This piece by Eboo Patel expresses what's most in my heart these days.

Blessed are the peacemakers ...

2009
Nicaragua - January 17-22
Costa Rica - January 23-31
South Africa - May 4-12
Ireland - July 3-7
Australia - October 2-5 (Sydney), 7-8 (Brisbane)

We may be adding a few other trips in 2009 ... and of course, specifics remain tentative, and we'll include details later on. Just fyi -

Christ-centered
passionate learning
global citizenship
servant leadership
compassionate peacemaking.

Someone told me that Goshen is considered a well-kept secret. I hope you'll join me in spreading the word about this extraordinary learning community, whose values resonate so strongly with the themes of our tour.

The time at Goshen was pure joy, but I must admit our DeepShift team felt a lot of mixed emotions as we packed up to leave and for the first time in eleven weeks couldn't say, "See you next weekend!" We've enjoyed such a tremendous working relationship over the past year, planning and presenting the tour and meeting amazing people around the country. We have a number of invitations to launch a second leg of the tour, which we'll prayerfully consider in the coming weeks. Until then, Linnea, Tracy, Eric, and Jo - along with our hosts, sponsors, and other collaborators, you have been wonderful beyond words to work with! Thanks be to God for the joy of partnership in a worthy cause with splendid people like you!

This week Grace and I will be preparing for our departure this weekend for Africa ... never a dull moment!

One of the truly interesting and good-hearted people I have gotten to know in recent years is Lynne Hybels. She is a gifted writer and has an important voice in the integration of faith and justice - and art. Check out her recent article here.

In the article you'll find links to the good work of my friends at La Red del Camino and The Work of the People.

And here's a link to the song by Aaron Niequist that Lynne refers to in her article.

And Rev. Vince Anderson's "100% Jesus."

Great music.

They describe the initiative like this:

The MICAH MANDATE website is the result of the concerns and aspirations of a group of Christians who are praying that all Malaysians in general and Christian Malaysians in particular will be more constructively engaged in matters of social conscience, public service and nation building rather than to only remain in comfortable armchairs criticising other people and institutions. Actual involvement will better shape and clarify our thinking and our doing. In the process, we will meet and relate with others of all walks of life and learn to live and work together to build a better neighbourhood and a better world. All are welcome to MICAH MANDATE. We hope that here you will find the necessary space and incentive to express your views and concerns and find inspiration and opportunity to reflect and act.

"Actual involvement" and the opportunity to "reflect and act" rather than armchair critique? What a concept! When people ask me why I am so hopeful about the future in spite of all the crises we face, I think about people like Sivin who are part of constructive initiatives like the Micah Mandate.

For example, I just received this note this morning:

Just a few minutes ago I finished reading The Last Word and the Word After That. When I started reading the last few chapters, I thought I would just finish the book tonight, rather than leaving one or two chapters for tomorrow. As I read the final chapter, I got choked up and some tears formed in my eyes. It was time for me to say goodbye to the friends that I had come to know over the past year or so. I'm sure you hear this often, but I wanted you to know that the trilogy you have penned has been inspiring and affirming to me. Neo, Dan, and many of the other characters through whom you speak have led me to a place that I did not intend to go when I began reading A New Kind of Christian for a denominational class. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the guidance and mentoring that you have provided to me through these books. May God, the author of our stories, be with you as you continue to touch people through your writing.

You can order the books here:
New Kind of Christian
Story We Find Ourselves In
Last Word and the Word After That

Your last chance this year to be part of the EMC tour comes this weekend in Goshen, Indiana. Hope to see you there!

1. Right now ... click on this link: ev08.org

2. Register and be part of this historic gathering if you possibly can.

3. Send this link to other people you believe would benefit by being involved.

I'm thrilled to be part of this gathering. If you look at the speakers who are coming, you'll see they represent a broad range of voices from the Christian community - including E(e)vangelicals (Big E and small e) and Mainliners and emergent folks and others. You'll see that the purpose of the event is to look forward and imagine what we can and should become and accomplish together. I hope you'll be there ... let's see what we can envision!

We were hosted by two inspiring groups:
Latino Pastoral Action Center, founded by Rev. Ray Rivera. It was an honor for us to have Ray present, and to hear his thoughts. Ray was "an emergent Christian" decades before such a term had been created. The Center houses a charter school, a local congregation, and a number of tremendous community resource ministries.

Latino Leadership Circle, founded by David Ramos. This group brings together some of the most thoughtful and dynamic people I've met in all my travels.

A huge thanks to coordinator Liz Rios and to Susan, Rose, and all the other amazing LPAC volunteers. We couldn't have been better cared for!

A special highlight was our panel on Saturday morning. In addition to Rev. Ray Rivera, we heard from Lisa Sharon Harper, Gabriel Salguero, Alexie Torres-Fleming, and Jose Humphries. What a rich conversation ... We may be able to make audio or video downloads available. Stay tuned.

Tracy Howe, our worship leader, was joined by some tremendous musicians, including a great rhythm section from LPAC, plus Aaron Strumpel and Rev. Vince Anderson ... whose "dirty gospel" CD called "100% Jesus" had me singing along all the way home. (You can hear "I don't think Jesus done it that way" here.)

Thanks to all who were present - from the greater New York City area, from around the Northeast, from the UK, from Montreal, and elsewhere. And once again, a huge thanks to Ian Morgan Cron and Trinity Church, whose generosity covered the expenses for the event and made it possible.

1) What are your favorite resources for preparation to preach or teach? I am a pastor and always seek insightful and healthy resources, commentaries, authors, etc.

-- On preaching/teaching: The best thing, I think, is to listen to good preachers. There are so many good resources for doing this. White people should be sure to listen to good African American and Latino/a preaching. Podcasts and youtube make this easier than ever.

I think Doug Pagitt's book on preaching raises really important questions ...

-- Commentaries: I consult a lot of commentaries, but I keep coming back to Walter Brueggemann on the Old Testament and N.T. Wright on the New Testament.

-- Fiction and Poetry: I think it's good for people who make their living using words - preachers, teachers, writers, etc. - to expose themselves to great authors, and especially poets. I always try to have a work of fiction along with me, and I have a handful of poets whom I read again and again. Lately, I've been reading the poetry and fiction of Wendell Berry and Chris Abani, and the poetry of Mary Oliver.

2) You referenced a website that lists different retailers and companies that pay fair wages and are environment friendly. What are some sites that list the companies to stay away from and those to buy from?

-- You can find more on this at everythingmustchange.org.
See especially Planet:Act:Ethical Buying

Here's a beautiful video/song from Sara Groves about Rwanda - it matches my experiences in Africa perfectly.

From Route 95 between DC and Baltimore, take Route 216 West.
At your third traffic circle (roundabout), turn right - Daily Grind is on your left.

We'll enjoy good coffee and conversation together for 90 minutes or so ...