Owner: Trying to Follow URL:http://blog.iamnotashamed.net Join Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2007 14:43:59 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: I once read the words of a man who said, "Follow me," and I've been on that journey ever since. Site statistics:Click here
Protecting our Children while Caring for Others 2007-01-20 14:04:12 This Morning I received an email asking for advice:
Hello! You and your wife bought some cloth diapers from me through Craig’s List. I recognized your name when you were hosting at Nashville Is Talking, then found your personal blog. Small world, right?
I’ve been reading for a couple of weeks now. You’ve definitely pricked my suburban conscience. My family’s not image conscious to begin with, and we do all the comfortable “crunchy” practices like driving an old Volvo, wearing only secondhand clothes, breastfeeding, etc. Yet I’m aware that I’m lacking in the person-to-person expression of Christ’s love. I hurry my children past the homeless at the downtown library. My childlike response to help has been squashed by a parental need to protect my children, to teach them wariness with strange men. I know you feel fearless now, but there’s a vulnerability you feel when Read more:Protecting
, Children
, Caring
, Others
Who does this guy think he is? 2007-01-20 06:11:11
I’m still a little confused how folks like this get to have any position of authority at all. From the Associated Press:
A state legislator said black people “should get over” slavery and questioned whether Jews should apologize “for killing Christ,” drawing denunciations Tuesday from stunned colleagues.
Delegate Frank D. Hargrove, who is white and Christian, made his remarks in opposition to a measure that would apologize on the state’s behalf to the descendants of slaves.
In an interview published Tuesday in The Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Hargrove, 79, said slavery ended nearly 140 years ago with the Civil War and added that “our black citizens should get over it.”
-St. Louis Today article
News, racismNews, racism
Read more:think
A Story in Six Words period 2007-01-19 06:09:08 We interrupt are regularly schedule thought bubble for an attempt at blogosphere interaction. I was tagged by Vegankid to write a story in six words. Seeing as I’m hosting a blog carnival* on Saturday I figured I better give in to this “tagging” concept and try my hand at a six word story…
Met Homeless, Sold Hummer. Now Happy.
There you have it folks, my Six Word Story!
Now it’s my turn to tag away…
Looks like the next 6 words are going to be coming from Indie, Zach, Richard, Lori, Jamie, and Patrick (token new guy).
*The Blog Carnival on Saturday will basically be one blog post were I highlight a bunch of Blog post from other bloggers concerning the topic of racism. It should be a really interesting post so hopefully you’ll find it useful.
bloggers, blogosphere, six word story, writingbloggers, blogosphere, six word story, writing
Read more:Words
Support Our Troops: It's Not Just a Bandwagon 2007-01-18 02:09:41 I’ve been meaning to talk about this issue for quite a while. One of the main hesitations I have in discussing the issues of non-violence and pacifism, is people’s immediate disgust with the idea that I don’t “Support
Our Troops
.” We actually used to have one of those yellow ribbons on the back of our car; along side a bumper sticker that said, “War is Not the Answer.” I’m very much a believer in the support and love of “our troops,” in the same way I’m in support of loving our enemies, children and soldiers. You see, Supporting Our Troops isn’t just a bumper sticker bandwagon, it’s something that requires a bit more of us.
Did you know that Veterans account for nearly 25% of the Homeless population in the United States? Where is the Support of our troops after they come home? I don’t believe in supporting our troops by giving them more bombs, bullets and tanks with which to kill more, but I beli Read more:Bandwagon
The Myth of Redemptive Violence (Avoid It) 2007-01-16 15:01:27 “The Myth of Redemptive Violence
is the story of the victory of order over chaos by means of violence.” It was through my reading of Christ’s teachings to “Love your enemies” and the idea of overcoming evil with good, that I began to realize that there must be another road to victory than violence. Quite simply, I found I could not support a culture of war and violence and still claim to follow Christ’s teachings, I could not rationalize it.After coming to that conclusion I picked up Walter Wink’s book, The Powers That Be, and my eyes were opened to the myth that our society and myself have been indoctrinated with for centuries. I’ve heard the word’s of others too who have walked this path in an attempt to follow Christ.
