Monthly Archives: October 2007

Devotional thoughts

Devotional: Contentment

3 Comments

“If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”
– 1 Timothy 6:8

 

One of the greatest struggles for a Christian in the consumerist American culture that we are a part of is to be content. You are daily bombarded on all sides by hundreds of advertisements telling you that you need this product or that. Even within the church, Sunday mornings continue to perpetuate word-of-mouth advertising about the new outfit, restaurant or electronics purchase. Is it even possible to step back from that culture, that has been so ingrained in our minds since an early age, and look plainly at Scripture and attempt to follow it?

Paul, a wise follower of Christ, imparts these wise words to his young ‘son’ in the faith as he warns him of those who would use the faith and ‘godliness’ for financial gain. He warns against the pursuit of money with a clear alternative way of thinking: food and covering is enough. Contentment, something we know very little of in our culture, and yet it is what Christ calls us to. This same greek word is used in I Corinthians, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Certainly a believer in Christ’s saving grace would not respond by saying, “yes, it is sufficient, but I’d also like a little more grace here,” or “it wouldn’t hurt to get a couple of extra graces just to spruce up the place a little would it?” Christ’s grace is enough.

What would it look like for a church congregation to preach this verse and then endeavor to follow it? If you are reading these words and you have food and covering, what does your contentment look like? Here is Paul’s advice to you:

 

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” -I Tim 6:17-19

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Check out the Asides

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Through out the week I post a lot more then the daily post you get in your feedreader or email. I post small posts called ‘asides‘ throughout the day. For now, you can only read the asides on the website, but they have a custom look so they are easy to recognize. I figured the best way to get you interested is to give you a little sneak peak of what types of things I’m posting. Below is the asides from the past week. If you find them interesting, then be sure to stop by throughout the week and check out the asides at Trying to Follow.

  • Sam sent me this link discussing how renting is better then buying a home. (1) #
  • Find out which Ten companies own almost all of the major media. (0) #
  • Jon Stewart on Art, particularly Pollack (0) #
  • “…ending poverty is essential to God’s mission in the world and our task as the people who participate in that mission. The fact that we carry on our ordinary lives consuming and participating in injustice must make God weep.” –Lucas (0) #
  • “Giving oneself and one’s possessions voluntarily for the well being of others and without compulsion is a Christian duty of which organ donation is a striking example,” the Church of England’s statement says. [via] (0) #
  • Here’s my short reply to Why Protest? (from my comment on Christy’s blog) We protest for two reasons: to stay true to our convictions by speaking them and to allow others to notice those values/convictions and possibly be compelled by them.
    1. Think of it like getting baptized, and outward expression of an inward commitment. Sometimes we need to protest not to change the world, but to keep the world from changing us. You can’t be neutral on a moving train, unless you are actively voicing your conscience, you are often passively agreeing with the majority.
    2. Regardless of how unlikely it seems, people do hear/see/notice you and other protesters. They’re response might not always be what you would like for it to be, but they do take note. Politicians take note of what the people think, polls, phone calls, letters, protest, etc. They might listen more to lobbyist, but they keep a careful eye on what the people think. I think it’s a credit to the many individual protesters who went out into the streets in the early years of the Iraq war that the general public was open to the idea of questioning the administration and war tactics. Protesting is simply taking a strong stance on something you believe strongly in and hope to compel others to believe in also.
    The truth is we protest all the time, it just takes different forms. We rant on our blogs, we critique in conversation, we choose not to shop certain places, we complain to customer service (apple maybe?), we march, call, write letters, lobby, we protest. It is not unusual, though in many ways it has become rather unoriginal. (0) #
  • “John Perkins has been saying lately that “we have over-evangelized the world too lightly.” He is remarking on the contrast between the reported religiosity of the U. S. in comparison with the lack of fruit in the form of compassion, justice, and reconciliation. He is pointing out that the so-called evangelistic fervor of modern churches has asked less and less of the convert. A mere momentary statement of desire to know God becomes enough to be deemed “saved” or “Christian.” He challenges evangelical and evangelistic churches to review the Great Commission, which says to go and make disciples through teaching and training in the ways of Jesus. What we have is Christian Lite, Church Lite, Jesus Lite.” –Mike Broadway (0) #
  • 7 Loving Challenges for Emergent, tips for white parents with adopted children of color, 5 Rules for listening to your spouse’s sermon, 10 Mistakes White People Make When Talking About Race. (0) #
  • How I feel during most ‘worship’ services. (0) #
  • The Anti-Advertising Agency pointed out these interesting ‘ad’ sites: LogoMotto and Ad Generator (0) #
  • What if we took all our money and possessions and gave them all to God & had to ask to use them. Would we spend money the same way? –Keane (0) #
  • Food Not Bombs is on trial in Orlando. For feeding People. (0) #
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Popular Video Game at Church. [via] (0) #
  • This should be the first statement of any church. thanks, Daley. (0) #
  • Music: One problem of the church. (0) #
Blog

What if there was no Television?

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My friend, Bryan, wrote this earlier this week:

On one of our evening walks recently, we realized that we could see the glow from all of the televisions in all of the living rooms on our block. It was just past Dark, that time of the evening that casts a blue light over everything. There was a slight cool breeze, and leaves were drifting down all around us from the canopy of old trees that live on our street. The air was just crisp enough to need a light sweater. It was a great night for a walk. And we were the only people on the street.

