Via Bike.

I road my bike to the market today to purchase 2 ears of corn, 1 bag of peaches, a bunch of green beans, and some red potatoes. I have a nice backpack so I just wear it empty and load it up after picking my fresh fruits and vegetables. In the process I haven't used any gasoline, I haven't wasted plastic food sacks, I have gotten some needed exercise on a sunny day, and I was able to get fresh, healthy food for a very reasonable price.

Kingdom Within

I am currently reading Leo Tolstoi's "The Kingdom of God is Within You." In the beginning pages, he states, "But while we adhere to the doctrine of non-resistance and passive submission to enemies, we purpose, in a moral and spiritual sense, to assail iniquity in high places and low places, to apply our principles to all existing evil, political, legal, and ecclesiastical institutions, and to hasten the time when the kingdoms of this world will have become the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ."

What are the evils of the kingdoms of this world politically, legally, and ecclesiastically?

Tolstoi (translated as "Tolstoy" in English) was born into Russian nobility in 1828. His writings, including Anna Karenina, War and Peace, and Confession focus on the brutality of the Russian czar and the oppression of the ruling class.

Aesthetic Fruit.

I believe it to be no coincidence that food which is most physically beautiful is the creation that gives us the greatest nutrition to live life fully. Watermelon is composed on mostly water as is the human body. Watermelon is beautiful. Lemons are beautiful. Oranges are beautiful. Pineapple is beautiful. Strawberries are beautiful. The list goes on and on. May we nourish our bodies with the beauty of creation rather than with partially hydrogenated and chemically preserved and altered nastiness.

Leadership Reduced // God is Green

This is from post I published a blog for MVNU student leaders:

Leadership is very complex. I have read several books on leadership along with attending conferences that include "leadership" break-out sessions. It is intriguing to read and hear all the different perspectives and ideas that surround the buzz-word topic. I have discovered that my own leadership is flawed if I do not experientially demonstrate any concept or behavior that I wish to communicate.

I have been accused lately of being a "tree-hugging-hippie" because I am a non-violent activist who has taken up reducing, reusing, and recycling. Sarah, Kyla, and I have bins in our kitchen area for the recycling of plastic, metal, cardboard, and paper. When a bin fills up I take the materials to the Knox County Recycling Center on Columbus Road. I hope my attempt to "live green" leads others to do the same.

As lovers of creation, the staff of Oakwood Hall is planning to initiate a large recycling campaign. Many automobile manufacturers and social organizations encourage people to "Live Green" by reducing oil usage and automobile emissions along with caring for streams, lakes, and rivers and preserving the natural habitat of creatures. I would contend that followers of Jesus should follow the lead of said associations not as conforming citizens but as worshipers of our Creator. God is green. He has entrusted humanity to care for ourselves and the rest of creation. We are to control our consumption and reuse our resources as stewards of Creation and as leaders.

May we reduce leading others to our own demonstration.
Live Green.

Jesus Stickers?

On Judgment Day you'll wish you actually loved people.

If you want to know what I really think I'll just say that I edited my original post responding to this text so as not to offend anyone.

Music.

Music invigorates the soul.

Today I listened to James Taylor and Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major with Kyla. I later perused my itunes library and found delight, rest, and content.

Thank you musicians and lyricists.

Music invigorates the soul.

Merely Conceptualized

There exist two concepts about which I though I possessed understanding until I had a child: Service and Dependency.