(3 of 4) Blogging Crossover: [The Shift Has Hit the Fan...]
2 Comments Published by Terrace Crawford on 12/18/08 at 6:15 AM.
THE SHIFT HAS HIT THE FAN...
I volunteered a number of hours this year to a charity store for needy families. On Saturday we invited Santa to visit and provided free pictures to attendees. Later I got to speak to Santa myself and I wasn't quite ready for what he had to say. No, it wasn't that I had been a "bad boy" but he told me how moved he was by one child who said that "all he wanted for Christmas was for his family to have a Christmas tree."
[Ouch] That broke my heart.
The next day I found myself at the hardware store picking up a few things. I was standing in line behind a gentleman and overheard him telling the cashier how he had an abormal passion for Christmas and had been working on his home decor for months - even mentioning he had a ferris wheel, garden of lights... and on and on he went. I spoke up and said "um, Mr. Griswald I presume?" He laughed and said, "actually, I have several inflatables and hundreds of lights in storage that I'm not even using."
We are in a desperate need for a shift. In fact, our nation is experiencing a financial crisis thanks to the greedy. It is a big problem... and the only real way to fix things is for a shift to happen. I wish it were as easy as snapping our fingers but its not. I see the classic scenario all the time -- one family is struggling to put food on the table and their neighbors are geeking out their home next door... and constantly wanting more. Sadly, its found in common place, America. Population: too many.
So whats the answer? Well, I personally think its the church. But it begins with YOU. It will take steps... or rather a shift to bring radical results. Aren't you tired of the materialistic society we have found ourselves in?
A post on a topic like this can get real negative, real quick. Let me shift the focus to highlight some real life examples of how we can begin to change the world around us:
- A pastor-friend of mine told me that he started challenging his kids when they were young to giveaway their favorite gift (under the Christmas tree) to a needy child. He told me how they give cheerfully and have been changed by this challenge.
- Two social justice teachers decided to change their lifestyles and practice what they teach by committing to live on just one dollar a day. Most of the world lives on just a few dollars a day or less.
- A lady attending a housing auction provided a bailout miracle for a complete stranger later creating a foundation to help the masses suffering home foreclosure. (This story blew me away).
- A young man who lives in an apartment complex (with community laundry room) buys extra laundry detergent and leaves quarters behind for his fellow tenants to find them.
...and on, and on and on the stories go.
So wherever you find yourself... begin to take steps and shift things in your world. In each of the examples above the masses have been affected. You could say that the shift has hit the fan... and thats a good thing.
This post is part of a blogging crossover partnership with Brad Ruggles, Clayton Bell and Zak White. I encourage you to check out their sites.Labels: Church, Culture, Hot Topics, Issues, Social Justice
I enjoyed the normal , every day examples that were included. Sometimes its just a matter of being aware and paying attention to the needs that may be around us. Thanks for the reminder!
I think we see people do such BIG things for God, we forget that small interventions w/ laser focus can have a huge impact. (taken from a Rob Wegner sermon)
Sometimes it's little things that remind people daily of the love of God.
Thanks for this post. I'm gonna be more aware...