“So here’s what I want you to do, God
helping you:
Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating,
going-to-work, & walking-around life—
& place it before God as an offering.
Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
Don’t
become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even
thinking.
Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside
out.
Readily recognize what he wants from you, & quickly respond to it.
Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of
immaturity,
God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in
you.”
–Romans 12:1-2 (the Message)
Yes, I know it may seem like I have been
hammering away at you with this verse… the truth is, it’s been chipping away at
me for almost a year.
For those of you who have been watching us closely
these past 12 months,while it may appear as if we have completed the journey God had
set before us to downsize our material possessions; it’s becoming very clear
that God is choosing to continue to work in us & our preconceptions of what
we ‘deserve’ when it comes to time, talent & possessions.
As some of you know that we were without
internet & cable our first few weeks in our new place & while at first
it seemed like a major sacrifice, we’ve come to find that we kind of like it. Looking
back on our past lifestyle & habits, it really is staggering to think of just how
much time we have spent engrossed in a TV program that gives us nothing of real
value or how quickly we get sucked in to social media or surfing the internet
for more… wait for it… ‘stuff’.
Not that these things are all bad. The media
that we are able to access in this day & age is nothing short of miraculous…
We are grateful for these wonderful tools that keep us informed of the current news &
weather, keep us connected with our loved ones who live long distance & the
incredible way we can use them to share
what God is doing in our personal lives & in the world around us.
Unfortunately, this is the exception, not the rule.
So, after some discussion, Chuck & I
decided not to add the cable back & to take a different approach to the way
we use the internet… social media in particular. Some of you have already
noticed the way Chuck has ‘downsized’ his Facebook lists & page. He’s
encouraging people to call him instead of Facebook messaging him. He’s found that
while this tool is great for passing along basic thoughts or information, it is
not contusive to pastoral care or fellowship on an intimate basis. It’s
surprising how much flack he caught over this decision. Apparently, some would
rather remain a FB ‘friend’ than use email, pick up the phone to call or to stop
by the office for some real conversation. Despite that, we are choosing to take
a stand (shooting a flare over the bow so to speak) & change the way we
communicate with others as well as become more cautious of this communication medium.
Beware… my page(s) will take on a whole new look in February as well.
I go into all of this because of what this
change in mindset is doing to us & for us. As we have spent less & less
time inundated with media, we are finding ourselves feeling more & more
connected. We find ourselves calling our kids & our families & our
friends more. We find ourselves spending more time with people… real people who
we can reach out & actually touch… we are having conversations in our
living room without having to type or put up with a time delay. We are doing ‘crafts’ & reading books &
playing games & really talking with Hannah & each night after we tuck
her in, my husband & I curl up on opposite ends of the couch with a cup of
tea & share in real meaningful conversation about life & love & God
& discipleship.
Ah… such sweet communion. Isn’t this what
we as humans truly long for?
"The tests of the Christian life; though outwardly not so terrible, are even more likely to overcome us than those of the fiery age. We have to bear the sneer of the world-that is little. Its soft words; its oily speaches & its hypocrisy are far worse. Our danger is that we grow rich & proud; give to the fashions of this present world & lose our faith. Or if wealth is not the trial, worldly care causes difficulty... The devil cares little which it is, as long as he destroys our love for & confidence in Christ. We must be awake now, for we walk on dangerous ground. We are most likely to fall asleep to our undoing unless our faith in Jesus is a reality & our love for Him a fervent flame."
-Charles Spurgeon
