Search This Blog

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

settling down with this mind

fame, fame,
chasing an empty frame
stirring up
a desperate perusal of pages for meaning

continual searching for the next thing;
i signed an acceptance letter today,
i fulfilled a dream.
And, yet, I'm still looking?

and a whispering thought
"what with the incarnation and all"

[pause]

how can...i...
say i believe
then set my worth; identity
on a program
on a dead tree; degree

candle burning and it's out.
to be blunt; that is my life.
be still now, settle down.
trust in God
the God who came
not in means.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Land Ahoy, submitted!

The long journey has culminated in clicking the "submit" button last night on my first (and hopefully only!) graduate school application to the Natural Resources Science and Management Program at the U of M. Hurray! I thought this quote was applicable-- it encouraged me very much along the way....

“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”
—Fitzhugh Dodson

The journey is incredibly important, yet it stagnates if a goal (or even a direction) is not identified. It's definitely not easy. But it takes small steps a day at a time, combined with big dreams and loads of faith.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Dance, dance, dance

"Why do girls love dancing?"
-Andy

Dear Andy,
This is a thoughtful question that one can't answer standing still!
I've been thinking about it since we were a two-steppin' last Saturday.
Why do I love dancing?
There's something about a beat, especially when combined with chords of a banjo,
mandolin, or guitar that makes me want to move.
My hips want to sway, my arms ache to swing, my head needs to bob!
I just want to .... release? let go? express? be a fool? be seen?

When I was young, I was so fearful about dancing in front of people.
Well, actually, when I was really young I was in dance class through community education in my city. Tap, ballet, and jazz, oh, and lyrical! It was a blast. But entering middle school, there was no rhythm in me to sway to R&B at the dance. And I actually still lack a lot of sense to certain types of music-- even now I get stiff or awkward. But other types just instigate a groove I can't deny!
Click on the "dance, dance, dance" title (from a Steve Miller Song which supports this letter) for an excellent example of sweet-bluegrass-need-to-danceness.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

How to live an unhappy life

It is the most Christ-like and happy life for a believer to cease living for himself. He who blesses others cannot fail to be blessed himself. On the other hand, to seek our own personal greatness is a wicked and unhappy way of life. -Charles Spurgeon

I too often walk with a mind set on the flesh and seek my own good and esteem from others. It ends in emptiness. I am thankful this Thanksgiving season that the Promises in Jesus are greater and more full of hope.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Connecting teaching and research to communities

"I like the land-grant mission—good teaching, good research, and connecting those two activities through work with the community. Every time we can accomplish something in that broader context, we've done well." Tom Scott, former director of CURA (Center for Urban and Regional Affairs.

Scott's quote struck me. The university system, weighted down by offices, departments, initiatives, centers, and programs; layers which cause transparency to become opaque. What is the University doing? Where is the money going? What benefit does the public receive? It is refreshing to have someone within (or formerly within) the univeristy asking those questions, and I think CURA does that well. To be loyal and critical at the same time-- to respectfully question-- what a role, what a challenge! I'm hopeful that others will continue in his post as advocates and practitioners of the land grant mission.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Almost-Monday-Reminder



Giving thanks.

Thanks for roommates and friends and gut-spilling and older wise women and phone calls and honesty and moms and laundry and popcorn and brothers and sisters-in-law and beer and sufjan and blogs and grad program possibilities and internet and conflict and found keys and hope in the hope-giver.

"So in our darkest times he came, He who is the Light of the morning came to us. He is faithful that promised. We say, then, to anyone who is under trial, give Him time to steep the soul in His eternal truth. Give Him time and, as surely as dawn follows night, there will break upon the heart a sense of certainty that cannot be shaken."

-Amy Carmichael writes to my soul. Prescription: read this three times a day until tests and applications are done. And continue to GIVE THANKS.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Food security and climate change

A changing climate brings world wide challenges. As glaciers shrink, global water levels will change, which causes crucial rivers to dry up, which directly impacts agriculture. Lester Brown, author of an updated "Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization," expounds on this point and clearly exposes the link between global warming and food security. This link is jaw dropping, and needs to be studied further! In this interview, Lester sounds like a prophet with dire warnings for the world, and without many solutions.

