Hey I wanted to update yall on my life. I am officially a full-time art teacher at Lexington Elementary School. Woo Hoo!!! And this was the first week of school. The kiddos are enthusiastic but I love them. It is going to be a great year. I have a lot to learn and at times I am completely overwhelmed. But my goal is to show them the love of Christ through my action. This is officially my mission field – and boy do these kids need love and attention. It’s going to be hard, but I am up to the challenge.
I had written this blog a few weeks back but sadly never got it posted. So here it is:
THE SEVEN EXPERIMENT:
Over the summer my mom, sister, and I went through a Bible study called The Seven Experiment by Jen Hatmaker. It really got me thinking on the injustices of the world and how I could make a difference here at home. Before this book, I had thought very little of fasting. It always seemed too hard or too logistically and I never really understood the purpose behind it. But there is no escaping the fact that Jesus assumes we are fasting. Read Matthew 6:16-18. This isn’t an “if” statement. He said, “Whenever you fast…”
So what is a fast you may ask? Fasting is an intentional reduction, a deliberate abstinence to summon God’s movement in our lives. A fast creates a margin for God to move. But let it be said, we cannot use fasting to manipulate God to give us what we want. According to Scripture, fasting was commanded or initiated during one of the six extreme circumstances:
Mourning Inquiry Repentance Preparations Crisis Worship
Basically if our excess is at the root of the problem, then let’s fast from it. The seven areas of focus in this study were Food, Clothes, Possessions, Media, Waste, Spending, and Stress. So here are some of the highlights of what I learned:
Clothes:
Most spiritual leaders focus on modesty. But very few spiritual leaders seem concerned over how much we spend on fashion, or the bondage we are in to public opinion, or how many of our clothes are made by the hands of children and slaves, or how Jesus told us to clothe the naked and quit showing favoritism to the well-heeled and clean the inside rather than spit-polish the outside. Read Matthew 6:28-30. Why do you think our culture spends so much time, energy, and money on clothing? What could this indicate about our faith (as Jesus makes a clear link between the two)?
Possessions:
Jesus was simply relentless in His call toward lean living and reckless generosity. He never said these possessions were bad; He said they wouldn’t last. So why would you spend so much time and energy and money on things that won’t last? Because our stuff will matter for zero seconds after we die and all it does is steal precious time, energy, and resources away from our true mission here.
Fact: In a typical year, the United States spends about $16 billion in foreign aid, and $276 billion on advertising.
Spending:
Evidently just as money has the power to ruin, generosity has the power to heal.
Try Jesus economics: What if we lived on 75% of our income and gave the rest away strategically?
Stress:
There is never an end to the work, only an end to the week. I believe with constant prayer and weekly Sabbath rest, we will develop the discernment necessary for everything else. The pace we keep has jeopardized our health and happiness, our worship and rhythms. We belong to a culture that can’t catch its breath; rather, we refuse to catch our breath. The Sabbath is holy. Not lazy, not selfish, not unproductive; not helpful, not optional, not just a good idea. Holy.
I learn soooo much more than this but this blog is getting long and I wanted to stick with the highlights. You will just have to read the book.
