Storms

Storms have a way of interrupting life. Take last month for instance. Along with a host of other people, I'd spent the previous couple months planning for an annual benefit softball tournament. Fields reserved, umpires secured, t-shirts ordered, rosters submitted, money collected, food organized and ordered. An awful lot of preparation went in to making the 2-day tournament run smoothly. After the first day of games and the seeding determined for the championship round, the players all assembled at the designated starting time on Sunday afternoon. Players had traveled from five different states for this championship game. At the precise moment when the first game was scheduled to begin a bolt of lightening lit up the sky. Then rain began to fall. We waited for the customary 30 minutes to determine what would happen next. A half hour later the captains and umpires gathered to make the call. Two minutes into the meeting the skies opened up and poured forth so much water that the parched and dusty fields from the day before had become a swamp in a matter minutes. Championship round canceled, tournament over. Just like that.

Yet something special happened during that 10 minute rain delay meeting. The captains of the various teams, who though they worked together to raise money and honor a dear friend, in many ways still acted primarily as competitors. But during this meeting - this meeting forced upon us by this abrupt and powerful storm - brought everyone together to talk about the tournament. It forced us to take the time to discuss what was important and what wasn't. To restate and agree upon the priorities. It helped lead the group to a shared commitment to the tournament and all that it stood for. So did the storm interrupt the tournament or guarantee it's long term survival?

That same storm knocked out power in my neighborhood for almost nine hours. No electricity - no cable, no internet, no A/C. Just think of pre-historic times. What would we do now? What an inconvenience - what an annoyance. Maybe go to a movie, or to the mall.

Not intentionally - at least not on our part - my wife and I, as well as my college aged daughter and some of her friends, ended up on our front porch. Some sat swinging on the porch swing while others of us were rocking in the Amish made rockers. Those who were of age, and so inclined, sipped on one of my wife's favorite Australian wines. We told stories, got caught up, learned of my daughters summer experiences in India and her friend's time on an organic farm in Vermont. We laughed together and got connected - all without an electronic device to assist us. Not long after we convened this informal gathering two of the next door neighbor's children heard the noise and decided to investigate. Margarita and Sebastian invited themselves into the party and found some comfortable laps to sit on. It took a while before their mom showed up - but she did. Another glass of wine poured, more stories, more laughs, more connections. Then Dad came over, wondering where the family was, and what all the noise was about. Even though he had a pizza cooking on the BBQ (once the kids know it's pizza night even a power outage won't be enough to change their minds) he felt compelled to stay. Oh yea, and the guests they had coming over for dinner would just have to find their way over to our front porch themselves - which they did, along with their kids and their parents.

We had a full house - although we weren't in the house. It was a magical time. A memorable time. A peaceful, relationship-building time that would not have been any more special had we planned it. Had the electricity not gone off, though, it wouldn't have happened. We would likely have been indoors, plugged in or logged on in an attempt to connect - yet would we have really connected - like we did on the porch?

Storms are unpredictable. They can wreak havoc on those they touch. Yet they can also have the profound effect of simplifying our lives and helping us to zero in on what's most important. Though I don't for a minute want to trivialize the pain and suffering brought on by storms like Katrina, one of the immediate outcomes is ofter a huge outpouring of mutual concern and real connections made between people who had previously shared the same space, but not really known each other. Life can sometimes bring simplicity to us, and in those times we remember that what matters most is people. What if we chose simplicity and began to reap the relational rewards right now. Don't wait for the storms. Try out your front porch swing today - and invite a neighbor to join you.

We Need a New Name

When someone hears the word “American” there are probably a hundred other words that might pop into their minds depending on where they are from and what relationship they have to the United States. Some of those words are likely to have a negative connotation, and others might reflect a sense of admiration or even envy. But regardless of how the hearer might feel about Americans, there is one synonym that seems to be universally accepted – by Americans and non-Americans alike. It is a word that is used in our media on a daily basis. And every time I hear it, I cringe and feel embarrassed and at times even ashamed – but at the same time, I am "guilty as charged". Some of us may be democrats and others republicans, some may be Christian and some Jewish, some may be black and some may be white. Some may be white collar and others blue collar, and some no collar at all. But this one particular tag, this one identifier, this particular label seems to stick to all of us without regard to race, gender, age, class or any other distinction. As Americans we are Consumers.

It is telling that when you observe a shift in another culture, and it gets described as “westernization” what is likely being observed is a shift toward greater consumerism! To be more like America means to be bigger consumers. After 911, one of the earliest messages even from our countries leaders, was "buy more". Consuming is the answer to homeland security. The message throughout the recent recession - that was brought on by irresponsible lending and borrowing practices, and deplorable greed - is "spend more". In 2008 companies in this country spent more than 410 billion dollars on advertising - to help us be better consumers.

