It's been a rough month for the University of Memphis basketball program.
But if you've been following the situation, I think you'll find this to be pretty funny:
Check it out here.
I heard this on the Chris Vernon show today.
Over at the Vance Garden we are experimenting with a Milk Carton Drip System. By poking a small hole in the bottom of a gallon size milk carton and filling it with water, the water will slowly drip out over the course of a couple of days. The purpose of this is to provide a more consistent source of water for the plant and also help us to keep from wasting as much water.
It seems to be working ok so far. Sometimes, when the water has completely dripped out, the cartons will blow around - which is not good when a carton lands on one of our small & fragile little plants. We could probably put some small rocks in the bottom of the cartons to weight them down a bit.
Take a look:
Here's another example why quick fixes won't cut it for the city of Memphis. Our city city has a growing problem. We're like kids with sagging pants - we're wearing a size 40, when we really only need to be wearing a size 30.
Basically, our pants are too big. Memphis is a city that continues to sprawl out in unsustainable ways. Did you know that Memphis is now larger in land size than New York City? It's even estimated that soon, after planned annexations are executed, Memphis will have the land size of Los Angeles - but with only a fraction of the people.
Why does this matter? As a city sprawls, it becomes increasingly more difficult for the poor to have access to the resources, services, and jobs that would create a more equal playing field for its residents - socially and economically. I don't think that's just an issue of convenience. To me that's a justice issue. To me, our sprawl is only perpetuating the destructive economic and often racial segregation that has placed such a stigma on our city.
Unfortunately, we sometimes try to compensate this problem with charity. Maybe a big company will write a big check, or a church will send a weekend mission team to share some love with a neglected neighborhood. Maybe a civic group will donate some clothes to a clothes closet. All great things. Yet we just can't ignore the reason that the need is so great for these things to begin with.
I'm afraid that sometimes we let our charity become a substitute for being good neighbors. In the Christian scriptures, the idea of being a good neighbor is teamed up with the greatest command of all. We're told to love God and love neighbor. The Christian scriptures say that everything else revolves around that. I also think that it would be inaccurate to change the implications of the scripture to say "love God and give charitably" - although giving is also highly thought of in scripture. Being (and loving) a neighbor is something more complex than charity - usually it's much more complicated. Determing the ways to love a neighbor can lead down all sorts of paths that charity would never touch - paths that I would suggest force us to consider even the impact that the design of our city has on the lives of its residents.
Even simple things make a big difference. For example, how does the installation of a sidewalk impact a community where many of the residents rely on walking to work, school, or the grocery store? It sounds so trivial right? A sidewalk. But a sidewalk can make it possible for a family without a car to get their kids to school safely. A sidewalk can allow a family to get to a grocery store that they couldn't have had access to before. A sidewalk can help sustain a fragile community. On the otherhand, an interstate highway that pushes resources, jobs and business many miles away does nothing to promote the well being of the most fragile populations in our city.
These are the things we begin to think about when we start looking, not just at ways to develop the fringes of our city, but when we instead begin to search out ways to make the living spaces we already have more livable, efficient, and just. In essence, I believe this is an essential part of the pursuit of "loving our neighbors". This is a love that looks to sustain itself over time - not just on weekends or in the form of big checks. This sustainble love is only present when we learn to be sustained neighbors.
Even simple things make a big difference. For example, how does the installation of a sidewalk impact a community where many of the residents rely on walking to work, school, or the grocery store? It sounds so trivial right? A sidewalk. But a sidewalk can make it possible for a family without a car to get their kids to school safely. A sidewalk can allow a family to get to a grocery store that they couldn't have had access to before. A sidewalk can help sustain a fragile community. On the otherhand, an interstate highway that pushes resources, jobs and business many miles away does nothing to promote the well being of the most fragile populations in our city.
These are the things we begin to think about when we start looking, not just at ways to develop the fringes of our city, but when we instead begin to search out ways to make the living spaces we already have more livable, efficient, and just. In essence, I believe this is an essential part of the pursuit of "loving our neighbors". This is a love that looks to sustain itself over time - not just on weekends or in the form of big checks. This sustainble love is only present when we learn to be sustained neighbors.
As God sustains us, let us be about the business of sustaining our communities in the wholeness of our creator.
