Weekly Recap for Tuesday, September 20, 2016 from ProgressiveChristianity.org in Gig Harbor, Washington, United States "Can clothing choices help us tune in better to our relationship with the earth and with our fellow humans. This and more in our Free Weekly Recap of our most viewed and new resources from last week."

 Weekly Recap for Tuesday, September 20, 2016 from ProgressiveChristianity.org in Gig Harbor, Washington, United States "Can clothing choices help us tune in better to our relationship with the earth and with our fellow humans. This and more in our Free Weekly Recap of our most viewed and new resources from last week."

Last Week At ProgressiveChristianity.org ...
We delved into the topics of: The Dakota Pipeline, How Art Changes Consciousness, The Impact of Clothing Choices and Statements of Faith.
Visit our website to join in on the discussion and to view our thousands of spiritual resources!
We are entirely reader supported, please support us today.

ProgressiveChristianity.org is a global portal for authors, scholars, theologians and liturgists to share their resources for the progressive spiritual journey.

Native Americans Fight Against Dakota Access Pipeline
The fight against the Dakota Access pipeline has brought together a historic gathering of tribes from across North America.
READ ON ... 

The fight against the Dakota Access pipeline has brought together a historic gathering of tribes from across North America.
-------

How Art Changes ConsciousnessJacob Devaney, Uplift
Art can heal us, inspire us, and alter our brain chemistry - you might be surprised at what scientific research also says about how art effects the brain.
READ ON ... 
Art can heal us, inspire us, and alter our brain chemistry
With so much talk about the evidence of the positive effects of yoga and meditation, you might be surprised at what scientific research also says about how art effects the brain. Long before modern neuroscience, artists were creating works to inspire people and today complex brain imaging scans can show us just how art changes the physiology of our brains. Contemplation, observing, and taking in beauty all stimulate pleasure centers within the brain while increasing blood flow by up to 10% in the medial orbitofrontal cortex. This can lead to an elevated state of consciousness, wellbeing, and better emotional health.
The blood flow increased for a beautiful painting just as it increases when you look at somebody you love. It tells us art induces a feel good sensation direct to the brain. – Professor Semir Zeki, chair in neuroaesthetics at University College London
Observing Art
Mirror Neurons are neurons that fire both when a person acts and when the person observes the same action performed by another. This brings us back to a very basic concept in human evolution which involves modeling. When you observe a profound piece of art you are potentially firing the same neurons as the artist did when they created it thus making new neural pathways and stimulating a state of inspiration. This sense of being drawn into a painting is called “embodied cognition”.
Art accesses some of the most advanced processes of human intuitive analysis and expressivity and a key form of aesthetic appreciation is through embodied cognition, the ability to project oneself as an agent in the depicted scene, – Christopher Tyler, director of the Smith-Kettlewell Brain Imaging Center

Detail of Banks of the Siene at Jenfosse by Claude Monet
This explains why we might feel like we are dreaming when we look at impressionists like Claude Monet, or having an ecstatic vision while looking at a painting by Alex Grey. The ability of art, combined with our own imagination, to transport us to other realms is astounding. Artists have the ability to show us new worlds but we shouldn’t put them on a pedestal because each of us is an artist.
Making art activates the whole brain and can foster integration of emotional, cognitive, and sensory processes. – Joan French MA NCC LCP

Detail of Arise by Amanda Sage
Creating Art
The act of creating art is also therapeutic which has been the impetus for the art therapy movement. Every one of us lived like artists as children and we have the ability to bring back this powerful form of expression and self-healing if we allow ourselves to. You don’t need to be an expert to enjoy smearing paint on a canvas and letting your pleasure centers light up like a child!
Art therapy, sometimes called expressive art or art psychology, encourages self-discovery and emotional growth. It is a two-part process, involving both the creation of art and the discovery of its meaning. – Paula Ford-Martin
Modern Visionary Artists are applying the idea that art inspires community, is educational, and has the capacity to elicit spiritual revelations. Painting together in groups and painting live at musical events, these artists are allowing participants in on their creative process. Seeing and understanding that even the finest pieces of art have many moments when the artist isn’t satisfied or needs to paint over something is revealing for each of us on our spiritual journey.