We are so indoctrinated in this role that we begin to believe statements like "The more you buy the more you save". This may come as a surprise to some, but you can’t save money at a retail store. You can only spend money there. To save money, you go to a bank and put your money in a savings account, CD or money market account - or you could even stick it in a plastic bag under your mattress. But there's only one thing you can do with your money at a store - consume.

This consumerism is so much a part of our national identity that our English language struggles to even find a good antonym for the word. The most common I've found is producer. But how many of us produce anything - except waste from the things we consume? The American language doesn't even give us an option.

Did you know that the single fastest-growing segment of the commercial real estate market in the past 35 years is Self-storage facilities. These are the places we put all the stuff that we consume when we run out of space for that stuff in our homes, closets, attics, basements, sheds, garages and parents homes. Between 2000 and 2007 the self-storage industry grew 81%. Today self-storage is a $22 billion industry with over 50,000 storage facilities in the US. In fact, there are so many self-storage facilities in the US, they cover more than 78 square miles - that's 2.2 billion square feet.

In Matthew 6:19, Jesus said "do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth..." This is one of those Jesus sayings that we have conveniently dismissed as metaphorical. But ask yourself a few questions. What is my stuff doing for me? Does it set me free or does it enslave me? How much time do I spend managing and maintaining my stuff? How much do I spend just on insuring my stuff? Do I own my stuff, or does my stuff own me? We have a stuff crisis in this country. It's a virus that is starting to spread to other countries and peoples as well. How can we deal with this crisis? I have a couple simple recommendations. One is to view a creative, but hard-hitting little video on "The Story of Stuff". You can see it at www.storyofstuff.com.

Another recommendation is to begin to take Jesus' words more literally? In Luke 12:15 Jesus said, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (stuff)."

With these words ringing in our ears, and our attic and shed near capacity (no self-storage unit yet, but getting dangerously close) my family and I have decided to try a new version of the old "one a day challenge". I'm sure all of us have given ourselves a daily challenge before. Maybe a nutrition or other health related challenge. Maybe daily prayer. Perhaps to smile and say hello to a stranger or spend some quality time with your spouse or children.

Our new one a day challenge is this. Every day we will try to...
1. Give something away,
2. Throw something away or,
3. Sell something and give the money to someone in need.

Every day, get rid of one of our possessions. We started small. I found a few books on my shelf that I wasn't going to read again and gave them to someone who would. Then we went through our attic and found a bunch of cardboard boxes we'd been saving for who knows what and gave some to a friend who needed some moving boxes, and the rest ended up on the curb on recycling day. After that it was a small TV, then a computer. Give it a try - it's very freeing! Get rid of stuff that you said you might use someday, but 15 years later it's still taking up space in your attic. Give away one book, CD or DVD. Find the things you have two of and give one to someone who has none. The next time someone asks to borrow something - give it to them instead. Or the next time someone says, "hey, I really like that tie", take it off and give it to them.

We earned the name "consumer" because it is probably the one thing most of us do every single day. What if we turned it around. Instead of consuming every day, we let go of something every day. As I try to shed all of the stuff that enslaves me, I want to shed the name consumer as well. We need a new name. How about Remusnoc?

Welcome to Simplify

Did you ever notice how many people complain about how complicated their lives are? I am certainly guilty of that. It is so easy to get caught up in the momentum of our busy lifestyles, swept along by the cultural current, and believe that we are somehow all victims of something beyond our control. And yet, our life really consists of a series of decisions that we make - or fail to make. We have more control over this thing than we would like to admit.

I am at a point in life where I no longer want to blame culture, "the system" or anyone else for the direction and pace that my life is going. Instead, I am exploring how to simplify life in spite of all the noise around me that says "keep up", "do more", "try this", "you need that". I am on a quest to learn to live more simply. I am only at the beginning of this journey - but it's one I'm excited about taking. I would like to invite you along and get your thoughts, feedback and input on how and why to take this journey.

As I get started I am reminded of another journey I took a few decades ago. It was a simple journey that was very difficult to complete - in fact, by some measure I didn't complete it. I set out with a close friend of mine to circumnavigate the United States by bicycle. The trip started in Yosemite National Park and immediately headed to the coast and then north along the pacific highway toward Seattle. When you travel long distance by bicycle you are living a very simple life - everything you need to live on is contained in the bags that adorn your bicycle. On the other hand, it's very difficult, because it's slow and strenuous work to peddle yourself and all your gear up mountains, down narrow roads, through hurried and often angry motorists, and against the wind (headwinds seem to be standard equipment on touring bicycles). Simple does not mean easy. In fact, simple is extremely difficult.

