Michael Braungart's talk "Cradle to Cradle and a Sustainable Agriculture":

Michael Braungart, author of "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things," states "When we focus on the 'efficient' use of materials and resources, we are burying our heads in the sand. I argue that we need a conscientious approach to design, so that everything we take from nature either goes back to nature (in a biological cycle) or is up-cycled into further products (the technical cycle). There is no such thing as 'waste' in this picture - only resources which we can redeploy forever. The human consumption becomes good for the planet." Braungart's talk will apply these principles to agriculture and the "production of food."

Many thoughts came from this blurb! It is good to be reminded of the concept of cradle to cradle (looking at the entire life cycle of something). For one, it makes sense because while "waste" goes out of sight-- therefore out of mind-- it doesn't actually leave. It still exists in some form. Braungart argues that there is not such thing as waste. Thinking through this is kind mind blowing, and calls for a systemic change in the way we view (and live) our lives. (i.e. my trash that my garbage man takes and burns or puts in a land fill-- why am I producing any? what about clothing that I give away-- why am I do that? How can I make choices so that nothing IS thrown out or given away?)

Secondly the idea of "Human consumption becomes good for the planet" is also mind blowing from an environmental perspective (mainly because so much of what we hear and study relates to pollution and destruction and harmful modification of the environment!) Although humanly it is normal to think of things in terms of good and bad, God said "let humans have dominion over ....all" (Genesis 1:26-27). Therefore if God instituted this dominion, this rule, this stewardship, this care... it is for a PURPOSE.

Consumption is inherent in this dominion, and therefore it is good. But all aspects of our lives, it is tainted. Sin has tainted consumption and dominion over creation, so that "all of creation groans...waiting for the revealing of the Sons of God" (Romans 8).

We groan, and creation groans, because of the sickness and suffering and injustice and war and death of this present age! In the present age we have a sense that things are not as the "should" be. When we consume, there is waste. When we dominate, there is destruction. (This is so negative and hopeless-- and it is without Christ! Praise God for Christ who will restore all things! I eagerly await the day when this will not be so.)

But for now, I want to work toward restoring the God-given mandate to rule and steward and care for creation through loving Christ and my neighbors. One such way will be to take away the idea of "waste" and think holistically AND Biblically about consumption.

Cocoa Beef?

I'm not talk about the old "brown cow makes chocolate milk" joke-- I'm referring to cattle eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The Organic Consumers Association carried an article large scale farmers feeding their cattle new byproducts as the price of corn goes up. Byproducts? Corn? What's being fed to cows, anyway? Well, feeding corn to cows is a common practice because corn is (was) cheap and fattened up the cows nicely so they were ready for market faster= higher profit. And it is a better option than feeding them dung and slaughter house waste, which is also done. The byproducts are currently being added because the price of corn has gone up. So the farmer in this video fed his cows "leftovers" from Hershey's and Mar's corporation-- yeah, that means his cows are eating reject M&M's!

Does something seem wrong with this picture?

Cows stomach's and natural habits are made for eating GRASS, not corn. The obstacle of feeding grass to cows on a large-scale operation is that a lot of acreage is necessary. Feeding grass to cows also means they take longer to reach market value. So it is a higher cost, and the beef you buy from a grass fed farmer will cost more. But buying that beef also will mean that your cow lived it's life outside of a cramped stall, and in a pasture! And there are nutritional benefits to grass-fed beef-- it's leaner.

This video reminded me of the economic, environmental and social costs it takes to raise beef. This is another reminder that we are voting with our pocket-books everyday about what we value.

Cost of being ANTI

I keep finding old articles. That are super interesting. And maybe a little frightening.

Report Targets Costs Of Factory Farming

By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 30, 2008; A02

Factory farming takes a big, hidden toll on human health and the environment, is undermining rural America's economic stability and fails to provide the humane treatment of livestock increasingly demanded by American consumers, concludes an independent, 2 1/2 -year analysis that calls for major changes in the way corporate agriculture produces meat, milk and eggs.

The report released yesterday, sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, finds that the "economies of scale" used to justify factory farming practices are largely an illusion, perpetuated by a failure to account for associated costs.

Among those costs are human illnesses caused by drug-resistant bacteria associated with the rampant use of antibiotics on feedlots and the degradation of land, water and air quality caused by animal waste too intensely concentrated to be neutralized by natural processes.

Several observers said the report, by experts with varying backgrounds and allegiances, is remarkable for the number of tough recommendations that survived the grueling research and review process, which participants said was politically charged and under constant pressure from powerful agricultural interests.

In the end, however, even industry representatives on the panel agreed to such controversial recommendations as a ban on the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics in farm animals -- a huge hit against veterinary pharmaceutical companies -- a phaseout of all intensive confinement systems that prevent the free movement of farm animals, and more vigorous enforcement of antitrust laws in the increasingly consolidated agricultural arena.

