That Check in The Mail

Are you making plans yet for that "economic stimulus check" that might be coming in the mail? Honestly, we have been a little bit. We're in the process of moving and all, so a little extra cash flow doesn't hurt, even if I think the logic behind it is flawed at best.

Happily, the good folks at Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation - a non-profit dedicated to the work and ministry of the Millenium Development Goals - has been thinking about these checks too. They have started the Give it For Good Campaign. Here is the pledge they are asking folks to make:

"Because I take seriously Christ's admonition that 'where your treasure is, there will your heart be also' (Matt. 6:31), and

"Because I believe reaching out in compassion to the extreme poor around the world is more important than propping up an economy based on unsustainable consumption.

"I am donating all or part of my 2008 tax rebate/economic stimulus check (or all or part of the amount I would be receiving if I qualified for a check) to not-for-profit organizations that support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

"Instead of spending it, I am Giving It For Good."

Make sense to you? Yeah, me too. Visit their website at www.giveit4good.org for ideas about where to give and how to spread the word.

Two Toasts

I've been listening to the new Carrie Newcomer cd The Geography of Light in the car, since it showed up in my Easter basket. Tonight, I spent some time catching up on blogs and thinking about friends and communities and the places we meet.

So, to all of my blog friends, two toasts from the lyrics of Carrie Newcomer and Parker Palmer:

To the words, and how they live between us, and
To us, and how we live between the words.

(Visit Carrie's website to hear a clip of the music too.)