It is Christmas Eve.  Here in St. Louis the temperature hovers around 10 degrees this morning but I’m soon headed to a milder climate to be with family and friends.  That means no posting here for a day or two (unless something important happens like NASA announces an asteroid is heading toward earth).  Merry Christmas.

PS.  My favorite part of the asteroid story is the NASA illustration of what the end of the earth will look like.

Dear Family and Friends,

Without question this has been the biggest year of our lives. On July 8, 2004, we welcomed Katherine Chalmers Currie and Frances Bright Currie into the world. They remain perfect in nearly every way (with the one notable exception of their lackadaisical sleeping habits).

Time flies when you have two babies. It has been two years since we bought our house in Webster Groves, got married, and moved out to Missouri from Portland. Both of us are counting the days until we can return to Oregon (sometime in early-to-mid 2006). Liz is working full time at the house taking care of the children (and some might argue her husband). Chuck is in seminary full time and working part time with St. John United Church of Christ.

We’ve managed to take the babies to Oregon, Washington, California, and South Carolina to visit relatives during brief breaks at the seminary. They’ve met family from across the globe. One special treat was when we surprised Chuck’s grandfather, Rock Bright, by bringing the twins to Puget Island, Washington where he was vacationing with family. Rock loved meeting his great-granddaughters.

Judy Bright (Chuck’s mom) and Alice Smith (Liz’s mom) were both able to be with us the week the twins were born. Alice stayed on for two extra weeks to help out around the house. Chalmers and Carolyn Smith, Liz’s dad and step-mother have also visited. A few of our close friends have also made the trek out here to Missouri over the course of the last years. Visitors are always welcomed and even encouraged.

We hope that all of you have a wonderful holiday season.

Love, Chuck and Liz

A few days ago, I e-mailed back and forth with an early mentor of mine: former US Congressman Les AuCoin.  Les served Oregon’s First Congressional District from 1975-1993.  While there he fought for light rail for the metro area, fought to stop the Reagan arms build up, and supported important programs designed to fight homelessness and poverty.  I was a very precocious kid when he let me volunteer on his 1982 re-election campaign.  After that I volunteered on all the rest of his races.  His staff took me under their wing, invited me to staff lunches, and let me sit in on meetings to learn about the issues.  They were wonderful to me.  Les was one of the most honorable public servants Oregon ever sent to Congress.  He keeps busy these days by teaching, writing, and offering commentary on public radio.  Visit his homepage and catch up with one of Oregon’s best political leaders.

Most of my holiday shopping occurs on Christmas Eve.  It has become a tradition.  My gift buying normally reflects my values.  I try and buy gifts from local artists, stores where unions help provide decent wages and good benefits, and markets that sell goods from outside the country that have been obtained at a fair price instead of at the hands of sweatshop labor.

Eric Berg is a Portlander who I have known since my high school days (he might have already been in college).  These days he is working with the Portland Jobs with Justice Faith - Labor Committee, a group associated with the national Interfaith Worker Justice (formerly known as the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice.

Interfaith Worker Justice has published a holiday guidebook that contains a list of places you can feel good about buying from.  I read through it today and found it very helpful.  The four-page booklet can be downloaded by clicking here.

They also have a great newsletter that you can read by clicking here.  Their stories showcase efforts in cities across the nation to link religious groups to the concerns and needs of workers in the United States and beyond.

And if the name Eric Berg rings a bell for you there might be a reason.  This guy will do just about anything to bring attention to justice issues.  Even tease the FBI. 

I’m out sick today. So go over and visit WWP’s ever-cool blog.

Link: worldwide pablo: ThURLSday reprise.

My friend Zaher Wahab was profiled (again) in The Oregonian today.  Zaher is a professor at the graduate school of education at Lewis and Clark College. Liz was actually one of his students when she got her masters degree.  Over the last few years he has made repeated trips back to his home in  Afghanistan to help rebuild that nation’s education system.  He left Afghanistan to obtain his bachelors at Beirut University and later earned a PhD from Stanford University.  This well educated man lives in the same building as my friends Alan Bogner and Mollie Copeland.  Both Mollie and Alan worked with me at Portland’s Goose Hollow Family Shelter.  Zaher offered to be our shelter custodian.  For several years he would arrive each morning (by 6am) to clean-up the shelter before going home to change and head-off to Lewis and Clark to teach.  He sent his meager wages from the job back to Afghanistan to help his family, buy school books for children, and even to build a well.  We became good friends during his time at the shelter. 

