Becoming What We Love

Something New

2011-10-02T13:00:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted for months.

My grandfather died, I graduated from seminary, I got married, I moved to Saint Paul, and I went to Puerto Rico.

I no longer live at the Stevens House, so the ongoing story of life in our house is no longer what I can write about.

But please come join me at my new site:

http://reimagineimago.wordpress.com/

Grace and peace,

Katie

Where I've been

2010-12-15T23:15:00.002-06:00

In the parking lot at the V.A. in Lihu'e, Kauai, Hawaii.

My intention back in early November was to blog everyday in November.

But then, one of my congregants (the mother of an 8 year old and 15 year old) passed away.

And then we got engaged*

Then the day after we got engaged, my grandfather went into the ER with abdominal pain, they found spots on his liver, which eventually led to a diagnosis of some sort of super aggressive cancer. I've been in Hawaii with my aunt, mom and grandparents, running to the pharmacy, UPS, post office, bank, V.A., grocery store, cooking meals, taking out the trash, checking the mail, running to the airport getting the paper, and trying to be present and helpful. I am back in MN now**

I love Kauai, it is absolutely my favorite, favorite, favorite place on the planet. I have never been anywhere more beautiful. My time in Hawaii filled me with so much Aloha (a term that has many of the same nuances as the Hebrew Shalom). Kauai is home to the wettest place on earth, Mount Wai'ale'ale, it is known as the Garden Island, so much rain means lots of green. When I left Kauai, on December 13, the rain gauge in my grandparent's backyard had registered 12.57" of rain. While I was getting automated messages on my cell phone from the city of Minneapolis declaring a snow emergency, the land line at my grandparent's house had a similar automated message about flash floods, "turn around, don't drown." The next day, as I waited outside a church with three Native Hawaiian women for a Zumba class that never materialized, we talked at length about "turn around, don't drown," and our experience of the storm.***

The last month, actually the last several months, have been a flood for me. The water of life is roaring quickly by, but God is faithful. Isaiah is the favorite prophet of the Christmas/Advent season. I've blogged these verses before, after our floods this summer, but here they are again.

Isaiah 43 -

¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,

*(a post to come on that soon?)

**(missed the blizzard - I'm hoping that Leah will guest blog about the house in the blizzard - now I've made it public so she'll have to do it.)

*** (if I was a preacher on Kauai, I would so use, "turn around, don't drown," as a sermon title.

Benediction

2010-11-14T12:17:00.001-06:00

I just returned from an exploration and discernment event with the Bishop of the MN annual conference of the UMC and several young clergy. This was our beautiful final benediction after communion this morning:

May God bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships,

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done,

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

Friday Night - What to do? Order Galactic Pizza!

2010-11-04T11:48:00.005-05:00

Hey Southsiders!

Have you had Galactic Pizza before?

A few weeks ago their menu was delivered to our door, printed in 3-D with 3-D glasses attached to the menu. Here's super hero Holly reading the menu.
Here are the facts about Galactic Pizza -

It's catch phrase is "Planet Saving Pizza"
Their delivery people dress in spandex (like super heroes) and deliver their pizzas in tiny 100% electric vehicles.
A portion of their profits goes to support local nonprofits and fight hunger
They compost, recycle and purchase recyclable and post consumer recycled products.

They are awesome.

We had Galactic Pizza a few weeks ago for date night and it was delicious. It's one thing to have good values, and another to have a high quality product. This was both. We ordered the Pizza Ala Vodka (Creamy tomato vodka sauce, mozzarella cheese, organic button mushrooms, prosciutto, and fresh organic basil.) and it was delicioso.

If you want to go, or order for delivery check them out.

Where are you Holly? This is [L]

2010-11-04T11:16:00.003-05:00

The doorbell rang again today, I am home for an hour between meetings and was surprised to see our 9 year old neighbor [L]. It's parent teacher conferences in Minneapolis today, which is a fact I missed. A few days ago, [L] and Kohls made themselves squares on our white board. Richard left them each a message this weekend. [L] literally clapped his hands when I told him that he had a message on his square.

He wanted to leave a message for Holly, so he had to erase a message that he had left Holly a few days earlier.

"Now that you've seen the message from Richard, should we erase that one too?" I asked him.

"No, not yet. I like having a message."

It was funny to me when Richard left the messages for Kohls and L. I just thought that it was a silly thing. But to the kids it means something much more. It means that someone in our house cares about them, that they matter, that they have a presence here.

Positive psychologists say that hearing your own name brings happiness for three reasons. We experience pleasure when we hear our own name; we feel engaged when we hear our own name; and we feel that we matter and therefore have a deeper sense of meaning and purpose when we hear our name.

I don't know what the psychologists say about reading our name on a white board at a neighbor's house. But I suspect the findings would be similar. I'm grateful that Holly and Richard were able to show L that he matters today, even if they are at work.

Who do you want to be?

2010-11-03T23:57:00.002-05:00

My students in youth group are doing a study on "Becoming a Young Woman of God."

In our last lesson we looked at a list of characteristics, the girls circled what they wanted to be: popular; mean; kind; sympathetic; passionate; musical; arrogant etc.

In that lesson we talked about the ways that our choices determine the women that we become. We watched clips from 13 going on 30 and had a very good time.

Tonight we talked about goals, about short term and long term gratification, and about the steps we need to take to become the women God is calling us, and we want to be.

The name of this blog is becoming what we love. It was a quote I had just come across this quote "We cannot help conforming ourselves to what we love."by Francis de Sales on the Sojourners blog, and it really struck a chord. I want to be loving, I want to be kind, I want to be generous. I want to be a reflection of Jesus. Yet, my life shows that I'm conforming to something else far too often. There are things that I love that cause me to conform to different patterns than those that I want to be.

One of the verses that we read tonight was Proverbs 14:12*

¹² There is a way that appears to be right,

but in the end it leads to death.

So here's my prayer for myself, and maybe it will become your prayer as well.

Lord, help me to fall more in love with you, so that the thing that I conform to is you. Help me to make choices that help me to become the woman [or man] that you'd have me to be. I want to be like you, I want to love you.

*For Richard's take on this verse check out his posterous "Vespa de los muertos." (When I told him that we had read this verse he started repeating it but SCREAMING the word "death." so that it lasted at least as long as the rest of the sentence.)

The Eight Year Old Always Rings Seventy-Nine Times

2010-11-01T23:14:00.004-05:00

We have a new friend at our house, she shares a name with a popular store, so she introduces herself by saying, “My name is [let’s call her Kohls] but I don’t shop at Kohls I shop at JC Penny’s." Holly was looking for work all summer and had lots of free time at home, she got to know Kohls and many of our neighbor kids, it’s an incredibly diverse group of kids: Somali, Lao, African American, and Mexican, boys and girls, all younger than ten. Several times each day the doorbell rings, “is Holly there?” The rest of us were starting to feel like second class neighbors since no one ever asked for Leah, Wanda or Katie.

Last week as I was in a total rush to pack up my textbooks and laptop before school on Monday night the doorbell rang. And rang. And rang. And rang. And rang. (we’ve gone over some rules for visiting the house: no playing on the porch if you don’t have an adult from the house out there; ask before you open any door or drawer; say please; say thank you – but somehow “please don’t ring the doorbell 79 times,” hasn’t sunk into the collective consciousness of our neighbors.

“Hi Kohls. What’s up?”

“Is Holly home?”

“No she’s not, can I leave a message for her?”

“Yes, um, can you tell her that Kohls stopped by?”

“I will. Have a good day Kohls.” (shutting door)

“Wait, Katie can you play with me?”

“Nope, sorry, I have to go to school now.”

“Oh, you go to school?”

“Yep.”

“High School?”

“Nope, Seminary, it’s college for Pastors after college.”

“Oh.”

“Bye Kohls.”

“Ok, bye.”

It’s reading week, so Richard and I don’t have class tonight. At 5:15 the doorbell rang, and rang, and rang, and rang, and rang, and rang.

“Hi Kohls. What’s up?”

“Is Holly home?”

“No she’s not, can I leave a message for her?”

“Yes, um, can you tell her that Kohls stopped by?”

“I will. Have a good day Kohls.”

“Katie, you have class tonight don’t you?”

“No actually, my class was cancelled tonight.”

“Oh, well then can you play with me?”

“ummm… No, I need to take a shower and do homework, and I have a dinner date and… actually why don’t you come back in a half hour and we can play a game of uno together Kohls?”

“I don’t know how long is a half hour.”

“5:45, come over at 5:45, and we can play a game of Uno, after I take a shower.”

Sure enough at 5:45 on the dot Kohls was rang the bell, she had 4 of her trick or treating candies in her hand. She had picked out 4 candies specifically for the four women living in this house. “This one,” she said handing me a dark chocolate kit kat, “is for you, it’s a black kit kat. I’m going to put everyone elses candies in their mailboxes.”

Richard happened to come over just as we were starting the Uno game so we dealt him in. We only had time for one quick game but we got to play a game, laugh and share the kit kat.

There were two things that left me a little unsettled.

One, this eight year old remembered a brief rushed and stressed out conversation that I had with her a week ago. She knew that my schedule meant that I had to go to school at night on Mondays. I’m so self centered I have a hard time remembering the schedule of my best friends, roommates and family who I have known for ages, Kohls remembered a neighbors school schedule. I feel like I’m the one who is supposed to care about her, not vice versa. The flip was heartwarming for sure, but also slightly unsettling.

Two, this eight year old brought presents for us. Not just for Holly, who is clearly everyone’s favorite roommate, or for me who had offered to play Uno with her after I took the time to shower, but for each and every roommate, and she picked out candies that she thought that we would like. Holly and Leah got plain kit kats, Wanda got a hersheys cookies and cream bar and I got the dark kit kat. Kohls wanted to bless us and share some of her trick or treat bounty with us.

There’s a quote from Jean Vanier that I learned when I was living in St. Louis. “People may come to our communities because they want to serve the poor; they will only stay once they have discovered that they themselves are poor.”

It’s hard to escape the white savior, colonialist, patriarchal frame of mind. I’ve lived in the house for more than five years now, worked at an urban church, am majoring in Community Ministry Leadership in seminary. I know, intellectually and practically that viewing the haves as the rescuers of the have nots is never going to lead to a meaningful harvest. I need Kohls and her family, the Somali families that ring our doorbell, “pipe-smoking-cat-walking man” and even “Eight dollar man” more than they need me.

PS- Richard reminded me about this classic Sesame Street video a couple of weeks ago when I started whining about the number of times that the doorbell rings. Enjoy

Sesame Street: Smell Like A Monster

2010-10-12T14:38:00.000-05:00

I am slightly embarrassed to admit how much I LOVE the Old Spice commercial "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like." I'm not sure how healthy it is as far as the objectification of African American Men, or even for the objectification of women, but it's so funny. And now Sesame Street has a parody of it that makes me laugh a lot.

Peace

Katie

The Perfect Woman - Part Three - Gray

2010-10-10T15:15:00.004-05:00

We just completed a chapter on the Imago Dei in seminary. This phrase, "Made in the Image of God" has at least 4 major different interpretations. One of the big questions theologians ask is this - While human beings were made in the Image of God in Genesis, how much of that image remains now that we are living in a sinful, unjust world?

I believe, and I think that the strongest argument can be made, that while the Image of God in us has been marred by sin and injustice, there is some image of God in each person, regardless of religion, race, age, ability, history, gender, orientation etc.

One of the side effects of trying to be "The Perfect Woman", is a tendency to make all or nothing decisions. Resulting in misunderstanding of grace towards the imperfections of myself and others.

Either I'm perfect - OR - I'm a failure

Either He's a spiritual person - OR - he's a hypocrite

Either She's a good friend - OR - She's a terrible friend

Either that church cares about the community - OR - they're self-centered.

Again there's a problem. If members of our community or community groups are being held to an impossible, all or nothing standard, we miss opportunities to love them.

So we're becoming what we love, if we love perfection, if we love clear cut, black and white, all or nothing, we'll continue to put people into boxes, hold them on impossibly high and wobbly pedestals or relegate them to small boxes where there is no hope for redemption. Certainly, some things are "black and white." But I suspect that for many things there is much more gray (or grey if your an Anglophile) then we let ourselves believe.

