Coming Home Environmentally

Posted on

Having recently moved back to the town I grew up in (Austin, TX), I’ve had ample opportunity in the past few weeks to reminisce.  Austin is a very environmentally friendly town and I am enjoying exploring the eco-options for shopping and doing life around town.  Yet as I reflect on my experience as a youth here, I recall that my introduction to environmentalism was a rather conflicted experience.

 

I attended the local science academy for Jr. High where I took classes like Environmental Science and joined the science club.  Our activities included beach and river clean-ups and advocacy programs to get recycling bins in the local schools.  We went river rafting, camping, and bird watching.  One of my classes even created a garden on the school grounds amidst the broken glass, discarded syringes, and used condoms littering the neighborhood.  Appreciating nature and learning to care for it was a vital part of my education.  And we didn’t just talk about it – we lived it out.

 

At the time, I of course dove into environmental causes with the sort of obsessive passion only a Jr. High girl can display.  In that age of big hair and towering bangs I encouraged my friends to stop their bottle a week aerosol hairspray habits.  I wore a pendant that said “Save the Dolphins” and wrote (horrid) poetry for the student section of the Austin paper about keeping our oceans clean.  I did my best to take 5 minute showers (I had a timer) and read everything I could about the watershed issues involving the local aquifer.  My gestures didn’t amount to much, but they were the manifestation of the little I knew and of what I believed.

 

But those beliefs about caring for the earth that I learned at school were rarely echoed at home or in church.  In fact they were often directly discouraged and ridiculed.  Environmentalism was referred to as an anti-Christian value with environmentalists serving as the butt of many jokes.  My parents constantly warned me against loving the creation more than the creator.  In their eyes loving God and loving creation were either/or options – one couldn’t faithfully do both.  I was the rebel treading dangerously close to sin by getting involved with environmental causes.

 

At the time I fought that message knowing that it just didn’t make sense.  But as I left the science academy and the support and encouragement to care about the earth, the message of my church slowly won me over to apathy.  For a long time I just stopped caring about creation – I didn’t recycle; I didn’t think about my lifestyle choices, I just didn’t care.  I didn’t actively hate environmental ideas or endeavors; I just didn’t care enough to be proactive – which in all practical reality amounts to the same thing.  It took years of distancing myself from such anti-environmental beliefs before I was able to truly care for creation again.  It was an emotional journey to finally accept that loving creation is part of what it means to love God.

 

Now, nearly two decades after my Jr. High introduction to environmentalism, I have returned to Austin with new eyes.  Recycling advocacy seems almost quaint these days as many local schools have student gardens and environmental clubs.  I have access to eco lawn care and dry cleaning.  I painted my house with eco-friendly paint and discovered a place to recycle all of my moving boxes.  Once again, all small everyday gestures, but part of what it takes to commit to a lifestyle that loves God by loving creation.  I am enjoying the opportunities offered by a supportive community.  And twenty years have even changed the attitudes of my family and the church.  Creation care is no longer a rebellious sin, but a spiritual discipline to be explored.

 

So my reminiscing on the past has helped me to re-establish myself here with environmental commitments already in place.  I look forward to the journey ahead and am pleased to discover that, environmentally speaking, it’s good to be home.

Read more

Convention Thoughts

Posted on

I’ve been avoiding watching the political conventions. Granted I am way too busy attempting to unpack, but the rhetoric at those things is generally pretty nauseating. But I happened to catch a bit of the GOP one last night while we were out to dinner (still haven’t uncovered cooking supplies…). I think Mike got annoyed as I kept reading with incredulity the lines presented in closed captioning on the TV. Some things go beyond nauseating to seriously depressing. I’m sure there were some stupid things said at the Democratic convention also, but the half hour I caught of the GOP last night was disturbing.

First I caught Romney’s speech. The one where he said that for America (which he later called the hope of the earth) to be the head of the world family we need to stop failing the family at home. And how are we failing the family? According to him by allowing the poison of government assistance to flourish. If only welfare and Medicaid were abolished the family would improve. Besides trying to provoke class warfare, I just have to wonder what he was smoking. Does he not realize that things like Medicaid are what help families to survive? Case in point – if not for government assistance to help me pay for the six digit medical bills I accrued in the past year our family would be struggling to survive. The salary of a pastor and personal insurance, although more than a lot of people have, barely covered anything. What would Romney have had me do? Abort Aidan to avoid such expenses? If he wants to help build strong families, he needs to support things that allow families to be families.

