Bananas :: Whole Trade

In the last two years of Randy's and my exposure to more of the injustice surrounding the harvesting and selling food products, it has become abundantly clear that there are 3 items that are by far the most tricky to buy without unknowingly being engaged in the sad cycle of inhumane treatment of workers, unfair wages, and unethical business practices.

The big three happen to be some of my most favorite things to consume: Cocoa + Coffee + Bananas.

Sorry to ruin your morning, but it's the truth, people!

I've already shared some info on how to find chocolate chips and hot cocoa that are free or fair trade... [you're welcome!] :)

Today, we're on to bananas! A great source of potassium, a sure electrolyte-replacing snack after a cardio workout, and the easiest fruit to eat on the run...

As a rule, Randy and I try to be more "pro" good companies then "anti" bad guys, but so far we aren't sure if Chiquita and Dole are good brands, so we look hard for Del Monte or Whole Trade. (And I hope to find out more about Chiquita and Dole before I tell you to ban them ;)

Did you know that Whole Foods has their own "Whole Trade" program? It's fantastic! Check it out. :) This blog may be of interest also...

Hot Chocolate :: Equal Exchange

I know my first week of researching slave-free goods focused on chocolate already, but let's face it -- if you enjoy chocolate, you probably enjoy it in more than one form.


Thus, last week it was chocolate chips, but this week, it's hot chocolate! Perfect for this unexpectedly gloomy Southern California weather. :)

I'm learning that there are quite a few labels to look for when trying to buy conscientiously. Equal Exchange is a great one to look for because they are a smaller group that have more control over how goods are traded. They specifically focus on 
working with small farmer co-ops.

Their hot cocoa is fantastic. I found it at this awesome shop in Pasadena, Ten Thousand Villages. This store is a great place to find handmade gifts that are fairly traded. In fact, they were voted one of 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere. Pretty cool, right?

Chocolate Chips :: slave-free

So, last week I decided to start a journey...

Each week I want to choose a product that I consume on a regular basis and seek to find companies that sell this product with a slave-free labor process. In Randy's and my studies on Christian Ethics and pursuit of justice in a holistic sense, rather than merely boycott companies that are known to have unethical standards, we are trying to support those that are working hard to keep high ethical standards. (Positive reinforcement, anyone?)

Some ways of finding these *safe* products are to look for key words on the packaging like:

*Direct Trade*
*Fair Trade*
*Slave-free*
*Free Trade*

Of course, as with any system, there are those companies who carry these labels without complete adherence to the guidelines, but for those of us who are new to the whole idea of being more aware of how our buying can be a part of the modern-day slavery that goes on (i.e. child labor, unfair wages, unhealthy work environments, etc.), this is a good place to start.

This week, I chose one of my favorite food items: Chocolate Chips.

I love baking with Chocolate Chips, eating a handful when I have a craving for sweets or chocolate, and melting them for chocolate-dipped wonderfulness (strawberries, pretzels, etc.)...

After some research this week, I have concluded that the following are *good* companies to look for when you purchase these delightful morsels:

*Guittard (can be bought through Amazon; or their company website)

*Sunspire (can be bought through Amazon and sometimes at other stores like Wal-Mart)

*Divine Chocolate (sold at Coffee By the Books (Fuller bookstore); in Orange at Third World Gifts and Handarts; or online at the LWR[Lutheran World Relief] website)

*A place you can often find Fair Trade and/or Direct Trade products is your local Whole Foods. See their special "Whole Trade" featured items to help you know which companies are working towards an ethical business model.

Enjoy eating some slave-free chocolate this week!

Empty jars

Yesterday, Sandie Morgan [of the Global Center for Women and Justice @ Vanguard] began a two-week class on Human Trafficking at our church.


She used 2 Kings chapter 4 [the story of Elisha and the widow with olive oil] as her text from which to bring out some principles on a biblical way to respond to and prevent slavery:


*Elisha first asked the widow questions rather than responding immediately with the answers to her problem


*Among his questions to her were: How can I help you? and What do you have at home?


*The community got involved by responding to the widow's request for empty jars


*The woman was then empowered to become a "businesswoman" in that she could now sell olive oil to pay her debts


*The same community members who gave the empty jars then became the buyers/recipients of the olive oil that miraculously appeared


This picture of a holistic approach to helping a woman who, due to large debts, was about to give her sons as slaves for the payment of said debt, shows how the community involvement in empowering the woman in finding her own livelihood can actually be sustainable. The story ended with the woman becoming a contributing part of society and being able to keep her sons from slavery.


