Effects of the Shopping Fast…
Tomorrow, May 9, marks the halfway point of my 6-month shopping fast. It has been an extremely humbling experience, and I continue to learn a lot from it.
Why do I do a shopping fast? Here’s why:
* Discipline: It’s a good practice to be able to do without things for a period of time. Anything that you’re not able to give up has too tight of a hold on you. Giving up shopping and purchasing for six months is my form of that discipline.
* Resourcefulness: I can’t tell you how many outfits I’ve worn over the last several weeks that I’ve mixed and matched in ways that I hadn’t tried before, simply because it’s the only thing I can do to feel like I have new clothes when I actually don’t!… And when I get a compliment, I love being able to say, “Thanks, I bought this four years ago!” Isn’t that a good feeling?! It goes for shoes too. I have a pair of boots I bought back in ’97 at Kmart for four dollars. My friend Sheri and I each bought 3 pairs – one black, one brown, one red. Thanks to shoe polish and some black duct tape on the bottoms, they’re my favorite line dancing boots and were (hopefully!) fashionable enough to wear in Orlando a couple of weeks ago for the Exponential Conference.
* Opportunities for Generosity: Now more than ever, Community needs our generosity. I don’t say ‘now more than ever’ in a needy sort of way; I say it in a missional sort of way. Community and NewThing are at the ‘IPO’ so-to-speak (initial public offering – let me know if you need me to explain this) of their growth, and there’s nothing else I’d rather invest in than helping people find their way back to God. And Community is on the verge of some very big things that could really take us to the next level in helping people find their way back to God. I’ve struggled with how to share this because I don’t want it to sound prideful and I don’t want to impose my benchmarks upon anyone else since I don’t have children to care for or other family expenses that many of you all have. But as a result of this shopping fast, I’ve been able to give more to Community than I could’ve ever imagined, and I want to encourage you to try the same. So far in 2008, God has graciously blessed me to be able to give 47% of my salary to the Jesus Mission right here at Community. And I can’t describe to you the joy and closeness to God that has resulted in this type of investment in His people. I share this with you not to toot horns or impose expectations but rather to celebrate what God is doing in my life and in the lives of those who have inspired me to do this. It is not what I do that should be celebrated, but why. Here are some of the many reasons why I celebrate generosity to the Jesus Mission at Community….
- The neighbor four doors down from me who began coming to church last fall and is now bringing her husband with her to Marriage Rebuilders on Monday nights as they rebuild their marriage and begin on their way back to God….
- The family who just moved here from North Carolina and have never felt welcome in a church their entire lives… Their teenage son was invited to StuCo by another boy at school, and now the entire family celebrates together in weekend services and the mother was baptized earlier this year….
- The single mom in my small group who has been faced with such trials over the last year but receives such gracious comfort and support from her relationship with God and from the community of her small group and ministry team, which allows her to continue in each day with assurance and hope….
- The creative arts team through video and through worship that reaches people’s hearts in a way that words themselves cannot, displaying with excellence the grace and love of God….
- The teaching team, through amazing God-given talent of communicating effectively, challenges life change within our attenders – a testament to a committed team who seeks God’s wisdom and direction daily….
- The Kids’ City children’s ministry who reaches over 1,100 kids every weekend with a high-impact, relevant message of hope and love and acceptance that can be found through nothing other than a relationship with Jesus, demonstrated through the love and devotion of over 75 children’s small group leaders….
- The commitment and vision of a lead team and an entire staff of Christ followers who are relentlessly devoted to trading their lives to help people find their way back to God….
How can you not respond to that kind of cause? I challenge us all, myself included, to respond to our capacity in our own way. The result is indescribable. Generosity is not something God wants from us. It’s something He was for us.
6 Responses to “Effects of the Shopping Fast…”
May 8th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.
Allen Taylor
May 8th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Very inspiring, Julie. Thanks for leading us by example on the path to generosity.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Very impressive. I second the leading by example comment.
And this is probably the only Community blog where you’ll see the phrase “my favorite line dancing boots” – well, except maybe in Dave’s blog.
Nicely done.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Thanks Julie for daring and sharing. What a wonderful idea that any of us can try. It seems it would be helpful whether we did if for a week, a month or however long.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Thanks Julie for going out on a limb with your shopping fast. It’s truly amazing how much we can learn from fasting. I think your story is an excellent example of putting other people’s needs first. Keep up the great work!!
todd hunter
national city bank
oswego
June 19th, 2011 at 1:53 am
I am glad to be a visitant of this thoroughgoing web blog, appreciate it for this rare information!
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