If these warnings are taken seriously, it's obvious why scientists are freaking out. I would be too, but my faith whispers "Christine, the earth is His and the fullness thereof. God is the author of civilization, and he alone can save it. Man has gotten us into this mess, and man cannot get it out of it! But dependent on God, and repentant of our sinful ways, seek Him earnestly in this crisis! Without him, there certainly is no Plan B, C, or D...."

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Holistic River Health

Hurray for legislation that actually includes appropriations! A great day for the people and animals, plants and other living things that depend on the Mississippi.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
press release from the USDA:

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES MAJOR INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE HEALTH OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN $320 Million Available for Conservation Projects in Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, September 24, 2009-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a new initiative to improve water quality and the overall health of the Mississippi River Basin in taped remarks to the Gulf Hypoxia Task Force Meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. The Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI) will provide approximately $320 million over the next four years for voluntary projects in priority watersheds located in 12 key states. Participation in this initiative, which will be managed by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will be made available through a competitive process for potential partners at the local, State and national levels.

"The Obama Administration is committed to taking bold steps with our State and local partners to clean up the entire Mississippi River Basin, a critical natural resource that provides drinking water for tens of millions of Americans," said Vilsack. "Industrial, municipal, residential, and agricultural sources have all contributed pollutants to the waters of the Mississippi River Basin, and the MRBI will provide resources that will help us come together to address this issue."

Secretary Vilsack's announcement can be viewed online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rwi5rJ3eNE


The natural capacity of the Mississippi River Basin to remove nutrients has been diminished by a range of human activities over the years, including modification of floodplains for agricultural and urban land. MRBI will help agricultural producers implement conservation and management practices that avoid, control, and trap nutrient runoff. The initiative is performance oriented, which means that measurable conservation results are required in order to participate. By focusing on priority watersheds in these 12 states in the basin, USDA, its partner organizations, State and local agencies, and agricultural producers will coordinate their resources in areas requiring the most immediate attention and offer the best return on the funds invested.

"USDA is going to partner with farmers to implement a range of land stewardship practices, including conservation tillage, nutrient management, and other innovative practices," said Dave White, Chief of NRCS. "We all live downstream of other water users and this initiative will help make the Mississippi River Basin and the Mississippi River and its tributaries healthier for everyone."

In addition to other federal, State, and partner funding, NRCS is targeting $80 million annually over the next four years through Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative, Conservation Innovation Grants, and the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program. This is in addition to other NRCS program funding and assistance such as Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, and the Conservation Stewardship Program. These funds will be available for projects in Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

MRBI will focus on 8-digit or smaller hydrologic units (watersheds) that contribute high loads of nutrients in the Mississippi River Basin. Priority watersheds for the initiative will be identified by NRCS in consultation with conservation partner organizations and State Technical Committees. Watersheds will be selected using an evaluation process that will include information from the Conservation Effects Assessment Project, the USGS Spatially Referenced Regression on Watersheds Attributes, state-level nutrient reduction strategies and priorities, and available monitoring and modeling of nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the Basin. Using this watershed evaluation process will ensure water quality and nutrient issues are improving as part of MRBI.

The Mississippi River Basin is a critical ecosystem to the United States. Its entire land mass, totaling 41 percent of the contiguous United States and 15 percent of North America, drains into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Mississippi River runs 2,350 miles from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico and carries an average of 436,000 tons of sediment each day. It takes about 90 days for water to travel from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico where water is discharged at an average rate of 600,000 cubic feet per second.

Assessment of the progress in implementing MRBI will be critical, as will evaluation of outcomes at the field scale/edge-of-field and on the watershed basis. Successful measures of the initiative will include a reduced nutrient footprint and environmental impact through more efficient use of nutrients for crop production in the priority watersheds.

For information about the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, including eligibility requirements, please visit www.nrcs.usda.gov or your USDA Service Center.


Friday, September 18, 2009

Videos=Understanding

Give me immediate comprehension.

