The Simple Pastor
Simplicity & Generosity
Lifestyle Choices: Here’s a good observation from Gary McMurray after watching some TV. I think he’s right when he... http://bit.ly/aEsQmm 18 hrs ago
Here’s a good observation from Gary McMurray after watching some TV. I think he’s right when he says,
“For the TV channel and its advertisers, really there’s no choice in lifestyle – everyone should be pushing for materialism.”
Which is why as Christians we need to exercise discernment when we watch the box. And why it’s good when Christians all over the world think about things like this
I just read about my friend Mark’s decision to unplug the TV and Roald Dahl’s hatred of the box in this excellent poem and so I decided to put a few more thoughts down on life without a TV seven months on.
So the World Cup has just finished and of the total 64 possible I watched just 3 (two England matches and the final). Four years ago I watched more than that live in the stadiums let alone on TV and you know what, I don’t think I’ve missed anything. I watched the highlights on iPlayer and saw all the goals and read the reports, so my football interests were satisfied.
But I wasn’t caught up in the hype, I didn’t see a single advert, I wasn’t consumed by something that lasted a mere month. I think it helped with a bit of perspective which TV can skew so easily, the world is shaped by what we see, by what we react to on the TV as much as anything else. I don’t miss the TV and I’m glad that at the age of two my son still isn’t really aware of the existence of a TV.
To be honest I still live too much of my life in front of a screen but it’s down to just one screen now. I’m not wasting time on consoles (if you’re a parent you can scare yourself by reading this article and seeing the pictures! pdf) and we don’t have a TV any longer.
The battle is now with the laptop, to controlling the urge to check emails just before going to bed (how pointless is that?) or read the news headlines constantly. I’m resorting to strong measures (I’m using this programme) to help me focus and shift my energies into more worthwhile and enjoyable things.
Screens are everywhere now, life is mediated through a screen, and I’m becoming aware that for myself this technology is a great servant and a terrible master. I prefer real freedom and real life rather than the sort I see on TV.
I know this to be true (Is 40:28), I certainly sing this truth but this is not always the same as letting the truth set me free.
I, unlike God, very much do grow weary. This has (and is) a testing time with developments at the shop, the recent and excellent Soul Purpose, last weekends Borderlands, working on a church merger, in addition to all the normal business involved in church leadership.
My own tendency is to get my head down and just work harder, to press through until I come out the other side. This fails on a number of levels but mostly because ministry becomes something I do and not something that God does through me. Weakness and tiredness reminds me that my ministry (such as it is) is not something to be built upon my strength or abilities (such as they are) but upon His grace, His goodness, His sovereign purposes and through the power of His Holy Spirit.
Of course it is perhaps harder to remember that when I’m not feeling tired, but that’s not how I’m feeling right now. Fortunately God does not grow weary, His power is not diminished by time or strenuous activity, His wisdom, knowledge and justice not compromised by a tired mind. Therefore He remains able to do all that He plans and wills, and as far as I’m concerned His grace is sufficient and He is enough for me.
And whether I am tired or not that is good to me.
*This is the third in my series looking at why consumerism is an issue for Christians – intro, part 1*
The words ‘remember the poor’ ring loud in the Bible (Gal 2:10) and in recent years have had plenty of resonance in the movement of churches I belong to. The Lausanne Paper: An Evangelical Commitment to Simple Life-style which is stirring me greatly at the moment says,
“We are shocked by the poverty of millions, and disturbed by the injustices which cause it.” One quarter of the world’s population enjoys unparalleled prosperity, while another quarter endures grinding poverty. This gross disparity is an intolerable injustice,—we refuse to acquiesce in it.”
I agree with that but the reason why Christians in the the rich nations of the world should be far more concerned about consumerism than they currently are, is not because of the poor. (more…)
A few days ago my friend Matt Hosier wrote this post in which he (rightly) pointed out that our society has some strange ideas about what to tolerate or not tolerate. His examples were our strange acceptance of promiscuity and our hostile rejection of obesity. I wondered (in a comment on his post) whether Matt had gone a bit far in saying obesity didn’t matter, I wondered whether it wasn’t in fact linked to sin in some way.
