"The Opposite of Addiction Is Connection" - Johann Hari

Johann Hari writes of Portugal cutting its injected drug use by 50% by decriminalizing drug use and reinvesting in people... connecting people with their feelings and with each other.

This bodes well for any organization that's about connecting! Consider what the Church could do if it took these words seriously!

Hari says:

"Professor Peter Cohen argues that human beings have a deep need to bond and form connections. It’s how we get our satisfaction. If we can’t connect with each other, we will connect with anything we can find—the whirr of a roulette wheel or the prick of a syringe. He says we should stop talking about ‘addiction’ altogether, and instead call it ‘bonding.’ A heroin addict has bonded with heroin because she couldn’t bond as fully with anything else."

Here's the complete February 12, 2015 article:

Portugal Cut Addiction Rates in Half by Connecting Drug Users With Communities Instead of Jailing Them


If community can heal addiction, what else can it heal? Loneliness? Isolation? Mental illness? Depression? Maybe. Couldn't hurt. Might help.

The human connection of community can begin anywhere. Imagine it happening in healthcare.

Or in a church redesigned from the beginning.

What if we formed intentional small groups, intentional communities, designed with the purpose of love and connecting, caring, commiserating, sharing. What if these groups studied together, ate together, served together, worshipped together?

A community of neighbors loving each other as they love themselves. A small group that loves the world as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.

What if the church loved the world and gave itself for it?

Community.

Anything can happen.

Love and Blessings,

Ash Wednesday: Hide and Seek

During a five-day yoga silent retreat a few years ago, I prepared to preach at a Community Ash Wednesday service in Baltimore, Ohio. No commentaries, no internet, no resources except my Bible. It was a struggle, but one of the most "rewarding" of any I have encountered! I just kept asking ... why? I got a surprising answer! Hope you do, too!

The text was Matthew 6:1-6, and 16-21 on alms, prayer and fasting:

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ²“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ³But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁵“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.⁶But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

...

¹⁶“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Here's the sermon. Hope it helps your Lenten journey!

Love and Blessings to you!

Paleo AND Gluten Free OR Vegan/Vegetarian "Chicken" with Bolognese Sauce and Garlic-Buttered Lemon Broccoli

Paleo, Glegan Dinner in 45 Minutes

That time spent gazing in the fridge wondering what's for dinner...

There's a bag of multi-colored carrots from Trader Joe's that just stares at me every time I open the door. Oooo, there's some left over already skinned, de-boned and sliced rotisserie chicken. For vegan or vegetarian sub not-chicken strips. I just read about spiralizing a potato and there's a potato on the counter. And yissss, I see the left-over bolognese sauce I faked a couple nights ago. (Started with mirepoix, added red wine (cook dry), Better Than Bouillon Beef, red wine vinegar, a half-filled jar of marinara, and cream to taste... a lot, and buzzed in blender. But that's another blog). For vegan/vegetarian sub marinara.

So maybe I could stack a bunch of layers, each with its own flavor. 

• Steamed broccoli with a bit of butter or coconut oil, lemon and S&P. mmmm.
• Love me some orange-glazed carrots, but not the sugar. My hack: add the juice of half an orange (those absolutely to die for Heirloom Oranges you can only get once a year available now for about 5 minutes at Trader Joe's), and after roasting add a few drops of Orange Extract to bump up the flavor. Yes, I have orange extract in my cupboard. I'm pretty much a flavor geek. I don't want the sweet. I want the orange.
• Rotisserie chicken or Chicken-less Strips w. S&P, 'nuff said.
• Bolognese sauce or Marinara, so good.
• Crispy spiralized, garlic roasted potatoes w S&P, just right for the top!

Ends up it's Gluten Free AND Paleo and could be Vegan OR Vegetarian! 




Yum!!!




