Simplicity?

Why are we so content with our lives?  Why do Christians just sit where they are and, even though they are promoting good and “fighting” for a change in the world, we are so content with what we have and we don’t want to give up the luxuries that we have and go to help those who need it?  There are some who do, and we celebrate those who do, but it is so hard for us to do it ourselves.  Yet that is what Christ commands us to do.  “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  We know this, yet we don’t do it.  Churches don’t even preach on simplicity anymore because people would hate to listen to that message and, chances are, the very pastor who would be preaching that sermon does not practice it.  I wonder what would happen if a pastor in an affluent church would preach a sermon on simplicity and how important it is to forego our worldly possessions and work to spread the love of Christ.  What would happen? Would people be mad, would they say the pastor is twisting the words of the Bible?  Or would it start a change?

On another note, what is the definition of simplicity in today’s culture?  Jesus told the rich young man to sell everything he had so that he could be called a son of God, that was what simplicity meant to Jesus.  Yet today our simplicity consists of not having the newest HD TV, or the newest Ipad, or the biggest house, or a nice car.  But Jesus taught to sell everything.  That is a little different from the simple life that we Christians live in today’s society.

I am not saying that I have this down, not at all.  I am currently typing on a Macbook Pro, I have three guitars and three guitar amps, I have tee-shirts up the wazoo, I have a 32” flat screen TV, I have more shoes than I know what to do with.  That is not simplicity.  It isn’t what Jesus preaches.  And because of this I am stretched for money.  But how can I give these things up?  Well, I could give up the shoes and the shirts pretty easy, I definitely don’t need those, but everything else?  I am attached to them, I paid for them, they are mine.  I don’t want to give them up.  But maybe I can give up part of my things, I don’t know.

If we look at the Amish, or the Quakers, there is some simplicity in this culture.  But is God calling us to have so much simplicity that we separate ourselves from the culture and, therefore, forgo most of the witness that may have with those in our society that have a lot of possessions.  I don't believe it. Yet, at the same time, are we so eager to not offend anybody with the Gospel that we tell them that they can have anything and everything they want as long as they believe.  I don't think that is what the Bible teaches.

What I want to do in life is not something that is going to make me rich, it isn't something that will give me an affluent status in life, and that is what I want.  Does that mean simplicity?  Does simplicity mean stretching to make ends meet our entire lives?  Or does it mean something different? What does it mean?

Feel free to help me out with this.

Proverbs 20:5  "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, 

but a man of understanding draws them out."

I Google imaged "simplicity" to find a picture to go along with this, and I found the one at the top, but I also found this one.

Is this what simplicity means?

Do less, have less, for yourself?

Or is it to do less, have less, for others?

There is a difference between what this world sees as simplicity and what Christians are supposed to see.

"Live simple so others may simply live" is one way I have heard it put.

 

Life, love, liberty, and conflict minerals.

So, what is life?
What is love?
What is liberty?
And what are conflict minerals?

Well, I will get back to the first three, but conflict minerals are minerals from Africa (in this case, the Congo) that are being mined and sold and the revenue is being used to fund the armies (rebel and government) that are around the area fighting for control.  Well, the revenue isn't exactly, well, it partly is, but mostly it is the high taxes that the armies impose on the people that live and work in the mines. 
So these minerals are then used to make our phones, or computers, or etc. etc.  You know, stuff that us first world countries have and, literally, cannot make a decent living without anymore.
Why does this pertain to you and I?  Because we are the consumers of these products that are being made to finance wars, basically.  And to support slavery, because that is what happens in these mines.  Slavery. 
So yeah, this is a little scrambled, but here is my main point.
Pressuring these big corporations (like Nokia) to use conflict-free resources is a good thing, and and important thing, and I think that it needs to be done.  But realistically, that will just be an endless cycle.  I don't know for sure, I haven't done research on it, but I feel like there aren't enough conflict-free resources around for companies to not use conflict-minerals without prices going extremely high and everybody complaining.  Yeah, the companies may stop buying from suppliers that they know use conflict-minerals, but once they start using another supplier and this huge demand comes onto this supplier and the new supplier realizes that it needs to reach out somewhere else to fulfill this demand, where will it look?  Well, inevitably it will most likely look back to conflict-resources, because they are most readily available and they produce a lot.  So yes, stopping the use of conflict-resources by means of pressuring companies is a good thing, but isn't a long-term solution in the eyes of myself ("myself" being junior in college who hasn't done any first-hand research but goes off of what I hear other people (seemingly reputable sources) saying and intuition).
So where do I find the means to end this horrible thing?
Education.
Not just education for us, or education to be abundant in our country or other first world countries, but in third world countries.  And not done solely by us, but teaching those in third world countries how to become teachers, so that they can provide more jobs other than working in the mines.  More jobs need to be available in the country (I have no solution for that myself, except by providing teaching jobs) and people need to be educated to know that working in the mines is funding the very wars that they are trying to escape.  Of course, this leads to needing more job opportunities in the countries, which again, I have no solution for.  But people need an alternative to doing the jobs that are funding the wars which are killing their people.
So yeah, this was a very conjumbled blogpost thinger.  I apologize.  It was hastily contrived after viewing the film "Blood in the Mobile" and learning about this topic and before going to sleep.
I will leave you with one last thought on this subject, think about it.  Think about what can be done about it.  Whether this means pressuring the corporations or doing the dirty work going into the countries and educating people, or something else, what is it that you see needs to be done about it?  Just think about it.  If you want to go further than thinking to doing, then great, if not, oh well.  But at least think about humankind.


