Emerging Desert has launched...

Per my buddy, Jacob's, initiation, we've been tossing around the idea of launching a Phoenix Emergent Village cohort for a few months. Well, it's now official, and we want any of you that happen to be in the Phoenix area to feel welcome to check it out and join the conversation (and those of you not in AZ, join us online):

http://EmergingDesert.blogspot.com

The Story of Stuff.

I know what you're thinking: "Wow, two posts in two days!?" Amazing, right?

Actually, I just came across this short film earlier today, and I was very impressed & encouraged... so I had to tell the five of you about it, too!! It's called The Story of Stuff, and I cannot recommend it enough. It is a very important, fast-paced, cleverly-delivered 20 minute experience. (Maybe this film is old news, but it's fresh to me... I really hope it has a viral spread). It really resonated with me because Annie Leonard (in conjunction with Free Range Studios) has been so successful in reframing the current reality of the developed world in a concise, factual, and unpretentious way.

Check it out!

Seven Unremarkable & Random Facts...

Welp, folks, I've been tagged by Katie on this one, so I'm gonna stand and deliver! :-)

Here are the rules for the game:
*Link to the person that tagged you
*Post the rules on your blog.
*Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
*Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
*Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

OK, so I read some really insightful words by a dude in Seattle recently, and one his thoughts was this:

"It is impossible to truly know someone via the internet. ... The internet is a place where everyone puts the things out there that they want to be known, for obvious reasons."

I'm sure I'm guilty of that in all sorts of ways, so I going to try to throw out a few random facts that I'm not particularly proud of... just to keep things real around here:) [this could be brutal...]

1. I really do not like any sort of contact with my belly-button.
I couldn't really tell you why this is, but it just doesn't feel right to me... maybe because it's somewhat like an "amputated region", if you will... ha, gross! In my mind, it's similar to touching wooden popsicle sticks and/or wooden spoons to my teeth...eek (not the "amputated" aspect, just the "not right" part). Suffice it to say, I can't stand to even touch it myself... so don't even think about it (TARA!).

2. For the better part of my childhood, I had poofy hair... and i was short... and scrawny.
That's pretty much it people. Poofy hair + short + scrawny² = LADIES MAN. And by "ladies man," I really mean "ladies mascot." I had no game, as they say. The ethos that I just described above carried me well into high school where all the girls thought I was cute... cute like a 1991 troll doll. Fortunately, I grew smart enough in junior high to cut off the brillo pad, God donated to me a few more inches, and I toned-up just in time to catch Tara's eye at Wheaton. Whew.

3. In third grade, one of my prized drawings was my detailed rendering of M.C. Hammer.
Too Legit, baby. I spent a lot of time drawing as a child. It was the thing that my best friend, Clint, and I would do day after day as we aspired to be cartoonists for either Disney Studios or Warner Bros. (this was back in the Animaniacs & Tiny Toons days). So, given my acute perception for the fine arts, what else would I spend days upon days working on than a tedious drawing of Hammer himself? Envision it, friends: bulky gold chain on the wrist, masterfully trimmed mustache, and, of course, the signature shaved lines on the side of his head. My mom helped me frame it, and it hung on my wall for years.

4. I tend towards being quite orthogonal.
I came across this word for the first time a few months ago in this cool article, and when Tara heard the definition she said, "Whoa... that's you." And I agree, to a point. For as long as I can remember, I've been a borderline case of OCD... but really it's just a tendency of mine, not an actual condition. Truthfully, I think my attention to detail in certain situations is simply reflective of my bent to be orthogonal. Aesthetically I'm, more often than not, drawn to clean, profound lines where the simplicity begets a deeper reality/symbolism... a harmony and balance. One thing that rubs me wrong, though, is when people interpret this tendency of mine as "linear." I just don't perceive myself that way...

5. I believe that social enterprise is changing the world.
Organizations such as the Skoll Foundation and Ashoka are really on to something here. This stuff really gets my mind pumping.

6. I am white.
Most of you are probably saying to yourself, "Uh, yeah Adam... I know (idiot)." No, unless you REALLY know me, you don't understand that I'M REALLY WHITE. Embarrassingly so... but only in an America-gotta-be-tan-for-my-photo-shoot sort of way. I've often thought we should move to Norway... or Sweden... where most people look JUST LIKE ME! [kidding].

7. I don't know what happened to my toes!...
...but they seem to work just fine. Alright, this is pretty embarrassing (in any country), but for whatever reason my toes are pretty dang ugly. Tara and I were just laughing about this one, and she had the grand idea that we TAKE A PICTURE OF THEM! Oh man, THEY LOOK BROKEN DON'T THEY?! Ha, I don't know why I went along with her on this one, but here goes nothin' [apologies in advance... I did my best to "pretty it up" with a little sepia-tone and vignette]:


Good, great, grand. Thanks for making it this far! And, in line with the rules, I now tag the following victims to carry-on this tomfoolery: Jacob, Justin, Jeremiah, Jamie, Whitney, & Moses!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is MLK Day. As I've progressed into adulthood (ever so slowly:-), I've increasingly encountered the words and teachings of MLK in my reading and listening. To be honest, I've felt somewhat cheated that I wasn't exposed to these words earlier in my life. I remember, as a child, when the official celebration of MLK Day went through some controversial times here in Arizona. And on top of that mess, I don't think anybody ever provided me a true-to-life picture of who Martin Luther King was as a man and as a leader. Sure, I'd heard the "I Have a Dream" speech at school, but then I'd also hear not-too-subtle murmurings from my Caucasian, upper-middle class surroundings about his marital infidelity... you know, because REAL leaders and world-changers never deal with ANY sin in their life! This subconscious, generational racism and hatred still makes my head spin. (oy... I obviously have some baggage here)

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that MLK said and wrote some phenomenal statements in his lifetime... statements that shook the world and hearkened back the path laid out by Jesus... and here's what is most important: MLK embodied the revolution of which he spoke, and it got him killed.

