Turning Green Beans Into Coffee (My First Shot at Coffee Roasting)

After a friend of mine had a strange dream in which I requested her help to make coffee using canned green beans and rice and another friend made me an excellent cup of coffee using his home-roasted beans, I decided to buy some green beans (coffee beans, though, not the Jolly Green Giant variety) and attempt to roast them.

After receiving many recommendations to roast outdoors because of the smell, being the contrarian that I am decided to roast inside using the oven roasting method outlined here – partially because I didn’t think it could smell that bad and also because I didn’t feel like getting out our backpacking stove (because, you know, that would be so much work).

While I’m not sure my coffee beans will be any good (they are a bit light and uneven because I tried roasting too many at once), the house didn’t end up smelling too bad. And I didn’t burn anything down.

Here’s the process in pictures:

Step One: Select the Proper Amount of Beans to Roast

Step Two: Prepare The Makeshift Roaster

Step Three: Open All Doors and Windows Nearby

Step Four: Roast at 500° for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently

Step Five: Set Roasted Beans in Something Else to Cool Down and Sift out Chaff

Step Six: Let Beans Cool and Air Out

The Reason It’s So Hard to Love Your Neighbor in America…

…is that we set the bar so low.

A few times a week I walk by this sign in our neighborhood. 

And now, a targum on Galatians 5:14:

All the Law has been fulfilled in a single statement: Clean up your dog’s crap.

Technology is a Vampire (or Why Facebook Will Eat Your Soul)

There’s this song where Jack Black is singing about a duel with the devil and the devil approaches him “and his brother Kyle, here” and challenges him to, on the spot, compose and play the greatest and best song in the world or else “I’ll eat your soul.”

And that’s kind of what technology does to us. Not challenging us to musical duels, but eating our souls.

I speak in hyperbole, but only a little. I’ve written before that I am a Luddite and that I Don’t Get Twitter. I’ve recently deleted almost all of the apps on my phone and stopped checking Facebook and Twitter for an indeterminate amount of time.

My goal is not to cut myself off from technology and social media but attempt to retrain the part of my brain that seemingly was hardwired into checking for “updates” more often than necessary. And, you know, ask good questions over meals with the people who exist within the real sphere of my existence (rather than the digital sphere).

I had a fun conversation yesterday with my friend Matt. One thing about Matt is that he loves technology and has a very beautiful and hopeful vision for how technology can play a positive role in our life (and, even more uniquely, in the life of Christian/faith communities).

I really like Matt and I really like the work he does to critically integrate technology, relationships, creativity, and spirituality together.

But I’m not as hopeful as him about our ability to harness technology. I’m a Jayber Crow-loving dystopian who believes that technology harnesses us rather than the other way around.

Facebook sets out to connect us “with friends and the world around us” but doesn’t it actually disconnect us with the actual world around us and give us tools we need to spy and slander and “shallowize” relationships instead of deepen them?

Twitter lets you “find out what’s happening right now” but isn’t its 140-character limit really an invitation to dismissal of others rather than true dialogue?

Instagram is a place to “capture and share the world’s moments” but it’s really about what you ate for breakfast, yeah?

Can we utilize technology for good before it utilizes us?

Does social media provide social capital that we can spend in ways that better, deepen, and enrich the human experience?

Or is technology/social media primarily benefitting the data-mining corporations at the expense of our relational capital?

Is Facebook really eating our souls?

 

How To Make a DIY Pallet Coffee Table (and a Bonus “DIY Guide to Writing DIYs”)

