Scattering New Blessings

Often we anxiously seek the will of God,
as if God had gleefully hidden dreams for us
deep in unfathomable places.
As if it were God's intention
that our whole lives be spent
in endless searching for signs and directions
buried in obscurity.
The will of God is that which brings us
peace and fullness of life.
The will of God is the seed of our dreams
ever gestating with possibility
and longing to leap forward
scattering new and surprising blessings
in our gray reality.

-- Edwina Gateley, from A Mystical Heart
with a nod to inward/outward, Church of the Saviour

Principles and Policies for Christian Voters

I have been reading the latest edition of Sojourners Magazine this week. I found in it a voters guide which I thought was broad and deep about the issues that I think Christians should be concerned about.

Sojourners' subtitle is "Faith, Politics, and Culture." I find that most of the time I agree with their perspective on issues. Jim Wallis of Sojourners wrote the book God's Politics a few years ago. He now shares a blog with others by the same name. It has lots of interesting articles about issues in this year's election.

Check it out. What do you think?

Jesus is a friend of mine.

So word's getting out that we're searching for a lead musician, as we take steps toward developing a new worship gathering (monthly, and then weekly in March).

Check out this video for a little inspiration. That's what we're going for, right? Or not.

New Light in the news!

This week, New Light and our partner church, Chestnut United Methodist Church, are making news!

A reporter from The United Methodist Reporter, a newspaper with nation-wide circulation, recently interviewed several people from Chestnut and New Light and wrote an article highlighting our ministry. The article is already posted online, through their blog, The United Methodist Portal, and will appear in the print verion of the newspaper on the front page of their October 31 issue. (We're hoping to get some copies of the print version to pass around.)

You can read the article online by clicking here.

In other news, read about a facebook conversation Allen recently had with a former student who read this article, who's probalby expressing pretty typically the way young adults think about the church...

Beverage Tax and Health Care

I don't know everything about taxes or the Dirigo Health Care program, but it seems to me that it is a good thing for a program to exist to cover the uninsured. There certainly isn't a federal program to give coverage to those who don't have any, so some states have stepped up and offered various programs.

The Maine Public Broadcasting Network did a great overview of the issue and the ad of the Vote No on One Campaign.

Allen had a Free Medical Clinic at his old church. While he was there we both became aware of the crisis of the uninsured in the United States. We got to know organizations like Cover the Uninsured. The numbers at now up to 46 Million Americans, including 9 Million children are without health care coverage in the United States. This means that people either do not seek medical treatment when they need it or they pay the enormous costs themselves or their costs are covered by some combination of hospital and government agencies (taxpayers).

It seems reasonable to me that the Maine State Government would want to find a way to fund health care coverage for those who don't have any. So for myself, I have to say, I am more than willing to pay $0.04 more when I chose to buy a soda. If that money goes towards giving a child health care coverage that is one tax I am willing to pay. There are lots of taxes I pay that I am not so thrilled about paying, but health care coverage, that one, I would willingly pay.

Community Gathering on Sunday

Join us this Sunday, October 26, at 5:00 pm.

We will gather for our Monthly Potluck and Worship Gathering. After meetings in homes, at the beach, in the apple orchard.... this time we will meet at our new base for ministry, 185 High Street, Portland.

Bring your picnic (something to share) and blanket, or just plan to sit on the floor -- we don't have enough tables and chairs yet. We'll eat and then share some time of reflection, singing, and worship.

It is sure to be a good time for new and established New Light folks. We hope to see you there!

Retreat Fun!

We had an awesome retreat last weekend at Rockcraft, a beautiful retreat center on Sebago Lake. Here are some highlights:

• great times of conversation and sharing with Meredith, our retreat leader
• really meaningful times of worship
• awesome music with Shelley & Mike
• amazing and abundant food!
• perfect weather and beautiful fall colors
• a great experience making mosaics with Priscilla from SPIRAL Arts
• late-night silly games inolving writing sentences, drawing pictures, and folding paper
• laughing until it hurt
• discovering the secret passageways!
• deepening our sense of community

If you missed out on the fun, don't despair -- we're already planning to do it again next year!

Election Guide

In a few short weeks the 2008 elections will be complete. This is an important time in our country, state, and city, when we make decisions about who will be our future leaders and how our state will be governed. I came across this Election Guide put together by the United Methodist Church. It clearly states the values that our denomination proclaims on everything from Energy to Social Security to Health Care. I found it informative to read through this as I consider how I will vote in the various elections and questions in the next few weeks. Take a look and see what you think.

Contemplative Practices

Tonight we spent some time reflecting on our own Contemplative Practices. We used this tree from The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society to imagine where the practices we currently engage in fit in the larger scheme. We also enjoyed seeing all the options there are for what contemplative practices look like. Thanks to Wanda for sharing this image with us.

What practices do you enjoy? What on this tree surprises you?

Join the Advent Conspiracy!

As a continuation of our discussions of wealth and poverty, as a community we've decided to respond by making changes in the way we celebrate Christmas this year.

We're joining the Advent conspiracy.

Check out this video we watched in last week's LIFE Groups...



Can you believe that in the United States alone, we spend $450 billion a year on Christmas? As a community, we've committed to the four principles of the Advent Conspiracy:

• worship fully
• spend less
• give more
• love all

As part of our preparations for Christmas this year, we're going to support a project that provides access to clean water for people who have none. Specifically, the challenge we're undertaking is to give to this cause the same amount we spend on gifts for family and friends -- that is, to match our spending dollar for dollar. Most likely, that means spending less on gifts, since few of us can afford to double our typical Christmas spending, but it also means being more generous. We may also support a local cause as well -- that's a conversation we've just begun.

What do you think? Wanna conspire with us? Join the Advent Conspiracy!

The face of poverty

Over the last couple of weeks, we've been exploring issues of wealth and poverty in our LIFE Groups, and thinking about how, as followers of Jesus living in the richest country in the world, we have a reponsibility to care for our sisters and brothers who live in poverty.

In a world where someone dies of hunger or hunger-related causes every 3 1/2 seconds -- 25,000 people a day! -- can we simply go on with our lives as usual?

The situation is enormous, but it's not hopeless. The resources exist to end the suffering. In fact, in September 2000, the 189 countries of the United Nations came up with a plan and unanimously agreed to a solution. As you'll see in this chart, some of the countries are already doing their part. Sadly, the United States has no plan in place to fulfill its commitment.

I think it's important to learn as much as we can and to wrestle with the realities of poverty -- to think about how our own actions, habits, lifestyles, and behaviors impact others, as well as how changes in our own actions, habits, lifestyles, and behaviors might make a positive difference -- rather than simply looking for quick and easy answers or dismissing the problem altogether.

I own a car and a refrigerator, and I'm not wondering if there will be food on my table tonight. That puts me in the wealthiest 5% of the world's population. By the world's standards, I am rich. I have to acknowledge, that's nothing I accomplished on my own. I got the luck of the draw.

I can no longer look upon those who are suffering as faceless commodities. They are real people, our sisters and brothers, with all the same hopes and dreams, needs, and emotions that we have. And they are children of God, loved by God as deeply and passionately and completely as you and I are. If my life has been impacted by Christ, shouldn't my heart break over the things that break the heart of God?

And so I'm praying: What can I do? What can we do together?