Derek Webb sings, in My Enemies are Men Like Me,
peace by way of waris like purity by way of fornicationit's like telling someone murder is wrongand then showing them by way of execution
Dr. King said,
Non Read more:Avoid
Letter From a Birmingham Jail 2007-01-15 16:04:31 (Download the PDF here to print for offline viewing)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This response to a published statement by eight fellow clergymen from Alabama (Bishop C. C. J. Carpenter, Bishop Joseph A. Durick, Rabbi Hilton L. Grafman, Bishop Paul Hardin, Bishop Holan B. Harmon, the Reverend George M. Murray. the Reverend Edward V. Ramage and the Reverend Earl Stallings) was composed under somewhat constricting circumstance. Begun on the margins of the newspaper in which the statement appeared while I was in jail, the letter was continued on scraps of writing paper supplied by a friendly Negro trusty, and concluded on a pad my attorneys were eventually permitted to leave me. Although the text remains in substance unaltered, I have indulged in the author’s prerogative of polishing it for publication.
April 16, 1963
MY DEAR FELLOW CLERGYMEN:
While confined here in the Birmingham
City Jail, I came across your recent statement calling our present activities “unwise and untimely. Read more:Letter
Thought's on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 2007-01-15 13:29:08 UPDATE: This is from 2006, but I figure it would be worth reposting.
It’s a few weeks after MLK Day, but Zach and I took a little time last weekend to respond to some of the things we heard from others in response to MLK Day.
We’d love to hear your reaction to our thoughts and the things we’ve heard from others. Be sure to email us.
Thoughts on MLK
blacks, discrimination, MartinLuther
King, MLK, podcast, race, racism, whitesblacks, discrimination, Martin Luther
King, MLK, podcast, race, racism, whites
Read more:Martin Luther King
Audio of Dr. Martin Luther King 2007-01-15 07:50:21 This is NOT the Trying to Follow Podcast. These are links to OTHER websites audio recordings of Dr. MartinLuther
King Jr.
-I Have a Dream (mp3) (Real Player)
-I’ve Been To The Mountain Top (Real Player)
-Pride by U2 (Real Player)
-Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence (Real Player)
-Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech (Real Player)
-Robert F. Kennedy Speech On The Assassination Of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. (Real Player)
-NPR audio about Dr. King (link)
-The King Center (link)
-MLK Memorial (link)
Martin Luther King
, MLKMartin Luther King, MLK
Read more:Audio
RACE: Are We So Different? (A Homework Assignment) 2007-01-14 15:07:53 With MLK Day quickly approaching, I’m hoping you’ll be motivated to take a few minutes of your year and consider spending some time thinking about our nations history and our current society as it relates to race. The American Anthropological Association has put together a really neat website, Understanding Grace, that creatively addresses the issue of race. It’s a great learning experience to spend a half hour browsing the site. It’s Sunday, and unfortunately most of us tend to see MLK Day as just another day off of school or work. I wish it came with the same anticipation as Christmas or even Halloween. So, take a few minutes after my short post, and take a look at the website, Understanding Grace.
(ht. Racialicious)
MLK day, race, racismMLK day, race, racism
Read more:Homework
, Assignment
1 iPod = 900 Children Fed for one Day 2007-01-13 14:30:55
Click for the complete image
I think I’ve talked about opportunity cost before, but it bears repeating. It basically means: “the cost of something in terms of an opportunity forgone”* which is exactly what this ad above is about. Now for my confession, for all my talk about giving and sacrifice I currently own an ipod. It doesn’t matter that I got it for free off one of those sites, the opportunity cost of it is still the same, because I could easily sell it. We’ve had an ipod for a year, and it’s not an evil gadget. What I found recently though, is that when I really check myself, there is a lot I can and should do without. I’m going to sell my ipod. You see when I really weigh the benefits of having an ipod, they still don’t outweigh the opportunity cost of selling it. We are still considering getting a different mp3 player as we’ve found having one has been extremely useful and enjoyable, but it’s definitly a choice to th Read more:Children
, iPod
Erace Racism Carnival #8 - 2007 Edition 2007-01-21 04:51:24
Welcome to the January 20, 2007 edition of the erase racism carnival. I’m extremely excited to have the honor of hosting the Carnival
here at Trying to Follow.We have a great line up this month. As the carnival continues to grow and as the audience expands remember to reflect and acknowledge the fact that we really are taking steps to Erase Racism
.