I cooked today.  Like, a ferreal dish of food.  For the first time, by myself, in this suite.  It was very good, but my beans were squeaky.  Here is picture.

Or two.  I guess I didn't mean to put two there, but it happened.  It is Barbequed Green Beans.  Yumm!

EMU

Well, moved into EMU, I'm all settled in, finally got my internet working this morning, I my first sort of soccer practice today, made my first actual thing, I'm ready for the year.  I guess.  I'm excited for this year a lot.  I'm excited to be on a soccer team with pleasant guys who have a passion for the game, I'm excited to get started on a new major, and I am excited to meet some new frands.  I am also nervous to meet new frands, cause I almost feel content with the frands that I have.  But I really wanna meet new frands.  I like frands.  Ok, I will stop spelling it frands now.  I will meet some new friends, and I have.  So that is good.
So the doctor hasn't given the official written or verbal permission to the trainers for me to play, so I can't really play yet.  Hopefully tomorrow I will.  But today I got a few touches on the ball and ran a bunch.  I am really out of shape, it's bad.  But that's what happens with 2 straight weeks of couch potatoeing.  I have also never been so self conscious of my soccer playing before.  I want to make a good impression cause I missed all of preseason and just came in with a spot on the team, but I haven't played any quality soccer in such a long time I am rusty and I get embarrassed with all my mishaps.  Such is life. 
I am still alive, by the way.  And I like food.  Speaking of food, here is a picture of my supper.

It was very good.  Hamburger, onions, pees, and an egg.  Yumm!
Have a nice day.  God is good, that is for sure.
Oh, my roommates are awesome, even the one I didn't know and the one that I didn't know I would have.  One reason God is so good.

Movin' Out (again)

So I just loaded up the family car to move out for the third time, but this time I am headed out to Virginia to Eastern Mennonite University instead of Hesston, Kansas.  (By the way, I can type with two hands now!)
I can't even really express my disappointment over the fact that I am leaving tomorrow in the car.  I should be practicing soccer, halfway through hell-week in Virginia already, but instead I am sitting on my butt recovering.  I also should be driving my cycle through the mountains on the way there with just the bare necessities along, instead I packed up all my things into the car to sit in the passenger seat all the way there. (I can't really drive very well with this cast...)  Man, I am really disappointed.  It just was not supposed to turn out this way.  This was supposed to be an awesome year for soccer for me, I was in the best shape of my life, I was kicking a ball around regularly, I was pumped to play with a bunch of guys that will take the game seriously, but instead I got thrown 2 weeks back, physically, and one week back from traveling with this stupid broken wrist.  This wasn't supposed to happen this way.  I am frustrated and disappointed and consumed in utter disbelief at the fact that it happened to me.  I can't help but ask the question, "Why?"  And I have so many forms of that question running through my head.  "Why did it have to happen to me?  Why did it have to happen now?  Why couldn't it have happened at the beginning of summer so I could have caught back up at the end?  Why did it have to happen at a time where it threw all my plans out of wack?  Why did it have to make me leave a week later for college?  Why did it have to happen the very last time I was driving my cycle to church?  Why does it have to cause me so much pain?  Why couldn't I have just missed the car and kept the bike upright?  Why did I have to go at that exact time to the church?  Why didn't I get hurt worse?  Why was it only my wrist?  Why was it only a bone that will still allow me to play soccer?  Why did it happen at home instead of on the way to Virginia?  Why am I so bitter when I could have died?"  I could go on and on with these questions, but I feel as though you get the point.  I am just really disappointed, and I know that I can grow from this experience in my faith, I just can't let the bitterness consume me.
I am reading The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis right now and in one chapter he talks about how humans can be very peevish about this thing called "time." The future is the most unsure thing (the farthest thing from eternity), the present is the moment where eternity and time intersect (according to him), and the past is the most sure thing.  But we have this notion that we "own" our time.  One of the best ways for Satan to pry his way into our lives is by taking our time away.  Whether it is just a few moments of the day which we thought that we would have to ourselves, or in my case, a whole week where I thought I could be playing soccer and meeting new people.  This gets taken away from us and we go into a spiral of frustration and, in my case, apathy.  I am just very apathetic about about everything right now because I am not doing what I wanted to be doing.  If, instead of pouting about what I am not doing and wallowing around in self-pity, I picked myself up and got back to life and looked to see how God wanted me to use this extra week maybe I would have had a different experience, and maybe I still will.  I just need to have patience, and look for God's timing and His work.  But it is hard.
I just thought of all that just now, but it is true.
In other news, I have a doctors appointment in Harrisonburg on Friday at 8:30 to have them look at (and hopefully schedule a surgery for) my wrist.  Hopefully I will be getting my surgery sometime next week during the first weeks of class and then I could be out playing soccer in just a couple weeks.  We will see how it all goes down.  God is good all the time.  And all the time God is good.  I just need patience.
Incidentally, I ran two miles today and started off at my normal pace from two weeks ago, I ended up walking after a mile and a half.  Shoot. 
Make it a good day, and check out this lad taking a super chill picture after such a harrowing experience!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Last Airbender.

