The Suburban Jesus Hates Me

92 thoughts on “The Suburban Jesus Hates Me”

1. few comments on your “ranting” i myself have had similar qualms with the church. I am 21 years old and have been a christian for 3 years. I grew up in a broken home, poverty and experienced a childhood no child should ever see. Having the Lord in my life felt so AMAZING because at the time I truly had no other. Having a relationship with him took precedence over anything else because I had nothing else. When I went off to college I noticed that there were these Christians there whose background was so much different from mine. Ones who accepted Christ at 7 and whose beliefs and theology where fed to them by their parents. Kids with shiny new cars and “perfect” childhoods who never really knew what it meant to suffer for the gospel. 2 Timothy 3:12 says everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted. The world should hate us because we don’t belong to it but if we bled in, if our lives are not radical, if we choose that career path over what God has willed, if we follow the status quo, is the Gospel of Truth really being preached. Jesus didn’t come to Earth to bring peace but a sword. He came to set a man against his father, and daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

   “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:34-39

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2. I agree with you. For me, it was NOT wanting to go to the suburbs. For many years, it was hanging over my head as that’s where the jobs were for my husband. Somehow, we ended up staying in the city near our church(& he has graciously commuted the many miles).
   But even a simple life in the USA is so much more comfortable than the foreign mission field, so I’m sure that many who live simple lives here struggle with that. As for my kids, I would be thrilled if they were called to missions or any job where they could serve the Lord(secular jobs included).
   I had never heard of you before Andrew Marin shared about your book review yesterday. Now what he does ‘ring my chimes’ rather than mowing the grass & playing golf in suburbia. I guess I’m more of a minority in that interest, but more have been going his direction over the years. I love people & because they need the Lord, I like to build those bridges. Pray for Andrew as he is getting so busy! I wish you well in your work, too.
   Mrs “T”

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3. iMonk,

   i resonate with the things you have said here strongly. A friend sent me this link because of what you said about people thinking missionaries are great as long as it is not someone in their own family. Welcome to my world. Since i was fourteen i have known that a ministry of missions is what God is calling me to, and my parents have resisted every single step of the way; encouraging to not ignore the talents God has given me, to not dismiss the intelligence he has blessed me with (as if, i suppose, to be a missionary requires no brains and no talents…). i love my parents, but i love Jesus more. i just do not know how to make them understand that.

   Also, i wonder how to make them understand that the simpler way i wish to pursue is not a rejection of what my parents and (especially) my grandparents worked, dug, and clawed their way out of a hole to get for us. i appreciate that the opportunities i have been given to have resources and an education (as well as the opportunity to renounce my wealth in favor of a simpler life) have been bourne out of all of their hardwork, but i see also that their hard work is informed as much by a striving to social middle-class norms as it is by a desire to give their children something better than what they had. That norm, that prosperity gospel i have been fed my entire young United Methodist life, that idea by which my mother can find no other way to express herself than to buy me things, is what i reject.

   Because i just keep coming back to Jesus, who does not seem to seek better for himself or for any one else. The last shall be first? Blessed are the poor (or the poor in spirit, depending on the Gospel…)? We sing a song at the kid’s camp i work at that goes “humble thyself in the sight of the Lord; and He shall lift you up, higher and higher, and He shall lift you up.” I keep coming back to the desire to CHOOSE humilty, to choose the end of the table, to choose to be last. Will parents ever come around to this? i pray that if i am ever a mother that i will not resist the pull on my children’s hearts to go in whatever direction the Lord leads them.

   Thank you for your words. i am glad to know that i am not the only person who struggles here.

   -rebecca

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4. Excellent post.Sustain the oustanding work,You should definitely have to keep updating your site

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5. Wow, I can not say how much this post blessed me.

   I grew up in a upper middle class home and was a suburban Christian, when the Lord blessed me with a husband it was a husband who had the call of the Lord upon him to be a pastor. It was a call to poverty, in some peoples estimations. To have my husband be everyone’s except mine. To give up all for the Lord, and yet he has never forsaken us nor have we ever begged bread. And yet my family has not always been supportive. My family was upset at the way we have followed the Lord and yet it is the call he has given to all who claim his name. To give up all for him. What a blessing.

   Thank you for the encouragement that you have given to this pastor’s wife.

   In HIS Keeping,
   Mrs. B

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6. For the most part I agree with your points. I pray Christ will give you that extra touch of humility when people are willing to take you a step farther. Eric Phillips’ comments above come to mind.

   Grace and peace to you in Christ as you intently follow Him!

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7. Dave wrote:

   “I stood in Family Christian Bookstore yesterday. I almost cried. Most of the place is full of Make My Life Better books.”

   I WORK there. Imagine how I feel. Some of us there prone to reflective moments want to go past crying straight to primal screams now and again. But we hang in there for the few, rare moments when some opportunity of exhortation, encouragement, even witnessing present themselves in a way that doesn’t always happen at other jobs.

   In between those moments, we sell “Make My Life Better” books and mourn that the real MMLB book is sold in another part of the store.

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8. I’m really late joining the party, but I just wanted to thank you for your bluntness, honesty, and willingness to say things alot of other people are scared to say. I really really appreciated it and hope that I can walk this narrow road along with you.

   I was listening to a sermon the other day and I thought an excellent point was made–if you had been an alcoholic before you were saved–wouldn’t people council you to maybe avoid bars for a while? Maybe it would be wise for you to avoid the temptation?

   Can this mindset also apply to our consumeristic mindset? Our greedy temptations?

   See here’s my fear–maybe I’m not strong enough to withstand the pull of my culture–my culture that cries that life is found in getting married, having a stable job, nice family, and owning a house. Maybe I’m not strong enough to stay here and not fall into the trap.

   If you are–good for you. You’re stronger than I can.

   But if I can’t live here without falling into this trap–then I’m leaving, because if I really believe what Jesus said–then this is more important than anything on earth….

   yeah sorry if that doesn’t make alot of sense–it’s late and I’m tired…so yes please excuse me…

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9. Thanks for the great post. I agree with you 100%. My husband and I have been preparing to become missionaries in about a year. We haven’t received a lot of flack for the fact that we want to live in poverty but what we (especially my husband) do occasionally get flack for is the fact that we’re considering spending time in South Africa without all the elaborate security that the rich people have. People also give us trouble because we refuse to save for retirement or pay for any voluntary insurance. I think that the underlying issue is the same. People don’t trust that God will bless those that faithfully sacrifice things/security for his sake.