In community, there must be gray.

Well not Macy Gray, but since you were asking for a flashback to the year 2000 here you go.

Plus did you see Andy on The Office cover this last week? Hulu it "Andy's Play" about minute 19, so sweet. (Did I mention that all 4 of us have been sick over the past week? I've watched a lot of TV).

The Perfect Woman - Part Two - Shoulds

2010-10-10T14:57:00.005-05:00

This picture is from the British Feminist Mental Health Blog Crazy Like Us?

I'm still reading Stronger Than You Think

One of the challenges in the book is to examine the things that we women tell ourselves. I started by making a list of "should"s that I tell myself often, some include:

I should always look cute, but professional, attractive but not slutty, trendy but not trashy
I shouldn't care about how I look, not be superficial
I should eat wholesome, homemade, healthy, carefully prepared organic food.
I should take less time cooking and more time doing homework, work, and chores.
I should give 110% of myself to my job
I should give 110% of myself to my studies
I should give 110% of myself to my relationship, family and friends
I should lead a perfectly balanced life, and remember to take a weekly sabbath, and quarterly vacation, get 8 hours of sleep every night and an hour of physical activity every day.
I should speak my mind assertively
I should question the things that are coming out of my mouth.

Do you see the problem? You can't both strive to look cute, professional, attractive, and trendy, while simultaneously not caring what you look like.

You can't give 330% of yourself, neither can you give even 100% of yourself to any activity.

I want to be conformed more and more to the image of Christ. I want know more deeply that it is His love that defines me, not how well I live up to my list of "shoulds." I don't want to want to be perfect. I want to want to be His.

Reconsider Columbus Day

2010-10-10T14:55:00.001-05:00

We had lots of illness at the house this week, I haven't forgotten about the "perfect woman" series, but I wanted to share this. I'm sure 7 of your friends have already shared it on facebook, but just in case.

Katie

The Perfect Woman - Part one - A Video

2010-09-28T21:22:00.002-05:00

We're a house full of women now. For the first time in the history of the Stevens House, we're all women, it's a new dynamic to be sure.

I've been reading a book, Stronger Than You Think: Becoming Whole Without Having to Be Perfect, A Guide for Women. It's published by IVP, so of course as an InterVarsity Alum, a woman and a recovering perfectionist, I am obviously the target audience. But I have to say that it has been a long time since a book has spoken truth to my soul in such a profound way.

I'm going to share some reflections on this book, and "the perfect woman" in future posts, but first, this video. A friend from High School posted this on her facebook today and it fit with my desire to blog on this topic:

House Updates - September before September is over

2010-09-21T22:09:00.005-05:00

So, yesterday, I promised that there would be a post up today about actual news from the house. I've got 51 minutes of awake time left for today, so here's a quick top 10 list of updates.

1.) Noel and Theresa got married! Woo Hoo! It was fun, I was so busy being a "Groom's Maid." That I didn't take many pictures, but here's Richard and me (and actually, this picture was taken by Bethany

2.) On account of his getting married, Noel moved out, to an apartment just a few blocks away with his lovely bride Theresa.

3.) Wanda painted the walls of what was Noel's room, and Leah moved in. Leah started work the day after she moved in as Pre-K and Kindergarten teacher at an urban Montessori school. It's fun to hear about her days with the little ones.

4.) Valerie's cousin moved to town, so Valerie moved out to live with her cousin. Again she's very close and we see her often, but we miss her.

5.) Holly's substitute teaching, and really doing a fantastic job of meeting and loving our neighbors. She was on channel 9 news tonight, hugging one of our neighbors. There are many days when the doorbell rings 5 or 6 times if Holly's not home, our neighbor kids are looking for Holly and want her to come play, "that ship game," (battle ship) with them. Please pray for 2 of our neighbors who are still in the Hospital in critical condition after a Carbon Monoxide leak at the apartment across the street.

6.) I survived my crazy summer, (flooded car, never ending cold, mysterious hives, drama at work, Systematic Theology I, bed bugs, meeting Richard's parents and sister - all in a 5 week stretch) mostly because of the support of my roommates, my parents, my sisters and Richard. God showed Himself to be faithful to me in the midst of all of the crazy this summer.

7.) One of our Neighbors, Source Ministries, is trying to raise $42,000 to purchase a building that will be sustainable transitional housing for people coming out of prostitution and sex trafficking in the Twin Cities. With the economy still being so bad, many more teenagers are ending up homeless and in prostitution. In order to raise the money to buy the building (next door to one of their existing buildings, they are asking people to donate $2.00 and to tell 2 friends over the next two weeks. If you can give more, great, if not $2.00 c'mon, $2.00.

8.) B made it back to Taj, you can read about her adventures here

9.) Two things I love in Minneapolis this September -

1- Sunflowers - They are all over place, every time I drive past a sunflower, I smile. I like how the sunflower follows the sun, they keep their faces to the light, there's a not so hidden metaphor in that ;)

2- (related to #1) Farmer's Markets - This summer, I didn't go to the market too much, I was living in SLP for much of the summer, and also we had a very lovely mini-farmer's market at church. But I went to the midtown farmer's market this weekend, and was reminded about how much I love it.

10.) Three more things I love this September

1- Twitter - I've gone over to the darkside, but I love following my favorite Minneapolis restaurants, non-profits, friends, and arts people. I'm a boring tweeter, I'm still learning but I'm sort of liking this world.

2- Libraries (which also might mean that I like not reading text books)- the Minneapolis/Hennepin County Library System is so great. I've been listened to books on CD, read magazines that I can't afford to subscribe to, caught up on the adventures of Mma. Ramotswe and the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, learned about celiac's disease and so much more. Public libraries=AWESOME

3- The Science Museum of Minnesota. We had an awesome date there this weekend.

A Cute Video to Start Your Week

2010-09-20T09:50:00.002-05:00

It's Monday (which is my Saturday, at least until next week when Seminary starts again, when it becomes my Friday). But since for most of the world, Monday is your Monday, and at least in Mpls, it's rather cool and cloudy today, I thought that I'd share a piece of whimsical charming fun that I discovered this morning. I'll have news from the house to share tomorrow, but in the meantime, enjoy this movie.

HT the Happiness Project and Gimundo.com

good fences make good roommates?

2010-07-14T20:58:00.000-05:00

Height Order

2010-07-12T12:19:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why this is so hillarious to me, but here we are, in height order, looking extra cool. Happy Monday.

Nice Ride

2010-07-09T15:08:00.000-05:00

Have you seen these yet?

It's a new program in Minneapolis, called "Nice Ride."

They've recently opened a station right by our house.

Evidently you pay a daily, monthly, or yearl subscription fee, plus an hourly rate to use the bikes, but like the Hennepin County library system you can return your bike at any station.

I have my own gorgeous bike, that over the last 2 weeks with a flooded out car has been getting me everywhere I need to go. I've heard it said that Minneapolis/St. Paul is the second most bikeable urban area in the US (after Portland, OR). When my friends Aimee and Chris were here last week they were amazed by how many bikers there were. Now visitors and those who don't have thier own bikes can join in on the fun.

How to Build Community - Ask A Question

2010-07-06T18:24:00.000-05:00

This is my dear friend Leah. Leah asks good questions. She's also the most community minded person I know.

Leah used to work for Dinomights and so I used to see her a few times each week at work. Back in those days we were asked more than once if we were sisters, (being tannish white women with brown hair)

Today, we look more like pretend twins. Look at our coordinated, unplanned grey-purple ensembles. We met up this afternoon and then walked to the MIA, we walked, and talked, and enjoyed the airconditioning of the Museum (you know seeing billions of dollars worth of art is ok, but free air conditioning is brilliant).

Our time at the MIA was filled with great conversations, and great questions. The questions Leah asked me today were an almost immediate answer to prayer. So I'm thanking God today that Leah is a part of my community and that she asks questions.

Each Day Has Enough Trouble of Its Own

2010-07-02T12:11:00.000-05:00

Multiple transitions at work, a flooded car, a mysterious ongoing allergic reaction to something that both my doctors and I can't figure out and my natural instinct is to worry.

This week, I took my prayer/camera walk at Wolfe Park, I needed to run some errands and I could bike to Excelsior and Grand/Miracle Mile, so it was back St. Louis Park, to see what God had for me. I took these pictures, and then laughed at how well they illustrate Jesus' command not to worry in Matthew 6. Look:

Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Double Reunion Day

2010-07-02T09:53:00.007-05:00

I met up with a few college friends yesterday for lunch. It was so great to see Aimee and her husband Chris, who I haven't seen for about four years. They live near Dallas and stopped at my house on their way to Deer River to see her family. Jessi, another college friend who just returned from Iraq, and Lisa another friend, who though she works less than a mile from my house I've only seen 3 times this year. All came over and got Vietnamese sandwiches with me. We enjoyed an awesome day in the sun, played with Aimee and Chris' dog and caught up a little bit. These are women who I know would have my back if I ever needed rescuing. We all lived on the 7th floor of Lake Superior Hall our freshman year. *cue the music* "memories." We forgot to snap a picture before Lisa left, so here's me, Aimee and Jessi.

After my college buddies left I developed some sort of allergic reaction, so I was off to the doctor, the doctor gave me a strong antihistamine that made me super drowsy, so when Richard drove me home I was groggy, but so happy because . . . . .

BETHANY IS HOME!!!!!!!

I'm groggily drugged up on allergy meds in this picture, and B's crying, but look at how ridiculously happy we are in the midst of that!!!!

Yay!

How to Build Community - Sing Together

2010-06-27T13:31:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile since I took something from the "How to build community" poster.

This picture is actually pretty old. This fall, our kitchen was infested with moths. After the exterminator came Holly and I had the "honor" of putting cleaning all of the kitchen cupboards and putting things back away. I had just started dating Richard, and was in a romantic giddy mood, and Holly is a good sport. We both love musicals and pretending that we are rock-stars. When Theresa showed up at the house she joined us for the fun. Holly, Theresa and I each took turns choosing a "love song" and playing its video off of youtube and then the three of us would belt it. This particular picture shows T and Holly singing along with Whitney Houston, "I will Always Love You!"

I've been re-reading Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the age of the quick fix this week. One thing that I didn't notice the first time through was Friedman's argument that one way to prevent and diffuse anxiety in a system (a family, a congregation, a business) is to maintain playfulness. There's something healthy that happens when you grab a wooden spoon and get in touch with your inner Diva and sing . . . "I-eeeee-i will always loooooooove yooouuuuuuuuuu."

What could have been a frustrating or boring night, turned into a chance for Holly and Theresa and I to bond and laugh. If we didn't have the job, I probably would have spent the night reading textbooks, and wasting time on facebook. If we hadn't started the love-song-sing-a-long, I would have likely gotten crabby and resentful. But I have really great memories of singing and laughing.

This Friday night, Richard, Holly, Noel and I had our cars flooded by rain water that was running down the street. The basement got a little wet, and garbage cans were floating down the road. It could have been super stressful. But we were together, and we were able to laugh together about how absurd it was. Noel's friend Paul was over and suggested that we go outside. One of my roommates pretended that s/he (I promised I wouldn't tell who) was being eaten by a crocodile in a river, we laughed at the waves created as cars drove down the street, we made up songs, we shop vac-ed our cars and laughed some more at the absurdity of 30 gallons of water in one car.

It's been a terrible week at our house, tons of professional, personal and family drama for all of us. But laughing and singing and playing together on Friday night has been good for us. I feel closer to my housemates than I have in a long time.

So let's keep on singing, let's keep on laughing, let's keep on playing. Happy Sunday!

Flood

2010-06-26T10:09:00.005-05:00

¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—

he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

² When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

³ For I am the LORD, your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I give Egypt for your ransom,

Cush and Seba in your stead.

Isaiah 43:1-3 NIV

Growth

2010-06-23T11:04:00.001-05:00

I snapped this picture yesterday at Westwood.

I'm finding myself frustrated that I have to face similar issues as I've faced over and over again in my walk, my ministry and my relationships.

Haven't we been in this place before? I thought that we dealt with it.

But the vine makes progress (eventually) and the vine still lives, and even when it comes back to the same place, it's not the same vine.