"At the end of his second term, President Dwight Eisenhower warned the nation about the dangers of the military-industrial complex -- an unhealthy alliance between the defense industry, the Pentagon, and their friends on Capitol Hill," wrote Robert P. Martin, executive director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, which wrote the report. "Now the agro-industrial complex -- an alliance of agricultural commodity groups, scientists at academic institutions who are paid by the industry, and their friends on Capitol Hill -- is a concern in animal food production in the 21st century."

The report, "Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Production in America," comes at a time when food, agriculture and animal welfare issues are prominent in the American psyche.

Food prices are rising faster than they have for decades. Concerns about global climate change have brought new attention to the fact that modern agriculture is responsible for about 20 percent of the nation's greenhouse-gas production. And recent meat recalls, punctuated by the release of undercover footage of cows being abused at a California slaughterhouse, have struck a chord with consumers.

The report acknowledges that the decades-long trend toward reliance on "concentrated animal feeding operations," or CAFOs, has brought some benefits, including cheaper food. In 1970, the average American spent 4.2 percent of his or her income to buy 194 pounds of red meat and poultry annually. By 2005, typical Americans were spending 2.1 percent of their income for 221 pounds per year.

But the system has brought unintended consequences. With thousands of animals kept in close quarters, diseases spread quickly. To prevent some of those outbreaks -- and to spur faster growth -- factory farms routinely treat animals with antibiotics, speeding the development of drug-resistant bacteria and in some cases rendering important medications less effective in people.

It appears that the vast majority of U.S. antibiotic use is for animals, the commission noted, adding that because of the lack of oversight by the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies, even regulators can only estimate how many drugs are being given to animals.

The commission urges stronger reporting requirements for companies and a phaseout and then ban on antibiotics in farm animals except as treatments for disease, a policy already initiated in some European countries.

"That's a good recommendation. A strong recommendation," said Margaret Mellon of the Union of Concerned Scientists, which released its own report last week documenting billions of dollars in farm subsidies to factory farming operations and annual federal expenditures of $100 million to clean up their ongoing environmental damage.

The Pew report also calls for tighter regulation of factory farm waste, finding that toxic gases and dust from animal waste are making CAFO workers and neighbors ill.

In calling for a 10-year phaseout of intensive confinement systems such as gestation crates for pigs and so-called battery cages for chickens, the commission adds impetus to recent commitments from some corporate operators to drop, gradually, those controversial practices.

"These animals can't engage in normal behavior at all," said commission member Michael Blackwell, a veterinarian and former assistant U.S. surgeon general.

Calls for comments from industry representatives were not returned.

The report also calls for implementation of a long-delayed national tracking system that would allow trace-back of diseased animals within 48 hours after a human outbreak of food-borne disease. And it calls for an end to forced feeding of poultry to produce foie gras, a delicacy that Blackwell described unpalatably as "diseased liver."

Activists said it will be up to Congress and agency officials, under public pressure, to implement some of the commission's recommendations. Congress is now considering a bill, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, that would accomplish some of the Pew recommendations.

Polka on

This was a really cool story about a young blind man's accordion abilities. Good news to know and share.

If you don't like the weather...

...stay inside?

NO way!

Not in China. You simply change it.

That's what has been prepared for the Olympics. If forecasts predict rain, a little Liquid nitrogen shot into the clouds can make rain droplets smaller and fewer. This is INSANE, folks.

A 22x8x8 Solution?

I found a newspaper clipping from 2005 about an awesome design called FutureShack. It is still an awesome concept which uses solar power and shipping crates to create healthy housing. Architect Sean Godsell noted that it would be more useful if he received calls from humanitarian organizations rather than museums seeking to display his work, which also included a park bench house and a bus shelter house. After learning more about the 12 million displaced refugees at a World Relief night, I heartily agree with him. I wonder where and what impact his design is having in 2008?

Cutting away the excess

Occam's razor is the word of the day.

It's a scientific and philosophic rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.

This rule is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex.

What a novelty! This is especially true for Scientific literature! (Have you tried to read a journal article lately?) Clear, concise, understandable ideas replace jargon. How refreshing!

Love is

Everything flows from this

HEAR.
Listen up, you people,
you people whom God has called;
Open up your ears, you chosen Nation!

The Lord our God,
Who called you, who is Ruler over you,
Who saves you and directs you: remember him?
This unique, powerful, creating Being, called the Lord,
He is YOUR GOD.
He is ONE.

He commands you this day, commandments for your good,
commandments to obey:

You shall LOVE the Lord Your God.
You shall LOVE your Creator. Your ruler. Your Savior.

You shall adore, worship, think of, idolize, enjoy, obey, listen to, consider, wait for, submit to, long for, praise, share---You shall LOVE.

(How is it difficult to love one who has done what He has done? Like a child loves their mother? The child does not need to be commanded to love their mother-- they just do. But we, the wayward children, need to be commanded to Love.)

This love calls for complete devotion.
To love with all your HEART
To love with all your SOUL
To love with all your MIGHT.

Every ounce. Every thought.
Called, commanded, ordered to LOVE.

