Well, it is official - the United Church of Christ posted a release about my appointment as Editor of United Church News and News Director for the denomination.
United Church News Names New Editor
My resignation letter to the congregation and its supporters can be found here.
It is an exciting and emotional time of transition. I truly love being the pastor of Nexus Church - it is the most amazing group of believers I have ever encountered. I'll miss each person dearly and our work of growing a new church together.
Yet, the call to this new ministry area is, in many ways, a life long goal of be involved in journalism professionally. I am honored and humbled to have served with the people of Nexus Church in the Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky Association of the UCC and to this new call at the national setting of the United Church of Christ.
Blessings,
GB
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Is Vegetarianism The Only Moral Choice Ahead?
I've been looking a lot at the possibilities of adopting a vegetarian diet. Reasons I didn't were mainly around convenience and dietary concerns about protein. As a fairly active amateur tri-athlete and cyclists the "enough protein" argument has come up a few times.
Lots of vegetarians and vegans have concerns about the way meat is raised. Factory farms with cows in head-stocks who are overfed to the point where they are nearly immobilized and must be slaughtered. (I'm sure lots of you have seen the PETA video...) Or chickens caged their entire life and fed hormones that make them feel hungry so they overeat and come to their slaughter weight in 1/3 the normal "free-range" time. Obviously disturbing stuff - including health concerns over the hormone/antibiotic laden produce. Yet, animal rights was not a convincing enough reason for me to become a vegetarian.
Well, lots of recent reading has convinced me that not only for health reasons, but for moral reasons, vegetarianism may be the only moral choice.
(As an added bonus vegetarianism is on the list of "Stuff White People Like" - #32!)
Sojourners Magazine reports that a pound of meat takes around 8 pounds of grain to raise an animal to slaughter weight (I heard an NPR report last week that said the cost is closer to 10 pounds...) For this discussion I'll use the lower 8lb figure.
Chicken (35cal/oz) = 560cal / lb
Steak (50cal/oz) = 800cal / lb
Corn/Grain (24cal/oz) = 384cal / lb
That means it takes at least 3072cal (384cal * 8) of grain to produce one pound of edible meat.
Now it turns out that US consumers eat on average 222 pounds of meat a year! Sojourners reports that amount is up 78 pounds from 1950 levels.
So another little exercise...
If I eat 222 pounds of chicken per year that means I would have consumed 124,320cal of meat for a grain cost of 671,994cal.
What is happening to those extra 547,674 calories? It is getting crapped out into cesspools that are polluting our groundwater (OK, a little off topic.)
547,674 calories of grain is equivalent to 1500 calories per day - a caloric intake that most of the world wishes they had available to them.
547,674 calories is 1426 pounds of grain that is being take out of the mouths of hungry people in the developing world so that I can have the convenience of quick energy.
By one person, me, moving towards a vegetarian diet I will consume fewer resources and (theoretically) provide the daily caloric needs for an entire other person. If only it were that easy.
Crusade? Not really. Just one way I can make a smaller footprint - to live simply so that others may simply live.
Of course, the global food crisis is much bigger than a bunch of spiritual/morally motivated individuals changing their eating habits. It involves massive changes in food policies that protect the poorest people in our world. Sojourners Magazine, July 2008, lists "7 Steps Toward Food Sanity":
1) Reduce the influence of money in politics. In the past decade, US agribusiness spent almost $1 billion lobbying our government for policies that often undermine poor people's capacity to feed themselves.
2) Press legislators to shift support to family-scale sustainable farmers in all aid and trade legislation.
3) End export subsidies that undercut small farmers abroad-agricultural subsidies in the industrial countries mainly help the biggest farmers and processors.
(Gregg note: this is the biggest problem with Mexican poverty - massively underpriced subsidized corn exports from the US literally starve Mexican farmers off their land. If we want to see a decrease in undocumented Mexican migration to the US we need to end these unfair practices of NAFTA...)
4) Make real the "right to food," which is now inscribed in 22 national constitutions around the world.
5) End the agrofuel program-one-third of US corn production will go to ethanol this year.
6) Re-establish national and global food reserves to buffer price swings.
7) Create policies that encourage cooperatives and ensure fair wages, progressive taxes, and the right to organize unions.
Long post - more another day...
Lots of vegetarians and vegans have concerns about the way meat is raised. Factory farms with cows in head-stocks who are overfed to the point where they are nearly immobilized and must be slaughtered. (I'm sure lots of you have seen the PETA video...) Or chickens caged their entire life and fed hormones that make them feel hungry so they overeat and come to their slaughter weight in 1/3 the normal "free-range" time. Obviously disturbing stuff - including health concerns over the hormone/antibiotic laden produce. Yet, animal rights was not a convincing enough reason for me to become a vegetarian.