So, first off, I have had an immobilized wrist for 6 days and am already entertaining thoughts of cutting it off.  The cast, of course, not my wrist, for how would I be able to the things I love with no wrist?  Twould be a difficult life, 2 hands and 1  wrist, and doesn't sound like the life for me.  I also hear that amputees have this thing called "phantom limb" where they can 'feel' the body part that is no longer.  Naturally, that scares me, although it is an interesting phenomenon to my brain.  Also, my writings are wanting to be shorter and farther apart, for it is difficult to type with one hand.  However, this helps my thought process and I thoroughly have enjoyed my past 8 posts, so I must bear the pain.  Rawr, like a bear.

So, I just read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky in the past 4 hours, and talk about an interesting book.  I just now saw that it is being made into a movie to be released September 21.  This must be seen.  I see that Emma Watson is in it as Sam (if you have read it then you know who I am talking about, if not, too bad, you need to read it) and I was a little confused because I thought she has some importance on modesty (greatly admire that if true) and the book is quite risque, but I also see that it is rated PG-13 so I am going to look at something really quick...
I went to look to see if Chbosky (who is also directing the film) took out the sketchy parts to make it more suitable and it sounds like he did.  Watson is quoted as saying, "I wouldn't say it's too risqué, but it's definitely more Hermione than you've ever seen before."  So take that for what you will.  Here is the link for the trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dY5EbgJTvI.  Anyway, onto the book.
Most all of it left me feeling weird and confused, so let me explain.  The lifestyle's that the book portrays are definitely not lifestyles I would approve of.  I will do my best not to provide any accidental spoilers.  The confusing thing is that I really appreciated it.  I shouldn't really be so confused because I have frands that have lifestyle's I don't approve of, but I did.  The story is about a kid on the fringe of life who is taken under the wings of a group of seniors and his thought process through the whole thing.  It is a very real book about the issues everybody (at least every guy) faces but from a very unique perspective.  I appreciate it's realness, but I didn't know if I would like the book til it was done and I decided I really did.  It's a hard one to put to words.  I guess my feelings about it can be summed up a couple of ways, starting with this quote, "So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons.  And maybe we'll never know most of them.  But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there.  We can still do things.  And we can try to feel okay about them."
The next way is, simply to face ourselves, view ourselves from the outside.  I tend to do this too much, however, but this book made me think.  Do I do it too much or in the wrong way?  But facing ourselves and our pasts is important.
The last way is the paragraph directly following the last quote I shared, just a different idea with it.  "I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset.  And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have.  Good and bad."  This is a very different concept than how we often think about the world, but it makes us think about love and what our love is like.  I don't know, it's just interesting.
"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."

This is me after I read this book.  Yay.

So now Avatar: The Last Airbender.  This series made me feel a couple things as well; like I have no life was one, but also confused.  I didn't get confused until the last few episodes, but I will explain that later.  I remember wishing I was an Airbender, and dreaming about it all the time as well.  It was cool.  I think I said before that this was the one series I wished I would have watched this series in its entirety before, but I finished it yesterday, so I guess late is better than never.  Okay, here is why I was confused, bash me for this all you want, it's da twufe.  So, I am a pacifist, and I suddenly realized that the culmination of this series was the death of the Fire Lord.  I often thought much about how they did a good job not showing death in a kids movie, but I never thought about the end.  Suddenly they entered this whole ordeal about Aang killing the Fire Lord and I got scared because if he would kill the Fire Lord then I would be really disappointed in this series for my own reasons and they built it up a bunch like he was going to (sorry for the spoiler).  But then he didn't and I was happy, there is always another way, it may just be really hard to find, you may need a Lion Turtle to show you, and you may have to go against what all your friends say, but there is another way.
I wish I had a Lion Turtle.  Make it a good day.

Interesting picture of bending...