Because God spoke. Because He desires our hearts, souls, and might. Because our circumstances and feelings change, but this foundation does not move. This is where I am today-- paraphrasing Deuteronomy 6:4-7, which Jesus quoted in Mark 12, when asked "what is the greatest commandment?" If it is the greatest, it is important. It seems to me that everything flows from this, the greatest commandment. Every dream and desire in our lives needs to be rooted in this. Because these plans-- they will fall away. But He who holds our hearts and souls and bodies never will.

Biosecrets

Here's some bad news for biofuels. Turns out they do affect world food prices more than we thought! Uhhh-ohhh.

It shows that what recieves media attention and scientific funding isn't necessarily the best route. Remember hydrogen energy? How's that going? It got lots of press, but lacking the infrastructure to make, store, and move hydrogen it hasn't really caught on. Biofuels are a step ahead-- existing infrastructure can be used and new facilities have been built-- but there are still opportunities to pull out if it IS going to affect food prices so much.

"Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% - far more than previously estimated - according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian.

The damning unpublished assessment is based on the most detailed analysis of the crisis so far, carried out by an internationally-respected economist at global financial body.

The figure emphatically contradicts the US government's claims that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3% to food-price rises. It will add to pressure on governments in Washington and across Europe, which have turned to plant-derived fuels to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and reduce their dependence on imported oil." Aditya Chakrabortty inThe Guardian,Friday July 4, 2008

Freeidea.com

I have an idea about ideas.

They need to be shared.

How about an idea sharing website? A way to unite people who have ideas with people who need ideas, in an interactive forum.

A tagline like “Have a great idea you’ll never use? Searching for something to do? Exchange, share, grow at freeidea.com.”

It would be free, too. By posting you are sharing yourself and your rights.

Ideas could be in categories, or grouped in stages, like gathering or building.

I think it's exciting and community building—sharing dreams and ideas with your neighbors.

Consider this idea shared.

1 $ = 1 Vote

The premise of an article by Greg Bowman, "Free speech-for you to use-to promote fresh, local and organic food" from way back in 2006, was that you vote with your wallet. Every food dollar you spend is a vote that rewards people for farmers, processes, and sellers from the place/source you buy it from. Buying organic farming is a step toward helping farm families, the land, water, and biological life, and your own health. Not buying increases big farms, loss of diversity and topsoil, water pollution, chemicals, fertilizers and on... What a different way of looking at every choice we make. It's a vote. Oh, let us use our votes to honor God and love our neighbors.

Putting the "me" in Entertainment

I had a good conversation over the weekend about the poisonous of entertainment in our culture. Stimulus is provided innumerable ways 24/7. I often feel that I "earn" the right to relax, tune-out, and laugh for a half hour episode of something on television after a hard day, or in magazine or book, or in facebooking and emusicing. The list goes on. The temptation is real. And deadly.

Why?

1) "While cultivating a God-centered perspective on recreation and entertainment takes effort, it is absolutely necessary if my entire life is to have the aroma of the One who
taught us to store up treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:19-21), that our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3-4), and that it is God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy (I Tim. 6:17)." --Alex Chediak (Bold text is mine). So we want to look like Him. We want to honor Him.

2) We want to be salt and light. What about when salt looses it's flavor? Isn't it thrown out? Is uncritical, undisciplined entertainment "being conformed to the world?" Well, do NOT be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind! (Romans 12:2)

3) We are at war! Indulging in something that let's your mind coast in neutral is ripe ground for sin.

4) Entertainment pacifies, but it doesn't satisfy. It is temporary. It is like building sandcastles, when you could be using bricks. I don't want to look back on years of my life (even hours of my days) and see nothing...

There are more reasons. We have brains for a reason-- to reason! Not just to sink in quicksand that looks "solid-enough." And I'm not judging. I'm really preaching to myself. Recreation and relaxation are necessary. But let's press pause and think about how we engage in it.

Minneapolis thanks the glaciers...

...that melted through its landscape leaving large scrapes and chunks of ice, which melted and formed lakes. Did you know that there are 11,842 lakes in the state of Minnesota, and 22 within the city of Minneapolis? No, I didn't. Thanks UMN Alumni News. And hurray for summer, possibly the best time to be on the lake.

Loss and gain

Oh, job interviews. Sigh. I am so quickly overwhelmed and despairing. Weighed down by doubts and fears and shame. This is how I make it through the next hour, the next day. Thank you Lord.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Watts/ Mason
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

I like Research

I really do.

That doesn't mean I want to do it full time for the rest of my life, but I get excited when cool things happen. Like the Farm Bill in which "Congress Makes Substantial "Down Payment" toward a Fair Share for Organic Agriculture Research" as an article by the Organic Farming Research Foundation explained.

"It's not just about supporting organic farmers," commented Steve Ela, of OFRF. "Organic research has already demonstrated important benefits for consumers and the environment, from reducing pesticide contamination in children's diets to conserving the health of pollinators. It can make a huge contribution to storing carbon in living soil. Added investment in more and better organic farming practices is part of solving many of the urgent issues we all face."

Hurray!

Six things as the world groans

The devastating earthquake in China and cyclones in Myanmar demand our consideration and prayers. It is a good reminder, for me, to look past the small trials and tribulations we experience on earth. What a time to draw near to God and share his ways .