   My heart grieves with you over the church. I long to see all those that call themselves Christian living wholly committed to him. If only I manage that myself first. 🙂

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10. The question that has niggled at me since is why people in poverty in other countries starve to death, but somehow poverty here is tied to abundance?

    I suspect it boils down to, by and large, the poor here do get food, but it’s not necessarily good food. I do know that in my and my girlfriend’s efforts to lose weight (more hers than mine, though I could use it more), we’ve found that good food is more expensive than bad food. Bad food, e.g. tends to have more fat than more expensive good food. Plain white bread (which is really not that good for you) is much cheaper than whole wheat or multi-grain bread. Our poor become obese because they can only afford the cheaper, more fat-and-sugar-laden foods.

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11. Michael

    Good post and the touching of nerves on this topic is to be expected. I am not in complete agreement with you on some of the issues.

    Michael, you said:

    “There are rich people in the Bible. Jesus wasn’t rich. Jesus said it was hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom. The New Testament warns the rich with severe warnings because wealth provides many temptations to other sins.”

    That is not the only or necessarily the best interpretation of all the verses in the NT addressing affluence or wealth.

    Have you read Dr. Schneider’s book: “The Good of Affluence – a Biblical View of Wealth”?

    The issue was that material wealth was not the essence of their (the rich) evil; rather, their attitude toward their wealth was symptomatic of a deeper spiritual evil. Jesus did make discipleship demands of his followers that included discipline in the use of wealth. The question is how to interpret what Jesus said since the Gospels give different messages about possessions/affluence/wealth (wealth-negative and wealth-affirming passages).

    From the wealth-negative perspective (the Rich Young Ruler), it is easy to draw the conclusion that affluence is wrong and hard for a rich person to be a disciple. The traditional interpretation is that Jesus called his followers to abandon all wealth to follow him. Is that the case? Many who heard the demand to leave everything, were not required to do so (Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Zaccheus).

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12. >I’m a first time reader…

    And therefore you aren’t aware of my own commitment to and involvement in the local church for 30 years and today. Or of the hundreds of posts about the church on this site that agree with you.

    I would simply suggest that no one is doing something wrong if they leave A church for ANOTHER expression of church or ANOTHER kind.

    Redeeming existing congregations is a good work. I tried for 12 years. It didn’t happen. I would have been better planting a church. But God knows what he’s doing. Everyone isn’t supposed to be in a rich suburban white church. Everyone isn’t supposed to choose a church for children’s programs and music.

    Some people are called to be part of a church so that church can be a living community shaped like Jesus.

    BTW- this web site isn’t promoting “church shopping.” Again, as a first time reader, you’ve dropped into the middle of a large conversation. Be cautious what you assume is being said.

    peace and thanks for reading

    MS

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13. I agree with you and know it’s necessary to voice these things, thank you. My one qualm has little to do with substance and everything to do with function/application. Nowhere do I hear you encouraging people to stand up for and REDEEM the church in suburbia! Nowhere do I see it made clear that the greatest way of preserving integrity in your local church is by commiting to it, and bearing it’s integrity yourself. I’m a first time reader, so say this only because on one occastion (at least that I’ve noted) your post has encouraged an individual to redivert her money and time from her local church to something better. Where is the Love of the Church in that? Where is the Love of people whom you share life with? Where is the respect for leaders that demands voicing concerns to THEM?
    More importantly, where is Jesus in that? He died for individuals, but he left the Church. If shopping for BMW’s can potentially show the love of mammon, can shopping for churches devalue the Love of Christ for her church?
    Again, you never told people to shop around, I see this as a potential application of this topic.

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14. There are rich people in the Bible.

    Jesus wasn’t rich.

    Jesus said it was hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom.

    The New Testament warns the rich with severe warnings because wealth provides many temptations to other sins.

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15. Um, so is it okay to be rich and a Christian?

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16. right on, Dude! All my ministry friends live in lovely, well decorated middle class houses and I live in a lovely little cracker box, and drive a faithful ford with the front bumper ripped off. I used to feel guilty about not providing my wife with the “American Dream” but now she has cancer and possibly only a few year to live, and we both rejoice in our simplicity, and are deeply content.

    Reminds me of Liam Nieson in the closing scenes from Spielburg’s movie about the Holocaust … (names escapes me for the moment — old age) in which the German business man wishes he had sold his gold pen in order to have saved one more life…

    here is a question for you, when do churches stop being “the church”?

    my own answer: when they are no longer composed of serious followers of Jesus … at that point they become civic associations or religious associations … not the ecclesia …

    I have been accused of being anti-church but I don’t think so … I am pro-disciple.

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17. About a year ago, there was a study that came out tying high obesity rates in the US to poverty. The question that has niggled at me since is why people in poverty in other countries starve to death, but somehow poverty here is tied to abundance?

    I live far from anything even remotely smacking of suburbia, but the desire to want more and bigger and better at the expense of following Christ’s call to help others is alive and well in rural areas, and rural churches, as well.

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18. We moved to Quebec a year and a half ago in the hope of me being a pastor someday up here. Funny how America can look so strange when you have been on the outside for a while. Quebec is definitely not poor, but atmosphere is quite different and the churches are not rich. I resonate with this post much more now than I would have a few years ago. Thanks Michael.

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19. They are the same issue.

    Not quite. It is quite possible to give up possessions and still be caught up in them (or to be caught up in the fact that you gave them up). Those who simply lack possessions can easily be caught up in the desire to acquire them or in the envy of those who have them. The goal isn’t the lack of possessions , it’s a heart caught up in God.

    My point here is really that whatever answer we come up with, the truth is more radical and irrational than our answer.

    That, I’ll agree with wholeheartedly.

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20. “Over here, it’s pretty messy.”

    That’s why I like it here.

    For a while, I tried to figure out how much I should be giving (10%? 20%? 50%?), which of course is based on the Old Testament tithing model. Now I realize I was thinking about it entirely the wrong way…that way of thinking says, “the money I earn is mine, and I will choose to give some portion of it to God”. Instead, I should remember that ALL of my money is God’s. The giving percent matters far less than constantly reminding myself of this fact, and being willing to open my wallet generously when opportunity presents itself.

