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• A tale of commodity and remedy

  Joe Bageant is a prophet, anarchist, flame-eating die-hard Vietnam era veteran--angry, hard-bitten almost-curmudgeon, with a lot of hard-won wisdom, just like I like 'em. According to his website, Joe died in 2000 when W. was elected but hopes to rise Read More... Posted Wednesday, February 18, 2009 1:21 AM by Beth Patterson | 5 Comments Filed under: community, alienation

• a slow turning

  Submission for this week's One Single Impression prompt: slowly Visit this link for connections to a plentitude of particular poems about this prompt. Inspired by Quiet Path's post of January 31 titled A tad more each day . It's just a slow turning. Snow Read More... Posted Sunday, February 01, 2009 8:40 AM by Beth Patterson | 28 Comments Filed under: ancestors, community, 7 generations, liminal space, blooming where we're planted, light

• What's next?

  As part of the Virtual Tea House being-with-advent... This is a post to a blog I read regularly, How to Save the World. Dave Pollard is a Canadian philosopher, environmentalist, business analyst. He is a big picture thinker with attention to the details Read More... Posted Friday, December 12, 2008 10:48 AM by Beth Patterson | 2 Comments Filed under: community, courage, connections, advent, calling things by their right name, capacity

• Come, sit by the fire a spell

  Visit One Single Impression for a plethora of poems about the November 30 prompt: welcoming Come, friend. Sit by the fire. Let's share some port, a cigar and some rich dark chocolate. The world has grown cold. Let the wood and the flames talk to us about Read More... Posted Wednesday, December 03, 2008 10:37 PM by Beth Patterson | 15 Comments Filed under: community, purpose, connections, one single impression

• What might the Buddha, via The Eagles, say about the trampling of the Wal-Mart worker?

  The atrocity at Wal-Mart this weekend left most of us stunned and somehow defensive. 'I wouldn't have pushed by the man...or his co-workers who were trying to help.....' It reminds me how upon hearing the story of St. Peter betraying Jesus with a kiss Read More... Posted Tuesday, December 02, 2008 11:56 PM by Beth Patterson | 9 Comments Filed under: community, 7 generations, compassion, where's home?, fear

• Part 2: Who is it we're really giving to?

  This is part 2 in a series in re-defining giving. Part 3 will be some creative small-dollar but high value gifting concepts, websites, stories. It will be posted November 26. Part 1 discussed how cross pollination between the for-profit/donor sector and Read More... Posted Monday, November 17, 2008 2:46 PM by Beth Patterson | 8 Comments Filed under: community, blessings, compassion, community-building, gift

• Voting for hope

  “Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said. They came. He pushed them and they flew.” Guillaume Apollinaire (French poet and critic who helped to direct poetry into unexplored channels, 1880-1918) The Hindu Goddess Read More... Posted Monday, October 13, 2008 6:52 AM by Beth Patterson | 23 Comments Filed under: ancestors, community, 7 generations, courage, calling things by their right name, culture, brokenness, compassion, civic responsibility

• Cross Post: The Next War of Independence: Natural Community, Natural Enterprise, Natural Economy

  This is a cross-post from Dave Pollard's site, How to Save the World. It is a reprint from a 2007 post. It is so meaty and conversation-generating, that we're putting it on the Virtual Tea House, just as it is. Please feel free to comment here or on Dave's Read More... Posted Monday, July 28, 2008 3:06 AM by Beth Patterson | 6 Comments Filed under: community, living more consciously, calling things by their right name, creativity

• Guest post by Michele Duncan: I am a creator

  dateline: July 14, 2008 Note: We love using the forum of this site to encourage people to write. Michele Duncan from Bend, Oregon, has finally agreed to write down some thoughts about being a creator. Thanks, Michele for saying 'yes'! -- Beth This weekend Read More... Posted Sunday, July 27, 2008 4:31 AM by Beth Patterson | 1 Comments Filed under: community, creativity

• Top 10 reasons why men should not be ordained for ministry

  From a site called "Serving Bread" comes the 10 top reasons why men should NOT be ordained. A little satire is good for the soul! From the extended syllabus of Systematic Theology 3: 10. A man’s place is in the army. 9. The pastoral duties of men who Read More... Posted Monday, April 28, 2008 3:58 PM by Beth Patterson | 2 Comments Filed under: community, acceptance, courage, calling things by their right name, resistance, satire, Christianity, humor

• Guest Blogger: Helen Mildenhall goes Off the Map

  I met Helen in my scouting around for quality blogs for the Engaged Spirituality Carnival. I found more in Helen than I knew I was searching for... Helen lives in Illinois with her husband and two children. She hosts the blog Conversation at the Edge Read More... Posted Saturday, March 01, 2008 1:27 PM by Beth Patterson | 4 Comments Filed under: faithfulness, community, acceptance, courage, becoming more human, calling things by their right name, Blog Carnival

• Sheer lunacy

  As I sat with family and friends around a fire in my backyard on Wednesday night, the 20th, we watched the total lunar eclipse and cooked 'dogs' and s'mores...and laughed, and watched the moon, howling just a tad.. It was a delightful experience here Read More... Posted Friday, February 22, 2008 1:45 AM by Beth Patterson | 0 Comments Filed under: community, fire, language, elementals

• Holy Fool Wannabe

  I got a delightful kick in my pants early this morning from some new spiritual firends! I've been in communication with Helen Mildenhall who hosts a wonderful site dedicated to Christian dialogue called "Conversation at the Edge". This is how the site Read More... Posted Friday, February 15, 2008 2:38 AM by Beth Patterson | 4 Comments Filed under: community, connections, calling things by their right name, Blog Carnival

• Shards of light

  After Apple Picking by Robert Frost My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree Toward heaven still. And there's a barrel that I didn't fill Beside it, and there may be two or three Apples I didn't pick upon some bough. But I am done with apple-picking Read More... Posted Saturday, December 08, 2007 5:47 AM by Beth Patterson | 0 Comments Filed under: community, fire, ancestry, amazement, site fidelity, Hanukkah, light

• If you build it, they will come!

  As members of the Central Oregon Community Fire Circle sat around the fire in my backyard last night and shared sweetness, pain, laughter and large doses of love, I was thinking about the meaning of 'church'. A couple of the members of the community, Read More... Posted Sunday, September 23, 2007 6:45 AM by Beth Patterson | 2 Comments Filed under: community, connections, fire, blooming where we're planted, gratitude