... The Seige of Sarajevo

"It screamed downward, splitting air and sky without effort. A target expanded in size, brought into focus by time and velocity. There was a moment before impact that was the last instant of things as they were. Then the visible world exploded."

-- First sentence of the book The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway


Some books aren't about a plot, yet they still tell a touching story. This is one of them.

... Martin Luther King, Jr.

"To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it."

... Fleming and John

"Sing me a song without any words, and I'll pretend you wrote it just for me. Paint me a picture with images blurred, so I can see what i want to see."

-- Fleming and John

... Einstein

"The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think."
~Albert Einstein

... Faith Priorities for the Election

I know many of you are tuning into my blog in hopes of catching some wedding pictures and stories. And while I look forward to sharing some highlights of our special day, I feel there's something far more important on the burner right now -- the upcoming election.

Jeff and I spend much of our time discussing politics and truly desire to live our beliefs out through our political views and actions. Because of this, I feel it's all the more appropriate to post this excellent, thought-provoking article by Jim Wallis as a follow up to the wedding week posts. (Kudo's to Catherine for pointing me to this article!)

Please, if you can find a minute, read the article. It's long, yes, but it's worth it. One thing you might notice is that one of Wallis' faith priorities - consistent ethic of life - is a theme I've been touching on quite a bit here lately... very much on my mind and heart.

I'd love to hear what your "faith priorities" are too... how do you decide your vote?

My Personal ‘Faith Priorities’ for this Election
by Jim Wallis 10-23-2008

In 2004, several conservative Catholic Bishops and a few megachurch pastors like Rick Warren issued their list of “non-negotiables,” which were intended to be a voter guide for their followers. All of them were relatively the same list of issues: abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, etc. None of them even included the word “poverty,” only one example of the missing issues which are found quite clearly in the Bible. All of them were also relatively the same as official Republican Party Web sites of “non-negotiables.” The political connections and commitments of the religious non-negotiable writers were quite clear.

I want to suggest a different approach this year and share my personal list of “faith priorities” that will guide me in making the imperfect choices that always confront us in any election year — and suggest that each of you come up with your own list of “faith” or “moral” priorities for this election year and take them into the polling place with you.

After the last election, I wrote a book titled God’s Politics. I was criticized by some for presuming to speak for God, but that wasn’t the point. I was trying to explore what issues might be closest to the heart of God and how they may be quite different from what many strident religious voices were then saying. I was also saying that “God’s Politics” will often turn our partisan politics upside down, transcend our ideological categories of Left and Right, and challenge the core values and priorities of our political culture. I was also trying to say that there is certainly no easy jump from God’s politics to either the Republicans or Democrats. God is neither. In any election, we face imperfect choices, but our choices should reflect the things we believe God cares about if we are people of faith, and our own moral sensibilities if we are not people of faith. Therefore, people of faith, and all of us, should be “values voters” but vote all our values, not just a few that can be easily manipulated for the benefit of one party or another.

In 2008, the kingdom of God is not on the ballot in any of the 50 states as far as I can see. So we can’t vote for that this year. But there are important choices in this year’s election — very important choices — which will dramatically impact what many in the religious community and outside of it call “the common good,” and the outcome could be very important, perhaps even more so than in many recent electoral contests.

I am in no position to tell anyone what is “non-negotiable,” and neither is any Bishop or megachurch pastor, but let me tell you the “faith priorities” and values I will be voting on this year:

1. With more than 2,000 verses in the Bible about how we treat the poor and oppressed, I will examine the record, plans, policies, and promises made by the candidates on what they will do to overcome the scandal of extreme global poverty and the shame of such unnecessary domestic poverty in the richest nation in the world. Such a central theme of the Bible simply cannot be ignored at election time, as too many Christians have done for years. And any solution to the economic crisis that simply bails out the rich, and even the middle class, but ignores those at the bottom should simply be unacceptable to people of faith.
   
   
2. From the biblical prophets to Jesus, there is, at least, a biblical presumption against war and the hope of beating our swords into instruments of peace. So I will choose the candidates who will be least likely to lead us into more disastrous wars and find better ways to resolve the inevitable conflicts in the world and make us all safer. I will choose the candidates who seem to best understand that our security depends upon other people’s security (everyone having “their own vine and fig tree, so no one can make them afraid,” as the prophets say) more than upon how high we can build walls or a stockpile of weapons. Christians should never expect a pacifist president, but we can insist on one who views military force only as a very last resort, when all other diplomatic and economic measures have failed, and never as a preferred or habitual response to conflict.
   