INGREDIENTS Serves 2

4 C        Broccoli (Fresh)

1 1/3 C  Thinly sliced Carrots (2-3 large carrots)

1 T         Orange Juice

1            Medium Potato washed, not peeled, spiralized

1T+1t     EVOO, divided

5 1/3 oz  Rotisserie Chicken (skinless, de-boned) or Chicken-Less Strips

1/2 C      Bolognese or Marinara Sauce

2 t           Butter or Coconut Oil (for Broccoli after steaming)

1 1/2 T    Lemon Juice (for Broccoli after steaming)

5-7 drops  Orange Extract (for Carrots after roasting)

Few Shakes of Garlic Powder (for Potatoes before roasting & Broccoli after steaming)

Himalayan Pink Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper




INSTRUCTIONS

Set oven to 400 degrees (set to roast if convection)




Sprinkle S&P and EVOO over carrots & potatoes separately

Sprinkle garlic powder over potatoes

Toss both separately

Spread separately in single layer on each half of parchment paper lined cookie sheet or jelly roll pan

Roast carrots & Potatoes together at 400 degrees for a long time to get really brown and crispy maybe 30-40 min. Toss half way through.




Steam Broccoli

After steaming, drain, add butter/coconut oil, lemon juice tiny bit of garlic powder and himalayan pink salt & freshly ground pepper to taste. 




Warm the Bolognese/Marinara Sauce




Warm up rotisserie chicken, keep warm
Or use Chicken-less Strips (needs S&P)

The the carrots and potatoes are done when lightly browned. Sprinkle few drops pf orange extract over carrots right on cookie sheet. Toss gently to distribute flavor




Layer on each of two plates:

Broccoli

Carrots

Chicken

Bolognese Sauce

Potatoes




NOTES




You can scale-up the whole thing for a family and serve it on a platter! So pretty!

You could make the veggie layers anything you want. Just make sure each layer is yummy all by itself! 




2 2/3 oz of chicken may not seem like enough per serving, but it really is, because you'll be full with all the veggies and deliciousness!




Next time for a lower carb version, I'm gonna try crispy spiralized roasted garlic zucchini on the top. I think you'd need to spiralize, salt and drain for at least 15 min, then blot in paper towels to remove excess moisture so they'll crisp up. Just now thought of sprinkling Malt Vinegar on top. mmmm.




OK. Potatoes may not be paleo, so substitute sweet potatoes or zucchini. Next time, I will. Really just wanted to spiralize a potato. :)




What is shown in pic is 1/2 of a medium to large potato, skin on. 




Here's the nutrition info for Chicken/Bolognese version: 

488 cal, Fat: 21g, Carbs: 45g - 9.6g fiber = 35.4g, Protein: 32.1g. (from my Lose It! app).

Subbing Zucchini for Potato yields:
413 cal, fat: 21 g, Carbs: 26.8 - 7g fiber = 19.9g net, Protein: 32.1 g. Wow, 15.5 grams fewer Carbs!

Misnomer: El Salvador's Guerrillas as "Left-Wing"

Thank you to Clyde Haberman of the New York Times' Retro Report for bringing El Salvador back to the news cycle. That said, a characterization such as "the right-wing military-dominated government and left-wing guerrilla groups" is such a gross over-simplification that it does injustice to the masses of landless peasants for whom and with whom the guerrillas fought... the meek of the earth, those who, through no fault of their own, have been stripped countless times of any semblance of human dignity. From the conquistadores to the oligarchy to the military to many aspects of the church, the peasant, the campesina/o was forced off her/his land and impoverished. For the peasant to come to full conscientization of their own worth as a human being, to stand up to the unjust systemic powers-that-be, should enlarge our own hearts toward them and against their oppressors wherever they may be found. To use the phrase "left-wing guerrilla groups" simply perpetuates the misguided, bifurcated US rationale of the past, encourages the polemic divide already deep in our society and minimizes the struggle for justice.

How else might we characterize the struggle for a just peace in places dominated by oppressions past and present?

What stirred in you as you watched the video?

How might we express solidarity with the struggle?

Mission vs. Money

Something's been stewing in me since the General Theological Seminary (GTS) debacle began. (The firing of 80% of the faculty for striking! Find details at SafeSeminary.org and then sign the petition calling the Board to Reinstate the 8! bit.ly/ReinstateThe8)

Follow the money 

Money over mission. The Episcopal Church is in decline, just as is every mainline denomination, and evangelicals are just beginning the descent. Kurt Dunkle, Dean/President of GTS, resurrected a church in Florida, both in attendance and finances. I could imagine the Board of Trustees at GTS thinking, “That’s what we need! Someone to come in here, kick some serious ass, and whip this place into shape! Our churches are in decline! (sense panic here) We need more people in our churches, to give more money so that we can not only survive, but thrive… just like Kurt helped the church to do in Florida! We need our students to learn and apply what he knows and did in Florida! We need to train our students in church growth and financial recovery! He’s perfect for that!”