Happy Summer

2010-06-22T21:44:00.000-05:00

I haven't completely abandonned the blog.

I've had things that I've wanted to blog about, but distractedness level has been pretty high, and I haven't taken much time to process my personal experiences, or the experiences of the world much in the past 2 months. The oil spill, the Arizona Immigration Bill, multiple reports on the achievement gap by race at school in Minnesota, and a gap in employment by race in Minnesota have all tugged at my heart, and I've wanted to talk about them, but I've allowed the frenetic pace of "End of the School Year" programming at work, and end of the quarter responsibilities at school to take over.

But God's calling me back to Himself, and back to myself. And I'm finding my center in Him again. Hopefully I will have more to say again soon.

But in the mean time, here's a picture of a blue damselfly that I took today at Westwood Hills Nature Center in Saint Louis Park today. Tuesdays are my sabbath, and I've started a new practice the last two weeks of hiking with my camera in hand, and asking God to help me slow down and to notice things. My hope is that God would speak to me through the things that I notice as I walk.

Have you tried Groupon?

2010-04-22T08:41:00.002-05:00

I've never used the blog to sell something and I won't make a habit of doing this, but this site is really cool.

Have you tried Groupon?

Today's deal for Minneapolis/St. Paul is $5.00 for $10.00 worth of Ice Cream at the Pumphouse Creamery.

I've never been to the Pumphouse but with flavors like "Brandy Soaked Local Cherries with Handmade Brownies" and "SeaSalt, Caramel and Praline Pecans" as well as "Local organic Strawberry" and one described as "An Indian ice cream using ground raw pistachios, rosewater, and cardamom." I am looking forward to trying it. It's no secret that I'm a wannabe foodie.

This is the third Groupon that I've bought and I've had good luck with the other two (1/2 price dinner at Anodyne Coffee and $50 worth of services at Aveda Institute). You only buy the Groupons that you want, and you have up to a year to use them.

If you haven't already joined Groupon, consider joining through my referral link. There is a ten dollar credit that you receive for each person that you refer to Groupon. I honestly think that it's just a really good deal, so I do truly recommend it to you.

This is Beautiful - Landlord gives kidney to tenant

2010-02-23T22:37:00.003-06:00

I've met both Dan and Sherry before, but it would be a stretch to say that I know them, but take time to read this story. It's beautiful. Thanks to Leah and Urban Homeworks for the link.

Love is the Air

2010-02-23T10:47:00.001-06:00

On February 13, Noel showed this video, and a couple others, to Theresa Thompson and then asked her a big question, and while I can't reveal what the question was ;) I can report that her answer was yes

Frog sitting

2010-02-04T16:15:00.000-06:00

While Richard is away Kermit is staying at the Stevens House. We played dress up today.

Yeah, i'm a dork.

a sad day in minneapolis

2010-01-25T15:42:00.000-06:00

This cake is just so sad, I needed to post a picture of it.

The Neighborhood's Best Cure for a Cold

2010-01-17T21:00:00.005-06:00

I woke up this morning with a cold, fortunately, we live two blocks from the best cure on the planet. #505 Pho Tai

One of these things doesn't belong...

2010-01-16T09:22:00.004-06:00

Which one of these doesn't belong?

A - Axe

B - Shovel

C - Log

D - Saw

My coworker Martial came into my office this week and wrote this problem on my white board.

I chose log. The others are tools, log is not.

Martial told me that he chose shovel. The other three tell a story about cutting wood, they have a relationship to one another.

"You see, you, as an American, are trained to think in terms of categories. I as a Frenchman, was trained to think in terms of relationships and stories. Look, I bet Carlos will think the same as me. Carlos! Come in here!"

Carlos, from Colombia, came in to my office, "shovel."

"But I bet that the other Katie will choose the same as you."

Katie came in, "log"

So, I changed my fb status quickly and set up an unofficial experiment, with the problem posted. All day long messages came in, responses came from around the US, and the world. From people born in the US, Asia, Africa, and Latin American countries. Men and women responded, teens and people in their fifties.

Nineteen people said "shovel;" twenty-three said "log."

There were white North Americans who said, "shovel."

There were non-white and Internationals who said, "log."

Women were more likely to say "shovel" than men.

People with graduate degrees or who are currently in graduate school were more likely to say "log" than those who are not.

Everyone in the US who would identify him or herself as "Latino" chose "shovel" but of the 3 Spanish people [from Spain] interviewed, two said "log" and one said "shovel."

We've been talking about schema in my Culture and Ministry class at Bethel. Our eyes take in 10 million bits of information per second, and our brain is incapable of processing that much. So, as we mature, we develop schema, or frameworks to help us sort through that information. Depending on the family and the culture and environment that we grow up in, we develop different frameworks in order to survive in that setting.

We run into problems when we assume that the people we are interacting with are using the same schema or frameworks as we are.

Now, here's my affirmation for you. Whether you've chosen log or shovel, you're not a bad person. If you chose log, it doesn't mean that you don't value relationships. If you chose shovel, it doesn't mean that you can't think critically.

It is inappropriate to take a deficit approach to culture, whether we're judging the majority culture or a minority culture. The schema that any of us have developed to survive in our environments are good and helpful things. The challenge is not to feel bad about how you think, but to be aware of your schema and the schema of others.

Grateful for the House

2010-01-07T18:09:00.004-06:00

I usually think of "the house" in terms of the 5 individuals who happen to be living here at any given time. Today though, I'm struck by what a gift this building is. So when I say that I'm grateful for the "house" I mean that.

Not only do we have a warm place to live, but we are surrounded by so much beauty in our home, just look at this radiator, there's no practical reason for it to be so pretty, but for whatever reason when the radiators were installed they included all those gorgeous scrolls. This is a gorgeous, inspiring place to live, and after living here for so long, I've often taken it all for granted. But today, I'm remembering, the beauty of this house, I'm remembering how nice it is to be warm, when it's supposed to feel like -23 F this morning, I'm remembering how nice it is to have space to be with people and to have space to be alone. I am grateful.

CAMERA

2010-01-07T18:00:00.001-06:00

Have I mentioned how much I love my new camera?

The Word Became Flesh

2010-01-07T17:56:00.001-06:00

We're really happy to have our roommate's home, back dwelling among us! Here's Holly and her friend Mary nice and cozy on Wanda's new amazing thrift store couch.

Holly was gone over break at the Urbana '09 conference in St. Louis. The theme for the week was from John 1, "The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us."

The videos of the speakers are great! I haven't watched all of them, but I recommend these:

Sunder Krishnan's "Pray Big, Pray Bold" on day 4

Oscar Muriu's "Money and Power" on day 3

all of Ramez Attallah's teachings on the book of John.

Of course, Shane Claiborne is always awesome and Brenda Saltar McNeil brought a powerful word.

Home!

2010-01-07T10:20:00.000-06:00

Our house was quiet over the Christmas/New Years week. But Sunday our family all came home. Also, my new camera came in the mail on Monday! Hooray! Here's an awesome picture of Noel to welcome you into the New Year!

Family Photo - Christmas Edition

2009-12-13T22:53:00.006-06:00

Since my camera was stolen this summer I haven't blogged much, and haven't uploaded any pics. But Wanda took some great "family photos" tonight, and I borrowed her memory

card before she deleted stuff. So here we are, the Stevens House (Valerie, Noel, Wanda, Katie, Holly) and Theresa!

This is maybe the first photo of Holly, wow!

Christmas-y Links - Justice, Gifts, Emotional Health and COOKIES!

2009-12-08T09:00:00.005-06:00

Hope your advent is going well.

I haven't blogged much over the past month I've been otherwise distracted ...

... speaking of, Richard has started his Christmas list of organizations to support as a gift to him this season. Which I think is an awesome idea. I need to do some thinking before I create my own list.

But on Sojourner's today, I learned that you can add non-profits and charities to your Amazon Christmas wish list. It doesn't even have to be from the Amazon website. Any online giving site anywhere on the web can be added to your wishlist. AMAZING!

Lynne Hybels wrote a description of what I think is a really emotionally and spiritually healthy take on Christmas.

I've started making Christmas cookies, starting with two VERY different food blogs.

"SnoWhite" is a friend of mine from High School who blogs anonymously. She is in her final year of a PhD program in Biology Education, married, active in her church and has the most detailed, organized cooking/menu planning blog I have EVER SEEN! She is sort of amazing. These cookies are the bomb! Mint chocolate cookie crunch.

101 Cookbooks is really cool too - vegetarian. But again these were AWESOME - Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies. Yumm!

My sister is coming over today to help with Christmas baking part 2. Today is the day I get in touch with my ethnic heritage - krumkake (Norwegian), almond rusk (Swedish), potica (Slovenian, which I count as close enough to Croatian to count) and candy cane cookies (Candy Cane cookies have more to do with getting in touch with my [Great] Aunty Ann, who is really really tiny and quite old and adorable, not so much our ethnic heritage).

Repentance

2009-11-19T19:09:00.002-06:00

Repentance.

It means to turn.

To recognize that you were going one way, the wrong way.

To turn around and make a change.

When I lived in Saint Louis my boss would ask me, "Katie have you repented today?" When we would make home visits to members of the congregation he would shout from the front yard, "Maria, repiente te!"

Day after day, we walk towards injustice, towards laziness, towards hatred, towards greed. EVERY day there's and invitation to turn back.

I LOVE it!

Today, executives at Zondervan made a public apology and turned from a book and curriculum that used inappropriate images and language that was based on offensive Asian stereotypes.

Read the letter here.

Hockey In The Hood

2009-11-16T00:30:00.004-06:00

Literacy

2009-11-16T00:06:00.004-06:00

My volunteers and I have been wrestling with the idea of planning curriculum and activities for a classroom full of kids who have a really wide range of abilities. Last week, in my 4th and 5th grade classroom my volunteers had 2 students (English speakers) who couldn't read from the kid's Bible in the classroom (writter supposedly at a 2nd Grade Level). In the same class were 3 students who read regularly from the adult translation of the Bible at home and are testing in the 9th or 10th grade reading level at school. Same grade, remarkable different worlds before them. Literacy will most likely make a difference.

Before Bethany moved to Taj. she was working for the Minnesota Literacy Council. She posted this YouTube video on facebook today and I started to cry watching it. (It may be that I'm missing Bethany a bit this week after talking to her or maybe because I recognize many of the student's faces or maybe because I still really believe in the power of education). This is the power of literacy and education in the lives of children, native English speakers and English Language Learners.

Watch it, be inspired.
(I'm having a hard time copying the code for embedding, so you'll have to click on the link instead either up above or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-BWlwdQGL4&feature=player_embedded )

she must be silent

2009-11-10T07:51:00.003-06:00

Let me tell you a story from when I was 10 years old:

I came home from school one day totally depressed that there were so many problems in the world. Rather than going outside to ride bikes in the alley with my sisters and friends, or pulling out toys or a book, or even turning on Nickolodeon, I pulled out a notebook and listed every problm I could see in the world.

I don't know how I got to this point, I remember circling things and drawing arrows, writing and re-writing the list*, but eventually I decided that racism was the worst problem in the world. That was what I would focus on and solve it. I didn't really take any concrete action that day, but racial and ethnic justice has been an important part of how I see myself and how I filter the world for a long time.

I have spent very little time considering issues of justice for women and girls. I would get angry when I heard statistics about income, and my heart would break for girls sold into prostitution by their families, but justice and gender were never quite the same level of importance to me as racial and ethnic justice.

And then I started Seminary, and a couple of things happened.

I was given a couple of opportunities to preach at church and discovered that I was fairly decent at it for a beginner and that it was something that I really really loved to do. Before it hadn't bothered me too much that there were sections of the church who argued that women shouldn't preach (based on a reading of 1 Tim. 2:12 without taking into account the unique cultural context it was written for). But now, that I was discovering this gift in me, and really feeling God's joy as I was preparing and preaching, I could no longer accept this position.
I mentioned casually to a guy friend of mine that I sometimes thought of getting a PhD. His response was so enthusiastic and empowering and unexpected that for the first time it became a real possibility in my life and I began to see how I had used my own gender to limit my possibilities.
Working for a Methodist Church and attending a Baptist General Conference (aka Converge Worldwide) school that draws from dozens of denominations I began to overhear a wide spread of views on women in leadership. But I was honored in my first quarter of sem to help plan a Community Forum on Women in Ministry and delighted that the question of the night wasn't, "should women be in ministry leadership?" but rather, "what challenges do women still face?" and "what has helped you thrive and persevere as a woman in ministry?"

