Radical Experiment: Perspective

I have decided to take on the Radical Experiment from the book The Radical by David Platt. This experiment has 5 components and it lasts for 1 year.

One of the 5 components is to pray for the entire world in a year.

I begun this this week and it truly opened my eyes for how selfish I am. One of the biggest things God has taught we the past few days is perspective.

As I have begun this part of the Radical Experiment I have been slapped in the face. I guess I have just been so comfortable in my cozy American dream that I have blinded myself to what is truly going on in the world around me. God is beginning to break down my perspective and replace it with His. This is extremely scary for me because the pain and suffering I am just reading about is overwhelming me. What would our lives look like as Christian if we truly allow God to replace our perspective for a glimpse of His? I believe they would look A LOT different. At least mine would. We all have presuppositions in life. A presupposition is defined as an implicit assumption about the world or background belief. How we presume the world around us to be defines in part how we will react to it. I believe that as an American Christian I have found it very easy to put up blinders. Blinders to what is really going on in the world around us. Because if I really knew, if I truly understood what is happening in this world, I would not be able to continue to live in my comfy American Dream. So as I continue to pray for nations in our world, I am continuing to pray that God would remove my blinders, and replace my perspective for His. That He would give me His eyes to see, and the courage to do something about it.

The first 3 nations I have been praying for this week have such immense pain and suffering. Two of these nations have 95% or more people who are not Christian. All three nations have poverty that we as comfy Americans may not even begin to be able to understand. The average income per YEAR for these 3 nations is $453. That means that the average person living in one of these 3 nations has to live on $9.40 a week! As I look at this number, I can't even begin to imagine what that would look like. I spend $9.40 going out for lunch in a day. So not only are these 3 nations mostly non Christian and in severe poverty, but they all are a part of the devastating effects of war.

It is easy for us to read about these nations, and give a pity remark but then do nothing. We feel bad for them for about 2 minutes, then tend to go on with our day in our comfy homes, and comfy lives. I don't want to be comfortable any longer. I want to be so uncomfortable that I can do nothing else but seek comfort in my God.

Materialism Challenge Part 4

I decided to go through my clothes this week as a part of my Materialism Challenge. (you can read about the Challenge here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) I have always had a decent amount of clothes and enjoyed shopping but never truly realized the hold they had on me until this week. As I started going through my closet and drawers I found it harder and harder to add to the get rid of pile. Most of the clothes in my drawers are either maternity or pre-pregnancy and do not fit anymore. I had no problem bagging up all the maternity clothes to store at my parents house for any future pregnancies but getting rid of other clothes that do not fit me was a bit more difficult.

Now I believe God has been calling me to live a life of simplicity and away from materialism. I found this very hard to accept when it came to my clothes. I mean everyone needs clothes, right? But how much do I really need? Where is the line between necessity and luxury? The line may be different to each person, and each person needs to seek God for this answer. For me however, I struggled and am still struggling with where this line should be.

Our culture says so much about how we look, and how we should dress. We should be stylish and cute. I am NOT saying that being stylish and cute is a sin, I am just personally feeling convicted on how much value I have placed into looking stylish and cute. Where do I truly find my worth? Where do I find other peoples worth? In how they look? In how I look?

This is a battle that I feel I will never fully overcome. I must continue to seek God for my worth, instead of clothes, looks, or style. I think I will find this most difficult when I am surrounded by Christians who find nothing wrong with having nice clothes and accessories. I am not saying there is anything wrong with having these things, but for me, I struggle to much in where I find my worth, and therefore need to eliminate some of the materialism that is holding me back from knowing where my true worth should be found, in Christ.

I was bought for a price not so that I can continue on in an unchanged life. I was bought at a price because I am loved, for His Glory. Not so that I can look cute on Sundays or so that I can have the most stylish things, but so that I would know my worth in Him and bring praise and glory to Him.

I'm sure God will direct me to spend the money I would usually spend on clothing, on a much more Worthy cause.

