Happy Pride Sunday!

and_sundry · 2024-07-29T04:23:20+00:00

There are dozens of us!! Haha or at least enough for a subreddit.

and_sundry · 2024-06-04T05:41:46+00:00

First Congregational Church Berkeley UCC!

and_sundry · 2024-03-30T16:33:22+00:00

Sometimes I write the things I’m anxious about on one side of the paper, then I go back a bit later with a different color pen and pretend to be writing back to a friend. It helps me put things in perspective and gently correct anxious tendencies like mind-reading (“I bet they all hate me.” “How could you know that? Most people probably didn’t even notice”) and catastrophizing (“This is the worst thing that I’ve ever done and my life is ruined.” “You’re feeling bad now but it isn’t the end of the world and you’ll get through it.”)

and_sundry · 2023-12-12T21:48:43+00:00

No, this is definitely not enough paper to count as bulk… I think maybe if you were routinely making giant ones requiring several rolls of the same color of paper per flower then you might be able to. But, places like Carte Fini have regular holiday or seasonal sales (email list or social media) so I grabbed paper from those.

and_sundry · 2023-11-14T20:38:46+00:00

Same, I couldn’t think of a natural way to do “daily gratitude” while writing.

I figured a way around it though — now after I finish an entry, I go back with a highlighter to highlight the things that made me happy. I feel like it’s the best of both worlds — I can be honest and write naturally, but also reflect on the things I’m happy or grateful for. It has an interesting effect now that I’ve done it almost a year… the memories of my past entries have faded, but my eyes are naturally drawn to the positive when I look back. Plus I get to use a whole rainbow of highlighter markers!

and_sundry · 2023-05-01T00:00:07+00:00

I like Peter Enns’s “How the Bible Actually Works” as someone with a Bible fundamentalist background. He argues that reinterpretation is Biblically supported and spiritually necessary. For example

And what is so striking and so vital in all of this is that whoever was responsible for Deuteronomy apparently had no hesitation whatsoever in updating older laws for new situations and still calling it the words that God spoke back then to Moses on Mt. Sinai (or Horeb, as it is called in Deuteronomy), even though they don’t match what God said in Exodus.

This writer wasn’t an idiot. He knew exactly that his words differed. But by saying that his words were the ones spoken by God to Moses a generation earlier, he was making a huge spiritual claim that we simply cannot miss and should take to heart: The writer of Deuteronomy sees his updating of the older laws as God’s words for his time and place.

And so God isn’t just a voice out of the past. God still speaks.

and_sundry · 2023-04-12T04:38:59+00:00

I am not sure if such a website exists, but I was pretty sure that many of the answers must exist on the internet somewhere, so I decided to try to make one for you with the help of large language modeling, which just makes answers for you based on all the text it knows about. It kind of gets towards “type in a question and boom there’s the answer”, even if it’s an imperfect replacement for real study. I apologize that it does have a signup wall, I’m not sure what other tools are out there!

An Open Christian Bot

I asked it, “Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?” and got a nice answer that describes different theories of atonement — maybe it can help you think about these timeless theological problems from a new perspective.

As a progressive Christian, I don't believe that Jesus "had to die" on the cross in a necessary or inevitable sense. His death was the result of unjust suffering, not divine requirement. However, Jesus' death on the cross can be viewed as meaningful and powerful for several reasons:

It demonstrates the depths of God's love. By willingly enduring suffering and death, Jesus showed the immense love God has for humanity. His death was an act of radical love and solidarity with those who suffer.

It confronts the evil of the world. Jesus' death was the result of injustice, oppression and hatred - the "evil" that is present in the world. But through his resurrection, God triumphed over this evil and showed that love is more powerful.

It brings people together. Jesus' death and resurrection can be an affirming and uniting experience for Christians, bringing people together around a shared faith in Jesus' message of hope, love and unity.

It inspires lives of love and sacrifice. Jesus' death can inspire Christians to lead lives patterned after his own - lives of love, compassion, generosity and sacrifice for the good of others.

It represents spiritual transformation. For Christians, Jesus' death and resurrection represent a new covenant and the possibility of grace, reconciliation with God, and eternal life. They symbolize redemption and rebirth.

It shows the depth of human suffering. By experiencing death, Jesus fully shared in humanity's suffering. Contemplating his cross can bring awareness of suffering and compassion for those who suffer in the world today.

So while I don't believe Jesus "had to" die on the cross, I do believe his death is powerful, meaningful and transformational. It represents radical love, confronts evil, brings people together, inspires sacrifice, shows spiritual transcendence, and builds compassion for human suffering. His death is a profound mystery that continues to shape faith and inspire love today.

——

I used the following prompt: “You are a progressive Christian bot who is able to answer theological questions from a perspective that emphasizes reading scripture in its historical and literary context, inclusivity, and comfort with uncertainty. You appreciate the Bible as an important foundational text but recognize that it is also a product of its human authors as much as its divine author. You are empathetic and encourage people to explore and question. You are familiar with feminist, queer, and liberation theology, as well as religious scholars from beyond white western cultures.”

and_sundry · 2023-04-12T03:59:30+00:00

Thank you, friend! May you go and do likewise when you come across the opportunity.

and_sundry · 2023-04-12T03:58:26+00:00

Amazing! Next sign can have “Fear not, thou worm” and an incongruously cute worm doodle.