1. IICDIYCDI = If I can do it, you can do it. And IICDI, trust me, YCDI. (Note: I’ve also included a DIY Guide to Writing DIYs in this post so watch for that in blue.)
2. (When you write DIY project reports, you ALWAYS tell why you DESPERATELY NEEDED to do the project you are about to brag about, so I did that here for you.) I wanted to make a coffee table for a shared office because I bought a little rug from Ikea on clearance and it just begged for a coffee table to go on top of it. (At this point you want to include a picture to whet their whistle.) Here’s a picture so you know what I’m talking about.
3. (This is where I make it sound so easy when, in fact, it actually is not so easy unless your brain is wired this way.) The first task was envisioning the table and collecting the pieces. I wanted something using as many reclaimed/repurposed items as possible to create a very useful coffee table while retaining the rustic, vintage, chic, hipster character of the original items  (You have to use a lot of these adjectives to describe your DIY projects if you want anyone else to think it’s cool and/or worthwhile.).
4. Every time I’m in my car, I have on my “junk finder” goggles that help me see other people’s trash as my future treasures so I’m always on the lookout for pallets, tires, and other gems to jam into the hatchback and dump in our backyard. (This is where I brag about my neighborhood and how lucky I am to find everything I need so easily when the reader will likely never encounter a pallet on the side of the road and will end up paying for one on craigslist or at Anthropologie.) I have found so many awesome items on the side of the road that have become staples in our backyard – tables and chairs, pallets, picket fencing, large tiered wooden structures, and even a kitten. All you have to do is keep both eyes on the sidewalks while driving and you’ll be amazed at what you find. (Again, chances are you will never find anything good, but keep trying.)
5. (Watch out, here comes the obligatory confession of near-failure to make you feel not so bad about the huge foible you are bound to do when trying this at home.) I found a GREAT pallet a few blocks from my house that I dragged home by hand. I used a sawzall/reciprocating saw to chop the pallet in half because it was way too big for a coffee table and (here’s where I give a little shout-out to all the other creative things I do and how great my life is to have a woodpile out back.) I needed half of it for my woodpile.I kept the half-pallet I saved in the garage because I didn’t want it to get rained on (you have to include such obvious details so no one can come back at you and whine and/or sue you because of their wet, warped, and/or moldy pallet). As it turns out, I decided this pallet would be way too heavy and thought about scrapping the project for good (not really, but saying this makes you feel better about all the projects you’ve scrapped in the past).
6. This left me at square one until I happened to find the PERFECT pallet just blocks from my house outside of a storefront that’s being renovated for a new local coffee roaster (again, bragging about the neighborhood is key here). There were two pallets and a few pieces of plywood, but I had to leave one of the pallets because it wouldn’t fit in my car (saying stuff like this, that “there was so much stuff on the sidewalk I had to leave perfectly good pallets behind,” is key because it makes people drool with jealousy since most will never be able to find a pallet on their own). The pallet I found was thicker than normal and better wood, so I immediately thought KNEW it would be a perfect tabletop for my project.
7. My LHS (use abbreviations like LHS to talk about your local hardware store to indicate DIY-superiority) is going out of business (of course, your’s isn’t, so you will not find prices nearly this good anywhere) and I made a few trips there to buy spray paint and pipes, all at 50% off normal price. I paid about $8.50 for everything I needed. (No matter how much you spend, say it’s under $10 so everyone is amazed at how cheap it is to DIY when, in fact, it’s not that cheap.) The only thing I couldn’t find at the hardware store were the flanges needed to secure the pipe legs to the tabletop so I had to buy them on a major retail website (everyone knows you’re talking about Amazon, but don’t say Amazon or link directly to the product to add mystique and/or uniqueness to your project). The flanges also cost no more than $7.49 (say this even though they cost more, see two comments ago if confused).
8. Finally, I had collected all the pieces. Now, the hard part – finding the time to put it together (LOL!!!!! (DIYers like to LOL!! at stuff like this since our lives are SO busy and it is so difficult to find time to keep track of all the little projects we have going on at once)). Finally I had a free Saturday and was able to sand down the tabletop with an old sanding block (lie and say you used an old sanding block instead of the orbital sander you ACTUALLY used in order to make it sound like you are a lot heartier and intense than you actually are) and then sprayed a light coat of primer spray paint, followed by two light coats of London Fog gray spray paint.  Not too thick, or you’ll cover up the wood grain and have drippy drops of paint running down your table (You should always list one or two errors/pitfalls you would never make but other people probably will). I also spray painted the pipe legs a bright, glossy Colonial Red. I left the flanges and end caps their natural pipe-y color.
9. Next, I screwed in the flanges and secured the legs. I’ll be honest, this was the most rewarding part – knowing that I was in the final stretch of the project. There were even some tears (there weren’t, but saying there were adds to the sense of accomplishment).
10. Finally, the project was complete and I was able to enjoy the coffee table. It looks just GREAT and I COULDN’T be happier. (You really have to sell the completed project as having really filled a giant hole in your life or no one will want to make a coffee table or any other DIY project of their own. It always helps to include a picture with you gathered with family and friends enjoying whatever it is you just built, so everyone can actually see how happy this project made you.)

