An Invitation to Participate in Community (Today :: Go Vote!)

This year I have paid more attention to politics than I have in my lifetime.  I have learned a great deal.

In the weeks leading up to the election I invested time reading blogs, listening to speeches, thinking about issues, opening spaces for dialogue among friends, read publications arguing for and against questions on the ballot, and preparing myself to take part in democracy as an informed citizen.  I tried my best.  I asked coworkers who they were voting for.  I listened to Democrats and Republicans.  I even read politico marketing pieces and paid attention to television ads!  I was surprised to find some Christians arguing against casting a vote in this election, with not everyone agreeing (read the comments).

Whoever you vote for this election at the local, state, and national level, you’re shaping the future of this nation.  You are participating in the political order.  You are supporting candidates who will stump, fight, compose, and pass legislation that will shape our land.  As Aristotle noted, “Political society exists for the sake of noble actions, and not of mere companionship.”  You are taking advantage of the opportunity to participate in democracy.  This can be a good thing.

I voted today, and thus participated in our community and in the future well-being of our nation.  I’m fairly confident that regardless of who wins at each level of government all will be well.  Here is a picture of me outside my polling location, a two minute walk from my house.  I was in and out in 15 minutes, and the machines worked fine.

There are innumerable ways to participate in community.  Voting is only one of them.  Other ways are to give speeches, join associations, get involved in local schools, volunteer, make friends with your neighbors.  I teach Sunday school, work with a local organization called YouthFriends, and spend time with high school students at my church.

We can do a lot of good when we engage our communities, learn about issues, and work toward virtuous goals together.

Read Full Post »

I Love Local (& My New Machine)

This weekend I’m in Peoria, IL for the Mike Hibit/Sarah Armstrong union.  Right now I’m writing from Kade’s Coffee and Tea, which is a local joint right up the street from my hotel.  This morning I logged on to the computer and googled the coffee shop options and decided to check this place out.  One of the barista’s noticed I was carrying a book by C.S. Lewis, and inquired about the title.  I’ve been reading Lewis lately, and am beginning Out of the Silent Planet.  She had read it, and said she had loved it.  From where I’m working, nearby is a family spending time together, and among their many topics they’ve talked about modes of baptism.  I felt like I could’ve jumped right in that discussion.

It isn’t any secret that in the past week I went shopping for a computer, and I couldn’t be logging on to the web if I hadn’t made a purchase.  For the past 10 months or so I’ve worked exclusively from a desktop computer, which had replaced a Gateway laptop that died after a good 5 year run.  Because it would be helpful for me to be able to work on the go, my grandparents gave me a gift to be credited toward the purchase of a new laptop computer.  Thus, I had to carefully research my options.

I bounced around on the web and talked with persons who owned laptop computers.  I was open to purchasing either a PC or Mac.  My desktop computer is a PC, and I’ve been a PC user my entire life.  I’ve played around on Macintosh computers from time to time, as I’ve worked a couple of places which used Mac systems for media production, etc.  Anyway, I used the internet to gather data and compare system specs, and read tons of customer reviews.  This wasn’t a decision to be taken lightly.

With the PC I was pretty clear on what I would be getting.  I’ve been using Vista for a while now, which hasn’t been difficult for me.  I was familiar with Microsoft Office and how those applications performed on a Windows system.  Most of what I do is writing and research, so those are my primary needs–the tools to do my job. I decided to set up a personal shopping appointment at the Apple Store on the Plaza to gather more information about the Mac.

I had a great experience.  Here are some of the things I learned through my shopping experience at the Apple Store:

• The Apple Store has employees (persons) who fulfill very specific roles within the community.  ”The Genius Bar” has a number of personable Apple geeks who can help you out with any technical problems you may have with your Mac.  On one of my visits to the store (the day after I purchased the product), I came in and let an employee know that there seemed to be a problem with my power cord.  He turned and said, “I’ll see if one of our geniuses is available.”  Wouldn’t that be a boost of self esteem if that was in your job title?  Aside from the Geniuses, the Apple Store has persons (currently in orange Concierge shirts) who greet customers as they come in, asking how they might help and directing them to the appropriate persons (this is called hospitality, followed by facilitating connections).  Their sales persons, in blue shirts, are responsible for being knowledgeable about the product and demonstrating the capabilities.  If you’re interested in buying something, they are the ones to talk to.  I think there is a lesson for community development here, and how people with different gifts fill different roles.
• My sales person, Brenna Hayes, was friendly, personable, knowledgeable, and passionate about Apple products and services.  Our interaction was great–it was a no pressure environment.  She recognized that I was attempting to gather data about the Apple product (in my case a MacBook), and she patiently listened to my MANY questions about the programs and capabilities of the computer.  Everything about our conversation was natural, free flowing, and comfortable.  My curiosity had been piqued by my interactions with other Apple users and my exposure to Apple products, and I came to speak to someone who I knew was part of the Apple community who I believed could answer my questions.  I think there is a lesson for evangelism here.
• For $100, Apple offers one-to-one training sessions for one year, in which you can redeem one session per week for 52 weeks.  By setting this up you can learn to use Apple’s many products, including stuff from their iLife suite like iPhoto, Garage Band, and iMovie.  After initiating yourself into the Apple computer world and sacrificing a bit of cash (it has a cost), Apple will train you in using their products so that you can have a better user experience, while also equipping you to speak more intelligently about their product to your friends.  I think there is a lesson for discipleship here.