Then there were the even more disturbing signs being waved all over the place. They read “Country First” and “Prosperity.” Are those really the two most important values of the GOP? Nationalism and Wealth? For the party that claims to cater to religious crowds how can they promote values that outright contradict the message of Jesus? Or how could any committed follower of Christ choose to support such values? I’m not saying that the Democrats are any better here, just that our country is insanely far off track and we have blindly followed along.

And of course to top it off there were the men and women wearing buttons with Palin’s picture that said “Hottest VP.” Honestly, at what point in this country do we get past seeing women as just pieces of meat?

So Romney, contrary to your assumption last night, there are many days when I am not proud of my country. And last night was one of them.

Read more

Selling Corn Syrup

Posted on

It’s all about the spin. I remember back in the early 90’s when medical reports encouraged people to eat less red meat for their health we started seeing the “Beef. It’s What for Dinner” ads. PR to convince us to buy more stuff that isn’t good for us. Well as more people are realizing the dangers and ubiquitous nature of High Fructose Corn Syrup, the Corn Refiners Association has jumped into full PR spin mode. They recently launched a $30 million advertising campaign to convince consumers that HFCS is a natural compound like honey. (It’s made from corn so therefore it’s natural right?) Forget that it can only be made in industrial laboratories using numerous chemicals (including stuff like sulfuric acid), the FDA ruled earlier this summer that it can be labeled as “natural.” Hence the advertising campaign. Take a look at this recent commercial.

 

—

 

Playing on people’s fears and lack of information, the Corn Refiners have hit the sweet spot in labeling lingo. If it is “natural” then it must be good. But honestly even if we buy that “natural” claim, there are still numerous issues with this commercial. First substitute in another natural sweetener like sugar or honey into the dialogue and yes, as a mom I would be worried about feeding that to my child. Added sweeteners are unnecessary and unhealthy. They are a special treat, not just everyday afternoon snack fare. Who cares if HFCS is from corn and is just like sugar and honey – it is just like sugar and honey – full of empty calories and dangerous in large amounts.

The PR spin is necessary because we are consuming HFCS in crazy large amounts. It is in everything, its health issues hidden because it isn’t labeled as sugar. Corn is a veggie and most people might not know that HFCS is a sugar. If they bother to read the ingredients at all the impact of HFCS at the top of the list doesn’t hit them. And so obesity issues and diabetes continue to rise as the food that is easy to find and consume is stock full of high empty calories. And that doesn’t even account for the number of other health issues and allergies that are linked to HFCS.

Because HFCS is so popular (its in everything), most of the corn that is grown is very similar. We have lost the historic varieties of corn and the array of nutrients they provide. We now eat a very nutrient poor form of corn that not only sweetens most of our food but is the feed for the cows and chickens we consume. Our diet in essence is based strictly on corn. This is a health risk as we need a greater variety of nutrients to stay healthy. But it is also a societal risk to rely on one substance as our main food supply. If corn somehow faced a blight like potatoes did in Ireland, we would be facing a serious food crisis.

But even beyond the health risks, by supporting the use of HFCS one is supporting a seriously broken economic system. Our market is flooded with corn. It is a highly subsidized commodity. Farmers must grow ever increasing amounts of corn that are sold at low prices. Without the government subsidies most farmers would make no profit on their corn at all. But the more corn one grows the more subsidies one receives. So farmers must turn to genetically modified corn that is copyrighted (meaning they must buy new seed each year). They must use vast amounts of fertilizers and pesticides (some which are built into the genetic structure of the corn itself). These chemicals not only destroy the ecosystem and poison water supplies, but they are oil based. To grow this corn we are expending large amounts of oil, an ever dwindling resource in our world.

In addition the US reliance on corn to insert into all of our food has encouraged more farmers to grow the corn. Since the government subsidizes it (and not other varieties of veggies), it is a way for farmers to actually make a living as a farmer. But only US farmers. There is a huge surplus of US grown subsidized corn that continues to flood the world market. Other countries cannot compete. World organizations have declared the subsiding of food on the trade market illegal, but the US continues to subsidize. Good for our multimillion dollar agribusinesses, bad for family farmers around the world. Counties like Brazil are seeking to sue the US for illegal trade practices, but one doubts the affect such suits will have.