The Blessing of the Animals (or Why I Will Pray for Your Turtle on Sunday)

This weekend Kairos will be offering a Blessing of the Animals at one of our favorite little coffee shops in Silverlake, Mornings and Nights. Traditionally, churches (mainly Catholic and Anglican) have offered this blessing in conjunction with the feast day of St. Francis, October 4. We’re not Catholic or Anglican, and we live in Los Angeles (which means we’re never on time) so we’re doing it this coming Sunday.

The traditional blessing of the animals offers this prayer:

Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.

If you look at the amount of money Americans spend on their pets, it can be overwhelming and even sickening. (For example, it was estimated that in 2012, Americans would spend over $370 million on…pet costumes.) And on top of that, I am allergic to cats, dogs, and bees so I’m not the world’s biggest animal love.

While that statistic about pet costume-spending should give us pause and call our habit’s into question, there’s something very good and life-giving about the relationship between humans and animals. So the idea of connecting with neighbors who care deeply for animals, to me, is not only a meaningful endeavor, but also a fun way to spend time being present with the normal routines of our pet-owning hipster neighbors.

Thinking a bit deeper, I think there’s (at least) two good theological reasons to bless animals and pets this weekend.

(1) Animals are, together with us, part of God’s good creation. With us, they are commanded to be fruitful and multiply, and as humans we are charged with tending and caring for our shared mandate: to be fruitful and multiply, to bring joy and spread life throughout the earth we have been given.

With God, we look out at creation and see that it is good so we bless the animals for the joy they bring and their part in the goodness of our world.

(2) Animals are, together with us, part of God’s redemptive work. Just as God works through humans, he also works through animals. Like the dove Noah sent out to find dry land. Like the donkey who spoke to a stubborn prophet. Like the ravens who provided food for Elijah. Like the wild animals present with Jesus in the wilderness.

Francis, one of the church’s saints, is remembered for his love of animals. He would speak to them, preach to them, and bless them, and in doing so point towards a world where animals and humans alike could share in and participate in God’s redemption.

With Francis, we can look at the animals and see signposts of the redemptive work of God, so we bless them for their role in the redemption and renewal of all things.

So, this Sunday, we’ll be blessing the pets. So far we’ve heard from dog owners, cat owners, and turtle owners that they’ll be lining up for the blessing. We might even get a few birds, snakes and hamsters, and we’ll bless them too.

What do you think?

Bike To Work Day

We call it our favorite holiday of the year.

Bike to Work Day.

• Free bike rides on all metro buses and trains.
• Free breakfast in Pasadena.
• Free “swag” at various pit stops around town (we found four different stops this morning and picked up items including water bottles, bags, wrench sets, bike patch kits, cliff bars, energy drinks, and coupons for free smoothies at Whole Foods).
• Chat with other cyclists.
• Show up to work late wearing a “Bike to Work Day” t-shirt.

It’s an annual tradition with my bike-riding friends and we have a blast.

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The Printed Word, the Digital Word, and the Word of God

For many of us in the developed world (and probably also in many parts of the developing world), technology is taking or already has taken over our lives. And our churches.

It’s rare to find anyone singing out of a hymnal. Pastoral texts and emails are more common than pastoral visits. People without access to the internet are the new “shut-ins.”

When I got a smartphone, I downloaded an app or two for reading the Bible. There’s easy access to reading plans that don’t require bookmarks or flipping pages. You can switch and check different translations with the touch of a button. You can highlight, share, email, or tweet whatever to whomever whenever. You can even find commentaries and other reading helps to assist you as you read through various parts of the Bible. It’s become more and more common for people to pull out their phones anytime they’re asked to “take out their Bible.”

These features are kind of nice, but I don’t think that technology is making us better readers of Scripture. 

I mentioned last week when I wrote 4 Reasons You Should Try A New Bible Translation that I received a copy of the Common English Bible to read, review, and (perhaps) rave about. I’ve enjoyed reading the CEB; it’s been my default YouVersion translation, and I’ve really enjoyed reading the actual copy (Black, thinline with apocrypha). It sits well. The font is readable. It feels good in my hands, and, for me, there’s just something about sitting down with a real copy of a book and reading it. And it reminded me that I like reading a printed Bible more than a digital Bible.

