Posted 50 days ago
Keep Your Cool When the Weather Gets Hot - What Does It Have To Do With Christianity?
I have just been reading a fascinating article and conversation at Alternet about whether or not we can live without air conditioning. The article Air Conditioning is Terrible for the Earth – Here’s How To Live Without it is well worth a read.
Now many of you may think that because I live in the Pacific NW where the weather is rarely warm enough to bother with air conditioning, I have little to say. However I spent most of my life in Australia and working in the tropics – living on an unairconditioned ship so I feel I am more of an expert than you would expect. Of course now that most of the temperatures across the US have dropped below the searing heat levels of last week some of us may think that we can forget about this until next year – after all when the temperatures are in the 80s we are not likely to overstress the electrical grid with our power usage. But then again summer is just beginning and acording to the Alternet article:
The air-conditioning of America’s homes, businesses schools, and vehicles causes the release of greenhouse gases equivalent to 400 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.
There are a number of ways to cut down the inside temperature of our houses without using energy intensive air conditioning as the Alternet article suggests – some simple, some not so simple. So lets start with some of the simple ones first:
- Plant deciduous trees on the south side of the house in the northern hemisphere on the northern side of the house in southern hemisphere.
- If you are still waiting for those trees to grow close windows and curtains during the day in rooms that get direct sun; open windows and doors at night.
- Make sure roof and walls are well insulated. Seal gaps around windows and doors so that heat cannot enter.
- Move the air – use fans can decrease the temperature by 5 – 8 degrees and opening windows for flow through air will similarly reduce temperatures.
- Wear clothing made of materials that breathe – like cotton or wool (yes wool is warm in winter & cool in summer). Loose fitting garments are better than tight fitting. Also get rid of those shoes or wear sandals. Feet are good heat exchangers.
- Wet down your clothing with a spray bottle and stand in front of a fan, wear a wet hat or wipe down the back of your neck with a wet cloth.
- Drink plenty of water (not alcohol or sugar drinks)
- Turn off any unnecessary appliances. All electrical appliances generate heat; particularly refrigerators and TV’s. Plasma screens in particular are known to create a great deal of heat, to the point that some refer to them as space heaters. Other huge heat producers are clothes dryers and dishwashers so take advantage of the cool evenings to hang your clothes outside or put them on a drying rack in front of your fan and take advantage of the cooling flow of air.
- Replace your incandescent lights with CFLs.
In dry climates replace traditional air conditioning units with evaporative (swamp or desert) air conditioners. - Retreat to the basement if you have one – it will be the coolest part of the house.
And now for some more challenging solutions:
- Build houses with lots of overhang – porches, verandahs and eaves all make a difference in the heat
- Learn from the termites. Here is an amazing building design in Zimbabwe based on the air cooling system found in a termite hill.
- Build an underground house and cut do away with air conditioning costs
- Build on stilts. This increases air flow through the house though if you live in a place that gets cold in the winter this may not be very helpful.
- Get involved in your community and advocate for the replacing of asphalt with parks and green spaces. Cities absorb more solar energy during the day and are slower to release it after the sun sets, making for uncomfortable nights and no real relief from the heat. And because they haven’t cooled down as much overnight, mornings are warmer and the thermometer goes right back up when the sun starts beating down the next day. Green areas help keep the temperatures down.
I am sure that there are lots of other ideas that I have not thought of here so let me know – how do you keep cool in the hot weather?
Add your comment or view comments » 1 people have responded
Posted 52 days ago
There are a lot of eco-contradictions in our lives. Some are easier to point to than others. Take a look at this video then look around your home or workplace. What eco-contractions are you living with and how might change in these areas affect your own life and our Environment at Risk?
Posted 58 days ago
July Seed Sampler 2010
The catastrophic oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico is a tragic reminder that we are deeply connected to all of God’s creation. We have a call, a responsibility, as caretakers of this “good” that God has entrusted to us. The environment is at risk, we are at risk, and much of this crisis has been caused by our own hands. While pollution and environmental upheaval have gone on for ages, we’re now seeing a critical escalation of ecological events. We are also beginning to realize how inter-connected the challenges of the coming decade are. Rising sea levels, floods, droughts, hunger, food-toxins, unsustainable farming practices, global poverty, peak oil crises along with declining natural resources – on and on the list seems to go.