I don't want to wade through gobbily-gook. I get frustrated if a concept is simple, but I don't get it right away. Especially with technology. (I remember being 12 and not understanding the difference between email and the internet...it was a rough spot, but I got through it. Thanks, Susanna).

But with all the new technologies out there, new concepts are constantly entering our vocabulary. Wiki, blog, tweeting... new words into the world, full of possibility (and responsibility).

How do you make sense of it all? I just found out about Commoncraft.com, which is using technology to explain technology. It's a beautiful thing. It breaks down concepts and you don't even have to read! You just watch a video. How fitting for our sound byte culture-- a 3 minute video.

Good communication is good communication, plain and simple. I was excited to learn about commoncraft and think this concept could be applied at my work and in many other venues. Who wants to read a 10 page orientation packet? Watch a video and comprehend in half the time!

However, it is good to provide information in a variety of forms, for all the different learning styles. Reading, watching, listening...All of it. Bottom Line: if it's important, you need to understand it. So, hurray for new technologies! And hurray for taking a break from it!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Friday afternoon Florets

Your spider plant
lowers a limb
in front of my screen
extending with gravity.
Six stamens
reach further,
the yellow pollen
suspended from the
starfish-like petals,
six in soft white
arching back
to punctuate the nectar.
Friday brings thanks for
such graceful,
delicate florets
decorating
this helter-skelter
prolific plant.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Great Grandpa's Citizenship, 1941

Wow. My Great-Grandpa came from Sweden and lived in Boston for awhile before settling in Minneapolis and the western suburbs (Golden Valley). This is his certificate of citizenship. He was born in 1887, and became a US citizen in 1941, when he was 64 years old. I'm a fourth generation immigrant and do not think about my roots that much.. so it is so cool to have this tangible link to my heritage, as well as immigrants of today.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

To doings

Ever wonder what's going on around town? I do! And then I visit Thrifty Hipster, City Pages, Vita.mn, and even my sustag (sustainable agriculture) listserv to get some options together. That search is now a little simpler after I stumbled upon a U of M based concatenation: http://events.tc.umn.edu/around town ! Sweeeet.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

We were born to

Sing! And I'm so happy to find an online hymnal that is a little more aesthetic and search-able then Cyber Hymnal (though I still get a kick out of the organ music that you can sing along with!)

There's some beautiful, rich stuff on here, and I want it in my head and heart and on my tongue constantly...
This is one of my favorites from Indelible Grace, "Cling to the Crucified"

1. Cling to the Mighty One, Cling in thy grief
Cling to the Holy One, He gives relief
Cling to the Gracious One, Cling in thy pain
Cling to the Faithful One, He will sustain

Chorus: Cling to the crucified, Jesus the Lamb who died
Cling to the crucified, Jesus the King
Cling to the crucified, Jesus the Lamb who died
Cling to the crucified, Jesus the King

2. Cling to the Living One, Cling in thy woe
Cling to the Loving One, Through all below
Cling to the Pardoning One, He speaketh peace
Cling to the Healing One, Anguish will cease

3. Cling to the Bleeding One, Cling to His side
Cling to the Rising One, In Him abide
Cling to the Coming One, Hope shall arise
Cling to the Reigning One, Joy lights thine eyes

© 2007 Kevin Twit Music (ASCAP).
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Love in the face of

The Feast Remembering the judgment and mercy of a God to a group of slave people in Africa was coming near. The feast commemorated a night where howls of grief echoed from household after household, from barn and stable, as the first born of each breathed their last. That is, if the doorpost did not have a red stain painted across it, a covering of blood from a freshly slaughtered animal. That household would be sparred. That night of murder (recorded as the night of being 'passed over' by half that received mercy instead of judgment) was the last straw for that African king, and amidst his anger and grief he sent the slave people away.

That yearly Feast of Passover was coming soon, and a young man, a decedent of this same slave group, knew his time on earth was almost over. He knew that his hour to depart out of the world back to his home and his dear Father was fast approaching. While on earth he loved his friends. And he never stopped.