So as one soccer mom embarrasses another mom for her lack of knowledge and encourages her to feed HFCS to her kids, there is a lot more at stake than just a pseudo-natural product. The Garden of Eden parallels in the commercial are frightening. But I guess that’s just good marketing – getting us to not just desire, but eat the forbidden fruit. And we just play along…

Read more

Ten Reasons I Know I’m Back in Texas

Posted on

1. I can order Dr. Pepper anywhere I go.

2. The Iced Tea tastes good.

3. Local craft stores have big displays with supplies for making homecoming mums. (see picture)

4. At the seminary orientation we were served biscuits and gravy for breakfast and King Ranch Chicken for lunch.

5. Local fast food restaurants serve carrot raisin salad as a “healthy side” option. (not that I would ever eat it…)

6. People spell “y’all” correctly. (okay second grade spelling lesson for all y’all Midwesterners – the apostrophe replaces the dropped letters. So when contracting “you all” the apostrophe goes between the “y” and the “a” NOT the “a” and the “l”. This isn’t a pet peeve of mine or anything…)

7. I can go swimming without freezing to death and wear a tank top without being “immodest.”

8. My neighbors have a palm tree in their yard.

9. I have access to eco-friendly cleaners and lawn-care options.

10. It’s hot (duh).

Read more

Adventures in Gender Roles

Posted on

I’ve had some interesting encounters in the realm of gender roles in the last few days. It’s just been amusing what assumptions are being made depending on the crowd I am with.

The issue first arose last week when Emma got together to play with her pseudo-cousin Juan (he’s my sister-in-law’s half brother who is exactly Emma’s age and the closest thing she has to a cousin…). The idea was to have them splash around in the wading pool. Well Juan immediately found a toy football and started a game of trying to throw it into the pool. Emma got a baby doll and gave it a bath. I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry – so I settled for being happy that my toddler was having fun.

Then at Mike’s orientation at Austin Presbyterian Seminary we had an interesting conversation with the other students about the role of women in the school. One student had attended an all girls college and was getting used to having men in her classes again. Others went to more evangelical schools where women in bible/theology classes were rare if allowed at all. Others from mainline backgrounds were shocked at how weird our experiences of inequality were. So I think it will be very refreshing to be in a context where gender equality is assumed and not still an issue to be debated.

But on the opposite end of the equality spectrum I had some very strange conversations with some friends of my mom’s at a gathering recently. I was doing the whole chit-chat thing answering questioning about my life and mentioned that I was working on a book. In multiple separate conversations the first response to that fact was – “oh, you’re writing a women’s Bible study.” When I tried to explain that I was writing a book not just a study the follow up response was – “so what age group of women is it targeted to.” The exact same response in separate conversations. At first I was really confused. Then it hit me that in these women’s world a woman can only write things for other women. Since in their theology women can’t teach men anything a woman writes must obviously be only for women. They literally couldn’t understand how I could be writing something men would ever read. Needless to say, it made the conversation slightly awkward. But starting a theological argument while I was standing around in a party dress and heels sipping mimosas just seemed a bit too weird, so I just smiled and changed the subject.

So I’m working on figuring out where I belong down here…

Read more

Peace Like a (Roaring) River

Posted on

So the other day my mom was reading her bible and read this verse out loud to me –
If only you had paid attention to my commands,
your peace would have been like a river,
your righteousness like the waves of the sea. – Isaiah 48:18

She read the verse and then commented – “but that makes no sense.” We are all accustomed to the hymns that repeat the image of “peace like a river” but as my mom pointed out rivers are generally not peaceful. You see she is the sort of person whose vacations involve canoeing down the lower canyons of the Rio Grande and shooting the rapids. Rivers are wild unpredictable things – full of uncontrollable power – that are to be respected but not tamed. They are not exactly synonymous with our modern conceptions of peace.

All too often in our world today the term “peace” simply connotes serenity. The whole “peaceful easy feeling” concept conveys a laid back vacationy image. Peace is about not being troubled by anything, letting the world pass you by while you kick-back and relax. Perhaps a hammock, a good book, and a glass of wine are included in that image.

