Justice Revival & Gardening

oh where to begin on last night.

first my family is very gracious for watching the kids three nights in a row. i don't think people without children realize how much of a pain in the rear it can to go line up plans to go anywhere without their children. thankfully this event was free and family usually doesn't charge you for babysitting. imagine going to a concert and you pay $25 a ticket and you have to pay a babysitter. on average i like to pay someone $10 an hour, $15 if it's for two kids. so a concert is what 3 hours minimum? you're looking to drop about $100 and that's if you eat and drink and purchase nothing at the show and parking is free, if not upwards of another $40. do i have $140? if i did i sure wouldn't be spending it on a single night out. and no band i want to see is going to sell tickets for a measly $25 either. the last time bjork was in town i believe her tickets were about $100-$150. *cough choke sputter* at this point in my life the only two artists i have yet to see but will before i perish are the previously mentioned bjork and nick cave - both of which just released new albums so mama is crossing her fingers that the stars align somehow, someway that i can see at least one if they tour. presently neither is.

ok so because i had previously registered for the event we were allowed to go in when the doors opened at 6, vs waiting until the general admission at 6:30. i feel all of that was really just a ruse because no one cared who was who once you got there. a tip for those who might read this, wish to go tonight or tomorrow but were denied because all of the seats were full. yes, read that right, to capacity the first night. darn i wish they didn't have morals about breaking fire codes! jim wallis (from sojourners) was wonderful, bishop clarke introduced him in a nutshell as the most passionate american crusader for social justice in the country and i certainly believe it. he really laid out the foundation for what i can only expect is the meat & potatoes of the revival, presented in part tonight. shane claiborne is speaking a little tonight and yup gotta admit, i feel like a bit of a geek at how jazzed i am. im not putting him on a pedestal, i just really respect and connect with what he's doing. it galvanizes me to be near passionate people.

worship was electrifying. this part of things is hard to explain to people who have never had a holy spirit moment in their lives i suppose. but it was one of those moments, where your heart quickens with the energy of the crowd and your throat swells and your fists open in praise. i couldn't stop my legs from prancing in place nor my eyes from streaming tears. it was the first time since beatrix's death that i was able to sing all of the words in the song "blessed be the name of the lord" which ive talked about before (perhaps on a filter?). it felt good not to sing it with clenched hands and streaming tears. well, at least the clenched hands weren't there.

you can check out some photos from last night's justice revival on my friend brian fenstermacher's flickr page. i totally found myself in some of the pictures, that's how unfocused on the event and focused on me i am. haha.

i've been feeling really really called out of my comfort zone in the area of praying over people. last night a good friend told me she was going through a very hard time and throughout the entire service i felt compelled to reach my hand out and touch her back and pray over her. it was nearly irresistible! i shouldn't have resisted in hindsight. i feared making a scene so i didn't do it. it shows me what i already know about myself, that i am more concerned about me than i am about God's will. that i fear the reactions of men more than the wrath of God. that i am unwilling to be a fool for a cause. the only Cause that matters. later that evening when the service was over we talked with friends for about an hour afterward and i was talking privately with a friend who's dear wife, also a good friend, just miscarried. again i felt that whisper in my heart to lay my hands on him and pray over him and again i resisted. one of my biggest hang ups spiritually is that i do not like praying aloud. never ever have! i think it is the enemy trying to convince me that i have no authority in such things and to leave it to other more qualified people. you know "people who pray", as if there is a genre of people who can do it and people who can't! just then my pastor jeff walked by and we started chatting about gardening (more on that later), and i felt so relieved to have "escaped" my call. i feel awful having shirked it twice, in one night no less.

so yes, gardening. i havnt spoken much about it for some reason. we are doing a communal garden with maggie & austin and last weekend was the big prepping. we all got stinky and dirty with our rakes and gloves and tiller. the men did the tilling but i got pretty sweaty (on a 40 degree day no less!) taking a pitch fork to the compost pile. the ground there is like butter i swear, thanks largely if not entirely to the efforts of the previous owners of their house who i think worked their plot for upwards of 40 years. i could be wrong about that figure. the point is that we were wrist deep in rich humus and i can't wait until may to put the seeds in. the tentative plants going in are (maggie, add or subtract if im being erroneous) -

tomatoes - 2 kinds
cucumbers - 2 kinds
watermelons
cantaloupe
green onions
yellow onions
lettuce - 8 kinds
spinach - 2 kinds
red & green peppers
chives
a bunch of herbs i can't remember
sunflowers - 2 kinds
beets
collard greens
blueberries
raspberries
peas - 2 kinds
beans
strawberries

upon talking with jeff (pastor) last night he had a wonderful idea to make a community blog where people exchange or give away their excess produce from their gardens. just list what you have and people come get it. how awesome is that? i bet my fellow central vineyard-ians would love that. unrelated but kinda sorta on this theme, im thinking about signing up for the church baking team.

and certainly not at all on this theme, im finally after 4 months getting my hairs cut before tonight's justice revival!