Think Broadly About Bi-Vocational

Busking in the church

It feels like this year the slow-burn of concern about the future of the institutional church has reached a new level of acceptance.  I find this interesting.  There is still a great deal of talk about revitalization and church growth and there should be.  At the same time, we are also recognizing that the world is changing and--for most congregations--what is coming will be very different than what has been.  Some churches will "die" and must choose whether to do so gracefully and authentically or whether to dissolve into a big hot mess.  Other congregations will change into something that none of us can quite anticipate or predict.

General Synod of just one of the "teams" I play for. (UCC)

Honestly, I am not worried long-term for the future of our deeply held faith traditions.  They will survive and flourish in whatever is to come.  Our institutions (things like denominations, traditional town-square church buildings, and full-time traditional ministries) will probably change quite a bit or cease to be relevant.  Is this a bad thing?  Not necessarily.  My faith is not a building.  Nor is it a job.  Nor is it centered on a particular "team" of buildings and jobs.  Like most people, my spiritual life is growing and shifting along its own lines.  Our faith is transcending old forms of identity (like denominations) and moving out into...something...

That said, I do have a very specific investment in the old institutions.  I am a full-time pastor and I love both my congregation and my job.  I like what I do.  The problem is that it isn't all that clear what the future will bring.  What if at some point I can no longer be full-time? Church budgets are pressed everywhere.  More immediately, what about the younger, newer ministers entering the profession now?  A few will truck right along, I know.  Others will discover that the "career track" in the ministry is in the process of exploding.

All of this means that you and I--ministers, congregations, seminaries, individual lay-people--need to start thinking creatively about bi-vocational ministry.  At the seminary level, it might make sense to partner with a community college or trade school.  At the congregational level, it might make sense to adjust to the fact that your pastor may not be a "suit" for much longer.  For individuals (ministers and seminarians) it would be a good idea to get down learning different skill sets.  People should take this up this early on before they get old like me.

So...we need to think broadly about what those skill sets might be.  Right now most seminaries can train you up to simultaneously be a minister and...work in another kind of non-profit.  These dual-degree programs work best when someone is in fact called to both disciplines.  Also they reflect a bias toward the old-school "professions" that isn't helpful.  The problem for many of us is that we aren't interested in other traditional professions. I looked at similar fields and chose the ministry because it fit my skill set and enabled me to do the things I like more than the things I didn't.  So why would I want my other job to be something that is kinda like the ministry but not as fulfilling (for me)?

What should happen instead is that we seek out this new vocation the way we sought out the old one.  What are we called to do?  Where can we continue to give to world while our spirit simultaneously gets filled?  If my church said they didn't need me full time, I would probably attempt being a busker/brewmaster/ukulele-maker/baker.  Then I would narrow it down.  None of these are taught in seminary. All of them take time to perfect.  All of them cost money to get started and a while to build up a customer base (yes, even buskers).  But I would love the work just like I love the ministry.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day.  The fact is, pretty much any minister born today will have to be part time at some point and probably for an extended time.  If we think of the ways this is a good thing then perhaps we will have more creative and energized ministries in the future.

Here are some links.

This one is to a recent Peacebang essay about some of the stresses on our congregation.

Here is a link to the book we are reading for our Parish committee retreat which discusses asking the right questions as we enter the unknown.

The Liberal Church Needs Christmas

Hey Folks,

According to my FB feed I should already be getting myself into my annual state of XMas rage.  I should be mad at Fox News for their pretend "War on Christmas" (I am).  I should be angry at retailers being open on Thanksgiving (I am).  I should be annoyed about the general commercialism of "the Holidays" (of course I am).  I should also point out that it isn't really that important a holiday in the Christian calendar anyway (duh...obviously).  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday in the world. Ever.  Easter comes in second.  I so get it.  This run of holidays beginning with Halloween, reaching its peak with XMas and coasting to a stop around New Year's (for the unchurched) and Epiphany (for the rest of us) is a bit of a chore.  It's all about hype and money and whatnot.

However--ministers--could I just direct you to something important?  For many of the people in your community (not necessarily your congregation, but the community at large) this is the only time they think about all those things we think about the rest of the year. I mean in a focused way. This means while we are grinching our way along, we are getting killed by the secular culture and the religious right.  They speak the language that others speak rather than speaking thier own language slowly, expecting folks to understand.

The season starts (as I mentioned) on Halloween when we think about fear and death.  Then there is Thanksgiving which is about gratitude, family and so on.  Then there is XMas which is about presents (if you let it be) or about something so much more.  That "something" though, is hard to articulate if we don't think about it until it is upon us.  You know those fellow humans who aren't darkening your doors on Sunday; the ones at sports, the ones at work, the ones with the New York Times who think they are just a bit too cool for school?  Something happens to them this time of year.  They feel an urge that they cannot quite place.

Now, we might call this urge the "movement of the Spirit," or "God," or "The Divine," or "The Great Whatever".  They call it "Christmas Spirit".  That is their word. It is what they have and they want to know more.  That is why they suddenly show up around this time of year.  To reach them we have to speak the language they know, not beat them about the head and shoulders with our purity.  Then, if we can do speak in a way that respects their humanity, we can broaden their vocabulary.  We can talk about the Jesus of Faith, Hope, Peace, and Love.  We can talk about Justice and all those good things that they may think about, but don't get to think about systematically the rest of the year.  Maybe they might even like church and visit us again.

