I love the idea of going green.

I believe that followers of Jesus are called to be good stewards of this world that God loves so much.  While to some people asking the question, What would Jesus drive? might sound a little goofy, I think questions like this are well worth considering.  Our everyday decisions have consequences.  To paraphrase an idea from the Bible, if our actions have the net effect of hurting those around us, can we really say we love God?

However, connecting ideals to the actual living of life is always the tough part, right?  That’s why I appreciate ideas like this portable solar panel tree. From Gizmodo:

The Solar Tree was invented by Gurdeep Sandhu, and avoids the complicated process of having to install the a solar power system on your roof. You can move it too, so if you change house, you can take it with you. It doesn’t entirely solve the aesthetic problem of having such a thingamajig on your garden, but at least is better than having a roof full of panels and it can be folded at night

At least one commenter noted that, given its portability, security might be an issue (although I’m pretty sure you’d hear the semi-trailer rolling up to your house that would-be criminals would need to haul off your solar tree).

For most of us, installing solar panels at home would probably be too expensive, even with state rebates.  While I’m guessing this portable solar tree is still out of reach for most of us (I couldn’t seem to find any pricing information), I appreciate the fact that it is a step in the right direction.   It would be great to have massive change all at once in important areas of our lives, but the fact is, we often need to take incremental steps that point us in the right direction.

Christianaudio, which is a great site run by a friend from San Diego, offers a free audiobook each month that you can download.

This month, the featured free audiobook is Not for Sale by David Batstone. David leads the Not for Sale movement dedicated to ending human trafficking and slavery.

I encourage you to support Christianaudio.  They feature a wide variety of audiobooks, including a couple of free talks from NT Wright and Dallas Willard, that will help you make it through your rush hour commute!

I’ve always been intrigued by the subversive, immediate, and sometimes jarring nature of street art.

Banksy‘s work on the West Bank powerfully conveys a longing for freedom, regardless of one’s political perspective.

Sometimes, street art can be subtle and/or whimsical — for example, The Kiss by Leon Reid IV in London would be easy to miss.  Works like this, titled Eat Out, rearrange everyday items in thought-provoking ways.

This street sign, though fake, rings true (at least for me, with my deer phobia).

I recently read about something called The Pedestrian Project, which brings street sign characters to life in unexpected ways (although for sheer awesomeness, it’s hard to beat Robocop emerging from a television to consume fried chicken).

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We hope to capture some of this spirit as we raise awareness about human trafficking with The Freeze Project, which will be coming to San Diego soon (stay tuned for details).

In honor of Graham Parker, who recently solved a Rubik’s Cube after 26 long years of trying, here are a few videos to get you on track for solving that cursed 80s enigma:

The inauguration of Barack Obama as our nation’s 44th president marks a truly historic occasion.  While the election of our first African American president hardly solves our many racial problems, there is something remarkably hopeful about this new presidency.

Listening to interviews of people who were there at the March on Washington in 1963 and braved the crowds for today’s inauguration, watching jubilant celebrations from around the nation and, indeed, the world, trying to explain to our daughter (and grasp, ourselves) the significance of today’s events… time will tell, but it feels like the ground has shifted underneath our feet.

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