Whole Tree Architecture

I just could not resist posting this intriguing idea which I connected to at Inhabitat (not inhabit). According to the Forest Products Laboratory, a whole, unmilled tree can support 50 percent more weight than the largest piece of lumber milled from the same tree. Putting this principle into practice, Whole Tree Architecture is dedicated to building with materials that lumber [...]

How To Build A Rain Garden

I have been intrigued by the concept of rain gardens for quite a while and was delighted to see this article from my friends at Soulsby Farm – A Very Small Farm. It is the best article on rain gardens that I have come across. How to Build a Rain Garden Got rain on the brain? It [...]

The Labyrinth, The Emotion and Music – by Gil George.

This morning’s post is contributed by our good friend Gil George, whose pregnant wife recently had emergency surgery. It moved me to tears especially when I clicked the link and listened to Gil recite his poem with music in the background. —————————————————————————— This poem has been stirring in me since my wife had to have [...]

Jesus Teach Us To Pray

Many of you know that I am working on a new book on prayer: Return to Your Senses – Reimagining How We Pray, that hopefully will be available in September. When I worked in Africa I was impressed with how Africans wove their prayers through every part of life. Everything had a spiritual dimension to it. Every [...]

Salvation in the Neighbourhood – Creative Ideas from the Parish Collective.

The Inhabit conference which the entire MSA team attended this last weekend was one of the best conferences I have been at for a long time. So many creative and committed Christians gathered in one place inspiring each other with how they have seen their neighbourhoods transformed. Many of us are being stretched in our [...]

Each Moment is a Miracle – Look and See God is at Work

Yesterday I was reading an article that quotes Albert Einstein: There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.  What a wonderful thought. Each moment is an opportunity to look, to listen and to touch the newness of the [...]

Happy Valentine’s Day – or is it?

Scott Hackman posted this on the Mustard Seed facebook group this morning. I struggle with the emphasis this holiday is given, as I talked about last year in my Valentine’s day post Walk in the Way of Love.  However I am not always good at opening up restorative conversations as a result. Scott says: I am [...]

Milenko Matanovic Helps Communities Prepare for the Future.

I just heard from Inhabit co-ordinator Paul Sparks that the renowned Visual Artist and Community Builder Milenko Matanovic will be inspiring and training Inhabit Conference 2012 participants in the art of creating community gathering spaces. He started the Pomegranate Center 25 years ago to make this happen. This fascinating video is a great introduction to him, [...]

A Good Day with Brother David Steindl-Rast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zl9puhwiyw&sns=fb

This beautiful video on gratefulness makes a wonderful meditative reflection for the day.

Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus – A YouTube Phenomenon

This video that was posted just a week ago on Youtube has taken the world by storm with over 15 million viewings in just over a week. It certainly made me think and has obviously made others think too. I found the responses that I looked at as thought provoking as the original video and [...]