Here's to the memory of what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for... and died for.

" [we are] bound by allegiances and loyalties which are broader and deeper than nationalism.... This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all.

...I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. But they asked, and rightly so, what about Vietnam? They asked if our own nation wasn't using massive doses of violence to solve its problems. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government."
- "A Time to Break the Silence" (speech, meeting of clergy and laity concerned about Vietnam, Riverside Church, New York, April 4, 1967)

"There is nothing wrong with a traffic law which says you have to stop for a red light. But when a fire is raging, the fire truck goes through that red light, and normal traffic had better get out of its way. Or when a man is bleeding to death, the ambulance goes through those red lights at top speed. There is a fire raging... for the poor of this society. Disinherited people all over the world are bleeding to death from deep social and economic wounds. They need brigades of ambulance drivers who will have to ignore the red lights of the present system until the emergency is solved."
- The Trumpet of Conscience

::fatherly sigh::

My daughter took her first steps today.

::weep::

I know I'm supposed to be "thrilled," but I can't help but feel like this is her first step towards not needing Daddy and Mommy as much anymore:-/

I know that I don't post about my experience as daddy a whole lot on this blog... but that's really just because I can't keep up with this little girl! Every parent says it, but my baby Shea REALLY IS growing up too quickly! There have been MANY challenging parenting moments for me during her 8.5 months thus far, but I can't even describe how overwhelmed with love I am for this little wonder-woman.

Note to Shea: Slow down... please.

[man, am I gonna be a sobbing-wreck when she goes to her first day of school!]

Back and Forth!?!? Father, Save Us!!

Oh man, ahahaha, I'm still chuckling about THIS VOICEMAIL that I learned about on Jonny Baker's site. Oh please go listen to it... all the way through (the "remix" at the end is priceless).

Now that's funny stuff... and fairly depressing, as well. God save the Church from ourselves...

Action for Kenya...

As I drove home from my office today, I faced a searing contrast in my heart. I drove down the tree-lined suburban street to the west where the purple sky was masterfully smeared with pink and orange. And in my peripheral, I took in the mother walking with her child and the retiree jogging along the sidewalk. And there was an insular peace...

The contrast came when I thought about how perhaps a similar sunset presided over the slums of Kenya 10 hours earlier. Except, rather than the pleasantries of the American Dream, that same sun likely descended over mobs of people crushing each other while grappling for food & water handouts, violent political protests, and tribe-based conflict which has erupted throughout the country over the past few days and has already claimed the lives of well over 500 people.

As I've written before, I'm increasingly convinced that to internalize and embrace these contrasts (instead of explaining them away, as many of us were indirectly taught) is a necessary way for us to better understand the needs and the realities that have cracked God's creation. Sometimes, as we begin to perceive the pain of others, we feel compelled to act in anyway we can...

My buddy, Justin, has recently taken a position with a great organization that is well-positioned in Kenya to offer relief to many of these people who are facing the resulting perils of the riots and conflicts. If you have a moment, read the following words from Justin, and if nothing else, please embrace the hundreds of thousands of affected people in your prayers...

Kenyan Crisis: Join Us in a Response

Life in Abundance International (LIA) invites you to join us in meeting the urgent physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our brothers and sisters who are suffering from post-election violence and instability in Kenya. Utilizing the experience and church partnerships of our LIA-Kenya team, LIA is immediately seeking funding to begin its relief effort in the Mathare region of Kenya, which is home to 500,000 of the country’s poorest people. Our relief effort will include, but is not limited to, the following provisions: medicines, clothes, blankets, food, and shelter rehabilitation.

As always, LIA will work with local churches to provide these provisions. It is beautiful for the Church to serve a desperate and hurting community in this capacity. Please join us in this effort by praying for peace, stability, reconciliation and restoration in Kenya. But don’t stop your involvement there: take action! Contributions to LIA’s relief effort can be made on-line (after logging into PayPal – identify your donation as ‘Relief for Kenyan Crisis’ or by mail (please send donations to the LIA USA Office).

Additionally, as they become available, updates will be periodically posted on our website. In the meantime, please review the links below:

Video: Violence Continues in Kenya
NY Times: Kenya Crisis Worsens As Opposition Cools to Talks
The Standard: Photo Gallery
Nation Media: local headlines

Thank you,

Justin Narducci
Life in Abundance International
Phone: 626.213.2203
Email: Justin [dot] Narducci [at] LIAInt [dot] org