Here's one more piece of writing from a sophomore student at WA...
The world seems to move at a pace that is almost impossible to keep up with at times. Juggling work, school, family and friends can become too much and push you over the edge. So how do we keep going? Well, some of us don’t. In a way I don’t know how we could survive in a world like ours without solitude and prayer.
When thinking of solitude you probably imagine yourself alone in a secluded quiet area away from people, relaxing, thinking and perhaps writing. Sounds wonderful compared to a six hour day of school.
A couple months ago I was really stressed out. I was snapping at my family for no reason, giving attitude, complaining, and just always being in a rotten mood. I knew I had to find something to help me and make me stop acting the way I was acting. And naturally I just knew I had to get away and think about what was bothering me so much. So one night it was about nine o’clock, my family had gone to sleep already and I was lying in my bed and I just had so many thoughts running through my head at once; I needed some air. I jumped out of my bed and walked right out my back door. I started walking to the fields behind my house. I laid down in the grass, stared at the stars. Waiting for something miracle- like to happen, like God’s face appearing in the sky and telling me everything was going to be alright and have a life changing experience. No-God didn’t appear in the sky but I did have a life changing experience. So I laid there for ten minutes alone in solitude. Nothing happened; I was still angry, confused and lost. I thought about what I was angry about, hurt about, nervous about and I felt alone with these problems. I then thought “Geez, I haven’t prayed or talked to God in months.” So I started praying, I must have been in that field for an hour and a half. But when I left I walked away knowing the answer to all my problems -give God the steering wheel.
If you are going through anything hard in life like a break-up, a divorce, a death or money problems and you don’t know what to do; just talk to God, tell Him “Lord I cant do this on my own”, “I’m lost, please help me, guide me through this, take control because I cant do this on my own.” Just that simple let Him take total charge and you’ll be able to get through the toughest situations in life. Listen to Him. Solitude is nice but, it is nothing without prayer. I could have laid there in that field for an hour and a half in solitude but I would have walked away the same way I entered; lost and miserable. Prayer is the key to solitude. You can get a lot of answers through solitude and prayer. So I challenge you to open yourself up to God, give God a chance to connect and speak to you without any distractions and actually have you be able to hear Him. You may not be able to hear Him like you would hear a friend talking out loud to you but you’ll know that he is there with you just like He is all the time.
If everyone practiced this discipline of solitude and prayer on a regular basis I think we would have happier surroundings and some of us would be in a better state of mind. Remember Solitude is nothing without prayer.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
FRUGALITY by Chris Easley
Here is a fantastic post from sophomore WA student Christopher Easley...I recently had the chance to teach on the topic of homosexuality in their Christian Thought and Culture classes and was very impressed with their desire to engage Scripture as they consider issues in our larger culture in the classes taught by Jeff Brooke...this piece of writing is from one of their class assignments...
In American society today, “frugality” is generally a disliked characteristic in a person if they possess it. The word conjures an image of Ebenezer Scrooge, neurotically counting his money while keeping the heat low on a cold winter day. Such stinginess is legitimately seen as an unpleasant quality. However, the traditional concept of “frugality” is actually focused towards developing a generous spirit, and most people today seem to be unfamiliar with the concept.
Our cultural ignorance about this discipline is actually relatively new. Not too long ago, a person of “economy” was praised for their ability to stretch a dollar. Now it has become socially expected to spend money very frequently. When a group visits the mall or goes downtown, those who choose to restrain their desire for more stuff are often labeled “cheap.” Even our generosity is sometimes connected to our materialism, as can be seen by the popularity of efforts such as (PRODUCT)RED, a group of products whose developers send a portion of profits to relief efforts around the world. Yet frugality and generosity have been connected by the testimony of Scripture and centuries of earlier Christian tradition.