I posted a comment and in reply I got this post. The ante has been upped, the stakes have been raised and he challenged me for a response. So here it is (it’s a longer than usual post in reply)
Healthy debate makes for more interesting reading but there are a whole number of things that (boringly) I actually agree with. For example, it’s very easy to slip into self-righteousness about body image, the healthy and thin among us become examples of righteousness because of how we look. This is rubbish. 1 Samuel 16:7 famously tells us that God isn’t nearly as impressed by outward appearances as we are. While James is talking about material wealth you could easily apply his admonition against favouritism (James 2:1-4) to our perception of a person based on physical appearance. (more…)
*This is the second (the first is more of an intro here) post into ‘why I think consumerism should be a big deal for Christians*
It’s quite a headline really, when you stop to think about it. Pretty much everything these days seems to be about the environment. Climate change was one of the themes of the last decade and will be one for the next ten years too. If you’re sick of hearing about it, talking about it, thinking about it then I have some bad news for you, in all likelihood this train is only just beginning to pull.
There are massive forces at work reshaping the way our world works (and some fairly hefty forces resisting any such change), but governments (and importantly most of the big ones) are slowly changing too. Take recycling waste for example, almost everyone in the UK deals with household waste differently to ten years ago, more is recycled than ever and looking forward you’ll have increasingly less choice in the matter. Recycling will be what we all do, what we have to do.
Laws will make your cars more energy efficient, increasing numbers of electric vehicles will begin to appear, hybrids will change our petrol stations. Already incentives are available for households to generate electricity and grants available to reduce waste through insulation and new boilers. These are just a few of the ways your life is changing because scientists and governments believe our climate is changing (and not really for the better).
Tied to all of this political drive are the cultural battles taking place, those preparing for a brave new world where cars are obsolete, travel is restricted and everything gets local. It’s a back to the future kind of approach, a blending of nostalgia for ages past and a hopeful mix of new technology and thinking. At the same time a sizeable majority are appalled at the idea of not being able to buy strawberries in winter or driving to the shops in a 4×4. Development agencies are lobbying, oil companies are lobbying back. It’s grassroots against big business.
At the heart of much of the campaigning for change is the belief that our current way of living in developed nations is unsustainable, we simply can’t go on like this, goes the thinking. We buy too much, waste too much, need so little. This is mostly true. This is at the heart of consumerism. (more…)
I’m continuing to ponder the Lausanne Evangelical Commitment to Simple Life-style and this opening section to part 5 caught my attention.
“Jesus our Lord summons us to holiness, humility, simplicity and contentment. He also promises us his rest.”
Jesus is summoning me to simplicity and contentment. Simplicity is not then a matter of choice but a matter of obedience. It goes on to say,
“We intend to re-examine our income and expenditure, in order to manage on less and give away more. We lay down no rules or regulations, for either ourselves or others. Yet we resolve to renounce waste and oppose extravagance in personal living, clothing and housing, travel and church buildings. We also accept the distinction between necessities and luxuries, creative hobbies and empty status symbols, modesty and vanity, occasional celebrations and normal routine, and between the service of God and slavery to fashion.”
I love the heart, ‘to give away more’ – if anything should mark Christians out it should be our generosity, shouldn’t it?
It is the goal of discipleship to become like Christ (2 Cor 3:18) but it’s a constant battle to keep thinking and working on this. Often I’m just hoping that somehow it’s happening. This provoked me to think again:
“‘Life’ and ‘life-style’ obviously belong together and cannot be separated. All Christians claim to have received a new life from Jesus Christ. What life-style, then, is appropriate for them? If the life is new, the life-style should be new also. But what are to be its characteristics? In particular, how is it to be distinguished from the life-style of those who make no Christian profession? And how should it reflect the challenges of the contemporary world—its alienation both from God and from the earth’s resources which he created for the enjoyment of all?”
It’s a pretty deep conviction of mine that because the church has largely failed in its thinking and response to materialism and consumerism that the church is not at all distinguished from the life-style of those who don’t believe. A challenge to the simple living movement is also not to simply draw a new line with the environmentalists and eco-friendly brigade, not that that’s all bad. Instead we need to be thinking about redrawing the connections between our life style and Jesus. So I agree with this:
“Those of us who live in affluent circumstances accept our duty to develop a simple-lifestyle in order to contribute more generously to both relief and evangelism.”
