President

I went today and heard President Clinton speak at OU. I like President Clinton, but even if you don't like President Clinton, I think it is a real honor to hear one of the former leaders of our great nation speak! I heard the first President Bush speak at Oklahoma Christian in 1990 when I was just 10. This was only my second presidential speech.

Of course, this was a rally for Hillary Clinton. But Bill Clinton is an impressive speaker. He has very well organized thoughts, laid out a nice case for his wife and used no notes for his approximately one hour speech.

Contrary to what the media has been saying about his prior speeches, this speech today was very positive. I am glad I went; I didn't have a great seat and I didn't get to shake his hand, but I am glad that I will get to say I heard him speak and I attended a rally for the first woman who ever ran for president.

So my dad and I went and listened and I met up with Jeffrey Peters and a few of his friends. It was totally packed out and really a lot of fun just to be there. Crazy secret service and all.

Illegal

I am so tired of lines being drawn in the sand about people. I sat tonight listening to a child talk about how her dreams may never become reality because she has been labeled illegal. A precious child, innocent in so many ways, illegal. What does that mean? What has she done that is so illegal that she should feel so hopeless and life should feel so impossible? This child that has grown up on this soil, in this country, and educated in these schools.

I am tired of hearing people called illegal. Why aren't Christians outraged at that? God didn't make anyone illegal. I think we are living in the midst of a very important part of our country's history and many don't even know it. A time when people will look back and remember that some called people "illegal" and others embraced them.

I am even mad that the law now calls me illegal when I give rides to people called illegal. Or give them shelter. I was so happy when the Catholic Church proclaimed resistance against our new anti-immigration (really anti-human compassion) law that I thought about becaming Catholic.

My dad recently told me of going on choral tour with Oklahoma Christian College in the late 1960s and driving into a town in Arksansas to see a sign posted "No blacks after dark." He went on to tell me of a family that kept he and a black student in their home in town that night, breaking the law. When I heard the story, I couldn't help but thinking, in some ways, we really haven't come that far. We are stillmaking it illegal to keep certain types of people in our private homes or in our cars or whatever. Amazing.

But hey, if someone wants to arrest me for keeping a child (or adult for that matter) in my own home or car or whatever, have at it. I am who I am, I believe what I believe. And I don't ask for papers before I serve people. And truthfully, the words that come to mind and all that comforted me as I tears fell from my eyes and I felt the pain of my young friend tonight were the words of Paul in Philipians:

"But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him."

I sure am glad to be on the side of the one who will triumph over all the hate one day.

Water

I used to be a water snob. I liked certain brands of bottled water, was very picky about tap water and consumed at least four bottles of water everyday. I had heard this talk of what we have done to the environment with our "bottled water fad" but I really didn't pay attention. After all, I kicked my nasty Dr. Pepper addiction with bottled water! How bad could it be?

Then I came across an article that really changed my perspective. You know, every once in a while that happens. So I was hard at work one day reading this article and was just shocked. Did you know that we throw 38 billion water bottles in landfills each year? That is more than $1 billion worth of plastic. In my mind, I began to imagine a mountain of plastic just sitting somewhere (well in my mind, it was somewhere out east of OKC near the landfill). Anyway, and then I realized, oh my goodness, I am throwing half of those 38 billion bottles in there! Okay, maybe not half, but good grief, four bottles a day makes 28 a week makes 1,456 bottles a year. Just me by myself.

And then I was struck with the imagery of half drunk bottles of water rattling around in my backseat (there were probably 3 or 4 at that time!). And I realized I had replaced my Dr. Pepper addiction with a bottled water addiction. I was also really struck when the author pointed out that the particular brand of bottled water that I favored was just TAP WATER repacked by Pepsi. Lovely.

And then, there was the bit about Fiji water. The water of the elite. Did you know that half the people in Fiji do not have safe drinking water? It is actually easier for an American to get safe drinking water from Fiji than a person living in Fiji! Incredible. (In their defense, Fiji's website does say they are working to expand access to safe water on the Fiji Islands).

There are huge economic costs to bottled water, besides the landfills that we are filling up. The manufacturing creates pollutants, the transportation of the bottled water from plants (or far away islands) requires fuels, energy consumption and creates more pollutants. Somewhat reluctantly a few months ago I bought myself a new filter for my Brita water container and re-entered the world sans bottled water and have not looked back. I will admit that I made my change mid-stream and I have a fridge half full of bottled water that I cannot get myself to drink!

