i don't want to give up my car!

the other day i spoke at spu's urban plunge breakfast about the issues of compassion, justice and homelessness. it was encouraging to see so many engaging on the topic. urban plunge is a program of spu where they send students out for 5 straight days to live among the homeless in seattle. they are out from 6 am to 2 am. it is long exhausting days, but they get a closer look at the experience of the homeless. and even though these men and women were completely exhausted they managed to engage the dialogue of justice, compassion, mercy and grace for the homeless.

i encouraged each one to allow this experience to inform them in every aspect of their lives and that as they 'leave' this experience to remember that 'leaving' was a privilege. for so many of the men, women and children they meet 'leaving' would be a difficult road and for some an impossible one.

in allowing the way we see the world influence how we act and how we care for those that are marginalized it requires us to go through the transformative process where stereotypes, stigmas and ideologies are deconstructed and are replaced with true reflections or statistical realities of homelessness, but most importantly they are replaced with stories, faces and names. it was an encouraging gathering and i was thankful to speak into each of these persons' lives about something i feel god has called me to and i look forward to my next speaking engagement in spring. yet, as i spoke about these issues i am confronted again with the question, 'how do i allow these stories to inform my life?' how do i allow the process of acknowledging poverty and understanding the pain that is associated with poverty to inform me in how i live? do i take a step back from this consumerist nature inside of me to live a life that is more simple? do i allow my privileges to educate me on how to vote or how developing areas in our city come as a cost to the poor? and again i stand convicted.

i live a pretty cush life. i think of all the times i've told men and women in case management to hop on a bus to get to this appointment or to that DSHS meeting... yet, i won't be inconvenienced by public transportation. i think i always use the excuse that i have a child so i need the ease of a car to safely get her here and there. yet, in the city of seattle 40% of the homeless are families. 58% are children under the age of 18-- they have no choice but to be inconvenienced by the bus system. the private means in which i get around is a privilege and sometimes it comes at the expense of others...

i'm not preaching that cars are bad or that people who drive cars are bad. i'm just challenging the status quo. i'm challenging the beliefs that we cling to that we need these luxuries not because they are a luxuries and make our lives easier but for the lies that this is the only way we could possibly live and any other way would be unacceptable. i'm asking that we all take a honest look at ourselves and admit to the fact that we don't want to be inconvenienced. and we've tricked ourselves into believing that we deserve to not be inconvenienced. it's part of the whole dichotomy process of saying that those who work hard deserve the convenience that cars and other forms of technology give us and those that don't do not deserve it. which in other words is stating that those who don't work hard are those who don't work and those who don't work are homeless. statistics show us that 44% of homeless people did some form of paid work last month and that in the city of seattle in order to live in a 2 bedroom apartment with rents at fair market value people would need to be paid $14.77 per hour (minimum wage is $7.63) or 3 full times jobs (or work up to 126 hours) in order to afford rent.

my point is: let's be honest we like our stuff and that is not a bad thing, but getting our 'stuff' might come at the expense of others. if we want downtown seattle renovated and redeveloped then it will come at the cost of homeless people being pushed out with one less area to live for lack of affordable housing.

not all of us will be able or willing to give up our cars or our condos or our laptops or whatever else makes our lives easier, but compassionate living is being honest with ourselves about where we stand and then make small changes in how we view the world. let's not set up lies about how we live in the u.s. you know the myths about how our society is fair or equal, but rather lets try to bridge the gap by using our privilege and blessing to make some else's life easier: it's much easier when you have a roof over your head, or food to eat or affordable housing. let's use our privilege as a means to educate the world around and advocate that others should have the same access to privileges that we have access to.

advent- the real reason for the season

this time of year is always a difficult one with all the high demands from our world to buy and to spend more and more on the newest and latest technologies, on electronics, on clothes, and toys and more. in the midst of all those demands finding time to reflect, to sit and to look on the year past, as well as keeping your eyes on the hope of tomorrow is difficult if you are not intentional about stopping to meditate on the true meaning of this time of year.
the day after thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year in the u.s. i didn't completely understand that phenomenon until thanksgiving day when my mom asked me if i wanted to go shopping on friday at 5 am. it was the most absurd idea i had ever heard. but i hid my desire to stay and sleep in my bed to be with my mom... and i thought to myself, "it is just one morning what's the big deal we'll be 2 of the dozen people who will be up that early". then we arrived at the mall and i looked at the parking lot and it was packed. in fact, on the way to the mall most shops were packed with cars and people and there were parking attendents trying to manage the traffic jam at every end of the parking lot-- and i thought to myself 'this is nuts'! we got inside and there were hundreds of people milling around and i remember feeling entirely disgusted-- why? what had we become? do i think shopping is wrong? no? but i do think that there is something to be said about a society that is motivated by spending money on things we don't really need. yet, when we see someone in need or we hear of stories about genocide or poverty or children starving in other places of the world we are frozen-- we do not act. the sense of urgency to get up and act comes at the thought of saving a few bucks to get every person on your list the perfect gift. and it is a great juxtaposition to see a world so complacent and satisfied at sitting still when there is another part of the world who simply struggle to eat.
i enjoy shopping just like the next person. ask any one of my friends-- i like shopping and buying. and that leaves me to question myself... i was up at 5 am and i reaped the benefits of hanging out at the mall that morning. and why is it so much easier to pick up and go out shopping and spend hours and hours looking at stuff you don't really need when i don't make the time to sit and drink in and reflect the birth of christ. does this time of year produce some kind of anesthetized sanctuary where we do not engage the greater world? if we are focused on our needs--our things-- our gifts-- our stuff why would we need to think of the greater world or others in it? or like jeff (quest intern wrote about on his blog)said how can we truly see a need for a savior or the hope of his birth when we can buy anything to subdue any need we might be feeling?
we've found a loop hole to redemption-- we can buy our own salvation. we can comfort any pain we might have by the numbing effect of buying some material possession in an attempt to feel satisfied and full.
this advent season is a reminder of our need. why would we anticipate the coming of our savior if we didn't need to be saved from anything? no amount of ipods, toys, jewelry or clothes will ever fill that void. christ has come to fill us. he has come to give us new life. he has come to fill us with grace and love. once we recognize that truth we can abandon our old ways to put on the ways of christ that we might join in his mission to fulfill his gospel to love his world. true love sacrifices his/her desires so that others can be elevated above themselves. i hope that i'm teaching my daughter something much greater than santa clause and reindeers-- i hope that i'm teaching her that the day we celebrate christmas commemorates the birth of a small babe who grew into a man and loved his creation with the purest of loves that he humbled himself in order that the world could be elevated.
come jesus come.