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!