Pack Light: social activism

I appreciated Yvon Chouinard's first book, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, in which he shares his own life story as well as the story of the company he started, Patagonia. Now I would like to read his more recent book, The Responsible Company: What We've Learned From Patagonia's First 40 Years.

You can learn more about Yvon and Patagonia here:

And if there's another old dirtbag who equally impresses me, it's Fred Beckey.

Sunday, November 06, 2011

#23 The Ordinary Radicals (trailer)

For more about the film, go here.

The Ordinary Radicals - Trailer from Jamie Moffett on Vimeo.

#10 TED: Julia Bacha, "Pay attention to nonviolence"

Friday, August 06, 2010

|Loss of Peacemakers

Two notable peacemakers have died this year.

1. Art Gish (Old Radicals film)-- July 28, 2010

2. Gene Stoltzfus (@CPT) -- March 10, 2010

Monday, August 02, 2010

|Peace Among the Peoples

At the recent Peace Among the Peoples conference, I really appreciated the stories brought by Jarrod McKenna. A few links:

Other presenters that really spoke to me personally: Mary Jo Leddy (Romero House), Rita Nakashima Brock (Saving Paradise), Glen Stassen (Just Peacemaking), Brian McLaren (A New Kind of Christianity), and Paul Alexander (Peace to War). Also noteworthy were strong words spoken by Stanley Hauerwas and Linda Gehman Peachey. I wish I had a recording of the final sermon by Andre Gingerich Stoner.

Comic relief was offered by Ted and Co.--I'd Like to Buy an Enemy.

Monday, June 07, 2010

|World: Compassion

I read this article in my father-in-law's copy of World Magazine: New Horizons. This is an amazing Mennonite ministry in Colorado that cares for women's babies while the mothers are incarcerated.

http://www.newhorizonsministries.net/

Sunday, March 07, 2010

|Iconocast

I see Nekeisha Alexis-Baker a few times a week at school. Check out Iconocast 1.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

|Life & Death

Henri Nouwen, Peacework, 2005:

Those who resist the power of death are called to search for life always and everywhere. The search for this tender and vulnerable life is the mark of the true resister. I have learned this from friends who have dedicated themselves to resistance. They have helped me to appreciated anew the beauty of life. One of them spends an afternoon every week visiting cancer patients, another works with the mentally disabled, a third spends time with lonely people in a psychiatric institution. Somehow their direct contact with the powers of death has made them aware of the preciousness of life and given them the desire to affirm life precisely where it is weak and very tender. Their quiet and unspectacular care for broken people has become for them a true form of resistance. (pp. 72-73)

Visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, consoling the dying, or sheltering the homeless may not catch the public eye and are often perceived as irrelevant when put in the perspective of a possible nuclear holocaust. There are many voices who say: "These little acts of mercy are a waste of time when we consider the urgency of stopping the arms race." But the peacemaker knows that true peace is a divine gift which has nothing to do with statistics or measures of success and popularity. Peace is like life itself. It manifests itself quietly and gently. Who can say that a "lost afternoon" with a sick friend is in truth not much more than an interruption of "true" peacework? It might be the most real contribution to peace. Who knows? Jesus' way is the humble way.... (Matt. 11:29). (pp. 76-77)

Friday, February 19, 2010

|Lent & Action

My Lent series at Spectrum has begun. It’s on social action. Articles will appear every Sunday and Wednesday between now and Easter.

1. Prayer
2. Community
3. Enemy Love

Click here for links to the rest of the series.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

|Howard Zinn

It is sad to say good-bye to Howard Zinn, who died yesterday at age 87.

Monday, December 21, 2009

|Shane Claiborne

Shane rocks. Here he writes for Esquire -- What If Jesus Meant All That Stuff?

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

|Make Poverty Personal

Shameless self-promotion: My latest book review is up at Adventist Today--Make Poverty Personal.

I believe this is an important book, so I hope you'll check out the review.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

|New Book List (+ DVDs)

DVDs:

Adopt a Jesus (2009)
Heaven and Earth (2009)

BOOKS:

A Just Forgiveness (Oct, 2009)
Zealous Love (Jan, 2010)
Humanitarian Jesus (May, 2010)
Faith Beyond Borders (May, 2010)
God's Economy (Dec, 2009)
Mercy Rising (Mar, 2010)
Jesus Matters (2009)
Myth of a Christian Religion (2009)
The Hole in Our Gospel (2009)
Following Jesus through the Eye of the Needle (2009)
Forgotten Girls (2009)
A Heart for the Community (2009)
Climate Justice (2010)
Introducing the Missional Church (2009)
Organic Leadership (2010)
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years (2009)
Drops Like Stars (2009)

Saturday, October 10, 2009

|The Reader

Dear Pack Light Reader (I found out today that there is one!),

You may find bits of interest at my other projects:

Love, Jeff

Friday, October 09, 2009

|Afford To Let Alone

Yes, Travis, yet another one for you:

Why I Don’t Tweet…
…not that there’s anything wrong with it.

"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." --Henry David Thoreau

But if someone here is on Twitter, check out @realrobbell (and... @AdvntConspiracy, @BeatitudesSoc, @adbusters, @osocio, @sub_urban_org, @ChristineSine, @JesusManifesto, @PPEHRCinfo, @Brandt_Russo, @FakeShane, @markvans, @theSimpleWay, @CONSPIREmag, @sojourners, @jimwallis, @ConvoyofHope, @Sarcasticluther, @getrealinvolved, @blessedearth...).

BONUS 1: This is both humorous and scary: Because the Bible Has a Liberal Bias (Daniel Schultz, Religion Dispatches, 7 Oct 09)

BONUS 2: A bit of self-promotion: Web Roundup (October 8, 2009)

Monday, June 08, 2009

Review at Adv Today

I recently reviewed a book for Adventist Today -- I Am Not a Social Activist (Ron Sider).

Friday, May 15, 2009

|Land Mines

I think this PR/fundraising campaign is clever. And hopefully it's effective.

A Virtual Minefield from veggenmin.no on Vimeo.