Monthly Archives: November 2008

Faith in Place

Check out this nice video piece produced by Faith in Place - a coalition of over 400 faith communities throughout Illinois committed to the sacred practice of environmental and economic sustainability. I’m proud to say that JRC (who is featured in the clip) is a longtime member.

From the FIP website:

Our mission is to help people of faith understand that issues of ecology and economy—of care for Creation—are at the forefront of social justice. At Faith in Place we believe in housing the homeless, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. But even if we do all those things, and love our brothers and sisters with our whole heart, it will not matter if we neglect the ecological conditions of our beautiful and fragile planet.

As temperatures rise and fossil fuel supplies fall, the burden of climate change and scarcity will land primarily on the poor, and eventually will come home to us all. We must practice love and justice in the way we use the ecological commons of air, water and soil. We must be willing to make sacrifices for a sustainable economy.

One Glorious Night in Grant Park

I was blessed enough to attend the Obama victory fete in Grant Park last night. When we got word that the election was called for Obama, we made our way through the crowd, past the stunned, weeping and jubilant. We were palpably aware that the entire world had their eyes on our little patch of grass in downtown Chicago. Truly a glorious, transcendent night…

Here are some iPhone pix of me, my wife Hallie, my younger son Jonah, and over 70,000 others celebrating history in the making:

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Wearing Purple on Election Day

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As I searched my mind and soul for what to say on this historic election day, I received these beautiful thoughts via e-mail from my friend and congregant Lesley Williams:

I wore purple to the election booth today, not red or blue. Today we make history, no matter what color your state or your skin. Today we elect either our first black president or our first woman vice-president. As I touched the final “cast your ballot” square, I thought of all those I love who are no longer here to share this moment

This is for my father, who survived the hell of the Jim Crow south, poll taxes, and hooded Klansmen at the voting booths, yet who voted in every election he possibly could and taught me to do the same.

This is for my mother, who organized rallies, led teach-ins, helped found Trinity Church, (yes, THAT Trinity Church) and always believed that what unites us is more powerful than what divides.

This is for Poppa, my irascible, opinionated grandfather-in-law who always made sure his voice was heard.

This is for Marge Sobel, that warm, fiercely intelligent science teacher who raised two outspoken children in a household where spirited, respectful dissent was always welcomed.

This is for Cheney, Schwerner and Goodman, Alice Paul and Susan B., Viola Liuzzo and Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers and MLK. The dream lives.

This is for Studs.

This is for Callie, my daughter, and all our daughters and sons, who will tell their grandchildren that they witnessed this day.

My favorite Jewish prayer is the Shehechiyanu: Praise God for sustaining us and allowing us to see this moment. Shout out a secular “Shehechiyanu!” everyone. Say Amen.

Say…yes we can.

Tweet Your Vote!

The good folks at Twitter are giving us a great way to collect reports on how well/badly our voting experience goes tomorrow. Twitter Vote Report helps voters to use Twitter or simple texting tools to report on how the vote is really going during this election, and they’re making it incredibly simple for everyone (even non-Twitter members) to check in. They will then put all the reports up on maps and graphs to show how voting is going across the country.  Click on the clip above to find out how it all works.

Of course, if you’ve already voted early disregard the above. But if you haven’t, check it out. What a great 21st century demonstration of power to the people!