This is a video my brother made for the youth group he leads- Northe. It tells the story of the real St. Nick, and I think it's pretty rad.
Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Babel
I'm working on my last paper right now, and I thought I would upload a paper I finished last week. It's on the Tower of Babel. If you want to read it, download it from here. I think it's about 7 pages, and I reformatted it to be more readable. It probably sounds kinda snooty and scholarly. I hate it but it is kind of what is expected... Anyway, if you read it let me know what you think.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Some thoughts on consuming
Hey all, I wanted to follow up with some more thoughts on consumerism since this got some questions. I do have a tendency to make big blanket statements, assuming that everyone has the same background and same ideas running through their head, which obviously you don't! So here's a little bit about why I made some of those statements.
I'm not against buying things at all. I'm not saying to stop spending money, grow your own food, make your own clothes, build your own house. I'm not against capitalism. We should be thankful for the systems that are in place in this country that have given us such an amazing opportunity, but as Christians our first responsibility is to God's way of doing things. If something in our culture is against the things Jesus taught, we need to stand up for a better way of life and help others get there. This will make more sense when I give some specifics.
I think what scares me about consumerism is that we begin to think that we are consumers. I hear people call themselves consumers all the time. Do we really want to be people who consume everything around us? Who always need more and more and are never satisfied? The average American sees over 3000 ads a day, and they are all telling you to buy more. You will be happier with this thing, you need this to be safe, this will make you cool, you work so hard so you deserve this, this will make them love you...
Honestly, we all buy lots and lots of things we don't need and probably aren't good for us. I really really wanted to buy a new Nintendo cause I was playing with some friends, and I haven't played video games a lot in a few years. It's $250, which is cheap for something like that these days. I was all ready to do it, and then I started asking why I wanted it? Well, I'm too busy right now to play it right now cause of finals and papers. And when I go back to Colorado, I want to spend time with the people I haven't seen in months. And why did I stop playing in the first place? Well, cause it was a distraction and kept me from building good relationships with people and it sucked up too much time. And I wondered why I thought I needed it so much.
And I know there are lots and lots of times where those situations come up and I don't even recognize them. I am so used to buying things for myself cause I'm convinced I need more. And I'm realizing that consumerism makes us think we need more stuff to really be happy, which is really destructive. On top of that, we start to think that everything in the world is about us. Does this meet my needs? Is that what is best for me? This kind of thinking spreads beyond our buying patterns and gets into us even deeper. We get angry because someone is driving slow in "our" lane. We are mad because the lines at the grocery store are so long and we are going to be late. We want the pastor to meet all our needs and talk about the things we are interested in. And we become pretty selfish people.
That's why 2 billion people live in extreme poverty, which means that they cannot mean their basic needs of food, water, and shelter. They live on less than $1 per day, and will never get out of this cycle unless someone intervenes. Check out some stats that were accurate from about this time last year. I got these from a podcast sermon of Rob Bell's.
1.2 billion people live on less than $0.23 a day and half the world lives on less than $2 per day
The top 1 billion people make $70 a day
The 3 wealthiest people in the world are Americans, and their combined worth is greater than the GNP of the world's least developed countries (over 600 million people)
12% of the world uses 85% of the world's clean water
Every 6 seconds someone dies of hunger. Two thirds of the US is over weight.
The average America consumes 14 lbs of wood each day. The rest of the world averages 4 lb.
8% of the world owns a car.
US consumes 20 million barrels of oil each day (300 million people). China: 5.6 million barrels for 1.3 billion people.
Malaria kills more than 1 million people every year, even though we've known how to prevent and cure this disease for about 100 years. 70% are children under the age of 5.
I've heard that the amount of money it would take to completely eradicate extreme poverty from this planet is roughly equivalent to what Americans spend each year... one ice cream.
That is why I say that consumerism is anti-human. To be human is to represent God, as we are made in his image. America, a "Christian" nation, would rather get up at 4am to spend more money than it would to give a fraction of that to stop completely inhumane living conditions. That is why consumerism is anti-human. And in a globalized society the entire world sees this. They see the way we are never satisfied. They see the way we manipulate and steal from those who have so little so that we can have more. When the world sees a "Christian" nation so self-consumed and excessive, why would they want to hear anything about Jesus?