Rachel get’s us started with a great post showing strong evidence of Pervasive Racial Bias in Employer Callbacks as diagrammed below:
(The solid black bar represents those with felony convictions, and the grey bar represents those without felony convictions.)
Read more of the study and Rachel’s thoughts at Rachel’s Tavern.
J.C. Wilmore has a quick response to Delegate Hargrove who said “Our black citizens should get over it” referring to Slavery.
Hakim Abdullah presents An Occidental-Muslim’s Criticism of Empires and Orthodoxies posted at Hakim Abdullah, saying, “This article compares the cr Read more:Edition
Isn't There Something Wrong with This? 2007-01-22 14:55:44 Zach sent me this video the other day, which we both found very disturbing.
I understand the police reasoning is maybe, possibly, within the law, but it is laws that should be questioned then. These folks had homes until the police destroyed them. Can you imagine being homeless in a country like this? So much wealth and resources and yet, for one reason or another, you can’t make ends meet. Now your just trying to survive on the streets and the police, supposedly there to protect citizens, are destroying your homes, kicking you out of places you’ve found rest and safety in, and leaving you to wander.
Does this bother anyone else?
homeless, police, St. Petersburg Florida, usahomeless, police, St. Petersburg Florida, usa
Read more:Wrong
Entertaining Jesus' Third Way 2007-01-23 04:55:13 Tonight, Mindy and I co-lead our community group in a discussion about Jesus
’ Third Way. We talked about non-violence, and read Walter Wink’s informative break down of the passage in Matthew:
“You have heard that it was said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also. And if anyone takes you to court and sues you for your outer garment, give your undergarment as well. If one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two.”
Our common perception is Jesus’ seemingly condoning a cowardly, get trampled on form of submission, but when you really understand what he’s saying with in it’s cultural context you realize it’s brilliantly creative resistance. I’ll give you just a taste so you get the idea:
Jesus’ third example is “If one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his Read more:Entertaining
Be Anti-Racist with Your Purchasing Power 2007-01-23 15:05:33 I’ve posted here and there about racism in the past on this blog, venturing the thought that we need to be intentionally anti-racist if we are to keep from supporting the racist structures that exist within our society. Zach and I went to an MLK Rally last Monday and heard a speech from the new TN NAACP President. Her brief speech was about a Report Card the NAACP put together on a number of companies consumers frequent.
After a decade of tracking and observing how some of the nation’s largest companies and industries treat consumers of color, the NAACP reports that while positive change is occurring, companies across all industries need to commit to continuous improvements in order to break through to the next level of performance.
“African Americans pump roughly $650 billion into the American economy annually,” said NAACP President & CEO Bruce S. Gordon. “We should spend wisely and have readily available information to be assured that those we do Read more:Racist
, Purchasing
This is Really Our Country's President? 2007-01-24 15:21:13 I know this is an old video but I find it disturbing nonetheless.
Bush’s fear-mongering tactics are troublesome. It’s even more troublesome that he actually believes in what he’s doing, regardless of what countless polls and voices are telling him.
There is a lot to be said for this video: from the standing up interview full of intimidating fingerprinting to the avoiding of accusations of water boarding (torture). I just watched Road to Guantanamo the other night and seeing this sure lends evidence to how we got ourselves in this human rights violating state.
Any thoughts?
GitMo, interview, President
Bush, torture, warGitMo, interview, President Bush, torture, war
Read more:Country
Geez Magazine: How a Faithful Nation Gets Jesus Wrong 2007-01-25 01:22:14 The recent issue of Geez Magazine
was one I was really looking forward to. Geez is a fresh perspective on faith and each issue has challenged me to consider a different perspective and a new way of thinking. The latest issue: Let’s Get Evangelical, was exciting for me because I was hoping to see an articulate take on Christianity and “Evangelicalism” that would help me put some of my own thoughts into words.
Overall the articles were good, but they weren’t quite what I was looking for. Geez seems a little more on the skeptic fringe then I thought they would be. However, I was just reading the last article in the magazine, and I got through the first paragraph and realized it deserved a post.
