How I got to be...

Well, I knew this blog post would come sometime. Sigh

Ok, so here's the story of how I got my views on money etc. Growing up I was very close friends with a girl who was abused physically and sexually by a father figure. I will not go into the details of this but I could see how torn up inside she was. I tried to comfort her as much as anyone can in that situation, but I had to sit helplessly as she didn't want it brought to teachers, or police, or anybody.

After at least a year of knowing this girl we were asked by our Bible teacher to present a topic of how we as Christians could help change the world for the better. This girl stood in front of class and talked about how for a measly $40, you could buy a girl out of sexual slavery (I think she got the fact from IJM but I have never been able to find it, though I should probably look a bit harder). For just that small amount of money, you could actually buy her back from her captors.

I remember riding home on the bus that day. My mind was a blur, thinking of all the things I had. How many $40's had I spent on my video games, on my toys, on all my crap! I didn't know what to do. How could I ever spend money again knowing I could save girls from the pain and agony that I had seen day after day in my friend. And those girls went through that every day to an even more horrible level!

As I went on through the years I began picking up more facts and figures of what money can do.
$1 can provide a year's worth of fresh water for a person in africa -blood water mission.
$5 can provide a month's worth of food to a family in haiti (before the hurricane)
$2000 can drill a new well in Africa through the OPC denomination.
$7-$10 can provide a mosquito net to prevent malaria, the number one killer of humans ever

Maybe it's because I was young and these ideas had time to fester. Maybe it was because my mind was so gripped by the $40 story. Maybe God is just merciful in allowing these ideas to grow. Whatever the case, my life was changed.

I began doing fundraisers including a city wide garage sale with items donated by local churches (which God allowed to raise over $1400). In college we did a Pancake breakfast fundraiser which provided $500 to help those in Haiti. I even got as far as reaching an original Redbox founder about possibly allowing people to donate one extra dollar when renting a movie (which was eventually shot down but thanks to all those who sent emails). In addition, I haven't gotten Christmas present the past 4 years of my life choosing instead to ask for money and donate it to charities (this year is IJM).

Now, I am truly not trying to say this to puff myself up. The Bible speaks very forcefully about not letting one hand know when the other is giving. However, I write this to show you what ANYONE can do! I am not any more special than you.

I write this today because these days we don't really have role models which we can look to for issues like this. We have Mother Teresa, some missionaries, and then a few people here and there standing for what they believe. How are we supposed to teach our children about giving when they see us taking huge vacations, buying speed boats, and then tithing the minimal amount and never more. What are our brothers and sisters supposed to think when the most passionate thing we engage in is video games, spending both our time, energy, and money on them alone. Can we all look past the green of our front yard for one second to see that there is real hurt in this world which WE CAN HELP FIX! I am not just talking about the physical needs either. Blood Water Mission, Compassion International, IJM. These are all Christian charities that provide (without causing dependency) for both the physical and the spiritual needs. They have great programs set up. Do you know what they need to do more? They need more support from us suburbia dwellers.

Now, I don't want to be that role model. I really don't. Having people look at me, knowing i've written this. I'm practically calling myself out (Jamison, you now understand why I barely ever bowl, go to movies, or ever eat out). But someone needs to be called out. Someone needs to put a cattle prod to the rear end of those stuck pursuing the american dream. I once heard about a Christian music artist (can't remember who) who sold their house for a smaller house. And then did it AGAIN a year or two later. What if all Christians thought like this.What if we started a movement to, with greater abandon, help those in poverty through the name of Jesus, filling both their physical and their spiritual needs.

If you take anything away from this post, let it be: What If I...