    Generally speaking, I think the above is a good perspective and it’s one I try to maintain, but even then, there are pitfalls. I’m speaking particularly of this thought: “The giving percent matters far less than constantly reminding myself of this fact, because it’s only a stone’s throw from there to, “It doesn’t matter what/if/how I give” (and live).

    And I’m writing this from New England suburbia, where I’ve spent all 41 years of my life to date. This entire topic is something I struggle with — usually when I’m being judgmental about richer-than-I-am Americans. Their decadence sickens me until God taps me on the shoulder and reminds me of that big honking plank I’ve yet to extract from my eye.

    Michael, maybe it’s because I’m yankee born and bred, I’ve never thought anyone who was living simply was wasting his life though, and I’ve never been a part of the suburban subculture where that was an issue. I’m sorry you have to put up with that. I’m pretty appalled right now that anyone has treated you that way. I expect God to be pointing out another one of my planks any moment now, because I’m really in high dudgeon.

    Sigh. I hate when I have to deal with my planks, but thanks for getting me “ready for work.”

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21. “The issue isn’t how much we have, it’s what is our heart caught up in?”

    They are the same issue. Take Luke 12. It’s filled with Jesus telling us not to be afraid and anxious, and then in verse 33, he makes this simple statement:

    “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”

    It’s nice to try to remove our things and what we think about our things, but Jesus says one verse later:

    “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

    My point here is really that whatever answer we come up with, the truth is more radical and irrational than our answer.

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22. Michael,

    Obviously you have touched a MAJOR nerve with people. Thanks for the courage in sharing your heart and challenging some assumptions.

    And you’re dead wrong about being a “worse” writer – you’re a FANTASTIC writer.

    Off topic – could you tell how you set up your podcast audio through Podango? I thought going through Podango meant they insert an advertisement into your podcast, but if I recall there isn’t one in yours.

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23. It occurs to me that while we look at “You cannot serve both God and Mammon” and easily conclude “therefore, stay away from Mammon”, Jesus looks at it and concludes “therefore, don’t be anxious about your life, what you’ll eat, drink, and wear”. The issue isn’t how much we have, it’s what is our heart caught up in? (This doesn’t let suburbia off, as suburbia is generally caught up in what they have.)

    The structure of the statement (‘you can’t serve God and Mammon therefore don’t be anxious’ seems to imply to me that Jesus considers being anxious about food, drink, and clothing to constitute serving Mammon. This seems to me to be directed as much to the poor as it is to the rich. Certainly worry about where food, drink, and clothing is going to come from is common to the poor.

    A lot of people look at the second half of Matthew 6 as teaching “put God first and He’ll supply your needs” which lends itself to prosperity teaching. From what I can see, the teaching is just as much “Trust in your heavenly Father, who will supply your needs, so that your heart, instead of being caught up in acquiring what you need, can be caught up in being in God’s service”. It is not, as we easily take it, a formula for getting your needs met (If you’re trying to “seek first the Kingdom of God” in order to get your needs met, then getting your needs met is the primary goal, and you’re really seeking that first). It’s a rearrangement of perspective, so that your heart, instead of being worried and caught up in where your needs are going to come from, is freed up to be able to serve God wholly, in whatever circumstances He calls you to serve, so that like Paul you are able to say “I know how to get along with humble means, and I know how to live in prosperity”.

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24. Thanks for this, Michael. As a young person and follower of Jesus who has been immensely blessed with a high-paying profession that I really enjoy (software development), I’ve really spent a lot of time thinking through issues of the right use of my money. Check out globalrichlist.com–the amount of money the average American has in contrast to the rest of the world is staggering, and I know I’m I’ve got a fair amount more than the average American. How can I reconcile this to the radical call of discipleship? It certainly hasn’t helped my sense of unease with my wealth to have lived in China the last two years and visited many poor villages.

    For a while, I tried to figure out how much I should be giving (10%? 20%? 50%?), which of course is based on the Old Testament tithing model. Now I realize I was thinking about it entirely the wrong way…that way of thinking says, “the money I earn is mine, and I will choose to give some portion of it to God”. Instead, I should remember that ALL of my money is God’s. The giving percent matters far less than constantly reminding myself of this fact, and being willing to open my wallet generously when opportunity presents itself.

    I hope and pray that I live in a permanent state of unease with my wealth the rest of my life, always regarding ALL of my money as belonging to the Father.

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25. > End of this discussion from my end.

    And a good end. Cheers!

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26. Re: the update. I seem to remember Jesus’ words and teaching upset a lot of people, but that never stopped him saying what was in his heart. I want to thank you for the open and honest way you write and also to say that I take courage in knowing that it’s okay to have an opinion. The easier option for us all would be to say nothing and hope for a quiet life, but I know I couldn’t live that way, however tempting it can sometimes be. I look forward to reading more of your posts and facing the challenges they present.

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27. Eric,

    I grew up a long way from the suburbs, and it would take more than a little effort to change my level of discomfort there.

    I ministered as a youth specialist in suburban churches for almost half my ministry years, 13 of them on full time church staff. It was there, in those good churches with those good people, that I learned the difference between suburban normal and Jesus normal….and how deeply I was implicated and involved.

    The personal pieces that I write deal with the personal struggles that I face. If I were writing diatribes against all SUVs, it would be a very different blog.

    I have no right or place to sit in the place of God and judge another person. I also have no right or place to ignore what Jesus means. He’s not a movable standard when he says you can’t love God and mammon. He was completely right. While I have no idea if all wealthy suburbanites love mammon, it was Jesus who said it is almost impossible for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of heaven. It was Jesus who said our security was from the same insurance company as birds and flowers. It was Jesus who said take no thought of tomorrow. Not me. I’m just trying to cope with it all.

    The problem isn’t suburbia per se. It’s the love of those comforts, the love of that security and the love of that normal in my heart. If there is a way to deal with that without recognizing that the persons telling me I wasted my life are up to their ears in suburban normal, I don’t know what it is.

    End of this discussion from my end.

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28. Michael,

    If all you meant was, “You made value-neutral selections about how to spend your money, and they happened to correlate with the choices being made by your neighbors” I wonder why you included the detail “as a Jesus-follower” and prefaced the remark with, “It’s not necessarily evil… BUT.” If the implication was unintended, it’s remarkably strong for that.