This is important, grouchy pastors.  We are being tuned out because we often speak a language of arrogance and exceptionalism.  We correct people.  We judge them.  They are trying to get some of what we say we have and instead of support or direction they are getting guff.  They aren't shopping the right way.  They like to listen to carols in November.  Their turkey isn't organically fed love maggots and tickled to death.  That is what they hear, anyway, and we are paying the price.  In our churches we pay.  In our nation we pay.  Since some of us woke up this morning to find a post-election disaster, I think it is clear that the message that we declare from our pulpits isn't getting too far out our doors.  If you do not meet people where they are, they won't listen to you.

What I am NOT suggesting here is that we join the throng at Wal-Mart on Thanksgiving night!  What I do suggest is that we take a moment to think about how we can--using the "pulpits" that are least ignored during this time--provide some counter-mojo that affirms those seekers we are turning off.  I am serious.  "God" to many people means getting to buy stuff and say "Merry Christmas" to whoever you darn well please.  It is a way to channel our anger into what should be a happy and glorious occasion.  Seems pretty shallow to me.  We offer a deeper God, one that calls us to serve something greater than ourselves.  How do we get that message through?  How do we get people to listen?  Probably not by yelling.

Anyway, I have already begun planning for the holidays.  Since I see it as a single piece with many "movements", I started October 1 getting ready for Halloween.  I will try to share stuff with you if I find something that makes sense.  Worship planning is a great place to start.  After all, this is the time when you never know who might go to church...

Here are my past "shopping tips".  One thing that might help (I have usually failed) is to clear the deck of this sort of obligation so you can focus on the spiritual work at hand during Advent.  Which to say, you can actually spend time being religious, yourself.

The Ukulele Buyers' Guide Part I and Part II

And the "Ethical Shopping" post of many years ago...  Part I and Part II

The Farmers' Market

Lately, we have been volunteering in the Natick Community Organic Farm (NCOF) "stall" at our local farmers' market.  When I say "we" here, I mean my family.  On weeks that we help out, we get over to the farm, help load the truck, staff the stall (from 9am when the market opens until 1pm when it closes), then break everything down and help unload the truck back at the farm.  The whole process takes up between 5 and 6 hours of our Saturday. Though we pitch in on everything, we are not alone.  Other people--particularly at the farm--are around and in charge. This is a good thing.

Our reasons for doing this are multi-faceted.  We want to do something as a family to give back to our community.  It is a way to fight back against the general consumerist culture we all live in.  In the 'burbs it is easy to forget that the world isn't really set up for our own personal convenience.  We are supposed to find ways to pitch in and serve the community.  This is a way that works for us.  Besides, the boys get to practice their math while making change.

We do a lot of service through church, of course.  That, however, is also where I work.  Parish ministry is, in many ways, a life of service.  It is also a public profession that naturally draws family members into many activities as well.  Still, to be solely a volunteer is a different thing.  I remember growing up in a politician's family.  There really was a difference between volunteer work that had to do with my dad's career and that which did not.  For us, part of volunteering outside the church is to give the kids a chance serve in a way that they can own.

NCOF also has to do with local food, one of my favorite subjects.  Even though we have a CSA share from Many Hands Organic Farm we also maintain a relationship with NCOF.  We have been members--off and on--since we came here.  The Assistant Treasurer at Eliot Church works at the farm.  The boys both attend programs there during the school year and take part in its summer camp.  In fact, I walked over to the farm a couple hours ago to purchase some tomatoes for dinner.  My son was working the cash box.

Another advantage I have found to working at the Farmers' Market is that I get to talk to people.  This helps my extroverted pastoral self survive the "low season" at church without driving family or congregants crazy!  The topic of conversation is naturally different.  I am called upon to plumb the depths of my culinary knowledge.  The identities of many of the veggies are not quite as obvious as one might think.  Herbs, in particular seem to be confusing for folks.  People--rightly--want to know which tomatoes taste sweetest.  The same goes with the onions.  The massive celery also seems to generate a large number of questions.  It is a challenge to talk about food for such a stretch of time. 

I do my best to answer their questions and to do a little research when I can.  I worked on farms in high school and have managed to maintain a garden from time to time.  I ask my sister-in-law (an organic farmer in Maine) when I can.  However, the best resources for information have been my CSA experience of the past couple years and my own tendency toward culinary adventure.  I have yet to see a vegetable that I haven't used in some way.  This week, though, we were all stumped by the difference between the "Cucumber" and the "European Cucumber".  My son was selling both kinds today.  I hope he noted the differences...

1.3 Car Family

You may recall that one of the very first posts on this blog was about going down to one car. This, I think, is one of the great challenges for the environmentally conscious Burbanian. Some would even say it is impossible in certain settings. I live in the sort of area that a few residents still like to call "semi-rural". It's not rural at all, really, but there are big-ish lawns, space between houses, trees, and not so much as a bus stop within two miles. So I and my neighbors climb into our cars--one for each licensed driver in the family--and go about our business in splendid isolation from each other.