Theologue by Alex Grey
Celebrating how Art changes Consciousness
Artist Alex Grey has opened Cosm in New York which is being called a Chapel of Sacred Mirrors. Within the Visionary Art Movement is the idea that creativity itself is a path to the divine. This includes creating art, gathering around/celebrating art and creating communities that foster creative expression in all of its forms. Creativity may be one of the greatest things about being human and art can be a great teacher for us on this evolutionary journey.
To awaken and catalyze the spiritual path of each person by providing access to the highest mystic truth through art and creative action. – Cosm Core
We are surrounded by billboards and advertisements which utilize art to persuade us to purchase things that we usually don’t need. There is currently a large movement towards beautifying public places with murals that contain cultural and community relevance. Imagine how we might create a more peaceful, vibrant world by surrounding ourselves with beautiful art…

Sound of Flight Mural, Flagstaff, Az.
I’d like to see a world where scientists, politicians, and spiritual practitioners gathered around art to learn and share with each other towards creating a better world. Visual art can heal us, inspire us, and alter our brain chemistry leaving us filled with inspiration and love. We don’t need science to prove this to us but now that it has what are some ways that you will invoke art and creativity for your own spiritual journey?
Article by Jacob Devaney originally published here: Uplift--------

10 Ways Clothing Choices Can Impact Care for Creation

Frank Lesko
Clothing: Almost every decision we make about clothing can have an impact on other people as well as on the earth we all share.
READ ON ... 
The bread which you store up is the bread of the hungry;
the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked;
the shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.[St. Basil the Great]

…………………………
When people think about being more environmentally responsible, the first topics that come to mind usually involve transportation habits, utilities usage and food consumption. These are all very important. However, there is another area that we often overlook: Clothing. Almost every decision we make about clothing can have an impact on other people as well as on the earth we all share.
In honor of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, I offer the following. These are all very practical suggestions, but they can also be a gateway to a deeper spiritual exploration. See in these tips a nudge to focus, simplify, contemplate and rest. They can help us tune in better to our relationship with the earth and with our fellow humans.
Purchases
1. Buy Fewer Clothes. This is a hard one for Americans. We have become accustomed to accumulate–let’s get more and more. But ask yourself–do you really enjoy all of the outfits you own? Like most American men, I use the same half dozen shirts and pants while many other items hang in my closest and rarely see the light of day. I spend more time just managing all this extra stuff in storage than I do actually using it. Clothing is very resource intensive. The cotton grown is sprayed with more pesticides than most food crops and synthetic materials are petroleum based. Most clothing is also made by people exploited for barely subsistence wages. We can do better.
2. Donate Clothing. It is easy for me to hoard. Sometimes it is the quote from St. Basil above that helps me let go. I have possessions taking up space when there are poor people who could benefit from them. I keep some mementoes for nostalgia, and I try to purge the rest. It helps to think of it as just sharing it with someone else rather than truly letting it go.
3. Buy Second Hand Clothing. It’s not just ecological; it’s not just economical . . . it’s also fashionable! Why spend $30-60 on a pair of pants when you can get virtually the same item for $5? You may end up with a stylish retro wardrobe. It may take some hunting and pecking in order to find the right items, but you have to do that at retail stores, too. I know people who dress themselves almost entirely from thrift stores and they look every bit as sharp and stylish as people spending more money for the same items at retail prices. We can live smarter.
4. Consider Organic/Fairly Traded Clothes. This one is hard, as the availability of these items is still pretty low and the cost is often high. However, we must ask ourselves not why these items are so expensive, but rather why is most clothing so cheap? Chances are, that cost is being paid for in damage to the earth and abusive labor practices.
Laundry