That supper, he ate with his best friends. They ate the traditional Passover meal, where each dish was prepared in the purified manner according to tradition. Each plate's aroma was filled with symbols and memory. All through this celebration, the young man knew one of his best friends had indulged the greed of his heart, and had made plans to betray him. It was underway. He also knew His father had handed over all things into his carpenter hands, and he knew his roots and his future were securely in the Divine, so he rose.

On that hot night, after supper, the young man took off his outer garments, his every day clothes. Taking a towel, and tying it around his waist, he poured water into a bowel and began to was his friend's feet, and to wipe them with the towel he had wrapped around himself.

The bowel was cloudy and the towel was getting dark and damp, but no one said anything until it was Simon Peter's turn. "Respected teacher, lord, friend...you're going to wash my feet?"
The young man replied to him, "You don't understand now, but later you will understand what I'm doing."
Simon Peter shook his head and exclaimed, "You'll never wash my feet! It isn't right!"
The young man looked him in the eye. "If you wouldn't let me wash your feet, you are not my friend or follower."
"Well then," Simon Peter answered, "don't stop there, wash my hands and my head, too!"
The young man said to him, "Someone who has bathed doesn't need to wash. They are completely clean, except for their feet. And you are completely clean. But not all of you."
He said this because the one who was to betray him was still among them.

When he finished, he put back on his outer garments, his everyday clothes. He returned to his place at the table. He looked at his friends. "Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me names-- Teacher, Lord. Those are true titles. But see this, if I, your Teacher and your Lord, wash your feet, you are supposed to wash each other's feet. I am giving you an example to follow, in order that you would do just as I have done to do.

paraphrase and interpretation of the writings of John in the Bible, thirteenth chapter.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Oft written buzz words resonate into nothingness.

How can I work for a "sustainable" program but still be unable to give a concise definition of what sustainability is? (I need to say something more than "capable of being sustained." :P)

The word itself embodies complex concepts and ideas-- it's not a concrete thing, like "table." It's a moving target. It's a process. Do we get bent out of shape because "love" can have so many definitions? Well.. sometimes.

Just thought I would share this definiton from University of Washington. It's only half a page! But I thought it was contextual and insightful. I still dig the idea, in all of it's complexities and imperfections.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

What's Cooking...

Well, my CSA has delivered two weeks of fantastic produce. Tonight I tackled the stack of Collard Greens, finding a recipe from a site (www.thedailygreen.com) after my own heart. University of Illinois Extension was also really helpful for practical Collard growing and harvesting tips.

I substituted white vinegar for cider vinegar, added a hefty dose of Cayenne Pepper, and enjoyed Bacon from the University of Minnesota Meat Lab! I'll share it now...

"Smoky bacon and tangy cider vinegar are perfect complements to hearty collard greens. Rinse the greens a couple of times to remove grit.

SERVINGS
12

INGREDIENTS
6 slices bacon (about 4 ounces), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
5 pounds collard greens, tough stems discarded, leaves coarsely chopped and rinsed, but not dried
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

PREPARATION
1. In 8-quart saucepot, cook bacon and onion over medium heat until onion is tender and bacon is browned, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Increase heat to medium-high, gradually add collard greens to saucepot, stirring until wilted. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, uncover and cook, stirring, until most of liquid evaporates. Stir in vinegar, salt, and pepper.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/recipes/353#ixzz0JJJhzhUV&D"

I'd say it turned out pretty well. So it was a night of cathartic cooking, antioxidants galore, and accompanied by some Gospel Dub by Solomon Jabby :)
Followed up by some watering and wedding in the garden. It's looking pretty good.

Friday, June 05, 2009

Welcome to my belly

I am so excited to be sharing a share of the Turnip Rock Community Supported Agriculture farm. Once a week, I'll receive a half a bushel of yummies from New Auburn, Wisconsin. There's even opportunities to volunteer on the farm. I've got my boots ready!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Service is joy

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy." Indian Seer Poet - Rabindranath Tagore

Once in awhile, someone's email signature quote catches my eye. This one did. Thoughts about work, calling, and daily joy and rest have been swirling through my mind lately. What an endeavor-- seeking and learning how to live and love well! I want to be doing what I was made to be doing, loving God and my neighbor, and finding so much joy in it...All the rest is just details.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The power of the sun

I get so excited about the untapped opportunities with solar and wind power. here's a story of how solar energy is being used in China. Very cool. And drastically powerful.. incorporating this into basic water, sanitation and food systems would move health and development forward by leaps and bounds.

