7 Search Results for "north"

• Bless the Hands that Prepare O Bless the Hands that Prepare Our Food!

  • From: agapejustice
  • Description:

    This blog was first posted on Sojourners God's Politics Blog. For more information please visit Justice at Smithfield-http://www.smithfieldjustice.com/

    During the BBQ Season of summer I attended the DC campaign kick-off for the Justice at Smithfield Campaign. "Smithfield Foods is the largest pork processor and producer in the world, the fourth largest turkey processor and fifth largest beef processor in the U.S." In the early 1990's Smithfield opened its Tar Heel, North Carolina plant, with 5,500 workers who slaughter and process 32,000 hogs per day. The Tar Heel plant is not unionized and overall only about 56% of Smithfield pork processing plant employees are unionized.

    Though raised in Brooklyn, NY, my family hails from North Carolina which makes this campaign of personal importance to me. At the campaign kick-off two young women testified about mistreatment at the Tar Heel plant. A 22 year-old woman spoke of developing such a serious case of carpal tunnel syndrome that she can no longer lift more than 15 pounds. The testimony of this woman had a profound effect on me because I saw myself in her face. At 22 years-old I was a recent college graduate excitedly planning my future. I did not have to worry about an injury that could leave me disabled for life. If my grandparents remained in North Carolina instead of migrating to Brooklyn, NY, I could have easily been one of the Smithfield workers. What separates me from the workers at Smithfield?

    Some of the tasks at the Tar Heel plant include cutting the skin off of frozen meat as it comes down the line, a task that is especially difficult when having to work at breakneck speeds. As stated in the Human Rights Watch report: Blood Sweat and Fear: Workers' Rights in U.S. Meat and Poultry Plants:

    Many workers have painful reactions to conditions, but they do not act for fear of losing their jobs. In this report one employee is quoted as saying 'I am sick at work with a cold and breathing problems and my arms are always sore. But I am afraid to say anything about this because I am afraid they will fire me.'

    Workers have also spoken of sexual harassment and racism. How can working conditions like this exist in our modern society? What is the role of race, class and economics in the Smithfield worker struggle?

    As I reflect on the Justice at Smithfield campaign I am reminded of a common request made during the blessing of a meal--"may God bless the hands of those who have prepared our food." As we continue this season of BBQ's let us remember the workers of Smithfield when we bless our meals by asking God to bless their hands and their struggle.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 145
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• Virginia

  • Views: 42
  • Since: 1 year ago

• invading moon invading moon

  • From: brianna millett
  • Description:

     think the night sky has been taken over by a group of theatre techies. it's as though i am watching a live performance of "midsummer night's dream" and the director has cued the rising of the moon and voile! the light of the night drops down from the heavens in all it's splendor, hanging ever so comfortably from a line of fishing wire coming from the loft above. she remains there throughout all hours of the darkness and she greets me in the morning still perfectly illuminated, i imagine that she does this just to be adored. i watch her in awe, she is extraordinarilybeautiful and the faithfulness of her gracious movements calms my soul.

    
    
    gazing upon the moon has been the common activity the past few nights for me. as i previously mentioned, it is, to me, an open door into fields of tranquility. and lately that is just what i crave. see, god has invaded the deepest desire of my heart. he is tearing into the most intimate pocket that i protectively guard as a mother hen protects her baby chicks. his presence in this place has been lingering for some 5 years now. i know the meaning of "overstaying your welcome". in recent months the company of christ has awakened certain emotions that have been (much to my appreciation) laying dormant for nearly 2 years now. this abyss of winnowing feels as uncomfortable and intrusive as a visit to the "lady" doctor for a yearly physical (or if you're like me, you dodge these check-up's and before you know it 7 years have passed since your last appointment.) nothing is hidden or protected anymore. the illumination of the holy spirit has exposed everything and it is horrifically painful, and yet i know that this search light is beaming from a safe foundation in the harbor, and it is dressed with the most ravishing of intentions.
    
    
    i am incredibly blessed to have an outlet to share these newly tilled emotions with my spiritual director, kristen. as i describe (or attempt to - the articulation of my fearful and freshly exposed feelings proves to be a vastly difficult challenge) the inner sparring bregade taking place between god and i, kristen simply listens with an open and prayerful heart. through our months of meeting together, and the countless hours i have been spending in prayer, i am beginning to see the purposes involved for the recent stirring of my quietly sleeping emotions.
    