This isn't intended to be attacking, and I'm certainly not condemning anyone. This has been something that has been on my heart and mind for 18 months and I am grieved by how selfish my habits still are. I am only inviting you to join this struggle with me, because I don't think anybody who reads this wants to be selfish. We just so often can't even see how blinded we've become. We don't have to stop buying all together, and I don't think we are supposed to deny all the good things God has given us. God isn't asking everyone to be miserable. But can we ask God to help us give more and more instead of taking more and more? Can we pray for a heart that isn't overwhelmed with guilt by these stats, but breaks in love for these individual souls. Can we ask God how we can be better representatives so people will see the way we live for others. The way we give our lives away. The way we love. Then maybe they will want to know more about the God we represent.
I'm not against buying things at all. I'm not saying to stop spending money, grow your own food, make your own clothes, build your own house. I'm not against capitalism. We should be thankful for the systems that are in place in this country that have given us such an amazing opportunity, but as Christians our first responsibility is to God's way of doing things. If something in our culture is against the things Jesus taught, we need to stand up for a better way of life and help others get there. This will make more sense when I give some specifics.
I think what scares me about consumerism is that we begin to think that we are consumers. I hear people call themselves consumers all the time. Do we really want to be people who consume everything around us? Who always need more and more and are never satisfied? The average American sees over 3000 ads a day, and they are all telling you to buy more. You will be happier with this thing, you need this to be safe, this will make you cool, you work so hard so you deserve this, this will make them love you...
Honestly, we all buy lots and lots of things we don't need and probably aren't good for us. I really really wanted to buy a new Nintendo cause I was playing with some friends, and I haven't played video games a lot in a few years. It's $250, which is cheap for something like that these days. I was all ready to do it, and then I started asking why I wanted it? Well, I'm too busy right now to play it right now cause of finals and papers. And when I go back to Colorado, I want to spend time with the people I haven't seen in months. And why did I stop playing in the first place? Well, cause it was a distraction and kept me from building good relationships with people and it sucked up too much time. And I wondered why I thought I needed it so much.
And I know there are lots and lots of times where those situations come up and I don't even recognize them. I am so used to buying things for myself cause I'm convinced I need more. And I'm realizing that consumerism makes us think we need more stuff to really be happy, which is really destructive. On top of that, we start to think that everything in the world is about us. Does this meet my needs? Is that what is best for me? This kind of thinking spreads beyond our buying patterns and gets into us even deeper. We get angry because someone is driving slow in "our" lane. We are mad because the lines at the grocery store are so long and we are going to be late. We want the pastor to meet all our needs and talk about the things we are interested in. And we become pretty selfish people.
That's why 2 billion people live in extreme poverty, which means that they cannot mean their basic needs of food, water, and shelter. They live on less than $1 per day, and will never get out of this cycle unless someone intervenes. Check out some stats that were accurate from about this time last year. I got these from a podcast sermon of Rob Bell's.
1.2 billion people live on less than $0.23 a day and half the world lives on less than $2 per day
The top 1 billion people make $70 a day
The 3 wealthiest people in the world are Americans, and their combined worth is greater than the GNP of the world's least developed countries (over 600 million people)
12% of the world uses 85% of the world's clean water
Every 6 seconds someone dies of hunger. Two thirds of the US is over weight.
The average America consumes 14 lbs of wood each day. The rest of the world averages 4 lb.
8% of the world owns a car.
US consumes 20 million barrels of oil each day (300 million people). China: 5.6 million barrels for 1.3 billion people.
Malaria kills more than 1 million people every year, even though we've known how to prevent and cure this disease for about 100 years. 70% are children under the age of 5.
I've heard that the amount of money it would take to completely eradicate extreme poverty from this planet is roughly equivalent to what Americans spend each year... one ice cream.
That is why I say that consumerism is anti-human. To be human is to represent God, as we are made in his image. America, a "Christian" nation, would rather get up at 4am to spend more money than it would to give a fraction of that to stop completely inhumane living conditions. That is why consumerism is anti-human. And in a globalized society the entire world sees this. They see the way we are never satisfied. They see the way we manipulate and steal from those who have so little so that we can have more. When the world sees a "Christian" nation so self-consumed and excessive, why would they want to hear anything about Jesus?