And with that, I bought a MacBook, and so far I’ve enjoyed using my Mac.  I’m still getting used to the layout of the keyboard and am learning how to customize my settings to fit better with how I work and operate.  My purchasing experience was great.

For my readers, I hope you are well at the time you read this post.  May God bless you this day.  I’ve got a wedding to prepare for.

Read Full Post »

Local Cultures, Local Sensibilities

Yesterday I spent part of my morning visiting the Country Club Cafe in Shawnee, KS. You can visit the link to see where they are located. Sometime during the past few months Starbucks chose to move into the neighborhood–right in Country Club Cafe’s backyard. How would this affect business? I had to wonder.

I had been impressed on prior visits to Country Club Cafe. They treat customers well. I had observed how employees would warmly welcome regular customers and converse with them about their stories. Country Club is a Christian owned and operated business. Copies of Christianity Today are present on their magazine racks, Christian music is sometimes played, and there is information available for Oceans of Mercy, an organization that seeks to relieve the suffering of children in Africa who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. They also have some cool artwork on display, an area for children to play and enjoy, and a great patio.

Yesterday I spent time in the Cafe reading from two books, Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and Goleman’s Primal Leadership. While taking a break from reading, I noticed a small 8 1/2 X 11 framed document that contained the values of Country Club Cafe. Among those values I found two particularly striking:

• Total atmosphere, including staff and their dress, will convey a personal place–a private cafe–where people meet for conversation, business, reading, or solitude.
• Our cafe, by its presence, will add to the spirit and vibrancy of the community.

Other values included the general manner in which employees would treat customers, commitment to excellence in product and beverage preparation, and the like. These two values, however, went beyond excellence in customer service and consistency in the quality of the product–they pointed to a desire to create community while blessing the community.

After reading these values I heard a woman ask the barista how Starbucks had affected the business. She replied that they had been fine–in fact, the presence of Starbucks spurred the loyalty of the existing customer base. The community banded together to support a local business partly because of the value and meaning it provided in people’s everyday lives. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised…but this does catch my interest. What is it that makes for a successful local business, and how do local businesses benefit the community economically, socially, psychologically, and dare I say spiritually? How do local businesses instill a pride of place, displaying forth local sensibilities which the community deeply identifies with?

Over the past couple of years I have read a great deal of Wendell Berry. I have also read a book entitled The Small Mart Revolution. Since encountering these voices I’ve done my best to avoid the conglomos, where I can, and support local businesses. This isn’t always easy, but I’m trying. I think such efforts strengthen communities and enrich cultural diversity. One such example I can think of is Local Burger, a restaurant in Lawrence that is locally owned and supplied–they have partnered with surrounding ranchers and farmers to keep food fresh and excellent in quality. In the instance of Local Burger, local communities have banded together to construct burgers that rock.

The challenge, as I see it, is creating environments where such local businesses can thrive and survive. Where I can find them, I’ll support local establishments that provide excellent services at a reasonable cost. That’s the least I can do to further enrich my community, strengthen local economies, and contribute to cultural diversity.

Read Full Post »

Memory and Storytelling

…when a community loses its memory, its members no longer know one another.  How can they know one another if they have forgotten or never learned one another’s stories?  If they do not know one another’s stories, how can they know whether or not to trust one another?  People who do not trust one another do not help one another, and moreover they fear one another.  And this is our predicament now.  Because of a general distrust and suspicion, we not only lose one another’s help and companionship, but we are all now living in jeopardy of being sued. –Wendell Berry, “The Work of Local Culture” in What are People for?, 157

This comment by Wendell Berry struck me, mainly because I do not know my neighbors.  I know one of my neighbors, his name is Pedro, along with some of his family members.  I’ve heard much of his story while standing in the yard.  He’s a great guy.  But he is only one person among many other neighbors who I do not know.