Thanks to Agape Way for this guide. (I left in the Chinese script because it's cool.)

SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE AND OURSELVES: A PRAYER GUIDE

1. 在上帝面前承認，我們的心憂傷，也沒有能力安慰憂傷的心靈。求上帝按照祂的恩典憐憫我們，安慰我們眾人，更按照祂的應許與我們眾人同在。

Let us acknowledge before God that our hearts are grieving, and we do not have the power to comfort souls who grieve. Pray that the Lord have mercy on us, according to his grace, and hover over us with his presence, as he promised.

「上帝阿，求你憐憫我。因為我的心投靠你。我要投靠在你翅膀的蔭下，等到災害過去。」（《詩篇》57﹕1）

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” Psalm 57:1

「我們在一切患難中，祂就安慰我們，叫我們能用上帝所賜的安慰，去安慰那遭各樣患難的人。」（《哥林多後書》1﹕4）

“… so that we may be able to comfort those whoa re in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (II Corinthians 1:4)

2. 在上帝面前承認，我們不能解釋所發生的事。求主賜下智慧，教導我們。

Acknowledge before God that we do not know how to interpret the events happening around us. May God give us wisdom and teach us.

「凡事都有定期，天下萬務都有定時。生有時，死有時。栽種有時，拔出所栽種的有時。殺戮有時，醫治有時。拆毀有時，建造有時。哭有時，笑有時。哀動有時，跳舞有時。…尋找有時，失落有時。保守有時，捨棄有時。撕裂有時，縫補有時。靜默有時，言語有時。」（取自《傳道書》3﹕1-11）

“For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak…” (from Ecclesiastes 3:1-11)

「因為受造之物服在虛空之下，不是自己願意，乃是因那叫它如此的。但受造之物仍然指望脫離敗壞的轄制，得享上帝兒女自由的榮耀。」（《羅馬書》8﹕20-21）

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20-21)

「誰曉得你怒氣的權勢，誰按著你該受的敬畏曉得你的忿怒呢？求你指教我們怎樣數算自己的日子，好叫我們得著智慧的心。」（《詩篇90﹕11-12）

“Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:11-12

3. 向主承認，我們的生命都在祂的手中，若不是祂憐憫，我們不可能活在世上一天。

Acknowledge before the Lord that our lives are all in his hands. If it were not for his mercy, we would not live on earth for a day.

「我赤身出於母胎，也必赤身歸回。賞賜的是耶和華，收取的也是耶和華。耶和華的名是應當稱頌的。」（《約伯記》1﹕21）

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21

4. 求上帝憐憫中國政府各部門，賜智慧，解除所有攔阻，叫賑災工作順利進行。

Pray that God would have mercy on China’s government and her various agencies, give them wisdom, and remove all obstacles that relief work may proceed smoothly.

「我勸你們第一要為萬人懇求，禱告，代求，祝謝。為君王和一切在位的也該如此。使我們可以敬虔端正，平安無事的度日。」（《提摩太前書》2﹕1）

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. I Timothy 2:1

5. 求聖靈賜智慧，每天的力量給所有教會與基督教團體，在賑災事工上順利進行，幫助有需要的人。更求上帝感動我們，知道如何奉獻，在十一奉獻以外學習慷慨，支持慈惠（憐憫）的事工。

May the Holy Spirit grant wisdom and strength to all churches and Christian agencies doing earthquake relief work, that this work may move forward and effectively help those in need. May God also move our hearts that we may give generously, over and beyond our tithes, to support ministries of mercy and relief.

「…總要勞力，親手作正經事，就可有餘，分給那缺乏的人。」（《以弗所書》4﹕28）

“… let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Ephesians 4:28

「不要為自己積儹財寶在地上。地上有蟲子咬，能銹壞，也有賊挖窟窿來偷。只要積儹財寶在天上，天上沒有蟲子咬，不能銹壞，也沒有賊挖窟窿來偷。因為你的財寶在哪裏，你的心也在哪裏。」（《馬太福音》6﹕19-21）

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

「就是要你們得富餘，現在可以補他們的不足，使他們的富餘，將來也可以補你們的不足，這就均勻了。如經上所記﹕『多收的也沒有餘，少收的也沒有缺。』」（《哥林多後書》8﹕14-15）

“… your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, ‘Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.’” II Corinthians 8:14-15

6. 求上帝賜恩典，叫我們不失去信心，不離棄祂，繼續敬畏祂，為祂而活。

May God be gracious to us, that we do not give up faith, that we do not fail to cling to him in faith; that we continue to fear him, and live our lives for his glory.

