Freeganism is a movement of reducing the pervasiveness of overconsumption. Here is a good article on the continuum of making choices to reduce our overconsumption. For both of you that read this blog, let me know what you think?
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I have recently been receiving an onslaught of Christian propaganda pleading with me to boycott this movie. I have been exhorted to speak out against the moral and spiritual horror of which it contains. I am told this is not only a good idea but my responsibility as a good Christian. Here is how one piece of literature I received is framing their argument,
“If the movie contains even a portion of these godless ethics promoted by the novels, then the movie is very dangerous, and you and I must stand against it. Unfortunately, we can see the discouraging signs that abound in our own culture that the message of The Golden Compass is impacting our society:
* There are more violent crimes like the Virginia tech massacre.
* There is more sexual promiscuity happening, not surprising when you consider that about 90 percent of children age 8-16 have seen pornography.
* Mass consumerism is literally driving people into debt. Our youth are being destroyed by the lust for material things over the desire to glorify God.
This seems like quite an effect this movie is having…before it is has even been released. These Christian individuals spend a great deal of time, energy, and creativity coming up with ways in which we can oppose things deemed morally suspect or abhorrent.
To this I respond; what a tragedy.
Has the message of the gospel become so uninspiring and uncompelling? Christians have simply resolved to being know for what they are against. What if all the effort, energy, and creativity that is put into opposing things was directed towards living out the fullness of the Kingdom of God on earth. If our energy was so directed into the ways of God and being part of repairing all that is broken in the world, would there really be any need to protest something like a few lines in a movie or even an ideology that denies God’s existence, which based on Christians’ actions seems so ridiculous.
So, see the movie or don’t see the movie. But more importantly can we Christians collectively live in the world in such a way that boycotting and protesting unChristian things seems petty and futile.
Oh ya, the literature cited earlier ended like this,
“That is why we need your help right now so that we can continue working to turn Hollywood, the mass media of entertainment and our culture right side up. We have many great ministry opportunities this coming year such as sending MOVIEGUIDE® subscriptions to hundreds (if not thousands) of parents, pastors and youth pastors in 2008 so that we can protect even more young people. Your gift right now will enable us to strengthen our voice to the top Hollywood decision-makers so that we can stop atheistic entertainment like THE GOLDEN COMPASS.”
You have to be kidding me.
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Having a daughter and wife makes this seem really important.
I have found myself with a little extra time on my hands as I have been sitting in the hospital awaiting the definitive diagnosis of viral or bacterial meningitis. Ah yes, Friday it was confirmed by the intrusion of a three and a half inch needle plunged into my spinal cord extracting the necessary fluid to determing my medical diagnosis. What began on thursday as a nasty headache has been determined as meningitis. At first glance, my lab work and my body’s response, or lack there of, suggests that my meningitis is viral. This would be a very good thing. Bacterial is a much more troublesome outcome. Tomorrow my incubated spinal fluid will tell the story. If it grows fur-bacterial; if it doesn’t-viral. While my back may grow a fair amount of excess hair we will hope my spinal cord does not. Today has been good the headache has mostly subsided, the stiff neck has loosened up, and the nausea has subsided. I have taken the time to catch up on some homework that is never caught up. Feel free to send cash donations to the whipple pain and suffering fund; only large gifts will be accepted $1000 and up:)
After continuing my relationship with those on the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservation for the eigth year I have been thinking a lot about the meaning of missions and felt compelled to share a few of my thoughts in an unedited article form:
I have been co-directing a mission organization over the last eight years. It bares the brand The Lakota Journey. This has been an incredibly frustrating and rewarding experience. We are an organization that introduces, resources, and mobilizes local churches to communities on the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservation. There are twenty communities on the Rosebud and we are currently in ten of those communities. Our hope is to see a long-term relationship form between the church and community. We hope this relationship is marked by compassion, love, understanding, respect, creativity, reciprocity, and gospel. It is a relationship that seeks to alleviate suffering and broadcast strengths. Our framework is in no way short-term. Which brings me to my first struggle with current missiology among many churches and youth ministries. There appears to be a short-term orientation towards missions to which many groups are subscribing. Noticing this trend has led me to a question. What does the descriptor “short-term” imply about our approach to missions? Short-term, to me, implies a lack of extended commitment. It reminds me of several local work-a-day job services. Having talked to several people who have worked for this type of job service their commitment extends only as far as is necessary to collect a paycheck. No extra effort required. I wonder if we approach “short-term” missions this way? It is as if we put forth only the needed effort to expose our parishioners to a needy community one week a year. In effect we make little difference in the community we exploit but the short-term participants come back with a sense of fulfillment and a short-lived commitment to short-term missions. If the primary benefit of our missions experience is with the church participants and not the community engaged should it really be called missions?