For many Oregonians he became the face of Afghanistan after 9/11.  His public presentations on that nation drew hundreds of people nearly everywhere he went.  Zaher was a vocal opponent of the bombing campaign and the later war in Iraq. 

Zaher Wahab is an amazing man.  This picture is of Zaher and our daughter Katherine during our trip back to Portland in late-August and early September.  He'll be giving a free talk at Lewis and Clark on December 7th for those in the area.     

My thoughts are prayers tonight are with my friend Heather Hyland. Shelby Hyland, Heather’s beautiful niece, died in an accident on Thursday afternoon in Woodburn, Oregon. We didn’t learn about the accident until returning today from California. All of the Hyland family members are wonderful and caring people. Please join me in praying for Shelby's parents, Heather, and their extended family during this time of terrible loss. Alexa, Shelby’s friend, also died in the accident and several people were injured. I pray for all of them as well.

Oregon bloggers Susan and Sheryl had a baby girl (Kennedy!) on Wednesday. I’ve been reading their pregnancy updates over these last many months and we’ve corresponded a few times on baby matters. It is so exciting to hear the news. Our own little ones, Frances and Katherine, send their best to the family. So do their parents. Welcome, little Kennedy!

Liz and I are watching the small explosion now taking place on Mt. St. Helens as it is carried on CNN and KGW.com. My sister Jennifer just called and can see the eruption out her office window. Very exciting (as long as everyone stays safe).

I was eleven years old and living in Portland on May 18, 1980. A telephone call from the newsroom at KOIN-TV woke up our family shortly after 8am. My father worked at the television station as the program director. He let me tag along and head off to the station with him where I spent the next 12 hours or so fetching coffee for Mike Donahue and the other reporters as they covered the biggest story in modern Northwest history. Driving into downtown we could see the huge mushroom cloud over the mountain on what I remember being a hazy morning. KOIN compiled their coverage into a documentary and companion book called Mt. St. Helens: The Volcano Explodes (if I remember the title correctly) that my father helped produce.

My friend Paul Nickell (aka WWP) lost his mother and step-father on that Sunday morning. For me the day was like a great adventure. Paul has a very different memory. On the 20th anniversary of May 18th we went together to the dedication of a new memorial on Mt. St. Helens that lists Paul’s parents as among the lost. Make sure you visit his site to hear Paul's story.

In the meantime, enjoy the show.

Photo credit: The above photo from May 18, 1980 comes from the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

My good friend Paul Nickell is back blogging after his summer vacation. His blog, Worldwide Pablo, is the first site I read - so go take a look.

worldwide pablo: "What I Did On My Summer Vacation"

Our Portland adventure continues in full swing today. This morning we drove from my mother’s house on Puget Island, Washington to visit folks at Portland’s First United Methodist Church. This was the congregation I served as director of community outreach before leaving for seminary. Then it was off to North Plains for lunch with friends Bill Pressly, Carole Douglas and Jim Barlow. My sister Heather and her husband Rick hosted us later in the afternoon. We returned to southeast Portland for dinner with Liz’s cousin Susan and her family. Our final event was a reception for us throw by Janet and Henry Miller. Many of our old friends were there. Mayoral candidate Tom Potter dropped by with his wife to say hello right after his big event with Howard Dean. That is him in this picture with Liz and I and the babies. I’ll be posting a lot more pictures from the day when we get near some high speed internet access.

We've got more photos of the twins on our homepage. You can see photos of them coming home last week and our outing this evening to the campus of Eden Theological Seminary. Katherine and Frances are some darn cute kids. Frances is the one in this picture.

WWP - Oregon United Methodist lay leader, blogger and FOC - is writing about the church, gay rights, and the press. If you need more evidence about the divide between religious progressives and the secular left here it is:

worldwide pablo: Hit and miss

The Rev. Gene Ross, co-minister of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ, has been on the campus of Eden Theological Seminary this weekend. The Central Pacific Conference is the conference that I belong to and Gene and his wife, The Rev. Dr. Pat Ross, are longtime friends. They are also the parents of my longtime friend Jon Ross. Gene is in town for a conference and took Liz and I out for lunch today. We had a great time and very much enjoyed having someone else from Oregon around to visit with.

The Olympic Torch passed by the Eden Theological Seminary campus early this evening. Liz and I were there to watch along with many of our friends from the Eden community. A few pictures from the event are posted here. St. Louis was the first U.S. city to host the Olympics.

