Stick Around...

The sermon series may be over (or nearly over for Westside/Harrison), but the blog is sticking around! Hopefully this can be a forum for us to continue thinking about how to apply the lessons we've been learning over the last six or so weeks.

The sermon series has really helped me to sort though some things I've been learning over the past year. When our household went from 1 corporate earner and 1 graduate student with modest stipend to 2 graduate students and no corporate income, we had to revamp our spending big time. Now, after a year of this, I can say we've learned a lot and hope to never forget these lessons. The biggest thing for me has been to realize that being thrifty and being less consumed with material things are TOTALLY different. I've always been a fan of getting a great deal. But this past year, when we haven't had the flexible income to "stock up and save," I've really had to learn how to think differently about what I really need, whether or not it's on sale.

I still struggle with what it means to be less consumed with material things. I have lots of impulses.. to save money (like I mentioned), to make ecologically sustainable decisions, to give money to people or causes that need it, etc. But are these things truly making me search my soul and seek God more than the things of this world? Not in themselves. I could certainly get obsessed with any of these "causes," be they personal or benevolent, and that would bring me no closer to God himself. For me, this will be the ongoing challenge... to be aware of my choices, yes, but also to be aware of the state of my soul.

So stick around, share your journey and I'll share mine, and hopefully together we can come one step closer to being consumed with the things of God.