RENEWABLE ENERGY: Solar evangelist brings light to remote villages (Friday, April 17, 2009)
Phil Taylor, E&E reporter

In China's mountainous Gansu province, far from the teeming cities of Shanghai and Beijing, Bob Freling watched a family switch on a light bulb for the first time.

"As the fixers were about to be plugged in, we waited breathlessly," said Freling, who was working then as Chinese-English interpreter in Taiwan. He quoted a letter from a farmer who witnessed the event 15 years ago: "In a flash, the lights came on, and as they did an old man from the village said ... 'What a beautiful sight to behold.'"

Solar panels had allowed electricity to travel far from the centralized power grid. That meant people in that village could continue activities into the night, offering a chance to improve public health, agriculture, education and commerce.

And it meant Freling, now 49 and executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit Solar Electric Light Fund, or SELF, had discovered his life's mission.

His organization has helped bring solar-powered electricity to villages in more than 20 countries on four continents. SELF runs on a $2.5 million annual budget with six full-time employees and a host of contractors -- including the United Nations, the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative and the Department of Energy.

For his work, Freling was recently given the King Hussein Leadership Prize -- an award whose previous recipients include the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the nonprofit Doctors without Borders. Jordan's Queen Noor gave Freling his award in a ceremony last month at Colorado's Aspen Institute.

His getting the award, Freling said, shows growing recognition of energy's role in battling poverty and disease.

"It says a lot about how the dots are being connected between energy and poverty and security and human rights around the world, not to mention climate change," Freling said. "Energy, especially electricity, is a foundation of modern civilization."

He added, "Think about what it would be like to live your whole life essentially groping in the dark after the sun goes down. There's very little opportunity to read or study or engage in any productive activity during the evening hours."

Without electricity, he said, there is no way to refrigerate vaccines, no practical way to irrigate crops. And connecting with the outside world is all but impossible without radios, satellite televisions or wireless communications.

Ironically, providing villagers with what Freling sees as the key to a healthier, more productive life is not expensive.

A $500 microloan can buy a 50-watt solar home system with 12-volt battery storage -- enough to power a family for decades, Freling said. And enhanced productivity in the home or on the farm allows recipients to pay their loans and allows others to buy their own power systems.

Solar is an alternative to the more common development strategy of distributing diesel generators, which are both polluting and prone to expensive breakdowns, said Freling, who grew up in Dallas and graduated from Yale University. Though it has limitations, he said, solar is gaining favor as a more sustainable solution to meeting energy needs in the developing world.

In India, for example, the Solar Electric Light Co., a for-profit company spun off by SELF in 1997, has sold more than 95,000 solar home systems through financing programs offered by local banks.
Powering the developing world

The U.N. Development Programme lists eight "millennium development goals" critical to empowering impoverished communities. Crucial to each, Freling said, is electricity.

U.N. energy specialist Stephen Gitonga agreed. Transformations in communities that gain access to electricity for the first time "are enormous by all standards," he said.

In U.N. developmental programs, electricity is a catalyst for farm production, increased commerce and market enterprise, Gitonga said. In health clinics, electricity allows for safer night deliveries of babies and contributes to improved maternal health.

Electricity can also promote gender equality where women are usually required to do the most tedious jobs, such as gathering firewood and water for crops.

"Many children, especially girls, do not attend primary schools in order to carry wood and water to meet family subsistence needs," Gitonga said. "[Electricity] thus aids transformation by creating generations of new adult women who are educated with new opportunities in the society."

One of SELF's most recent projects uses grants from a nongovernmental organization to install low-cost, solar-powered water pumps in two villages in the West African country of Benin for irrigation, enabling a women's farming cooperative to grow vegetables during the dry seasons and sell surplus produce for a profit.