“2010-2020: New Challenges-New Possibilities” is not just a theme for our eZine this year, it’s a call to comprehensive action. As a people of God we must act, not just for ourselves and not just for the environment, but also as an act of worship in honor of the one who created all things then gave himself for the life of the world. And we must act in unison – as the community of faith, the family of God, the body of Christ in the world. The Kingdom of God trumps race, gender, nationality, and political parties. In the words of our Lord, “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.” I don’t think any of us, in that context, can pick up stones of blame to throw at another, but perhaps we can pick up stones together and, with the help of God, begin to heal our ailing world.
Andy Wade – Seed Sampler Coordinator
July Articles
Seed Smile | Man & Cow
Seed Story | Joining a New Generation in Making a Difference in an Environment At Risk – Tom Sine
Liturgy | Prayer for the Stewards of God’s Creation – Christine Sine
Reflection | Our Industrial Wound and the Salty Tears of GOD – Jason Fowler
Seed Share | HomeGrown Revolution – Path To Freedom
Seed Share | Adapting to Climate Change-Morocco -Vimeo Video
Seed Share | Harvest Hill Community Garden – Tim Honse
Seed Share | A Christian Response to Climate Change – Tearfund Australia
Resources | Resources for Creation Care
Posted 64 days ago
Do you like our stuff? Consider sponsoring a MSA Event
It is common for MSA to hear of friends who wish they could participate in our events, but can’t due to location and other engagements. We also have friends who are close by who would love to participate but due to lack of money they feel they can’t. MSA have never turned anyone away because of lack of money. We do our best to try to keep the cost of our events very low. However, there are always financial expenses involved.
We are asking you to collaborate with us in supporting some of the upcoming MSA events. Each one of these event incur in expenses that we need to cover one way or another.
If you resonate and consider the MSA events to be of value, we are asking you to consider sponsoring the full or partial cost of the events below.
• August 13-15: 19th MSA Celtic Prayer Retreat - We will set aside the busy clutter in our lives and create a quiet space for prayer and renewal as we worship God in a beautiful outdoor cathedral surrounded by maple and cedar trees. Following the Celtic Christian tradition, this retreat will incorporate the rhythms of work and rest, community and solitude, prayer and biblical study.
• September 25: Every time, Everywhere / Homegrown Spiritual Formation | Taking from the Unschooling idea that education is to be experience everywhere at any all times, we will explore together ideas and practices on how we can develop unstructured ways to engage in Spiritual Formation, every time, everywhere.
• December 11: Chanting Down Babylon one Party at a Time: A Jesus Kind of Party | In this Conversation and workshop we will together explore and create ways in which Celebrations and Parties are a way to resist Despair and Oppression and embrace Hope and Joy.
If you want to contribute or have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at MSA –mail@msainfo.org or 206-524-2112
You can make the checks to:
Mustard Seed Associates
PO Box 45867
Seattle, WA 98145
Include name of event and the work sponsorship on the check memo.
Thank you very much.
Posted 73 days ago
MSA June Update - Prayer Requests & News
There has never been more demand for the type of resources and networking that MSA provides but as many of you already know Eliacin is currently looking for another job because our cash flow in MSA is insufficient to support this full time position into the future. As we move into an uncertain and volatile future, people everywhere are looking for ways to simplify their lifestyles and live more sustainably. Followers of Christ are grappling with how to integrate these changes with their spiritual practices and establish communities that make it possible for them to be more available for witness and service in God's kingdom.
It is exciting to be able to encourage followers of Chris in these ways. In fact we would like to expand our MSA team to include our current volunteers Cindy Todd and Andy Wade. If you are able to join our support team and help provide for their ongoing financial needs at this time that would be much appreciated. We realize that in these tough economic times we are not alone in our struggles. Many of you involved in small not for profits like ours face the same challenges. We are all grappling with the question: How do we sustain the many small mustard seed ministries that are the very life blood of Christian faith?