I'm struck by the concepts of *what's in your house?* and *collect empty jars*. There are undoubtedly things in my "house" (resources, skills, time, etc.) to be offered in the fight against injustice (specifically to the anti-trafficking cause) and who doesn't have some "empty" jars lying around that seem useless because they are depleted of the resource they once held. Maybe it's not my responsibility in every case to provide a "full" jar to God in my quest to promote a more just world.


Walking away from this class, I was struck by dialogue on how my purchasing is intertwined with justice across the globe. Conscientious buying (of my groceries, my clothes, etc.) is deeply tied to the ethical treatment of laborers, which is inextricably embedded in the problem of human trafficking. Knowing that debt is the primary reason people end up in slavery (whether that results in sex trafficking or trafficking involving labor), I am compelled to start being more informed in my buying.


Thus, I offer an empty jar of my own: a journey of researching products that I use in order to find out which companies are committed to the fair treatment of and wages for their workers. It is a spiritual practice I am engaging in, with the goal of searching out one product a week in order to find an ethical company from which to buy from.


This week's product: chocolate chips. :) 
Research results: in the works (but coming by the end of the week!).


What empty jars might you have in your house?

Hedgehogs and Psalm 139

The newest knitting project has made me think more deeply about the Scripture, "You knit me together in my mother's womb..." (Psalm 139:13). As I knit each stitch, I think about how God puts so much attention into each little detail of our lives.

Naked, mummy-looking body of hedgehog... 

Body plus "spikes" (dark brown on the back...)

Mama Phillips -- this hedgy is for her baby! When we find out if it's a baby girl or boy, we'll add a colorful scarf to make hedgy complete :)

Happy hedgy waiting for baby Phillips to come give it some love!

Hedgy #2 for Baby Micaiah :)...

is now complete!

Pattern found here

Stations of the Cross

Thanks to the hospitality of the beautiful St. James Anglican Church in Newport Beach, I was able to capture pictures of a few of the stations of the cross.

May these pictures draw you into the passion of Jesus Christ in a fresh way this Lenten Season. 

 (John 19:6, 15-17)

(Mark 15:21)

(Luke 23:27-31)

(John 19:1-3)

(Luke 23:44-46)

**Though the stations have been primarily used by the Catholic church, they are a wonderful way for any follower of Christ to meditate upon the painful road Jesus took to his place of crucifixion. 

**The prayer behind these images is that one can use them as a springboard into contemplating the various aspects of Jesus' journey by visualizing what it might have been like as he walked along the path to his death. The stations help break down the journey into smaller segments so as to more easily enter into the journey with Jesus in his suffering, rather than to move too quickly over this aspect of Holy Week. 

**Some of the stations are not recounted in the gospel narratives and can be passed over if one is uncomfortable with them. 

Lenten Thoughts

As I continue in my training to become a spiritual director, my heart keeps dreaming of creative ways to offer my education and learnings to more people...


Thus, my time spent with my friend Kristi is continually a picture of the possibilities of combining spiritual reflective practices with silence and beauty for half-day retreats open to anyone. Read more about Kristi and her Reflective Retreats here.


Last weekend, we spent most of our Saturday "alone together" with several others focusing on entering into the suffering and passion of Christ during the week leading up to his death and resurrection.


This station struck me in an extraordinary way that cold, dreary Saturday. The rainy gloominess of the day was strangely fitting for the subject at hand...

I was struck by the moments of intense exhaustion, fatigue, and even overwhelming heaviness of the burden of the cross that Jesus bore on the long walk up to the hill where he would be crucified. The stirrings in my heart touched on the many moments in the last few years of heaviness, sadness, grief and overwhelming brokenness which I have experienced in response to life around me and those dear to me -- the death of loved ones, loss of relationships, illness, and unexplained pain and suffering. Comfort encompassed me as I received the truth of Christ's ability to resonate with the feeling of being so weighed down by the sadness and sinful reality of the world, that even he fell to the ground on his journey to his destination. Even he needed the body of Christ (as seen in the person of Simon) to help him carry the load laid upon him.