I am not judging, trust me. Checking out the date on that early post, it appears we have been attempting to get down to one car since November, 2009. That is a long time. We first made some mild attempts to sell our Toyota Sienna. I don't like this car very much. Driving it is like driving one of those Star Trek shuttles...or paddling a raft over a lake of Jell-O. Funny thing, it looks like there are enough mini-vans around town and nobody wanted another one. Altering our strategy, I made calls and sent some emails about selling my car. It was a Saab 9-2x (really a re-badged Subaru Impreza). I didn't want to sell it. It got better mileage. It looked better. It was more fun to drive. Also, I could fit all the kids and the dog in it to run errands if need be, maneuvering through the tighter areas of the family bus-route with little thought or worry.

We had pretty much given up selling that car too when a miracle occurred! I got into an accident and totaled the Saab. This was a couple months ago.  Now we are embarked on the journey toward single-car ownership in a big way. You may ask why we haven't bought another one. Perhaps a "Smart" car, or a two-door hatchback with three seatbelts in the back? The fact is, we cannot afford it. So there may be--to be honest--a bit of putting a smiley-face on a bad situation when I say we are planning to take the plunge. However, this is not entirely the case.

I realize that my personal energy-policy view could be seen as somewhat eccentric. However, I truly believe that we need to start considering potentially inconvenient lifestyle changes if we hope to live on this rock in the future. I think the government should consider making us turn off all non-essential appliances for a hour or two a day, for example. I also am not a fan of hybrid cars, which substitute one form of pollution (batteries) for a portion of another form of pollution (petroleum) so that we can continue to drive larger cars than we need. Really, hybrids are a dead-end. You can, in fact, purchase a regular car that uses less gas...but that would mean compromise in comfort, convenience, and so on.

So, anyway, we only own one car now...the boat-like Sienna. Having only one has in fact reduced the amount of total driving we do. Norm and I walk the two miles to the train station when we need to go into Boston. My wife and I pool our errands at times in order to get everything done. Is it inconvenient? Yes. Does it reduce our carbon footprint? Yes. Will it work over the long term? I don't know.

See, here's the thing. When I had my accident I wasn't planning on a single-car lifestyle. I do most of the after-school driving. However, I rely on my wife to pick up the youngest from daycare after she gets out of work. By that time I am miles away--usually at the YMCA--and beyond helping. I also have meetings in Worcester every month and there are weddings I will officiate this summer in scenic locales. These are sticking points in the schedule.

What we do have, which has helped us immeasurably is my dad's car. It is a Saturn Ion from the time when Saturn really started phoning it in. I mean, it was born broken and it hasn't gotten better over time. However, while we do not use it much, it gets us through the scheduling bottlenecks until we are able to plan for our one-car existence. Our goal is to ease out of it, which I think may be possible...once this "Y" calendar cycle is exhausted, perhaps, or maybe just a little bit longer...

OK, I have my doubts. We are still trying, though. I would like to get us at least from 1.3 cars to 1.1 this summer. At that point one can rent occasionally and bike more frequently. Maybe--with some lifestyle adjustments--it is doable.

Here is the link to that old post about selling our car

Here is a post about the cars of the future.  It looks like I never edited this post for typos, spelling, and grammar...but the cars are nice...

On Fasting

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Isaiah 58:6

The boys recently asked me if we could do some sort of fast during Holy Week.  I was surprised.  We had been talking about Ramadan and I had mentioned that fasting (though few people actually do it these days) is also a part of the Christian tradition.  These days we like big meals on our holidays.  Displays of excess are meant to show our joy or, at least, our wealth. They thought it would be a nice lead-up to Easter if we took a little time to deprive ourselves.

This morning I read a column by Mark Bittman.  Turns out he is fasting this week as part of a Bread for the World campaign to draw attention to what proposed congressional budget cuts will do to the marginally-fed people both in this country and abroad.  It underscores, for me, an issue that I have found infuriating about the "national austerity" language politicians are throwing around these days.  The folks who talk about belt-tightening no doubt feel they are making some sort of sacrifice--maybe one fewer ski trips next year--but the kids still have their own cars to drive themselve to Yale, Harvard, and Sarah Lawrence (or whatever).  Meanwhile the ones who make the actual sacrifices are pretty much ignored.

I cannot take this fast this week because a) I just heard about it today and b) I just (like today) turned the big 4-0 and there are some culinary requirements to be made of me.  Besides, the donut I am eating right now is all that stands between me and the stereotypical existential crisis that strikes Americans during this sensitive time.  However, I am planning to honor my sons' request and Bittman has helped me to refine my thinking on the subject. 

So here are the (or my) reasons to fast this Good Friday...

1) It makes us think about God.  In particular, it makes us think about the Holy Week story.    Holy Week is a reflective time, meant to make us consider some big-picture questions about our lives and our relationships.  Good Friday may be a great day for picking up those Cadbury eggs but the party is on Easter.  The joy of Easter comes from surviving hard times--times of famine--before the happy times.  There is no resurrection without death.  While a brief fast is nothing like crucifixion, it does remind us of (and allows us to participate in) the actual "reason for the season".