This isn't intended to be attacking, and I'm certainly not condemning anyone. This has been something that has been on my heart and mind for 18 months and I am grieved by how selfish my habits still are. I am only inviting you to join this struggle with me, because I don't think anybody who reads this wants to be selfish. We just so often can't even see how blinded we've become. We don't have to stop buying all together, and I don't think we are supposed to deny all the good things God has given us. God isn't asking everyone to be miserable. But can we ask God to help us give more and more instead of taking more and more? Can we pray for a heart that isn't overwhelmed with guilt by these stats, but breaks in love for these individual souls. Can we ask God how we can be better representatives so people will see the way we live for others. The way we give our lives away. The way we love. Then maybe they will want to know more about the God we represent.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
conference
Sorry another busy couple weeks. Last week I spent the whole time that I wasn't eating food writing a paper on the Tower of Babel. This week my employer, World Orphans, is at the Global Summit on AIDS and the Church at Saddleback Church. We have a booth and our president is speaking at a couple breakout sessions, so a big chunk of the team in Colorado Springs flew down to LA, and I've been hanging out with them. Marcello and I have had a blast hanging out and goofing around. I'll be heading back to Pasadena tonight (I think!) and then I need to write a final paper for another class and study for one more final! But then I'll be heading back to the Springs! YAY! I'm really looking forward to that and I hope to catch up with as many of you as possible!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Best Political Ad Ever
If you haven't already picked a presidential candidate to support, I may have found your man...
More here
More here
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Buy Nothing Day!
Speaking of consumerism, this upcoming Friday is Buy Nothing Day!
Also known as Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving is the most celebrated shopping day in the country. People line up outside stores at 4am to get the best deals and instead spend far more than they planned. Employees at these stores miss Thanksgiving because they have to spend the day preparing for the shopping zombies. Trust me, you don't want to mess with the undead, even though these are only armed with credit cards. Just stay home and enjoy the day off, or better yet, have a Turkey Bowl football game. Yes, that would be brilliant.
I normally don't like protest things, cause they are always "against" something and angry with something, but don't offer a better solution. But this is different, because consumerism is anti-human, so by being anti-consumerism, you are anti-anti-human, which is pro-human. See, all those logic classes in college are paying off. And if you ABSOLUTELY must buy something on this day, because you always have and you don't know what else to do, buy clean water for some folks who can't get it: blood:water mission. One dollar gets clean water for one African for a year.
Also known as Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving is the most celebrated shopping day in the country. People line up outside stores at 4am to get the best deals and instead spend far more than they planned. Employees at these stores miss Thanksgiving because they have to spend the day preparing for the shopping zombies. Trust me, you don't want to mess with the undead, even though these are only armed with credit cards. Just stay home and enjoy the day off, or better yet, have a Turkey Bowl football game. Yes, that would be brilliant.
I normally don't like protest things, cause they are always "against" something and angry with something, but don't offer a better solution. But this is different, because consumerism is anti-human, so by being anti-consumerism, you are anti-anti-human, which is pro-human. See, all those logic classes in college are paying off. And if you ABSOLUTELY must buy something on this day, because you always have and you don't know what else to do, buy clean water for some folks who can't get it: blood:water mission. One dollar gets clean water for one African for a year.
Monday, November 19, 2007
where are we?
Yeah, it's been a while again. This is all a plan to decrease my active blog readers from 8 to 4, so if you are reading this I guess I haven't worked hard enough. Just kidding!
I've been thinking and learning and questioning a lot over the last few weeks. That would probably be the best time to blog about stuff, cause it's the most fresh and hasn't been cleaned up for public consumption yet. So it's the most honest, but also the hardest to put down on paper, or bytes, or whatever this is. So that's why I haven't written much. I want to find a way to communicate ideas that are raw and wild and odd in a way that allows others to interact with their own raw, wild, and odd thoughts, but that seems to work best around a small table face to face. Actually, that has been a source of HUGE frustration, probably my biggest, with being in CA and not CO, cause I get new ideas and learn fascinating things but can't really talk with anyone about them! GAH! This blog is so one-sided, but it's all I got. So...
Today in class we talked a lot about how technology affects culture. For example, right now I am sitting in my room, on the 2nd floor of an apartment somewhere in Pasadena, at 1:42pm PST. You are reading this from some-where and some-time else. And it won't really be me that you are interacting with, but who I was or how I represented myself. So then you could ask, where and when are we? Are we in my time and place, or yours? And if more than one of you reads this, are we all in 3 places and times? This brings up a bigger question: Where is cyberspace?
