Follow me at my new domain

Current posts can be found at my newly merged blog: http://www.simplypastormatt.com/

A Response to "Neo-Anabaptism" and a Counter

Two very interesting articles this morning: one, a reactionary take on the the author's perception of a rise in (and dangers of) "Neo-Anabaptism" and the second, a response by a Mennonite writer that both affirms the correct points and corrects/nuances the off-kilter points of the first article:

1) Tooley, Mark. "Mennonite Takeover." The American Spectator.

2) Good, Sheldon (Asst. Editor, Mennonite Weekly Review). "Are Mennonites Taking over The World?" The Huffington Post.

Mr. Tooley's article seems to me to be an incident of "echo chamber" journalism; repeating a biased claim, which gets repeated by those of like-mind and having been overheard is repeated again without anyone having checked the veracity or origin of the original claim.

The irony is that if Mr. Tooley would engage in further reading (assuming he's had some cursory engagement) of Anabaptist writings he, as the president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, would find that modern democracy owes a debt of gratitude to the Anabaptist resistance to the power of coercive government.

WONDERMINUTE (November 2010)

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24

Photo: Firebugs, Eniko Gyuris,
National Geographic

Discovery begins with wonderment; a childlikeness that stops to observe and to be captivated by the wonders present in the world. It was this type of single-minded curiosity which recently led members of the Behavioral Ecology Research Group at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, to discover that insects called firebugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus) seem to display personality which is measurable.

"Boldness -- whether they are shier or braver -- could be defined, for example, as to how quickly they start after an alarm, or how soon they come out of their refuge," says Eniko Gyuris, a member of the Behavioral Ecology Research Group. "Explorativeness could be measured in another context, namely in which they have the opportunity to discover a new environment with novel objects."

Collecting the bugs from the wild, the researchers tested firebug responses in varying situations. One experiment gauged the reaction of individual firebugs placed into a circular arena which contained four colored plugs. The team recorded how long it took for the firebug to examine its surroundings, how fast the bug moved, how many objects were explored and other variables. 

Each firebug showed unique responses to the trial and, whether bold and brave or tentative and shy, each firebug’s unique behaviors were repeated consistently across other experiments.

 See: Even Bugs Have Personality [Twitter: @Discovery_News] 

Mennonite church on 1-yr sabbatical from committee work

Mennonite church on sabbatical - Winnipeg Free Press

"It's common for clergy to take sabbaticals -- time off for rest and rejuvenation. But can a whole church take one, too? That's what the Whitewater Mennonite Church in Boissevain is doing. Starting in September 2009, the congregation suspended all its committees and committee work for a year. "It's been a year of letting go of the assumptions of how we do church...

WONDERMINUTE (September 2010)

 …they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid Micah 4:3-4

 

Photo: Cadland, flickr.com

     Let your mind wander around a mental map of town and odds are that you can summon the location of at least one residential fruit tree that goes unharvested year-after-year. The summer 2010 issue of Urban Farm magazine highlights the work of California resident Anna Chan, known in her community as The Lemon Lady. Chan’s mission is to harvest local, unpicked residential fruit and to put it into the hands of those persons in her community for whom fresh fruit is unaffordable. In her first year of harvesting, Chan gleaned an estimated $90,000 worth of fruit which she donated to local food pantries. Growers at area farmer’s markets were happy to add to the cause their unsold produce after market-day sales had ended. Chan cites community networking, respect and gratitude as the things that grease the wheels of her efforts.
    From a wellness perspective, fruit juice alone does not provide the same nutrients nor fiber that fresh fruits provide. “Juice drinks” are another story altogether, wherein subsidized corn is turned into high fructose corn syrup and blended with water, coloring, flavorings and generally small percentages of actual fruit juice. It’s a difference between “energy-dense” (i.e., high-calorie) and “nutrient-dense” foods; with energy-dense foods being far cheaper in the short-term for the family on a tight budget. Consider how you might work to make fresh, whole foods available to families in need in our community by asking to harvest a neighbor’s fruit tree or supporting efforts to expand community gardens.

