As I reflect on the weekend at Shalom I am grateful for the time spent there and the people it was spent with. The variety of view points and our ability to discuss things was great. Linden was right when he said we need to come together and listen to each other.
Looking at my earth care practice the recycling is not yet a habit but it is getting nearer as I have my sons voice in my head and foot at my backside every time he catches me in the act of not recycling. My wife and daughter are also fully on board and we find ourselves looking for things that have been made from recycled goods. We do not purchase them often but it does bring up new discussion for us.
As a second grader it is not unusual for my son to come home and tell me what his recess group is for the week, it ranges from the cool group, to I am just playing with one person this week, or I just follow some friends around. Since the snow is gone I am proud to say that he is in the litter pick up group formed by him. He has been doing this about a week and what started as 2 is now 8. Last night he was complaining that two of the boys were trying to be captians of the group. I asked him what was more important being the leader or doing good for the Earth and he did not even think about it, he said earth. I think he is ok with knowing that he started it. He truly is a servant leader in the world and I could not be prouder.
As I cleaned out my car the other day, after 6 months or so, it struck me how easy it is to just throw stuff in the trash can. I found my self scrutinizing each thing I went to throw away and found my self thinking about the landfill it would go to. That scared me because those are not my thoughts. Even though I have had environmental science class, I have other things to be contemplating, like Moltmann. What is this class doing to me???????
Just joking I am very much enjoying the learnings that are taking place. Until next Blog.
Rick
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Downstream
Living Downstream
As I read this book I could not help but think how interconnected we all are. It took me back to, “for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.” In college I was required to take two sciences, for my first I took physical science where we studied the basics of life forms. My second choice was environmental science. I mainly took it because I heard the professor was good and a B was pretty easy to get. As I read the book many of the things that we learned in that class came back. As she finishes the book she says, “Dust, Soil, Air. What I see are contours of home.”p272 In that class we studied the Oxygen cycles, Nitrogen cycles and how soil was a part of them. The purification process that God has in place is quite remarkable. However, as the author points out humans have stepped in and mucked it up. By adding all of the chemicals and other things to the ecosystem we have started something that we may not be able to control.
As an overall read I was skeptical coming into it. I figured it would be all statistics and how big government was to blame. But, what I got was a well thought out book that explains some of the problems and uncovers others, within government as well. The fact that we had knowledge of so many chemicals and did nothing for so long is alarming. My father was a cancer survivor for 20 years before the effects of the treatments finally did him in. I have had a friend and two grandparents die of the “C” word and am still left with the question, Why? In the book Steingrababer does a good job explaining how what is released can effect people all over. She uses technical terms but does not speak over the reader.
In relation to this class she opens my eyes to what pesticides are capable of doing. As a future rural pastor I am then in a conflicting place. I want to support the farmers in their chosen vocations, but I also need to be on the look out for the people. SO how do we do this? Very carefully. As Mark says do a lot of listening, do not count the farmer as dumb, and know that the farmer too is looking out for the interest of others. We are not experts in the area. We know that scripture informs us of how the land is to be kept and that we are to be stewards of the land. We know that we have a responsibility to God and our neighbors to see that good practices are being used, but we must not forget that this is the lively hood of people, it is more than that, for those like Arland it is a calling, something they just can’t get out of, when times are rough. They plod through and have a connection to the land to their place.
Overall I thought the book was a good read and will recommend it to friends. In my opinion it is not a liberal take on things, it shoots it straight out. I would expect no less from a former scientist as that is how their minds work. Next time I go camping and fishing I am sure as I stand at the stream these learning’s will surface.
As I read this book I could not help but think how interconnected we all are. It took me back to, “for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.” In college I was required to take two sciences, for my first I took physical science where we studied the basics of life forms. My second choice was environmental science. I mainly took it because I heard the professor was good and a B was pretty easy to get. As I read the book many of the things that we learned in that class came back. As she finishes the book she says, “Dust, Soil, Air. What I see are contours of home.”p272 In that class we studied the Oxygen cycles, Nitrogen cycles and how soil was a part of them. The purification process that God has in place is quite remarkable. However, as the author points out humans have stepped in and mucked it up. By adding all of the chemicals and other things to the ecosystem we have started something that we may not be able to control.
As an overall read I was skeptical coming into it. I figured it would be all statistics and how big government was to blame. But, what I got was a well thought out book that explains some of the problems and uncovers others, within government as well. The fact that we had knowledge of so many chemicals and did nothing for so long is alarming. My father was a cancer survivor for 20 years before the effects of the treatments finally did him in. I have had a friend and two grandparents die of the “C” word and am still left with the question, Why? In the book Steingrababer does a good job explaining how what is released can effect people all over. She uses technical terms but does not speak over the reader.