Here’s Bill McKibben on How a Faithful
Nation Gets JesusWrong
:
Only 40 percent of Americans can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels. Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. T
At Least Mindy has Great Handwriting 2007-01-25 14:27:45 From Time.com:
Doctors’ sloppy handwriting kills more than 7,000 people annually. It’s a shocking statistic, and, according to a July 2006 report from the National Academies of Science’s Institute of Medicine (IOM), preventable medication mistakes also injure more than 1.5 million Americans annually. Many such errors result from unclear abbreviations and dosage indications and illegible writing on some of the 3.2 billion prescriptions written in the U.S. every year.
You would think that thousands of deaths would be alarming enough to institute some sort of major changes into the medical field and prescription business. Anyone have any great ideas?
At least I know Mindy
has great handwriting. When she’s a practitioner she won’t be killing people at the stroke of a pen.
(ht. Derek)
death, doctors, medical errors, nursingdeath, doctors, medical errors, nursing
Read more:Great
Why Isn't Church More Like a 12 Step Program? 2007-01-26 14:48:48 Below is the 12 Step program (originally for alcoholics):
Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
1. We admitted we were powerless over ________ - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted i Read more:Program
, Church
A bit about News and Creative Communal Information 2007-01-27 21:09:13 I’ve mentioned this before, but I figure it’s worth mentioning again. This week I had over five people email me links to news articles they thought I should read. I haven’t had a chance to get to them until now. I really like the idea of sharing news with others and I think it’s important that we value each others opinions enough to read them.
I subscribe to the blogs of every person that I know of personally, and I do my best to read what they write because I think it’s important to value and be interested in the opinions and thoughts of one another.
Back in 2003 I read a book called, What Next? by Walter Mosley. It’s a great little book with some practical examples on ways to work towards a peaceful world. One thing Mosley mentions is the importance of staying informed. His suggestions for doing this is to start a reading group (this is before blogs became popular). Basically you find about 3-4 other people who are interested in collaborating. You
Stories of Creative Non-Violence 2007-01-28 14:47:10 My brother sent me this link to a news story you knew I would enjoy. It’s a great story for plenty of reasons:
The story shows a creative way of engaging one you might consider your “enemy”
Instead of the common first reaction of justice through police involvement, Pan chooses an alternative that results in a better outcome for both her and the thief
Usually our stories and news portrays criminals and enemies as robotic in their thinking, not human; This story shows even criminals are human, with real hurts and abilities to change
I’d love to continue to collect stories of non-violence here. So, if you find any other stories let me know and I’ll post them.
I posted another story a while back that showed pacifism at work.
China, creative, non violence, pacifismChina, creative, non violence, pacifism
Read more:Violence
, Stories
Children See. Children Do. 2007-01-29 18:53:09
(ht. Virgil)
children, Parenting, psa, videochildren, Parenting, psa, video
Read more:Children
5 Minutes of Darkness 2007-01-30 19:21:14 I just heard about this great idea that a group in France is trying to promote. Today, February 1st, the French Friends of the Earth, has asked:
everybody in France to shut down all lights at February 1 between 19h55 and 20h00 (Paris time). 5 minutes in the dark to call attention of citizens, media and decision makers to the wasting of energy and the urgency to pass to the action. 5 minutes of respite for planet: that isn’t a long time, that does not cost anything, and that will show to the Presidential candidates that climatic change is a subject which must weigh in the political debate.
Why February 1? The next day a meeting is planned of the intergovernmental group of experts on the evolution of climate (GIEC) of the United Nations. This event will take place in France. (from houtlust)
I think this is a brilliant, easy, statement making idea. I’m not sure of a date, but it would be really neat to promote, through the blogosphere and elsewhere, a national 5 Minutes of Da Read more:Darkness
Faces of Persecution 2007-01-30 18:19:14
P.S. This is not meant to spur you on to some violent justice-seeking rampage. This is just to show you the reality of persecution many in the world face. It’s to show Christians in our comfortable church pews in the USA what Jesus, Paul and others are talking about when they talk about the idea of persecution and love.
