The Mission

We watched The Mission with some friends last night. Wow, what an amazing movie with an incredible cast (Robert DeNiro, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Aidan Quinn...) and spectacular scenery from South America. It would have been worth the time to watch it even without the amazing story. Jesuit missionaries to the Guarani people (natives) decide to stand against the decision of the Vatican to hand the territory over to the Portuguese. The Portuguese and Spaniards are hoping to destroy the missions and enslave the people. The characters of DeNiro and Irons take different routes to caring for the people. One refuses to believe that violence is the answer, and the other eventually takes arms against their attackers. It's one of the best movies I've seen with an explicitly religious theme. If you haven't seen it check it out.

I got a VHS copy from the library that reminded me of ages past...our VCR still works! Dan suggested I sell it as an antique, but we'll hold off.

Picture Share - Pumpkin Patch

Shameless plug for our Preschool Benefit Auction Nov. 17

If you live in the Bay Area think about joining us for a benefit auction for Kayla's preschool. It's a wonderful non-profit cooperative called Glenridge, and I've heard from reliable sources (like the Scandrette family) that the auctions are really fun. There is a ton of great stuff to bid on, and there's live jazz and good stuff to eat and drink. If you want to buy a ticket ($20 for a couple) let me know. I need to sell several more. If you want to donate something to relieve my stress about getting $600 of stuff donated by October 31, that would also be beautiful.

Our Magical Canyon: Glenridge Cooperative Nursery School Benefit Auction 2007.

Time and Location
Saturday, November 17, 2007, 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
The Janet Pomeroy Center (formerly known as RCH Lake Merced Club)
207 Skyline Boulevard, San Francisco

What's happenin

This Wednesday we started a new rhythm of sharing a meal with the crew that lives under our nearby overpass. I was truly encouraged by a few things that happened. Some of the people I've been trying to get to know over the past couple months were happy to see me and welcomed the friends I brought with me. One woman even told me she is finally going to check into rehab this week, which thrilled me and injected me with new hope. I was also so happy to see some members of our community overcome fears and apprehension by joining us. I had the privilege of observing people walk in new ways, letting themselves be stretched...good stuff.

This weekend I'm speaking to a load of middle schoolers from Menlo Park Pres at their camp at Mt. Hermon. Wish me luck, or think good thoughts, or pray for me, or all of the above. Andrea and the kiddies are joining me and I'm hoping our whole family can connect with the students all weekend.

Peace

Who needs Amazon or Netflix?

I've been falling in love with my local library. In a time where so many are wrestling with what it means to live simply, share more, buy less, consume less, etc. the public library is staring at us and waiting for us to join the party.

The fact is, most books only deserve to be read once anyway, right? Here in San Francisco, I can go online and request just about any book I can think of. The only books I might want to read that might not be in the City library system are Christian theology books, but really, I've read enough or those already. I go online and have the books sent to the branch down the street from our place, and then I get an email when they have been delivered and are ready for pick up. I even get an email when they are almost due so I don't turn them back late. Amazing...

There is also a decent selection of movies that work the same way. Recently the top of our entertainment center had DVD's of Romero, City of God and The Killing Fields. Last night I requested some romantic comedies for Andrea. I also had some CD's sent over (James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye) that will be ready for pick up shortly.

AND...drumroll please...

I don't have to pay for a cup of coffee to set up an office anymore. The library in the Mission District has free wireless with long tables and outlets to plug in for power. Brilliant...I can even broaden my musical tastes from the CD section while I answer my emails and work on some projects on my trust iBook. Sometimes you even get to work next to some homeless guys reading novels. Rock on, public libraries.

Article on Homelessness in SF Gate

SFGate.com, the online version of the Chronicle, just published another in a series of articles about homelessness in the City. Click here to read an article about how the City seems to be getting more conservative about homeless people in our midst, meaning, people are getting tired of dealing with homeless people. There are 307 comments and counting this morning.

As our community (Seven) spends some time concentrating on getting to know our homeless neighbors we hope to find some best practices and knowledge to share with others in the City who struggle with what is becoming a hot button issue in San Francisco. I just hope these people are seen as people in the midst of all the commotion.

My new Bible

I read about The Books of the Bible a while back and just almost ordered one. My frugality (or some might say tendency to be cheap, tight, etc.) got the better of me, and I decided I could live without it for a while. Lo and behold, I found one for free the other day. Woo hoo!

I'm pretty excited about reading it. They've taken out the chapters and verse numbers to eliminate distractions and breaks in the reading that take away from the original intent of the authors. It encourages the reading of whole books instead of taking verses out of context. They've also reorganized the order of the books in a way that makes much more sense, by history and genre. It reads a bit more like a beautiful story, and the order of the books actually helps the reader make sense of it all. The couple pages of introduction in the front was well worth the read as well. I think this is the new way we will read the Bible as a family. It just makes sense, taking away some barriers to reading the beautiful story of God and actually reading it how the authors intended it to be read. If I was still a youth pastor I'd pass these things out to kids like crazy.

In Search of a Unified Theory

I just realized I never quite got around to writing about the new Cobalt Season album, In Search of a Unified Theory. I meant to write one when I first got the album, and then I wanted to wait until I had listened to the album several times through and had a better feel for it instead of just writing a blind recommendation because I like Ryan and Holly (and their son Paxton).

So...I love the album. As others have noted, I think it's their best to date. Ryan's voice conveys a depth of yearning and emotion. It is full of a yearning for something more and something true. For those of us who struggle to find the best ways to live in unity with the things we say we believe, this album is for us. There is a brutal honesty, and yet there is hope in the mix, hope for a better way, hope that there really is hope.

Most of the 3 or 4 people who still read this blog with its lack of posts recently probably already know of the album, but if you don't already own it I suggest checking it out. It's even available on iTunes now.

Cheers, Ryan and Holly. Keep making beautiful music...