While I have no problem with the hammock/book/wine scenario (can you tell what I’m daydreaming about…), that whole conception of peace is actually a better description of apathy than biblical peace. Serenity and mindless bliss are not exactly the same as Shalom. Peace as seen in the bible often refers to a rightness of relationships – with God and with others. Peace implies the presence of justice, and relationships that are whole. Far from being about personal serenity, it conveys the active bestowing of blessings on others.

So I like the way The Message translated that verse –
“If you had listened all along to what I told you,
your life would have flowed full like a river,
blessings rolling in like waves from the sea.”

Peace is active and ongoing. It is about the abundant life lived to the full in the way of Christ. Peace is like a river – a wild river overflowing its banks. It is about a life that is fully lived in service to others. So of course when one is listening to God’s commands one will have peace – the very nature of following those commands brings about this full and abundant shalom.

So if we want peace like a river we have to be ready for white water rapids.

Read more

Update… briefly

Posted on

So life is crazy once again. I haven’t had a spare moment to get online and write this past week. Mike is gone all the time and both kids decided to give up naps. I’ve yet to perfect the one-handed nursing and using a laptop maneuver and the laptop doesn’t scream if I ignore it for two seconds… Add to that the fact that I still can’t lift even the laundry basket without feeling pain and the chaos mounts. Mike keeps telling me that the highest expectation I should have for any day is just getting to shower. Granted half the time I can’t even accomplish that, but it frustrates me none the less. So one of these days I get around to actually writing all the random blog posts I have in my head…

But as an update to the last post, I wanted to say that we did find a house in Austin. Amazingly enough we are closing this week (I had no clue such a short wait was even possible). It’s a great place that is still in Austin (although it feeds into a suburban school district). The neighborhood is really diverse. We are in an older neighborhood (Lamplighter Village) – just a block west of us is subsidized housing and a block north there is a fancy newish subdivision. Just east of us is the commercial district that of course has the ubiquitous Starbucks and the big grocery store, but also a Halal market, a used book store, and both an Indian and Ethiopian take-out. We met our next door neighbors who have lived there since the neighborhood was built (back when they could raise goats in their backyard) and they seem really nice. The house is a 3/2 with energy efficient updates and there is a playhouse in the backyard (Emma’s excited). We hope we can feel at home there and become part of the community soon.

So anyway… that’s the craziness for now.

Read more

House Hunting

Posted on

So we’ve spent the past few days in Austin searching for a place to live. There is a part of me that would love to live in the quirky, educated, central part of the city – the parts that inspire the “Keep Austin Weird” bumper stickers. You know the ones connected to public transportation and near co-op’s and farmer’s markets. But homes in those areas are just a few hundred thousand outside our price range. Frustrating that living within our means and within our ideals are hard to do concurrently.

But as we’ve looked in the pockets of town we can afford – generally the low-income, ethnically diverse areas (a plus in many ways) – I’ve noticed a pattern. Surrounding these neighborhoods are convenience stores and fast food places. No real grocery store, no access to healthy food choices. In fact the closest access to any groceries whatsoever is a Wal-Mart some miles away. It’s a pattern I saw in Chicago as well. The poorer a neighborhood, the harder it was to find healthy food options. If one doesn’t have a car and gas money the choices stocking the aisles at the local 7-eleven are what’s for dinner. And people wonder about the links between poverty, nutrition, and school/work performance…

I just find it frustrating and am pissed off at the latent injustices in our socioeconomic system. And stressed at how much more difficult house hunting is when not just economics and aesthetics but personal values are involved. Knowing that where we live reflect who we are and what we value – and that many of those values will have to be compromised – makes it all that more complicated.

Decisions, decisions…

Read more

Vampires, Myth, and Christianity

Posted on

So we made it to Texas and it has been a crazy week. I finally have my laptop connected to the internet and am stealing a few minutes to sit down and write. But as I considered what to blog about (usually whatever is on my mind at the time…), I realized that I’ve spent a lot of time recently thinking about vampires. Yes, vampires. But bear with me here.