I write this post not to say I have overcome this struggle in ANY WAY, this is a battle of the mind I fear I will have to be in forever. A battle of what the world says is worthy and what my God says is worthy. I write this for accountability and for you reading to know that your worth is so far greater than that which can be expressed through clothing, or style. Your worth comes from a God who loves you and wants you to seek His Glory.

Materialism Challenge Part 3

Now that we have made the decision by God's Grace to live a life more simplistically, (you can read about it here; Materialism Challenge Part 1 & Materialism Challenge Part 2) we are now faced with the challenge of what to do with the extra resources that we are going to have.

Tim & I have decided to face this next year of our life with a new perspective. We decided that we are going on the missions field. We are going to plan our this missions trip, gather funds, help people and share the gospel. This missions trip is going to be a bit different than others we have gone on.

Firstly, this is going to be for at least year. This is the longest "missions trip" either of us has gone on, and it is going to challenge us in new ways because of it's length. Secondly, instead of going overseas this missions trip is going to take place about 3 blocks from where we live now. Our new apartment is going to be our mission field for the next year. We want to help the people around us, right in our own world. We want to share the gospel with them, help with needs financially, and just be there for prayer and encouragement.

The four of us {Aaron, Julie, Tim & I} have always had a passion for missions. But sometimes it almost seems easier for me to go to a 3rd world country and live in their culture of nothingness. It seems easier to want less and to have less. We want to take our heart for the lost and our heart for missions and apply it right here in Normal, IL.

I don't believe people are "called" to missions. I believe this is not a calling for some, and not for other. I believe this is a command we are given to share His name to all the nations, including America, including Normal, IL, including my neighborhood. Where in the Bible does it say that missions is an optional thing for Christians? It doesn't, we are all "called", we are all commanded. God has blessed us individually with different gifts however, and we must seek Him for where He wants to use these gifts most effectively.

I am so excited and humbled to continue to seek God in what He wants to do through not just our extra money, but our changed hearts. The extra money we will have and will do very little, if anything, on it's own. The eternal impact is going to come from our changed hearts & changed lives, in the midst of turning over the reigns to our money & possessions.

I am in such awe of God and how much He wants to do through me, when I am nothing! How humbled I am to know that our Great God can and wants to use me, as sinful, dirty, and broken as I am, for His Glory.

Materialism Challenge Part 2

I have struggled deeply with the concept of spending and glorifying God. As I wrote briefly about in Materialism Challenge Part 1, I have been wrestling with convictions towards our spending. As my convictions deepen, I started to hear God speak to me about a very real part of our life.

Our lease on our apartment is up in the end of May. We have been feeling extremely claustrophobic in our current apartment ever since G was born. We have so much stuff, and adding the items needed for a baby didn't help. We made the decision to move. As we began lightly apartment hunting about 2 months ago the Lord continue to speak and deepen my convictions on our materialism.

So many people would give anything to have the "stuff" we have that is cluttering our home. So many people would give anything to have the apartment we do. To the majority of the world, we are living in such luxury. Yet, in our culture, it seemed time for an upgrade for us. How selfish we have been living. How selfish we have been spending. How selfish we have been acquiring.

I began to allow Him to tell me what He wants to do with our items, our living situation, and our income. This transformation is and has been a very difficult one and one that God has to continually renew everyday because most days my flesh wants to take over and spend our money how we want to. How prideful am I to even think this is our money?

A few months ago, after searching God's answers to our money and living situation it became clear to me what God was calling us to. Now this calling may seem "drastic" to some people and even to my flesh at times. This calling did not just require sacrifice from my family but from another family. I knew that if this calling was from God, He would work out the details, and work in changing the hearts of ALL parties involved. I prayed. I prayed daily for every person involved. I do not think I have ever prayed more for any other decision in my life. Through this prayer, not only did God change the hearts of all people involved but He showed up in HUGE ways and drew me nearer to Him in a completely different way.

To me, this is huge. Not because of the sacrifice we are going to make, but because what I believe God wants to do through it.

After months of prayer, changed hearts, and dying to our flesh, we made the decision we feel is going to bring glory to God.