See Grist Online, “How the feds make bad-for-you food cheaper than healthful fare”

WONDERMINUTE (July/August 2010)

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24

Photo: Vivian Stockman, Southwings.org

    On our recent trip to serve with Sharing with Appalachian People (SWAP) in Hindman, KY, the high school students and sponsors from church and I had the opportunity to visit a reclaimed mountaintop strip mine. Denuding mountaintops of vegetation and stripping off mineral resources poses significant danger to the health of both humans and wildlife. Draglines, large, surface-mining machines, can move 100+ cubic yards of earth in a single scoop! But the people of the region can’t imagine life without coal. Coal is what brought many of the families to the mountains generations ago, and mining provides income to sustain their families today. A modest step—perhaps a lesser evil—that seeks better equilibrium between industry and ecology is mountaintop reclamation in which denuded areas are planted with conservation grasses to stabilize and re-cover the surface mine with vegetation.
    The irony is that while the loss of deep forests has led to the decline of several species of neotropical migratory songbirds dependent on that habitat, the return of open grassland and additional forest-edge has meant an increase in other bird species which had experienced decline previously. Additionally, at this particular site, we found ourselves a stone’s throw from four individuals of a herd of resettled Elk. Once prevalent east of the Mississippi, Elk were extirpated from 90% of their pre-European-settlement range in the U.S. by the early 1900s.
    I say “a lesser evil” when speaking of mountaintop reclamation because the plant species chosen for revegetation are non-native, European hay grasses; shallow-rooted and poor food for native animals. Were reclamation efforts to shift to using deep-rooted native grasses capable of breaking up compacted mine soil and, further, planting the next generation of forest saplings, I could bring myself, perhaps, to call the work “a greater good.”

See: Mountaintop Removal/Valley Fill Coal Mining Impacts on Birds [American Bird Conservancy]

Wonder-full World: The Vogelkop Bowerbird, Enchanting Artist

View the amazing artistic sensibilities of the Vogelkop Bowerbird (Amblyornis inornata) of New Guinea as he prepares his bower to entice a mate; one of God's wondrous creatures! [BBC One video via YouTube]

 
The male constructs what amounts to a reception hall supported in the middle by a sapling, the trunk of which is wrapped in moss. An intricate woven roof of twigs and grasses shelter the Bowerbird's art gallery.

Photo: Uy Laboratory, Department of Biology, Syracuse University

The Primal Power of Play (video)

Amazing sounds of rats laughing, at play, in frequencies beyond our hearing! What an amazing world God has given us as home.

BP Oil Leak Video feed and Leak Estimation Counter [via PSB Newshour]

WONDERMINUTE (June 2010)

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24
 

An amazing number of God’s creatures can be found in one’s own backyard with just a little informed observation. This spring I have been amazed to see these migratory birds at our home just blocks from the church: Indigo Bunting, American Redstart, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Palm Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Swainson's Thrush. A combination of a few trees of multiple heights, some dense shrubs, assorted flowers, a bird bath with a dripper and a couple of feeders with differing foods equal an extraordinary welcome mat for these neo-tropical migrants.

Birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians all depend on pathways through urban environments; wide-open lawns pose numerous risks. With the decline of hedgerows, fencelines and woodlots in cities comes the loss of natural corridors for animal travel and refuge.

Sara Stein, in her book Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, suggests that if homeowners would cooperatively landscape property edges that the aggregate result would be a substantial increase in overall corridor area (see diagram; Stein). This concept could be incorporated into subdivision design from the beginning to benefit both humans and animals. You may be the very catalyst that starts a wildlife corridor landscape initiative in your neighborhood.

[Diagram: Sara Stein, in her book Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards. Purchase at Half.com]

New Rain Garden at Mennonite Church of Normal

This spring, work will begin on a large rain garden planting in the stormwater swale in the SW corner of the lawn at Mennonite Church of Normal. The swale is already designed to capture runoff from parking areas to allow it to slowly percolate into the soil rather than flood storm sewers. The deep-rooted, perennial native grasses and wildflowers that will comprise MCN’s first rain garden boost the effectiveness of the swale, taking up additional water and releasing it slowly into the air; as well as filtering pollutants.

The rain garden planting will increased biodiversity on the property and expand habitat for birds and butterflies. Apart from the intrinsic beauty of the plants, they will provide some reduction of dust and noise for the Residential Community. Potential opportunities for missional connections with the neighborhood and broader community include use as an outdoor learning area for Headstart and as a demonstration site for rain garden workshops like those offered by Ecology Action Center.

Sod will be removed this spring and weeds will be shallowly cultivated throughout the summer. The prairie grass and wildflower seeds will be planted in the fall to take advantage of the natural effects of winter frost; both softening the seed coat and settling the seeds into the soil. The most labor is required in the first three years after which maintenance reduces to a once-a-year mowing.

#CONSCIENTIOUSOBJECTORS

Almost all male U.S. citizens age 18-25, are required by law to register with the Selective Service; the administrator of military drafts. In the event of a draft, a young man receiving a draft notice has the opportunity to make a claim for classification as a conscientious objector (CO). Peace and Justice Support Network of Mennonite Church USA offers a number of helpful resources on faith-driven conscientious objection to war.
[Source: Mennonite C.O. resources, PJSN, http://bit.ly/PJSNCO]