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It is so easy to be tricked into believing that our happiness comes from the things that we own, the stuff in our closets. One sign of our wealth is all the extra stuff and storage space we use. Our closets are full. Our pantries are full. Yet it is so easy to feel and think we need more. Catholic worker and social activist, Dorothy Day said, “If you have two coats one of them belongs to the poor.” Similarly in Luke 3:11,”In reply [John the Baptist] said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise. We are challenged to take an active role in the redistribution of our wealth. I admire how John and Liz regularly give away the unused items in their house. They also have the rule that they don’t buy something new without getting rid of something.

Why do we consume responsibly? It is good for us. We are happier, healthier and freer. It is better for the environment. It is better for our neighbors here and around the world.

Ways to clean out:

• Pantry Challenge : How long could our family eat from the food in our house without going to grocery store? *You are allowed to buy staples, like milk, eggs, butter, fruits and vegetables if you don’t have any in the freezer or pantry and any food that is part of a prescribed health regimen. Other than that, everything you serve should come from your pantry, refrigerator or freezer. How long will it take?

• Take things to Good Will or the Baltimore Free Store

• Or have donations picked up at your house (e.g. American Vets, Purple Heart, etc.)

• Food Pantries

• U&I Trade

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Sunday night we had a conversation with a representative from the Sierra Club who showed us a clip from the movie Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America. Almost all the energy in the US comes from coal. Our use of electricity is directly tied to mountain top removal, childhood asthma and global warming. We were left with a big question- as residents of Baltimore City our electricity comes from BGE whose energy comes from coal- is there a way for us to avoid using electricity that is linked to coal? Solar energy? Wind energy?

We have agreed to take some individual steps as well as talk about something we can do as a community. Personally I am going to write the city and thank them for stream-lining recycling in Baltimore. I am so grateful they have made it so easy. Even still I am amazed at how little others on our street put out on recycling day. We have made a point to have a smaller trash can and a larger recycling bin. Every other week isn’t quite enough for us but we aren’t complaining. Thank you Baltimore City!

What are others hoping to do this week?

I am so impressed with all that we are already doing- let’s keep up the good work.

We also wanted to make sure you can catch some of the Green Week Events beginning this weekend, with an Eco Festival at Druid Hill Park on Saturday, April 26. Check out the full program at Baltimore Green Week.

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Anyone know more?

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Together we are going to pursue the experiment of using non-American news sources this week. Some ideas shared by the group were:
http://allafrica.com/
http://english.aljazeera.net/English
http://www.bbc.co.uk/?ok
http://www.iht.com/ — The International Herald Tribune

This background of a greater understanding of the global situation should form a fascinating starting point for this Sunday’s conversation on the Earth and environment with our guest from the Sierra Club.

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What I found most striking was that these candidates were being asked so many questions that were beyond their field of expertise and right in mine. I’ve been to seminary; I’ve studied theology and the Bible. These advantages were not shared by Clinton and Obama. In contrast to most speeches by and debates among Presidential candidates, I found myself more knowlegeable about the issues. I am not an ‘expert’ on Health Care or Trade or Macroeconomic policy or international relations. Many times during the Compassion forum I heard what amounted to surface, pat answers which did not reflected the depth of the tension present in considering issues such as why evil exists or when life begins or whether God wants a certain person to be President. Are we asking too much of our candidates to expect that they could be experts on everything? And how much of our vote should be based on a candidate’s ability to integrate his/her beliefs with his/her positions?

I felt that one of CNN’s commentators after the forum summed it up well when he stated that “Obama seemed more articulate about how his faith has informed his policy positions.” Much of what was said all even was remarkably un-integrated. Faith on one hand and then policy and politics on the other.

All told, I did enjoy and appreciate the forum and frankly, I (secretly) hoped that I could have helped to prepare the candidates for the questions they might receive, just as there are people who help with debate-prep. They mentioned that there are plans for a second Compassion Forum later this year with McCain and the Democratic nominee. Maybe then I could help out?

Did you see the Forum? What are your thoughts?

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So we were featured in this week’s City Paper (.com). You can click here to read the full article. Here’s a small snippet…

“It goes back to story,” Hartman says. “A lot of the emerging church has grown out of a new emphasis on narrative theology, the story of God and God’s people. How does this story connect to God’s plan for the people of Baltimore? There is no formula.”

The emerging church wants to peel away doctrine to find the authentic Jesus, Hartman says, to strip Christianity down to the core of what Jesus was about. Though members of the emerging church may agree that acceptance of Jesus Christ is the key to getting to heaven, they also believe that the Bible and Jesus left instructions for how believers were supposed to live in this world.

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