We’ve reached the 33 week mark in the pregnancy. On Thursday, we had another appointment with the OBGYN who was very happy with Liz’s progress. As I’ve mentioned before, our doctor won’t let the pregnancy go past 38 weeks (somewhere around July 15-18). That means at the most we have five more weeks to go. However, our doctor has also told us that in recent times he has only had one mother of twins actually make it to 38 weeks. So these girls of ours could come at any time. Liz is busy getting prepared. Today she assembled one of the swings.

This evening we were invited to dinner at the home of Jerry and Sue Palmer here in St. Louis. The Palmer’s are friends of the Marsh family in Oregon. My friend Wendy Marsh was a colleague at Baloney Joe’s and her father, The Rev. Spencer Marsh, was also a friend who served as the chair of the board of Burnside Community Council. Doris Marsh, Wendy’s mother, got Sue and Jerry in touch with us and they were very generous in having us over for a fabulous meal.

(Jerry and Sue Palmer)

Two of my colleagues from Eden Theological Seminary, Char and Geoff White, were interviewed Friday on NPR’s Market Place. The story dealt with the financial hurdles clergy couples face. Click here to listen to their story.

A group of our friends at Eden Theological Seminary held a baby shower for us this afternoon. We had a wonderful time. The twins got lots of new clothing and other goodies. And we ate some great food. Click here to see more photos.

All the pictures from Liz's Portland babyshower have been downloaded and are online. Check them out.

Liz is in Portland for a quick visit. Today FOL Deborah Kafoury hosted a small baby shower that several of Liz's longtime friends were able to attend.

Liz reported to me that there were lots of wonderful gifts for the twins. Her doctors agree that after she returns on Sunday to St. Louis she is grounded until the babies arrive. But this was a great chance for Liz to be with her friends.

The flu kept my sisters away, but my mother was there. She made two dolls for the kids and is working on matching quilts.

What did I do this weekend? Well, I wrote an outline for a paper in theological foundations, read for my New Testement course, worked on the outline of the Sunday school class I'll be starting tomorrow, cleaned out a closet that the babies will be using, and made the house a general mess. I have 24-hours to clean-up before Liz comes home. Pray for me.

Once Liz gets home I'll add more photos. These are the ones my mother took and e-mailed. Don't forget to check out my mom's way cool web site.

Back on February 1 our friends Michelle and John welcomed little Madeline into the world a bit early. She was just 2lbs 9 oz. Madeline came home on April 2nd and is now nearly 8 pounds and is doing great. Welcome home, Madeline!

Jani and I played tourists today by visiting the Cahokia Mounds.

The remains of the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico are preserved at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Within the 2,200-acre tract, located a few miles west of Collinsville, Illinois, lie the archaeological remnants of the central section of the ancient settlement that is today known as Cahokia.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) , in 1982, designated Cahokia Mounds a World Heritage Site for its importance to our understanding of the prehistory of North America. Cahokia Mounds is managed by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

According to archaeological finds, the city of Cahokia was inhabited from about A.D. 700 to 1400. At its peak, from A.D. 1100 to 1200, the city covered nearly six square miles. Houses were arranged in rows and around open plazas, and the main agricultural fields lay outside the city. The site is named for a subtribe of the Illini - the Cahokia - who occupied the area when the French arrived. Archaeological investigations and scientific tests have provided what is known of the once-thriving community.

The fate of the prehistoric Cahokians and their city is unknown. Depletion of resources probably contributed to the city's decline. A climate change after A.D. 1200 may have affected crop production and the plant and animal resources needed to sustain a large population. War, disease, social unrest, and declining political and economic power may have also taken their toll. A gradual decline in population began sometime after A.D. 1200, and by the 1400s, the site had been abandoned.

The weather was a little cloudy and rainy, but the upside was it was the perfect temperature for walking up huge hills. The mounds are about 8 miles outside of St. Louis near Collinsville, Illinois. There was a great view of the St. Louis skyline in the background.

My longtime friend Jani Brockley (we've known each other since 7th grade) is in town visiting this weekend. Jani is a professor at Jackson State University. She is here with her dog Duchess.

I’ve been remiss to mention that Liz’s longtime friends Mary and Jeff had twin boys. Joseph and Benjamin arrived on January 22nd.

And yesterday I got word that our friends Marc and Kris gave birth to little Anja on January 30th.

Our twins should have lots of playmates!

Today is the birthday of Worldwide Pablo (better known as Paul Nickell). Happy birthday, Paul.