「你們來看耶和華的作為，看祂使地怎樣荒涼。…你們要休息，要知道我是耶和華。我必在外邦眾被尊榮，在遍地上也被尊榮。」（《詩篇》46﹕8，10）

“Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. … Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:8, 10

「你豈不曾知道麼？你豈不曾聽見麼？永在的上帝耶和華，創造地極的主，並不疲乏，也不困倦。祂的智慧無法測度。…但那等候耶和華的，必從新得力，他們必如鷹展翅上騰，他們奔跑卻不困倦，行走卻不疲乏。」（《以賽亞書》40﹕28，31）

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint nor grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. … But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28, 31

forGIVE

The definition of Forgive:
1 a: to give up resentment of or claim to requital for <forgive an insult>
b: to grant relief from payment of <forgive a debt>

2: to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : pardon <forgive one's enemies>
intransitive verb: to grant forgiveness

The words that compose forgive are "for" and "give." Which makes me think of
John 3:16, FOR God so loved that world that He GAVE His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not die, but have eternal life.

He gave.

There are multiple levels of giving here. For the sake of the Father's love for the world, he gave His son. For the sake of the Son's love for the father and the world, He gave himself. For the sake of His love the Father gave/gives His Spirit. For the sake of the Spirit's love for the Father and the Son, the Spirit gives Himself to live in us. (Dwelling on all this giving is such a joyful thing. I highly recommend it.)

You can see the gift of the Spirit tangibly in this CNN article about healing in Rwanda "Woman opens heart to man who slaughtered her family." The changes in this woman's heart are amazing. (And just a shadow of the barrier God crossed when he forgave us for our sins, for murdering his Son, for waging war against Him.) PRAISE God for brothers and sisters who are GIVING themselves in forgiveness. Amen for God's work of making a way where there could be no way.

Ornithorhynchus anatinus and other ponderings

This article made me smile, as it pointed to:
1) The awesomeness of our earth, and the uniqueness of its creatures! Which brings me to God's glory in creation: His sense of humor and his creativity. How awe-inspiring.

2) God's ways being "above ours," and not logical in a human way. They are far from efficient. They are non-nonsensical. They include a duck-billed, web-footed, mammal? They include God sending His Enternal Son to pay for our sin and make peace between us and God?

3) The human tendency to trust in ourselves and to depend on our own wisdom. The platypus-- this crazy furry webbed creature-- is called an accident. All of life, from cells to apes to humans, is a genetic experiment (Meaning, as I understand, the engines of natural selection and evolution unfolding until this exact moment in time, when I sit at the computer and ponder metaphysical reality.) Hmmm... It doesn't add up to me. Where does love and dignity and hope come from? And why do we even care about mapping the genetic makeup of the platypus, anyway? What makes us care? What makes us study and research and wonder?

There is a reason, a profound desire within each of us, to know and be known... A desire only fulfilled in the One who made us this way.

Scientists map the genetic makeup of the platypus

By ROHAN SULLIVAN – May 8, 2008

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Scientists said they have mapped the genetic makeup of the platypus — one of nature's strangest animals with a bill like a duck's, a mammal's fur and snake-like venom.

The researchers, whose analysis of the platypus genome was published Thursday in the journal Nature, said it could help explain how mammals, including humans, evolved from reptiles millions of years ago.

The platypus is classed as a mammal because it has fur and feeds its young with milk. It flaps a beaver-like tail. But it also has bird and reptile features — a duck-like bill and webbed feet, and lives mostly underwater. Males have venom-filled spurs on their heels.

"At first glance, the platypus appears as if it was the result of an evolutionary accident," said Francis S. Collins, director of the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute, which funded the study.

"But as weird as this animal looks, its genome sequence is priceless for understanding how mammalian biological processes evolved," Collins said in a statement.

The research showed the animal's multifaceted features are reflected in its DNA with a mix of genes that crosses different classifications of animals, said Jenny Graves, an Australian National University genomics expert who co-wrote the paper.

"What we found was the genome, just like the animal, is an amazing amalgam of reptilian and mammal characteristics with quite a few unique platypus characteristics as well," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Scientists believe all mammals evolved from reptiles, and the animals that became platypuses and those that became humans shared an evolutionary path until about 165 million years ago when the platypus branched off. Unlike other evolving mammals, the platypus retained characteristics of snakes and lizards, including the pain-causing poison that males can use to ward off mating rivals, Graves said.

More than 100 scientists from the United States, Australia, Japan and other nations took part in the research, using DNA collected from a female platypus named Glennie.

Their work adds to the growing list of animals whose genetic makeup has been unraveled.

By comparing platypus genes to those of humans and other mammals, scientists hope to fill in gaps in knowledge about mammals' evolution and better identify certain species' specific traits.

Des Cooper, an evolutionary biologist at the University of New South Wales who did not take part in the research, said it represented a big step forward in the world's knowledge of mammals.

"Platypuses are often thought of as primitive because they lay eggs," Cooper said. "This paper demonstrates there is a mixture of characters, which they share with other mammals, and of highly specialized attributes."

Graves said the research contained some surprises, such as the conclusion that genes which determine sex in a platypus are similar to those of a bird, not a mammal. Researchers also found genes that indicate platypuses — which rely on electrosensory receptors in their bills to navigate as they rummage with closed eyes in waterways — may also be able to smell underwater.

Unique to Australia, the platypus has confounded observers for centuries. Aboriginal legend explained it as the offspring of a duck and an amorous water rat. When the British Museum received its first specimen in 1798, zoologist George Shaw was so dubious he tried to cut the pelt with scissors to make sure the bill had not been stitched on by a taxidermist.