Many of us are being challenged in these tough economic times to reinvent our lives in ways that more authentically reflect our faith and model God's kingdom ways. At the same time we are aware that compared to much of the world's population we live with great abundance. How do we plan for the future with our eyes wide open to the realities of the pain and suffering in which so many live? We feel we need new models of how to do ministry and live life that are sustainable for today's world. Out of this discussion came the desire to host a synchroblog on the Mustard Seed blog over the summer to help us find answers together for these important issues. You can read more and sign up to participate here
We continue to move forward slowly with plans for Camano Island. In a couple of weeks we will hold crucial meetings with another organization that provides education programs on sustainability and environmental issues from a Christian perspective. We are excited about this program and our potential partnership which will provide new opportunities to both model and teach the sustainable faith and sustainable living practices that are currently in such demand. Please pray for Cindy Todd who is working hard to develop a business plan for this project.
Our upcoming annual Celtic retreat to be held on the island August 13 - 15th will also be a milestone event that marks a small beginning to the construction of this important site. Our theme for the year is Building Community, and it is our expectation that as well as enjoying times of renewal and refreshment that unite us as a living community we will be construct our first permanent structure on the land.
These last two months have been a busy time of networking, speaking and consulting. Tom and I have worked with a number of groups including Mennonite Educators in Pittsburgh, Communitas in Abbotsford BC, First United Methodist Church in Denton Tx and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship sketching future challenges and encouraging them to plan for the future in ways that creatively respond to these challenges.
Eliacín participated in the Emerging Christianity conference in Albuquerque and the TransFORM East Coast Gathering in Washington DC where he and Mark Van Steenwyk facilitated a workshop -Cultivating Liberated Spaces. In May he had the privilege to preach at the 2010 Regional Assembly of the Northwest Regional Christian Church in Spokane, WA. He was the first non-Disciples of Christ speaker at any of their bi-annual regional gathering. Eliacin challenged participants to move into a new understanding of mission by adopting an attitude of inviting others into their lives.
Ricci recently completed a new MSA resource Justice at the Table - a collection of personal reflections and practical ideas to help us redeem "food" in all its dimensions from its mundane place as an annoying chore to a spiritual practice essential to a life of faith. This resource is designed for busy people and includes a mini-booklet for jotting notes on the go. Take a look and see how you can continue to redeem your relationship with food for the kingdom of God.
June 26th Eliacin and Ricci will host our next gathering at the Mustard Seed House The Art of Being in Community.
Andy Wade continues to work on the Seed Sampler. The last two months on Intentional Community and Social Entrepreneurship have been particularly inspiring and have stimulated a lot of discussion on the website, blogs and facebook. This upcoming edition will be on a Christian response to disasters like the Gulf Oil Spill. Andy is also posting regularly on the MSA blog to expand our understanding of these issues.
I recently started a new series on my blog Godspace entitled The Kingdom is Here - Where Do You See It? "God is at work, God is moving in our world transforming renewing and restoring and we want everyone to know how and where we see that happening..... people today don't just want to hear about the good news of God they want to see the ways in which it is being lived out authentically in our world today." Check out the posts or sign up to participate here.
I am also in the last stages of producing Light for the Journey: Morning and Evening Prayers for Living into God's World. This collection of morning and evening prayers is based on those used regularly by the Mustard Seed House and at the Celtic retreat. According to Phyllis Tickle: Like the light which its title references, this booklet, in its succinctness, travels broadly and illumines perfectly.
Posted 75 days ago
Is Community Virtually Possible?
In this promo video for his new book, SIMChurch, author, pastor, and teacher, Douglas Estes introduces the idea of virtual church.
Virtual church is not video or live streaming of an actual church service but rather an animated, digital world where you can be anyone you want (or even an animal) and attend “church” in your virtual world.
So what do you think, is virtual church a legitimate form of community?
What questions or concerns do you have?
Have you participated in virtual church? Where? What was it like?
Posted 77 days ago
Bartimaeus Community
Bartimaeus Community in Bremerton, Washington is one creative example of Christians living in community.
For many of us, what guides and animates our desire to love our neighbor and live in community is our common conviction concerning the central truths of the historic Christian faith; namely, our belief in Jesus, who lived a life of perfect love for those around Him. This understanding leads us to the Scriptures and the various Christian traditions for guidance in living the life He modeled for us…Not all of us share these same convictions, nor are they a requirement to live here at Bartimaeus. Though many here identify as followers of Jesus, others of us do not and instead pursue what is spiritually important to us. What we all have in common, however, is our shared commitment to wider community involvement, concern for the poor, and environmental stewardship. We recognize the uniqueness of every person and make it our commitment to live in respect for one another’s beliefs and values.