2) It makes us think about the suffering of others.  Yeah, cheerful thought, I know.  However, the fact is that Bittman and his friends are right.  There is a great deal going on in the world that our Burbanian minds blithely skip over on our way to the kids' soccer practice.  What if, for just a short time, we stood in solidarity with them.  What if the fast we chose was their reality?  That word "their" encompasses a large portion of humanity, including many Americans who can expect life to become much more difficult in the near future.  The fact that they will also be blamed for their own difficulties by many powerful people is one more reason to stand with them.

3) It makes us reconsider how we live.  I am big into this "considering how we live" business.  It is a continuous theme in my sermons during Lent.  I am sure some church members would say it is a theme all the time.  It was the original purpose of this blog. 

The fast Isaiah chose at the beginning of my post was to "loose the chains of injustice".  There is quite a bit more to that than sincere thoughts when the subject comes up, sending money to faraway places, and voting.  Our cars, our homes and our diets (how, what and where we purchase) contribute to the national and international unequal distribution of food and wealth.  We have sinned, people.  We are guilty of other people's pain.  Fasting gives us time to meditate on that important and unavoidable (if unpleasant) fact.

4) It puts us in touch with God.  Yes, I know I already wrote this but it needs to be repeated.  When we are hungry we are in touch with the hungry people of the  world--God's people.  We are in touch with a suffering God in the midst of God's own creation.  We are reminded that there is something bigger and more important than the commute, or the meeting, or the contract, or the petty fights we have with both loved ones and  strangers.  Holy Week--including Palm Sunday and Easter--is the holiest time in the Christian faith (hence the name).  Fasting reminds us of this spiritual ground.

I looked online for some fasting plans.  The Catholic Good Friday fast (according to at least one sight) is one meal and two snacks.  The kids think this is cheating.  Like skipping lunch and calling it virtue.  I suspect we will come up with a compromise position.  Right now I am thinking of dragging them to Maundy Thursday Communion and fasting from that point until dinner on Friday.  They are kids, so they will get liquids and perhaps some sort of light breakfast...and a fruit-break.  I don't want them getting all grouchy, after all...

I would love to know what others do, if anything.  I would love it, too, if folks joined us.

Here is a link to Mark Bittman's article

Here is a link to Bread for the World

Here is a link to the farm where we get our CSA share.  Our buying group takes turns picking up in Framingham and then leaving the food on the parsonage porch.  If your fasting leads you to some sort of action and you are in the area, feel free to join our group.  It is open to anyone for whom it works.

The Magic Fluke (A Review?)

As most of you know, one of my more unusual projects this year has been learning how to play the ukulele.  It all began with a gaping hole in our summer service plan (no pianist) and has since morphed into both a music ministry and an irrational obsession.  In the picture above you can see two of my three ukes.  The third is exactly like the one on the left.  The barely seen instrument to the left of that is my son's old guitar. 

I purchased the two Johnson Soprano (UK-100) ukes some time ago to hack around with the kids.  That tale is well documented and can be found in the links at the bottom of this post.  They have served me well.  I have dragged them to nursing homes and to church services for the purpose of hymn-singing.  They have a charm that is hard to deny and add a great deal to services (particularly congregational singing) when played in the traditional (or stereotypical) strumming manner.  Soprano ukes are great "singer's instruments".  Their smallness means there is little or no real barrier between the player and the hearer.  Also, its...um...limitations are actually strengths, encouraging the singers to do more with their voices to compensate for the sparse instrumentation.  After fixing the action on the Johnsons with my trusty jacknife I found them to be servicable, loud, charismatic instruments and I love them.

However...though I insist that I will always be a beginner, I did find that their small size made them difficult to play in the fingerpicking style that I was accustomed to with the much-less-fun guitar.  This meant eventually getting another uke.  This is where the Magic Fluke comes in.  It is the black ("Lava") oddly shaped instrument on the right.

First, a brief note about size.  There are four ukulele sizes.  They are (from small to large) the soprano, the concert, the tenor, and the baritone.  The first three are all tuned the same (gCEA, the "g" is to indicate that the string is higher than the C and E), though the largest of those (the tenor) sometimes is tuned with a low G instead of a high one.  Some sellers will tell you that the soprano is the traditional one, the concert is for kids and women, and the tenor is for men with "big hands".  Honestly I think that is just because they want folks to purchase the more expensive (and most popular) tenors.  What guy doesn't think his hands are big?  The Fluke is a concert-sized instrument and my hands are fine.  The baritone is tuned like the high strings on the guitar but sounds somewhat different.  I suspect it is the existence of the baritone that gives rise to the Burbanian "I want my child to play the guitar so I will buy them a uke" thoughtstream. 

I checked out a variety of concert ukes and this is the one I came up with.  The reasons are simple.  I wanted an intrument that was still fun and still sounded like a ukulele.  The longer strings on the bigger models give them more of a "guitary" (and, I think, less charismatic) sound.  They are mellow insturments--very pretty sounding actually--but don't quite fit my usage requirements.  The concert size does.  Perhaps it is a slightly sleepy sound, but it jumps around like it should.  The concert Fluke jumps around a bit more than most.