One of the sad things about being a Christian concerned about consumerism or passionate for a simpler more generous life is that you can often feel alone in this pioneering lifestyle. It is encouraging to discover more of my heritage and in doing so realise that we have some heavy weight hitters on our team.
This latest rediscovery came from this book review on John Stott’s final book The Radical Disciple and it’s eight ways to live this radical Christ-like life. The review says,
“A fifth area is simplicity. John Stott speaks from a position of integrity on this subject, since his book sales and speaking engagements could have made him a millionaire, yet he practices what he preaches, giving all his book royalties towards the work of providing books for believers and pastors in poorer countries. He feels grieved that the International Consultation on Simple Lifestyle which took place in March 1980 received very little attention, and this chapter is simply given to republish their statement (which he co-wrote with Ron Sider). This is a very challenging chapter, and one that exposes deep-seated idols that we are reluctant to part with. It is sad that Stott seems to be something of a lone voice in the evangelical world on this subject.”
So I followed the links and discovered this and this. Breathe, (and I realise this is a bit ambitious), has taken up the baton for a simpler lifestyle. Perhaps we should call for a new International Consultation on Simple Lifestyle. It’s about time don’t you think?
Originally posted at Breathe
Journalist John Naish is an ardent environmentalist and anti-consumer campaigner. He’s the brain behind the Landfill Prize for example and Naish wants to start a movement of ‘enoughness’.
In essence Naish says, rightly, that we’ve lost all sense of what is enough in our lives. We do not know when to stop and this inability is hurting ourselves, our societies and our planet. Rediscovering a sense of ‘enough’ is necessary, essential even for our survival.
Through seven chapters (information, food, stuff, work, options, happiness, growth) Naish looks at how having more than enough is self-defeating and that discovering when we have enough is liberating. There’s much to commend it and it makes a lot of sense.
Not knowing when we’ve eaten enough will lead us to being obese, having too many options makes it harder to make a good choice, thinking we are not happy enough is a thankless task and so on.
Naish thinks that the clues to why we don’t know when we’ve had enough lies in the human brain, we have evolved this way to survive but now that our survival is rarely threatened by scarcity we need to fight our own brain wiring to learn new ways of thinking and living. It’s an interesting argument, but from a Christian perspective we would agree that humanity is wired to want more than we need (greed) and that reason is because we are fallen, sinful creatures.
Naish also embraces the spiritual, he advocates saying grace at meals (despite not really believing in God) and praying or meditating and even practising a ‘sabbath’. It’s a bit odd in the usual ways those who reject ‘religion’ but embrace ‘the spiritual’ are because it’s whatever you want it to be which usually ends up being not very much, while truth gets conveniently left at the yoga mat.
Enough is strongest in its analysis of the problem, with wry humour he skewers much of modern consumptive society in all its bloated glory but weakest when it comes to proposing solutions. It knocks self-help but in a framework of non-faith, if we don’t help ourselves who will?The gospel says we are liberated from our sinful passions and desires at the cross.
Having said that I wish more churches would teach and practice ‘enoughness’.
I’ve never thought f building a memorial, not sure who or what I’d build one to but in the centre of Karachi is the Mazar-e-Quaid, the tomb of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of the nation of Pakistan.
It’s a national monument and a symbol of the respect that Pakistanis continue to have for their founder. It’s guarded and people come from all over to visit the tomb.
It’s a peaceful place, the mausoleum is set in an attractive park, even though the fountains weren’t working and not every pool was full of water. The Mausoleum is simple yet striking and the interior the same.I appreciated the simple beauty of the place especially in a city not known for its beauty.
Interestingly although it’s not a mosque people pray there, whether they pray to Jinnah or seek divine inspiration from praying in this place who knows, but it’s become more than a place of remembrance it’s become a sacred place, a holy place.
The comparison is stark, the founder of my nation (and I’m not talking the United Kingdom but the kingdom of heaven) isn’t dead. There is no tomb, no mausoleum, no place to revere the dead. He is ‘God of the living’ (Luke 20:38), he is alive, we serve the living, risen one.
I can find inspiration anywhere, pray anywhere at anytime, I can come into his presence through the Spirit of God and find relationship with my Father. Don’t neglect that privilege or forget the daily wonder of being made alive in Him who conquered death.
(This was written on Wednesday this week – but I had some technical challenges to overcome before posting)
Today is a busy day as most days usually are. But today it is snowing. While most of the UK has had decent amounts of the white stuff Shrewsbury has been scratching around in tiny amounts of it. Today it is snowing.