    As for condemning EVERYONE, it was just everyone with SUVs and two homes. My point was, you weren’t addressing one specific guy, but everyone who fits that template. And since the specifics (SUV and 2 houses) were meant as examples of a _type_ of affluence, it was considerably broader even than that.

    I’m totally on your side about people giving you grief for the kind of ministry you feel called to do. Just be careful not to do the same kind of thing in reverse.

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29. Eric: I said…

    >It’s not necessarily evil to have an SUV and a second home. But as a Jesus follower you have made choices with that lifestyle and the basis of those choices was conformity to the “normal” of the culture.

    As a follower of Jesus with an SUV and a second home, “You” (understood hypothetical person addressed in dilemma) have made choices with that lifestyle.

    HAVE MADE CHOICES. You choose to spend the money on the SUV rather than on a Corolla, rather than on college, rather than on stocks, rather than on missions or world hunger or the church building fund.

    “And the basis of those choices was conformity to the “normal” of the culture.”

    In suburbia, white people driving SUVs is “normal. The choice to own one is made within the cultural parameters of normal.

    Now exactly where am I up in someone’s business saying that it was wrong of them to buy one? Where do I claim to know enough to say that? I’m saying that the choice was made within the parameters of cultural norms.

    I really want to know how I got from saying “it’s not necessarily evil” and “you made choices” to condemning EVERYONE.

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30. I’m not an Old Covenant tither either. I’m just talking about the idea of a percentage. It’s actually related to what you said in your post about “relative poverty.”

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31. > You certainly understand the true import of a
    > second person pronoun.

    In the sentence I quoted, “you” referred to any Christian with an SUV and a second home. There is no other way to read it. The hypothetical “if you…” = “Anyone who….”

    > Should I remove the post and go shopping?

    The statement I quoted actually comes from your comments section. The post itself made me wonder what you meant in places, but didn’t come right out and say that people wouldn’t have SUVs if they were following Jesus.

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32. Michael (dearest iMonk), if there’s one thing I can tell you, it is that you have surely not wasted your life. Your blog, and posts like this one, and so many thoughtful and provocative comments, are of much more value than a suburban lifestyle.

    Watchman Nee once preached the gospel to a poor man in China. The man asked him, “If I believe in your Jesus, will he fill my rice bowl?” Nee responded, “If you believe in the Lord Jesus, your bowl will be broken.” To follow Jesus is to live a broken life, being humbled under His hand. When our “flask of alabaster” is poured out on Him, it can’t be put back together.

    But the key is not poverty for its own sake, the key is to follow Him. If He leads us into a suburban lifestyle, then what counts is our faithfulness. The Christian life is not an ascetic life, it is a life of joy and pleasure. We are allowed to enjoy all of God’s gifts, including whatever practical provisions He allows us. Yet it is also a life of suffering and persecution. Where the balance is in our own lives can only be clear by the Lord’s own work within us.

    I once heard a wonderful, true story about a Russian woman, an aristocrat who became a Christian in the pre-Revolution days. Whenever she met with fellow Christians in her city, she felt guilty, because they were so poor and had such hard lives (yet they were often more joyful than she was). She did what she could to contribute to the needs of the church, but always felt condemned that her life had been so easy, and that all her practical needs were met in abundance. Then one day she read a portion in 1 Corinthians that says, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.” And what spoke to her was, “Not many were of noble birth.” Her response: “Thank God there are a few.” After that, she felt at peace to be with God’s people, realizing that the noble born and the common people all have a place in His kingdom. Only in Christ are those class distinctions truly done away with.

    To follow the Lord might mean He will teach us to be more responsible and faithful in handling our finances (including via Dave Ramsey), which will increase our wealth so that we have more to give. I can definitely testify that He has taught me to be more careful with my money, so that I can support my family. He’s convicted me of irresponsibility and selfishness. But I’ve also learned to be grateful for what He has provided us. I used to be very self-condemned, until I realized that if we live in a nice home, we won’t become closer to God by living in a not-so-nice home. The Lord’s love for us doesn’t change because we become more poor or more wealthy.

    There are plenty of very poor people who are greedy and envious, even without many possessions. Poverty does not automatically save anyone from their sinful nature. And there are plenty of wealthy people or middle-class suburbanites who have been saved from greed, envy, selfishness, and materialism. I do question the idea that we should feel guilty if God allows us a comfortable life with many possessions. As long as we live before Him, we don’t need to condemn ourselves. He will be faithful to let us know when our hearts have become preoccupied. He will break what needs to be broken.

    Right now I meet with a megachurch that has managed to reach professionals, suburbanites, and the very poor. The Word of God is not watered down there, it’s not a “prosperity gospel” place. And I see the poor and the wealthy all worshipping the same Lord, and thanking Him for all of His spiritual and tangible blessings. That to me is what the kingdom of God is really about.

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33. Oh….I am not an Old Covenant tither.

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34. Fine, Eric. If you think I am passing judgement on EVERYONE, then you’ve had the opportunity to point it out. You certainly understand the true import of a second person pronoun.

    I don’t know what else you want me to do. Should I remove the post and go shopping?

    Wrestling with suburban culture in my life is pretty hard, and when family gets up on me because of failing to live a “normal” “responsible” life, it makes me angry. But then I said I was writing angry, didn’t I?

    If you want it all black and white, you’re definitely talking to the wrong guy. As I said in the post, I’m not very far down the road of valuing poverty for Jesus sake, but I am far enough down to know that the suburban idea of normal where I live is my enemy, and the compromises I make seldom feel like I am really living out the Kingdom of God.

    But if it’s simpler for you, that’s good. I’m a pretty poor Christian, and a worse writer. I occasionally just lay it out there, with no promises that its right, orthodox or acceptable to all readers. It’s just me, and that’s what I do here.

    The blogs who get mad at all the right people and always say all the right things are in the sidebar at teampyro. Over here, it’s pretty messy.

    That’s not a response, because I don’t know you. That’s just where your comments left me.

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35. Michael,

    > But that’s my journey. I have no comment on
    > someone else’s.

    When you express the lessons of your journey as general statements with 2nd-person pronouns, you ARE commenting on someone else’s. EVERYONE else’s.

    > My journey convinces me that if I have $40k,
    > I shouldn’t spend it on a car, or if I have
    > $250k, I shouldn’t spend it on a bigger house.

    Mine too. But there are people who make a lot more money than me or thee. I think we can learn something from the fact that the tithe in the Old Testament was expressed in the form of a percentage, not an absolute value.