Here is the thing about the Fluke.  It is shaped funny (charming) and is half-plastic.  The neck and the front are wood.  The fretboard and the rest of the body are synthetic.  It has something of the feel and look of half-wooden toys I remember from the eighties...in a good way.  Yes, this makes it sound different.  I remember as a kid listening to one of my dad's favorite bands (Schooner Fare, they played sea-shanties about ships that sank and then were raised back up).  In concert, they used guitars with plastic bodies that (at least to my ear) generated a more penetrating note and gave their sound a slightly steelier backbone than many of their folk contemporaries (thank God).  On the Fluke--which has Aquila nylgut strings--what the body does is maintain some of that soprano joyfulness while also letting me pick, strum, and play individual notes with greater ease.  The fretboard is slick--literally--which is also interesting and fun (sometimes)!

Of course, it is also more expensive.  I got the standard garden-variety Fluke and all I can say is that it better last a looong time (and no jokes about the plastic back lasting 2,000 years, OK?).  The sopranos were something like $40 each.  Of course the Fluke soprano (called a "Flea") is quite a bit more than that.  In spite of the expense I am satisfied and--honestly--think I got a good deal.  Flukes are--thanks to the way they are built--less expensive to make than many comparable instruments.  I am philosophically opposed to spending too much on a folk instrument.  After all, folks should be able to afford them...right?

Anyway, I have already typed enough, considering that I said I was taking a blog-break.  Here are the links...

Here is the original uke post

Here is an Amazon link to reviews of a soprano similar to mine.  It should be noted that they don't seem to make the UK-100 anymore...

Here is the link to the folks who make the Fluke.  Incidentally, they are based in West Hartford CT and the fluke shipped from Sheffield MA.  Good, New England ukes....

Advent

So last night we hung up the Advent Calendars.  This year my mother put together one for each kid.  Looks like some sort of Lego set...very cool.  We also dug out the Advent Wreath and put up the lights on the porch.  One almost feels like Christmas is upon us...if it wasn't for the stunning lack of snow...

Advent is a season that sneaks up on us.  For most people, it isn't always clear when it starts.  Money says it starts the day after Thanksgiving, when people leave the warmth of their families to wait in darkened parking lots for "doorbuster" sales.  For the church, it began last Sunday.  This past Sunday we lit the candles in the windows of the sanctuary, saying a reading for each one.  Some were traditional readings (Magnificat, Benedictus) others were not (May Sarton, Nathan Graziano).  We were trying to give a sense of moving from darkness and struggle into the light.  In our Ann Weems reading, she talked about "running to Bethlehem" which seemed an apt metaphor, whether or not you buy the whole Bethlehem-manger thing.  Then we lit the first candle of the Advent wreath (in our church the "hope" candle).  There was a sermon (featuring my magic uke).   Then we finished everything off with a carol.  We had solid attendance, too.  It was a great way to kick everything off.

Of course, for many people Advent started yesterday.  I suspect that this is an American thing.  After all, folks are still recovering from Thanksgiving when that first Sunday rolls around.  This simple fact makes us mark the beginning at the next obvious opportunity...when we haul out the Advent Calendars.  No matter how it begins, it ends with Christmas.  Christmas should be twelve days at least, but of course it doesn't work that way.  Money needs to pull down the red and green for the (rather arbitrary) colors for New Year's Eve.  There are fancy drinks to be made, after all, and someone needs to sell them.  However, Epiphany is on the 6th of January and "Epiphany Sunday" will be on the 9th.  Therefore, we are given some flexibility if we want it.

In my family we stretch the holiday out.  Advent is Advent and Christmas starts on the 25th.  What this means is a variety of family gatherings (of course) and a much saner family holiday on Epiphany, itself.  It means there isn't any crazy crash on the 26th or 27th.  There is less stress because there is more time to do things during Christmastide and there is more time in Advent to be..well...Adventish.  In church we have been talking about this, too.  Advent needs to be its own thing, not a vague sort of "Christmastime" filled with frantic activity shoehorned into regular life.  We have a good chunk of time.  Let it move slowly.  Then Christmas, itself needs to slow down too. 

Reclaiming the liturgical calendar can help with this.  There is a certain wisdom in the pacing of the days.  More than any other "tradition" of modern times (I'm looking at you  Black Friday!) this old traditional pattern of celebration is there to bring us into the spirit of the season and to take us out again with our good humor intact and our souls a little better off than they were before.  Running through the darkness will not get us to the light any quicker.  Let us try to take our time this year...

Here is an old hymn, written in the 1860's, by the transcendentalist Christian (and, yes, Unitarian) Frederic Henry Hedge.

CHRISTMAS HYMN--F.H. Hedge

'Twas in the East, the mystic East,
     Where Time his race began,
Where new-born Nature spread the feast
     For new created man,--

The tree of life was planted first,
     So holy scriptures tell,
Before the earth with sin was cursed,
     And man from Eden fell.

That tree untasted passed away,
     And sin and sorrow grew,
And tarried long the wished-for day
     To waiting Israel due:--

Till from the land where Jordan old
     Still washes Judah's shore,
When God's own hand the page unrolled,
     Of Judah's sacred lore,

Sprung, to requite that early loss,
     From David's royal root,
Another tree, whose stem the cross,
     And Christendom its fruit.

Blest be the Tree of life divine!
     The hand that gave it blest!
Lord, through the earth extend its line,
     And give the nations rest!

In us implant its sacred seed,
     And with thy grace bedew,
And let it, ripening into deed,
     For aye itself renew.

