Bringing beauty out of chaos

Do I write or do I edit photos? The urge to do both speaks to my need for ordered beauty out of clutter and mess. It is the first time I have been at my computer in nearly a month (oh how I missed you!) and in that time I have had more thoughts and taken more photographs than my creative juices can handle. And of course, moved.

Boxes and stacks of files and wires and papers without homes surround me. It is oh so disorganized.

I have been starting my mornings with a brisk walk/jog, as altitude adjustment allows. I love Colorado mornings! The air is crisp, fresh and barely warm. Paths are filled with dog-walkers, bikers, and fellow joggers. I pray for patience and kindness for the kids that day. And again the next morning. And the next.

I also notice how beautiful the yards are and I have wondered how manicured grass points to God's character. Isn't it a need for ordered beauty that drives us to turn farms and fields (which surround our neighborhood) into brilliantly green carpets trimmed, watered, and tenderly cared for?

If this is a desire we have, did it not come from the one in whose image we were created? Who himself created order out of chaos and brought beauty out of nothingness? If this is not just an American suburban thing we do or a sign of wealth, how do people in the majority world create ordered beauty?

I remember my Turkish neighbors meticulously cleaning their homes, shoes always left at the door, carpets shook regularly. Though the streets were full of dirt, litter, and a horrendous stray dog problem, homes were always neat and clean, no matter the economic class.

I wonder, what do those who live on $1 a day do to create beauty? Surely this is innate to us all. It is not just the green grass I pass as I reach my morning stride.

And, surely, this is what I'm striving for as I unpack and sort and rearrange?

Justice in the Kitchen

If I were to write a book, this is what I would call it: Justice in the Kitchen, Imparting a theology of justice to our kids in bite sized chunks.

Yesterday I was making Aidan Turkish tea. He loves this stuff and claims his Turkish babysitter gave him tea instead of bottles. In fact, when Ella teased him for liking it, he was genuinely insulted. Thus began our brief foray into depth at the kitchen table...

Aidan: Sugar cubes would have been better.
Beth: (smiling) Yes, I know.
A: You know that church in Turkey with the spiral staircase going down to the basement? I used to steal sugar cubes there and eat them.
B: I know.
A: That wasn't really a church though, was it?
B: What do you mean? What makes a church?
A: Well, I mean, a place that is open all the time with people working there during the week and stuff.
B: So was Seed (our current church) a church when we met at the Country Village (a rented room)?
A: (pause) No, yes, I mean... (exasperated and stuck)
B: If that was still a church, but without a building, what makes a church?
Ella: A group of people? Who love?
B: Do you know, in some countries churches are just a few families meeting in a living room in secret.
E: Why in secret?
B: Because in some places they aren't allowed to follow Jesus. They aren't allowed to become Christians.
E: (look of horror and tone of pain) Why not?
B: In countries that don't know Jesus some leaders don't want their to people to change. So churches are small and meet in secret.
A: Can I have more tea?

That was it. Just a few minutes of intense curiosity and space for a transformative moment. It's gone as quickly as it starts and I realize how I need to be on my toes, constantly seizing these teachable minutes. Hopefully, they are now a tiny bit more aware of their freedoms, a tiny bit more knowledgeable about ecclesiology, and a tiny bit more educated in issues of injustice as it relates to our faith.

Justice in my front yard

Yesterday the kids and I had an opportunity to discuss 'rule of law' and experience first hand how the police in our country serve us.

1) Sophie and I met some friends at the beach for our last sunny day and when we all returned to our cars, my friend's passenger window had been shattered and her purse stolen! I think we all felt a sense of violation, even Ella as I recounted the story hours later. She and Aidan wanted to know all the details and if the police came, caught the thief, and reclaimed my friend's possessions. Their sense of justice is innate.

2) Of course, that retelling was intensified by the drama unfolding in front of our house as Ella and Aidan walked home from school. A police car had pulled up across the street and a detective's car next door. The two officers had walked a few houses down to our suspicious neighbor's duplex and then returned with a handcuffed man! I have had my opinions about what is going on in that house, and discussed the consequences with the kids. They were fascinated (and comforted) by the arrest!

3) Ironically, Aidan had already met the uniformed officer at school that morning. A classmate broke his leg during recess and the fire department, ambulance, and police all descended. Aidan had shook the officer's hand and been left with a benevolent and trusting impression of the law.

As I've continued to think about yesterday's events I am struck by how we take for granted the 'rule of law.' Our society functions because we can trust the justice system. Corruption is rare, and if exposed, punished. The police are trustworthy and the first people we advise our children to seek if they are in trouble.

These basic realities are just not true in so many places in the developing world! Corruption is rampant. The police are not to be trusted. And wrong doing is often rewarded.

I'm looking forward to continuing our discussion today when the kids come home. Another blessing I don't want them to miss!

Caring for Creation Part 2

Thanks to the farmers market, tonight we had blue potatoes again, purple green beans, and grass fed beef. And thanks to my neighborhood Trader Joes, we drank Fetzer's Cabernet and discovered it is is an "earth friendly wine."

Where to begin?

Yes, this was all a very earth friendly, local-economy (save the wine) based meal. However, let me burst any bubbles right now: lest you imagine the five of us sitting down to a tablecloth and smart dinner conversation, please picture Aidan coming home late from football practice, the girls and I eating by ourselves, Sophie with no utensils and popping the bean part out of her purple-turned-green bean pod into my face, and the wine already half gone by the time the meat appeared because it had been one of those days as a parent.