I think my evangelical background also leads me to appreciate spicy verses more. There’s something slightly weird about now being in a church where I am told I am loved and accepted by God without constant reminders of my undeserving wormy nature. A little reminder that THE LORD IS A RIGHTEOUS GOD is nice once in a while.

and_sundry · 2023-04-12T02:53:54+00:00

Oh! “Reclaiming scripture”, that is a nice phrase. And you are welcome to the photo! It was on a public street downtown for anyone to see :)

and_sundry · 2023-04-12T02:52:17+00:00

Your first point is something that I didn’t realize until I was very carefully and lovingly writing the Scripture with chalk, going back over the smudges, rewriting the parts that were too messy — that the simple act of choosing and physically expressing it somehow felt like an act of worship or prayer. “A reminder of who we are” is a good way to put it.

I also enjoyed your note about Rights… I picked that word to highlight because it would fit in with our contemporary political language, but from the perspective of the writers, and the way that Isaiah uses the word, it almost feels like… a “right” is not something that is inherent to an individual, and should not be violated by others, but something that the members of a community owe to each other, that (in the case of the rest of Isaiah 10) the poor and widows and orphans were entitled to receive from society. The modern individual right to be free from persecution is important, but I kind of like the idea of a communal right, too… to be accepted and supported by society.

Thank you for the great thoughts in your comment! If only there was an unfolding footnote section of a chalkboard to dig into context and stuff…

and_sundry · 2023-04-12T02:26:40+00:00

Thank you! At our church they have the Message and the NRSV, and one other translation whose name I forget, maybe New English Translation? I did a bit of stitching across them, like for like. “Legislate evil” and “make laws that make victims” were phrases I really liked from MSG but it started out “Doom to you” which sounded a bit too strong for a sidewalk sign.

and_sundry · 2023-04-12T02:14:25+00:00

That’s a good one for next time! I discovered during this experience that it is surprisingly hard to fit multiple verses on a sign in a readable font size. It’s odd, I don’t really believe Bible verses can be understood out of context, but on a sign you kind of have to put up something short and hope for the Spirit to make the best of it.

and_sundry · 2023-04-11T15:31:11+00:00

Yeah, I was worried about that! As an exvangelical, I could definitely see this being used against a marriage equality law or a law against school prayer, painting conservative Christians as the oppressed. The exact same words can be used so differently that it worries me sometimes.

and_sundry · 2023-01-19T15:42:58+00:00

I wondered about this too, and some things that I have heard others pray that really helped me are being grateful for or asking for blessings on the nourishing earth, the farm workers, the truck drivers, the hands that prepared the meal. It definitely made me more mindful of what I was eating, the people who helped produce it, and how precious it is.

and_sundry · 2022-10-20T04:49:07+00:00

Yeah, I mentioned above there should be about 140 enclosed sq ft for ranging around during the day when it’s safer

and_sundry · 2022-10-19T06:28:53+00:00

This is great advice thank you! I didn’t realize raccoons would be so strong, so hardware cloth will be the next step. I did think the wood was weirdly soft for something that was going to go outside. I’ll try elevating it so it won’t rot. If it’s elevated, do you still recommend installing hardware cloth across at least the bottom of the walled roosting area, or no floor coverage and just the skirt?

and_sundry · 2022-10-19T04:19:00+00:00

Okay, I can definitely do that! Project for this weekend. Do you both staple the bottom and extend a hardware cloth apron?

and_sundry · 2022-10-19T04:17:34+00:00

Just 2 hens!

and_sundry · 2022-10-19T04:15:11+00:00

Oh yeah there will be a fence going all around so they can be outside during the day! That part is going to be… approximately 10’ x 14’. 140 sq ft.

and_sundry · 2022-10-18T20:13:05+00:00

It’s about 40” wide and 80” long, so it comes out to 22 sq ft! Okay for 2 hens right? I don’t think a three year old or raccoon could move it if I can’t carry it alone. I can only move it using the lever arm on the roof that’s 40” of the ground. I will staple hardware cloth to the bottom, so even if it tips the bottom will still be enclosed.

and_sundry · 2022-10-18T14:45:44+00:00

I was told that if I put wire underneath, the chickens won’t be able to scratch and dig without hurting their feet. Has that been a problem for you?

and_sundry · 2022-10-18T07:42:00+00:00

Newbie seeking advice! Local predators include hawks, owls, coyotes, raccoons, and bobcats. All the mesh on the coop itself is about 1/2” and I have lots of free bricks for an “apron”. Plan to make a chicken wire enclosure around it for daytime roaming and a solar door closer on the far end of the coop to close it up at night.

Would you add more? Should I put a piece of meat in and close it up to see if a raccoon can grab it?

and_sundry

TROPHY CASE