Watch the clip and tell us your thoughts.
How might this form of community positively address some of the issues you face?
How might a community like this address challenges in your current city/community?
What insights or questions does this community raise for you?
Posted 90 days ago
June Seed Sampler 2010
Co-housing, Christian Community, New Monastics – - ancient practices of the church are being revived and reinvented as a new generation grapples with the dynamic times we live in. Now, more than ever, Christians of all ages need to consider the possibility of living in community because of the growing likelihood we will continue to face daunting new environmental and economic challenges in the decade ahead. For some, living in community is an escape from the world around them. But for the brave, creative and imaginative, community has become a new way to grow in faith and engage the world. In short, these
new forms of community are giving expression to what it means to live missional lives. In this edition of the Seed Sampler we will look at different manifestations of this growing movement from around the world. We invite you to not just take in the information, but to enter into the discussion, providing your own examples, comments, experiences, and ideas or concerns. As you work your way through this month’s eZine ask yourself, “How might some new expression of community help me/my church respond more effectively to the challenges of this new decade and to live more fully into Christ’s call on our lives?”
Remember to check back often to our website for new articles about this topic throughout the month of May!
Andy Wade – Seed Sampler Coordinator
Seed Smile | Inflatable Church
Seed Story | Community… a coming crisis and creative opportunity – Tom Sine
Liturgy | Liturgy of the Beloved Community – Christine Sine & Jason Storbakken
Reflection | Intentional Community: Living Our Dreams or Discovering God’s Possibilities? -Eliacin Rosario-Cruz
Seed Share | Neve Shalom / Wahat a-Salam – Oasis of Peace
Seed Share | Living with the Homeless – Pastor Steve Kimes
Seed Share | Prayer as Community
Seed Share | Vision for a Celtic Community – Christine Sine
Seed Share | Book Review: Friendship at the Margins – Christine Sine
Resources | Resources for Intentional Community
Posted 92 days ago
How Do We Sustain Small Not For Profits? An Invitation to Participate
Last week we held our MSA team retreat. It was a great time of fun food and fellowship but also gave us the opportunity to get down to the serious business of listening to God and how God desires us to shape our ministry into the future.
Much of our discussion revolved around issues of sustainability. Like many that are involved in small not for profit organizations we struggle with how to sustain our ministry in these challenging economic times. We shared our pain and anxiety over financial issues and the struggle of maintaining balance between family, mission and work. In the midst we acknowledged our own abundance and the added challenge of knowing how to use time and money responsibly in the light of so many in our world who struggle daily to put food on the table.
We are also concerned because it is our sense that the way many ministries have sustained themselves in the past will not work into the future. Charity dollars are disappearing and people are less inclined than they were 20 years ago to support individual mission workers. Busyness and overcommitment saps our volunteers and frays all our lives. Yet at the same time we are convinced that the work of God is accomplished more through mustard seed organizations like ours than through megachurches and megamissions.
And it is not just financial sustainability that is a problem. So many full time Christian workers end up burnt out because they lack the spiritual and emotional support to help them balance their lives and sustain their work and families. Others live lonely isolated lives because they do not have time or energy for fellowship with like minded individuals. Leaders carry burdensome loads because they lack supportive leaders and partners.
We need new models of how to do ministry and live life that are sustainable for today's world. How do we plan for the future with our eyes wide open to the realities of the pain and suffering in which so many live? How do we help sustain the many small mustard seed ministries that are the very life blood of Christian faith?
Over the summer we plan to host a synchroblog on the Mustard Seed blog to help all of us grapple with these issues. We plan to focus on three areas of struggle
- In June we will grapple with how we find and sustain necessary leadership
- In July we will focus on ways to sustain emotional and spiritual support
- In August we will tackle issues of financial sustainability. How do we sustain economic viability for small mustard seed ministries?
This is your invitation to participate in this blog series. There is so much that we can learn from each other in these issues. What do grapple with in these areas and what are the solutions that you have found? If you are interested in participating please leave a comment on this blog post or email us at mail@msainfo.org
Add your comment or view comments » 7 people have responded
Posted 93 days ago
Molting MSA website - share your ideas with us
Dear MSA friends,
Our site will be molting soon. We want to hear from you about what would you like to see and experience here in this space.
Post your ideas in the comment section. Thanks.
Add your comment or view comments » 1 people have responded