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36. These were great parents who had raised a great daughter and paid for her to have many good experiences that shaped her as a Christian.

    They were educated and mature people. They understood what Jesus did, taught and started.

    They would be ideal church members in almost any church.

    But they couldn’t see the Kingdom of God in their daughter. They wanted to see her follow Jesus in the security and financial prosperity of suburbia.

    I’m sure they are proud of her now. (She’s in ministry in the states in a rural church.)

    But I have that letter in my desk, and it has always reminded me that suburban culture is POWERFUL and PERVASIVE in its claims to be “God’s Kingdom” on earth.

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37. You wrote:

    “Then, a few years ago, a church kid from Minnesota came to talk to me. She’d been out of college for a few years, had come to Appalachia to teach English, then taught and coached at our school for a while, after which she took off for Africa for a couple of years. She brought me a letter from her parents where they told her what they thought about her life.

    Note: These parents were card carrying suburban American Christians in church. “Nice sermon, pastor.” “Oh the music was lovely today.” “We so enjoyed the youth leading worship today.” All that.

    In this letter, the parents honestly said what they thought of this girl. They thought she was nuts. The called all the ministries she worked for abusive, slave labor operations. They begged her to come home, take her college degree into the city and make some money, get a house in the suburbs and find a husband with wealth and security.”

    A great post. These parents are reacting just the same as those of St. Francis and also St. Patrick. They do not comprehend the Kingdom of God, or, at best, struggle to comprehend a God who demands our whole being.

    Praise God for those who take the high road, who keep their eyes fixed upon the One in Whom all rest, peace and security resides. It is these who shall be first in the Kingdom of God.

    In Christ,
    amy

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38. If some of you are first time readers, you probably aren’t used to my “voice.” Have a bit of patience please.

    I never said it is absolutely evil to have anything. Materialistic idolatry isn’t mere possession, but how one uses or relates to something.

    In the suburban culture of my home town, the two story home, the vacation, the SUV- all are “normal.” In the view of the dominant culture, if you don’t have these things or the means to have them and other things, you are not taking care of your family. You are living foolishly.

    I can’t sit in judgment on anyone with these things except ME. My journey convinces me that if I have $40k, I shouldn’t spend it on a car, or if I have $250k, I shouldn’t spend it on a bigger house. But that’s my journey. I have no comment on someone else’s.

    BUT- if your journey tells you this is Normal, I don’t believe you can draft Jesus onto your team to say “amen,” and I don’t believe you can look at a person who made a more modest choice and say “You wasted your life.”

    The dominant culture’s view of materialism contradicts Jesus as I have come to understand him, but I am not the judge of the other person.

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39. Michael,

    I think I’m mostly with you here, but it’s hard to sort out some of the things you are saying. They sound contradictory in places. For example:

    “It’s not necessarily evil to have an SUV and a second home. But as a Jesus follower you have made choices with that lifestyle and the basis of those choices was conformity to the ‘normal’ of the culture.”

    How can you say it’s not evil to have those things, and then immediately add that you have them only because you’ve conformed to the world instead of following Christ?

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40. Michael,
    You might appreciate David Goetz’s “Death by Suburb,” which addresses many of the same spiritual concerns you and your commentors are raising. I’m reading it right now and enjoying it, though, frankly, wish Goetz hit as hard as you did in this post!

    DMD

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41. First, thanks Michael and Eclectic for your responses. They were read, re-read, and much appreciated.

    Second, I’d like to jump in on the “virtue” discussion. I don’t think the decision really revolves around our virtue (nobody has said that, but I’m following some implications). Jesus told us that we won’t serve God and mammon…that we cannot have two masters, etc. I don’t think it’s really about doing the “right thing” even. It really is, for me at least, a rearrangement of economics. To assign worth (worthiness?) to cultural idols isn’t a question of virtue – it’s foolishness. We’re not depriving Jesus of anything at all when we live the American Dream – we’re depriving ourselves. We are the man Jeremiah Burroughs describes who stands with his mouth open facing the wind and wondering why he never gets full. The wind was never meant to satisfy our hunger.

    So I can live where I want and drive what I want, but I have no cause to wonder why I’m starving.

    Why did Jesus choose poverty when Satan so clearly offered him wealth and power that would be admired and respected culturally? For the glory set before him. It’s the same that is set before us.

    Sorry for the rambling. I hope it adds to the discussion in some way.

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42. These folks think missionaries are great, as long as it’s not someone in their family. Then it’s irresponsible and crazy.

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43. That all makes good sense, and I appreciate your explanation. I am appalled that your Christian friends would render judgment on your choice to serve where you are because it’s not as financially rewarding as a place in the suburbs. Have they ever heard of missionaries who do the same?

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44. Poverty is not a virtue per se and wealth is not evil per se.

    Poverty chosen or suffered in any measure for the cause of Christ is normative and not to be despised. In fact, as Jesus was poor and teaches that the poor more easily embrace the Kingdom of God and God’s care for them, we should like Francis be willing to see the beauty in the poverty of Christ.

    Few people in America are poor, but my issue is the response of the typical middle class Christian to those who choose simpler lifestyles or go in the direction of poverty for ministry’s sake. The all pervasive assumption that American materialism in all its forms is GOOD is in fact evil.

    It’s not necessarily evil to have an SUV and a second home. But as a Jesus follower you have made choices with that lifestyle and the basis of those choices was conformity to the “normal” of the culture.

    When you are told that your steps toward poverty in the cause of Christ (the average salary where I work is less than $6k and the total compensation in around $20k in value) were wasting your life- which I have been told every year I’ve been here by suburban Christian friends- then it gets painful.

    Poverty is no virtue. In many lives it is a curse. But American Christians are up to their ears in cultural idols and various versions of the prosperity Gospel.

    It’s right and Biblical to oppose them, and we need a St. Francis style revolution of material values in evangelicalism. Read Shane Claiborne and Francis Chan.

    Why should the world believe our Gospel when it is obvious that our treasure is a BMW just like theirs?

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45. Michael, I wouldn’t ordinarily draw attention to my own blog site (sacredstones.net), but just before I read your post and made a comment, I wrote a piece (“Discontent”) that is strangely related to this one.

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46. Michael,

    Yes.