This leads me to a concern for the way in which the gospel of Jesus is represented. I think we can justify a short-term missiology by conveying the gospel in a future oriented (eternal life) incomplete way. If the gospel is simply a matter of pointing people towards a relationship with God that grants them entrance to heaven at the end of their life we can happily return to suburbia armed with the pride of our accomplishments, conversion stories, and salvation statistics. This leads to compelling others from our church to gear up for next year and finding a new place that hasn’t been “reached” yet. In the wake of our past trips we leave a people with an understanding of God’s primary concern for their future destination and of His apathetic orientation toward their current predicament. This, for me, seems to lack the full nature of the Gospel. If in our drive-thru approach to missions we leave a people suffering, hungry, and fatherless with no attempt to restore, redeem, and make things right we have done a great disservice to the community we have engaged and God himself whom we represent.
I wonder if we can dream of missions not in terms such as “short-term” or “trips” but rather as an indelible commitment. A commitment to represent a gospel that values the God-created nature of people in the places we find ourselves, whether it be in our office or Oman; a commitment to befriend and appreciate the strengths and differences we discover; a commitment to alleviate suffering whether it be physical, mental, emotional, social, or spiritual; a commitment to represent a God who is concerned not only with peoples eternal destination but also with where their next meal is coming from. This is an approach to missions that resonates with me. What about you?
For my first post back after a long sabatical I wanted to address something important. I don’t enjoy much reality television. It is all contrived relational predicaments that end in people being pissed at other people for doing what everyone else has done just not as well as the winner. It’s upsurd. And yet in my story of hatred towards reality TV there is the twist of redemption. Namely ICE ROAD TRUCKERS. It’s true. Being the hater of reality TV there is no boob tube experience quite like spending an hour watching an overweight, hairy, foul mouth, part man part beast, pull a loaded down big rig across a frozen lakes that is mere inches thick. If you have not checked it out you should. History Channel(where else). Monday nights. 9pm. Ah yes even in reality TV the story of redemption can be found. Thank God for Ice Road Truckers.
Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I did it. It was somewhat sureal to come to such a decision and realize I may no longer be the harry-backed, tobacco spitting, scratch my privates in public, manly man i never was, and fully embrace my identity as a white middle-classed suburban parent or almost 2 kids. There is no turning back now. I traded in my pick-up (or truck for you city folk) on a minivan. Not just any minivan a 2002 Toyota Sienna (pictures soon to come). It even has the all-american flip down tv in the cieling. Some may consider this an act of emasculation for a man such as myself but I simply consider it to be the ultimate sacrafice of a father for his progeny.
Speaking of which, there are only three weeks until the newest addition to the whipple brood arrives.
Thats all for know I have to go ice my goods and try to recovery from such a day as this.
| http://www.myheritage.com |
but my heritage.com suggests otherwise. Thank you very much. Thanks also to Brandon for a waste of 20 minutes when I should be reading Strengthening Family Resilience.
Here are some updated pictures. I have started trimming on the inside. I am really trying to stay true to an arts and crafts style with modern materials that are a little more green. I am using MDF (medium density fiberboard) trim. It is basically recycled cardboard and glue, tightly compressed. It all came in 4×8 sheets (about 90 lbs. a piece) and Rod Belden and I ripped it all down. 14 sheets later we had enough stock to base and case the house. Next we routed all the exposed edges and then started cutting.
Progress will slow next week because of Christmas but that is the way that it should be I suppose. It has been fun trimming out a house a little different from most I have done. I am going to paint the wook an off white/creamy color and the walls a kaki brown. We are looking forward to the new house but not as excited as the new edition to the Whipple’s that will be living in the house with us. I will update more pictures later.
