Construction-Zone



Originally uploaded by smccard

So, having just switched to WordPress, it looks like I’m having some difficulty with my feed. For those of you who read this blog through a reader, we are working on repairing the connection. Thanks for your patience as we work through these changes.

Nightmares & Dreams Inside Spread



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Last night as I lay sleeping,

I had a dream so fair…

I dreamed of the Holy City, well ordered and just.

I dreamed of a garden of paradise,

well-being all around and a good water supply.

I dreamed of disarmament and forgiveness,

and caring embrace for all those in need.

I dreamed of a coming time when death is no more.

Last night as I lay sleeping…

I had a nightmare of sins unforgiven.

I had a nightmare of land mines still exploding

and maimed children.

I had a nightmare of the poor left unloved,

of the homeless left unnoticed,

of the dead left ungrieved.

I had a nightmare of quarrels and rages

and wars great and small.

When I awoke, I found you still to be God,

presiding over the day and the night

with serene sovereignity,

for dark and light are both alike to you.

At the break of day we submit to you

our best dreams

and our worst nightmares,

asking that your healing mercy should override threats,

that your goodness will make our

nightmares less toxic

and our dreams more real.

From Prayers for a Privileged People

Walking on air !
Originally uploaded by s3ood

So what do you think of my new blog design?

There are still some finishing touches that need to be made, but I wanted to give thanks to Dave Williams taking the time to design this site and for moving all of the information from my other blog to here. Feel free to give me some feedback. It is really nice to be on WordPress. Dave has helped me to help keep things really cheap.

I hope that you find it pleasant to look at as well as easy to navigate. I look forward to hearing from you on what you think of the new design.

Photo by Pensiero

Earthships - Homes Without Utility Bills
There are 60 houses dotting the landscape of Taos, New Mexico called Earthships, which is basically new biotecture that builds with these five principles: 1. Thermal/Solar Heating and Cooling  2. Solar and Wind Electricity  3.Contained Sewage Treatment  4. Building with Natural and Recycled Materials 5. Water Harvesting  6. Food Production.  You can check out the International Earthship Expeditions, current earthship listings in Taos, NM, as well as this clip on KCAL 9.

Paging Rick Warren
Fred Barnes in this article at The Weekly Standard makes the case that a pastor, in particular, Rick Warren has done a better job at helping us get to know the candidates than the last two debates, which haven’t given us a whole lot more information than what we hear on the stump speeches.  If you didn’t get the chance to view Warren’s interviews with Obama and McCain, you can view it at the Saddleback Civil Forum website. 

Beverly Hills Home For Sale - Price Drops $10,000 Every Friday
A picture of the rapidly changing landscape of the Real Estate Market.  Check out this sign and house that is Coldwater Caynon.  The photo of the Day in the LA Times.

Understanding a Little About the Economic Crises

Marketplace Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch gives an explanation of the intricacies of collaterlized debt obligations those financial instruments that got us into this financial mess.  Check out the YouTube video below.            

The two disciples whom Jesus joined on the road to Emmaus recognized
him in the breaking of the bread. What is a more common, ordinary
gesture than breaking bread? It may be the most human of all human
gestures: a gesture of hospitality, friendship, care, and the desire to
be together. Taking a loaf of bread, blessing it, breaking it, and
giving it to those seated around the table signifies unity, community,
and peace. When Jesus does this he does the most ordinary as well as
the most extraordinary. It is the most human as well as the most divine
gesture.

The great mystery is that this daily and most
human gesture is the way we recognize the presence of Christ among us.
God becomes most present when we are most human. - Henri Nouwen

The two disciples whom Jesus joined on the road to Emmaus recognized him in the breaking of the bread. What is a more common, ordinary gesture than breaking bread? It may be the most human of all human gestures: a gesture of hospitality, friendship, care, and the desire to be together. Taking a loaf of bread, blessing it, breaking it, and giving it to those seated around the table signifies unity, community, and peace. When Jesus does this he does the most ordinary as well as the most extraordinary. It is the most human as well as the most divine gesture.

The great mystery is that this daily and most human gesture is the way we recognize the presence of Christ among us. God becomes most present when we are most human. - Henri Nouwen

One of the differences between a literary review and a straight up book review is that literary reviews are written to help with future research.  So I am writing with the idea that this will guide me to what I want to go back and study in regard to this book.  There are  various approaches to literary reviews, but here is mine.

LITERARY REVIEW
I basically start with my sense of the author’s thesis, followed by a general overview of the book, and then I focus on themes that are pertinent to my future research.  With that said, here is my reviews.

THESIS
In Organic Community: Creating a Place Where People Naturally Connect, Myers makes the case that practitioners need to shift from being master programmers to environmentalist, people who follow principles of organic order to shape environments where people naturally connect.

GENERAL OVERVIEW
Myers supplies us with nine organizational tools, which are designed to be used in an organic way, to move us from trying to “program” community to using organic order to create an environment where community can emerge naturally. Here is a chart (click to make larger) of the tools with a short explanation given my Myers.

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
This book is filled with meaningful ways to be an environmentalist so that people can connect with one another naturally.  In a time when some have programmed the life out of the church, it is helpful to have some tools and guidelines to create an environment for life to emerge in spontaneous ways. 

Myers gives us helpful ways to distinguish between master planners and Environmentalists.  Master planners use master plans to try and control the future, while Environmentalist use organic order to enable life to spring up. (29,30).  Master planners use a language of “ought” and “should”, while environmentalists use a language of possibilities (30).  Master planners begin with the end in mind, where environmentalists begin with a horizon in view (31).  Master planners ask the question “Where are we headed?” Environmentalists ask, “What are we hoping for?”

I enjoyed each section and found each of the tools to be helpful, especially his thoughts on measurement, growth, power, coordination, partners and resources. In the tool of partners, he compares accountability relationships with edit-ability relationships.  He mentions how accountability relationships inadvertently reinforce negative behavior by concentrating on it.  An accountability partner tends to look for mistakes and keep account of them.  In contrast, edit-ability relationships celebrate the journey toward wholeness and tend to look for strengths, in making suggestions for improvement. 

The metaphorical difference between accountability partners and edit-ability partners is the difference between an accountant and an editor.  “An accountant’s training, job, and passion are rooted in looking for errors and covering all bases.  An editor’s training, job, and passion are to help an author toward richer communication – a rich, full voice that is free of encumbrances”  (139).