Most people I talk to about pacifism and non-violence lack any knowledge of true stories of creative non-violence. We’ve seen literally hundreds of movies and tv shows of redemptive violence (good guy kills bad guy, everyone lives happily ever after) by the time we are adults, but we’ve seen little if any examples of nonviolence. We know it took a World War to stop the holocaust, but we know little more then the name Gandhi when it comes to nation-wide nonviolent movements.
I’m going to begin collecting and telling true …

So, the economy stuff has been on my mind lately. Both the big picture of the effect on our nation, and the local picture as it affects our community, neighbors, family, friends, and us. Often though, what I think about is the church.
I realize I often cast pretty radical and extreme visions for what I think the church and/or ‘Christians’ lives should look like. I’ll be the first to claim hypocrisy in my inability to carry it out at times as well. But, I can’t help but look at the …

Here was the writing prompt:
what’s right for some, is not right for all. I’d love to hear your thoughtful analysis of
2 things you do in your life because of your relationship with jesus that you think is right for all
AND
2 things you do in your life because of your relationship with Jesus that is right for you, but not right for all.
I’m starting with the second question because it’s easier to address, I hope I understood the prompt right. These are two things that I do in life that are …

I was listening to Saturday’s with Mark and Tony and Tony Campolo mentioned the quote, which you’ve maybe heard before:
“God created us in his image, and we decided to return the favor.” -George Bernard Shaw
He was acknowledging that we tend to have churches divided by race, socio-economic status, political views, etc. because we each make God in our image. This made me think about another thing someone once said to me when we were talking about politics and I was saying that the best way to vote is to vote …

Dear Greg (or Gary, sorry I can’t remember) and others,
I met you briefly at Peavey Park in South Minneapolis last Wednesday. I was hanging out with some punk-rocker anarchist folk, eating dinner with homeless and having an all-around good time. You came by and politely offered us flyers to an event for youth you were having in October. You were kind and cordial and I appreciated listening to the conversation between some church-goers and anarchist, two groups I thoroughly enjoy hanging out with that tend to have some nearly polar …

Alright folks, today officially marks the end to my blogging break here at Trying to Follow. I wish I had some grand insights to share with you about my experience, but I don’t really. Mainly, we’ve gone through some major transitions lately (baby, moving, job and home searching) and so I figured a break from this would help me to sort of focus on those other things. I did make some cool post banners though.
I had a plan to continue to write daily, in hopes that I could begin to …

A Day in the Life of Trendy Guy

B-fast: Double Mocha from Starbucks
Transportation: Ford Excursion
Day Job: Corporate Elite for Walmart
Home: High rise Condo in recently gentrified neighborhood.
Dinner: Fancy Steakhouse
Nightlife: Regularly volunteers at a soup kitchen.
Summer: Missions trip in the 3rd world.

A Day in the life of Hippie Gal

B-fast: Free-range eggs from local CSA
Transportation: Bike and Public Transit
Day Job: Barista for local fair trade coffee shop
Home: Commune in the city.
Dinner: Potluck with Community Garden.
Nightlife: Late night concerts, anti-corporate protest, and other leisure activities.
Summer: Road Trips, Music Festivals, and wild parties.

What I would …

So, you might all think this is sort of backwards, but I’m officially on paternity leave, though the baby hasn’t come yet. Mindy, on the other hand, is still working and plans to right up until the baby is born. Before you laugh, I’ve got good reason to be off, caring for Mindy and preparing for the baby to come. I know there is a ton to do, I just am not that sure what some of it is. So, I’m making a list, and I’m gonna try and do …