I was in Miami for CCDA 2008.
The theme was "Seeking the Peace of the City".
Peace in Hebrew, "Shalom" has a really rich meaning. It's a restoration of the way things are supposed to be. It's nothing broken or damaged. It's right relationships to ourselves, our families, our communities, the world and God. Shalom.
Where do we find shalom already in our city?
Where is there a hunger for shalom in our city?
Where does shalom come from?
My soul is restored after my time in Miami. I was challenged and pushed, but also lovingly reminded of what God's hope is.
Next year CCDA is in Cincinatti, not quite as romantic as Miami, but it certainly will be a good time.
I've got some photos that I'll add later, but here's a young man who shared a krump for worship one night.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Blog Action Day - Poverty 2008
Today is Blog Action Day 2008 for antipoverty action.
check out http://www.bread.org/ for action steps you can take to end poverty.
or http://defeatpoverty.com/
this is from the ONE campaign about the UN Millenial goals.
check out http://www.bread.org/ for action steps you can take to end poverty.
or http://defeatpoverty.com/
this is from the ONE campaign about the UN Millenial goals.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Live Blogging - The Stevens House Cooks 4
The pie before she went in
Noel puts her in the oven
WANDA'S HOME!!!!!! WANDA'S HOME!!!!! AND SHE'S GOT APPLE JUICE!
Noel puts her in the oven
WANDA'S HOME!!!!!! WANDA'S HOME!!!!! AND SHE'S GOT APPLE JUICE!
Live Blogging - The Stevens House Cooks 3
We blended the cinamon with sugar, salt and the apples: 
Noel mixes the exotic topping
The pie is close to being ready to go in the oven. I'm going to do some homework and then I'll update more later.
The pie is close to being ready to go in the oven. I'm going to do some homework and then I'll update more later.
Peace,
Katie
(ps - we realize that this is ridiculous)
Live Blogging - The Stevens House Cooks
It's safe to say that I've got BLOG MANIA. I love checking my google reader to see what's up around the world. What are my cousin's kids doing? What does Ed Gildbreadth have to say about the state of Race in America? What provocative question will Chris Brooks pose to us today? How does one make pumpkin orange waffles with maple-hazlenut butter? And what are the latest deals at CVS? I love the blogs.
One thing I've never done is a live blog. Tonight, Bethany, Noel and I are cooking some kind of crazy apple pie. And Bethany just made venison chili. I think there's also homemade ice cream involved. hmmmm. . . . here goes. Our first attempt at live blogging.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
links
I followed a series of links this morning from my Google reader and ended up at this site. I'm not a regular reader of her blog, but I liked this article about what she hopes her kids will learn as a result of the economic crisis
What I really Hope
She links two outside articles in her blog about "cutting back" one about how people in the US are cutting back and another about people in Tanzania.
What I really Hope
She links two outside articles in her blog about "cutting back" one about how people in the US are cutting back and another about people in Tanzania.
revolution?
Here's a video flashback for ya - I saw this video on Maria's facebook page and it brought me such a sense of nostalgia that I designed a whole blog entry about it.
ahhh Tracy Chapman. . .
So this song is 20 years old, I remember listening to a Tracy Chapman cassette driving around in my dad's pickup as a little girl. I remember rediscovering her as a highschooler, and listening to the same tape in my first car as I drove through Duluth's low income Hillside neighborhood as a college student.
Things are more financially tight at our house than they've been in awhile. Part of it is having two of us in grad school. Part of it is the rising gas, food and utility costs. But we are pretty solidly middle class. I look around our neighborhood and its harder on lots of people around me. When Tracy sings about the people "crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation" I can't help but think about the people waiting in line at Simpson Housing every night (two blocks from our house).
A woman I know talked with me last week about the gas being shut off in her house in September and the electric being shut off in October. Her inlaws, originally from the caribean are living in her living room now, after their house in south went into forclosure. I'm starting to suspect that another family we know might be living out of their car after losing their home.
My prayer is that God would show me (and the rest of the middle class and wealthy) how to be generous in the face of economic stress. My prayer is too that there would be justice for the poor and that in the coming elections we would look not only for our own interests but also for the interests of others.
Peace to you.
ahhh Tracy Chapman. . .
So this song is 20 years old, I remember listening to a Tracy Chapman cassette driving around in my dad's pickup as a little girl. I remember rediscovering her as a highschooler, and listening to the same tape in my first car as I drove through Duluth's low income Hillside neighborhood as a college student.
Things are more financially tight at our house than they've been in awhile. Part of it is having two of us in grad school. Part of it is the rising gas, food and utility costs. But we are pretty solidly middle class. I look around our neighborhood and its harder on lots of people around me. When Tracy sings about the people "crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation" I can't help but think about the people waiting in line at Simpson Housing every night (two blocks from our house).
A woman I know talked with me last week about the gas being shut off in her house in September and the electric being shut off in October. Her inlaws, originally from the caribean are living in her living room now, after their house in south went into forclosure. I'm starting to suspect that another family we know might be living out of their car after losing their home.
My prayer is that God would show me (and the rest of the middle class and wealthy) how to be generous in the face of economic stress. My prayer is too that there would be justice for the poor and that in the coming elections we would look not only for our own interests but also for the interests of others.
Peace to you.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Race, racism, privilege have been a hot topic at the Stevens House this week. Many of the people who come to small group here on Tuesday nights (including Bethany) were involved in a 2 day workshop "Being the beloved community in a racialized society". This weekend. I wish that I could have attended but was taking care of my self post surgery.
I wanted to link to a good blog that I found this morning, two African American Women proffesors from Princeton have a conversational blog, this post surprised me, as an example of the racism still present even on campuses of "peace-making" church schools.
http://princetonprofs.blogspot.com/2008/09/past-is-ever-with-us.html
I wanted to link to a good blog that I found this morning, two African American Women proffesors from Princeton have a conversational blog, this post surprised me, as an example of the racism still present even on campuses of "peace-making" church schools.
http://princetonprofs.blogspot.com/2008/09/past-is-ever-with-us.html
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