   
3. “Choosing life” is a constant biblical theme, so I will choose candidates who have the most consistent ethic of life, addressing all the threats to human life and dignity that we face — not just one. 30,000 children dying globally each day of preventable hunger and disease is a life issue. The genocide in Darfur is a life issue. Health care is a life issue. War is a life issue. The death penalty is a life issue. And on abortion, I will choose candidates who have the best chance to pursue the practical and proven policies which could dramatically reduce the number of abortions in America and therefore save precious unborn lives, rather than those who simply repeat the polarized legal debates and “pro-choice” and “pro-life” mantras from either side.
   
   
4. God’s fragile creation is clearly under assault, and I will choose the candidates who will likely be most faithful in our care of the environment. In particular, I will choose the candidates who will most clearly take on the growing threat of climate change, and who have the strongest commitment to the conversion of our economy and way of life to a cleaner, safer, and more renewable energy future. And that choice could accomplish other key moral priorities like the redemption of a dangerous foreign policy built on Middle East oil dependence, and the great prospects of job creation and economic renewal from a new “green” economy built on more spiritual values of conservation, stewardship, sustainability, respect, responsibility, co-dependence, modesty, and even humility.
   
   
5. Every human being is made in the image of God, so I will choose the candidates who are most likely to protect human rights and human dignity. Sexual and economic slavery is on the rise around the world, and an end to human trafficking must become a top priority. As many religious leaders have now said, torture is completely morally unacceptable, under any circumstances, and I will choose the candidates who are most committed to reversing American policy on the treatment of prisoners. And I will choose the candidates who understand that the immigration system is totally broken and needs comprehensive reform, but must be changed in ways that are compassionate, fair, just, and consistent with the biblical command to “welcome the stranger.”
   
   
6. Healthy families are the foundation of our community and nothing is more important than how we are raising up the next generation. As the father of two young boys, I am deeply concerned about the values our leaders model in the midst of the cultural degeneracy assaulting our children. Which candidates will best exemplify and articulate strong family values, using the White House and other offices as bully pulpits to speak of sexual restraint and integrity, marital fidelity, strong parenting, and putting family values over economic values? And I will choose the candidates who promise to really deal with the enormous economic and cultural pressures that have made parenting such a “countercultural activity” in America today, rather than those who merely scapegoat gay people for the serious problems of heterosexual family breakdown.

That is my list of personal “faith priorities” for the election year of 2008, but they are not “non-negotiables” for anyone else. It’s time for each of us to make up our own list in these next 12 days. Make your list and send this on to your friends and family members, inviting them to do the same thing.

[from God's Politics Blog]

.... Shark Attacks

I have a friend who won't swim in the ocean for fear of sharks.

It'd be one thing if that just meant she didn't indulge in the local beaches, however, she regularly vacations in beautiful Florida.

So it's not unusual that I thought of her when I saw this fact in the NY Times recently.

"Throughout the world last year, there was a grand total of one fatal shark attack (in the South Pacific), according to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida."

There you are Marie, only one fatal shark attack.

Does it make you feel any safer? :)

... An Eater's Manifesto

Last year, The Omnivores Dilemma was a hands down favorite read. This year, I find Michael Pollan's follow-up book, In Defense of Food, an absolute must read.

If you are, or have ever been, confused by the whirlwind of scientific studies and nutrition -- read this. If you desire to eat well -- read this. If you don't care about food -- read this. If you consume any food at all -- read this.

Once in a while I find a book so compelling that I'm overwhelmed at the thought of trying to express it to you. I usually end up quoting large chunks when this happens. Well, it wouldn't work with this book because I'd be quoting the entire book. Apparently Nora Ephron of The New York Times felt similarly:

"I have tried on countless occasions to convey to my friends how incredible this book is. I have gone on endlessly... Well the point is, I have tried and failed to explain it, so I just end up giving them a copy, and sooner or later they call to say, 'You were right, it's fantastic.'"

I'm so excited about this book and feel so strongly that everyone should read it that I'm going to give away a copy of it.

