When I was sixteen going on seventeen, our church youth group learned about the Appalachia Service Project (ASP), a Christian nonprofit ministry focused on the “eradication of substandard housing in Central Appalachia.” Growing up, I was aware that there were families who didn’t have the same standard of living we did, but participating in ASP […]
Tag Archives: materialism
04
Oct
Oct
As I began to write about my story, I realized not only my deep devotion to the material world but the lies that I believed to sustain my faith in stuff. Lies that sustain the modern world, particularly in the west. Lies that have always deceived us.
13
Sep
Sep
Social media was buzzing with outrage and opinions last weekend, like it does every day of the week, when a well-aged Phillies fan became irate over a home run ball that was hit into the stands by Harrison Bader of the Phillies. As the crowd scurried for possession of the battered ball, a father who […]
09
Aug
Aug
For most of my adult life, I professed that I had no faith; well, at least in God. A bold and belligerent bellow that was big headed because of my own blind spots. An ego stoked by wealth, worldly success and wanting to evade the examination of my own earthly expiration. Mellowed by maturity and […]
05
Jul
Jul
As my years on this planet have accumulated, so has the stuff I’ve amassed. Even though I’ve made numerous attempts at “downsizing,” my success is always short lived and short of any sense of minimalism. I’m still hanging onto stuff because of my sentimentalism and sense of sacredness for things that remind me of those […]
14
Jun
Jun
There are two images from this past weekend that have stayed in my head and settled in my heart. Pictures that say everything about the present state of affairs in America and the timelessness of the human condition. Modern day illustrations of the Cain and Abel story reenacted in the city of angels without the […]
07
Jun
Jun
Like other mixed messages from our culture, we get schizophrenic signs as it relates to love, specifically romantic love. On one hand we’re told to chart our own course and be our own person even if we have to go it alone. Don’t let anyone or even society stop you from pursuing your dreams or […]
24
May
May
It has been said, “A person dies twice: once when they take their final breath, and later, the last time their name is spoken.” This quote has been attributed to everyone from Banksy to Hemingway to someone only known as anonymity. The latter being an ironic example of irony that lends integrity to this insight. As […]
17
May
May
Growing up, I was told to never discuss politics or religion with someone I had no relationship with; and even if I did have a relationship with said person, to tread carefully. In many ways, this was wise advice. Both realms, reflect our core beliefs and values (or perceptions) about what we believe is right […]
26
Apr
Apr
There was a time in my life when my ultimate loyalty, my sense of truth, and my definition of right and wrong existed in and with the institutions of this world; particularly our government. Naively believing that the politicians I elect and the bureaucracy I fund through my hard work would do no harm to […]
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