Platypuses live in the wild along most of Australia's east coast. Their numbers are not accurately known because they are notoriously shy. Hunted for years for their pelts, they have been protected since the early 1900s and are not considered to be endangered, though scientists say their habitat is vulnerable to human development.

Part 1: Whatever does not come from faith..

Is sin.

So says the verse. What does Paul mean? I'm going to try and unfold this through a few blog entries. Just to clarify this wrestling in my head, this attempt at understanding works and faith.

Daily, I see and hear about good works of unbelievers. What are the spiritual implications? Namely, if I believe that good works do not save a human being from God's wrath, how do I live like that? Do I affirm the good work of relieving suffering, or teaching English, building hospitals and schools, or being loving and kind? Or should they be condemned because they are not coming from faith?

I think some of my confusion comes from the fact that I often function under the illusion that my good works/prayers/service/enthusiasm, etc., somehow save me! Ouch. That is a painful confession. While my mind knows they don't, my thoughts and actions don't reflect this! Daily I need to clarify the gospel: Christ's work on the cross that pays for my sin, and transfers his goodness into me. I am justified by Christ, and declared righteous through Christ. Whoooh. Relief. There are no burdens at the Cross.

If my life rests in the gospel COMPLETELY, I will not be living under the illusion of salvation through works. I will live in the freedom and clarity of salvation by grace along through faith alone in Christ. And from this foundation, love will pour out in good works. Jesus said "that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." God's glory is the point. Not my salvation. Not my status.

It seems like that purpose is twofold: good works that do help people (they are not just a facade) and ultimately, God's glory. I wonder if in the seeing of good works, might these people be experiencing, too? Maybe they are benefiting from your good works. Maybe you are serving them. Or maybe they are just seeing from a distance that God's love makes you do crazy things. Like touch lepers in love and service. Like sell your house and give all your earnings away. Like moving across the globe to share His story. Why would anybody do that? There must be something to this God.

And there is. There definitely is something to Jesus Christ. Gripping his gospel is my first step in understanding how 'whatever does not come from faith is sin.' More to come...

What are we losing?

China is news.
There seem to be complex cultural, economic and social issues unfolding right now. So I've been reading.
One article I found discussed the Uighurs, a Muslim people group in western China.
I was interested to read about their experiences-- complex, of course, but many resonating with marginalization-- one Uighur compared himself to an American Indian of the United States. Wow. It's kind of upsetting. It's complicated. It isn't new-- this type of struggle has been going on forever. Didn't God set Israel apart, so they wouldn't be shaped by the foreigners of their land? God valued their distinction. In fact, cultural distinction glorifies God. I imagine many colored threads being woven together in a carpet. Each thread (culture) contributes something significant with its strengths and weaknesses. So I think it's sad that a culture is being diminished or lost, knowing full well that my nation has and is guilty of this.

I must cling to the promise that a remnant of EVERY tongue and nation and tribe will be a part of the choir of praise... he has guaranteed that none will be lost forever.

Uighurs struggle in world reshaped by Chinese influx

By Peter Ford Mon Apr 28, 4:00 AM ET

Kucha, China - King Daoud Mehsut of Kucha, 12th in his royal line and the last man still alive in China to have sat on a monarch's throne, is a man of noble bearing and proud visage.

The old man's fate, however, is dispiriting. Once a leader of his Uighur people – the Muslim ethnic group that predominates in this far western province of Xinjiang – King Daoud is now wheeled out by two young Chinese female assistants presenting him as a tourist attraction to visitors prepared to buy a 200 RMB ($28.60) ticket. "I get a cut," he says simply.

King Daoud's humiliation, say some Uighurs (prounced WEE-gur), is a sign of what is in store for their culture as a whole in the face of the Chinese government's relentless drive to settle more and more ethnic Han Chinese in traditionally Uighur territory, rich in oil and minerals.

"We feel like foreigners in our own land," complains one Uighur teacher in the provincial capital of Urumqi, who offers only a nickname, Batur, for fear of angering the authorities. "We are like the Indians in America." Or Tibetans in Tibet. "Most Uighurs sympathize with the Tibetans," says Batur. "We feel we are all under the same sort of rule."

Though Xinjiang's 8 million Uighurs have shown only a few signs of the sort of unrest that shook Tibet recently, the Chinese government is just as nervous about "splittism" here among the country's fifth-largest ethnic minority, afraid that beneath the surface calm, resentment is bubbling.

The authorities claim to have foiled three Uighur terrorist plots in recent months – one aimed at bringing down a passenger plane and the other two at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing – though they have given scant details to support the reports.

That concern, many Uighurs charge, translates into harsh government control of their lives, restrictions on the use of their language in schools and on their Muslim religious practice, and a colonial-style economy that keeps most local people in menial jobs while Han Chinese immigrants run businesses and the local administration.

Since the Communist government took over Xinjiang in 1949 from a warlord allied with the Nationalist Army, the proportion of Han Chinese (China's dominant ethnic group) in the province has shot up from 6.7 percent to 40.6 percent, according to official figures. The Han population now almost matches the Uighur population, after a six decades-long campaign by Beijing to settle Han in the remote region.