To enter to win the book, just leave a comment and I'll draw a winner on Friday May 9th using a random number generator .

If you happen not to win, it's highly worth getting on the waiting list at your local library. If you can't wait, just order it through Amazon. It's a short, but compelling read, I promise.

If you've already read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

... Yunus

I just finished another book by Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner of 2006, called Banker to the Poor; Microlending and the Battle Against World Poverty.

This is a man who lives what he believes. Who has taken amazing strides to create paths for his fellow Bangladesh countrymen and women to work their way out of poverty and care for themselves.


In the final chapter of his book he spoke freely of what he would like the future to look like:

"So the real question is not so much where we will be in the year 2050, but where we would like the world to be.

By that time, I want to see a world free from poverty. This means there will not be a single human being on this plant who may be described as a poor person or who is unable to meet his or her basic needs. By then, the word "poverty'" will no longer have relevance. It will be understood only with reference to the past.

Poverty does not belong in civilized human society. Its proper place is in a museum. That's where it will be. When schoolchildren go with their teachers and tour the poverty museums, they will be horrified to see the misery and indignity of human beings. They will blame their forefathers for tolerating this inhuman condition and for allowing it to continue in such a large segment of the population until the early part of the twenty-first century.

I have always believed that the elimination of poverty from the world is a matter of will. Even today we don't pay serious attention to the issue of poverty because the powerful remain relatively untouched by it. Most people distance themselves from the issue by saying that if the poor worked harder they wouldn't be poor.

When we want to help the poor, we usually offer them charity. Most often we use charity to avoid recognizing the problem and fining a solution for it. Charity becomes a way to shrug off our responsibility.

Charity is no solution to poverty. Charity only perpetuates poverty by taking the initiative away from the poor. Charity allows us to go ahead with our own lives without worrying about those of the poor. It appeases our consciences.

But the real issue is creating a level playing field for everybody, giving every human being a fair chance."

Muhammad Yunus
Banker to the Poor; Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty

... Idealistic Heirs

In todays New York Times I read an article about young philanthropists who have, in their late teens or twenties, inherited millions of dollars but then decided to give away a large portion of it to charity. Interesting enough in itself, but one part of the article in particular stood out to me.

Tyrone Boucher, 25, donated his six-figure trust fund to charity. Part of his motivation stemmed from concern about the growing gap between the rich and the poor. When he explained this to his father, the response he received was "Tyrone, we're not really rich. There are people who have multiple homes and private jets." Tyrone's response was "You're talking about your friends who are in the top 1%, and we're in the the top 5%."

Tyrone seemed to have a more accurate perspective than his father. Their exchange once again reminded me of how easy it is to compare ourselves to those who are doing better than us. Perhaps it's the American way -- part of the American dream or something -- but it's so deceiving. Of course there are people that are doing better than us financially. But we are doing better than so many more.

I want my heart to be opened to those who are more needy than I. I want my eyes to be opened to ways I can be part of a solution. I'm very provoked by those who have chosen to give away their millions. I too want to be someone who gives away her wealth... God willing, right down to her last mite... not someone who feigns poverty as an excuse to live selfishly.

... A Little Perspective

I've been reading a book about the microcredit industry & social businesses by Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus, called Creating A World Without Poverty. Something I read in it the other day has been mulling around in my head.

Grameen Bank, a social business that Yunus founded, needed a way to measure its success in helping people rise out of poverty through microcredit. Rather than use a income benchmark (typically $2/day), they decided to go with a more practical ten-point system that described specific living conditions. Once a family had succeeded in clearing all 10 of these hurdles, then Grameen Bank considered them to have escaped from poverty. The ten points are:

1. The member and her family live in a tin-roofed house or in a house worth at least $370. The family members sleep on cots or a bedstead rather than the floor.
2. The member and her family drink pure water from tube-wells, boiled water, or arsenic-free water purified by the use of alum, purifying tablets, or pitcher filters.
3. All of the member's children who are physically and mentally fit and above the age of six either attend of have finished primary school.
4. The member's minimum weekly loan repayment installation is $3.
5. All family members use a hygienic and sanitary latrine.
6. All family members have sufficient clothing to meet daily needs, including winter clothes, blankets, and mosquito netting.
   
