Feeding America

by Sarah

There's an awfully lot of talk these days about the food we consume in America. Many are thinking about where their food comes from. The movie Food Inc., a documentary about the meat industry in America dives deeper into this issue and the injustice involved.

In addition to problems of injustice and exploitation, believe it or not, hunger is a problem in America. Usually starving orphans in Africa come to mind when I think of hunger. But hunger isn't constrained within the African continent. There is a website dedicated to Feeding America and the stories of those helped in America by this organization.

It's important to recognize that food isn't just food. It's attached to faces. The faces that plant, grow, harvest,  buy and sell the food. Those who aren't paid fair wages and those who are. The hungry homeless woman on the street and the starving child in Africa. Don't get lost in the food and forget about the faces.

Time=Busyness

by Sarah

Shopping malls. Facebook. Work. School. Relationships. Twitter. Food. Clubs. Causes. Religion. Family. Email.

Your house needs cleaning. Your car is running on empty with a flat tire. There's a stack of bills to pay. Someone wants your advice. Someone else your time. And yet another your money.

This is the life we live. There is always something to do and some responsibility to fulfill.

My question is: if our lives are only so long, why do we get caught up in all this? Why do our lives equate to busyness?

Shouldn't life be lived to fullest, with passion, purpose and abundance?

"But", you say, "I still have just as much to do. I can believe that all I want, but where am I going to find the time to live it out?" That's our excuse. We say, "I'll do it later," "Not now, I'm busy," and "I just don't have time!"

I'm here to say yes, that is reality. And if that is how you view it, you're never going to have time. You're never going to be responsibility-free. There's always going to be more to do.

I want to call us to live beyond that. To exceed expectations of fulfilling responsibilities and meeting deadlines and to live in spite of them. Live abundantly. Love people deeply. Take the day a moment at a time. Quit using excuses. You know, "take time to stop and smell the roses".

Daffodils, Roses, and Baby's Breath

by Sarah

Have you ever thought about the role of flowers in America? We give each other roses and baby's breath for Valentine's Day, mixed flowers for sickness, deaths and funerals, roses and lilies for weddings, and the list could go on.

Also, flowers signify seasons of life and give messages. Daffodils announce that spring is here. Flowers from a special someone pronounce love and fondness. Weddings are a huge arena for flowers. I've seen flowers on aisle ways, in bouquets, in vases, in petals on the floor, mixed in with candles, and even on cakes!

So why do we use so many flowers? Is it because we don't like to use our words? Or do they say something more powerful then words?

Next time you go to the store and see the giant floral display, think about what those flower means in our culture, our country and the role they play in our lives.

Facebook, Church and 83

by Sarah

Yesterday I sat in a pew at North Valley Friends Church, and my pastor begin his sermon by talking about Facebook. He talked about how you can have different causes, be connected to so many different people, and even have fan pages! How often do you hear about social networks in sermons?

After church I went to Jerry's 83rd birthday party. His wife, Connie, was talking to me about (can you guess?) Facebook! She said she read this person's status and saw that note. Actually she had managed to get quite a bit of information on the people in her life.

The message of my pastor's sermon was about community, and how today in our post-modern world, our deepest longing is for community. So deep is that desire that any new idea that has even a resemblance of community is jumped on and immediately has a group of followers. Facebook is one of the largest social networks of today, with thousands and thousands of users. So what's the draw?

People are in search of community. Even though you may never see some of your Facebook friends in real life, they are still friends and there is some sort of connection there. You can be accepted no matter what your race, age, sexual orientation, beliefs, location, etc...All are welcome. And if you happen to find someone who disagrees with you, there are a hundred more to choose from.

My pastor talked about the need for Churches to be those communities that our world is searching for. He spoke of being the body of Christ and what it means to love one another. Then he challenged us to be a community that is welcoming, loving, and Christlike.

Where are you communities? How are you loving the people in them?

Presentation = Success

by Sarah

This week I was working on a website for my parent's church. I found E-zekiel.com, a church website building program, to be quite the frustrating experience.

After loudly expressing my feelings on the matter to a roommate, I got to thinking about a) What exactly I didn't like about it and b) What a website needs to be successful and c) How presentation in America is everything.

So then,

a) The program is not intuitive or easy to navigate. There are invisible buttons, that do not appear until you scroll over them. Cool effect if you have an artsy website, but not helpful for the technically challenged church goer who was elected manager of the website.

b) In order for a website to be successful it has to have (at least):
- The facts - when, where, what
- Identity - who are these people and what are they about
- Professionalism - is the website clean, well organized, and interesting

c) Today, if you are a company, church or individual wanting business, advertisement, or just to get information out there - Presentation is EVERYTHING. Especially web presentation.

As I was explaining this to my mother, it hit me that this is an American thing. Our culture is driven by presentation. Why else do we have designer brands? Ridiculously priced sports cars? Jewelry stores up the wazoo? And web-building programs (however unintuitive they are) for churches?

But it's not just presentation. You could have a pretty terrible website that presents your business, church or yourself and still not get anymore business or attendants than before. Quality is important.

I would even go so far to say that the quality of the presentation determines the success. It is not longer satisfactory to just have a website - now it has to be cutting-edge, well-done, classy even.

All this to say, all you web designers out there, buff up on your skills, because the presentation of websites is taking the stage in American success.

Would America still be America without War?

by: Sarah

I'm driving through town and I see an American flag at half mast. Why? The word on the street is that a soldier died today. Someone local. There is a sense of mourning and heaviness in those words. Even if I didn't know him, I feel this loss.

How many bumper stickers have you seen on the topic of war. Cafepress has 38,800 war related bumper stickers for sale. When was the last time you bought a newspaper that didn't have at least one article on the topic of war? Google "Support our troops merchandise" This is making money. One website even has a "Patriotic Gazebo Decorating Kit"

What would happen if ever our country wasn't at war? There is so much time and money spent on war endeavors from the national level to little jelly bracelets saying, "Support our Troops". Where would all that money go? What would we do with all that time and energy? Is war at the heart of America?

John Lennon sang "All we are saying, is give peace a chance" . But what if we actually did? Brush aside all those doubts of if that could ever happen and think about it for a moment. We have such a momentum on the topic of war. What if that topic no longer existed. What would we talk about? Write about? Make bracelets and gazebo decorating kits about?

Would we need to redefine "America"? What would you say?

Thinking of "America" *

by: Sarah

Say the word, "America". What comes to mind? Perhaps the age old symbols; the American flag, the White House, Uncle Sam, or Abraham Lincoln. Do you think of colors? Red, white and blue; the new "green" America? What about the current "hot topics" in politics? Fast food? Fashion? The President? Whatever it is, we all have some definition of America. Here's mine:

My immediate reaction is a pain in my heart and a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. This likely stems from the first word I associate with "America": Politics. To be quite frank with you, I cringe every time I hear that word. Politics. At some point, I will expound on these feelings, but for now, just note that it is not a welcome subject.


Next, I think of the beginnings of America. Stories of great leaders, freedom, and cowboys. I remember stories from my childhood of Indians, bravery, and new beginnings. My heart gets all warm and fuzzy.


Finally the thought that comes to me is the state of America today, and how that defines the future. What does America look like? What have we done right? Wrong? Previous decisions and choices have dictated the present America; what choices are we making now that will shape the story for our children and grandchildren? Many questions come to mind; the biggest of them being: Is America today what it was meant to be at the beginning; a place of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?

Or has America gone out to sea?