"The government wants the Uighurs to be their slaves, they want our race to vanish," says a clothes trader in the bazaar in Urumqi who calls himself Qutub. "They are destroying the demographic balance by bringing in Chinese people," he adds. "They are drying out our roots."

Though Han and Uighur people share the land, they have little in common, little to do with each other, and little desire to change that state of affairs.

Uighurs are resentful at the way Han Chinese monopolize the best jobs and the top political posts, even though Xinjiang is theoretically an autonomous province. Han residents routinely complain that Uighurs are dirty, lazy, and dishonest.

"I don't have any Uighur friends. I don't deal with them," says Mr. Mi, an old man waiting in line for a therapeutic massage in Urumqi who says he has lived in Xinjiang for 50 years. "They are rude and brutal."

That attitude has marked even Hadji, a wealthy young Uighur entrepreneur who drives a pearl gray Chevrolet and says that he personally has always got on well with his Han neighbors in Urumqi.

"They look down on us," he says of the Han immigrants. "When I take a bus, I hang on to the straps with both hands so nobody even thinks I might be trying to steal their bag."

Often, Chinese people seem insensitive to Uighur fears that their distinctive Muslim culture, derived from their Turkic origins, is being stifled by the flood of Han immigration.

"We all belong to the same country, so the two cultures should assimilate," says one Chinese student as he eats a plate of stir-fried pork and vegetables in the Xinjiang University canteen in Urumqi. "There is a universal law: survival of the fittest."

Others are more sympathetic. "We can understand that they feel their culture is being diluted" says Zhu Lijuan, another student. "But without Han people, how would they have cellphones or computers?"

The Chinese government has indeed brought economic development to Xinjiang, acknowledges Qutub, picking at a rice pilaf studded with raisins and pieces of lamb in a bazaar restaurant. But he is not impressed. "They give us bread," he says. "But they take away our hearts."

"The Uighurs are in a very difficult position," says Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher with Human Rights Watch. "They can modernize but at the expense of their culture, or they can refuse to do so and end up marginalized economically."

Of special concern to many Uighurs is their Muslim religion, which local people say is attracting increasing numbers as an expression of their identity, and which the authorities see as a potential breeding ground for separatism.

On the wall of the 16th-century ochre brick mosque here in Kucha, a predominantly Uighur town of 200,000, a red banner proclaims – in Chinese and Uighur script: "Fight Against Illegal Religious Activity: Create a Harmonious Society."

Inside the prayer hall, a notice board explains "illegal religious activity." Near the top of the list is a warning that indicates the government's worries: "It is forbidden to praise jihad, pan-Turkism, or pan-Islamism."

Young men under the age of 18 are not allowed to pray in the mosque, the guardian says. Recently introduced regulations forbid local government employees from going to the mosque and ban teachers from wearing beards and students from bringing the Koran to university, human rights activists say.

"If you get too religious, the government gets worried," says one cotton farmer in a village 50 miles south of Kucha, where, he says, 50 young men have been arrested in recent months for studying at private religious schools, accused of belonging to the outlawed Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Islamic Party.

"There is no religious freedom here," the farmer says bluntly.

The Chinese government "conflates … any religious activities outside the official framework with terrorism and separatism," argues Mr. Bequelin, leading ordinary Uighur believers to fear they could be charged with aiding the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an armed separatist organization on the US government list of terrorist groups.

ETIM, a shadowy group that advocates an independent Islamic state for Uighurs, is seen by the Chinese authorities as the principal security danger in the region. Accused of a failed bomb plot on a Chinese airliner last month, the organization "is the preeminent threat to the Beijing Olympics," says Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore.

That threat, however, says Mr. Gunaratna, comes not from "ETIM's support network in Xinjiang, but from an operational network" based abroad, along the Pakistan-Afghan border, comprising about 40 men who have linked up with Al Qaeda allies there.

Of more concern to the cotton farmer, who asked that neither his name nor his village be identified for fear of official retribution for talking to a foreign journalist, is the fact that the government has ordered him, like everyone else in the district, to tear down his home and build a new one more resistant to earthquakes.

The authorities are offering 4,000 RMB ($571) towards the cost of this work, the farmer says, "but rebuilding the house I live in would cost me 30,000 RMB." Instead he plans to build a smaller home, which will still cost him the price of a year's cotton harvest. "What can we do?" he asks. "That's just the way it is."

Some Uighurs have broken the silence of acquiescence recently, such as the several thousand demonstrators in the southern town of Khotan who spilled onto the streets in protest a month ago at the death, at age 38, of an imprisoned local philanthropist. The official reason was a heart attack.

But fear of being branded a separatist hangs heavily over most Uighurs. Asked if he is happy with the way the government treats him, one man says that answering that question would make him choose between "committing a political sin or a sin against my conscience." He chooses the latter, and is silent.

A local government employee in the small city of Korla, where the discovery of oil has drawn hundreds of thousands of Han Chinese workers, is a little more forthcoming.