On this first leg of our journey heading north on the coastal highway we got one question from people more than any other. The question was "why are you going north?". The reason for the question is that the prevailing winds along the west coast come from the north. So most cyclists who ride the coastal highway out west actually make their way to Seattle by car or train so they can start in the north and then head south - with the prevailing winds. Once when asked this question, a fellow rider that we had met along the way and were currently traveling with, gave this reply: "My grandfather was a salmon". Ever since that day, our small band of riders became known as the Salmon Cycle Touring club. We would just wave to the southbound riders with a certain smug smile, knowing that we had chosen the more difficult direction. We even had t-shirts made. A small cycle on the front of a pink shirt, and a large salmon on the back with these words underneath, "Dead fish can float downstream".

I know that "simple" is somewhere north of here, but I am determined, that in spite of the narrow roads, steep climbs and a constant headwind in my face, I will make progress toward this place. I invite you to join me.

Progress?

Why was it such a scandal that Jesus met with the woman at the well in the middle of the day? It was because the custom at that time was that the women would all meet together early in the morning to draw water and in that simple task found a place to share their lives, their stories, their worries and their dreams. It was not just a watering hole, but a meeting place where community was built and sustained. Today we buy our water in bottles, pre-packaged by the case so we don’t have to come back for a week or more, and in the self check-out express lane with the sweep of a credit card – never even having to say hello to a store employee or another water gatherer. What happened to the watering hole? Progress.

Jesus’ ministry was a sensual smorgasbord as he “touched” the lepers to make them clean, as he “looked at…and loved” the rich young ruler, as Jesus wept with the grieving mother, and as the room was drenched in the fragrance of the sinful woman’s perfume poured on Jesus’ feet. He didn’t just “touch” people’s lives metaphorically, but was intimately involved in people’s deepest fears, concerns and pain. Today we send people religious chain emails to encourage them and use “emoticons” in our text messages to express our feelings. What happened to the dangerously intimate interactions that Jesus had with people? Progress.

God said by the sweat of our brow we would produce food to eat from the ground that we were left to care for. And by this struggle we would be forever reminded of our weakness before God and our need for him to help us survive, as we enjoyed the natural, “God engineered” food. Today we buy our chemically-processed, genetically engineered, nutrient-free food from the air-conditioned, café equipped, surround sound wired, well-lit grocery store, as flat-screens, cut-outs and coupon dispensers tell us to “buy more and save”. What happened to the hard work, sweat, healthy food and connection to God? Progress.

What is progress? How do we measure it? Faster, bigger, cheaper, sleeker?

If bigger is better than why do those children growing up in larger, more affluent homes experience greater depression and drug use than their lower income counter parts? Luthar and Becker suggest that the increased pressure to achieve, coupled with a sense of isolation from parents are contributing factors. Progress as measured by high achievement comes at the expense of healthy family relationships.

Is “Bigger” really Better?

Is “Faster” really Freeing?

Is “More Connected” Really Connecting Us?

LESS IS MORE
Small banks know their customers and value every one. Not only that, they are safe from the ponzie schemes, derivatives, mortgage collapses, etc – and they’re in the neighborhood.

Small fitness centers know their clients and work with each individually helping them achieve their health goals – and they’re in the neighborhood

Small businesses stock quality goods, special order what you need, know you by name and stand behind their products – and they’re in the neighborhood

Small local farmers reduce transportation costs and dependence on environmentally unsound practices while providing fresh, healthy, real food - and they’re in the neighborhood.

Small family doctors offices offer sincere, unrushed health care and advice – and they’re in the neighborhood.

Small, simple church provides a safe and nurturing place to grow deep relationships as the group draws closer to God and manifests his love in the local community – and they’re in the neighborhood.

In an age of super stores, multi-national companies, huge banks, fitness “factories” and the like, why is there a resurgence of small, family-owned businesses, community banks, store front fitness centers and neighborhood farmers markets? Is it because these large and efficient, and often “cheaper” mega outlets miss the most essential element of any human transaction? Genuine relationships. Why do people pay $5 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks? Is it because the coffee is that much better or because with it they are welcomed by a local person who knows their name and their drink and because they get a chance to sit down and connect with another human being?

As the world continues to “shrink” due to ever evolving technology, we’ve gained far more neighbors around the world, but know our next door neighbors even less. While we count our social media “friends” by the 100s, the number of people we can engage with on a deeply personal level has diminished dramatically. New technologies developed at hyper-speed promise us more time, but we’re so addicted to our new tools (toys), we have less time to be with people.

So what is the cost of all this progress? Is it our relationships? If so, how much progress can we afford?