7. The family has additional sources of income, such as a vegetable garden or fruit-bearing trees, to fall back on in times of need.
8. The member maintains an average annual balance of $75 in her savings account.
9. The member has the ability to feed her family three square meals a day throughout the year.
10. All family members are conscious about their health, can take immediate action for proper treatment, and can pay medical expenses in the event of illness.

We live in a country where event the poorest often have TV. In Bangladesh the poor don't even have electricity. There is so much perspective to be gained by opening our eyes to the rest of the world.

Another interesting thing I've read over and over.... microloan industries have found that women are the key to raising families and communities out of poverty. They've found that when men earn extra money they spend it on themselves. When women earn the money, they spend it on their families -- housing, health of children, educating their children, etc. It is the women they loan the money too and the woman that are founding businesses and the women that are creating avenues to ending generational poverty.

Some microcredit organizations that I've been giving to over the years are Opportunity International and Kiva, though there are many more. (Thanks to Amy who gave me a gift certificate to Kiva as my Christmas Gift.) The idea of microcredit is something I get very excited about.... maybe I'll post on it another time. For now, I want to be grateful that I have poison-free water, heat, a dr. available to me, and a grocery store down the road.

... History

"Civilizations proceed from bondage to spiritual faith
from spiritual faith to courage
from courage to liberty
from liberty to abundance
from abundance to selfishness
from selfishness to apathy
from apathy to dependency
and from dependency back to bondage.

Apathy is also anti-democratic as democracy requires the informed consent of the governed, and will not last if voters can't be bothered."

~Arnold Toynbee
Historian

Avoid apathy.
Be informed.
Vote.
Tomorrow is Virginia's Presidential Primary.

... Perfectionism

This has been on my mind a lot lately. Me and my type-A tendencies. I've been working on dealing with my anxiousness. Working towards developing more healthy responses to life when it inevitably veers from my planned course. So the other day when I ran across fellow blogger Anna Maria Horner touching on this topic, her cute little phrase stuck in my head.

"There are 25 other letters in the alphabet when plan A fails me."
~Anna Maria Horner

... Hunger

"That was a fine meal."

"Yes, where should we go now?"

"Let's go have lunch."

"What a fine idea!"

~ A Muppet Christmas Carol

Lately, more than ever, this has been me. I eat a big meal and within minutes of washing up the dishes, I'm hungry again. It's 9am and I'm already on second-breakfast. Will my ravenous appetite ever cease?!

... Supercapitalism

On the never ending quest to understand our economy and my personal responsibility in it, I happened across a book entitled Supercapitalism and quickly decided it was a must-read. Actually, I heard the author, Robert Reich, on a radio program where he was a guest speaker. He spoke sense and I was intrigued.

Mr. Reich, having received his higher education at Oxford and Yale, is currently a professor at UC Berkeley . He has also served under three national administrations, including acting as the nations 22nd Secretary of Labor. Qualified? It seems so.

Supercapitalism, his 11th published book, spends some time explaining how America came to be where it is today (which is super interesting in itself), but primarily focus on the difference between capitalism and democracy with an emphasis on public policy and legislation. What the heck does that mean? Here, let me just quote the last paragraph of the book:

"We are all consumers and most of us are investors, and in those roles we try to get the best deals we possibly can. That is how we participate in a market economy and enjoy the benefits of supercapitalism. But those private benefits often come with social costs. We are also citizens who have a right and a responsibility to participate in a democracy. We thus have it in our power to reduce those social costs, thereby making the true price of the goods and services we purchase as low as possible. Yet we can accomplish this larger feat only if we take our responsibilities as citizens seriously and protect our democracy. The first step, which is often the hardest, is to get our thinking straight."

Yes it is. Well, if you participated in my Wal-Mart post in any way -- from reading it and wondering where you stand, to commenting with your firm opinions -- I encourage you to read this book (but if you didn't, I encourage you too). Not because it addresses Wal-Mart specifically but because it addresses the concern in my heart when I wrote that post and it would be a great launching point to continue that discussion. If not here in my blog, then at least in our minds. Please, let me know if you read the book, it's so interesting and I'd love to discuss.

... Lewis

"In reading great literature, I become a thousand men and yet remain myself."