Since last term, he complains, key school subjects such as math have been taught only in Mandarin, starting in the second grade. To preserve his people's culture, he insists, "education is central. If education is in Mandarin, what do you think will happen?"

Meanwhile, back in his government-refurbished palace that has been transformed into a "Triple- A Tourist Spot," according to a plaque by the gate, King Daoud seems resigned to his role as a folkloric money spinner for Xinjiang's real rulers, with whom he long ago made his peace.

His "kingdom has disappeared" since the Communists deposed him in 1949, he acknowledges. "I am the last vestige of the feudal system."

Soon, fears Batur, his people will go the same way if the Chinese government maintains its current policies.

"The government thinks Uighurs are a threat to Xinjiang's stability," he says. "If they can assimilate us as soon as possible, there will be no threat. Xinjiang will be Chinese, and there will be nothing for them to worry about."

Annealing

I love the word of the day.
It's like a little gift in my email. I feel smart when I already know it, and eager to figure out pronunciation and usage when I don't. A new word for me was "anneal." *1 : to make (as steel or glass) less brittle by heating and then cooling 2 : strengthen, toughen

One of the biggest threads God has been weaving in my life is having faith. My faith is being annealed: strengthened, toughened, less brittle, through trials. As James says,
"2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. "May I remember this in the midst of the trial of job hunting and future uncertainties... His purposes are always good, always annealing.

Riding Confessions.

Busyness-- which I'm defining as the neglectful prioritizing of tasks-that-must-be-done-- has been a stronghold lately. I've stayed up late trying to finish an application for a spiritual program, and have spent no quality time in the Word. (Hmm... is something is wrong when spiritual things draw me away from him?)

When I did try to get in the word yesterday, I was on the bus. In the back. With the talkers. So I put on my Ipod to a sermon, and opened up to Acts. The woman next to me said "That's a good book!" and I smiled. The talkers looked up. It was awkward. I pretended to keep reading, cursing myself. Here I was, another example of a christian isolating themselves with the Bible. It wasn't a bridge. It was a block. I made excuses, "I'm too tired to talk... they'll think I'm stupid... etc." Gosh. I have already repented of this selfishness-- rather than being prayerful (Lord, help me talk with her,) and open (Lord help me be present here, on this bus, and serve you!) I closed off. And didn't even have a profitable time in the Word, either. Sitting in my sin.

Our Father, thank you for your forgiveness. That you for your patience with this jar of clay. The Treasure belongs to you-- it is YOU! May that be my refrain, on the bus, when I'm tired. May I not segregate myself from others, but build bridges with the gospel which demonstrate that You are the Treasure. Amen.

Belief and Bad news

So the EPA limits state's sovereignty in car emissions. Middle east peace talks revisit us. And the Obama overtakes Hillary in the latest poll.

I blow my nose and choke down sinus pills, listening to Uncle Tupelo's 'No depression' on repeat. My bosses mother-in-law is diagnosed with cancer.

What a world! Bad news-- good news-- blah news--the internal and external problems in the headlines; the internal and external problems in our lives.

Do I expect peace to be the de-facto state of the world? That peace is humankind's natural equilibrium? As if this suffering and war and injustice is an aberration in the plan. In a way, it is. From the original perfect plan. But now sin has been spliced into every molecule. Still there a yearning to return to the realm where perfect justice will reign. The eternity in all our hearts longs for it!

I long for steadfast belief in my God, and not just a wavering belief dependent on circumstances and headlines. I've been reading through Exodus and find Israel's wavering is a perfect example of the instability of my heart. They were under harsh slavery in Egypt for ~430 years after Joseph died, and God made himself known to Moses, declaring He would deliver them.

4:31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

God hardens Pharaoh's heart against Israel; he harshly increases their work load.

5:20-21 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, "The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

Israel freaks. Moses worries. God answers with the GOSPEL: his promises!

6:2, 7 God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord...I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians"...

Israel disbelieves.

6:9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

God shows his power through the ten plagues and deliverance to the wilderness; Pharaoh's armies pursue them to a dead end at the Red Sea.

14:11 they said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? .. For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."

But man's dead end is God's tunnel; they go through the Sea and Pharaoh's armies are utterly destroyed.

14:30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord had used against the Egyptians, so the people fear the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

This battle of belief wages; the tide comes in and there is despair, the tide leaves and there is hope. Again and again.

And that's the bad news-- our natural tendency is one of self-reliance. So once the way gets a little rough, or the road a little foggy, we freak. We can't handle it on our own, so we revert to a hopeless, godless outlook. Oh how obvious it looks in hindsight! But in the moment, I am the same as Israel, believing that God has abandoned me, and that Egypt would have been better. Lord, Forgive me for my unbelief! God, the Lord, is surely the faithful God; full of grace and mercy to Israel, and to all who believe on Jesus Christ today. He does not leave or forsake us in the wilderness. He is the Redeemer, the Deliverer, the ONLY Savior.

The Bad news-- good news-- blah news--the internal and external problems in the headlines; the internal and external problems in our lives so often quake our little faith. O, help our unbelief!