Favorite Paragraph

When the church becomes a place of brokerage rather than an organic community, she ceases to be ALIVE. She ceases to be something we are, the living bride of Christ. The church becomes a distribution center, a place where the poor come to get stuff and the rich come to dump stuff. Both go away satisfied (the rich feel good, the poor get clothed and fed), but no one leaves TRANSFORMED. No radical, new community is formed. And Jesus did not set up a program but modeled a way of living that incarnated the reign of God, a community in which people are reconciled and our debts are forgiven just as we forgive our debtors (all economic words). That reign did not spread through organizational establishments or structural systems. It spread like disease - through TOUCH, through BREATH, through LIFE. It spread through people infected by love.
- Shane Claiborne -
- The Irresistible Revolution -

Slow Down and Listen

So, I have a post about Bare Minerals...but I have to share this AWESOME story really quickly while it's fresh because it's crazy good!
While in Atlanta, GA some of my friends and I got the chance to meet and talk to several people that are homeless, give them some food, and got to know them a little. (God did incredible things that day, but that's a whole other story!) Since getting back, I have been praying for the 3 people we met and knew by name and was asking God how I could continue to help others all around me that are in similar situations. I know without a doubt that for YEARS I have been the Levite passing by the beaten down and needy. What am I - scared they'll hurt me? Isn't my God the God of the Universe? (Colossians 1:16-18) Why have I been afraid to stop and say, "Hello, how are you?" and then LISTEN to what they have to say? Anyways, so like I said, I have been praying that I wouldn't revert back to avoiding impoverished people and asked God how I could be in a position to help again.

He literally DROPPED IT IN MY LAP.
Never before have I seen my prayer answered
so fully and quickly!!

Tonight, 3 of my friends and I went to dinner to catch up and as we were leaving...I saw a man walking next to the restaurant. As he started to pass I said hello. Almost instantly I knew - he was IT. We stopped and began to listen to his story about being a Vietnam vet. from Maryland who is scheduled to start chemo treatment at the Hampton VA Medical Center here in several days. He said he is mostly blind and has cancer from the exposure to Agent Orange in his days of service. Eventually, we learned he was trying to find a way to get to the hotel he is able to stay at before starting his treatment. He has been homeless for only 8 days but looked like he could have been for months. So, we gave Deoxito Austin (pronounced Deeoseeto) a ride down Jefferson Avenue to his hotel and heard his story. Believe me, I drove as slowly as I possibly could! His testimony of God's hand in his life was remarkable and he had such wisdom to share. I wish I could write it all out here but I was trying to keep this shorter...He praised God for humbling him through the death of his son several years ago and of his wife last year. He said he ONLY lives for Jesus. I quote, "That's all I do, I wake up Jesus, walk Jesus, sleep Jesus, and do it again." His most pressing words to us were to let go of our pride because he wishes he would have sooner. Anyways, a much longer story short, my mind was BLOWN by God's plan and timing because Deoxito said he had been praying just several MINUTES before meeting us for someone to come along. We asked him if we could take him to Walmart or if he wanted food but he only wanted to get to his room to lay down. So we gave him some money, spent time in prayer with him, and then said goodbye. How BEAUTIFUL it will be when we see him in heaven!

Radical Living

I've gotta be honest...my mom has been talking to me about the Ten Thousand Villages store for years and my dad has always made a big deal about whether or not I got my music legally and I could have cared less...until NOW.

Several days ago, I got back from a long roadtrip that took me to the urbanely intriguing city of Atlanta, Georgia for the huge Christian conference - Passion 2012. It was nothing short of a taste of heaven on earth and an equally stunning slap in the face. No, make that several slaps in the face and repeated punches to the gut. 45,000 college students gathered at the Georgia Dome to hear God's word preached, to worship Him with music and dancing, and to bring glory to The Savior by promoting change that is so desperately needed. The major theme of the conference was FREEDOM and we learned that there are more slaves in the world today than ever before. That means 27 million + or to try and visually realize that number, 27,000,000 HUMAN BEINGS. Mothers, brothers, fathers, sisters, friends, enslaved in the sex trade, the food production market, the clothes industry, etc. Are you serious?? I couldn't believe the personal stories shared with us through film and through leaders of organizations working to combat this current devastation of God's creation. But there it was! People's faces, stories of freedom, and stories of death. My stomach churned at the reality of the world I am living in and the fact that I have done NOTHING about it. I have only supported modern-day slavery through my ignorance.

What am I going to do?

NO LONGER: will I live in ignorance or indifference to people around me and the impact I have on their lives. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have been made a slave to Him (Romans 1:1, James 1:1) so that I can set others free! (Galatians 5) Did it not occur to me that this would mean physically changing my lifestyle and the way I interact with the global market? Apparently it didn't. NO LONGER: can I pretend to be living for God and yet ignore human suffering. NO LONGER: can I spend money that fuels a world of evil that blatantly violates God the Father's unfathomable love for His PEOPLE.

This heavy realization made me want to come home, throw away everything I own, and learn how to make my own shoes. However, after some thought and prayer, it seems that God is calling me to a PROCESS of radical living. (I say radical because the end result will hopefully look incredibly different from the way I am living now...but that end really should be a norm instead of an outrageous change.) I am not immediately throwing away all that I currently own because that might also not be the best stewardship of my physical belongings. I will certainly get rid of a lot of things over time, but immediately, I am committing to a lot of research, education, and only continuing to purchase items that to the best of my knowledge are fairly procured.
This blog will hopefully accurately chronicle my experiences in trying to truly live out following Jesus in today's global marketplace...easier said than done...I'm hoping that this might spur Christians to think about God's calling in the midst of our economic world, make others question their purchases, be informative about issues you may not have the time to explore yourself, or simply just be interesting...I hope you read and enjoy a possible slap in the face!