    
    when i read of abraham taking his son as a sacrifice, hosea taking a prostitute as his wife, jesus's journey into the wilderness, or even the beloved arising to go out into the city to search for her lover, i am comforted by the bravery of people who have endured the same infiltration of christ that i am experiencing in this season of my life. the breaching that i speak of is narrowed down to one fiery reason: god is passionate about loving passionately. his every longing is to love - and to be loved. and really, is this not the truest of every human yearning? god walks with us as the north winds blow so he can be right there, penetrating our bones with  his love. and so too, he is right beside us when the flowers appear on the earth so he has direct, unhindered access to bathe in the fragrance of our worship.
    
    
    the journey's of christ's beloved are in similar fashion to that of the moon. at times throughout the year the moon's shape, size, and luminocity display different dynamics of radiance. but without fail (at the director's cue!), she will rise, and she will sleep; faithfully living her role of contrasting the evening and the day. and we are all invited to gaze at her presence and stand in devoted admiration that this too, is good.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 103
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• a christian with NO children? a christian with NO children?

  • From: edk
  • Description:

    Apparently in some circles this discussion (I consider it more of an arguement) is a bit passe, but I'm new to this marriage/possiblilty of eventual parenthood thing, so it's big news to me. In today's culture where women have choices in basically every situation, I thought this was a no brainer. Apparently I was wrong...

    When we met, my husband and I were lukewarm christians at best. In the middle of college, living in a small liberal arts community, it wasn't exactly where my (our) faith bloomed. Just as many modern "love" stories go, first we hung out, eventually started dating kinda, we broke up a few times, soon our individual paths led us to similar places and now we're married.

    Marriage isn't easy, but thus far it hasn't been as catastrophic as I expected. It's only been a few months, and since we already own a house, I know eventually "when are you planning on kids?" will slap me in the face at every family gathering, work party and other various social outings. A simple internet search gave me these good response ideas:

          "When the time is right for us."

          "If we ever have a kid, we are going to name it Houdini. If it gets past the pill and the condom it  
           will have to be an escape artist."

          "Well, it typically takes about 9 months after conception. As a person who has children, I would
           have figured you would know that."

          "I detest all children."

    All joking aside, the real answer burning inside of me is always, "I DONT KNOW!!!!" And it's not only meant that I don't know WHEN, but also that I don't know IF we are going to have children. As I have found the past few months, that isn't something think about as a christian, because ALL married christians are supposed to have children...it's mandated by God, right?

    For whatever reason (more and more I'm starting to think it came straight from God) I had the urge yesterday to do some searching for varying opinions on the subject. I came across some interesting articles. Namely against the "childless by choice christian" here:

    http://www.albertmohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2004-06-28

    And for them here:

    http://www.intervarsity.org/gfm/well/resource/children-choice

    I don't totally buy into the notion that every married couple has to fully accept having children as an inherent blessing that comes with choosing to be married and sexually active. Even the Albert Mohler article, which vehemenently argues that marriage = children, agrees that couples have the freedom of choice as to when and how many when it comes to procreation. That being said, I find it hard to turn around and argue that you don't have the option to not pop out at least one to fulfill your "duty."

    After reading the articles, praying, talking with my husband and meditating, I believe the gray area is far too thick to be saying "truth is truth." Maybe certain married couples who have strong relationships with eachother and with God just aren't called to have children. Maybe God is going to use those couples to reach the other BILLIONS of people in the world who don't yet know Him.

    To be clear, I'm not talking about not having children for financial or lifestyle reasons, or even in instances of health or the possibility of genetic disease. I am merely looking at the possibility that maybe God wants some couples to not have children for a different reason. It may not be so in North America and parts of Europe, but other places are so overpopulated that maybe God wants some of us, at his will and not ours, to skip focusing on our 2.5 kids and instead work towards nuturing and caring for them through Him.

