Fidgety

On a bus to the disparate New York City from the oxymoronic Washington, DC, I overheard bits of a conversation:

"I like chai tea lattes with skim milk, how about you?"

...probably about 15 minutes later...

"I just can't really do espresso's anymore unless I'm in Europe, they're too much for me"

Outside of the bus environment, frequently I'll hear,

"The Iphone 5 is coming out soon, I'm so excited!"

"So, what should we do this weekend?" 

The thing is, NYC's disparateness is becoming increasingly surreal. As a matter of fact, the entire nation's is as well.

Cynicism and condescension aside, it makes one restless doesn't it...or shouldn't it?

Consider the average rationalization of developed-world citizens:

"Please take a moment of silence for [fill in the blank]"

And I'm guilty of the "doing it for charity" line.

And Jesus told his disciples:

"Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all that she had to live on"

a most radical rules of exchange

2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 8-9

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us...I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of tohers. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

"≠"

 Pastor Bruce gave a sermon on the perils of materialism and the heart of giving this Sunday morning.

Communism involves, in essence, equal distribution of property
Capitalism involves, in essence, a free platform to obtain property
Christianity involves a selfless sacrifice of property and is, in essence, a backwards rules of exchange.
It is absolutely unequal and absolutely freeing.

Thus is the beauty of Christ.

Feed the Brother, Clothe the Sister

CNN Hero Narayanan Krishnan

"The food will give them physical nutrition. The love and affection you show will give them mental nutrition"


And how much more should I give God's spiritual nutrition? Give up your security, wealth, comfort...give up your dreams of luxury, self-satisfaction, status, and clothe Jesus. They are precious in his sight and are shown pity and justice by God. We are selfish and hypocrites if we do not express God's love truthfully with action.


Matthew 25:34-40 


"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Psalm 72:12-14

For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
   the afflicted who have no one to help.
 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
   and save the needy from death.
 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
   for precious is their blood in his sight.

James 2:15-17 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

1 John 3:17-18 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. "Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

Kibroth-hattaavah

"The horse, the cat, the bull, even the ass, are usually taller, and all of them have a more robust constitution, more vigor, more strength, and more courage in the forests than in our homes. They lose half of these advantages in becoming domesticated; it might be said that all our efforts at feeding them and treating them well only end in their degeneration. it is the same for man himself. In becoming habituated to the ways of society and a salve, he becomes weak, fearful, and servile; his soft and effeminate lifestyle completes the enervation of both his strength and his courage." 

--Rousseau--Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

FIGURE 1: THE SUBURB

FIGURE 2: THE STAPLE

Numbers 11:31-34 (NIV, ©2011)

 ³¹ Now a wind went out from the LORD and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. ³² All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.Then they spread them out all around the camp. ³³ But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. ³⁴Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah,because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

The bane of america: solo drivers, subarbs, and i'm gon' get mah own

I read an article today in the NYTimes titled,

"Once Popular, Car Pools Go the Way of Hitchhiking"

"Today, advocates point to the increase in social networking tools that would make it easier to identify potential ride-sharing mates — yet the national car-pooling rate continues to fall, and today it is below 12 percent of all drivers....The population of the Washington suburbs has exploded in recent years, up by more than 60 percent since 1980. "

There are several indicators about our American society:

-->Funneled thinking

If more people carpooled, there would be less cars on the road=there would be less time spent in ugly traffic.  If more people carpooled, there would be less pollution (a.k.a nasty air) and fewer cases of respiratory diseases. If more people carpooled, they would save a bunch of money on their gas, and buying a car, and maintaining a car, and insurance.  But nope, because driving your own car is convenient, and that's all that matters.

-->love of individualism

The phenomenon known as the subarb and its massive growth not only creates more physical space between us, between where we work, between community. We want to own and drive our own car and define ourselves through the things we can call "mine". This is my car, this is my house, I earned it, I own it.

-->success = the degree of our self-indulgence

How big your salary is, how many people are under you, how big your house is, how much you can spend on dinner, how much you can spend on vacation, how far you can afford to be from your next door neighbor, how many amenities you can fit into and around your home, how secure your subarb is, how much your purse is worth, how big your TV is, how many channels you have, how expensive your car is...

I'm gon' get mah own!

Hannah's prayer

1 Samuel 2:1-10

And Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.

2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
and on them he has set the world.

9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
against them he will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the power of his anointed.”

The silver lining

The week before coming to NYC for sophomore year I went on a road-trip down to Cali with my parents and grandma (mom's side) to visit some family.

On the drive back, my grandma went on for about an hour or so describing the annoying qualities of her husband. After zoning in and out of her fierce Korean dialogue, I caught the tail-end of it:

"I guess I should be grateful; at least I have someone to argue with"