In the Broken Bread

Communion-lg
Originally uploaded by Gregg Brekke.

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.

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!)

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.

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!

See Gus Run!

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The Wisdom of Get Fuzzy

Hilarious (although not very pastoral...)

Help me reach my goal!Sponsor Me at March for Babies!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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...

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.

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!

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.

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.

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...

Leap for Change (COOL Lent: 2008)

5 Minutes of Caring: Leap for Change

One of the suggestions made in today's column - this extra day of the year - is to tweak your ride with some Zen inspired driving tips.

For goodness sakes people of Ohio - use your blinkers! I've lived all over the country and have nowhere found such an innate fear of actually passing on kindness to other drivers by using your blinkers than I have in Ohio. Sheesh - not using your blinkers is a ticketable offense and will cost you points on your driver's license.

I know, I know - you are too cool to signal...

Spare Squares (COOL Lent: 2008)

5 Minutes of Caring: Spare Squares

I love when my favorite TV Series is right - Scrubs predicted this posting when they performed what is quite possibly the BEST EVER TV song "Everything Comes Down to Poo."

The overuse of TP is one my poop peeves (did I say that?) Really though, how much paper does it take? Stephen's description of the cat playing with the roll pretty much describes how kids approach TP too. It takes a little training to get them over the novelty of wiping with a downy soft pillow... I digress.

Since everything else has gone green/eco can we just call this "eco wiping"? "Green pooping" just doesn't have the same appeal...

Cash Out (COOL Lent: 2008)

5 Minutes of Caring: Cash Out

Micro-economy cash purchases are one of the best ways to ensure small businesses gain the most profit from each transaction: credit card fees for purchases of coffee, newspapers, snacks and other goodies add up for small vendors. As an added incentive you can add your change to the tip or donation jars at many establishments. A few cents per transaction adds up for someone making minimum wage.

On the other hand I'm a huge fan of the debit card and not having to carry around wads of cash for purchases like groceries and gas. As a matter of course larger vendors generally can include the cost of these fees in the cost of goods and/or negotiate really sweet processing fee deals that minimize the impact on their business.