The Story of Stuff and Stewardship

Our enormously productive economy... demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption... we need things consumed, burned up, replaced, and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.

-Victor Lebow, Post WWII Economist and Retail Analyst

Wow. I read this quote in a video we watched in my Teaching in Modern Society class.

I learned about fair trade over the holiday season and have been growing in lot of aspects regarding stewardship and blessing others with the things the Lord has given me, but this video left me with my mouth wide open in my desk. If you have twenty minutes to spare, watch this.

Our level of consumption as Americans is basically destroying our environment, and the health of people all over the world. At first after watching the film I wanted to cry, there are so many things wrong with the linear system of consumption and it seems like a snowball effect that one girl is defenseless and powerless against.

But before you watch it, please consider the following: I'm no "Go Green" advocate, but it seems we can all make some changes in the way we live. I believe the purpose of God blessing us now is so that we can use it to bless others, not to buy more "stuff" ourselves. The Bible says in James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." There is so much to be done it's overwhelming, but my prayer has been that we could each make small choices in doing our part to be good stewards of this planet and the people in it.

And rather focusing on all of the things we must stop or decrease, for example buying less junk, drinking from glasses instead of water bottles, throwing away less etc... how about looking at a few things we can do? (Though these things are good steps)

I watched this video and was very much encouraged:

By purchasing products that are made by organizations who are labeled as fair trade, like Trade as One, we can have a huge positive impact on employing the poor, providing them with livable wages, fostering environmental sustainability, while discouraging slavery and child labor. Wow that's a lot. For Christmas, I bought my sister these sandals, called Ssekos which allows these women to raise money for college. I realize all of these things still involve consumption, but after years and years of being trained to consume, we're not going to be able to change completely overnight; so why not be purposeful and intentional in the things we do buy?

People tell me I'm an "over-analyzer," that I over-think things way too much. "Oh to be young and passionate" sighed my mom when I shared all of this with her. I'm so thankful for her desire to not be a slave to consumption when we were growing up. She was passionate too, and those decisions she made due to her convictions have shaped who I am. When all of my friends were shopping at the mall for recreation, she encouraged playtime and honestly I never appreciated that until now. Some of my favorite childhood memories involve our family throwing a frisbee all evening long in the cul-de-sac. In the hustle and bustle of high school college life, I'd almost forgotten about these values she encouraged in us.

So that was a little off topic... anyway...

It's time to wake up and and be a better consumer, a better steward of the money, time, relationships, and planet the Lord has so graciously given me. Hope your eyes have been opened as well.

A Modest Heart During Swim Season

Summer is fast approaching and these few words just give me the heebie-jeebies:

Swim Suit Shopping

Most people might think that as a competitive swimmer for years, I wouldn't have a problem with this. But here's the deal, apart from the fact that those cheap Target two pieces make me feel naked when compared to the heavy-duty polyester suits I wore because they lasted forever, modesty is a semi-new concept I'm trying to sort through.
I've learned a lot about it in the Her Hands class I'm taking, and well, my eyes have been opened. I've heard a couple of sermons about modesty also and was shocked to realize how hard it for guys not to think bad things when we girls dress inappropriately. It is a battle for them if they desire to honor the Lord. So, I want to help my brothers out.

It's hard though. It's summer and I want to wear short shorts and breezy shirts. But I don't think one should go about this modesty issue by following a set of rules and measuring stick.
We've got to ask ourselves while in the dressing room, or in our closets, "Why do I want to wear this? To gain his attention? To feel sexy? To show off some part of my body?"

In our Bible study, we read this 1 Timothy 2:9-10

"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."

Maybe we're ignorant of the fact that what we wear affects guys in ways we can't imagine. Maybe we've never realized God not only values modesty, but also a heart that desires to serve others. There is so much more to modesty than just not wearing short shorts, skimpy bikinis, or low cut v-necks. It's a heart issue we've got to work through.

Until then, what's a girl to during swim suit season if she wants to be modest at the pool, but not look like her grandma? Because let's face it, the above picture is about as modest as Ariel got while in the water... which makes me sad because I loved The Little Mermaid. Heather (who leads the study) showed us the website called Lime Ricki. There are quite a few suits to choose from, and they are really cute and modest.

Heather is actually giving away a free suit this week, so if your interested check out her blog post. My favorites are Chloe, Charly, and Lucy. (Not shown below.) Check out the site for all their styles!

Better Days

I should preface this sentence by admitting it is quite corny and I'm 100% okay with that. I truly believe the Lord pursued me through KSBJ radio. Really.

It was an odd first taste of independence; turning sixteen and receiving my driver's license. Unlike most girls my age, I spent over two hours each day in this new car... sitting in traffic on my way to swim practice each morning and evening. The romanticism of it all died away after a week and driving became a chore to be quite honest.

Then something amazing happened. I discovered KSBJ and the car rides changed. Instead of hearing the dj's do segments that tore relationships apart (Anyone from the Houston area ever listen to Roula and Ryan's Roses? Someone would call in saying she suspected her partner was cheating on her. Then Roula would would try and trick the partner into sending free roses to whoever he wanted to see if he would send them to anyone other than the person calling. It was sickening yet addicting,) the dj's talked about how God could heal relationships and make them stronger for His glory. The songs brought me hope and offered something I was craving but hadn't been able to put my finger on. As I began to recognize and memorize the songs' lyrics, I'd realize in church that many of these words were directly pulled from the Bible! It was so exciting to realize that I was singing praises inspired by God himself; His Word took on new meaning for me and since then I've experienced a transformation that can only be attributed to God and His guiding will over my life.

Last night I went with friends to the Robbie Seay Band concert in Bryan and one of songs reminded me of God's work in my life during that specific period. On a particularly rough day I was driving home from practice, really stressed out and exhausted. On the verge of tears I heard these sweet words playing softly through the radio for the first time,

First of all, thanks for listening to our song,
we hope this finds you driving in your car,
or where ever you are breath out and breath again
know that life is hard, but its worth it in the end.
Listen to me now for the love, oh love,
it's waiting for you now, just to say
here come better days here come better days,
better days, and a better place I know...

Their song did find me in my car on that rather ordinary day, but something extraordinary has happened since then in that I have found that kind love he sings about that's better than anything even the best day has to offer. That song found me again, four years later, somewhere else breathing in and breathing out last night, in need of a reminder of where I was and where God has me now. I'm still a girl in need of grace, but so very thankful that I have a God who pours it lavishly on those He loves.

God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
1 John 4:9-11

Not In My Head.

Over Valentines Day weekend, I managed to get sick with a virus.... that never seemed to go away. After a few days the fever was gone, the general sick feeling had left my body, but I was still so very tired all the time. Since then, I'd get out of bed every morning and look forward to when I could get back in it. And this strange perpetual tiredness has affected my school work, Project 365, my desire to be in the Word and pray, attend my weekly activities that usually bring me so much joy and so much more.

I've been sleeping 8 hours every night.

I've been eating healthier than I have in a long time.

My schedule has been somewhat stressful, but nothing out of the ordinary.

My boss told me it was probably all in my head.

And I was beginning to think I was depressed.

Then I remembered Heather's blog post and decided to call the doctor.

Tuesday I got my blood taken and today I found out I have mono.

Gross.

I told my boss as soon as I found out to validate my recent change in work performance.

Bad idea.

He laughed and laughed and asked what boys I'd been kissing... ha.

Oh well, it may be a while before I really start to feel better, but at least I know it wasn't all in my head.