Maybe you are thinking this is a little overly dramatic, but think about it like this. When I am writing this, I am more in my blogworld than I am in my room. I may physically be present in Pasadena, but my mind, my concentration, my thoughts, etc, are all in blogworld. It's kinda like when I'm watching football and "talking" to someone else at the same time. Most of me is in that stadium with the Chargers. I'm far more aware of what is happening there than I am of what is happening on the couch. So, where am I? Or if you are at home but are constantly on the phone talking business or thinking about work problems, aren't you still at work? I guess this has probably all been talked about before, but I've never really thought through this. You'd think this would be common among computer geeks, but it wasn't among the students I hung out with in the programming labs. Maybe cause we were lost in another world playing video games...
How does this affect us? We can't escape it. Maybe this is a big part of why so many people feel fragmented and long for a holistic lifestyle. We need to wrestle with how to live a cohesive life even though we are in a very real sense split all over the world. I think having a sabbath where you cut turn everything off and rest is essential, but is that all there is? I've never thought of it before, but isn't it a little warped if the best hope we have is "I'm so overwhelmed and stressed, but if I can just get past this and make it to the weekend..."? That can't really be life to the fullest like Jesus promised. It's almost another form of escaping, and therefore dividing ourselves yet again. So what do we do? The world is chaos all around us, and that's only going to keep increasing. We know it's not good to escape to our protective bubbles, because we can't live split between the sacred and secular. How do we live in a world that pulls at us constantly and live healthy, whole lives? We have to learn a balance. I have no idea what that really looks like in day to day living! Thoughts?
Okay, that was not what I intended to write about. I went off on about four other tangents while writing, and ended up with about 20 paragraphs. I'm not going to post that all right now. You would hate me. More to come later. I promise!
I've been thinking and learning and questioning a lot over the last few weeks. That would probably be the best time to blog about stuff, cause it's the most fresh and hasn't been cleaned up for public consumption yet. So it's the most honest, but also the hardest to put down on paper, or bytes, or whatever this is. So that's why I haven't written much. I want to find a way to communicate ideas that are raw and wild and odd in a way that allows others to interact with their own raw, wild, and odd thoughts, but that seems to work best around a small table face to face. Actually, that has been a source of HUGE frustration, probably my biggest, with being in CA and not CO, cause I get new ideas and learn fascinating things but can't really talk with anyone about them! GAH! This blog is so one-sided, but it's all I got. So...
Today in class we talked a lot about how technology affects culture. For example, right now I am sitting in my room, on the 2nd floor of an apartment somewhere in Pasadena, at 1:42pm PST. You are reading this from some-where and some-time else. And it won't really be me that you are interacting with, but who I was or how I represented myself. So then you could ask, where and when are we? Are we in my time and place, or yours? And if more than one of you reads this, are we all in 3 places and times? This brings up a bigger question: Where is cyberspace?
Maybe you are thinking this is a little overly dramatic, but think about it like this. When I am writing this, I am more in my blogworld than I am in my room. I may physically be present in Pasadena, but my mind, my concentration, my thoughts, etc, are all in blogworld. It's kinda like when I'm watching football and "talking" to someone else at the same time. Most of me is in that stadium with the Chargers. I'm far more aware of what is happening there than I am of what is happening on the couch. So, where am I? Or if you are at home but are constantly on the phone talking business or thinking about work problems, aren't you still at work? I guess this has probably all been talked about before, but I've never really thought through this. You'd think this would be common among computer geeks, but it wasn't among the students I hung out with in the programming labs. Maybe cause we were lost in another world playing video games...
How does this affect us? We can't escape it. Maybe this is a big part of why so many people feel fragmented and long for a holistic lifestyle. We need to wrestle with how to live a cohesive life even though we are in a very real sense split all over the world. I think having a sabbath where you cut turn everything off and rest is essential, but is that all there is? I've never thought of it before, but isn't it a little warped if the best hope we have is "I'm so overwhelmed and stressed, but if I can just get past this and make it to the weekend..."? That can't really be life to the fullest like Jesus promised. It's almost another form of escaping, and therefore dividing ourselves yet again. So what do we do? The world is chaos all around us, and that's only going to keep increasing. We know it's not good to escape to our protective bubbles, because we can't live split between the sacred and secular. How do we live in a world that pulls at us constantly and live healthy, whole lives? We have to learn a balance. I have no idea what that really looks like in day to day living! Thoughts?
Okay, that was not what I intended to write about. I went off on about four other tangents while writing, and ended up with about 20 paragraphs. I'm not going to post that all right now. You would hate me. More to come later. I promise!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)