In relation to this class she opens my eyes to what pesticides are capable of doing. As a future rural pastor I am then in a conflicting place. I want to support the farmers in their chosen vocations, but I also need to be on the look out for the people. SO how do we do this? Very carefully. As Mark says do a lot of listening, do not count the farmer as dumb, and know that the farmer too is looking out for the interest of others. We are not experts in the area. We know that scripture informs us of how the land is to be kept and that we are to be stewards of the land. We know that we have a responsibility to God and our neighbors to see that good practices are being used, but we must not forget that this is the lively hood of people, it is more than that, for those like Arland it is a calling, something they just can’t get out of, when times are rough. They plod through and have a connection to the land to their place.
Overall I thought the book was a good read and will recommend it to friends. In my opinion it is not a liberal take on things, it shoots it straight out. I would expect no less from a former scientist as that is how their minds work. Next time I go camping and fishing I am sure as I stand at the stream these learning’s will surface.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Simpler living
As I started to read this book I was open to the possibilities of what was to come. For years, dating back to before our move to Seminary and actually before Seminary was a thought in my mind, I have been telling my wife that we need to “simplify our lives.” By that I have always meant get rid of crap that we have accumulated over the years. To that she would respond where would we start? All I could respond is, “look around and pick”. Was it the kids toys that they had to many, thanks to us and relatives? Was it in the teaching materials that I still have from 99-00, my last year of teaching. Or perhaps it is some of the craft materials that we have. The list could and does go on and on.
As I read the book and the statistics I marveled at the fact that the average food items travel 1200 miles to get to our table. That is a shock. We get so used to going to the store and buying and not even thinking about the where and why. I have an allergy to MSG and so for 13 years now have been very cautious as to what we buy so that the food does not contain it, but that is the extent to the thought put into the food we buy. Definitely something we will have to start thinking about.
The stats on the over consumption in the US alone should kick us in the butt. Capitalism is not a bad thing. The fact that we call ourselves a country founded on Christian values should mean something. In that, the people with the money should be giving back and quit spending on unnecessary things. As a white middle class man I will say that we have lived a privileged life. Before Seminary we had a pretty secure life, roof, food on the table, new toys for the kids. Since moving here we have been forced to simplify things as money would allow and it has been a humbling experience. Trips to the food shelf are especially eye opening. But we have learned to do more with less. We get by because we have simplified much, but there is still work to be done.
What I appreciated from the book the most is the theological take on the issues. The scripture references are great and lend light on just how God wants us to care for creation and how creation is caring for us. Calvin DeWitt’s six principles for applying are great because they get to the heart of simpler living and what we must do. Ultimately, “we must practice what we believe” p.179. He simply lays it out and supports it with scripture. Richard Foster follows those up with is own ,“The outward expression of simplicity”. These are 10 things to consider that show our outward simplicity. As I see them if we consider these when purchasing items we will be able to determine if they are needs or wants. Foster warns against making them 10 commandments rather they should be used as guidelines.
Finally, I really liked the focus throughout on how we are to do this and care about our communities and how that includes local and global economies as well. It is often easy to get caught up in our own day to day stuff and feel like we cannot have an impact. “Every action has an opposite and equal reaction.” “Energy is neither lost nor gained it is merely transferred.” Two axioms from science that apply quite well here. We can never know our impact, however if we do nothing that we are sure nothing is accomplished.
I will finalize this post with a thought that has been rattling in my brain since last August, feel free to use it in sermons it is not copywrited. Everyone is so focused on our “carbon footprints” right now. How big a carbon footprint did the president make attending the Olympic meetings stumping for Chicago and such? I would like us to think about it in a different light. What about worrying about what kind of “Christian Footprint” you are leaving behind. Are you loving others? Are you taking care of your neighbor? Are you caring for God’s creation? Are you living simpler to do these things? Or are you consuming and not caring? When all is said and done what will your "Christian Footprint" look like?
As I read the book and the statistics I marveled at the fact that the average food items travel 1200 miles to get to our table. That is a shock. We get so used to going to the store and buying and not even thinking about the where and why. I have an allergy to MSG and so for 13 years now have been very cautious as to what we buy so that the food does not contain it, but that is the extent to the thought put into the food we buy. Definitely something we will have to start thinking about.