The Kalale Solar Electrification Project in Benin aims to boost crop yields so future participants can repay loans with interest, creating an attractive market for micro-lenders.

"If we can demonstrate the ability of these farmers to earn enough income from the sale of this produce they can actually pay for the water pumping and the drip irrigation, then we don't need to rely on grant funding to continue," Freling said. "Our hope is that this will eventually become a new business model that can be scaled up to the private sector."

Initial results are promising, according to Stanford University's Program on Food Security and the Environment, which is monitoring the project's crop yields. Initial results suggest productivity rose nearly four times what it had been a year before in the wake of the pumps' installation.

"The Benin project has been very successful," said Jen Burney, a Stanford researcher. "The women have been making quite a bit of money, and for many of them this is the first income that they've ever earned."

Without solar-powered irrigation, the women would normally have to pump the water from a bore well and carry 5-gallon jugs for 500 meters to the field. That labor curbs what can be grown without rain -- not to mention the back-breaking labor it involves.

"When we consider the amount of land they can water now compared to then, it's 20 times the size," Burney said, "with virtually none of the labor."
'Disruptive technologies'

Of course, solar-powered irrigation is only one component of what SELF calls the "whole village model," in which solar power is extended to settlement households, clinics, schools and micro-enterprises.

The exciting thing about bringing distributed solar generation to Africa is that it is more welcomed than in much of the industrialized world, Freling said.

Studies have shown that industrialized countries have a harder time integrating intermittent solar energy, a "disruptive technology," into an existing centralized electric grid system. By contrast, developing countries with no history of electrification can more easily adapt to the technology's intermittent power.

With relatively few competing transmission systems, solar power is uniquely positioned to take a leading role in supplying the energy needs of Africa, Freling said.

"The good news is that they don't have to repeat the whole patterns of development that we went through," Freling said, referring to the developed world's reliance on fossil fuels.

"They have an opportunity to leapfrog the whole world of fossil fuels and centralized power plants," he added, "and move directly into a 20th-century economy based on clean, distributive technologies."

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

More Pleas

My friend, some things she is grieving. It is heavy, because it is seeing. Oh, love her.


My sister, is still grieving for the people and place of her leaving. It comes in waves, with tears for days. Oh, love her.


My sister, she will be grieving. It is her eyes, she’s been believing. Always implied, and never said. That speculation I see in dread. Oh, free her.


Myself, I have been grieving. Straining by night toward a fire, in the day after a pillar of smoke. I do not know where I am going. Oh, direct me.

Friday, May 01, 2009

A prayer

So sweet it is to the eye
and the serpent says
"it will satisfy"
and the head nods
"aye"
and so,
indulged inside the mind
just a little compromise,
so slight a conscience div/ide
and so,
fondled lust is fortified.

Strengthened so,
"whose to know?"
Besides-
"He didn't provide"
and the serpent sides.
And what is in the heart
sinks its roots deeper inside.

Called by name
they are profane
but in darkness
they have no name.
but in darkness
there is no shame.

There is no light of the glorious gospel of Christ.

How long, how long will you fend,
as He is crucified again?

Deceived and hardened
putting off repentance for a future uncertain.
This pleasure, is it worth more than your soul?
This fruit will surely be found foul,
a rotted core,
a thorough stink,
and you cannot assume your next blink.

Oh, man, this is no trifle
when you scorn the living God for an idol!
for a Lust
for a Body
for a Night
for acceptance so temporary.
for a Vanity.

There is no stained and alloyed life
allowed in his pure and perfect wife.