The problem with that logic is it doesn’t reach far enough into the cause of the decline. Why is the church in decline? Because people aren’t attending, and they aren’t giving enough to sustain us? Why are they not giving? Why are they not attending? Why have we lost a whole generation? Because we are not giving enough to sustain them. What do people need? What is the existential need of people in your community right now? Visitors, if they come, enter a mostly empty church and sense the panic, sense the members smelling fresh meat, and they run away. They sense the survival mentality, the we-need-to-fill-our-boards-and-committees thinking, the I-did-my-part-when-I-was-young-now-damnit-it’s-their-turn-to-work pointlessness, the clinging-to-tradition-when-it-has-far-outlived-its-purpose mindset.

What does the church have to offer the world, or at least its mission corner of it? Nothing less than the very love of God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit! Nothing less than community and belonging to something bigger than self, nothing less than healing restoration community self-worth, nothing less than a friend on the journey, nothing less than meaning and purpose, nothing less than continually redeeming this already redeemed world that God so loved that God sent Jesus and God sends us!

We need a zero-based approach to Christianity, or it will continue its death spiral in the mainline denominations! We need to re-interpret, re-contextualize, re-think, re-envision everything! Theology, liturgy, pastoral care, the priesthood of all believers! We need to unleash the saints to BE the church to each other and to the world! We can become a permission granting, empowering body of believers if we ask the biggest why? 

Why does the church exist at all?

Here’s my two cents worth as experienced through my reading of the community of John. We know more about John’s community (at least scripturally) than any other! We have the Gospel, the three Epistles, Revelation, Ephesians (locale of John’s community), the Timothys (Pastor at Ephesus). So when the writer of Ephesians says God gave some apostles, etc. for the equipping of the church, until we reach full maturity in Christ… I still ask why? For what purpose? Sounds more like a strategy to me.

I read and reread Ephesians and each time nearly puked when I got to those horrible household codes! Wives submit, Husbands love, Slaves and Children obey, Masters be nice… blah blah blah! What could be less relevant to today’s families? So I asked Why is maturity important? Well, ask John… ask Jesus in the high priestly prayer… Maturity in Ephesians produces unity, and unity in John 17 lets the world know that God sent Jesus.

But again… WHY is that important? Why does it matter?

Ask John again in Revelation about Ephesus… 

You lost your first love 

What was their first love? Was it God? Jesus? Each other? What?

Ask John again in the Gospel! What’s the most famous love verse in John? Of course 3:16! God so loved Christians, that God gave… er… God so loved the church that God gave… No. 

God so loved… the WORLD!

O. M. G. Now that horrible household code can make sense! At least the husbands part… because the key is in what the writer claims to be truly speaking of! 

“This is a great mystery, but I speak of Christ and the church!”

And there it is. The answer to the biggest why! Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. But it’s not even about husbands and wives!!! 

It’s about Christ and the church! 

So indulge a bit of theological play with me. God so loved the world that God sent Jesus. 

So let’s go back to that horrible household code and replace Husbands with Church and Wives with World.

And we have mission… the biggest why… the reason the church exists at all!

Church, love the world as Christ loved you and gave himself for you!

The church exists to love the world through Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit, as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her!

Church, Love the world, and give yourself for it. 

For it’s continual redemption, its continual liberation, its continual reconciliation! Now THAT’s something to live and die for!

THAT’s why seminaries exist.

That’s why seminaries have boards and faculties and deans and presidents and students!

So that God can continue to love the world through us!

Tortilla Soup at Casa Hidalgo in Cuernavaca México

Sopa de Tortilla at Casa Hidalgo in Cuernavaca, México is nothing like the spicy meat laden swill served in many American restaurants.  The subtlety of authentic Mexican Tortilla Soup lies in its full rich flavor.  How can a soup as basic as Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic, Chicken Broth, Epazote, Salt and Pepper be so captivating?  THAT'S only the beginning!  Somewhat like stone soup, if you remember the children's story, the presentation borders on ritual.