The stats on the over consumption in the US alone should kick us in the butt. Capitalism is not a bad thing. The fact that we call ourselves a country founded on Christian values should mean something. In that, the people with the money should be giving back and quit spending on unnecessary things. As a white middle class man I will say that we have lived a privileged life. Before Seminary we had a pretty secure life, roof, food on the table, new toys for the kids. Since moving here we have been forced to simplify things as money would allow and it has been a humbling experience. Trips to the food shelf are especially eye opening. But we have learned to do more with less. We get by because we have simplified much, but there is still work to be done.
What I appreciated from the book the most is the theological take on the issues. The scripture references are great and lend light on just how God wants us to care for creation and how creation is caring for us. Calvin DeWitt’s six principles for applying are great because they get to the heart of simpler living and what we must do. Ultimately, “we must practice what we believe” p.179. He simply lays it out and supports it with scripture. Richard Foster follows those up with is own ,“The outward expression of simplicity”. These are 10 things to consider that show our outward simplicity. As I see them if we consider these when purchasing items we will be able to determine if they are needs or wants. Foster warns against making them 10 commandments rather they should be used as guidelines.
Finally, I really liked the focus throughout on how we are to do this and care about our communities and how that includes local and global economies as well. It is often easy to get caught up in our own day to day stuff and feel like we cannot have an impact. “Every action has an opposite and equal reaction.” “Energy is neither lost nor gained it is merely transferred.” Two axioms from science that apply quite well here. We can never know our impact, however if we do nothing that we are sure nothing is accomplished.
I will finalize this post with a thought that has been rattling in my brain since last August, feel free to use it in sermons it is not copywrited. Everyone is so focused on our “carbon footprints” right now. How big a carbon footprint did the president make attending the Olympic meetings stumping for Chicago and such? I would like us to think about it in a different light. What about worrying about what kind of “Christian Footprint” you are leaving behind. Are you loving others? Are you taking care of your neighbor? Are you caring for God’s creation? Are you living simpler to do these things? Or are you consuming and not caring? When all is said and done what will your "Christian Footprint" look like?
More musings
Well trash clean up did not go as planned this weekend, my son wanted to help but was “busy”, my daughter turned up her nose at cleaning up in the mud, and my wife’s schedule did not allow her to help. I was able to pick up some, ½ a bag full before life got in the way. As I picked up I did not really see a difference as everywhere I turned there seemed to be more and more trash that had migrated our way this winter. I suppose if I had the time to truly devote to the task there would have been better results. Just pondering here, is this the cycle that we live in, we are diligent about keeping things picked up in the spring summer and fall when the white stuff hits we all seem to forget about those things. Is it the same in our homes? Is that why there is spring cleaning? Out with the old? How hard is it to keep up these practices year round? Does it become habbit? One of my college coaches used to muse that it took 75,000 reps to make it a habit so we should just keep doing it and then it would become natural. I wonder if that is true. Something to think about. So we go about our cycles and try and break out of those that we can and put others on new orbits.
Recycling update. Wow there is a lot that can be recycled and I would say that our garbage has been cut by at least 1/3 as that 1/3 goes into recycling bags. It also has occurred that there is a little more work that goes into it as the separation cause multiple trips to the containers. But this is good because it is exercise. I wonder though as we rinse out all the cans, bottles, soda containers with water, how much water are we wasting trying to have less messy recycle areas? Surely, the cost is worth it just pondering the cost analysis. “For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction”, I think about this as we do the little things to help out.
I wonder the same about global warming and the hype that has surrounded it lately. Truly, it is a concern especially for future generations and our actions today will affect tomorrow, but is it an eschatological issue right NOW? I honestly do not know, the right says, “ you are blowing it out of proportion.” The left says, “the sky is falling, the sky is falling.” So what does that leave for those of us in the middle? Are we to become alertist for either side or should we be the voices of reason? I ask again because I do not have the answer. Frankly, I do not have the time to ponder it to much in the day to day thing we call life. Which leads me to my next post on living life more plainly…….
Recycling update. Wow there is a lot that can be recycled and I would say that our garbage has been cut by at least 1/3 as that 1/3 goes into recycling bags. It also has occurred that there is a little more work that goes into it as the separation cause multiple trips to the containers. But this is good because it is exercise. I wonder though as we rinse out all the cans, bottles, soda containers with water, how much water are we wasting trying to have less messy recycle areas? Surely, the cost is worth it just pondering the cost analysis. “For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction”, I think about this as we do the little things to help out.
I wonder the same about global warming and the hype that has surrounded it lately. Truly, it is a concern especially for future generations and our actions today will affect tomorrow, but is it an eschatological issue right NOW? I honestly do not know, the right says, “ you are blowing it out of proportion.” The left says, “the sky is falling, the sky is falling.” So what does that leave for those of us in the middle? Are we to become alertist for either side or should we be the voices of reason? I ask again because I do not have the answer. Frankly, I do not have the time to ponder it to much in the day to day thing we call life. Which leads me to my next post on living life more plainly…….