This weekend I attended the inaugural meeting of a group for women in Christian leadership, Here's Sara's introduction to the group:

...I have noted a rising up in both in myself and in others around me the questions about what type of leaders we are, who we are becoming and who we will be. For many who are navigating systems that for various reasons may be either unsure, limiting, or exclusionary of women's gifting and leadership there is a sense of need for support, encouragement and/or empowerment. Thus began some reflections about what a group would look like whose mission was solidarity and support for women leaders.The dream is to be a space of support, mutuality, creativity, courage, and hope for more justice and love in the world...

The stories of the women in the group were unique. For some, they always believed that they could be anything, and seminary was the first place that they were told otherwise. For others, they had always assumed that being a woman meant being in a lower level of leadership and service and seminary was a place that they first empowering place in their lives. For some there were elements of both. I'm looking forward to finding my voice as a Jesus loving feminist.

I've been helping Steven with the High School youth group the past two weeks, talking about archetypes of men and women in dating. We used this clip from the Little Mermaid to talk about the voice that many women give up in order to get their man.

In the socially engaged evangelical blogging world over the past weeks the Deadly Viper book has been the most blogged about issue. The pimping out of Asian cultural images and ideas to tell a book about moral character has moved many to speak out against the cultural insensitivity and orientalism.

Sojourners today published an article today "walking, chewing gum" that gives voice to the sexist aspects of this book and asks the question: Is it possible to fight for racial and gender justice at the same time as we strive for the 'beloved community' or the 'kingdom of God'? I'll admit that once again, I missed this element and it's got me thinking.

The same friend who encouraged me towards getting a PhD or a Doctorate posted this on his facebook page this weekend enjoy!

*I still LOVE making lists and prioritizing and organizing ideas

Things I Never Knew Existed - Only in the Neighborhood

2009-10-18T16:54:00.002-05:00

#1
Yesterday, driving down Lake, when I noticed a store offering a sale on baby blankets with this image on them Yes that's right, Scarface baby blankets, only $20.

Because you want your baby to learn to shoot guns while smoking a cigarette perhaps? I'm not sure.

#2
Also on Lake is a new store advertising Hambuguesas y Hotdogs en estilla Mexicana. I will be checking this out, because I have no idea what a Mexican style Hotdog is, but I love pork products and Mexican food, so I'm sure it will be delightful.

Not within our realm of thinking

2009-10-14T16:05:00.003-05:00

OH...........MY...........GOSH

My coworker just showed me this. Costco stores are pulling "Lil' Monkey" brown skinned baby dolls from their shelves. I am working on being less judgmental, but HOW DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS OFFENSIVE!?

Mary Gustaff, CEO of The Brass Key, said her company did not intend
to offend anyone.

"It's not within our realm of thinking," she said.
"We just don't think like that."

This is why, in the 21st century we NEED to be surrounded by people who have different life and cultural experiences than us. Some things are beyond our natural "realm of thinking." We'll make fewer stupid mistakes like this if not everyone thinks in the same realm as us. Churches, schools, businesses, and non-profits NEED diversity to survive.

Chris Rice's lament for Detroit

2009-10-02T14:15:00.003-05:00

Chris Rice (the author of Grace Matters, More Than Equals and Reconciling All Things) published a lament for Detroit on his blog today.

In the article, Rice referst to teaching the art of lament in his college class.

Lament - it's not a word we like. We don't like feeling sad, we don't like sitting with the hard things. We want to move on.

Read Chris's post, and the Time Magazine photo essay that inspired it.

A Story From Chicago - Violence Prevention

2009-09-19T18:29:00.005-05:00

I saw this on Soong Chan Rah's blog:

Hi!

2009-09-17T22:10:00.005-05:00

On Labor Day I met the boys who stand in the window and say, "Hi."

Somehow, before I met them, the two brothers and I started a game where we say an animal name to each other and then make the sound. This often happens 4 or 5 times a day. The younger one really like monkeys and frogs, and the older one loves ducks and dogs.

Mom came outside with the boys on Labor Day when I was home by myself and I walked across the street and met her, her brothers-in-law and the boys. It felt nice to make an actual connection (not that, "I'm a duck - quack quack quack" isn't super meaningful and grown up, it just was nice to use multiple word sentences).

They're moving in less than a month. Which is kind of sad to me.

It's not like I became bff with this mom, or her kids for that matter. But I am sad that we've moved rapidly from saying: "Hi!" --> "I'm a frog, ribbit ribbit, ribbit" --> actual grown up conversation in the last month that they'll be living here.

I want to build community in our neighborhood. It's hard though. Our neighborhood has one of the highest turnover rates in the city (which is partially why I waited in line for more than two hours to vote on election day, everyone was new to the neighborhood and needed to register). When a community is constantly in a state of change, how do you create a sense of belonging and community ownership?

One of the best protective factors for kids against drug use, teen pregnancy, gang activity, delinquency and crime, is a sense of connection to their school and neighborhood. I don't have the resources or the know-how, to help parents not have to move so much. But I do like to help people get to know one another and create a sense of welcome and belonging. That's something that fits with my personality and gifts.

So the question I'm thinking about is, how do you instill pride and connection in a community that may only be your community for a short time? Do you have any ideas?

PS - This is related to the animal sounds, not so much community.

I'm trying to squeeze in as much Spanish practice as I can before classes start on the 28th. Today I was listening to this podcast, "Showtime Spanish" while I was doing data entry at work, and I learned that dogs in Spanish say, "guau guau" not super useful, but fun.

Peaceful Dwelling Places

2009-09-08T09:36:00.004-05:00

My (twin) coworker Steven loves to quote Isaiah 32:18:

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.

That's my prayer for our house on this day after Labor Day, for the school year, that this house will be a peaceful dwelling place, secure and undisturbed, a place of rest.

We all have somewhat stressful lives outside of the house: work, school, clients, ministry students, and customers. We do important work, we often work long hours, our hearts often have a hard time leaving work.

But this house is a place of renewal and rest.

Thank you God!

Noel's First Soundbite

2009-09-07T22:03:00.004-05:00

Noel, Theresa, Wanda, and Valerie went to the fair together today.

I was hanging out with High School work friends so I missed the fun, though they brought home Sweet Martha's - YUM! (and a pronto-pup hat, and a can holder from Chevy, (2 other things I've always wanted ;o))

Noel got interviewed by KTSP, he sounds pretty intelligent, like maybe he's in policy school or something. Here's a link to the story:

KSTP TV - Minneapolis and St. Paul - GOP Gubernatorial Hopefuls Debate at State Fair

Shared via AddThis

Saying Goodbye

2009-09-05T12:29:00.002-05:00

I'm on my way to Bri's funeral. I thank God for the gift of her life.

Bri - You were too young. We love you and we miss you. One of the sweetest kids we'll ever get to know.

one year down - 9 million to go

2009-09-04T16:49:00.002-05:00

Since my last post (from this morning) was kind of on the negative side, here's a positive post:

I'm done with my first 12 months of seminary!

The paper is turned in!

Two of the books that we read for this class were really good, and for many of you blog readers (Harmans, Kelsey, Richard, Harvey, Karla, Leah . . . I'm not sure who else does urban ministry or urban education and reads this:) ) really relevant to our work and life.

The first is Code of the Street by Elijah Anderson. It describes the moral code that lies behind some of what is seen as senseless violence and behavior in innercity Philadelphia. While the culture and the code is somewhat more concentrated in Philly than in Minneapolis or Saint Paul, the information is good.

The second is is Unequal Childhoods by Annette Lareau, which describes class differences in childraising and differing parenting styles in middle class, working class and poor families and how these parenting styles prepare kids for adulthood in the class that they were born in. This was a particularly interesting read for me, working in a ministry that is so diverse socio-economically. What I liked about this book was that Lareau surveys and tells the story of African American and White families at each income level.

There's a benefit of my seminary education, book reviews for you!

I have no idea if I have two years or four years or six years left. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up and whether I'll be Mastering the Art of Community Ministry Leadership(MA), Mastering Divinity(MDiv), or getting PhD or DMin. (of all the initials D.Min. sounds the stupidest). But it feels good to be done with a year!

So Holly and I are on summer vacation (from school our professional lives are kicking into high gear).

I'm off to bring Matt and Em to the airport, then Kassie and I are going to Garrison Keilor at the fair!

Peace,

Katie

Are People Crazy? A sort of angry rant.

2009-09-04T10:02:00.002-05:00

So, I'm generally a fan of the President. I don't think that that's a surprise. I get that not everyone is.

That's OK!

But are people crazy?

President Obama is going to give a speech on September 8 telling kids to work hard in school. Seriously, not a very controversial topic as far as I can tell.

Yet people are calling this "Socialist Brain Washing" I don't understand it.

I didn't know that "work hard in school" was a leftist message.

Then, this morning I saw a post on Soong Chan Rah's fb about Southern Baptist Pastors praying for the President to die.

WHAT!?!?!

Disagree with the President. This is ok. This is good. Disagreement and dialogue refine us and make us more wise.

But to wish someone dead. . . and to publicly say that this is God's will that you're just praying in agreement with him. WHAT!?!?

These two stories make me so sad, angry and sick.

Back to School!

2009-09-01T21:50:00.002-05:00

Kids in Minneapolis went back to school today. Pray for teachers, parents, kids, social workers, coaches, advisors, administrators, and the school board everyone in the school system.

We have two brothers that live in the first floor apartment across the street from us. Each day when I go out to my car or walk to the garden they stand at the window and say, "Hi!" It's really sort of odd. These two little boys, who have a tv and lots of toys in the apartment spend most of their day looking out the window hoping that one of the people outside will say "hi" back to them. Wanda told me that last week, a squad car slowed down as it drove through our neighborhood, and that the cop inside the car rolled down his window to say "hi" to the window boys. It's become a game that every adult in our neighborhood plays.

It started with just the big brother, then the baby came along, now Mom even comes to the window sometimes. I don't know their names, they never play outside. When we try to engage them in more conversation the language barrier gets in the way. The oldest brother has got to be kindergarten age or close to it now. I'm excited to see how school impacts him and his family.

I also promised about 2 months ago that I was going to do some research on performance pay for teachers, which is something that I haven't done yet, but will do. I have one more paper to write for Street Culture, The Poor and Urban Ministry , then I get my "summer vacation" from seminary (we don't start fall quarter until the end of September!) So forgive me and know that I haven't forgotten.

tangent: I was doing homework at the global market on Saturday and discovered "Obama Scented" lotion. It kind of smelled like Old Spice. Weird.

Tomatoes

2009-08-31T15:48:00.002-05:00

Wanda said to Noel last night, "What do you think tomatoes grow on trees or something?"

Kinda.

Our garden (and Wanda's) is lousy with tomatoes. (I love that phrase "lousy with," we really ought to use it more).

I filled a large shopping bag with tomatoes this morning, skinned about half of them and filled 3 gallon ziplock bags with skinless tomatoes to put in the freezer. There are more tomatoes in the house than we can keep up with. We have made salsa, spaghetti sauce, margarita pizza, salad, curry, caprese salad, BLTs, and fried eggs on toast with tomatoes.

The harvest is PLENTIFUL! But the laborers are few, with Bethany settling in in Dushanbe there are fewer hands to harvest and weed and water.

Last week was a busy week for me professionally and academically, and a hard one personally. I've been working a lot of overtime and trying to finish my last summer school class. I had my 10 year reunion from High school on Saturday night and spent too much emotional energy feeling nervous about that. I didn't get much downtime last week.

One of my 17 year old students passed away on Monday and I've been struggling with my own grief and trying to be there for some of my friends and students that are also grieving.

So some of the tomatoes rotted in the garden on the vine. Getting to the garden just wasn't my priority last week.