The Friday sun is setting.  My friend and I sit at a small table on the veranda.  A gentle breeze cools away the day's heat.  First a waiter places a Mexican hand-painted bowl in front of me.  It contains a few tortilla chips, with one small shell-shaped tortilla in the center.  He returns with a plate of sliced avocados, and spoons a generous amount into my bowl.  Another waiter follows him with a platter of cubed queso chihuahua, a mild but rich cheese that melts easily.  One spoonful onto the tortilla chips and avocado slices.  Close on his heels arrives another waiter carrying a gorgeous Mexican hand-painted pitcher full of a mouth-watering broth.  Slowly, even ceremoniously, he pours the steaming fragrant liquid onto the tortilla crisps, cheese and avocado.  And yet another waiter appears carrying a platter of lime wedges with a pot of Mexican crema in the middle.  He drizzles one luxurious tablespoon of crema into the soup and squeezes a lime wedge around the edge.  One more finishing touch: the last waiter arrives carrying a plate of seeded, roasted pasilla chiles.  He offers to crumble a bit of one into my soup.  I accept.

What seems to be the entire wait staff now surrounds us.
They indicate that I should taste the soup.
Anticipation rising, I take spoon in hand, dip it into the rich red broth and raise it to my mouth.

EPIC!

My first spoonful held a piece of cheese and broth.  Mmmm, melt in your mouth deliciousness.  The next a slice of smooth avocado and a crispy tortilla chip.  Ohhh.  Then one with hint of lime and crema.  On and on it went, every bite its own unique blend of broth and garnish.  I don't even remember when the wait staff left the table.  I was busy!

So here's my version of what I experienced at Casa Hidalgo:

Ingredients

• 2 T. Olive Oil (Aceite de Olivo)
• 1 Spanish Onion Chopped (Cebolla)
• 3 Cloves Garlic (Ajo)
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (optl.)
• 2-3 Heirloom Tomatoes (Jitomates) or Kumatoes  from Trader Joe's (taste like mid-summer heirlooms!)
• 1 qt. Organic Chicken stock (Caldo de Pollo)
• 1/2 to 1 t. Himalayan Pink Salt and 1/4 to 1/2 t. Pepper (Sal y Pimiento)
• 2 Fresh Mexican Chiles (Pasilla Chiles o Ancho Chiles) roasted 10-20 minutes at 400 seeds removed, or use dried, roasted Chiles but still remove the seeds. (One whole chile goes in the soup broth and gets blended, the other is to crumble, chop or break up to use on top as garnish for each serving... but a very small amount... 1/8 t.) Taste the chile to see how hot it is, and adjust accordingly.
• 1 sprig Epazote (can be found at a Mexican grocery)

Garnishes

• Corn Tortilla Strips (totopas)
• Yummy Mexican Cheese (Queso Chihuahua (the Best and available at Costco!!), Cotija, Manchego, Monterey) 1 heaping Tablespoon per serving
• Avacado (Aguacate) (1/4 to 1/2 per serving) chunked or sliced
• Crème Fraîche (Crema) Drizzle 1 T. per serving
• Limes (Limas) Cut in wedges (1/16 to 1/8 lime per wedge) (1 wedge per serving)
• 1/8 t. crumbled or chopped Mexican Chiles (Pasilla or Ancho)

Directions

Roast the Chiles if not already roasted.
Sauté onions in olive oil, add garlic, some salt and pepper.
Add tomatoes (canned and fresh... always better with fresh), stir and cook few minutes.
Add Chicken Stock, 1 chile pasilla and epazote.*
Heat through. Let simmer to meld flavors 20 minutes.
Remove epazote and blend soup.

For Presentation:
Place a judicious amount of tortilla strips in each bowl.
Add some cheese and avacado.
Pour broth into bowl.
Drizzle some crema. **
Squeeze a Lime wedge into the soup, place used lime wedge in soup for added flavor.
Sprinkle with 1/8 t. roasted pasilla chiles.

Notes:

Pasilla or Ancho Chiles are not spicy hot... not at all!  Do not use spicy chiles as they will over-power the subtlety of the soup.

* Epazote can be found at some Whole Foods stores, and may be readily available at a Mexican grocery store. It tastes a bit like savory, oregano and anise mixed. It's really a unique flavor, so I hope you can find it.

** Crema is a Mexican form of Crème Fraîche and can be made very simply: add 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk to 1 cup of heavy cream. Let stand at room temperature for 8-24 hours until thickened (time depends on degree of pasturization). The live cultures in the buttermilk will eventually "sour" the cream. This can be used in anything requiring sour cream.

Enjoy!