St. Francis

The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is discord, harmony.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sorrow, joy.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

New Stuff

Just a little update, i feel as if i dont have much to report than stuff about myself and what is new w/ me. As of May 1st i will be fully employed by the Well Community church and Every Neighborhood Partnership. I will be working full time split between two different areas, the first is 3 days a week at The Neighborhood Thrift Store helping to push it forward and increase profits in order to fully engage in the community by hiring residents in the susan b. anthony 'hood. We are going to develop a job training program to increase their work experience and skills and transfer them to other employers to continue their work. The other two days i will be doing admin work for ENP (Every Neighborhood Partnership) and participating in the economic development area of their process. I am super excited to start this and will be done subbing as of next week. I have had a good run at that and have enjoyed doing it the last 8 or so months. I am super stoked about the opportunity that God has placed before me and all the great people that i will be in touch and contact with. That is all for now. Thanks

Bryan

Random Thoughts 4-15

Here is a little update on my life.

Today i will cover a sorts of topics, thoughts and musings. First of all, if you want to hear the gospel preached around soly who Jesus is what significance his death/resurrection/life is check out Mark Driscoll speaking. You don't have to watch all, or any but if you desire to.

The Pink House is ending in exactly 2 months from today which means several things for my life. First it means that i will have no place to live after we move out of the house and that my environment will be changing. Secondly, it is a fork in the road to determine where i want to live, Ivan (my roommate) and myself have had many discussions about what and where we want to live. We are sticking together, wherever that may be. Right now we have a few options and whichever way it turns out, we will hpefully be in a neighborhood in which we feel that we can be a part of.
He posed the question to me last night and it is one that i think that we forget to ask way too often he. He asked me "what do you think that God is trying to tell us through all of these opportunities and options?" God has something planned for us and feel as though he has given us a heart for something to is contrary at least to what i use to always desire and feel for. The question that he asked is great b/c it leaves it up for us to try to understand how we feel God in what is currently happening in our lives. No matter where that may be. It is easy for me though to get too connected w/ everything else but reaching towards God. Although i know that it is ultimately because of what he has done in my life and with his sons sinless life i need to focus on showing that to those who don't know what that is about. The social gospel and action sometimes over runs what the story of each of our lives are about when we get to the heart. Anyways, that is just a little update about what is going on with the future. There are some great things happening now in the Pink House and dont' want to miss out on what that will be. IN two weeks there is going to be another block party that i am going to be a part of. Bounce House, food, maybe slip and slide, music, games, cakewalk, and many other awesome activities.

This weekend i am going to play with Stepsonday for just two shows, one in upland, and the other in bakersfield. I am really looking forward to it, hanging out w/ Jason and Chad. Going to bako to see friends and family. I really appreciate the opportunity to play music a little bit and be able to enjoy a weekend outside of Fresno every once in a while. On another note, i am trying to finish the game of James Bond 007 Goldeneye. I use to be pretty dang good at the game back in late middle school early high school, and i picked it up again recently and it has probably become an obsession. I will try to complete a level and sit there for like 40 min and then i slap myself in the face b/c i hate video games and the whole concept of them. But maybe i will just indulge a bit more. i think i have 4 or 5 levels left! I am out. Peace and Love

Bryan

Amish

Well in class today, we are talking about immigration of those from around the world to the US. we had a great discussion and the kids enjoyed the discussion as well. we started asking questions about how the amish live and what we thought about it. it all stemmed from now knowing whether they use friges or not. so i did some wikipedia and thought that all of this was very interesting. i really want to go hang w/ them for summer or sometime. maybe a weekend would suffice. these are some counter cultural communities.



** Single Amish men are clean-shaven; if they are available to court women, they will put a dent in their hat. Married men grow a beard. In some more traditional communities, a man will grow a beard after he is baptized

** Moustaches are not allowed, because they are associated with the military, and because they give opportunity for vanity

** Rather than immediately taking up housekeeping, the newlywed couple will spend several weekends visiting the homes of friends and relatives who attended the wedding.

** The marriage ceremony itself may take several hours, followed by a community reception that includes a banquet, singing and storytelling

** There are Old Order communities in 21 states; Ohio has the largest population (55,000), followed by Pennsylvania (39,000) and Indiana (37,000).

** It is also the proximate cause for rejecting education beyond the eighth grade, especially speculative study that has little practical use for farm life but may awaken personal and materialistic ambitions

** The Amish dislike the telephone because it interferes with their separation from the world: it brings the outside world into the home, it is an intrusion into the privacy and sanctity of the family, and it interferes with social community by eliminating face-to-face communication (but some use it for out going calls...)

** Church members do not join the military, apply for Social Security benefits, take out insurance or accept any form of financial assistance from the government.

PAPA festival/MCC

I stumbled upon this festival/conference that is happening this summer. It is just a really exciting idea and concept of community getting together to learn from each other and work together. Each person that goes to the event participates in some way or another so that it can all happen. Someone created a type of currency for it so that their own system is in place. If someone has knowledge in one specific field they help out and teach it whether it be bicycle repair or cooking food, each individual contributes to the whole. I wonder if there is any way to go, who knows...Watch the video and tell me what you think. I just thought that i would share this b/c it is very exciting that stuff like this is happening. (not to mention mewithoutYou is going to be performing!)

One a different but similar note, this weekend is the MCC sale!!! if you are not coming you should! great food, great people, great stuff, great cause! sweet mennonite women spend all year making quilts to sell here and some go for 7000 dollars! incredible stuff. there are a lot of great items from overseas that can be purchased from those who create in order to have sustain living. please come.