Jesus, in the book of Luke (10:2) says, " "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

There are kids in Minneapolis who are ready to know that they are important, that they are a reflection of God's glory, that God loves them and that they can change the world. But if adults in the church don't take the time to teach it. . . I'm not sure what happens.

A week ago I had 80 volunteer positions to fill for Children's Ministry to launch well in three weeks. I sent out this prayer request to the women who pray for my ministry. Now with 2 weeks to go, 30 of those positions have been filled and there are many more people who have said that they are interested in serving, they just want to hear more.

I am blown away by the abundance.

*ps - we have a new roommate moving in - her name is Holly, she's in my bookclub and in the class next door to mine at seminary. I'll tell you more about her later.

Bethany's Blog again

2009-08-23T23:24:00.001-05:00

Hey, the hyperlink to Bethany's blog wasn't working, but I fixed it, so incase you weren't able to get to it, here's B's blog http://www.bcgustafson.blogspot.com/

Tornado

2009-08-19T19:01:00.002-05:00

We're all ok and the house is ok.

The tornado today touched down close to our house, but most of the damage seems to be on the other side of 35W. The Wells Fargo Mortgage building looks like it got a bunch of damage and there are a ton of trees uprooted and branches on the ground especially along 4th 5th and Portland Avenues.

But according to RT Ryback's facebook status (yeah, I'm one of RT's 5000 fb friends) no one was hurt and no one was killed. Praise God!

Three Things

2009-08-18T10:28:00.002-05:00

I was at camp last week, and am still slowly regaining my strength and energy. I'm having computer issues, and my camera was stolen last week, so while there's a lot going on at our house I have no images :(

Josh and Alison's Wedding (2) Noel, Theresa and I made the trek up to North Branch for Alison (one of the original Steven's house crew) and Josh's second wedding reception (the first, along with the ceremony, was in Florida early this summer). It was great to meet Joshua (super quality guy) and talk with friends we don't get to see often enough, besides Alison, Mandy, Annie, Pat, and Kendra. It was a very fun and holy afternoon. We were able to have some great conversations and it was a balance of total silliness and completely profound conversations.
Bethany is in DC After our hike to North Branch, we came home for a quick Indian Food take out dinner, then moved B's luggage out to the car and said very tearful goodbyes. She's made it safely to DC, from there it's off to Istanbul and finally Dushanbe. She gets to stay in this gorgeous hotel a block off the National Mall for her training.
The garden is exploding with produce. I filled the bowl to our salad spinner to the top overflowing with zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, chard and beets today. I am cooking dinner this week and am plotting what I can make using so much produce. Our friend Richard is bringing curry-tortilla chips and either mango chutney or mango salsa, so I think we need some sort of Indian/Caribbean/Latin fusion type of food (but maybe we're looking in the wrong direction) any ideas?

Tajikistan - or Tajiki-where? or Taczecherstan

2009-08-10T15:56:00.007-05:00

So, have you always wondered what life is like in Tajikistan?

Probably not. If you have please leave a comment below, because I'd like to know who you are.

Most people ask, "Is that a real country?" when I tell them Bethany is moving to Tajikistan. (Or, if you're DJ* you say, "That sounds like a hood baby boy name.")

Well if you are wondering and don't have $4,000 laying around for a flight from Minneapolis to Dushanbe, now you have a great option :) Introducing Bethany's Tajikistan Tales blog.

Bethany leaves for DC one week from today, then she spends 5 days in Istanbul (this I'm sort of jealous of) then she's off to Dushanbe. This is our sad face :(

I leave tomorrow morning for camp with Park Avenue, Dinomights, Banyan and Christ's Children. I'm sad that I'm missing so much of B's last week, but also grateful to have a distraction from the sadness of saying goodbye.

*I tried to find a good picture of DJ so that you could get a good sense of where this comes from, but I didn't have much luck. Just believe me that it's even funnier coming from him.

Bye bye b!

2009-08-08T19:20:00.000-05:00

Last night we had a party (#1) to say goodbye to Bethany before she leaves for Tajikistan. Party #2 was this afternoon, party #3 will be tomorrow.

We had a potluck then we laid hands on B and prayed for her. It was beautiful to pray in Spanish, English and Korean. (Later Evelyn gave her a blessing in French).

This picture is Ian, Ina, Kaori, Jay and the newest member of their family Lia. She's six days old. So tiny and cute! Jay used to spend a few nights a week at the Stevens House basement while he was in rotations for nursing school at Mankato. Kaori was pregnant with Ina at that point so it's been awhile since we saw them regularly, but it was great to see them.

Aren't we cute?

2009-08-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

"I like me 'cus He likes me"

2009-08-01T14:57:00.002-05:00

I have had great times with friends this week, Indian Buffet with Leah, a walk with Jenny, Vietnamese "salad" with Pa Kou, and tattoo shop with Rachel. One thing that came up in each conversation with these women was the fact the growing sense that we like who we are. Our confidence in God's love and the confidence that we've gained through our life experiences have given us a sense that we are becoming the people we were meant to be.

Today I was at a training for camp. We were asked to choose an image that served as a metaphor for our leadership style. I picked up a picture of a tree on a mountain. I know that when I'm "rooted and established" in love and in the solid rock of God's love, my leadership rocks. When I'm being blown in the wind, unsure of myself and of God's feelings for me, my leadership suffers.

This is a song by Kirk Franklin and Da' T.R.U.T.H. that has been one of my anthems since I heard it at camp last year. Enjoy.

A wedding story / How to build community - Buy from local merchants

2009-07-21T23:30:00.005-05:00

My good friend Sara got married this weekend. She is one of the women that I admire most in the world and a huge part of how I became who I am.

Sara and I have been friends for almost 10 years now and she is a woman who embodies and values community. When she married Mr. Andrew Garbers this weekend it was so community oriented, from the invitations, to the preparation, to the ceremony, to the reception it was all about community. Their intimate community, their extended network of friends, family and colleagues, their geographical community, and even the global community.

One of the ways that Sara and Andy "built community" at their wedding was by keeping it local. The wedding was at an antique store just blocks from their house. The caterer was from their neighborhood too.

Andy and Sara "built community" at a global level too by purchasing fair trade coffee that is supporting important redevelopment work in Rwanda as their wedding favor.

My friend Katie posted this on the power of shopping local a couple months ago. I have to confess that it's really easy for me to shop online or in chain stores more often than I shop locally or independent.

But here's a toast, to Sara-Lynn and Andy. Your passion for each other, for God and for community at all levels is real and inspirational. Congratulations!!!!!!

Public Schools

2009-07-13T00:00:00.003-05:00

Mad TV did a funny spoof on the "Dangerous Minds," "Freedom Writers" type movies, called "Nice White Lady" Eugene Cho includes the clip then talks about this stereotype, and then gives an example of a teacher in the Bronx.

Before I started teaching I thought that people like "Nice White Lady" were what was lacking in the public schools. But then I spent time in the schools and found teachers in the urban public schools that were more interested in professional development and improving their skills as teacher than I had ever found in the suburban, rural and small city schools. I found teachers who gave students their home phone number so that kids could call them at any time of day with homework or life questions. I found teachers who went to sporting events, baptisms, and 15aneras. Teachers had high standards for behavior and for work in their classrooms. I had expected to walk into Minneapolis Public Schools and find more bad teachers than good, and yet what I found were adults that were deeply committed to kids that had a lot of other factors working against them.

Now, it wasn't all rainbows and unicorns, I found some teachers and administrators who I was not impressed with, but over all, these were some of the most committed, hard working, loving, professional people I have ever met.

Minnesota has one of the highest achievement gaps between white and non-white students. I have heard it argued that this is partially because of the extra high standards that Minnesota has. (So we could theoretically close the achievement gap by lowering the standards for passing the tests, or making the test easier). But regardless of this, we have a situation where our white students are testing better on the state standards. This is not ok.

But, it doesn't seem like it's the teacher's fault, at least, not from my experience.

The Education secretary challenged the NEA last week to stop resisting pay for performance contracts for teachers. I deeply believe that we cannot allow the achievement gap to continue. It is not ok that we have a system that prepares kids differently depending on their ethnicity or race.

But I don't know that paying teachers more or less based on their students test scores will change that. I need to learn more. I don't know everything there is to know about pay for performance, but I know that it will need to be fairly complicated and nuanced.

I sat in my car and wept, last week, thinking about the achievement gap, and teacher pay. I wept for students who have more risk factors in their lives than I can count. I wept for teachers who are too often the scapegoat and stereotyped as either "Nice White Lady" or "uncaring/burntout/racist beurocrats."

My goal for this week is to learn more and to write letters. Then to pray for kids and teachers at Green and Whittier, and Jefferson and all the schools in our neighborhood. I don't know what the next step is, but I'll start there.

Lord have mercy.

NPR says Haters are gonna be haters

2009-06-29T23:43:00.005-05:00

Well, not really, but. . .

I love NPR, no secret.

I also love Jay Smoothe of Ill Doctrine.

So imagine my delight when I found an "All Things Considered" story about Smoothe and Ill Doctrine. (This is the guy who brought us "How to Tell Someone The Sound Racist.")

Check out the story You will hear the word "hater" in a story by Neda Ulaby. WOW!!!!

el Shaddai - guest post by Bethany

2009-06-29T07:17:00.004-05:00

Bethany will be leaving the Stevens House on August 17, to take a teaching job in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Below is a story she wrote connected to the garden we're a part of here and her teaching there.

The garden is a huge blessing in my life—it’s a source of recreation, fresh vegetables, green space in the city, and Christian fellowship through my friendship with L, another gardener. I had asked L to pray for me before and during my time in Tajikstan. About 10 days ago I was outside as she was walking by. The conversation went like this:

L: Bethany, I have to tell you something.

B: What’s up?

L: Well, I’ve been praying for you, and I couldn’t get the words “El Shaddai” out of my head. I did some research, and I think it may mean “God of the mountain.” Are there mountains where you’re going?

B: Yes, actually, Tajikistan is home to the 3^rd highest mountain range in the world, and it’s very mountainous.

L: Well, He’s there.

I found out later that Tajikistan is 93% mountainous, and that another meaning of El Shaddai is “the God who is enough.” That was a huge encouragement to me, and I thought about my conversation with L and El Shaddai for the rest of the week.

Then on Saturday I received a Tajikistan travel guide I had ordered. I eagerly began to read the section on Dushanbe, the capital city, where I will live. I was scanning the restaurant section for places I could go when I’m hungry for food from home, and I came across an entry for the Morning Star café, which according to the guide is a great place to buy American bakery items like brownies and cinnamon rolls. The guide goes on to say: “Run by customer friendly Americans and local staff. Café is a faith based partnership between local NGO El Shaddai and an evangelical Christian NGO. Their stated aim is to train impoverished young woman to be financially independent.” The guide also mentions that the café is located near the Pedagogical University where I will be teaching, which is also near my apartment. That was about as clear as God could get to tell me “I’m there, I will be there, and my people are there too.” I’m eager to see what God has in store for me there.

How does your garden grow

2009-06-27T08:18:00.004-05:00

We're starting to have some success in our garden!

Tomorrow there's a garden bbq/potluck/party. I'll have another update then, in the mean time check it out, we've got cherry tomatoes, cauliflower and purple and green cabbage thriving! The zucchini have blossoms. I had some of our basil and oregano on my dinner last night. YUMM!!!

We're so impressed with the garden community. Vietnamese American, African American, and European American. Young, not so young and old. Men and women.

Neighbors who we knew only by description (the guy who walks his cat each night) now have names (Dave).

I was nervous about not knowing how to do this gardening thing, but Luanne the garden coordinator offers her wisdom and reminds us that gardens need to be watered. Plus she shares produce from her garden (think the sweetest warmest sun ripened strawberry you've ever eaten).

Are you kidding?! I get to go to camp! Awesome!

2009-06-25T17:22:00.000-05:00

This child is definitely excited to go to camp. Camp started last week at Park Avenue, and the summer staff has started a blog to share the story of what is happening at Park Avenue Youth and Family Services throughout the year. Check it out and pray for them.

Vacation part 3.2 Photos from DC

2009-06-23T12:03:00.003-05:00

After our tour of the Holocaust Museum we hit the National Museum of American History, this probably was poor planning since we had just spent 4 hours reading and learning and feeling deeply the injustice of the Holocaust, but there are some really funny things at the American History Museum so we checked them out.