5. Wash Clothes Less Often. I enjoy being clean as much as anybody, but let’s face it–a day at the office does not require a thorough wash with heavy duty laundry detergent. Wash socks and undergarments each time but pants, sweaters and shirts can often get multiple uses between washes. This saves water, reduces the environmental pollution from detergents and saves on your carbon footprint. Most importantly, it frees up time that you could spend with your family and on other nobler pursuits, such as allowing time for rest and for honoring God. We have been conditioned to think we have to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ and spend virtually all of our energy in this never-ending treadmill of consumption and busy-ness. Most of it is not necessary–all that extra work depletes us, depletes the environment, and gets in the way of our relationships and spirituality. We can re-learn how to be people who honor the Sabbath–rest and contemplation of God are so important. In fact, Pope Francis recently recognized “contemplation of creation” as a Spiritual Work of Mercy!
6. Let Nature Do The Drying. This has become controversial. In fact, there are many neighborhoods where it is prohibited to dry your clothes outdoors! Some of those neighborhoods are starting to change and allow this once again. In the meantime, you can get an indoor drying rack. Why spend money and pollution-producing energy spinning clothes in a clothes dryer when God has given us the sun and the wind for that very purpose? Maybe the climate in your area is not conducive to drying clothes this way year-round, but all of us can take advantage of it from time to time. I have a collapsible wooden drying rack from a local Amish builder, similar to the picture. I use it to hang clothes as well as house plants.
7. Use Ecologically Friendly Detergents. We are all downstream from some people and upstream from others. The earth is a fully integrated system. What goes down the drain goes to our neighbors, and we get what others have put down the drain previously. It goes into the topsoil, rivers and oceans. Animals and plants can be harmed.
8. Use Energy Efficient Machines.

When possible, find an Energy Star model. A good rule of thumb is to keep the machines you have and use them until they break down. Getting rid of working appliances in order to swap them out with more efficient models sounds great at first, but all the energy required to manufacture and transport a new appliance, plus all of the landfill waste that accumulates when it is thrown away, means that it is better to use what you have until it cannot be used any more.
9. Keep It Retro! I often find myself perusing the home fixer upper channels. All too often, I see a family on House Hunters walk into a perfectly functional house and declare that they would have to “upgrade” all of the appliances for something more stylish. I have to admit it is hard to watch that. I like style as much as anybody, but to throw away something that works perfectly fine just because it does not have a contemporary look seems wasteful. We ought to at least consider whether there are ethical implications of that decision. Can those used appliances be given to low-income families or will they just be thrown out? That is money we could use for other purposes, such as sharing with the poor. The time spent selecting, purchasing and installing new items could be time spent with our families, walking in nature or volunteering to help the needy.
10. Repair. How many times have we all thrown out a shirt just because it was missing a button? We should ask ourselves–is it really more convenient to get in your car, drive to the nearest retail outlet, select and purchase a new shirt, remove tags and drive back to your home than it is to simply sew on a new button? Some effective marketing has conditioned us to believe that buying something new is easier and more convenient–often, it is not.
As Pope Francis describes so well, being environmentally minded is not an isolated practice. How we treat our common home is also directly related to how we treat ourselves and our fellow human beings, especially the poor. It shows how we honor and regard God, too. In just these few examples, we can see that when we are wasteful with clothing choices, not only do we potentially harm God’s creation, but we can also waste our time, talent and treasure doing things that are very unnecessary. We can squander what God has given us running this never-ending treadmill of consumption. As St. Basil reminds us, that is all time, talent and treasure that could be mobilized to benefit the poor.
-------

Liturgy Selection

Statements of FaithMany churches are finding new words to express their common understandings, and by doing so can then revive the ancient practice of sharing aloud a common statement, as a testimony of faith rather than a test.
READ ON ...
-------
Statement of Faith
We believe in God, a divine presence, gentle and loving, the ground of our being.read more

Statement of Faith by Rev. Matthew Seargeant We believe in God, a divine presence, gentle and loving, the ground of our being.
We believe in Jesus, who demonstrated to us the love of God, and who urged
his followers to express that love in their daily lives.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, as God’s continuing presence in our world,
surrounding us in compassionate love.
We believe in the church where people gather to learn about and praise God,
to share our concern for one another, and to bring justice and healing to
all of God’s Creation. Amen.
Rev. Matthew J. Seargeant
Brea United Methodist Church — “A caring church for thinking people.”
408 North State College Boulevard
Brea, California 92821, United States
-------
A Poem of Faith
We look to experience the unknowable Power,
The Power behind the world of knowable things.read more

