it feels like every year the christmas season starts earlier and earlier. it used to be that the tree and the man with the beard didn’t start working their magic until after thanksgiving. now, jingle bells start ringing the morning after halloween.

the election season has adopted that same prematurity. already, the hopefuls are lining up to mention things that divide and dishearten the public: immigration reform, abortion, unions, troop deployment, school defunding, prison funding, same-sex marriage, environmental policy. and usually they do their best to mention all of those expansive issues in one concise speech. it’s a lot, and before long televised and printed debates on these very issues will dominate the average american’s media intake and, in turn, the average american’s daily conversations. all this gut-churning, one-sided, opinion-driven back and forth will happen so that you and i will feel informed enough to pick one very driven human to lead our country. who really likes this issue saturation besides newscasters and the partys’ talking heads? i know i’m not looking forward to the impending skermish.

however, we’re supposed to recognize the witnessing of this performance as research for one of the most important duties performed by democratic citizenry…voting.

after the last election, i started to really question this duty. in the ‘08 election, i voted for a candidate who said he would end wars and mediate reconciliation with old enemies. that never happened. new wars were started and our country made enemies. with idealism intact, it didn’t occur to me that the former literally can’t happen. after all, we elect someone who carries the title “commander in chief”. disarming in any form is never an option for a leader of a nation that makes its big bucks from weapons manufacturing and sales. yet peace activists all over the country brandish “peace is patriotic” merch and run for the ballot box. and, of course, this goes beyond war to almost every issue. people who support homeless folks vote despite the fact that every possible candidate is extremely wealthy and has a vested interest in an economy that increases their personal storehouse. environmentalists vote for people who, if elected, will create an enormous carbon footprint through the use of a personal jet, multiple cars and a mansion inhabited by a single family. the list drags on. daunting as these realizations were i was mulling over a question that seemed irrelevant across party and idealogical lines; “is it christian to vote”? and then there’s the historically weighty query “can a feminist refuse to vote”? both questions held a lot of sway and i wasn’t ready to write the ballot box off without some research.

i eventually stumbled upon electing not to vote edited by ted lewis. the book explores, from a faith-based perspective the history and ideas about abstaining from casting a ballot. that collection of essays was a solid jumping off point for more study on the topic of abstaining from the vote, both from a christian and feminist perspective.

in this season of heated office debates, rabid campaigning, and general apathy from the disenchanted; i’m pretty excited about a fresh course. bump the ballot box with me. the “vote or die” thing is a scare tactic, i promise.

there is news on the homefront. the sparrow community house will no longer be confined to a single dwelling. after almost three years, kirsten and i have been called to the next leg of our journey.
my time in atlanta has been both challenging and an unmistakable gift. a lot of folks have come through the house and we have all learned so much from one another…about companionship, communication, hospitality, and cooperation. even in our community’s hardest moments, i couldn’t have traded it for a more full force look at what shared space and relationship can be. it was the real deal from the get go…even if that deal was sometimes messy.
but now, I am finishing up my second americorps term and waiting for the Spirit to lead me. right now, kirsten is in virginia hanging out with babies and chickens…the folks she likes best. she is keeping a blog about her adventure. stay up to date: http://firstacoustic.tumblr.com/ when my term ends in july, kirsten and i will meet back up and head to the next spot.
a friend told me to hang onto the sparrow community name and i will. i have this feeling that it will come in handy again. i’ll also continue to maintain this blog (better than i have this past year) so that folks can find out how the mobile, very small sparrow community is fairing.
thanks to everyone who supported us and believed in us. and mad love to the haters too.

for the folks at jesus radicals

the featured article for this august edition of the catholic agitator has been the topic of discussion in the house since we got our hands on a print copy a couple of weeks ago. chris hedges, we love you man.

living in community is the hardest thing i’ve ever done. i say this weekly and mean it. but in may, i found myself repeating it almost daily. conflict plagued the house, reorganization became necessary, and a lot of the house members started asking “what the heck are we doing”?

june rolled around and though a house member had moved out, a communal meal plan had been organized, and planting was in full swing; i was expecting more of the same. my lack of faith in the community had drained me and was certainly taxing my housemates. i was kind of starting to feel like i had failed at this community-building thing. and then i took a moment to stop being obsessed with my own importance, my own reputation. this whole experience is about the successes and struggles of a group of people raised in a culture that undermines collective action. it isn’t about whether or not this community of people fit into my vision of what we should be. it is about our collective process, about the community we’re becoming, about the shared vision we’re living into.

it is so very hard to let go of popular ideas of achievement, to stop regarding so highly the opinions of people who don’t do this work, and to start listening to one another. but eventually, we have gotten down to that good work and found that we like what we are doing.

pear tree in front of the sparrow community house

“to be homeless the way people like you and me are apt to be homeless is to have homes all over the place but not to be really at home in any of them. to be really at home is to be really at peace, and our lives are so intricately interwoven that there can be no real peace for any of us until there is peace for all of us.” -Frederick Buechner

tomorrow, folks in atlanta who rely on public transportation are facing a huge blow. marta (metropolitan atlanta rapid transit authority) service has always been spotty and unreliable at best. it can’t even begin to compete with bart in san francisco or the t in boston but it was what atlanta had to offer and a lot of people made due. but on april 20th, buses and trains that are going to be scrapped will be marked for elimination. facing a $120 million dollar deficit and a lack of state aid, marta will cut service. who will lose their job as the result of a lack of reliable transportation?  which communities will be cut off from services? atlanta’s unmitigated onslaught on the poor pretty much answers those and a myriad of other questions.

check out act now’s website for updates.

there are eggs in the kitchen and shovels in the soil. april is shaping up to be an eventful and incredibly promising month for the house. we’ll be planting most mornings and having dinner together 5 nights a week starting next week. if you’re feeling lonely, bored, or just want to go to bed with that accomplished, tired feeling…come by!

we’re also planning to have the next house zine printed and distributed by the end of the month. if we have your address, we’ll be sending one your way. otherwise, drop by the house and pick up a copy.

and on one final note: we need need need a tiller. the soil in our yard is clay heavy and without a tiller we will have to scrap our dreams of a community garden in favor of a community pottery shop. or we’ll have to buy a mule, and we don’t want to be those neighbors. help us out.

our chickens are moved into place thanks to our helpers, big and small, who served during the work party! thanks to everyone who cleared privetts, picked up trash, dug up the driveway, and caught runaway chickens. above, larahna, teaches three little chicken wranglers about egg laying (the eggs are in the basket).

a mysterious fax machine showed up on our doorstep a few days ago. if you have information about our new addition, give us a call or, for that matter, send a facsimile! we’d love to thank the donor.

it’s been decided…the work day will be march 14th! we’re going to try and get things under way by 11:30 am and work as long as possible. mark your calendars, friends. come for an hour or stay ‘til the sun goes down. we need your hands and your heart.

field labor #5 by michele ramirez