The Oil Spill is My Fault

I bet you probably ride your horse to the grocery store, or maybe bike, or perhaps walk.  I bet you do this for work, too.  I too, in fact, walk to work and my wife commutes from the kitchen to her home office.  However, it is my car that gets me to the store and back. Even though I have a CSA share, the bananas I put on my kashi this morning definitely weren't grown in the Commonwealth. Also it carries us to children's after-school activities (of which there are many).  In fact, on the weekends we like to get out of town (car again) and up until recently I was studying for my doctorate in Chicago (car and plane!). 

My house isn't illuminated by candles and it isn't heated by them either.  No, some sort of petroleum product comes in from the street and makes my furnace go "whoosh" when it is in a whooshing mood.  When it isn't, there are the good, old, electric space heaters.  This is helpful, since our internal temperature in the winter is usually determined by the prevailing winds.  My fridge seems to be powered by something.  So too is my gas-stove.  I like my TV and computer and did I say that I drive a car?  Often?

Fact of the matter is, my whole neighborhood is petroleum-based.  Without it we wouldn't be able to live the way we do.  Even if we take the train to the city we have to drive to it first.  Without oil our lawns wouldn't be nearly as well-sculpted and our social lives would be much less interesting.  Our range would shrink and we would need to be friends with each other because we would be all there was to see.  Sounds quaint at first, but...really?  Burbania 24/7?

Again, those of you who go by horse and carriage are probably fine, so don't think I am talking about you.  I am talking about me.  BP is sorry.  Well that's nice.  The other oil companies say that they would never do such things.  Um...OK.  The President wants a new energy policy.  Good for him!  But part of this mess is mine.  What about my new energy policy?  What can I do, wretched man that I am?  Ultimately for the species to survive, lifestyles have to change.  That means mine, too.

It appears that there is in my person another law at war with the law of my mind.  Yes, Paul said that (more or less).  It's in Romans.  Observant guy, no?  Some of us ignore how our behavior affects the world.  Some of us worry about it.  Either way, something needs to be done.  This is a situation I would like to see discussed more than it is.  I need guidance. When I sit down in my car and debate turning on the air conditioner I am faced with the stark fact that I am a coward and need help to make the sort of change I believe in.  Will a new energy policy help us to dig out of cultural and economic norms more than a century in the making?

Who can provide some leadership on this?

Garden Here...CSA Coming!

The garden is in, as you can see.  And it is coming along.  Honestly, I know that I am supposed to be all "gardens are beautiful" and such, but really, it is a muddy mess much of the time.  I still like it, of course.  It even serves a spritual purpose in keeping me connected to nature when I need it.  It also keeps the kids weeding (that large bushy thing is a carefully limitted mint plant).  Still, not always beautiful.  For that there are last year's garden pictures from August.

These pictures, however, are not from August but in fact from this morning.  This is the sage plant and dean of the garden (except, perhaps, the cilantro volunteers, whose corriander will be going into a wheat beer some time soon).  We kept it indoors all winter and it did not die! 

More herbs.  The licorice basil has stayed intact as the bugs seem to prefer the cinnamon basil (sigh).  The chives are cute but sparse.  Actually, our CSA will be starting this Monday.  The church set up a "buying group" and we are preparing for our first deliveries!  Mostly salad greens, herbs and turnips this week, apparently.  But, then, at least I know what to do with them...

CSA's and Such

This is just a short post.  I have been running mad lately with church work and with the regular old family stuff that happens during Advent.  Also, the "buy local" part of the holiday does mean running about a bit to this and that store and getting only a few items at each.  The computer tempts me in the purchasing department...

One of the things I have been up to, though, has to do with the "local" thing and the "food" thing.  Both of these have been hot topics in my life at home, at church, and at this sparsely-updated blog.  I have started a "buying group" at church and we have pooled our resources to obtain some CSA shares this summer from an organic farm that also does good work with another organization called Dismas House, which helps people coming out of prison after serving time for a drug-related offense.  In my previous life, I helped people with similar barriers to employment find work.  So I am always happy to see people stepping up give these folks another chance.

Anyway, here are the links!

The Farm
The Sustainability Center 
Testimonials
Dismas House

Christmas Shopping II: For The Kids

Ok, so I have talked a bit about our family's plan for siblings and friends.  Perhaps not surprisingly, the conversations with my fellow adults were neither contentious nor traumatic.  The conversation with the kids, however, can be another story.  I started talking with the kids about this months ago.  In some sense they knew it was coming.  They read the paper and/or listen to the news on the radio.  They are smart boys and know that times are hard.  Why wouldn't we be "downsizing"?  Everyone else is.  In addition, as preacher's kids and regular denizens of the church school they have a pretty good grasp on the fact that Christmas is not their birthday. 

The relatively sustainable, inexpensive, and very local entertainment of Craft Sunday, Pageant Sunday, and Christmas Eve services create a narrative and a mood that beats the biggest tree, the flashiest lights, and the largest of presents.  Still, they want some presents (and a tree) and--as I have mentioned before--I do too.  In the end it was still rather difficult to hash out a series of  present "rules" that the kids felt was fair and respectful toward their sense of what the holiday means.  We did come up with a plan, however, that I thought I would share with you.