Today Noah gets up shouts ‘SNOWING’ followed by ‘Bosh’ and ‘Tray’. Translated it means ‘I want to go sliding and playing in the snow, daddy’. But today is a busy day.
I don’t always make the right decision in moments like this. Too often I choose the work, today I chose to play. And as Noah is only 18 months old, it wasn’t ever likely to be for very long, so slide down a bank on a, now very dented, tea tray and we boshed snow and fell over and got back up again.
I wonder if at the heart of the Mary and Martha story, Jesus is hoping that Martha would just choose to be with her. Work needs doing, but I wonder if sometimes God wants us to go and play, to enjoy all the bountiful goodness of all that he has made, and not spend anything in doing it.
Back in the dim and distant past (December 2009) we began to experiment with life without a TV and gave my reasons why. The experiment is now officially over and it’s not good news for the television.
I haven’t missed it. Hardly at all, we’ve watched some films on computers and a couple of progammes online, but most of the time just not thought about it (not even enough to blog about it). (more…)
So the other day the TV went into the Garage for a month of solitary confinement. At the end of the month we will pronounce judgement on said box – it will be either returned to the Whittall family home or sent into permanent exile. The decision got a few comments on the blog and on Facebook. So why are we doing it? There are a lot of reasons:
Got any more?
So we’re experimenting with life without a TV. Freeview has been unplugged, the cables disconnected and the TV is in the garage where it will stay for the next month. If at the end of that month, we decide life is better without the TV, then we’ll have a TV to give away and a licence to cancel. I wonder how long before I get withdrawal symptoms?
Kill is quite a strong word isn’t it? But I think it’s probably true – those who want to be about the work of the kingdom of God can end up losing it all because we make the work the most important thing. It’s a trap I think I fall into on a daily basis, but at least I’m starting to realise the trap is there in the first place.
I notice it when I start another piece of work instead of heading home, when my schedule fills up and my quiet times fall down. Work takes over, preaching becomes a task not a privilege, pastoral meetings become chores not opportunities to grow in compassion, prayer becomes an obligation not a passion. And yet all the time the jobs just keep on growing, the to-do list never shrinks, the wheels keep turning and if you’re not careful they grind you down. My guess is that no matter what your profession this can happen, but it’s quite dangerous if your profession is ‘shepherd of God’s flock’ (1 Pet 5:2).
When work becomes an idol, personal relationships can suffer, when work becomes the number one thing, we end up making sacrifices in all the wrong places. Even the options seem limited or non-existent. That’s another trap I’ve spotted.
What’s the solution? Sometimes I confess that I have no idea, I’m as all at sea as the next person. But I wonder if the clues don’t lie in the direction of seeing life as a gift (have a read of this Promise of Life) and realising that my job today is not to achieve, nor to strive, but to obey and to trust. I am not God and that’s a good place to start learning. But I must remind myself of this truth daily, I am not God nor is my work, my money, my home, my relationships, my hopes and ambitions. I must cast down the idols within me.
As I do that, I begin to find rest and grace from God to do the best I can. To love my family, serve my church and work through my inbox and if I don’t get it all done, who knows maybe there’s tomorrow. I do all this in His presence, with Him throughout my day, sometimes I remember that and sometimes I don’t. It’s easier when I do.
For some excellent words on idols and not just casting them down but replacing them with a greater affection read Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods. Review coming soon.
Over the past few days I’ve been sorting through the household paperwork and getting the filing in order. Bills to be paid, records to keep you know the sort of thing.
Amongst the important but boring were some things of a more personal nature, a few photos, some certificates of achievement and a stack of letters. Most of them were written to me while I was a student (1993-1996) and while I was working in Burundi (1999-2000). Some of the letters contained nothing of any great note and they went to the recycling and others shared more than the events of the week, asked questions and offered answers, told of hopes and dreams and those I kept.
It struck me that it’s been some time since I received, or wrote, a letter. I email, I facebook, I text, I sometimes tweet. Each new form of communication shorter and more rushed than the one that preceded it. Emails become (assuming they have a purpose) business like and to the point. Emails get things done. Texts, messages on Facebook or Twitter connect but rarely do they build relationships.
