Death of Doctor King 4o years ago today

This man has been my hero all my life. I remember as a kid getting picked on because I was a white kid who talked about MLK. Few years back I marched in a MLK parade and was one of a handful of white people that was not in a political position. I had a black gentlemen ask why I was there...

I read a lot about MLK through the years. I discovered towards the end of his life, he pushed other social justice issues like Antiwar, poverty, and women rights. Many whites and blacks told him to keep to his "black agenda".

I read a book titled "Where Do We Go from Here" and this statement haunts me, because it can fit today:

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." Martin Luther King Jr.

I read on MSN that King was working on a sermon the day he was killed. I don't think much of the sermon was documented. But, here is a portion found:

"If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty, to make it possible for all of God's children to have the basic necessities of life, she too will go to Hell"

As the MSN story mentions, it sounds like a few comments Dr. Wright has made.

I listened to the clips shown on TV and also did my own research online.
I don't think I like how he presented some of his comments, but the content had meaning & merit for the audience.

Recently, there has been conversation and I am glad because I thought I was the only white person that did not want to kick Dr. Wright and Obama out of the country.

Somewhat related, I got an email from Sojourners Magazine that was interesting, it is posted below:

"Forty years later, and the media is still re-hashing racial fears and polarization.
Tell them to live up to King's dream.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr. - a tragic end to a life spent moving the nation towards racial justice and reconciliation. But in the last few weeks, instead of building on his legacy, the news media have been in a feeding frenzy that plays on our worst fears and demeans the prophetic tradition of the black church.

Tell the television networks to honor King's legacy by covering racial issues in a way worthy of his dream.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright has preached for more than 3,000 hours in the course of his career, but the cable news networks have used a handful of 30-second clips, often taken completely out of context, to exploit racial fears.

Fox News has set the tone for much of this coverage. Even after Barack Obama rejected Rev. Wright's most incendiary comments, on-air host Sean Hannity asked whether Obama's candidacy was "dangerous for this country," saying, "if he agreed with Wright, and I don't know that he does, but if he did, that would mean a racist and an anti-Semite would be president of the United States."

Martin Luther King Jr. didn't endorse political candidates (and neither does Sojourners), but he knew something about attracting controversy from the pulpit. In fact, the week before his death, he was planning a sermon for that Sunday titled "Why America May Go to Hell."

But when King spoke difficult truths, he did so in the pursuit of what he called "the beloved community," believing the nation could overcome racial divisions not by ignoring them, but by coming together in the spirit of nonviolence to pursue the common good.

Click here to tell the media to use this anniversary for racial dialogue and reconciliation, not fear and division.

And please join us in praying that we all might have the courage to continue in King's mission to "redeem the soul of America."

Reino Hoy

Tuesday night I volunteered to help out an organization called Reino Hoy. They are trying to develop leaders in the Hispanic/Latino community.

This particular event is a computer class. Parents with their kids take the 6 week class, where they learn about computers. During the class children work with the parents to create a journal. By the end of the class they learn how to operate a computer and MS Office. They also leave with a family journal that documents their past, present, and future dreams. It is a neat way to learn and provides a great bonding tool for the family. At the end of the session, they get a computer and chance to take a internet class as well.

I worked in the kids session and they all seemed excited. All of them were bilingual and smart kids. I think the classes benefited many of the parents who spoke little English. It was a neat experience and I plan to help out each Tuesday in April

I created the logo you see here and am developing a website for them as well. I have two version but I am having trouble with the WCMS install, so I created a version on Google Pages for now. Check it out at http://reinohoync.googlepages.com/.

Welcome Home!

We went to VA. to visit our good friends Julie and Greg. They recently adopted a new born baby. Her name is Annalise. She is so beautiful and has a wonderful family to grow up in. Just look how sweet she is...

More pictures can be found here

Below is a cute video, if you listen real close when we are singing the "ABC's"



Here is Chloe on the way home recounting the tail. She is funny...

Gardening for anal retentive personalities

I hate yard work! I really hated gardens. We had one for a few years and though it was nice to grow our own produce, the work was always a pain. I never had the right tools, enough time, or knowledge to do it right. Thank God Kathi is smarter then me and did the thinking. I was the mule. Digging, digging, and more digging. Our soil is all clay so it is very hard to grow anything in it. We had to haul in top soil and compost all the time. By the time we got the garden ready, I did not want to look at it anymore.

Well, lately Kathi and I have discussed options to live more basic and appreciate the simple things in life. Some of this comes from the water shortage/cost of gas and realizing how much we waste. It may also come from discussions at church. Whatever the reason, it has made us realize we should make an effort to be aware of the impact on the earth and community.

We decided to get a rain barrel and use it for all outside watering, so far it seems to work o.k. I miss the water pressure from the house, but in Durham water restrictions do not allow any out door water use.

Kathi also found a book at the library call "All New Square Foot Gardening".
She mentioned it to me and at the time I smiled and thought, how nice, but I aint gonna do all this work. Then I picked it up one night and could not put it down. It open a new world to me and had simple steps to follow. As I read the book, the lights went out. I found a flashlight and finished the book. I was hooked. This concept could enable communities and congragations an EASY way to work together and harvest food. The author has even taken the concept overseaes and trained communities how to do Square Foot Gardens in order for them to make a living.

The whole concept comes down to 4 by 4 foot squares and a special mix of peat moss, compost, and vermiculite. This soil is so rich and light, it is amazing. Since the soil goes into a box there is no weeding, ever..... Here is the magic mix and boxes we made. We also have a standard garden next to these boxes and plan to compare the success. So far Square Foot was easier to prepare and the amazing part, is how much you can grow in these small spaces. As we go through the season, I will keep you posted and place all pictures in the 2008 Garden album in our Kodak Photo Gallery.