First, we developed a theme for our gifts to each other.  Most of our presents must be things that bring us together as a family.  Sorry, no "DS" upgrade this year.  Also, it should be something that in some way broadens our horizons as a family.  So we made a list that included travel options (Vermont, Quebec City, even a "hotel vacation" in Boston) and specific items like snowshoes and camping gear.  We are now in the process of working together to create our "package".  Today we all went over to our local downtown sporting goods store to price out snowshoes, tents, and other such gear.  The kids understand that there will be sacrifices and tradeoffs in our final plan, but they will be a big part of the decision making process.

Incidentally, we had a great time at the store.  Our primary target was the snow shoes (a popular family past time last year, so we should ultimately save a bit by not renting) and we recieved a great deal of no-pressure advice and information from the person helping us.  They are local, we are local.  They know we will be back. 

Of course, it should be noted that some of the "surprise" will be left out of the present openning ritual, but I am not sure that there is really all that much suspense left for kids in the "circle stuff in the catalogue" technique.  This way we get a chance to anticipate the holiday together and reflect on its meaning.  Anticipation and reflection sound a lot like Advent to me...

So...Was it Local?

Well it certainly wasn't lo-cal!  Just looking at this makes me queasy.

As some of you may recall, in my second "Closer to Creation" sermon I suggested that we try to eat as local as possible during the holidays.  So this T-Day provided a baseline for Advent.  All things considered, I wish I did better but I also managed to cover some of the major areas.

What was local: The turkey, the apples (for the pie), the fennel, some herbs (from my herb garden), the beer (made by me with ingredients procured locally), the sausage stuffing (my sister-in-law's (and my brother's) farm in Maine), the pecan pie (well, it was made by the youth group of my church and the other UCC church in town).

What was either not local or of unknown origin: Pancetta, kale, garlic, pie crust (thank you General Mills!), sweet potatoes, butter, sugar (even the maple syprup which--really--is unforgivable). cheese, crackers.

Also, my in-laws brought some things, but you can't always be responsible for that.  Family harmony being a big part of the day and all...

So today we are off to go shopping!  Yes, I said shopping.  We are buying local today, staying away from the crowds and such and hitting some of the nearby downtowns, many of which have zoned out non-local businesses.  I encourage you to go out and patronize them as well.  "Buy Nothing Day" is great, but only if it doesn't send you to the Gap next week! 

Here is a link to my sister in law Hanne's farm. 

Christmahanukkwanzakah Shopping!

Here is a picture of my brother Matt demonstrating our Christmas shopping technique.  The location is a used bookstore in downtown Providence, RI.  Saturday marked the beginning of our annual ritual of gift purchasing for family and friends.  Sunday I preached about being intentional about our holiday purchases, making sure that our covenant with the earth does not get overwhelmed by our busyness and, therefore, eventually degenerate into late night runs to the Container Store for some overpriced plastic.

This is a real challenge, I think, for all of us.  We are busy!  We also want to do the right thing.  If our goal this year is sustainability, then this is where the rubber (or the money) meets the road, both environmentally and financially.  So let's get down to brass tacks.  What you cannot see in the picture is that Matt is practicing intentional shopping as per the rules of his big brother (me).  So, for what they are worth, here they are.

Proper Attitude

While some of the things I will mention may not work for you, there are two things that I think are crucial to practice.  First, we need to practice conversation.  I am one of those people who believes that it is important to give presents because they are symbolic representations of our connection to and relationship with each other.  However, I also believe that these gifts need not be expensive.  The key is to have a sense of the receiver's values.  It is also important that the reciever has a sense of yours.  We need to talk to each other about money, religion (these holidays are religious, right?), and politics.  As a gift-getter I do not want to get anything that seems to me like a repackaged jar of petroleum.  I also don't want you to go broke.  I also want you to know I will not be giving you petroleum and--though I love you--will not go broke either, assuming that you do not want to have me, my wife and my three kids living in your basement.

Second, we need to take our time.   This is why I start early.  As a minister I can safely say that I am one of the busy ones as we approach the major holiday milestones.  You may be busy, too.  Finding time now may seem hard, but it is not as difficult as trying to find a parking space at the mall after Black Friday.

Proper Game Plan:

So, after having "the talk" (or more than one talk for each of you distinct communities) it is time to lay out the ground rules for the gifts.  Here are my rules for purchases for siblings and other adults...

The presents I purchase must be at least two of the following three things:

Used:  You will again observe that Matt is at a used book store.  You can find some truly fabulous things there that--I promise you--you wouln't think of otherwise.

Recyclable: This is the rule for things that are purchased new.  Used gifts are being recycled!

Unique/Surprising:  The gift needs to be something that says something about you and about the person you are giving it to.  My goal is to have the receiver open the present and say "Wow, I never in a million years would have thought of this but it sure is cool!"  Obviously this is easier to do at places where they sell used books, crafts, and random inexpensive antiques (in some places they are called "junk dealers").

They must also fill both the following criteria:

They must be purchased locally.  By "locally" I mean in an independant store or other organization (my church sells calendars, for example) where you live or where you are shopping at that time.  I do not live in Providence, but I do not mind my money going to downtown businesses there.

They must be less than $12 per person!  OK, maybe $15 in some cases but the idea to to get something great!  A $9 gift that is unique says something better than a more expensive gift that says "lot's of people are getting this, so I thought of you".