Simply stated, frugality is the giving up of unnecessary things we would otherwise freely enjoy in order to give to God and the work of his kingdom. I have found this personally challenging and my attempts at it have sometimes been guilt-ridden. A few years ago I began asking myself “Would this money be better spent helping a starving child?” before spending anything. Purchases of candy at summer camp left me struggling with questions as to whether any of life’s (expensive) pleasures should be acceptable when so many still do not have their daily needs. Yet a thorough study of Scripture reveals, alongside calls to generosity and sacrifice, encouragement to provide for oneself and family and even pay for celebratory activities.
Given the encompassing view Scripture provides of how we should spend our money, perhaps I could better ask myself, “Is this dollar doing the most it can for the Kingdom of God?” before spending. An honest evaluation will reveal that we often spend an inordinate amount of money on ourselves and do not enter into the kind of sacrifice Scripture calls for. A holy practice of frugality is not guiltily depriving oneself of legitimate goods or services, nor forgetting the needs of the poor, but entering into an honest questioning of how we can best spend our money to God’s glory. This includes both meeting our needs and giving up certain things for others.
At a practical level, each of us should honestly consider how and why we are spending our money the way we are. Do we drink (and pay) for coffee or soda as much as we do because we think it is a legitimate way to help us concentrate or relax and thus build God’s Kingdom? Or would we better serve God’s kingdom by buying less and giving the extra money towards ministries that bring Living Water to the thirsty? Asking ourselves questions such as these is perhaps the best way we can begin. Entering into such discussion with other believers (to facilitate true honesty and provide accountability) could also be an important step to take.
May we have the courage to pursue a holy, counter-cultural, generous frugality.
In American society today, “frugality” is generally a disliked characteristic in a person if they possess it. The word conjures an image of Ebenezer Scrooge, neurotically counting his money while keeping the heat low on a cold winter day. Such stinginess is legitimately seen as an unpleasant quality. However, the traditional concept of “frugality” is actually focused towards developing a generous spirit, and most people today seem to be unfamiliar with the concept.
Our cultural ignorance about this discipline is actually relatively new. Not too long ago, a person of “economy” was praised for their ability to stretch a dollar. Now it has become socially expected to spend money very frequently. When a group visits the mall or goes downtown, those who choose to restrain their desire for more stuff are often labeled “cheap.” Even our generosity is sometimes connected to our materialism, as can be seen by the popularity of efforts such as (PRODUCT)RED, a group of products whose developers send a portion of profits to relief efforts around the world. Yet frugality and generosity have been connected by the testimony of Scripture and centuries of earlier Christian tradition.
Simply stated, frugality is the giving up of unnecessary things we would otherwise freely enjoy in order to give to God and the work of his kingdom. I have found this personally challenging and my attempts at it have sometimes been guilt-ridden. A few years ago I began asking myself “Would this money be better spent helping a starving child?” before spending anything. Purchases of candy at summer camp left me struggling with questions as to whether any of life’s (expensive) pleasures should be acceptable when so many still do not have their daily needs. Yet a thorough study of Scripture reveals, alongside calls to generosity and sacrifice, encouragement to provide for oneself and family and even pay for celebratory activities.
Given the encompassing view Scripture provides of how we should spend our money, perhaps I could better ask myself, “Is this dollar doing the most it can for the Kingdom of God?” before spending. An honest evaluation will reveal that we often spend an inordinate amount of money on ourselves and do not enter into the kind of sacrifice Scripture calls for. A holy practice of frugality is not guiltily depriving oneself of legitimate goods or services, nor forgetting the needs of the poor, but entering into an honest questioning of how we can best spend our money to God’s glory. This includes both meeting our needs and giving up certain things for others.
At a practical level, each of us should honestly consider how and why we are spending our money the way we are. Do we drink (and pay) for coffee or soda as much as we do because we think it is a legitimate way to help us concentrate or relax and thus build God’s Kingdom? Or would we better serve God’s kingdom by buying less and giving the extra money towards ministries that bring Living Water to the thirsty? Asking ourselves questions such as these is perhaps the best way we can begin. Entering into such discussion with other believers (to facilitate true honesty and provide accountability) could also be an important step to take.
May we have the courage to pursue a holy, counter-cultural, generous frugality.
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