    I wrote about this a couple years ago and referenced one of your previous posts on this subject:

    http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/08/the-real-american-christian-eitheror.html

    The problem as I see is that even people who are serious about getting out of the American Dream are trapped in it because they don’t know anything else. In my own life, the downward mobility I see scares me because I don’t know what it will be like to be poor. Frankly, it feels pretty helpless. Losing one’s home, losing one’s respectability in the community, being chastised for wasting one’s “potential”–the list goes on and on.

    When I told my business-world father that I intended to go into ministry, his immediate words to me were, “Then you’ll be poor and never get anywhere in life.” I’m sure other young people have heard that same response and given up ministry.

    We only have one shot at living this life right. Eternity begins now, but no one seems all that serious about it.

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47. Michael,

    First, thanks for your great honesty and passion. I resonate with a lot of what you are saying.

    Second, here is a theological question, and if it sounds confrontational it’s definitely not my intent. Where in Scripture does it clearly come across that poverty is a virtue? If a person is able to make a good income, invest and save for the future, etc., doesn’t this seem like the best approach? My wife and I are taking Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace” course at our church right now. It has been very helpful. How would you evaluate Ramsey theologically?

    I understand that we don’t evaluate God’s call by salary, perks, location, etc. – but if we are able to wouldn’t you encourage someone to invest as much as possible for the future, retirement, etc.? Of course the goal is not to live in luxury while others starve, but who is going to pay for the nursing home or provide income when we retire?

    Also, how would you evaluate someone like Carnegie who wanted to make as much money as possible so he could give it all away? What would you say to an enterprising young Christian who wanted to go into business to make millions so they could support lots of mission work?

    Please don’t misunderstand me – I’m trying to make sense of what I hear as the virtue of poverty vs. what seems to be a responsible path of investing and saving for the future.

    Thanks again for the great post.

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48. I had to stop reading your post when I was half-way through this afternoon, because I was home after my day job and then had to rush to get ready for my night job. I’m a teacher and I spend my days teaching preschoolers about Jesus. It’s challenging and important work. Every day I see Jesus – in my kids, their parents, and my co-workers – and I try to be Jesus for them as well.

    Teaching preschool pays poorly, especially for someone with a master’s degree. But I feel blessed that I am paid to teach the Gospel, especially to children who are hearing these things for the first time. And I want so badly to do it right, so that these kids don’t end up abandoning their faith as I did for so many years. Not just telling them about Jesus, but turning them into disciples, and in the process becoming more of a disciple myself.

    The problem is, my family’s financial situation has gotten tight, due partly to the lousy economy and due partly to some economic decisions my husband made that didn’t turn out so well. So I’ve had to take a second job, and now I’m working 65-70 hours a week and not sleeping much. And I’ve been chastising myself for not choosing a more lucrative career path. I’ve got footprints on the seat of my pants from kicking myself, repeatedly, over this.

    But I also know that if I didn’t spend my days being confronted by Jesus, in my efforts to bring him to children, and to bring children to him, that I would end up ignoring him. An hour of Jesus on Sundays would have been all I wanted. And I would have been happy to give the rest of my week over to worldly ambition and comforts.

    I needed a reminder that I did choose the Good Life, after all. Sometimes it really hurts to follow and serve Jesus, and sometimes I almost feel like an idiot for doing so. Maybe that means I’m doing it right?

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49. The message of “comfortable American Christianity” mystifies me. I know others who have the same reaction. My former pastor, Mark Dever, removed the American flag from the church sanctuary, to avoid possible confusion between the Gospel and the USA. I thank God for Mark’s choice. He also consistently challenged himself and the congregation about the dangerous seduction of materialism. I am blessed to be at another church now (following a move) where the main preaching elder also warns about the accumulation of “stuff” and the importance of sacrificial giving in the Christian life (and not only tithing to the church).

    Personally, for almost half of my life now, I have lived at, or below, the poverty line. I am nowhere near where I once thought I would be, financially, at the age of 35. I can’t even afford to get married and support a wife, currently (I’m working to get to a better place though), and the pain cuts very deeply. I am so glad that God loves those who are poor in spirit, and unlike some supposed “evangelical” preachers and teachers, He also loves His children who are poor financially. Suburban Jesus? I’ve heard of him, but I thank God that Suburban Jesus is not the Jesus I know.

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50. Michael,

    Guilt? I’ve got buckets.

    Thank you for your reply and encouragement. Tomorrow I’ll shoot off some checks to people who can really use the money. And I’ll start doing some church searching too.

    I so appreciate your efforts and sharing here. I’ve known some pastors, preachers, whatever you want to call those called by God to do what you do. It’s exhausting, emotionally draining work.

    Thank you,
    Carol

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51. I live in what is quickly becoming a bedroom community for the ever expanding Wal*Mart HQ workforce. There is poverty around me even though I see a lot of suburbia. Visit sub*text sometime and you’ll find that there is a *lot* of poverty in suburbia. iMonk’s problem isn’t with people living in houses that happen to be in neighborhoods on the outskirts of cities but about the sheer frustration of the rat race and the compulsion to get ahead, have the biggest house, have the biggest flat panel HDTV, and just about every other graven image imaginable. We’ve sold our birth right for a mess of nothing valuable.

    If I might speak as a pastor that might come across as judgmental, let’s rend our hearts instead of our credit scores.

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52. Michael,
    Another great post.
    Todd

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53. I am certainly among those who seek to elude the inescapable conclusion.

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54. Jesus calls all who would follow Him to radical discipleship. Of course our walk occurs where we live, where we work, where we worship, but the call is a radical one nonetheless, whether in the ghetto, the ‘burbs, the gated community, Appalachia, etc.

    If we are God’s priestly people, then we offer our bodies, as St. Paul writes at the beginning of Romans 12, as living sacrifices. To follow Christ means to sacrifice on a lot of levels, this seems to me to be the inescapable conclusion that many of us want to elude.

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55. That’s great, Greg. I’m not your pastor and I’m not writing for votes of agreement. I’m walking my path and the last two days to have the American Dream and the Jesus who sponsors it continually pointed out to me as the way I “ought” to be living was a fairly judgmental experience for me. Like “You’ve wasted your life and denied your family things they deserve because you wouldn’t leave where you are and go get the big church and the perks.”

    When I experience things, I write them. Generally, from what I’ve heard, the honesty is what a lot of people relate to. I assure you that I am not sitting in judgement on anyone in the suburbs and I said so in the post.