Well, lots of recent reading has convinced me that not only for health reasons, but for moral reasons, vegetarianism may be the only moral choice.
(As an added bonus vegetarianism is on the list of "Stuff White People Like" - #32!)
Sojourners Magazine reports that a pound of meat takes around 8 pounds of grain to raise an animal to slaughter weight (I heard an NPR report last week that said the cost is closer to 10 pounds...) For this discussion I'll use the lower 8lb figure.
Chicken (35cal/oz) = 560cal / lb
Steak (50cal/oz) = 800cal / lb
Corn/Grain (24cal/oz) = 384cal / lb
That means it takes at least 3072cal (384cal * 8) of grain to produce one pound of edible meat.
Now it turns out that US consumers eat on average 222 pounds of meat a year! Sojourners reports that amount is up 78 pounds from 1950 levels.
So another little exercise...
If I eat 222 pounds of chicken per year that means I would have consumed 124,320cal of meat for a grain cost of 671,994cal.
What is happening to those extra 547,674 calories? It is getting crapped out into cesspools that are polluting our groundwater (OK, a little off topic.)
547,674 calories of grain is equivalent to 1500 calories per day - a caloric intake that most of the world wishes they had available to them.
547,674 calories is 1426 pounds of grain that is being take out of the mouths of hungry people in the developing world so that I can have the convenience of quick energy.
By one person, me, moving towards a vegetarian diet I will consume fewer resources and (theoretically) provide the daily caloric needs for an entire other person. If only it were that easy.
Crusade? Not really. Just one way I can make a smaller footprint - to live simply so that others may simply live.
Of course, the global food crisis is much bigger than a bunch of spiritual/morally motivated individuals changing their eating habits. It involves massive changes in food policies that protect the poorest people in our world. Sojourners Magazine, July 2008, lists "7 Steps Toward Food Sanity":
1) Reduce the influence of money in politics. In the past decade, US agribusiness spent almost $1 billion lobbying our government for policies that often undermine poor people's capacity to feed themselves.
2) Press legislators to shift support to family-scale sustainable farmers in all aid and trade legislation.
3) End export subsidies that undercut small farmers abroad-agricultural subsidies in the industrial countries mainly help the biggest farmers and processors.
(Gregg note: this is the biggest problem with Mexican poverty - massively underpriced subsidized corn exports from the US literally starve Mexican farmers off their land. If we want to see a decrease in undocumented Mexican migration to the US we need to end these unfair practices of NAFTA...)
4) Make real the "right to food," which is now inscribed in 22 national constitutions around the world.
5) End the agrofuel program-one-third of US corn production will go to ethanol this year.
6) Re-establish national and global food reserves to buffer price swings.
7) Create policies that encourage cooperatives and ensure fair wages, progressive taxes, and the right to organize unions.
Long post - more another day...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Stuff White People Like
While checking out a bicycle maintenance site I found a link to the Stuff White People Like blog (btw, bicycles are #61). Presumably written by a white person who finds irony and humor in his/her own preferences.
The few I looked at were funny, though in my experience the list of "stuff" applies to middle/upper-middle class people in general...
#2 - Religions their parents don't belong to is especially poignant.
The few I looked at were funny, though in my experience the list of "stuff" applies to middle/upper-middle class people in general...
#2 - Religions their parents don't belong to is especially poignant.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
In the Broken Bread
This week marked the end of Nexus Church's book study on "The Heart of Christianity" by Marcus Borg. Our loyal group of five participants discovered a lot of wonderful things about the person of Jesus, how we as 'progressives' fit in the world, and our need to continue on as a prophetic and grace-filled voice of Christianity to a world struck by fear.
Two participants were unable to make this final night so Warren and Judy Waldron and I met at Panera Bread. We arrived sort of late in the evening and as I paid for coffee and treats the clerk asked if I wanted a free baguette. They were clearing the shelves for the evening so I said sure and took it to our table.
In our closing devotion we were asked to consider the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. When Jesus broke bread their eyes were opened and they knew who he was. In hospitality and unfettered grace Jesus was fully revealed...
Looking at one another we concluded that breaking the baguette and sharing it among us would be the last sacramental act of our group. In the near silence of the closed Panera Bread store we broke bread and each felt the presence of Jesus with us - looking toward the new ways we would see Jesus in the world and be amazed by how he was there with us all along.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Cidade de Deus / City of God (2002)
Wow. We watched City of God last night - what an amazing film.