For example, here's Rosita with Oscar the Grouch and Seinfeld's "Puffy Shirt"

And, since word is (at the Stevens House at least) that I was raised by Muppets, here's me with my guardian/godfather Kermit, no offense to my actual Godfather, Wayne.

And this joke never gets old. (We're not actually related to them, we don't think, but if we were I probably wouldn't have to work anymore, those Matson's have money).

Vacation part - 3.1 photos from Baltimore

2009-06-23T11:30:00.001-05:00

This first picture is me at the American Visionary Art Museum. A museum dedicated to artists with no formal art training, so Rabbis, engineers, surgeons, seamstresses and the severely mentally ill. Really really cool.

Here's the "Homicide Life on the Street" building, I wish that I was more familiar with the show, but I ate a crab cake and coleslaw across the street and it was delicious.

This is from the Basillica in Baltimore, it's done in a Neo-Classical style, like the Capitol and White house, which is kinda cool. This was actually the slave balcony, which struck me. I haven't ever considered the Catholic church's role in slavery but I guess on the Mason Dixon line at the turn of the 19th century this is an issue.
Here's Rosita, best hostess ever, grilling out by the pool at her apartment!

And finally, here I am in the Inner Harbor, by a Civil War era boat, very Baltimore, but I didn't pay the entrance fee, so I can't tell you much about it. :)

vacation - Part Two Washington DC

2009-06-23T11:04:00.002-05:00

Oh DC!!!!!

As soon as Rosita and I got off the train in DC I was smiling. Like not just my usual, positivity in my my top five on strengths finder smiling, like smiling to the point where it hurt. Like, where it required concentrated effort to stop smiling.

We were in DC!

You see these buildings on TV, or in text books, or even in movies your entire life, and then you come out of a train station and there they are, in front of you. WOW!

You hear about people making policy and making speeches, and there's the actual, physical capitol building. So cool. It sounds super cheezy, but I feel like I have a better sense of Politicians as actual people doing actual jobs after being there, and I have a better sense of our ability to communicate and contact and influence those actual people after being there.

The first thing that we did in DC was a trip to the Holocaust Museum. Because Rosita is a federal employee, we were able to enter the exhibit right away. (Tip, you should always travel with federal employees and students, lots of deals).

The Holocaut Museum was beautiful, educational, and so sad. I was struck by a couple of different things.

The Nazi's didn't start out with much power, but once they got some power they took more. I'm not sure what the implications are for us today, but it seems that we ought to be very careful about allowing people who have a platform of hate to take any degree of power.
The United States, and other countries had many chances to take Jewish refugees, they even held a conference in Evian France about what to do with the refugees. A conference which ended with all of the nations saying basically, "wow, this Jewish thing in Germany and Austria and Poland is really bad, someone should do something about it, but we can't" There's one tragic story of a ship leaving Europe with the promise of being able to settle in Cuba, but by the time they got to Cuba they were denied entry, they then sailed to Florida, where they were again denied entry, only to sail back to Europe. Again, I don't know what the right lesson is for us today, but it seems that history will judge those who don't take action and don't welcome those who are suffering injustice and I think that our immigration and refugee policies probably could use a little work to make them more just.
Most of the churches became, or maybe already were tools to indoctrinate people in anti-semitism, but those Christians and churches that courageously criticized Hitler, or sheltered Jewish children and families are remembered well. Andre and Magda Trocme in France, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the confessing church in Germany. Once more, I'm not sure what courageous action we are called to take, but I believe that courage and resistance gives the world a more accurate picture of Jesus' heart than quiet acceptance of what is going on around us.
I was there on Friday, June 5, I was back in Minneapolis on June 10 when Officer Johns was shot, but it shook me up a little bit. Between the murder of George Tiller and the shooting at the Holocaust museum, I worry that this may be the summer of hate crimes. Let's pray that it's not. Let's speak up when we hear hateful speech, let's make sure that our own language is "rooted and established in love."

Vacation - Part One Baltimore

2009-06-23T10:42:00.002-05:00

Baltimore was relaxing. I stayed with my friend Rosita, who is perhaps the kindest soul that you'll ever meet and the best hostess. She showed me fun neighborhoods, fed me good food, let me swim in her pool and watch cable tv. I needed some downtime. I went to an art museum, ate crab cakes and sushi, toured a neo-classical bassilica, wrote in my journal, drank coffee, it was slow and peaceful and pretty much what was needed for the start of my time away.

One of the most startling things about Baltimore is the homicide rate, and how it almost seems to be celebrated. For instance, one of the famous "tourist" destinations is the building where "Homicide Life on the Street" was filmed. And have you seen "The Wire"? Wow!

The first two nights that I was in Baltimore the lead story on the evening news was that Baltimore was now the city in the U.S. with the highest homicide rate. The third night, they reported that Detroit had reported their numbers incorrectly, so actually, Detroit was number one, making Baltimore number two.

Someone, I'm guessing that it was Brian, Allison's old boss, once told her that each city has a sin that grips it. An injustice that pervades the culture and the landscape of that city. Whether rage, or greed, or arrogance, or sloth. If that's true, what would Minneapolis' biggest stronghold be? St. Paul's? Duluth's?

Soong Chan Rah!

2009-06-23T10:23:00.002-05:00

Soong Chan Rah was here while I was on vacation :( I didn't get to go, but some of my coworkers went. He has two great new posts on his new blog this week, one on "the fatherless" and another on "new media and cross-cultural communication"

Martial's going to borrow my book and read it, and I'd like to read it when I get my second summer vacation. Has anyone read it?

Sound of Music

2009-06-17T13:00:00.005-05:00

This has nothing to do with our house, except that we're often singing songs from musicals and that we're a little quirky. I like the joy, whimsy and spontaneity of this:

Happy Wednesday.

Does your hair feel like mine?

2009-06-01T09:28:00.002-05:00

Check out this picture of President Obama with a little boy in the Oval Office. The little guy (whose skin tone is about the same as the President's) wanted to know if their hair felt the same.

I don't pretend to believe that Obama's presidency now opens the doors for every child to be
whatever he or she wants to be, BUT I do think that moments like this, feeling that the President's hair feels like your own hair, might expand the possibilities.

Speaking of the White House, tomorrow I'm off to visit my great friend Rosita in Baltimore and we're going to go check out the DC hot spots too. Don't worry, I'll tell Keith and Amy and Barack "What's up!" from Minneapolis!

coming to homerica

2009-05-30T18:44:00.005-05:00

Anyone see The Simpson's episode, "Coming to Homerica?"

A flood of Norwegian immigrants come into Springfield.

Between the Norwegian/Minnesota Vikings jokes, and the commentary on immigration policy, it is worth watching, I know it's old school, but I still love the Simpsons. Find it on Hulu.

wordle

2009-05-28T22:00:00.004-05:00

I've seen these before, but never made one. Here's a wordle word cloud using the text of my final paper on Deuteronomy 6, the Shema.

It's good to know that I used the words, "Love" "Lord" and "God" a lot in the paper.

Genesis to Ruth

2009-05-28T21:30:00.002-05:00

Today I finished my first year of seminary. My brain is F-R-I-E-D. But, vacation is now 3 work days away.

I took the final exam for my "Genesis to Ruth" class this morning. Judges and Ruth were my two favorite books. Judges because it's super dramatic and twisty (think telenovella's for the Ancient Near East). Left handed judges, killing kings with copious amounts of belly fat, sex-addicted nazarites, sweets out of lion carcasses, a woman who pretends to be taking care of a guest to her tent only to stab him in his sleep. So much drama! Ruth because it's really compassionate, brave and tender. The book of Ruth is a short four chapters, but the story is beautiful, and this immigrant widow becomes a matriarch to both King David and Christ.

Speaking of Ruth, today starts the festival of Shavuot in the Jewish community. It's a time when the Ruth narrative is read. Rabbi Arthur Waskow asks the question, "What if Ruth came to America?" It's worth a read.

Two very different, yet equally holy meals.

2009-05-26T19:44:00.002-05:00

Memorial day was fantastic! Noel cooked 3 kinds of meat (four if you you count saucy ribs and not-saucy-ribs as separate meats) on the grill. A family of five, that we've been friends with for a long time came over. It was fun to have kids in the house again, eat lots of meat and talk honestly about our experiences in the neighborhood. It was sunny, we played croquet, we ate a lot of meat and chips and watermelon. We even got drumstick ice cream cones and scooby-doo pushups for desert. I wish that we had pictures, our faces were pretty awesome covered in sauce. It was Holy, it was community, it fed my soul. Thanks LeMays for coming over, you made our days!

This afternoon, I went to lunch with my friend Leah. Leah has a gift of being able to balance the deep conversations with the funny ones. It was cloudy, I was moving slowly and we went to St. Martin's Table, by Riverside and Augsburg. The servers at St. Martin's table are volunteers. The food is simple, there are seven options on the menu, it's vegetarian. Things take awhile to get to your table, and you pay for your meal in a Christian bookstore, filled with resources about Justice, prayer, worship, environmental activism and multiculturalism. Our meals were delicious and simple. The tips from our meal went to support an East African woman's organization. The waitress was a gentle volunteer in her seventies. It was Holy, it was community, it fed my soul. Thanks Leah for going to lunch, you made my day.

Meals are one of the most spiritual things we can do with one another. With three whole years of public ministry to report on, the gospel writers spend a lot of that paper writing about meals. Jesus feeds huge crowds (twice), He changes water in to wine at a wedding feast, there's the last supper and the breaking of bread after the resurrection on the road to Emmaus, He makes Peter and the disciples a fish breakfast on the beach, Zaccheus invites Him over for lunch. You'd think that with just three years to save the world the Messiah might have eaten on the road. But he chose to take the time to eat and to build community.

I remember being at a meeting at church on a Tuesday night. A longtime member of the church said something that offended me deeply. I was mad. I confess, my attitude towards him was not exactly Christlike when I went home that night.

The next night, I was late to our church meal. There really was only one obvious open chair left in the room when I got downstairs. I piled my plate with fried chicken and salad and sat down next to him. Something happens when you share a meal with someone. Rather than seeing them as an adversary in a debate, they become your brother, your uncle, your mom, your niece. Rather than seeing this man as an offensive "other" I was able to see him as a father, a husband, someone who deeply loved his family, whose faith was real. I don't remember what the issue was we were debating at that Tuesday night meeting. It clearly doesn't matter too much anymore. I do remember him talking about how much he loved his kids that night. Which is probably more important anyway.

Congrats Valerie

2009-05-22T22:28:00.004-05:00

Thursday Valerie graduated from St. Kate's with a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership.

So, if you're looking for an HR professional with expertise in diversity initiative tracking and accountability. . .

How much do you love this photo?

Thanks Wanda.

Happy Birthday Bethany

2009-05-21T11:30:00.000-05:00

Today is Bethany's birthday.

Happy Birthday to the most courageous, committed, caring and compassionate person we know!

We're already starting to miss Bethany, who will be moving on to big things across the globe at the end of the summer. (More on that later).

This is a picture of Bethany taking a minute to stop and watch some Bald Eagles soar above the Twin Cities on hike this spring.

Here's a Psalm of Praise for Bethany's birthday!

Psalm 103
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

Pastor-in-Chief

2009-05-21T10:47:00.003-05:00

Last night Tessa and I scored free tickets to see Krista Tippett from American Public Media's "Speaking of Faith" interview Joshua DuBois, the director of President Obama's religious outreach in the campaign and now director of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

I was excited about the night, and almost purchased tickets for the night. I've got to say, that I'm glad that I got the tix for free, it was interesting, but not $18.00(MPR member rate) interesting.

This Joshua DuBois is an impressive guy, 26, Associate Pentecostal Pastor, Masters Degree in Public Policy, Cabinet level position in the Executive Branch. I mean, I kind of feel like a slacker compared to him. I mean, c'mon, I'm 28, and what have I accomplished? ;)

I admire President Obama and Mr. DuBois', ability to broaden the religious/political conversation in America. I think that one thing that the campaign did really well was listening to people's stories, and then making sure that language was inclusive to people of all faiths and non-faith.

