Job Ebenezer – container gardening
This evening I have been sitting in Newberg Oregon talking to Randy Woodley about possible ways that urban areas can become more self sustaining which reminded me of one of my favourite urban gardeners Job Ebenezer. It made me realize that I have never blogged about the work of this remarkable man.
Job believes that with inexpensive containers and suitable soil mix, you can create an urban garden virtually anywhere – on roof tops, vacant city lots, brown fields, and unused portion of parking lots. And he uses children’s wading pools to create them.
The president (Dr. Job Ebenezer) of the organization, Technology for the Poor, explains his vision for the spread of urban agriculture.
In 1993, Dr. Job Ebenezer, former Director of Environmental Stewardship and Hunger Education at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) established a container garden on the roof of the parking garage of the ELCA offices in Chicago. The hope was that the roof top garden would serve as a role model for creative use of urban space throughout the country. Dr. Ebenezer proved the feasibility of growing vegetables in plastic wading pools, used tires and feed sacks.
This morning I am sitting at George Fox University in Newberg Oregon, where Tom & I are sharing about MSA and CCSP/Cascadia. Not much time to write posts but I thought that I would post this prayer that I uploaded on Facebook this morning. Enjoy!
Deep Peace to You
Hands with Joshua tree
This morning I posted this prayer on Facebook
Lead us forward Lord,
Let us hold firm to your words of life.
Lead us forward Lord,
Let us delight in your perfections,
And meditate on your ways.
Lead us forward Lord,
You are our light and our salvation,
You are our rock and our fortress,
Lead us forward Lord,
You alone hold the keys to eternal life.
Maybe it is because I am just back from Australia and still on jetlag, maybe it is because Advent is just around the corner (begins December 2nd), maybe it is because I just ordered the first copies of Return to our Senses and am feeling the wonder of having completed this project or maybe it is because the U.S. elections are over and all of us sense the need for direction from God and not from our political leaders. Whatever it is, I feel that this is a great season of the year for reflection and refocusing.
Now is the time to store up the resources we need to stir our imaginations and create new rituals and expressions of faith that guide us through the fast approaching season of Advent in which our hearts ache for the coming of God’s light.
As usual I will host an Advent reflection series during December – I may even begin a little early because Advent is so short this year – just over 3 weeks long. Our theme this year is Let Us Wait As Children Wait. There is still time to participate. So if you would like to contribute a post do let me know.
Also if you are looking for Advent devotionals this year don’t forget Waiting for the Light: A Devotional for Advent and Christmas. It is available in both book and ebook form.
Friday I hope to post my new Advent video for the year but you may also like to check out these videos from previous years.
I also plan to update my Advent resource list early next week so if there are books, websites or other resources that you feel are must haves or must see for the season please let me know.
Last Supper – a fortaste of the kingdom feast
This morning I was reading the parable of the Great Feast in Luke 14. I was struck by the phrase There is still room for more. God’s lavish invitation to all of us to join the banquet feast of the kingdom is amazing. It is generous beyond our imagining. It is all inclusive of anyone who wants to come. The poor, the lame, the blind and the crippled have been included and there is still room for more.
How different I thought from the exclusivity of our culture. The poor, the lame, the blind and the crippled are rarely invited. We are more likely to be concerned about who we can exclude from the banquet feast rather than who we can include. I can’t help but think about that this morning as I wait for the Presidential election results. So much of the rhetoric has been about cutting back benefits. Who can we exclude from health care and social security? Who can we ignore when the environment is at risk and the corporations want to make more money? Who can we turn our backs on because they are of the wrong faith or ethnicity or gender orientation?
I wonder if part of the reason there is so much empty space at the banquet feast of God is because we don’t want to sit down to eat with those at the margins. So my question today is Who have you invited to the banquet feast of God and who would you like to exclude?
Tom and I will be in Portland next week. Saturday November 10th, in Portland, OR we will gather at The Arbor Lodge (1507 N Rosa Parks Way) from 7-9pm to explore, create and discuss new possibilities for life and community.
Join us for great coffee, conversation and imagination unleashed.
You can sign up on Facebook or just turn up if you are in the Portland area.
Last night I watched David Attenborough’s Kingdom of Plants. It is a fascinating documentary filmed at the Royal Botanical Kew Gardens in England. I was particularly intrigued by the very different view that insects have of flowers. Their ultra-violet viewpoint totally transforms what the flower looks like.