It seems like most of the world is missing out, and television might be to blame. I know, if we got rid of television, we’d find something else to numb our minds with and waste our time. Let’s pretend for a moment though, that time wasting activities like television watching and web surfing became unacceptable in society. In other words, we’d still use tv and internet for the useful technologies they offer us, but we’d, by general consensus, stop wasting time with them (I know, we all have that choice anyways don’t we?). I guess I just wonder if ridding ourselves of these time wasters and mind-warper’s would help our society.

Would people start going outside more, taking walks, playing kickball at the park, having cookouts? Would we meet our neighbors? Would our interactions, void of distraction, become deeper and more meaningful? Would marriages last longer and grow more intimate? Would we know our neighbors? Would we be more aware of the people and needs around us? Would we suddenly wake up?

I don’t know, but I wonder.

Money & Stewardship

That’s Not a Need… This is a Need.

6 Comments

(bonus points to whoever can tell me what movie quote the title is a rip-off from)

If you were tuned in yesterday, you learned that there is a big difference between NEEDS and WANTS.  I even gave a couple examples yesterday, but I’ll be giving a lot more today. I think it’s extremely important to discuss needs and wants, and to be honest about the difference. Far too often, I hear people use the phrase: “I really needed that…” or “You need to…” And usually they are referring to something that is most certainly not a need.  There are somethings that fall into a difficult to define category between needs and wants and those must be individually discerned, for the most part though, I think we can reach a general consensus about things that are needs, and things that are wants.

I would like for this to be a discussion, feel free to disagree with me, or add to these lists. I’ll make a brief list of things I think are Needs and then a list of things that are Wants, as well as brief explanations for each. These are not exhaustive lists.

(As I was writing this NEEDS list, I felt it need to be clarified what the end goal these ‘Needs’ are for is. I am not merely talking about the basics we need to stay physically alive, I’m trying to focus on what it would take to be a healthy functioning member of society)

NEEDS

  • Shelter- Some form of ‘home,’ though in some places, cultures, and climates a simple tent would suffice, I think it’s fair to expect to live in a four walled structure of some kind in this country.
  • Clothing- The amount is debatable, but one should expect to have proper clothing for their society and climate.
  • Food- You need food to survive, not gourmet, but healthy proper sustenance.
  • Utilities- I think it’s appropriate to have running water and electricity. How much electricity and water is debatable.
  • Transportation- Depending on your job/station in life one might ‘need’ a car, others might only need a bike, others simply public transit, but I do think some form of transportation is important.
  • Communication- Maybe a cellphone, land line, or internet access, but some form of communication with the rest of the world is acceptable.
  • Personal Hygiene- toothpaste, shampoo, etc.
  • Health Care- Medicine, doctor’s visits, etc.
  • Appropriate attire for your profession- For some it’s suits, others a uniform, others just t-shirt and jeans.
  • Child Care items- diapers, bottles, diaper cream, bed, etc.

My Needs categories don’t go much beyond that.  Anything you think needs to be added? Also, within these categories, I’m not saying you need to buy new items, nor are you free to buy the most expensive and fancy of anything that falls in these categories.

WANTS are things we don’t need to survive or function in society. This list could be miles long, but I’ll hit on ones that have come up in our budget choices or conversation with others.

WANTS

  •  Fast Food, Junk Food, Eating Out
  • Cell Phone plans with lot’s of bonus features
  • Brand name clothes and new outfits
  • Brand new vehicles or houses
  • Technology Gadgets (mp3 players, laptop, DVDs, video games, car adapters, computer mouse, stereo, etc)
  • Books (you could use your library card), movies, entertainment, magazines, etc.

Anything else we should add to the list? Or, do you disagree with some of my category choices? I believe these are things we can discuss and probably come to a reasonable consensus, though on some we might not be able to figure out.

asides

Why Protest?

2 Comments

Here’s my short reply to Why Protest? (from my comment on Christy’s blog)
We protest for two reasons: to stay true to our convictions by speaking them and to allow others to notice those values/convictions and possibly be compelled by them.

1. Think of it like getting baptized, and outward expression of an inward commitment. Sometimes we need to protest not to change the world, but to keep the world from changing us. You can’t be neutral on a moving train, unless you are actively voicing your conscience, you are often passively agreeing with the majority.

2. Regardless of how unlikely it seems, people do hear/see/notice you and other protesters. They’re response might not always be what you would like for it to be, but they do take note.
Politicians take note of what the people think, polls, phone calls, letters, protest, etc. They might listen more to lobbyist, but they keep a careful eye on what the people think. I think it’s a credit to the many individual protesters who went out into the streets in the early years of the Iraq war that the general public was open to the idea of questioning the administration and war tactics. Protesting is simply taking a strong stance on something you believe strongly in and hope to compel others to believe in also.

The truth is we protest all the time, it just takes different forms. We rant on our blogs, we critique in conversation, we choose not to shop certain places, we complain to customer service (apple maybe?), we march, call, write letters, lobby, we protest. It is not unusual, though in many ways it has become rather unoriginal.