Even the letters that didn’t stand the test of time in terms of their content still communicated. They told me of a friend who took the time to write, to tell me about their lives and not just assume I’ll notice their latest status update. It made me think that some friendships are too good to just let slide because distance and busyness get in the way.
Last month I reflected that it does me good to walk at the pace of my young son and see the world with some fresh wonder, and now I see another lesson to slow things down a bit. Letter writing is slow both in the creation and the delivery compared to the speed of email and the almost instant nature of texts and tweets. But I’m not sure instant gratification or shallow connection is what I want from those I’m close to. If I can’t be with them in person, then writing some considered thoughts on paper may be the next best thing.
I’m sure the art of writing a good letter is rapidly vanishing from our society but I think our society is poorer as a result. I’m sure I am poorer as a result. Time to think about the one I am writing to, time to think about what I want to say, time to write what’s really important rather than immediate and temporary, time to build relationships with those I love but am not near. It’s time to find out where I put the fountain pen…
I’m rapidly becoming a fan of Tim Chester’s books (I think I own 4 at last count) and I think you should be too. I’m convinced that most of us western Christians have a very poor handle on our time, we’re pushed around by the culture and our busyness makes our relationship with God thin and weak. Which isn’t surprising because Jesus’ warned us that this would be this case if we were preoccupied with the cares of this world.
The Busy Christian’s Guide to Busyness tackles our priorities and our ineffectiveness. But it’s not really a time management book but a book which exposes the lies that lie behind our over-busyness. The lies that we prefer pressure but actually procrastinate (that’s me), to needing the money or the lifestyle, to remain in control, to maximise our life or to feel significant. Yet each lie is countered by truth from the scriptures that bring us to a place of rest, confidence and peaceful trust in God.
The examples are helpful, the scriptures enlightening, the style is readable and most important of all the message is vital. Too often I hear about people who’d love to love God more but busyness kills the desire dead. Rules and time management principles will become the pharisees rules when what we need is more grace.
This is an excellent book that deserves a wide audience because we need to heed its message. You can read an extract here.
It’s getting towards that time of year again when everyone goes a little crazy and overindulges, over spends and over commits. We’ll recover in February 2010. It won’t come as any surprise that I’m no fan of this feast of consumption we call Christmas. Most of it (around 99% I reckon) has almost nothing to do with Jesus.
So if you want a different kind of Christmas start thinking now if you haven’t already. Here are some places you can look for inspiration:
This video is on my front page for a reason
I’m not sure anything goes slower than a toddler learning to walk. First of all the steps are generally unsteady, the direction uncertain and the focus unclear. The toddler I have in mind is easily distracted. The dullest of twigs, stones and leaves all get special attention with a pause, crouch and close inspection. You’re lucky if you move a dozen steps (toddler steps mind) before some thought you can’t comprehend results in a sudden change of direction, often towards some hazard or other. In other words progress is painfully, desperately, dreadfully slow. Possibly slower.
I didn’t cope well. It started cute, minutes later it became boring and my mind wandered, I became impatient, irritable, keen to get a move on. I feel the same way in traffic jams or when my computer won’t boot up quickly enough. The world moves fast and you have to hurry to keep up. Life is busy and head, heart and soul get used to operating at a high gear. The next thing you have to do continually intrudes into the present. We’re distracted from the moment by the thought of the whatever is happening next rushing headlong towards us.
The busy we get, the faster the pace of life the more likely it is that we will grow in impatience. It’s a necessary by-product of our over-connected, over-wired, over-busy lives.
The problem in the case of my walk with my toddler is that I had nothing particular to do afterwards, nowhere particular to be and nothing more important to be doing. I was impatient for no very good reason. Once that insight began to take root, I began to make a conscious effort to slow down and appreciate watching my son learn to walk, something I will only get to do once. To appreciate a day I will never live again, to see colours and leaves, and appreciate the fresh air on my skin. To savour the time with my wife and son. To thank God for the rich blessings that are my life, to get to the end of the day and say, “I am blessed”.
It’s good for the soul to slow down, good too for the heart and body. I recommend the pace of a toddler.
I believe Jesus when he said 'life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions'. I believe he offers something better. This blog is mostly about that search.
I'm also a church pastor, a bookshop owner, a husband, a father, a keen runner, reader, and motorcyclist. These and a few other things make guest appearances from time to time.