much more frequently than I wish, I come home to a bundle of phone books on my front porch, looking forlorn like an abandoned child. dutifully, I immediately recycle them. "What a waste of paper, energy, etc." I think to myself.

go here. sign up. conserve.

who needs another 3.67lbs of phone book when we have the internet? who actually uses phone books anymore?

I attended my first ETS (Evangelical Theological Society) meeting in 2004. Having graduated from Dallas Seminary in May of that year with my Th.M., I energetically prepared myself for what would assuredly be a mountaintop experience.

“odd” barely (and graciously) captures the existential aura wafting through the convention. let’s leave it there for charity’s sake.

this year, I expectedly prepared myself for what would assuredly be a mundane experience.

“audacious” barely communicates the experiential joy that whacked me upside the head today. I listened to a presentation, interaction, and follow-up Q&A on Andy Crouch’s book, Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling. stunningly profound.

but more than that, to hear these men dialogue in such a way that life transformation, social justice, and beauty that screams the glory of God were the ends made my mind spin. in 2004, I wept because I couldn’t seem to find one session that gave a you-know-what about the concept of “neighbor.” this year, I met a whole room full of neighbor-loving theologians.

the times, they are a changin’.

driving home from the Cedar Ridge Preserve today, Eva and I simultaneously grinned with delight and said to the other, “check that bumper sticker out.” indeed, check it out. all proceeds go to benefit a host of organizations “working to protect biodiversity and wilderness.” buy one.

ironically, within minutes of sharing this inspiration, we cruised to a halt on the edge of the city. there may have been an accident, which certainly deserves our concern, but on the other side of the mixmaster the same automotive sludge awaited us. The State Fair of Texas, Big Tex presiding.

now feeling more sarcastic than inspired, I located a few additional stickers I would point out with great glee to my passengers:

can we?

well, good grief, let’s at least TRY.

here are some recent options:

1) The Pickens Plan

2) wecansolveit.org

do these offer us propaganda-free solutions? of course not. you gotta investigate. but, PLEASE investigate.

nothing will change until we demand a new direction…

start your research at CNGNOW.com.

now, here’s a cool story:

While driving down a dirt road in rural India during a summer internship, Michael Dwork saw a woman pressing leaves soaked in water in something that looked like a crude waffle iron. She pulled out what appeared to be a plate and served the food she was selling on it.

Plates made from only leaves and steam that are also completely compostable?

“verterra” is “based on the Latin phrase Veritas Terra or ‘true to the earth.’ We do this by using pure materials that we borrow—and then return—to the earth.”

genius.

granted, the products are pricey, but reusable. and ultimately, 100% biodegradable.

wind. a renewable energy.

watch the construction of a wind farm by downloading this slide show.

God bless the Midwest!

the temptation to boycott the news taunts me daily. or rather, is it an invitation from the sane part of my brain?

I enjoy watching the evening news. partly to stay informed about my country, and hopefully to stay informed about the world. with the drama surrounding oil, however, my tolerance for their fascination with fear has been exhausted. day after day after day after day after day they offer us a buffet of bad news, and I’m fed up. we all know about the problem, how about discussing solutions?

a dear sister of mine, a prayer warrior on staff with Dallas Seminary, expressed to me just yesterday, “the Enemy is busy enough, we don’t need to help him.” our Adversary slobbers with fear and exults in our franticness. I’m not calling ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, or any of the other gazillion agencies conduits of Satan. not at all. I am saying that we as Christians are called to a different message, and I want our voice to resound as loudly, or louder, than theirs.

our times are not unique. in the 1890s, the stock market crashed because a large contingency of America rallied for silver to be the monetary standard. in the early 1900s our country staggered under the weight of WWI, the Depression, and WWII. if that wasn’t enough, along came the Korean War of the 1950s, the assassination of MLK in the 1960s, Vietnam and the oil crisis of the 1970s. the 1980s left a legacy of horrific music (which I happen to love), the 1990s the Gulf War, star suicides and school shootings, and now we have another war, melting mortgages, and supply/demand run amuck.

the brokenness bleeds us perpetually. but our King reigns more constant, more faithful, and more worthy of our fascination. we can find fear anywhere. only Jesus offers hope. our churches must be beacons of this grace.

to end where I started, every once in a while a bright and shiny thing stings my eye. solutions surface, such as this abc news video that tells the story of people choosing to work for hope rather than enslave themselves to fear.