Based on true events around the fight for gang control in a Rio de Janeiro slum it is visually stunning and almost too brutally honest in places.
This film is an unvarnished look at the struggle for power, possession, and respect that is all too common in areas with limited economic opportunity. Especially telling is how one of the lead gangsters, Lil' Ze, masks his insecurities with bloodlust. The lives of the gangs revolve around the main character, Rocket, and his escape from the gang culture to his emergence as a photojournalist.
City of God is subtitled and the dialog is fast. Needless to say it isn't a "sit and read email at the same time" sort of movie. The movie deserves its "R" rating while often shielding viewers from full visual reality in its portrayal of violence and sexuality. (A+++ for cinematography!)
Based on true events around the fight for gang control in a Rio de Janeiro slum it is visually stunning and almost too brutally honest in places.
This film is an unvarnished look at the struggle for power, possession, and respect that is all too common in areas with limited economic opportunity. Especially telling is how one of the lead gangsters, Lil' Ze, masks his insecurities with bloodlust. The lives of the gangs revolve around the main character, Rocket, and his escape from the gang culture to his emergence as a photojournalist.
City of God is subtitled and the dialog is fast. Needless to say it isn't a "sit and read email at the same time" sort of movie. The movie deserves its "R" rating while often shielding viewers from full visual reality in its portrayal of violence and sexuality. (A+++ for cinematography!)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Video Gamer
A Danish company named Serious Games contacted me yesterday about using two images from my Border Lives photo documentary in a game that is still in development.
Look for Invasion Living and Rough Shack to grace the landscapes in Serious' upcoming release of Global Conflicts: Latin America.
Pretty cool. These images were taken in February 2006 and have only recently begun to be purchased/published so I guess staying in the game long enough is part of this photo documentary deal...
See the below post regarding the documentary Beyond Borders which also features lots of images from this project.
Look for Invasion Living and Rough Shack to grace the landscapes in Serious' upcoming release of Global Conflicts: Latin America.
Pretty cool. These images were taken in February 2006 and have only recently begun to be purchased/published so I guess staying in the game long enough is part of this photo documentary deal...
See the below post regarding the documentary Beyond Borders which also features lots of images from this project.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Beyond Borders Documentary!
Good friend and soon-to-be-ordained Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) pastor Rebecca Bowman Woods has just released her documentary on ministry and policy in the US/Mexico border region.
Rebecca is also the news and website editor for DisciplesWorld magazine - a talentent journalist to say the least...
I was proud to be a project advisor as Rebecca completed this documentary during her final year at seminary. There are also quite a few pictures taken by yours truly inserted as b-roll in this film.
It is a very different view of the border and immigration - told by those who work most closely with and are affected by this human traffic.
The video is well worth the $12.95 Amazon is charging. Challenge yourself, your family, your small group, or your church and get this documentary...
Order from Amazon!
Rebecca is also the news and website editor for DisciplesWorld magazine - a talentent journalist to say the least...
I was proud to be a project advisor as Rebecca completed this documentary during her final year at seminary. There are also quite a few pictures taken by yours truly inserted as b-roll in this film.
It is a very different view of the border and immigration - told by those who work most closely with and are affected by this human traffic.
The video is well worth the $12.95 Amazon is charging. Challenge yourself, your family, your small group, or your church and get this documentary...
Order from Amazon!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Baked Chicken and Rice
I'm a big fan of the "experimental" kitchen. The cooking show where they clear out peoples' fridges to make something new is really cool so I thought I'd give it a shot.
We were hungry for something 1) healthy 2) chicken-ey and 3) rice based. The regular alternatives for baked chicken and rice usually involve several cans of "Cream of [Something]" soup lots of butter, etc... I tried a lighter/healthier alternative and the family loved it!
Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
Prepare Rice: in a 4 Quart Casserole Combine:
1 cup - rice (I used "Royal Blend: Texmati white, brown, wild and red"). Standard brown or white rice will do.
2.25 cups liquid (I used light buttermilk for a "Cream of *" replacement). Whole milk, chicken broth or a combination of liquids should make 2.25 cups...
0.5 cup chopped Shitake or Crimini mushrooms
0.5 cup chopped white onion or shallot
0.5 cup chopped celery
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Mix well and microwave for 5 minutes covered or place in oven for 15 minutes covered.
Prepare Chicken Breasts
3-4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
0.5 cup bread crumbs
0.25 cup white flour
2 tsp oregeno
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Olive Oil
Wash and pat dry chicken breasts, lightly brush with olive oil. Combine dry ingredients and dredge chicken, patting mixture onto surface.