And the real question is why are we so addicted to bottled water? We have safe drinking water! For free! Well, technically we have already paid for it on our water bill, but it flows freely for us out of our tap. And if you want it to be purified it is so simple to buy a water filter for yourself and save time, money and energy.

Perhaps the best question is what about the billion people left without a reliable water source? Or the 3,000 children that die each day from diseases caused by tainted water? Perhaps it is not that we should not drink bottled water, but that our thoughtless consumption of extravagance leaves no thought to the lack of a safe resource for the majority of the world.

Don't Worry

Pictures of round two purge:



Don't worry, I know this wardwrobe looks like it could clothe a small village (which it could...there is more on bags and boxes on the ground) but I still have clothes in my closet. This is my second round; my first round was about twice this much! I am still in shock that I have THIS MUCH STUFF!


Anyway, I am still working on this and working on this, but so far I think I am making progress. Getting rid of it, gaining freedom.

Freedom

What would it be like to be free? Free from all that stuff that holds me back? Well, okay, what I am talking about again today of course are my material possessions. I just can't get rid of this. This is my year of downsizing in a really radical way. I just found this blog about a family that deciding to stop shopping for an entire year and it was really fun to find that. It is totally speaking to what I am working on right now.

You know, part of this process for me has been deciding that I am not going to buy anything new for myself that is not a necessity. I was sharing this with my friends on Sunday night and they were challenging my about what necessities are. Of course, I have done a "spending fast" before but I wouldn't even buy a coke or eat out. This isn't really about that. This is about not bringing more material items into my house. Letting go of that desire to collect things.

Julie came over last night to help me "let go" of some stuff and I was saying that I guess if I had some major emergency I could buy something. Then I looked at my closet and laughed and said "I just can't imagine what would constitute a clothing emergency for me!" What would that be? I need another pair of black pants? I already got rid of 4 pairs of black pants and I still have two left! Or maybe, I need another sweater? I got rid of 10 sweaters and I think I have at least 6 left. I can't imagine an emergency involving sweaters either.

I realized last night that I actually have an unhealthy attachment to my stuff and that is probably why this is happening to me. As we talked about my clothes, shoes, whatever I was working on putting in the giveaway pile, Julie noticed that I really "love" my stuff. So true. And you know, I don't want to be devoted to my stuff. Not at all, not one bit.

"For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God," Deuteronomy 4:24

Ready, Set...

I am having a problem with running. I started running this summer, actually it was July 31 if you want to know the exact date. I quickly figured out that I loved running (I have even written about it). I don't mean that I turned into an Olympic runner over night, but I realized that this was one sport I could handle. I could do it on my own, at my own pace and train anyway I wanted to and it would be okay! I loved it. It was perfect for me. So I got inspired and got after it. I trained for a 5K and ran in the Race for the Cure in October, inspiring yet another post.

And then it happened. Shortly after the 5K my running started to taper off. It didn't happen really quickly, more of that slow thing that happens where you go from running 3-4 times a week to 2-3 times then 1-2 times then all of a sudden you realize, you have run in two months! TWO MONTHS! You can't even call yourself a runner anymore! Not that I was every really a runner, I was more of a jogger although I ran my first 5K in 35 minutes which I thought was pretty darn good considering I had never done anything slightly athletic before July 31, 2007. Well, just to make things clear, I have started this program at work where I have to work out three times a week and I have been faithful since it started (January 1) but I have done everything but run! I have walked, done yoga and done the elliptical. But it's like I am totally avoiding running (maybe it is the freezing temperatures I don't know).

Anyway, I was thinking to myself this morning, "how did this happen?" Then I realized, well I just have so many other priorities and I have this tendency to quit stuff that sometimes gets the best of me.

So, faithful (few) readers, I need some inspiration. I am all set with my winter running clothes and my good running shoes and zero inspiration. Well, I am on a Relay team for the Memorial Marathon in April (Ann, Amy, don't be mad). That should be motivation enough. Unfortunately I am going to need something a little stronger. Like someone to come drag me out of bed and force me down the street on Saturday morning.

Getting Rid of It

After my grim discovery of the Fifty-Eight and the knowledge that the Lord was really speaking over me to simplify, downsize and let go of material possessions, I dedicated part of last week to that process.

You know, wow, there is just so much to say. Thursday was a big day last week on this issue for me. I woke up and felt like I really needed to spend some time in Isaiah 55. Listen to the words (The Message):
"Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water! Are you penniless? Come anyway—buy and eat! Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money—everything's free!Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy? Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest."