Growing up my neighborhood in East Texas was a vibrant place.  We lived in between the Francis family (later the Townsends) and the Pools (later the Jabrs).  The Adams family lived down the street (no joke).  The Deerdorfs and the Hagars were nearby, and the Evans lived three houses down.  The Martins lived next door to the Evans.  The Bergfields and the Daughertys lived down the hill.  Our families seemed to be on kindly terms.  My access to these families came through the presence of friends who were about my age.  As we played baseball or football in the front yard we came to know one another a bit better.  Sometimes I went over to my friends’ homes and we played for a while.  On these occasions I came to know older and younger siblings, moms and dads, and sometimes even grandparents.

This brings me back to Pedro.  One day as I was standing out front talking to him about nothing, there was plenty of traffic up and down our street.  There is a high Hispanic population in our neighborhood, and every time someone drove by Pedro could tell me their name, and a little bit of their story.  There were people he respected, and others that he didn’t.  I was blown away.  Pedro has lived in De Soto much longer than me, but still!  He’s worked alongside many of these people and spent time with them.  As a commuter to both Lawrence and Gardner, I haven’t had many occasions to be present in my own city.  Being part of a community takes work, and the simplicity of being there.  I think this is captured well in another quote from Wendell Berry:

I was walking one Sunday afternoon several years ago with an older friend.  We went by the ruining log house that had belonged to his grandparents and great-grandparents.  The house stirred my friend’s memory, and he told how the oldtime people used to visit each other in the evenings, especially in the long evening of the winter.  There used to be a sort of institution in our part of the country known as “sitting till bedtime.”  After supper, when they weren’t too tired, neighbors would walk across the fields to visit each other. They popped corn, my friend said, and ate apples and talked.  They told each other stories.  They told each other stories, as I knew myself, that they all had heard before.  Sometimes they told stories about each other, about themselves, living again in their own memories and thus keeping their memories alive.  Among the hearers of these stories were always the children.  When bedtime came, the visitors lit their lanterns and went home.  My friend talked about this, and thought about it, and then he said, “They had everything but money.” — Berry, “The Work of Local Culture”, 158

The work that is done in cities through various associations, whether they be clubs, churches, or whatever, is critical for living a full life.  As far as it relates to the church, it is my hope that the church would be a place where we are able to sit and tell stories–the stories of Scripture and how those stories have impacted and shaped our lives.  I also hope that children are nearby as we tell these stories, stories of both triumph and defeat.  By doing so the memory of the community is strengthened.  To “remember” is critical for the people of God.  Creating such spaces within our communities will produce a treasure trove which is beyond measure.  It is my hope that we would be such a people who would slow down long enough to keep our memories alive.

Read Full Post »

Myers ::: Organic Community

The Spirit of organic community is grace, not law; “edit-ability,” not accountability…This is how a good author-editor relationship works: The author submits a rough draft.  The editor makes suggestions, even disagrees at times with the author.  The author considers the editor’s suggestions, and will often make adjustments.  The author and editor continue to go back and forth until the project is complete.  The entire process is one of give and take collaboration.When presented with the option, most people prefer an author-editor relationship…We want someone to confide in, pray with, and listen to us.  We do not hope for someone to keep a record and reconcile us to the rules.  We hope our friends will help us to be reconciled to life, to community, to ourselves, and to God.

-Joseph Myers, Organic Community: Creating a Place Where People Naturally Connect, 138-140.

The story Christians tell of God exposes the unwelcome fact that I am a sinner.  For without such a narrative the fact and nature of my sin cannot help but remain hidden in self-deception.  Only a narrative that helps me place myself as a creature of a gracious God can provide the skills to help me locate my sin as fundamentally infidelity and rebellion.  As a creature I have been created for loyalty–loyalty to the truth, to the love that moves the sun and the stars and yet is found on a cross–but I find myself serving any powers but the true one in the hopes of being my own lord…Christian tradition has at various times and places characterized this fundamental sin in quite different ways…I doubt, however, whether there is any one term sufficient to suggest the complex nature of our sin.  This is exactly why we see we need the set of stories we find in Scripture and displayed by the church to recognize our sin.  As narrative-determined creatures we must learn to locate our lives in God’s life if we are to have the means to face, as well as do something about, our infidelity and rebellion against our true creator.

Just to the extent I refuse to be faithful to God’s way, to live as part of God’s life, my life assumes the character of rebellion.  Our sin is not merely an error in overestimating our capacities.  Rather it is the active and willful attempt to overreach our powers.  It is the attempt to live sui generis, to live as if we are or can be the authors of our own stories.  Our sin is, thus, a challenge to God’s authorship and a denial that we are characters in the drama of the kingdom.

-Stanley Hauerwas, The Peaceable Kingdom: A Primer in Christian Ethics, 31

Read Full Post »