When rice mixture is removed from microwave or oven place the chicken breasts on top of rice (it should have "set" slightly as it was heated.) Cover and bake an additional 35-45 minutes until chicken is done through.
I guarantee you'll never go back to using canned soup in this tasty dish again.
We were hungry for something 1) healthy 2) chicken-ey and 3) rice based. The regular alternatives for baked chicken and rice usually involve several cans of "Cream of [Something]" soup lots of butter, etc... I tried a lighter/healthier alternative and the family loved it!
Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
Prepare Rice: in a 4 Quart Casserole Combine:
1 cup - rice (I used "Royal Blend: Texmati white, brown, wild and red"). Standard brown or white rice will do.
2.25 cups liquid (I used light buttermilk for a "Cream of *" replacement). Whole milk, chicken broth or a combination of liquids should make 2.25 cups...
0.5 cup chopped Shitake or Crimini mushrooms
0.5 cup chopped white onion or shallot
0.5 cup chopped celery
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Mix well and microwave for 5 minutes covered or place in oven for 15 minutes covered.
Prepare Chicken Breasts
3-4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
0.5 cup bread crumbs
0.25 cup white flour
2 tsp oregeno
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Olive Oil
Wash and pat dry chicken breasts, lightly brush with olive oil. Combine dry ingredients and dredge chicken, patting mixture onto surface.
When rice mixture is removed from microwave or oven place the chicken breasts on top of rice (it should have "set" slightly as it was heated.) Cover and bake an additional 35-45 minutes until chicken is done through.
I guarantee you'll never go back to using canned soup in this tasty dish again.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Canned What? (COOL Lent: 2008)
5 Minutes of Caring: Canned What?
In a nutrition course I took in the early 90s I remember the professor saying something to the effect of "if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it." Her comment was similar to what the CoolPeople are saying in the above article - take a look at the ingredients before you decide to buy something. All the packaging, branding and advertising in the world can't hide the fact that preservatives, colorings and flavor additives are chemical substitutes for what God created naturally.
I'm starting to see a lot more press on the link between chemical additives and health. A lot of it is still under research but in some ways it makes sense that processing foreign substances causes added stress to our bodies.
In a nutrition course I took in the early 90s I remember the professor saying something to the effect of "if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it." Her comment was similar to what the CoolPeople are saying in the above article - take a look at the ingredients before you decide to buy something. All the packaging, branding and advertising in the world can't hide the fact that preservatives, colorings and flavor additives are chemical substitutes for what God created naturally.
I'm starting to see a lot more press on the link between chemical additives and health. A lot of it is still under research but in some ways it makes sense that processing foreign substances causes added stress to our bodies.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sleep On It (COOL Lent: 2008)
5 Minutes of Caring: Sleep On It
I've heard the advice before - give all major purchases a 24 hour waiting period. That is usually more than enough to bring about (pre) buyer's remorse for something that you may "want" but not actually "need." There's no sure fire method, it is obviously very personal...
You could also "sleep over" at the grand opening of a new IKEA store though that is more likely to bring about a fit of consumption rather than offset it!
I've heard the advice before - give all major purchases a 24 hour waiting period. That is usually more than enough to bring about (pre) buyer's remorse for something that you may "want" but not actually "need." There's no sure fire method, it is obviously very personal...
You could also "sleep over" at the grand opening of a new IKEA store though that is more likely to bring about a fit of consumption rather than offset it!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
March Madness (COOL Lent: 2008)
5 Minutes of Caring: March Madness
Along with the other themes mentioned above our family has been getting a handle on where our food comes from. The ADA site has some great advice for eating well.
Along with the other themes mentioned above our family has been getting a handle on where our food comes from. The ADA site has some great advice for eating well.
Monday, March 10, 2008
On the Double (COOL Lent: 2008)
5 Minutes of Caring: On the Double
Looking at the suggestions in the above article (reuse of paper towels, etc.) I have one other suggestions.
Reuse plastic storage/zip-lock bags. These can easily be washed to hold another sandwich or bunch of grapes. One caution, if you intend to put something really wet like watermelon in a reused plastic bag you'll probably want to check to see if it can hold water first...
Looking at the suggestions in the above article (reuse of paper towels, etc.) I have one other suggestions.
Reuse plastic storage/zip-lock bags. These can easily be washed to hold another sandwich or bunch of grapes. One caution, if you intend to put something really wet like watermelon in a reused plastic bag you'll probably want to check to see if it can hold water first...
Friday, March 07, 2008
How Sustainable is Your Table? (COOL Lent: 2008)
5 Minutes of Caring: How Sustainable is Your Table?
Since giving my wife Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" we have been considering the extreme cost (human, financial, and environmental) of buying pre-packaged foods and those transported extreme distances.
