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| Me---pathetic
This weekend I tackled the seemingly endless chore of cleaning out our guest bedroom. This room is kind of like a junk drawer in a kitchen with the exception of being a junk room in our house, causing a lot of problems, including embarassment when people walk in or even near it.
I realized just how pathetic I am as an American and as a child of God. I realized how much clothing I have, how many pairs of shoes I own, and how poor I am at being a steward of the things that I have been given. Although I have spoken very highly of Shane Claiborne, he has ruined my life! No...not really....but he has been instrumental in helping me stop thinking only of myself and start thinking of others, which has been so badly needed, yet is so humbling and scary at the same time.
I began going through things, such as my sock drawer, and realized that I have TONS of socks. I then began to envision what it is like for people who are living out on the streets right now in this bitter cold and how awful it must be when their feet get numb from the cold. I know how it is for me when I am cold and how I do everything I can to escape to my car or the nearest building to find refuge, but they....they can't. They have to rely on the strength of the nearest building to block the wind from hitting their faces...or rely on the buttons of their tattered coats to keep the wind from hitting their skin. And pathetic me? I have a drawer full of socks and a front closet with several coats and a closet full of pants and sweaters and everything I need to keep myself warm.
I began going through my sock drawer and started sifting through to find suitable socks for the homeless in Indy. I realize that I can't do enough to change the homeless situations of those in Indianapolis or nearby cities, but if I can give a pair of socks to a woman who has been wearing the same pair for months....I would love to help her. If I can give a sweater to the same woman to help her be able to feel the warmth of the fabric against her skin or the clean, dry feeling of something new and fresh.... i will.
So sitting next to my back door are several trash bags full of clothes....and socks. I intend to go to the corner where my lovely mentor group and I (and our faithful men who protected us) went and found a group of people hanging out and I hope to find people who are willing to take my socks and clothing and put them to good use. I realize how selfish I am and how I just hoard these items and then complain when I am cold in the comfort of my own home.
I disgust myself sometimes. I wish I were different...but I believe that this attitude of mine is coming to the surface so I can begin to see who I am, what I look like on the inside and I can begin to fine tune those areas in my life that need fine tuning. God knows I need it everywhere! I am thankful that my heart is being softened to those around me who are less fortunate than I but whom God loves just as much. I remember that Jesus' ministry was spent with the oppressed and the poor and if I am to follow my Savior and take on His yoke, I need to make sure that I am spending time taking care of those He tended to, as well.
If you're interested in going with me, take a look in your sock drawer...you never know what you might find.
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| | Go out to eat with someone who is homeless, or invite them to your home or cafeteria to eat with you.
Leave a random tip in the college bathrooms for the folks who clean them.
Find out who makes the clothes for the athletic department and if those companies reflect the values of Christ.
Learn to sew and begin making your own clothes.
Start tithing 10% of all income directly to the poor (relationaltithe.com).
Connect with a group of farmworkers who grow food for your
cafeteria or favorite restaurant (such as Taco Bells Immokalee workers ciw-online.org).
Give your winter coat away to someone who is colder than you are.
Ask to see the budget of your school. What do the workers get
paid compared to the administrators? Make sure folks know -- if you are
proud of this, affirm the folks who make those decisions... If not,
begin a conversation with both workers and administrators of how this
could be better. Ask where the campus gets its energy. Is it renewable? If not begin a plan for moving toward renewable energy (talk to folks at Eastern University about how they have done it by an optional ecological tax that is tacked onto tuition -- it's only a few dollars per student).
Write one CEO a month -- affirm or critique the ethics of their company (you may need to do a little research).
Write only paper letters for a month (go computer free)
Try sitting in silence for 15 minutes a day.
Kill your TV -- or go TV free for a year.
Go down a line of parked cars and pay for the meters that are about to expire... Leave a little anonymous note of niceness.
Beat a war machine into a plow, without hurting anyone of
course (Isaiah 2:4) -- NOTE: you might want to plan on a little
sabbatical after this one, a little reading and writing retreat -- in
jail. Write to one social justice organizer or leader each month, just to encourage them in their work.
Experiment with a post-oil era by going fuel free for a week -- ride a bike everywhere, carpool, walk or hitchhike.
Gut your TV and turn it into a pot for a plant.
Try reading only female writers for a year (since many of our problems seem to be stemming from men).
Go to a retirement home and ask to visit a few old folks who don't get any visitors.
Spend some time with someone who cleans the campus, get to know each other, share your stories.
Invite one of the college cafeteria staff to your home for dinner or go to their home.
Try jack-hammering the church parking lot to make space for potato plants.
Track to its source one item you eat regularly
Give your car away to a stranger
Convert a diesel car to run off veggie oil.
Try flushing your toilets off dirty sink water (for a little guide, check here).
Buy only used (thrift) clothes for a year.
Cover up all brand names, or at least the ones that do not reflect the upside down economics of God's Kingdom. |
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| Tomorrow, November 9th, is my Husband's birthday. If you'd like, will you please text or email him and wish him a Happy Birthday? The last couple of weeks have been rough for him as he has been working hard, staying up late with minimal sleep, trying his best to provide for us, and being a wonderful Husband and Daddy.
Text: 250-5717
email: ghuffman@zoecleaning.com
thanks!!!
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I am really getting excited about Saturday!! The goal is to meet up at
5:30pm at the church. I will be arriving straight from Purdue (it's
Homecoming that day) and will arrive at 5:30pm or close to it.
You
will need $20.00 for the entire night (and you'll find out why when we
get there!), which will include dinner, snacks, and breakfast the next
morning.
Wear warm clothing because we will be outside for part of the time and depending on the weather, you won't want to be cold.
Also,
bring the normal stuff (sleeping bags, etc) and you'll also want to
bring any instruments and music that you have, as well.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me: 317-258-3249.
Can't wait!!! | | |
| So everyone who knows me well, knows that I really like listening to and being challenged by Rob Bell. Well, if you are interested in hearing him for the first time or you have seen him in NOOMA videos or read "Velvet Elvis" or "Sex God," you now have a chance to see him LIVE.
He is coming to the Murat Theatre on November 30th. I got tickets nearly a month ago for Greg and I and I was just looking online to see how tickets are selling and it doesn't seem that the word has been spread enough, so....allow me to get the word out.
If you are interested in finding out more about his church, go to www.marshill.com and you can find out all kinds of things. If you are interested in his nooma videos, go to: www.nooma.com
Good stuff...Good stuff.....and if you decide to get tickets and would like to meet up with Greg and I for dinner or something beforehand, let me know.
:)
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