Deborah Kafoury ended her tenure this week as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives. During her years in Salem she was a fierce advocate for programs to combat domestic violence, to build affordable housing, and for economic policies designed to help lift communities out of poverty and neglect. These days serving as a public official brings little thanks and much criticism. Deborah deserves the thanks of the community for a job well done.

Since Liz and I are friends with Deborah (Liz and Deborah have been close friends since college and I worked for Portland City Commissioner Gretchen Kafoury) we’ve seen up close the long hours and hard work she has put into representing her House District. It is hard to believe but there were actually people who questioned during her first campaign if she would be a progressive enough voice. No one could question that now.

Two good candidates are running to replace Deborah. We’re backing our friend Tina Kotek. Tina took Liz’s job as the public policy director for Children First for Oregon when we moved. Before that she was defending hunger relief programs while serving on the staff of the Oregon Food Bank. Tina knows how Salem works and would quickly become regarded as one of the most effective legislators.

Aaron Roberts, another one of my seminary colleagues, has a website online. He and his wife Carrie, along with their son Paul, have become good friends of ours. Aaron was with me on our seminary-sponsored trip to India this summer. Check out his site.

My grandfather gave us a country ham from Four Oaks Farm in South Carolina for our Christmas present and this morning we cooked it up with eggs, grits, and biscuits. Liz also made a great fruit salad to go along with it. Some of our friends from Eden came by to share in the late morning feast. Check out the photos.

If you listen to KBOO Radio in Portland than you've heard the voice of Andrew Stelzer. Andrew worked in their newsroom and was a man about town. When he first moved to Portland from New York City, I hired him to work at the Goose Hollow Family Shelter where he served for over two years as a shelter manager and administrative assistant. In that job he kept me from falling apart day after day. He was a great person to have around. Now he's been hired for a big-time radio job in Tampa, FL. The station is WMNF. Andrew, Portland's going to miss you. Good luck!

Thanks to our neighbor Garrett Enloe for the photo.

Our Portland friends Michelle Moyer Westwood and John Westwood had a baby girl on Sunday. Madeline Olivia Westwood came early, but is doing well. We're excitied to have another baby born into our circle of friends.

December 1st is World AIDS Day. It is a time to remember those who we have lost and to recommit ourselves in the battle for finding a cure.

Gene Ediger was the closest friend I lost to AIDS. He was a mentor of mine who I first worked with at Baloney Joe’s, a now defunct shelter on the east end of Portland’s Burnside Bridge. We later worked together at Outside In and with Burnside Advocates Group. Portland lost an irreplaceable asset when Gene died. His obituary is below and you can download the eulogy given at his memorial.

It is vital that we keep a human face on this tragedy. Gene should never have had to die. His disease was preventable. Treatments could have been made available sooner. But politics, greed and homophobia got in the way of creating a public health system that could deal with the AIDS crisis.

The worst part: the tragedy is only growing.

F. Gene Ediger passed away August 17, 1997 from AIDS. Gene was born on June 7, 1955 in McPherson, Kansas and moved to Portland, Oregon in 1976. He was a graduate of the University of Oregon. After college he worked as a social worker until the time of his retirement in 1993.

From 1979 until 1989 he worked for Burnside Community Council, which operated Baloney Joe's and the West Women and Children's shelter. He served on the BCC Board from 1989-1990. In 1990 he was a co-founder of Burnside Advocates Group (BAG). In 1990 he joined the Outside In board and in 1993 was elected chair of the agency.

He continued to serve as the chair of Outside In and on the BAG board (now called Oregon Housing Now Coalition) until his death.

He is survived by his partner of 12 years, Paul Nickell. Surviving family members include his mother, Helen Ediger of Inman KS, brothers Ralph and Ray (of Oklahoma City, OK and Newton, KS respectively), and sisters Ilene Banman and Rhonda Sandstrom (of Denver, CO and Portland, OR respectively).

In 1995 he was awarded the Mayor's Spirit of Portland Award for his long-time community service.

A memorial service was held on Thursday, August 28th at First United Methodist Church, where Gene was a member.

Contributions in Gene's memory should be made to Outside In (1236 SW Salmon Street, Portland, Oregon, 97205) or Goose Hollow Family Shelter at First United Methodist Church (1838 SW Jefferson, Portland, Oregon, 97201).

My friend Wendy Marsh sent along this link to a very funny cartoon on the end of the world. Mark sure your volume is turned up.

You can find it at www.egoyk.com/flash.asp?id=319

Our old friend Mollie Copeland has been visiting from Portland the last several days. It has been great to have her here. Photos from her visit can be found by clicking here.