head on over to baptistnomad.com

Hey–you’re missing out on the conversation…

http://www.baptistnomad.com

Come ‘on!

in support of Gore?

As in Al Gore?  Yes, that is to what I’m referring!  It is time to begin seriously considering the ways in which we understand ourselves in light of a global community.  Gore has published the text that might help us to incorporate a more important narrative thereby reducing our ecological footprint[s] and also our narcissistic tendencies.

How might be begin to tell the truth and get a sense concerning a comprehensive understanding of this present reality?  Let’s start thinking!  After all, do we just resign ourselves to Hillary or Barack at this moment?  The popularity is great, but there’s more to the practicing of politics than popularity!

Lets try to restore a sense of ethics to politics and government!

INCITE! AT THE US SOCIAL FORUM!!!: connecting w/ folks

INCITE! AT THE US SOCIAL FORUM!!!
HEADING TO THE US SOCIAL FORUM IN ATLANTA?
WONDERING HOW TO CONNECT WITH INCITE! FOLKS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHILE YOU’RE THERE?
PRE-CONFERENCE FORUM –
DEVELOPING LIBERATORY RESPONSES TO VIOLENCE
TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2007
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Please join us at the US Social Forum to advance our work on creating community-based alternatives to address violence and strategies to build safer, supportive, and more peaceful communities! The movement to create community-based, transformative justice is at an exciting moment! Across the U.S., a small but growing collection of organizations are developing and piloting models that address intimate and community violence that do not rely on State intervention. While in different organizational stages, most of us are already working together in some capacity, but we have not yet been able to formally gather and share our experiences, struggles, challenges and successes –a unique opportunity that the upcoming U.S. Social Forum can provide.
For this reason, Generation Five, Critical Resistance, Creative Interventions, INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, and Action + Community= Transformation would like to invite your organization to participate in a pre-forum convening for individuals and organizations that are currently doing national or local work to develop violence-prevention/intervention models that do not rely on state intervention.

living life; limping through relationships and finding balance

It is hard sometimes to find one’s place–to find stable ground. Life seems to present a variety of challenges–from the teenage angst that each of us encountered [whether we were aware of it or not], to what do I do with my life and to how to I create a family [whether that is a family of one or with another]. The disruptions of life are just that: disruptions.

I had a recent encounter where a loved one began to ask questions about relationships and finding balance in relationships. This is a difficult one largely because the relationships about which this person was mentioning is a formative and integral relationship. But, just how formative and integral are relationships when one feels abused, neglected, put-down, shut-out, etc.? They may become toxic over time and this toxicity mayvery well just creep up on us. This is a sad reality, but reality nonetheless that presents itself to each of us. So, how do we live life and in relationships where we encounter such difficulties? We must discern–using both internal and external resources–we must find the balance that preserves us.

Perhaps that is what Jacob was doing when he was asking for a blessing from the Angel of the Lord? Caught in a “wrestling” match, he found himself wanting that fierce person to be present. The Angel was indeed present, but soon the angel would be leaving–but before so, Jacob was left with a limp and his name was changed. Wow! What a disruption in this could-be “spiritual”/”heavenly” relationship. I wonder if it felt more like a dungeon or being a prisoner of war during the time when they were wrestling?

Perhaps that is how we feel when we enter into times of darkness in relationships? We become prisoners of this war of challenges and finding power in relationships. We walk with a limp. And, sometimes we stumble. We try and reach out, but our faint voice cannot be heard over the clutter that we hear inside of us. We are certainly off balance. We are far from the reality of life and balance, yet we are living, still.

And so, Jacob’s name is changed to Israel and he departs back to his family–a changed person.

That’s a great story for Jacob, but what about that person who doesn’t know really why they have a limp? What has tormented them in silence [or perhaps blatantly] that has now produced the limp? Where is their prison? Furthermore, where is their freedom? How does one find balance from the perspective that the limp presents a pretty definite disadvantage and/or disability? That is where I get stumped. I don’t know where to find the balance? I don’t know how to be healed of the limp?

What if the limp is permanent? What is the balance can never be restored like you thought? Are there ways that we can live, be in relationships, and find balance that look radically different than what our minds and history and traditions tell us?

I sure hope so! Peace to YOU who is currently struggling with the limp.

faith, poverty, politics, “skinny” bibles and phat diets

I have just had a lovely “coffee” hour w/ a friend.  I love the place where we typically meet for coffee.  Its an organic, vegetarian sort of place where I truly love the Mexican hot chocolate–w/ soy!  Today we gathered and whilst it was quite loud with dishes banging about, I found myself invited into the conversations of life.

My friend, clergyperson, scholar, feminist, pastor and good friend and  I talked about writing.  I shared how I have a sense and call and perhaps an urge to write.  From where does that urge or call or sense come?  Is it internal?  Is it external?  I don’t know?  I tend to err on the fact that it is both internal and external.

And so, I come to this virtual space and begin to press the labeled buttons on my mac thereby producing words, sentences, thoughts.  My words are coalescing into a sense of meaning that is billowing from within, but this sense probably has been affected by external stimuli.

And there you have it…I have come to a place where the written narrative woven with embodied experience is bubbling within me.  I have also come to a place where [the] “church” [that group of folks who form an organic gathering] has become another place that has been inviting me into her presence and waves of justice.

I continue to look for the wavemaker–that One who partners with me to do the good work of justice and continues to help me make little moves against destructiveness.