I actually bloged about my encounters with vampire (books) three years ago (here), so it’s not a new subject on this blog. But after reading through Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series recently, vampires have once again been on my mind. If you haven’t heard of the series that means you are most likely not a teenage girl (or a huge fantasy geek). I was intrigued by any book that merited a midnight release for it’s fourth installment and had been following the debates as to if the books were sexist or not (I personally think not). So I decided to give the books a go and ended up throughly engaged.

As you probably gathered at this point the books are about vampires (sorry for the spoiler). But the main characters in the books are “good” vampires – they feed off animal blood, not humans. What I found most intriguing though was the process by which these characters became vampires. Each of them had been at the brink of death and were at that point transformed into vampires – immortal, perfect creatures (at least in this series). Given the author’s expressed religious devotion, I can’t help but see the spiritual parallels there. The chosen ones being essentially resurrected into strong, beautiful, gifted, eternal (yet physical) beings. Interesting concept.

But the obvious spiritual connection in the books reminded me of other conversations I have had relating Christianity and vampires. The whole concept of blood being shed to give another eternal life mirrors vampire lore. There are of course those that recognize that with derision as this quote demonstrates –

“Almost two billion people on the face of this planet are Christians,” he said. “That means every Sunday you’ll find hordes of these creatures lining up to drink the blood of their god in a ritual called communion.

“And what does their god and his church offer them in return? “Everlasting life …

“If that is not the promise of a vampire religion, then I don’t know what is …”

Sinton said Christianity was the only religion that worshiped a corpse and one of a handful that still engaged in blood rituals.

“Visit one of their churches and you’ll often find a huge statue of their vampire Christ looming over the congregation,” he said. Instead of blood dripping from fangs, Christ’s blood drips from his hands, feet, side and crown.

“1.9 billion people believe this immortal god is their salvation and that his blood can redeem and protect them. “Listen to some of the hymns they sing,” he said, “as they sway hypnotically before this eerie preternatural creature …”

Are You Washed In The Blood?
Jesus Thy Blood and Righteousness
Nothing But The Blood
Saved By The Blood
The Blood-Washed Throng
The Bloodwashed Pilgrim
There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood
There Is Power In The Blood

“With all this blood imagery,” Sinton said, “no wonder the congregations descends like vampires when the priest calls them up for communion …” The Christian Bible states that Jesus actually said “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:54).

By drinking the blood of Jesus and eating his flesh, Christians believe they die and are reborn as immortals.

But others see those same elements and embrace the similarities. I’ve heard of goth oriented churches that play up the vampire connection especially related to communion. I guess it’s just another form of cultural contextualization. Some churches reach yuppies by presenting Christ as the ultimate CEO, other churches reach the goths by comparing Christ to vampires. (I think I’d rather attend the vampire church…)

The connection of shed blood and immortality is an ancient one – one of the oldest religious beliefs around. Some dismiss Christianity for dwelling on it. Others (like C.S. Lewis) believe that in Christ myth became fact – making it all resonate with our deepest cultural longings. As he wrote in God in the Dock –

The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact. The old myth of the Dying God, without ceasing to be myth, comes down from the heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history. It happens — at a particular date, in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences. We pass from a Balder or an Osiris, dying nobody knows when or where, to a historical Person crucified (it is all in order) under Pontius Pilate. By becoming fact it does not cease to be myth: that is the miracle.

In Christ in a way we have the fulfillment of legend. An interesting concept if nothing else.

But I’m sure that’s not the reaction most have to the books. Obsessing over Edward Cullen seems more the norm…

Read more

Come Back to Texas

Posted on

Come back to Texas
Its just not the same since you went away
Before you lose your accent
And forget all about the Lone Star State
There’s a seat for you at the rodeo
And I’ve got every slow dance saved
Besides the Mexican food sux north of here anyway 

– Ohio, Bowling for Soup

So after 12 years of living in Illinois, I’m headed back to Texas. I’m pretty sure I’ve lost my accent (although I never stopped saying y’all), the only rodeo I’ve been to was in Illinois, but I’m excited about returning to good Mexican food.

The house is (mostly) packed and we roll out of here on Monday. We don’t have a place down there yet, so we are moving in with my parents. It feels kinda strange to be 30 and married with two kids and be moving back in with my parents, but its how things worked out. Mike starts school in a couple of weeks and I hope we can get settled soon. At this point it’s till rather surreal.

I don’t know when I’ll have regular internet access again as we trek down there. So until then…

Read more