I had been interested in grass fed beef for quite some time (more on that later). And at the market, the kids are drawn to the tent with the cowboys standing in front (www.mountain-beef.com). So this past weekend, beef was on the top of our list. It's a family here in Washington that raise their cattle the old fashion way, roaming the land, and they sell 1/4 sides of beef every October. Supposedly that would be about 100lbs. and fill an entire top portion of a normal freezer. I was curious about how it tasted and eager to support a local family who raises their animals in a humane way with a value of caring for the land. I've been daunted by the price of organic beef and recently skeptical of what that label even means. This meat is $3.20/lb and it was good!

The purple beans and potatoes are just so fun for the kids and I have to say, worshipful. I am amazed at the variety of foods that were created for us to enjoy and I want to partake in keeping them alive. Buying them supported a local farming couple, educated my children, and diversified our nutrition and palate.

And the wine... we like them bold. Cabernet is our favorite this year and I can tell a good one. Unfortunately, we can't afford a good one and we often settle for Trader Joe's 3-buck-chuck. To tell you the truth, it stinks. But, when we have a special meal we splurge on Fetzer's $5.99 Cab. It's pretty good for the price and I'm even more excited after scoping out their website and seeing all the cool things they're doing to be good stewards of their farming practices.

All this to say, every meal can be a practice in caring for creation and bringing the Creator to your table. Am I a purist? No. I'm too human to be a purist. Am I enjoying this journey of discovering, playing, and celebrating the bounty? Hmm...

Caring for Creation 1

I have vivid memories of an avocado green hand mixer, goldenrod yellow washer and dryer, and a similar color combo of plates that my parents were using well past their 25th anniversary. All wedding gifts from 1969, still working in 1995 when I got married. I remember reaping the bounty of gifts at my own wedding and having a fleeting thought that some of these things might still be around in 25 years. However, I also remember the arrogance and greed that swept that thought into oblivion, declaring I would never be so un-trendy as to not replace such outlandish household goods in due time.

It's ironic that 14 years into marriage, I now brag about appliances or serving dishes I received as a wedding gift. Perhaps it is merely a sign of where one finds themselves financially by the time two lovebirds have become five mouths to feed. Or perhaps it is a shift in values that leaves well enough alone. But I am very aware of another conscious thought underlying my (still arrogant) bragging: Reduce, reuse, recycle. Cease the gluttonous want for more and better.

At this point, some may be done reading. Green talk again. The social agenda and the trendy topic. Beth, the converted Seattlite.

On the contrary, Christians are becoming quite concerned about the environment as we realize more and more that this is a spiritual issue. Not only are we desecrating creation at an alarming speed, but the act of protection can be a worshipful experience.

It grieves me to learn that there is a mound of plastic larger than the state of Texas floating in the Pacific Ocean, mostly made of bags and bottles that are not biodegradable, killing plant and animal life in the waters below that will eventually affect our food chain. (Seattle will now charge $.20 per plastic bag at grocery stores.) And is it not horrific to know that 80% of our e-waste is exported, primarily to one city in China; that children sort the parts and face toxicity and other metal-poisonings, affecting health and reproductive development. Or that in 2007, Americans alone produced 370 million units of e-waste according to the EPA.

As stewards of creation, we have the privilege of doing our part to protect developing lands and wildlife, the health of the more vulnerable, and the overall well-being of all humanity. Lest we become cynics, every small choice matters.

As I resist the urge to replace out-dated household goods with more trendy versions, I celebrate my part in reducing waste. As I take my cloth bags to the store or refill my stainless steel water bottle, I am hopeful that one day that floating plastic "state" will diminish and God's beautiful ocean will be restored.

And I've been fortunate that my friends have always seemed to be the thrifty sort. They pride themselves in Craigs List finds, refurbing furniture, trading clothes and even beds (I'm on my third bed "swap"), sharing cars and choosing the library over Borders. It is certainly easier to be around people who value less rather than tempt me to more.

...because let's face it. I am a person of more. And that is why being green is a worshipful experience for me.

Got Coffee?

$7.25/ lb. for Fair Trade, organic, shade grown GOOD coffee from a company committed to community development and actually the only company in the U.S. that pays above the fair trade price! check out Deans Beans

It's time to announce our new coffee. (Just a recommendation b/c it comes up so often and we're frequently asked. This is our new find. I'm not trying to preach here.) If I open my Just coffee shop, I'll be brewing Deans Beans.

We've been on a search for quite some time for a Fair Trade brand that is affordable and strong enough for the Brunos. Two important standards for us (three if you count the Fair Trade label.) Why Fair Trade? What is shade grown? What is organic?

1) Fair trade implies that the growers have been given a fair wage, insuring that they get to benefit from the coffee profits and not just wealthy large corporations and their owners. It allows for families to stay in tact, kids to go to school (rather than working as well), and prevents immigration (it's been proven that Mexican coffee growers who are paid a fair wage stay on their farm and have relatives return from the U.S. to participate).

2) Shade grown is a means of growing coffee beans that does not require tree felling, thus ruining a habitat for animal species and other vegetation. This is important b/c trees absorb carbon (a good thing) and when felled they release it into the air (a bad thing). It is also important b/c many medications are found in these rare rain forest areas and we decrease the life saving potential such undiscovered areas can have in the future.

3) Organic coffee is the same as all other organic labels: no pesticides were used (which is better for you and the coffee grower in a health sense, but also saves the grower money from having to buy fertilizers and pesticides!)

4) 100% Fair Trade (such as Deans Beans) means the entire company ethos is committed to the community development of their coffee growers. They are invested in the people, not just adding a label to their product line, while still buying 95% of their beans from non-fair trade sources.

So, check them out. You order online and it comes in a few days. We recommend Italian Espresso Roast, Ring of Fire, and Sumatran French Roast, though beware, they are all strong!