Tim, Gracelyn and I have decided instead of moving to a bigger apartment with more space, we are going to "declutter" our home, give things away, and move into a small townhome with Aaron Zapata & Julie once they marry July 2nd. We signed the lease last night and we are so excited to see how God is going to use this.

Now, we know this will probably raise a few eyebrows but please know the following things:

1. We are NOT doing this because we think it is going to be fun.

2. We are NOT doing this for attention for us, but only attention for God and His work

3. We are doing this for God's glory and God's plan

4. We are doing this because we feel God calls us to give, and give radically at times, not just our possession but also our comfortable lives.

5. We KNOW this is going to be a sacrifice on ALL our parts; Aaron & Julie's first year of marriage, G first year of life growing up in a lot less space, and Tim & I adjusting to living with another couple after 3.5 years on our own.

Please hear our hearts in this. For it is for His glory alone we are doing it. In doing this, we are going to be paying a lot less than we currently do, which will free up a ton to put aside for what God has planned for. I will write more about our plans in living together in Part 3, but for now, just pray along with us because this is going to be a sacrifice on all of our parts and Satan is going to try to destroy this. Pray that we would be strong, and continue to die to our flesh and material possessions daily.

We are called not to a comfortable life, but to one that will bring glory to God. As Christians we need to each individually wrestle with what God is calling us to do with our money and possessions.

"The lesson I learned is that the war against materialism in our hearts is exactly that: a war. It is a constant battle to resist the temptation to have more luxuries, to acquire more stuff, and to live more comfortably. It requires strong and steady resolve to live out the gospel in the middle of an American dream that identifies success as moving up the ladder, getting the bigger house, purchasing the nicer car, buying the better clothes, eating the finer food, and acquiring more things." -Radical by David Platt

Materialism Challenge Part 1

For the past year or so God had continually brought up a part of my life that needed to be changed. I have always felt some sort of conviction towards materialism and wanting to live a "simplistic" lifestyle. Most times I can find a way to ignore these convictions out of fear and lack of faith. But over the past year, God has deepened this conviction to new heights. I am not fully ready to discuss what exactly this will me for our family this next year until a few things finalize, but I want to start by just writing about the idea of living a minimalist lifestyle for God's Glory.

I grew up in a household that pretty much got what we want, when we wanted it. Once Tim and I got married obviously this mindset had to change. Although Tim & I have never been "rich" according to the culture around us, we have been so blessed in ways that can only be explained by God.

Over the past year, I have struggled with questions. When I read God's word I see one thing about money and materialism, but then I look at the culture, even the Christian culture, around me and see something completely different. Where is the line in having a savings account for emergencies, and trusting that if an emergency does arise, that God will provide? Where is the line between what we "need" and what we want? The world around us SCREAMS out telling us all the things that we need to have to free up time, energy, money, and even space. I wonder how many of the gadgets we have in our home are true needs instead of luxury. I have battle with these and MANY more questions over the past year, and everyday God seems to bring about a new conviction on the issue.

I write this not for praise for myself and not for attention, but just to question. Question the culture around us. I question how Biblical our Christian culture is in regards to our possessions. I believe that God may not call every Christian to give up everything and give it to the poor, but I do believe that we need to be listening. Listening to God and not the world. We need to be ready. Ready to give it all up if indeed that is what God asks of us. Are you listening? Are you ready?

I wonder how our culture, even our Christian culture around us would react if we did give it all up. Many would say it is unwise financially, many would say that our motive are not pure, and many more would call us irresponsible for not having a plan to make it by.

When I take a step back, and look at Tim & my life as believers, I question. I question how we can live in such comfort when there are millions of people dying from starvation around the world. There are so many people hurting even here in the United States from poverty. Even in our own neighborhood on Rockingham Drive in Normal, there are people hurting. How can it ever be okay for Tim and I to sit back in our comfortable life when God has called us to bring Him to the ends of the earth. If thousands of people are going to die just today alone because they do not have the bare essentials of food to survive, how can I as a Christian sit back in my comfortable life and just do nothing, change nothing.

I can't.

Join me on this journey as I blog about the changes God wants to do in our family's life and the sacrifices He is going to call us to, ALL for HIS GLORY.