    Do you think the parents of the girl I wrote about were “judgmental?”

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56. I’m with Margie.

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57. Margie,

    You’ve so profoundly misread what I’ve written, that it wouldn’t be a good use of time to try and untangle the mess.

    Peace

    MS

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58. Thanks for making feel a little less alone.

    (Also, I’ve sent you a couple e-mails from shaun AT compassionbloggers.com with no reply. Is the address you site links to correct? Thanks.)

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59. iMonk…Thanks for these words. I may just print these out for my congregation this week!

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60. Came across your site today whilst surfin’. It’s reassuring to discover someone who is able to put into words some of the thoughts currently swimming around my head. Thanks.

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61. This is the only post of yours I’ve read, so I have no background about your position in other areas of Christianity. However, I think a broad, sweeping denunciation of everything suburban/white/big-churched is too…well, judgmental. Assuming that what Jesus demanded in your life is what He demands for everyone is assuming His role. It sounds as though you presume that no Christians can live in the ‘burbs or anywhere that isn’t poor. Every Christian is in a different stage of growth – some are closer, some are farther from obedience to the Holy Spirit. But I believe that all are called to FOLLOW Him, no matter the walk of life. And I believe that we, as Christians, are to support and encourage other Christians to follow Christ, to listen to the Holy Spirit’s still, small voice, not declare that if they aren’t doing what we are, then they’re wrong. That would seem to exclude Christ, wouldn’t it?

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62. Well said. I’ve been wondering a lot lately how much American Christianity is still reflective of our national origins. Values like independence, equality, and prosperity are drummed into all of us, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But these values can be hard to reconcile with the Christian life. They also came from people more steeped in Enlightenment philosophy than orthodox Christianity.

    This may also explain why people in other places can seem so much more open to the Gospel than Americans do. They don’t have our cultural baggage.

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63. John Doe,

    As I have said to Pastors on a couple of occasions. When you have a vision of where you want to go, you are only half way there. Getting your leadership, or your congregation, or your family to share in your vision is often the bigger challenge.

    I am reminded of the story of when A.B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, announced to his wife that God had called him to China. She said something along the lines of “God may have called you, but he certainly hasn’t called me, so unless you don’t intend to see your children again, you might want to check back with God.”

    Simpson listened to his wife. Instead of going to China, Simpson formed a missionary movement, a missionary training institute, orphanages, a free dispensary for the poor, etc. He became so much a greater force for missions (and for the poor) than if he had ever gone to China alone.

    When you and your wife are at different places in a spiritual sense it can be a very difficult experience.

    I would challenge you to look at the story of A.B. Simpson and see what steps you can take together in the way you feel you should go. I don’t know if this would fit your particular vision, but consider sponsoring a child from World Vision. Ask to volunteer once a month at a homeless shelter. Help build a house for Habitat for Humanity. These are all some of the little things that you might be able to do to help your wife get a glimpse of the bigger vision that you have.

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64. stop it. stop saying just the right things.

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65. This is one of the most piercing posts I’ve read in a very long time. God save us from worshiping the gifts rather than the giver.

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66. Surely the first place Christ sends us to is family. Unless we are literally cast out, it’s the first place we love, forgive, follow Jesus, etc.

    But it is a partnership, and you only go as far as you can together or with full blessing and permission alone.

    For example, you can’t start making money decisions without your spouse. That has to be compromise, at the least.

    Be sure you are not the only one walking that road, John. No where does God promise we’ll all be at the same place at the same time on this journey.

    Listen to this week’s God Journey on Dark Times. One man’s family has literally said they are “replacing” him!

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67. Just when I think Michael’s gone off the deep end and I’ll never read him again, he writes something like this. Great stuff.

    When I see a well-reasoned, biblical post like this, it forces me to weigh the other stuff too that I’m more skeptical about . . .

    Maybe Michael is actually more rational when he’s angry? If only . . . needless to say I will return.

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68. Any advice for the husband who wakes up to a reality like this – basically realizes Jesus is not along for the ride – and finds himself alone in that assessment?

    Feel free to include “man up” and all the texts about husbandly leadership you want (really, I’m not defensive about it…even those reminders are good), but if there is some actual hands-on experience I would really appreciate it.

    Not looking for in-depth counseling on a blog comments section, but nuggets of insight are appreciated.

    Thanks.

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69. You are so true on many facts that I have come to realize on my Christian walk. It is sad when we take the advise for hollywood actors over every aspect of life. It’s like if they say it then it must be true. I have also come to realize that, and this is sad, I have truer more loyal close friends that are lost than my Christian friends. Jesus laid it all down for his friends. John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” It is sad that my lost friends, whom I cannot hang out with because they still like to party, know this fact even though they read no scripture and my “Christian” friends I won’t hear from for over 2 years.

    I think that we just get too busy with life to stop and enjoy good Christian fellowship. We we meet and have that fellowship I feel like I can make it through this hard life since others are dealing with the same things, if they are honest.

    Sorry for the rambling.
    KT

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70. imonk, I would like to give this post a resounding 5 stars like the rest of your fans here. but i can’t…i’m giving it 0 becuase i am now convinced you are trying to ruin my life. or is Jesus trying to ruin my “life,” either way, i want my cake and eat it too…somebody call the wahhhhhmbulance for me.

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71. Dave D – For the sake of your sanity don’t go into Family Christian Trinkets Stores again!

    This world needs fewer books on prayer and evangelism and more people actually doing both.

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72. Thank you for this. God has been working on me the last couple of years to change me from someone who believed that “Jesus Christ was a white middle class Republican” (Derek Webb), to one who is learning to follow the King who turned everything upside down. While I still live in the suburbs, I’m abandoning the American Dream and trying to show the good news of the real Kingdom rather than the “gospel” of a Christianized America.

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73. Another nail hit firmly on the head. This drives me nuts. I’m no better than the next guy, but I can’t stand a church that preaches the safe, comfortable American Christianity. But it’s okay–they are preaching the real Jesus ’cause they say homosexuality is a sin just like the Bible says. Give me a break.

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74. Thanks iMonk. I really needed to hear that today.

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75. Wow.

    I stood in Family Christian Bookstore yesterday. I almost cried. Most of the place is full of Make My Life Better books. There’s less than 50 on evangelism. Less than 200 on commentaries, handbooks, concrdances, etc. There’s about the same in the Mass Produced bible studies…which have always seemed to me to be a cop out for those who can’t or are unwilling to study the Bible themselves to come up with lessons.