A Poem of Faith by John Schimminger
A Poem of Faith – Unison version and version for choral reading
We look to experience the unknowable Power,
The Power behind the world of knowable things,
The Power behind all becoming.
We call this Power “God,”The Creator, the Provider,
The Father, the Mother.
We desire to know that Truth,
The Truth behind Nature
And the moral understanding
Planted deep within the human heart.
We call this Truth
The “Word of God,” the Christ,
Jesus the human incarnation of God,
Our Brother, our Sister,
The Wisdom Teacher, the Way
Of compassion, justice, forgiveness and peace.
We seek the Source,
The giver of life, of understanding,
Of strength in virtue.
We call this Source the “Spirit of God,”
The Breath of God,
The Wind and Fire,
The Spirit of Imagination.
As in a vision now we see
The Power, the Truth, the Source
In one unending dance,
“Three in One, One in Three,”
One God of Abundance, Wisdom, Compassion.
Our human hearts are made to yearn
For relationship with God.
We embrace this yearning, and call it “Faith.”
And our faith is this,
The Good News for two thousand years:
“God is Love,
And those who abide in Love
Abide in God,
And God in them.”
A Poem of Faith
Women or those seated on the pulpit side:
We look to experience the unknowable Power,
The Power behind the world of knowable things,
The Power behind all becoming.
We call this Power “God,”
The Creator, the Provider,
The Father, the Mother.
Men or those seated on the lectern side:
We desire to know that Truth,
The Truth behind Nature
And the moral understanding
Planted deep within the human heart.
We call this Truth
The “Word of God,” the Christ,
Jesus the human incarnation of God,
Our Brother, our Sister,
The Wisdom Teacher, the Way
Of compassion, justice, forgiveness and peace.
Choir or all:
We seek the Source,
The giver of life, of understanding,
Of strength in virtue.
We call this Source the “Spirit of God,”
The Breath of God,
The Wind and Fire,
The Spirit of Imagination.
Celebrant:
As in a vision now we see
The Power, the Truth, the Source
In one unending dance,
“Three in One, One in Three,”
One God of Abundance, Wisdom, Compassion.
All:
Our human hearts are made to yearn
For relationship with God.
We embrace this yearning, and call it “Faith.”
And our faith is this,
The Good News for two thousand years:
“God is Love,
And those who abide in Love
Abide in God,
And God in them.”
John Schimminger
St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church, Buffalo, New York, United States-------

A Credo for Progressive Christians
We worship and adore God,
source, essence, and aim of all things,
spirit that enlivens all beings.read more

A Credo for Progressive Christians by Jim Burklo
We worship and adore God,
source, essence, and aim of all things,
spirit that enlivens all beings.
We follow the way of Jesus, who found God in himself
and shared a way for others to find God in themselves.
He was born through love,
He lived for love,
He suffered for love,
He died for love,
But love never dies.
We submit ourselves to the leadings of the love that is God,
that we may be compassionate to all beings,
that we may live and serve in community with others,
that we may ask for and offer forgiveness,
that we may praise and enjoy God forever. Amen!
From “Birdlike and Barnless: Meditations, Prayers and Songs for Progressive Christians” by Jim Burklo

-------

Click on Amazon Smile and choose ProgressiveChristianity.org as your charity - when you shop Amazon donates .05%.
-------

Events and Updates
Bishop Spong Update
Dear friends,
Many of you heard that Jack had a stroke last weekend. At this time Jack and his wife Christine are back in New Jersey and Jack is at a rehab facility. He continues to make a good recovery. At a minimum, the expectation is for almost 90% physical and 95%+ cognitive recovery.
We are grateful for all the positive energy you have sent and for holding him in your hearts. It was very heartwarming to Jack, Christine and all of us here to see the outpouring of love and your kind messages and posts. We will continue to post on his Facebook Page on his behalf and we'll update you when he is back to his regular writing schedule.
Go to Bishop Spong Facebook Page ...
View all upcoming events here!
News
Job Listings
-------
FacebookTwitterWebsiteEmailYouTube

Our mailing address is:
ProgressiveChristianity.org
4810 Point Fosdick Drive NorthWest#80

Gig Harbor, Washington 98335, United States
-------