CS Lewis
An Experiment in Criticism

... Christmas Alternatives

How a celebration of Jesus' birthday has morphed into a holiday where we buy each other gifts, I'll never understand. I mean, shouldn't we celebrate His life in a way that, well, that he spent His entire life teaching us to live? Shouldn't we honor Him by giving our gifts and love to those less fortunate than ourselves? Those He told us to take care of?

There are countless organizations out there that serve to provide funds to just these types of people. I thought I'd highlight a few I've come across recently. They are all different types - some faith based, others not, some you give money, some you support by making purchases. Check 'em out.

Bead For Life

"BeadforLife eradicates extreme poverty by creating bridges of understanding between impoverished Africans and concerned world citizens. Ugandan women turn colorful recycled paper into beautiful beads, and people who care open their hearts, homes and communities to buy and sell the beads.

The beads thus become income, food, medicine, school fees -- and hope. It is a small miracle that enriches us all.

All profits from BeadforLife are invested in community development projects that generate income and help people work their way out of poverty."

International Justice Mission

Investigations
"Highly skilled IJM investigators go to the frontlines of the fight for justice. They conduct professional undercover investigations and collect the evidence necessary to bring rescue and freedom to victims of trafficking, slavery and other forms of violent oppression. Help bring freedom to the oppressed by funding IJM’s investigations."

Give a half-day of Investigative Work $25
Give a day of Investigative Work $50

Advocacy
"IJM lawyers build compelling legal cases to aid victims of oppression and prosecute their perpetrators. IJM casework areas include slavery, police brutality, sexual violence, illegal property seizure and sex trafficking. You can empower our lawyers to represent those in need of an advocate and ensure that perpetrators of abuses are held accountable for their crimes by funding IJM’s casework efforts today."

Give a day of Advocacy $70

Aftercare
"Victims that IJM has rescued from physical and sexual exploitation need the support and expertise of highly skilled social workers in order to heal physically, emotionally and spiritually from the abuses they have suffered. By giving a day of aftercare, you can help to provide vital care for victims who are beginning their new lives of freedom."

Give a day of Aftercare $40

Give a day of Aftercare and a day of Investigative Work $90

Just Give

"JustGive is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect people with the charities and causes they care about and to increase overall giving."

This is what I got Jeff last year. A gift certificate to JustGive. With over 1,000,000 charities to choose from, I know he was able to donate the money to the exact cause he wanted.

Nest

"Nest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries through the provision of small loans used to create sustainable, art- or craft-based, entrepreneurial businesses. The funds for these loans are generated through the sale of a unique line of clothing, accessories and merchandise for the home produced exclusively for Nest by a group of artists and designers."


Bethany listed a few on her blog and I know you all have some favorites too. I'd love to hear about them!

... Tomorrow

"My dear little librarian... Pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find you've collected nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays."

Prof. Harold Hill
The Music Man


I'm off enjoying today. I'll be back in a few weeks to share my stories.

... Wine

"Wine is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

~Benjamin Franklin


Tonight I am supping at The Winehouse with some good friends in celebration of my Birthday. Yipee Skipee.

... Thanksgiving

When the children at the homeless shelter I volunteer with were asked what they wanted to cook us for dinner, they came up with a menu that included oreo salad and mac & cheese topped with chocolate syrup. I suppose that's how they would want to be thanked if they were in our shoes.

I spend a few hours a day, a few days a week, tutoring children at a homeless shelter. PG Wodehouse once said "As we grow older and realize more clearly the limitations of human happiness, we come to see that they only real and abiding pleasure in life is to give pleasure to other people." It certainly proves true in my life. I receive much pleasure from these children. In spite of the rough lives they live, they are full of kindness and joy. They are appreciative and grateful. I am blessed by the perspective they give me. Blessed to be able to spend time with them.

Yet tonight, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, instead of us providing a meal for them, they provided a meal for a number of the volunteers. During our meal, one of the 8 year-olds presented me with a special award -- a copy of a painting she did for the annual art auction. It's titled "Pom Poms Gone Wild" and when she was asked about it she responded "That's what happens when you let them loose!"

I wish I could share some of my experiences with you in more detail, maybe show you a picture or two of some of the cuties, however, because some of them are under court-ordered protection, I can't. But if you are local and at all interested in spending some time with them, let me know. There are many ways to help out at the shelter and many blessings to be had because of it.

... Sirius Black

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

Sirius Black
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
JK Rowling