The convesation last night had some interesting points, but in general it was so "Washington" it was so, "these are my talking points and what I'm allowed to say." So I was kind of disappointed. Even the brilliant probing questions and über tranquil and wise voice of Krista Tippett couldn't get him away from a series of formulated answers.

The most shocking point of the night came at the end though - Larry Jacobs, the moderator of the audience questions asked Mr. DuBois about his basketball game.

I can only assume this is because he is a young black man, and I'm a little shocked that someone who teaches political science at the University of MN would ask such a stupid question. I mean, Mr. DuBois is already an Associate Pastor, has a Master's in Public Policy and has worked on a super successful presidential campaign. Do you think he's had a lot of time to work on his game lately?

Why in 2009 are we still assuming that every black man plays basketball, AND even if they do play basketball, why do we make it a part of our discussion about RELIGION and POLITICS. He would not have asked a white person this question, nor would he have asked this question to an African American woman.

Geez!

Here's a link to the Newscut blog, which live blogged the conversation.

Stop littering!

2009-05-15T09:44:00.000-05:00

Our house is on the corner.

People often sit in our front yard as they wait for the bus.

People often eat snacks and partake in *ahem* beverages as they wait for their busses.

People often leave the wrappers and bottles from these snacks and beverages in our front yard.

We have a lot of trash in our yard.

Wanda may have found a way to help the problem.

Through the city of Minneapolis she signed us up for an adopt a trash can program. The city provides a trash can and bags, we commit to emptying it regularly. They commit to taking care of any damage to it.

Another great reason to love Minneapolis! Go city of lakes!!!!

Tending chives (a somewhat posed photo of Bethany)

2009-05-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

We've got a lot of our plants and seeds in the dirt now. It's been a fun process, though with the spring pollens allergies have slowed me down a bit.

Here's B at the garden last night. We put in two woodchip paths to help us get around the garden a little bit, tomatoes, peppers and zucchini are in the ground. I've met a few new neighbors and even learned that there's a tool shed (who knew?)

It's a week of transitions and changes:

B and Noel are on their way to Allison's (one of the first generation Steven's House girls) wedding in Florida. My sister graduated with a civil engineering degree last week. Noel is working on his last paper of the quarter on the plane. I've got 7 papers to write still :( but the school year is almost over. School year programming is almost done at Park Avenue and the summer staff is almost hired.

Happy Friday!

Empathy / Enabling

2009-05-14T00:23:00.003-05:00

We've been reading about "empathy" for my Personal and Spiritual Formation class.

One idea that has challenged me is the idea of empathy sometimes being the worst thing that we can do for someone. That in our desire to be merciful repeatedly we end up enabling destructive behaviors by constantly coming to the rescue.

As Christians we are called to show mercy to the hurting, and we believe that it is not our job to judge but God's.

Yet we need boundaries in our life. Being taken advantage of stinks. Plus, coming to the rescue can teach patterns of irresponsibility and does not create long term transformation, but rather short term satisfaction.

But aren't we supposed to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and give to everyone who asks?

Why aren't answers easier?

Bart Campolo* told a story on the God's Politics blog today - he describes the struggle of loving a neighbor who knows how to manipulate him:

Lately I find myself wondering about that bargain, about whether the ‘grace’ my friends and I give our neighbors here is anything like the real thing. I mean, on one level offering our love without condition to broken people in a hard place sounds like a righteous thing to do. Moving into this neighborhood to establish genuine friendships across seemingly insurmountable barriers of race, class, and culture sounds more authentic than just dropping in to establish food, clothing, medical care, education, or housing programs. . .

. . . Giving grace? Maybe. But if it is grace at all, it certainly isn’t the same kind that God gives. God, after all, is no sucker. He may make all the goodness in the world available to anyone who wants it, but as far as I can tell, you have to actually want that goodness in order to actualize it. God makes the first move, over and over until you respond, but it takes two to tango. The gift is being shown the way, and being allowed to learn how to dance in good company, so you show up in shape for the party.

I don't know how to resolve this tension, maybe you do.

I think though, that it's like the Donald Miller book Blue Like Jazz says, "I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. . . . I used to not like God because God didn't resolve."

Sometimes we are invited to live in the place of the unresolved.

*Bart gets a star because:
1- He used to work at Park Avenue;
2 - He wrote a chapter in one of his books about a friend of mine;
3- I hear that when he led 6th Grade Traveling Camp he lit his chest hair on fire on the beach on Madeline Island (This is something that I never did when I was leading the trip.) ;o)

**if you google image search "empathy" you get really weird things, try it

some seed

2009-05-09T21:16:00.002-05:00

Cool! We got a shout out on Emily's blog, welcome to anyone who found us from there.

Our neighbor Jorge tilled our garden plot at the community garden this afternoon. We'll start planting tomorrow I think. It was great to be over there this afternoon for a few minutes to meet neighbors and see the plot again.

Our porch right now is an awesome place. In little peat pots and plastic containers all over our front porch filled with seeds and plants in various stages of growth.

I planted broccoli and cauliflower seeds most recently and they sprouted so quickly. I was so happy to see them come up.

I planted banana peppers a couple weeks ago. I have 3 of the 12 plants up, but mostly they're just barely coming out of the dirt. I'm not sure if I'll get anything from these seeds or not.

Jesus told a story about seeds:

"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times." (Mark 4 TnIV)

This week some friends of mine discovered that some young people we have been spending a lot of time with, praying for and speaking truth into their lives had seriously wronged people in our community. It certainly felt and looked like we were planting seeds. It felt like we were seeing growth. The day that the incident took place I had just spent time bragging about one of the kids involved. I had seen change in the life of this youth and I had seen hope. Yet. . . who knows? The God who has a plan with a future and a hope for these young people is not done doing this work.

I cannot control the outcome, yet I long for good things for these three young people who I care deeply for.

I don't know how many of the vegetables that Noel and Bethany and I plant we'll be able to eat. I don't know how long it will take for my banana peppers to bear fruit. I don't know, part of being a gardener, especially, I suspect a new gardener is that you just have to try what you know, ask questions, long for the best and see what happens.

May you bear a lot of fruit.

we're internet sensations

2009-05-05T22:29:00.002-05:00

This is silly:

Kinda Fonda Wanda?

Why doncha come on over Valerie?

What is so maybe about Katie?

cinco de mayo

2009-05-04T12:09:00.005-05:00

Maria (former roommate) and Roel came to visit this weekend. We celebrated Maria's birthday at Pancho Villa on Saturday night (Parilla Combo a.k.a $40 meat pot, and 2 kinds of shrimp and octopus coctels, YUM!!!)

Sunday night we hit Cinco de Mayo on Lake and 27th for some Elote. Elote is perhaps the most delicious food you will ever eat. Grilled corn on the cob, lime juice, mayonaise, parmesean cheese and chile pepper.

I love this, we all look so happy, well, Roel either looks like he's got the "don't mess with me face" on or he is in a lot of pain, (he was actually in a lot of pain and left almost as soon as this photo was taken in order to go to the hospital).

I want to write more about how the Latino community in our neighborhood has blessed and shaped me, but I've got three papers to write before I go to class tonight so that will be a later post. Happy cinco de celebracion.

Thanks Theresa for taking the picture, and Wanda for the use of the camera.

Shalom,
Katie

Emily

2009-05-04T12:02:00.002-05:00

Emily, our former roommate, professor and author has launched a blog full of book reviews, reflections on human rights and teaching. I've included some of Emily's poetry here before.

Emily is one of the most talented writers you will ever meet. I am looking forward to reading her thoughts.

Swine Flu

2009-04-30T18:46:00.002-05:00

I went home from work early today with a headache, I've been asked by 3 people since then if I have swine flu? Seriously!?

Anyway, in case you're wondering, here's a website that will help you decided if you have swine flu or not.

And here's a joke that made Noel fall out of his chair at the coffee shop last night:

They once said that a Black man would only be President when pigs fly. 100 days into his administration - swine flu.

In a more serious direction, friend of the Stevens House, Richard, asked this question the other day on his site:

Has anyone seen anything about sending aid/medicines or in any way helping Mexico deal with the outbreak. Right now they seem to be the only country seriously affected, and in being a pretty tourism-dependent country, is probably also hitting the resources that they will need to deal with it

So far no one has commented. Have any of you seen anything?

Ok, now back to homework.

ICE CREAM!

2009-04-27T11:02:00.006-05:00

The Stevens House went out for Ice Cream last night. We used some of the penalty money that people contribute when they don't do their chore for the week. We're so lucky to be able to live with people who can just have fun with each other from time to time. I came home feeling sick, but it was deliciously worth it.

links - race, education and the environment

2009-04-23T08:49:00.003-05:00

Happy day after Earth Day!

Noel, Bethany and I are getting a double plot in the community garden this year, this morning I planted pepper seeds and onions on our porch that I'll transplant when they get big. I'm really looking forward to this!

Here are some links that came up in my google reader, on facebook this week:

Newsweek had an article last week comparing the experiences of African American Princeton alums from the 1960s with those of their daughters at Princeton today in a "post-racial bubble."

Ed G. shares his take on it on the reconciliation blog.

Speaking of Princeton, The Kitchen Table, a blog by two African American Women professors at Princeton, Yolanda Pierce has an article about the micro-aggression of racial profiling while shopping with her daughter. Seeming to contradict the idea of a "post-racial bubble" (let alone society).

Also on The Kitchen Table, Mellisa Harris Lacewell has an interview with Majora Carter, on environmentalism in the South Bronx, and what racial oppression has to do with environmentalism.

And speaking of environmentalism, César J. Baldelomar has an article on God's politics on the Social and Religious Effects of Global Warming. Among other things, I hadn't considered the effect Global Warming might have on global poverty and therefor immigration before. It's worth a read.

Related to Global Poverty, my students, volunteers and I will be participating in the 30hour famine this weekend, or as one of my students likes to call it, "That Starving Thing." Pray for us, the students are raising money to fight hunger overseas, and collecting food for Simpson Food Shelf, here in our neighborhood.

Finally, on our topic of race and earth day Fox 9 had a story about Popeye's offering an Earth Day Special on fried chicken. The Minneapolis franchise (the only Popeye's in MN, and just a few blocks from our house) didn't honor the promotion. Is it just me, or does this story seem to be set up so that others can laugh at stereotypes of African Americans in the city? Should I send channel 9 a letter? (Also, I'm not sure what fried chicken in plastic bags, served with rice in styrofoam containers has to do with Earth Day, but that's not my point.)

We're gonna win Twins!!!!

2009-04-20T09:25:00.004-05:00

One of the fun things about living in our house is that we're just minutes from Downtown.

Saturday Night, as part of Katie and Michael's wedding celebration a group of their friends and family went to celebrate at the Twins game. MN won, and it was fun. I grew up going to games with my dad and my sisters. I used to know how to keep score, I've since lost those skills, but it was great fun to go to a game.

Here's Katie, showing off her wedding ring, while Rosita, Angie and I celebrate with her!

No deep thoughts today, just that I enjoy baseball when I remember that I enjoy it, and I enjoy my friends too.

Photo is from Angie McKinney.

Remembering How We Became - A Toast to two Katies

2009-04-17T14:13:00.008-05:00

I pulled this picture out to be my facebook profile pic today and it got me in a super reflective mood.

First of all, you should understand that hardly anyone in college called me anything but my last name.
There were at least 11 different girls named Katie (this doesn't even count girls who went by "Kate") in our InterVarsity group, and so it just didn't make sense, (Flavin, Buker, Odeegard/Moore, Whipple, Matson, Seth's Katie, Platner, Potter, Higgins, Lo, Frantes, I'm sure there are more and if I left you out I'm really sorry).

This is a picture of three of us (Peterson[Flavin], Matson, and Buker)

Tonight my friend Katie Lynn Buker is getting married. Katie Peterson and I and many others will be there to celebrate.

These women had a huge role in shaping the trajectory of my life. So I thank them and I raise a toast to them.