Turn now, oh heart!
Break in two!
His heart breaks for you.
Our hearts break for you.
Come home, MK.
Come back to the light.
The burden-lifting glorious gospel of Jesus Christ


Thursday, April 30, 2009

Yum Yum Yum Eat Local

No,
it won't save the world.
But you'll feel darn good about it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minnesota Grown Launches Improved 2009-2010 On-line Directory

The MDA's Minnesota Grown Program just launched a new and much improved online Minnesota Grown Directory statewide directory of farms, farmers markets, orchards and others who market directly to the consumer.
The improvements make it much easier for consumers to find farms and markets in their area, get and print travel directions using Google Maps, print specific listings or to e-mail listings to friends. The new online Minnesota Grown Directory also has several enhancements for listed farms, including the ability to add a farm logo, farm picture and a thumbnail of the farm's homepage. Farms can also add special announcements and events without changing their printed listings.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Earth day does not move me like it used to

I'm not sure why. I just wasn't that excited about it this year. Am I getting old and cynical and bitter? Or just a little tired of "green" canvas bags from urban outfitters? And earth salvation silver bullet headlines? I've been challenged about living out sustainability daily by a co-worker-- whether it is getting off my butt to unplug my cell phone charger when not in use, or to buy sustainably raised chicken and local vegetables when possible. I agree with these things. But do I do them? A little accountability helps.

I guess what I'm really sick of is the shallow concepts of "picking up garbage and planting trees" cause I don't need a special day to do it. I want that to be part of my lifestyle...

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge

Says Thomas Edison. I think it's God that's laughing at the hubris of man. The more we explore, the less we know. And the more we know about the minute features of creation, the more complexity we find. But Edison had it right... our knowledge is imperfect. The linked article is a very interesting look into the unsolved mysteries of photosynthesis.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Word Cloud

How cool is this?
Wordle: www.Wasser.blogspot.com
The
possibilities
are
endless.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Marimba impressions

Padre, Padre
I heard you singing
did you memorize me
behind your eyes?
friend, friend,
we have walked long
beside each other
this year-seminal-
the river crests even higher-crier-
than it ever has before.

Padre, Padre
We hear the marimba
it floats up from below
dances, hips swaying
she moves with the notes
friend, friend
throuh silence and sighs
we make our plans
Padre, Padre
we remember.

------

Four mallets, paired in hand
for percussion
a cussing-vier-out-loud
until virations
drownd out
impressions

a blush; brush; tap; bounce
a hit; slap; stab; slam;
from hush to hound
a sound becomes found
in hearts
& minds.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

a hole and a cure

Rick Stearns, the President of World Vision (a Christian relief organization) just published a book called "The Hole in our Gospel". His aim, in his own words, was to ask "what does God expect of us"?

A line of well-wishers lined up on his blog when he asked "do you think there is a hole in our gospel?" Yes, Mr. Stearns, you are right! I haven't read the book, so I don't know if their praise was valid. These are my thoughts....

Assets:
1. apparently there is a lot of scripture
2. the man has seen a lot of suffering but is still hopeful and persevering
3. there is a need for a Christ-centered view point to all of the social justice talk that is so in vogue
4. the recession has been a wake up call to the prosperity of the west. maybe this will dovetail on that and provide needed correction
5. the authentic gospel could potentially be shared through this book to reach unbelievers and lukwarmers with the words and life of Jesus

Concerns:
1. it will be too depressing
2. people/the church's sins and faults will be BIG, God will be small
3. I already agree that we need to meet the needs of the whole person-- and that the gospel is lacking something if it doesn't. Will it only reach an audience already aware and concerned about this?
4. skeptical about how I grow from this book if I'm already on board
5. he won't offer practical action steps: 1. repent, ask forgiveness 2. start living in the WHOLE gospel......without repentance, people could be left depressed and guilty, (which is not where the gospel leaves you, so I really hope that doesn't happen!)

Comfort:
1. books don't change people, God changes people. sometimes he uses books. may this be one of those.
2. the book of Life is the ultimate comfort and authority. The more that his people know it and live it, the further his Love will reach through us, his hands and feet.

Finale:
I probably won't read it, but I'm curious to see if there are any ripples of change from this-- I'd prefer to see waves, I guess! I would rejoice in a spiritual hurricane of repentance and grace blowing through America....and through my own heart.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Remembering

Francis of Assisi, cir­ca 1225
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!