(ht. Blind Beggar)
christianity, Persecution
, Voice of the Martyrschristianity, Persecution, Voice of the Martyrs
Insight from Uganda Via the Vogts 2007-02-01 01:37:09 I think Via the Vogts will become a regular series here on the blog. The Vogts, Chris and Rebecca, are two dear friends of mine who are spending a large part of this year in Uganda
learning, growing and preparing to serve in a land far different then the one they came from. They’ve already sent a number of very long email updates sharing some of what they have been learning. I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit and thought I’d just quote a tidbit from their latest email. They talked a lot about some of the superstitions of the Ugandan culture, and then they lent some insight into the USA world view:
As Americans it’s pretty easy for us to see how silly it is to believe that excrement turns into children. We know that feverish chills and convulsions are symptoms of malaria and isn’t some evil spirit within a person. We know that giving money and food (essentially what a
sacrifice is) to the “rain god” won’t really bring rain. It’s easy to Read more:Insight
Where does your Recycling Go? 2007-01-31 18:56:54 For those who live in Nashville, here’s a short little video explaining the recycling process.
I’m really excited that we’ve finally started recycling at Mosaic. I don’t know why we didn’t sooner. I guess I just figured digging the paper programs out of the trash after the service was easier then pushing my agenda.
I’ve also seen quite a few friends start recycling which has also been really encouraging. It’s one of those things that I think we should just be doing.
Read:
Recycling
is Biblical: Part 1 and Part 2
recyclingrecycling
Hoping Hmong History Brings Understanding 2007-02-01 15:21:16 Being from Wisconsin and Minnesota (Mindy) the Hmong people are familiar to us. I know a number of students who attended my high school and Mindy recalls many even in rural Minnesota.
From The Capital Times:
Wisconsin, Minnesota and California are home to the largest populations of Hmong, an ethnic minority from Southeast Asia. Many Hmong, including Za Blong Vang, fought alongside the U.S. in a so-called secret war against communists in Laos during the Vietnam War and later fled to avoid government persecution. Lawmakers said 50,000 Hmong live in Wisconsin.
The body of Cha Vang was found Jan. 6 in a wildlife refuge near Green Bay. A white hunter was charged last week in Vang’s death.
Vang is a common last name for Hmong and the homicide victim is not related to Za Blong Vang.
Two years ago, a Hmong deer hunter shot six white hunters to death after being accused of trespassing in the Wisconsin woods. He said the whites shouted racial epithets at him and opened fire first. He is Read more:History
, Understanding
Say Goodbye to Edison's Lightbulb 2007-02-02 12:54:44 “How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb
Act” would ban incandescent light bulbs by 2012 in favor of energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs in the state of California. It’s about time we start making the switch.
I wonder if the bill will pass, since we at times seem to be such a stubborn society. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but we as a society need to start thinking in a way that considers our environment and our grandchildren. I’ve talked about CFL bulbs before and how they just made sense (so much so that even Walmart is on board).
Why switch to CFL bulbs you ask?
“They save money and energy,” EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said. “They are more convenient than other alternatives and come in different sizes and shapes to fit almost any fixture.”
Also, CFLs generate 70 percent less heat than incandescent lights, Jones said.
About a fifth of the average U.S. home’s electricity costs pays for l Read more:Goodbye
, Say Goodbye
, Edison
It's Time to Act 2007-02-02 23:04:11
ACT is the new campaign brand of Women’s Aid:
admit domestic violence is a problem, call it by its name, talk to someone.
abuse, domestic violenceabuse, domestic violence
Jesus Loves Osama Bin Laden 2007-02-03 13:46:05 A News article tells of the story behind this sign in front of a Sydney baptist church and the criticism from The Australian prime minister.
I’m happy to hear of kindred spirits in the world. After 9/11 I posted a sign on my door that read:
GOD BLESS AFGHANISTAN
PRAY FOR OSAMA BIN LADEN
It was tore down multiple times in the first few days I had it up. Then I made a t-shirt, and it got comments from people left and right. I made a new shirt when we went to war with Iraq and it met similar resistance.
So, it amazes me that there are whole churches out there that our clear on the radical love Christ calls us to, and it doesn’t surprise me that there are plenty that are opposed to it.
Anyone else ready to erect a Jesus
Loves Osama
sign at their church?
Church, jesus, Osama Bin Laden, prayerChurch, jesus, Osama Bin Laden, prayer
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