I’ve been struggling to push myself past purely informational reading to transformational reading. I find it extremely hard to read a digital copy of the Bible in deep and formative ways. It’s too easy to scroll quickly and try to check off all the boxes. It’s too easy to swap apps and be checking my email or Words with Friends instead. I realize that this is an issue with me and will power and intentionality, but a meme-driven techno-culture has not trained me well to spend meaningful, quality, and careful time in a digital environment, and I doubt I’m alone in that.

But it’s not just about me and my personal reading. Few in our church community bring a Bible to our weekly gathering (apart from the one on their cell phone), and it’s been a tough challenge to try to encourage people to change their habits. When the Bible is read to our community, it’s not uncommon to have someone read from their phone’s Bible app. With projected Scriptures up front for everyone to see, on the surface there seems to be little apparent value in having a copy in front of you. I think the digital world which gave us the digital word is affecting our understanding of the word of God. 

I have some more thoughts, but am curious if there are any other thoughts out there.

• Have you noticed a change in how you read the Bible in the age of YouVersion and Bible Gateway?

• How has technology affected the way your congregation reads the Bible together in gathered worship?

• What might be the long-term ramifications (for good or for ill) of all this?

If you’d like a softcover copy of the CEB, leave a comment and interact with some part of this post below. One random commenter will get a copy sent to them (you’ll need to send me your address if you are selected – US only [publisher’s rules, sorry!]). [Last week’s winner was Worth!]

Note: A copy of the CEB was sent to me by the publishers, and they are stirring up thoughts in my mind about the Bible, the Scriptures, the sacred text, the inspired word of God, etc. and I am posting those thoughts here. 

What I Do When I’m Not Writing Here

I haven’t written much lately. Here’s some things I do when I’m not writing here.

• Plan services for Ash Wednesday.
• Cultivate and curate the East Hollywood Succulent Garden Project (this is actually not a thing, I just like trying to grow succulents in the backyard and house).
• Dream about new ways to see relationships develop into community which develops into formative environments for growth and discipleship and mission.
• Visit Missouri.
• Read books for fun (like Jonathan Safran Foer, and I have a long list of “must reads” from my friend Cory).
• Read books for “work” (I put work in quotations because these are fun, too), particularly books that might be formative/helpful to launch conversations and new ways of thinking in our community.
• Conspire with housemates about new ways to connect and engage our neighbors and our neighborhood.
• Make plans for adventures – here and potentially here.
• Eat at great restaurants, and cook/eat amazing things at home.
• Spend time as a learner, follower, and disciple.
• Sell stuff on craiglist.
• Watch our cat do funny things.

Just thought you might want to know.

My Top Ten Albums of 2011

Here they are in order:

1. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

I really like this album. I’ve listened to it a lot. Sometimes I listen to it on repeat. Here’s a little confession: I don’t know any of the words. I’m not sure, though, if you’re supposed to know the words. To me, the beauty of this album is that it conveys emotions and feelings through the sound of the lyrics, rather than the ideas expressed in the lyrics. At least that’s what I get when I listen to it. It’s all relative, right? (sounds like pop postmodernism/emo/hipsterism, which is fitting for Bon Iver)

 

2-10. _______________

I don’t know if I really listened to any albums that came out in 2011 other than Bon Iver, so I’ll just leave these blank.

Disclaimer: I did actually listen to several other albums that came out in 2011, and I even liked some of them. I just really, really liked Bon Iver this year. 

Book 3: Incarceron (Fisher)

This one was just for fun. A sci-fi young adult novel from a few years back with a tagline “This prison is alive.” Oh yeah, and is it ever alive! I will probably spoil the story a bit below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to read the book.

Incarceron is the story of Finn “looks like Giles” Starseer and Claudia “supposed to marry Giles” Arlexa, separated by the fact that one of them is incarcerated in Incarceron, a tiny prison created centuries ago to contain all of the poor, destitute, and criminals. It was supposed to be a prison paradise, but over the years things have gone terribly wrong and now it’s more like…a real prison. Finn and Claudia are connected by matching communication keys and work together to free Finn from Incarceron so they can begin to set things right in the outside world.

Fun book. I may have read too fast, but some of the story was a bit muddled for my taste. But I may pick up the sequel next time I’m in the mood!

This is Book 3 of hopefully many that will be read and posted about during Christmas Break 2011!