I'm so thankful for creatures. Especially pets. You share your life with them. They are present for all your days and moods, day in and day out. My cat Muiry was such a pet. He suddenly got sick last Friday. My mom thought it was hairballs-- but he kept getting weaker. So I brought him to the vet on Monday morning, and found out he was blocked with stones or crystals, so he couldn't urinate, and his system was getting toxic. They tried to unblock him and eventually succeeded, and he started to feel better. We visited him on Tuesday morning and he was delightful and purring, even with an Elizabethan collar! But Wednesday, when the catheter came out, he got plugged again. On Wednesday afternoon we said goodbye, after making the hard decision not to do a very expensive surgery. It's so hard. It's hard to be in control and making choices about life and death. It's hard to weigh financial stewardship with love and compassion- where do they meet? What is wise? Tough stuff. I just wanted to take time to remember him...and be thankful for him, too.
So cute.

I'll admit, Muiry had a belly. He loved to eat. He would come to the kitchen table and sit on your lap if you were eating. I would break up potato chips and let him eat them. He loved them! He also loved ice cream and cereal. Kind of like Garfield. But nicer.

That cat loved to be warm. We put a box over the heat vent for him to be cozy in.

"What are you looking at?" He was very curious.

He even got along with Java. That's saying a lot.


More Reclining.

Muiry was great. He was such a sweet cat. He would come and sit on your lap and purr. He was really calm and friendly-- usually-- although he hid from visitors at first and ran from loud noises. (But John's booming voice scares a lot of people.) I'm going to miss him. I first wrote about giving him a name in my blog here. It's such a privilege to give a creature a name! He was the first pet I bought with my own money, and even paid those darn vet bills! I'm really thankful to God. Muiry was a real joy, a special gift. I remember praying to find the "right" cat at the Humane Society! We went back a second time and found Muiry. And he surely brought a lot of joy to our lives.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Happy Jackson Pollock's Birthday

The film may have glorified him, and his contributions to modern art may be debatable-- but it's still his birthday. Enjoy making your own Jackson here (very cool!)

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Organic F$$d

Very enjoyable video about buying organic....

Friday, January 02, 2009

Futility and Hope

"We applied the Industrial Revolution model to the green agricultural revolution and we went a little bit too far in that direction, and now we have to back off a bit and respect the fact that the plants and the soil are biological," he said. "They are not engineering problems. They're more complex." Says Matthew Reynolds, a wheat physiologist at the Mexico-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, in Mexican growers plant seeds for food revolution an article by Julie Watson in the Chronicle Herald.

We are eating the fruit of the simplified problem-solving of the green revolution, where the goal was just to grow MORE. Organic matter in soil decreased because the focus was on inputs-- hybridizing wheat genes and fertilizer (not inherently bad things), but the long-term health of the land and the people (basically, sustainability!) was not at the core of the solutions. It needs to be.

Oil prices, market speculation, bigger appetites in China and other industrializing nations all contributed to that price spike. But experts looking ahead see further trouble globally: the lag in growth of per-hectare farm output, water shortages, shifts in agricultural zones and rainfall patterns because of global warming. (Watson)

These challenges are the realities of food production in the world. They are big, complex problems. I am hopeful about using science in an integrated fashion (agroecology) to improve production and emphasizing LOCAL. Programs using technology (like GeenSeeker (below)) or techniques (Farming God's way from Care of Creation) or thoughts (like Permaculture, which is sort of an urban, small scale agriculture school of thought).

A pilot project using the GeenSeeker, a computerized sensor that scans plants’ leaves to determine how much nitrogen they need, to avoid overfertilizing. It may save him $10,000 on fertilizer for his 100 hectares, and researchers hope it eventually will cut nitrogen run-off by as much as 90 per cent. (Watson)

These ideas show that there is room for innovation, and not just despair! And above all I am thankful to God. It is by God's mercy that the earth even produces anything. We certainly don't deserve it-- the earth is cursed because of us, remember! In the shiny goodness of Christmas I forget about the curse. But then I read the newspaper, or listen to the words coming out of my mouth, and remember... above all I need to remember God's gift of Jesus Christ, BY whom and things were created and hold together, and in whom all things (and people who repent and believe on him) will be fully redeemed. That is a great hope for 2009.