Ultraviolet view of flowers
We see the flower on the left, the insect sees the image on the right beckoning it to come and pollinate. Our perceptions of life are so limited. We can’t smell like a dog, see like an insect or hear like a bat.
Why therefore do we think that our perceptions of faith are any more complete? Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1) We do indeed see through a glass darkly. All of God’s creation tells us so.
- Sydney Lorikeets
The end of a very challenging week for most of us as this week’s Light for the Journey Facebook prayers reflect.
I have already posted these prayers for the victims of Hurricane Sandy who are constantly in my prayers at the moment. I hope that you enjoy the remaining prayers from the week.
God, I look at your world and see
Beauty beyond words,
Creativity beyond imagining,
Love beyond understanding.
God bathed, Son drenched, Spirit filled.
May we dare to believe
You are here,
Transforming, redeeming making all things new.
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Lord may we surrender to the whisper of your love,
May we sit in the place of quiet,
Where time is stilled,
And the dark gives fertile ground for seeds to sprout.
May we sit in the solitude of each moment,
Surrounded by God’s everlasting love,
Comforted by Christ’s ever present peace,
Abiding in the Spirit’s ever flowing life.
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What a privilege to serve – faithandworship.com
Before all things began,
you were,
one with Father and Spirit,
glorious unity.
Before all things began,
you were,
our lives within your thoughts,
your image in our hearts.
Before all things began,
you were,
creation and redemption
perfected in your plan.
Before all things began,
you were,
king and kingdom waiting,
for time is in your hands.
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O Lord,
I kneel here gazing
into Your eyes of love.
You smile and whisper my name.
I am back again,
for only You are enough of
everything I need.
You satisfy the deep longing.
I’ll stay a while with You here,
knowing You stay always with me,
keeping my days, watching o’er my nights.
You clothe the lilies, watch sparrows and love me.
O Lord,
I kneel here gazing
into Your eyes of love.
I smile and whisper your name, “Abba”.
B.D. Harr © 2012
Photo by Bonnie harr
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Simple Things, Five Minutes Into Morning
Thank you, Lord, for simple things ~
daily blessings. . .
benefits You load us with, that
we take so often for granted:
Light at the flick of a switch . . .
Water at the turn of a faucet . . .
Heat at the move of a dial . . .
Sanitation by way of toilets, disposals
and waste removal systems . . .
Refrigeration for foodstuff
beyond our capacity to eat in a single day. . .
Baths and showers large enough for
full-body, daily, personal hygiene. . .
A toothbrush with clean water for brushing and rinsing. . .
Clothing to dress temperature-appropriate in . . .
Slippers and shoes for our feet . . .
A first cup of coffee, with cream, even . . .
A newspaper delivered to the door. . .
A phone to connect with loved ones . . .
An umbrella and raincoat to step into
Your hurting world this day.
And yet, O Lord,
forgive us for often forgetting that
Your world, and the children of it,
hurt in these ways, everyday:
No light, save that which the diurnal rhythms provide ~
No clean water, save that which the high streams and rivers provide ~
No heat, save that which the sun provides ~
No sanitation ~
No refrigeration ~
Not enough food for a meal, much less a day ~
Not enough defense against body-borne diseases ~
No health or dental care ~
Not enough clothing to defend against inherent climates ~
No shoes ~
No coffee with cream ~
No papers, books, phones, umbrellas or raincoats…
Forgive us, O Lord, for our mindlessness.
Forgive us, O Lord, for our thoughtlessness.
Forgive us, O Lord, for our selfishness.
Father, make us ever more mindful and thoughtful!
Jesus, give us eyes and hearts of compassion like Yours are!
Holy Spirit, transform our selfishness into selflessness!
Then, O Lord, rather than questing for notoriety or fame,
rather than seeking high praise or recognition,
transform our selflessness into service in Your name,
for Your glory, to the people of Your world ~
OUR brothers and sisters everywhere!
Thank you, Father, for these five, morning minutes, alive.
Thank you, Sweet Jesus, for these five, morning minutes, awake.
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for these five, morning minutes, aware.
Amen
B.D. Harr © 2012
Written on the winds of Hurricane Sandy
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