Aside from Kingsolver's book the Sustainable Table site mentioned above is a great way to get started buying local and sustainable groceries.
Our locally owned Dorothy Lane grocery chain is our best bet at finding local and sustainable foods. They are often priced 30-70% more than the national chain stores but you've got to feel better eating food that is produced more naturally and easier on the environment.
Since giving my wife Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" we have been considering the extreme cost (human, financial, and environmental) of buying pre-packaged foods and those transported extreme distances.
Aside from Kingsolver's book the Sustainable Table site mentioned above is a great way to get started buying local and sustainable groceries.
Our locally owned Dorothy Lane grocery chain is our best bet at finding local and sustainable foods. They are often priced 30-70% more than the national chain stores but you've got to feel better eating food that is produced more naturally and easier on the environment.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Twice Worn (COOL Lent: 2008)
5 Minutes of Caring: Twice Worn
I have, for some time now, been a twice wearer. Underwear, socks, and workout clothing aside, how dirty do we really get on a daily basis?
Jeans and most shirts (worn over an undershirt) really don't get dirty/sweaty/oily at all as long as there aren't "external influences." Now having a two year old in the house leads to the inevitable food spray that needs to be cleaned daily...
Give your washer and the environment a break. Give those jeans and shirt the sniff test before throwing them in the laundry!
I have, for some time now, been a twice wearer. Underwear, socks, and workout clothing aside, how dirty do we really get on a daily basis?
Jeans and most shirts (worn over an undershirt) really don't get dirty/sweaty/oily at all as long as there aren't "external influences." Now having a two year old in the house leads to the inevitable food spray that needs to be cleaned daily...
Give your washer and the environment a break. Give those jeans and shirt the sniff test before throwing them in the laundry!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Call for Clean Water (COOL Lent: 2008)
5 Minutes of Caring: Call for Clean Water
Check the links in the above post to find out how to call your elected representative and urge them to vote for clean water.
Check the links in the above post to find out how to call your elected representative and urge them to vote for clean water.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
You're In the Money (COOL Lent: 2008)
5 Minutes of Caring: You're In the Money
I've done lots of speaking regarding the chasm that exists between what we in the US consider an "average" income and what most people around the world experience. Even the poorest people in the western world (N. America, Europe) are uber-rich in comparison to 90% of the rest of the world.
Just to check yourself, go to the Global Rich List site and enter in your income.
My pastoral compensation - including salary, housing allowance, benefits and retirement - puts me within the top 1% of worldwide wage earners.
We are indeed blessed with material wealth. And to those whom much has been given, much is required. Consider investing even a small amount in a micro-credit program such as Kiva - giving the chance for the poorest people in our world to establish businesses that will help them live sustainable lives.
I've done lots of speaking regarding the chasm that exists between what we in the US consider an "average" income and what most people around the world experience. Even the poorest people in the western world (N. America, Europe) are uber-rich in comparison to 90% of the rest of the world.
Just to check yourself, go to the Global Rich List site and enter in your income.
My pastoral compensation - including salary, housing allowance, benefits and retirement - puts me within the top 1% of worldwide wage earners.
We are indeed blessed with material wealth. And to those whom much has been given, much is required. Consider investing even a small amount in a micro-credit program such as Kiva - giving the chance for the poorest people in our world to establish businesses that will help them live sustainable lives.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Sock It To Me (COOL Lent: 2008)
5 Minutes of Caring: Sock It To Me
Sometimes I feel like the Imelda Marcos of socks. Too many socks, but what to wear with each suit, etc... I used to have a lot of colored socks - gray, green, tan - to wear with different suits but have now settled on blue and black. My old socks have either been worn to the thread or have gone to a local homeless shelter.
Now the socks that seem to get separated the most - where I end up with an odd number - are my cycling socks. These overpriced little gems made of micro-insulate-wicking-wonder fabric never fail to come up "one sock short of a pair." I like the idea of making a sock puppet - an all too expensive technologically advanced sock puppet...
Sometimes I feel like the Imelda Marcos of socks. Too many socks, but what to wear with each suit, etc... I used to have a lot of colored socks - gray, green, tan - to wear with different suits but have now settled on blue and black. My old socks have either been worn to the thread or have gone to a local homeless shelter.
Now the socks that seem to get separated the most - where I end up with an odd number - are my cycling socks. These overpriced little gems made of micro-insulate-wicking-wonder fabric never fail to come up "one sock short of a pair." I like the idea of making a sock puppet - an all too expensive technologically advanced sock puppet...
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