Farm Church: A Literal Ton of Food
Imagine with me… a church that chooses deliberately not to have a building but instead, be an embodied community together that cares for land and leverages all the resources of that land to address food insecurity by farming together…
That’s what we’re doing in Durham, North Carolina.
www.farmchurch.org
And I’m so glad that I get to participate from my home state in Michigan. 
When we meet on Sunday to harvest some more of the vegetables, we will have crossed the threshold of giving away 2,000 lbs. of food this year. That’s quite literally a ton of food!
Do you know what else weighs one ton?
An adult, female elephant.
A baby blue whale.
A hippo.
This is beautiful.
— Renee Roederer
A Voice through the Door by Rumi
“A Voice through the Door” by Rumi
Coleman Barks, Translator
Sometimes you hear a voice through the door
calling you, as fish out of water
hear the waves, or a hunting falcon
hears the drum’s Come back. Come back.
This turning toward what you deeply love
saves you. Read the book of your life,
which has been given you.
A voice comes to your soul saying,
Lift your foot. Cross over.
Move into emptiness
of question and answer and question.
Playing with AI: Introspective Bumper Stickers
Last week, I shared that I ended up behind a car with an introspective bumper sticker. It read, “WHO AM I TO JUDGE”
In that post, I came up with a few additional ideas for introspective bumper stickers, and I asked you what you would create.
Now I’ve asked ChatGPT for some ideas, and ChatGPT delivered:
“Do I smell toast, or is that just me?
“”Why do I always talk to myself?”
“Do penguins have knees?”
“Am I secretly a superhero?”
“Did I leave my brain at home?”
“Why is there no ‘Z’ in the alphabet song?” (Renee: Here I am thinking introspectively… ” But isn’t there one? I think there is one… yes?”)
“Is it socially acceptable to wear pajamas to work?”
“What if I accidentally summoned a demon?”
“Do aliens think we’re weird?”
“Did I just swallow a bug?”
“Is my car judging me?”
“Can I claim napping as a hobby?”
“Do fish get thirsty?”
“Am I an NPC in someone else’s game?”
“Why do I argue with my GPS?”
“Did I just run over a speed bump or a really big squirrel?”
“Do ghosts get stuck in traffic?”
“Am I a potato in disguise?”
“Is my life secretly a reality TV show?”
“Why do I laugh at my own jokes?”
“Is my cat plotting against me?”
“Did I just invent a new dance move?”
“Why do I forget everything except song lyrics?”
“Am I a wizard and don’t know it?”
“Do clouds have feelings?”
“Why is it always the last place I look?”
“Is my mirror lying to me?”
“Did I just time travel?”
“Do trees eavesdrop on our conversations?”
“Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy?”
Enjoy imagining these on the back of cars!
— Renee Roederer/Chat GPT
SCOTUS: As of this week…
. . . Cities can arrest us when we’re homeless and sleeping outside because we have no other place to go or afford,
yet…
. . . the President of the United States can assassinate us, arrest us, call the national guard on us, or orchestrate a coup on us with immunity as long as it’s an “official” executive action of that Presidency, or something that a Congress in cahoots also supports, or something that Congress allows, because I don’t know, because they could be killed “officially” too…
No matter who is elected, this year or well into the future, this dichotomy and more like it should absolutely bring us to resolve to take care of one another. We need one another and all our gifts, talents, and supports lifting one another up.
— Renee Roederer
Mental Health Monday: We All Need Affirmation
Nick Cho (@nickcho) is a great follow on Instagram. He’s our “Korean Dad,” and he loves to build us up.
I hope you know this is true!
This Week in Nature
Neato Curiosities: 27 Facts That Will Make You Question Your Existence
Support for Smuggling Grace — Thank You!
Hello, Dear Friends,
I want to take a moment to thank you personally for following my writing on Smuggling Grace. Each week, I enjoy connecting with you here. I greatly appreciate the ways you add yourselves and initiate conversations within these pieces. Thank you so much.
Twice per year, I like to invite people to give a gift to support this work. Donations large and small allow me to keep writing free of charge, and that support also contributes toward the larger vision of what I am doing in Southeast Michigan as well.
If these pieces have been meaningful to you, and you are able to give, would you like to contribute $5 or $10? No gift is too small, and every bit is appreciated!
Click here to support Smuggling Grace.
Your presence is also a gift. Many thanks to you all!
Renee Roederer
Introspective Bumper Stickers
While at a stop light, I saw a car ahead with a bumper sticker that took me by surprise: “WHO AM I TO JUDGE,” it read.
This took me by surprise because… aren’t bumper stickers often identity-claiming at best and highly-judgmental at worst? And pretty frequently? I wonder what motivated this driver to paste, “WHO AM I TO JUDGE” on their car.
Maybe it invites me to ask that question of myself. Or maybe it means, “Hey, don’t judge my driving!” Or “Just letting you know I’m not judging you and your terrible driving?”
Or maybe it just means what it means: Maybe it’s an introspective question.
And this has me wondering what other sort of introspective bumper stickers we could create for ourselves and others.
Perhaps…
“Am I being kind?”
“Am I living my values?”
“Have I ever apologized for that pain I caused you?”
“What would my dog say about me?”
“Did I turn off the oven?”
Possibilities abound. What introspective bumper stickers would you create?
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 