Rules like this make the giving a game and a challenge, which makes it more fun....

Now, like I said before, there are different rules for different communities.  I have had the "talk" with my children and we have a slightly different plan for them.  Also, some folks really do not want more stuff, they might like a gift to a charity or social justice organization given in their name...or a plant.

Whatever the plan you come up with, I urge you not to give up or despair.  Gift giving (and receiving) is a way to say "I love you" and "you are not alone".  Both important expressions of the sustainable life.

Update:  Someone on Facebook asked me where making your own gifts falls in these guidelines.  My bad.  These are the rules I use and, as someone whith very limited creative skills, making stuff doesn't naturally occur to me.  However, they fit nicely, I think, as being certainly unique, usually recyclable, obviously local, and often inexpensive!

More From Greenfest Boston

Here is a note for those who have to manage presentations at events: be like these folks and put "people people" in your booths. Also, make sure they know what they are talking about. As I mentioned, the car geeks were friendly and knew their stuff. Many of the other booths were a bit more spotty. I realize that a stranger talking to you can be disconcerting. Then again, if you are at a table trying to sell something it pays to be polite. One person even snarled at me!

That having been said, most folks were fine and got their message across. Perhaps the best presenters were with the Charles River Watershed Association (above). They had an excellent interactive demonstration showing the way that the Charles (and, for that matter, other rivers) manage to get polluted. We live about 40 yards from the river, so the presentation had a great effect on the kids. Also--considering the stated goal of the family project--it is one of the more obvious and practical considerations for me. We live right next to the Charles yet it is hard to remember how our actions may effect it. These good people furnished us with coloring books about water runoff and a Charles River recreation guide. Very classy.

These two pictures are of friendly and hard-working organizer types. I swear that the folks at Youth Build Boston (below) almost had me moving to Roxbury to put in roof gardens.

Also worthy of mention (but, sadly, without cool pictures) were the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, Mass Bike, and The Marion Institute (whose "Bioneers by the Bay" conference in October may be worth checking out). There were many other great conversations and useful tips and information, including one "organic lawn-care" specialist who said my plan of allowing diverse grasses and other vegetation (dandelions for the most part) to dominate my lawn was the good and ethical thing. Now that's a relief! I left my name just about everywhere. Perhaps over the next few weeks some these other organizations will get back in touch...

Charles River Watershed

Mount Grace Trust

Marion Institute

Mass Bike

Cars at GreenFest Boston

So, as promised, I went over to Greenfest Boston '09 and took lots of pictures. It was really hot. However, the event seemed quite well attended. There were plenty of exhibitors of various kinds but easily the most knowledgeable and engaging folks were those who had something to do with wheels. Therefore, I am starting with them...

The gentleman proudly displying his webpage for more information was a very helpful purveyor of fine electronic vehicles.

The car he is standing in front of (driven in from Cambridge for the event) can maintain city speeds fairly well but it seems they are unlikely to be of much use in the 'burbs and downright dangerous on the highway! The scooter (above) also has a low maximum speed (around 30 mph) however, as an intermediate vehicle (say, from the house to the T) it sould make sense for some commuters and (as it looks pretty darn cool) it might make sense for fun rides on local roads. The best part? It is really an electric bicycle, so no motorcycle license necessary...
















The question of range is just going to be an issue for we citizens of Burbania. Not to worry, however, folks are thinking about that, too. Many of the cars (and individuals) below competed in the "Greenfield to Greenfest" efficiency race right before the event.


This truck was perhaps the most interesting entry (and now that I look, I am unsure whether it was in the race or not). It is powered by "biomass" (among other things wood chips and cotton clothing).

The top picture is (roughly speaking) its "gas tank". Below, you can see that it started its life as a Ford F-150...

The boys (below) are sitting in "Moonbeam". It is an enclosed electric scooter. Very cool and the winner as far as the kids are concerned. There is no air conditioning but there is a radio.

Now, I came to this event as an idiot ready to learn. Many of the "booth people" seemed unable to deaprt from their prepared scripts and some seemed rather put out or downright hostile when engaged in discussion. The folks you see in this post, however, were real troopers and answered all of my questions.


This gentleman (pictured with Moonbeam, his car) was extremely helpful and hit on what I think is one of the greatest challenges we suburbanites have, namely ethical and efficient transportation. We need to drive. We always will. This is true even if someday our public transportation system improves to become a model of breadthe, service and efficiency and even if we get used to smaller yards and smaller, closer living quarters.

Right, cars... These folks are from Turner, Maine, near where I grew up. They have designed a highly efficient diesel truck. They are farmers, actually (Ricker is a famous farm name in the central part of Maine most closely associated with apples). This, too, did well in the Eliot children's "coolness test"

This woman is part of a team from (I hope) MIT who have converted an old Porsche to electric power. No, it isn't a Tesla and there are no Lithium batteries involved. Just LOTS of car batteries. The interior (my interior pictures didn't come out all that well) looks rather like an old Porsche with the sort of power output screen one might expect in a Prius.

Still...it looks cooler than a Prius...

Check out the very warm child next to a good looking car...

The good looker again. Sadly I don't know a lot about this one...

The Biomass Car

The Electric Car Guy

The Efficiency Race

MIT Porsche (video)

Moonbeam