It was just so clear, the invitation was to come and take what the Lord has to offer, but in order to do that, you have to thirst for it, really, really want it. And how can you do that if you are out spending your money on junk (insert here clothing, DVDs, shoes, whatever). That concept, the Lord has the finest and the best but we will never desire that if we are filling ourselves up with junk! The best of the best cannot be bought with money.

In Luke 10 when Jesus sends out the seventy-two, he sends them out with nothing. They are to go with nothing. Clearly in his wisdom, the Lord understood that our physical, material belongings weigh us down.

Last night I was talking this over with two friends. One of my friends pointed out that in Acts 3 when Peter and John healed the crippled beggar at the city gate, Peter said to him, "Silver and gold I do not have but what I have I give you." And he healed him. My friend pointed out that we cannot make this claim and we can only give what we have. What we have are possessions and that is what we give. But we fail at so often is sharing the life-giving power of Jesus! Because our lives are wrapped up in the abundance of our possessions.

So, anyway, so far to go on this. But last Thursday I took my car, full of stuff and let go of it (not the car, but the stuff in it). We will see where it goes, how far it goes. I know it is not done yet.

Some more new recipes and a few road trips

Well I want to report on a few recipes that I tried and my last road trips of the year! All things that are part of my 101 things list.

So first, the recipes (#96). I tried two new recipes, both salads. One was a black bean and rice salad, made with organic black beans, organic garbanzo beans, organic green beans red onions, wild rice, and organic raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It turned out pretty well, but I didn't love it. It tasted good and it was healthy though! I was glad to try something new.

The second one was great. It was soy beans, organic celery, organic carrots, organic red onion and organic sesame oil. Oh my goodness this was an excellent salad. I ate on it for days! I could eat it for a whole meal by itself. I also made it for a Christmas gathering and it received pretty good reviews (although I am not sure most people knew they were eating soy beans). So all in all, the cooking is going pretty well!

I have also taken a few road trips (#16). Before Christmas I headed off to Denison, Texas to visit my grandparents (I met the rest of my family there). We had good times dining at Golden Corral and exchanging gift cards. I actually received my own since I had contributed an iTunes gift card and no one else there wanted that! Then I headed down to the land of my birth (well near the land of my birth) Athens, Texas, in east Texas to visit some really good family friends who helped raise my brothers and I when we were young. They are really more like family to us. It was so good to see them.

As I was driving into east Texas and the land began to change and the trees got a little taller and the leaves were still nice fall colors, I thought, "Ah, the land of my birth." And then I arrived in Athens and realized that there wasn't a mall within at least 50 miles and said a silent prayer of thanks that my parents had the wisdom to move me to a city. Then I realized I really do have a problem with materialism and God still has lots of work to do on me! Keep it coming Lord!

Anyway, we had a great Christmas, I actually arrived home before Christmas and I am glad to say that I am working hard accomplishing my 101. And I have more to report on how I am doing with down-sizing my life. Look for that post soon.

Fifty-Eight

This weekend I went to the OneThing Conference in Kansas City, MO. It was hosted by the International House of Prayer and it was an entire weekend focused on worship, prayer and fasting. It was totally an incredible experience. While I was there, I was praying for the Lord to reveal to me the places of my life that I still had not surrendered. And I became convicted that my materialism and consumerism has continued to be problematic for me, even as I have worked hard against it. I spent a lot of time reading Matthew 6:19-34. Specifically this stood out to me:

"Your eyes are the windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dark cellar." (vs. 22-23).

So, I prayed over this the whole weekend and knew that I was being called to do something drastic about the main area of my weakness, which involves clothing. I got home and last night I took on the mission of getting rid of my earthly treasures. And I started out just getting rid of stuff, pulling it out by the handfuls and throwing it on my bed. Then I got to my pants, which appear to be my weakness. And I realized I had 58 pairs of pants. Fifty-eight. And when I counted my jeans, I literally fell on the ground and asked God to forgive me for having so much when I know so many people with so little.

Fifty-eight also reminds me of Isaiah 58 (which I have written about before) and the kind of fasting that God is truly calling us into.

And I don't want to say that I am done. I think I got rid of 25-30% of my clothes, but I have so far to go. I want the change to be drastic, more drastic than that. I am moving onto my shoes next. And God is not finished with me on this subject. The empty space in my closet is not to be filled back up with clothing. I know that.

"The place where your treasure if, is the place where you will most want to be and end up being." Matthew 6:21