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Basic musings
Hello all, just a quick update on this week and what has been going on. Recycling has been going pretty well. My son and daughter have both at separate times had to remind dad, but that is ok because they keep us focused. The note from Carole in housing is both encouraging and disheartening at the same time. The face that there are those that are recycling is great, the fact that we cannot get them in the right bins or correctly is not so good.
Reading the book on simpler living is going much slower than I expected and I hope to have a review to post by Monday so that I am somewhat on track.
Those that know me know I am a more conservative, Confessional Lutheran, meaning, yes that I am also a Republican. So as you read my post know that that is where I am coming from, but also realize that we are all not radical and closed minded most of us on this side are also capable of learning and adapting our lifestyles so that they are more environmentally in line with where they should be. I do read my Bible and as such see areas that God wants us to take care of as stewards of the gifts that he had given to us.
So as I read the material and process the facts it is not hard for me to see that we, personally, locally, globally, need to make some changes. I enjoy the outdoors and like to be able to fish and eat the fish I catch and acknowledge that as a whole we are shutting those areas down. It is encouraging to see that MN legislators are also aware of this. As the snow rapidly melts I am slapped in the face with the fact that my brothers and sisters in the world, as well as myself, are pigs. Just take a look at the ground when you get out of your car or if you are walking on a sidewalk and see how much garbage is lying around. Do I have a solution? Not really, perhaps funding for a competent maintenance, housekeeping staff at the Seminary would be a good start, but I digress. My solution is to get some industrial sized rubber gloves and pick up garbage in the lot and around our building with my family. My family does not know of this yet but I am somewhat sure that I will not be the only one out there Saturday. I know that my son spent most of the second semester last year, at recess, with a few of his friends, picking up garbage around the playground.
During the winter months it is easy to set inside and become complacent. I do it every winter. Now that Spring is right around the corner I want to be more active. I want to do more. If I let the kids go then I have no choice. As Spring comes I want to open my eyes and see the brown turn to green, reds, blues and the like. I look forward to this time of year. Days are longer and nights shorter. We start to come into the light and there is salvation in the light.
Beware to those of you who are new to MN. High School sports tournaments are just around the corner and they usually bring with them a good sized snow storm, so we may not be out of the weather yet. Hopefully posting this will stave it off, but do not count on it.
Two weeks and we shall be in SW MN. Take care and have a Super Fantastic Day.
Reading the book on simpler living is going much slower than I expected and I hope to have a review to post by Monday so that I am somewhat on track.
Those that know me know I am a more conservative, Confessional Lutheran, meaning, yes that I am also a Republican. So as you read my post know that that is where I am coming from, but also realize that we are all not radical and closed minded most of us on this side are also capable of learning and adapting our lifestyles so that they are more environmentally in line with where they should be. I do read my Bible and as such see areas that God wants us to take care of as stewards of the gifts that he had given to us.
So as I read the material and process the facts it is not hard for me to see that we, personally, locally, globally, need to make some changes. I enjoy the outdoors and like to be able to fish and eat the fish I catch and acknowledge that as a whole we are shutting those areas down. It is encouraging to see that MN legislators are also aware of this. As the snow rapidly melts I am slapped in the face with the fact that my brothers and sisters in the world, as well as myself, are pigs. Just take a look at the ground when you get out of your car or if you are walking on a sidewalk and see how much garbage is lying around. Do I have a solution? Not really, perhaps funding for a competent maintenance, housekeeping staff at the Seminary would be a good start, but I digress. My solution is to get some industrial sized rubber gloves and pick up garbage in the lot and around our building with my family. My family does not know of this yet but I am somewhat sure that I will not be the only one out there Saturday. I know that my son spent most of the second semester last year, at recess, with a few of his friends, picking up garbage around the playground.
During the winter months it is easy to set inside and become complacent. I do it every winter. Now that Spring is right around the corner I want to be more active. I want to do more. If I let the kids go then I have no choice. As Spring comes I want to open my eyes and see the brown turn to green, reds, blues and the like. I look forward to this time of year. Days are longer and nights shorter. We start to come into the light and there is salvation in the light.
Beware to those of you who are new to MN. High School sports tournaments are just around the corner and they usually bring with them a good sized snow storm, so we may not be out of the weather yet. Hopefully posting this will stave it off, but do not count on it.
Two weeks and we shall be in SW MN. Take care and have a Super Fantastic Day.
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