    I have recently been convicted of being afraid of man, being like the Suburban church. Not in prosperity, but in wanting to be liked, accepted, approved. Then, I read this today…further confirmation. I want to repent but I don’t really know how…just crying and saying I’m wrong isn’t going to change my actions. To be honest, just praying about it or quoting bible verses isn’t going to either. I believe in the power of prayer, but I also believe that just praying about something that requires work, like say revival, doesn’t get anything done.

    I have no idea how to get over my fear.

    Thanks for your post, Imonk.

    DD

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76. Appreciate the wake-up call.

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77. Oh, I forgot my Green Day inspired tag line, which I have posted before on imonk: THE JESUS OF SUBURBIA IS A LIE!

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78. Michael:

    Absolutely prophetic. Discipleship= a much too abused word. Working in ministry I realize that people almost always want to comforted and affirmed, meaning not challenged. The question for the Christian, especially given the radical nature of following Christ, becomes Is It Possible to Live This Way. To which the answer is yes, but not alone and only if, as you masterfully point out, you are willing to sacrifice. I am reading this in the morning. So, thank you for your witness.

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79. This is Internet Monk at your best. And this post is why so many of us join you, myself and my husband included, in the post evangelical wilderness.

    Amen, brother!

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80. Carol:

    No, it’s not wrong.

    I do believe your own faith journey needs to find the community of Jesus (the one with real people, gathered worship, the Lord’s Table, actual teaching, etc) somewhere. When you say “church” in reference to one congregation, I am already hearing a level of guilt that you should lose.

    I’m not saying don’t be part of a community, but I am saying it’s ok to back out of one, find yourself, clear your head, and hear the Holy Spirit directing you to something more Jesus shaped.

    Look among the mainline churches that are declining, or among the churches of the poor in your community. Seek out a community that joins its members in Jesus, not in some shared demographic.

    The God Journey podcast will help you. (Just don’t take it to the point of abandoning all community.)

    peace

    MS

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81. Michael (and other posters),

    This seems like a good time to ask a question I’ve been struggling with.

    I haven’t been to church in a while. I’ve been working or laying out. It’s one of the big, well-off churches, although there are plenty of members in my own SS class who can’t get a job and are wondering what they’re going to do.

    And, for the record, this church does lot to spread the gospel and help others.

    I haven’t been sending in my tithe because I just feel like they don’t need my money too, and I could send some of it to this India ministy I know of, or to this Chinese family that is about to have their third child, which is illegal.

    Is this wrong? I have a good friend who says to ask the question is to answer it. I don’t know who he got that from. I feel like I’m supposed to send it to my church, but frankly, I don’t want to.

    Please straighten me out.

    Thanks.

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82. Michael, you are a true theologian in the tradition of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Thank you for calling Suburban Jesus out as a distributor of cheap grace. Blessings, brother. I hope all is well!

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83. “this is a hard teaching, who can accept it…..”
    (somewhere in the Bible)
    When my own daughter spoke of returning to Guatemala- long term, after 2 short term mission trips, I confess we were uncomfortable. Comes down to a matter of trust on my part. Im glad for shepards like you who are helping me see the real revolutionary. Its hard to be surrendered, broken, and give up control. But it is indeed “the way”….
    Thanks IM

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84. I want to thank you for writing exactly what I have been feeling. I talk to other ‘followers of Jesus’ and wonder sometimes if we even speak the same language.

    I was talking to a church about supporting my ministry and i was explaining about working with the poor and economic justice. The church rep said “But if I did that, I would have to change my whole life!”

    Makes you wonder what their gospel looks like.

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85. Great post! It is interesting to observe which relatives want their young relations to be missionaries, priests, etc.

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86. I’m in with you a hundred percent. I want to echo what you said, but that wouldn’t be productive.

    I minister to the suburban Christian who believes sacrificing time to be discipled may or may not be worth it; all the while, I have a burning desire to go minister to those some 3000 people groups on West Africa alone that have no knowledge of Jesus. Moreover, they don’t know that they don’t have a knowledge of Jesus. I’m not saying that’s everybody’s gig. We’ve all got our own area to minister in. But sacrifice is required in all of them.

    Paul said something to the effects of, “if we suffer with Him, we will be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8). I am continually wrestling with the question. What does suffering look like for me in Auburn, AL?

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87. Rich Young Ruler
    [Derek Webb – 2005]

    (vs. 1)
    poverty
    is so hard to see
    when it’s only on your tv
    and twenty miles across town

    where we’re all living so good
    that we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood
    where he’s hungry and not feeling so good
    from going through our trash

    he says, more than just your cash and coin
    i want your time, i want your voice
    i want the things you just can’t give me

    (vs. 2)
    so what must we do
    here in the west we want to follow you
    we speak the language and we keep all the rules
    even a few we made up

    come on and follow me
    but sell your house, sell your s-u-v
    sell your stocks, sell your security
    and give it to the poor

    what is this, hey what’s the deal
    i don’t sleep around and i don’t steal
    i want the things you just can’t give me

    (bridge)
    because what you do to the least of these
    my brother’s, you have done it to me
    because i want the things you just can’t give me

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88. I walked away from my suburban church several months ago when I started to suspect that it didn’t really mean anything. My friends who still attend act like I walked out on Jesus too.

    Thought I had for a while. Whoops.

    This is a message I needed to hear. Thank you for your outrage.

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89. This is true stuff. So true. For a long time I have been battling with ‘the American dream’ (though I am not American) vs. people are dying because they cannot eat. I have battled with the teachings of many good pastors preaching wealth and prosperity as ‘the blessing of God’ and ‘ours for the taking’ and ‘we have not because we ask not’, ‘we have not because we claim it not’, we have not because of our ‘poverty mentality’. But for the life of me I could never find any motivation in making money simply to have a bigger house or drive a better car or buy another pair of shoes while children are dying because they have no food. At this stage God is starting to take me down a path of poverty it seems- and it is still scaring me to death, but He has always been faithful and He will continue to be faithful, and my only prayer is whatever my financial situation I may be of some worth to Him in a dying world. Thanks for this post.

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90. Maybe you ought to ramble more. I totally agree with this post.

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91. AMEN

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92. You should write more often when you’re angry…..

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