A toast

To Katie Flavin Peterson: Katie and her husband Aaron organized a trip to Jackson, Mississippi my Sophomore year of school. That trip changed my life. Each morning we would sit in Bible Study with John Perkins or Lowell Noble. We learned about the muti-ethnicity of the Kingdom of God. We learned about justice, mercy, shalom. We raked yards, tore out drywall, played with kids, and painted. I came alive on that trip, I will always always always be grateful for Katie and Aaron's leadership.

Katie was the dorm ministry coordinator when I lived in the dorms as a sophomore. She was a Jr. and a great person to talk to and process stuff with. Her enthusiasm and servant leadership style rocks. This woman will blow your mind.

Katie is a fellow blogger and we keep up by reading each other's blogs, and facebook, but I can't wait to see her tonight. She lives in Duluth with her daughter Matea and husband, which isn't that far away, but weddings are really the only time we get to connect.

Now to Katie Lynn Buker (soon to be Moore): My Jr. Year of College, I spent the summer interning with InterVarsity and New City Fellowship a Presbyterrian Multi-Ethnic Church, doing community development/urban ministry in St. Louis, Missouri. While I was in St. Louis, Buker was in Chicago doing the same thing with Lawndale Community Church.

We were both changed forever and needless to say, coming back to campus at UMD was a bit of a shock for us both. Buker and I learned to rely on each other that year, we hadn't had the same experience, but we had had similar experiences and it would have felt very lonely that year with out her.

Buker is the queen of asking hard questions. You can't hide from her. Katie Buker is a person who helps us live the Christian life we are claiming to live. Katie lives far away on the East Coast, but I'm blessed every time that I get to see her again.

SO - Here's a toast to two of the women who shaped who I am today.

Congratulations Buker!!!

quick and random

2009-04-14T10:38:00.006-05:00

Happy Easter! I'm embracing my liturgical side and my Catholic heritage and claiming Easter for a few weeks.
The Bishop preached the sunrise service at Park Avenue and spoke about forgiveness and diversity, racism and reconciliation in giving evidence for Easter in our lives. It was really good and hopefully we'll have audio online soon. But it got me to thinking a lot.
Speaking of racism Eugene Cho has a good commentary on the senators in Texas asking Asian Americans to change their names for voting on the God's Politics blog. This is just crazy.
Spring is really here I'm putting air in my tires and biking to the gym. Bike trails are one of the best things about Minneapolis. And did you know that Metro Transit has coupons for bicyclists for "free guaranteed rides home?" if you get a flat tire, or the weather gets bad, or you have a family emergency, they'll send you two coupons every 6 months. I'm signing up today.

Graffiti Good Friday

2009-04-11T21:02:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, on the way to my car, I noticed that we had been tagged by a new gang in the neighborhood. We have a large wooden fence along our backyard, and our garage is white and has two big surfaces facing the street and the alley. We live on a corner. We get tagged somewhat frequently. When it's on the garage, it's easy to take care of. Wanda gets a can of white spray paint and covers it up. When it's on the fence though, we've got another story.

After reporting the graffitti Wanda goes to the fire department to pick up a bottle of some "magic" soap that is supposed to be perfect at removing spray paint (ha!) Then with scrub brushes, hot water and the "magic" soap from the fire department we stand on the boulevard and scrub. and scrub. and scrub. and scrub. It is annoying, it sort of lightens the marks of the spray paint but it certainly doesn't get rid of the marks. The thoughts that go through my head when I see new graffitti are not exactly fit to post. I find it incredibly obnoxious.

I am in a Master's Program at Bethel Seminary in Community Ministry Leadership. Fall quarter we spent a few weeks learning about why young people get involved with gangs. I can tell you the risk factors and protective factors. I know why "Rites of Passage" programs are effective preventive tools.

I work in youth ministry in an urban church. One of the purposes of my position is to be a part of a caring community that gives youth a chance to belong without joining a gang.

I live in a house in the city and try to be a positive force in our neighborhood.

Yet. . .

When those punks tag my garage, when they tag my fence, I don't care if they've grown up without father figures. I don't care if they're feeling powerlessness or hopelessness. I am annoyed and exasperated. I don't care that I'm supposedly living here to be salt and light. I am ticked off.

But we picked up our scrub brushes yesterday. Wanda went out first, and I joined her after awhile. The weather was beautiful, a few friends drove by stopping to chat, and my scrubbing reached a meditative rhythm. I remembered the verse I was assigned for our Lenten devotion book at Park Avenue, "Create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a steadfast within me."

My scrubbing became a reminder of the graffiti on my own heart. My pride, my judgment, my entitlement.

"Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing."

Thank you God.

Happy Easter tomorrow friends. Lots of Love - Katie and the roommates

President Johnson Sirleaf - Part Three (final installment - I think)

2009-04-10T23:46:00.005-05:00

Here's the Star Tribune's take.

And here's my last comment about the event today.

I am only recently growing in my awareness of gender and leadership. I think that I pretended that it was not a problem until I no longer could. Until I started to feel the call to be a leader and a preacher and an organizer myself I was able to excuse away sexist attitudes. I can't do that anymore.

I just want to say this:

IT IS REALLY REALLY REALLY COOL that the transformational leadership of Liberia, is coming not from the series of male presidents, but from a GRANDMOTHER!!!!

I am inspired and challenged and empowered. WOW!!!!! WOW!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!

All Hail Liberia Hail, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - Part II

2009-04-10T23:03:00.004-05:00

I arrived at Northrop auditorium at the last minute today. I had been substitute teaching in Bethany's English classroom and rushed over to the U.

As Noel and I entered the auditorium I didn't get a sense for who was in the audience. Some student-y looking folks, fairly progressive looking. A few very dressed up Liberians. I was in a hurry to get in and sit down and my eyes struggled for a long time to adjust to the indoor lighting after the brilliant sun on the Mall outside of Northrop.

The provost and the dean of Humphrey each said nice introductory things, then a choir of 9 or ten men and women took the stage and sang, "All Hail, Liberia, Hail" the National Anthem of the country. As soon as they started to sing, every Liberian in that hall was singing along with them.

Northrop is not a huge space, it maybe seats 5,000 people max, and not everyone in that hall was singing. Yet if my eyes had been closed, I would have guessed that there were 144,000 singing. I have never heard singing with so much power, so much passion, so much pride. My eyes filled with tears. I have no personal connection with Liberia, yet I felt pride for this country as I heard her children singing of their love for her.

I can't imagine . . . I am trying to imagine. . .

Leaving my hometown because I was afraid for my safety, because I was afraid for my children. Coming across the globe, to a snowy, grey community like Minneapolis or Brooklyn Park or Saint Paul. Trying to teach my children what it means to be Liberian and yet aching for them to be successful in the United States. Hearing of new tragedies and new joys in my hometown, faithfully sending support and remittances back to my mother, my aunts, my brothers back at home. Then change comes. . . violence stops at home, children go back to school, roads are fixed, electricity comes back on, local police are trained to be fair and just. And then, the leader and representative of MY nation, comes to the city where I and many others from the diaspora have settled. My heart soars with pride and longing for home.

As I listened to the singing this afternoon, I felt the force of these voices behind me, it was almost as if I was being pushed forward onto the stage by the music and the heart cry of the diaspora.

Christians talk of being in exile. We're citizens of heaven living in a foreign land. I live 10 minutes from the hospital I was born in, but my HOME is heaven, therefore my faith compells me to see ALL exiles, foreigners, refugees, asylees and immigrants as kindred spirits.

It is (at least for the next 20 minutes) Good Friday. It's a day when we reflect on tragedy, on suffering, but also of a coming kingdom.

It's a day when we know things have started to change. The suffering continues, and we're still not at home. But we are passionate about our kingdom and we know that it will be brought to fullness. The deaf will hear, the blind will see, the lame will walk. Children will play in the streets and old men and women will sit in front of their houses watching them. The oppressed prisoners will go free. The naked will be clothed, abandonned building will be restored. Shalom is coming, wholeness and peace.

This Child Will Be Great - President Johnson Sirleaf - Part One

2009-04-10T16:56:00.005-05:00

The Humphrey Institute hosted a lecture by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia at the U of MN today. The President is the first democratically elected woman head of state in Africa. She's a phenomenal leader. I confess I know very little about her story or her politics, but I was moved at the event today.

Liberia has a very complicated history tied to the history of the United States, former slaves from the United States were sent to West Africa, what would eventually become Liberia. The capital city Monrovia, is named for our former president. My head is swimming as I reflect on this afternoon so here's my first reflection.

President Johnson Sirleaf took office in 2006. There are 3.5 million people living in Liberia. Since she took office, neighborhoods that had been without electricity or hot water for 15 years have received both. Twenty Six new schools have been built. 400 new teachers have been trained. The National debt has shrunk considerable, and is projected to be done in the next year or so. This "Iron Lady" has led her country to something quite extraordinary.

When Ellen was first born her grandfather looked at her and said, "This child will be great."

Truly this is a great woman.

In my studies we talk a lot about "Speech Act Theory." Words, according to this theory not only communicate ideas, but create or do something. When a groom says, "I do," he not only communicates that he loves that woman in white at the altar, but he does something, after he says, "I do" he is married to that woman. He is no longer single he is married. Words communicate and do. In Speech Act Theory, what words do, their effect is called perlocution.

Imagine the perlocution of these words. "This child will be great." Imagine growing up in a multicultural family, in a multicultural country, having heard those words. Imagine facing political and bodily threat, but constantly being reminded of this story. "Ellen when you were born. . ."

When Yahweh talks to the prophet Jeremiah he says, "before I formed you in the womb I knew you and set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1.5)"

Simeon and Anna spoke words to Mary, Joseph and Jesus. "this child is destined to . . ." (Luke 2).

Lord, too often the words we speak into a child's life are, "No, you can't." "You won't do that." "You're just like your dad (mom, grandma, aunt)." "We don't do that in our family." " boys in our culture don't go to college." "girls don't do that." Forgive us God and let us use our words to speak a future and a hope into the lives of the young people around us. Our children, our students, our clients, our friends, our neighbors, the youth in our pew. God give us eyes, like Ellen's grandfather to see young people through your eyes and courage to speak that future to them.

Amen

holy week - why do you look for the living among the dead?

2009-04-08T09:39:00.001-05:00

It may be a little premature to post this, but ...

This is the BEST Easter anthem ever - so dramatic. Be blessed:

Book Recommendation

2009-04-03T10:52:00.002-05:00

This book is blowing my mind, so I recommend it to you, mostly so that if you read it I'll have someone else to discuss it with, besides the 80 fellow seminarians who are reading it with me. Friedman was a Rabbi, a therapist and a Family System's Theorist who described what happens in families, synagogues, churches and organizations. My words can't explain it, I haven't internalized the lessons yet, but I can feel my paradigms shifting.

How to Build Community - Know Your Neighbors

2009-04-03T10:14:00.006-05:00

Last night I volunteered at the registration table for the Whittier Alliance Annual Meeting. The alliance is the official organizational body of our neighborhood, from Lake to Franklin, and from Lyndale to 35-W.

Here's what they do:

Mission: The Mission of the Whittier Alliance is to ensure safety and livability by facilitating, advocating and leading the diverse voices of the Whittier Neighborhood.
Vision: The Vision of the Whittier Alliance is to mobilize the human and financial resources, information, and technical assistance necessary to effectively provide leadership to organize and implement a base of operation for citizen participation.
Objective: The Objective of the Whittier Alliance is to empower and celebrate stability, diversity, economic development, education and concern for all the children, youth, individuals and families in the Whittier Neighborhood.

I was blessed to be there. I met the owners and managers of local businesses, AZIA, and Once Upon A Crime. I met Pastors from local churches (Simpson UMC and First Seventh Day Adventist). Executive Directors from local non-profits (Jabbok Family Services). I met neighbors who have moved into the apartment above the Fallout and are doing ministry there. I met Robert Lilligren (who really has a good sense of humor) our city council rep, and Karen Clark (who oooed and ahhhed over our neighbor Lynette's new baby) our state house of representatives rep. It was really a neat experience.

We live in an awesome neighborhood and I thank God for the gift of this community. So I leave you with this song.

PS - How great is this haircut?

PPS - If you want more Sesame Street, here's a url featuring Telly and Ben Stiller, yes that Ben Stiller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_yohVlVbEA