    My husband and I don't know if we will have kids. I can't lie, the thought of being a mother scares the crap out me. But one thing we know for sure is that as christians we have to be open and willing to live with either scenario, with children or without children, to be able to truly know what God has in store for us.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 571

• Sky and Earth: Cloud Shadows Sky and Earth: Cloud Shadows

  • From: Coming Hope
  • Description:

    Cloud shadows rumble across my face. Out of place fences reign in teeming green and jagged crests. Somehow, this violence preserved is a peaceful sanctuary. Angry earth crust can never really be tamed, just enough to inspire wonder and rest. Maybe this is because the mountains have faced so much over the years, yet remain stable and confident of their mark on the world.

    Cities and businesses are built around the mountains. Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado is one of 58 fourteeners – mountains that jut 14,000 feet above sea level. The chiseled granite rock anchors the eastern slope of the state, and even the streets of downtown Denver were constructed to provide the best view possible of the peak.

    Isabella Bird with the third lady to climb Longs Peak in 1873. She was an English lady who spend her life traveling in America and other countries and wrote extensively about her adventures in letters to her sister. She was one of the first travel journalists. After her ascent of Longs Peak, she penned these thoughts:

    “From the summit were seen in unrivaled combination all the views which had rejoiced our eyes during the ascent. It was something at last to stand upon the storm rent crown of this lonely sentinal of the Rocky Range, on one of the mightiest of the vertebrae of the backbone of the North American continent, and to see the waters start for both oceans. Uplifted above love and hate and storms of passion, calm amidst the eternal silences, fanned by zephyrs and bathed in living blue, peace rested for that one bright day on the Peak.”

    Explorers can never resist the call of a mountain. But mountaineering as a profession is more about sharing a common experience than lone conquering. History is chuck full of men and women on a conquest- even at the risk of seeing the highest mountain in the world as their last glimpse of life.
    What is it that calls the human heart to such risk? Creation screams the glory of God, but how we all respond to that scream is personal and deeply spiritual.

    After attending college away from the mountains, I found myself severely infected with mountain fever upon graduation. This summer I wandered everywhere I could, taking pictures and just filling up on the wilderness, a staple of my growing up years.

    It is funny how people are attracted to different types of wilderness. My father lived in Moab, Utah when he was very young. Even though he has lived in Colorado longer, he dreams about the red dirt, desert and arches. He remembers every street of the town and wants to retire there. How can one place have such a sway on him?

    For the Israelites, the wilderness was not a comfort. From their perspective, it was a place of broken promises and failed attempts to measure up to God's standards. But over and over, His love reached out to them and offered them redemption. The only problem was that they didn't take it.
    “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
    Hebrews 4:2

    The Israelites even had an opportunity to meet Him on the mountain but were too afraid to face working out their secret sins. Yet, God met Moses there and offered a way to relationship. The 10 commandments can seem harsh and unforgiving, yet I see them as God saying to His children, “I crave relationship with you! Rely on me to guide you, to move you forward in life.”

    On top of Mount Siani, God reached out to heal a nation. Perhaps summits still represent God's desire to heal nations and even our deepest personal violences. Perhaps battle can turn into peaceful respite. Perhaps the wild way is far richer than the safe. You won't know until you strap on those hiking boots and move forward up the trail.

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 157
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• I've got my feet on the ground I've got my feet on the ground

  • From: Theresa
  • Description:

    Last night, I attempted to casually invade a friend's plans.

    I spent a few weeks slyly setting up this "surprise" coincidence of us attending the same event.

    While my friends from up north pledge their allegiance to Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright payed an incredible show. 

    Unfortunately, after be so excited for this event for too long, a new dress, splotchy skin tones around the wrist and unusual work hours didn't prepare me for the show. The frustration over the amount of phone calls, emails and subtle suggestions to building managers killed any amount of hope I had once thought this Performing Hall would hold. Skipping out on the 5th song, I was back at the Lime Spider for the Pat Sweeney show with pancakes and angry tonic.

    Walking up streets in and unknown city is not as adventurous as it should be.

    Especially when I'm holding up and practically dragging someone taller then me.

    The older I get, the less I understand how Jesus expects us to interact with each other. I feel like we are daily screwing it up and blinding ourselves to this perfect harmonious love that God created. I know I have it backwards when I try to see Jesus more through humans, but the lack of example in my daily life makes car rides more appealing.

    Ridiculous.

     

     

     

     

    ps - Nate, your site is absolutely beautiful.

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 373
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• Tiffers17

  • Views: 32
  • Since: 2 years ago