What Cycling Taught Me About Driving

I’m in danger of losing some readers on this post. Some of you read my blog because I am into sustainability and the environment. Others read it because I am a follower of Christ and I often find ways to bring those two topics together. However, this post is about my love for biking, the environment and how that affects my driving. It certainly has environmental overtones, but it’s specifically about something I love and I realize some of you may not share my love for using a form of transportation that doesn’t consume Saudi oil, but I digress.

A Little Nostalgia

When I got my first bike my family was living in a large home on a sprawling hill. We had a huge driveway and a massive front yard that sloped down to the street and to trees on either side. Growing up in rural Alabama, those trees on either side of the house had kudzu growing all over them. Kudzu is like a vine or a bush that attaches to trees and basically makes a wall of green.

Well, my dad had a good tactic when it came to teaching me how to ride a bike…no training wheels, no holding on the back of the seat, and no helmet as I recall. Trust me, you might think that’s not a good idea, but I learned quickly how to ride a bike because he simply let me do it. The very first time I rode my new red Huffy bike I started on the driveway, realized I was losing control, headed for the sloping lawn, crossed back over the driveway, straight into the kudzu. My dad came running down the hill. I clambered out of the kudzu and exclaimed, “I’m doing that again!”

Wreck”less”

These days, I spend a lot of time riding my bike in traffic or on the sidewalk. There are a few parallels to driving that brings me to my point: If we drove our cars like we ride our bikes it would be better for the environment. No, I don’t mean wrecking our cars in a stand of trees and kudzu either. Let me explain.

Every person who has ever ridden a bike has had that moment where they had to brake needlessly for a pedestrian who wasn’t looking or for a car that is moving into your lane. It’s interesting that car drivers are trained to watch out for pedestrians, pedestrians are trained to watch for cars, but nobody knows what to do with bikes. We have to watch out for everybody. It’s frustrating when you are expending so much energy to work your way up a hill, you make eye contact with a pedestrian who is at a crosswalk (willing them to wait just one more second so you can maintain your momentum), and they blatantly walk out in front of you. You slow to a complete stop to let them pass and then you have to get moving all the way from scratch. 

You’ve got to learn to bike before you learn to drive.

Instead, as a cyclist, I try my best to anticipate stops that might be ahead so that I can coast into them rather than pedal hard, brake hard, pedal hard again, and brake hard again. Maintaining a consistent speed is easier than starting and stopping. Pedaling is work but in a car all it takes is pushing a little bit harder on the gas pedal. That requires very little work right? Wrong. You may not be doing the work but your engine is. Gas is the energy being expended. Rather than perspiration, your car is expelling exhaust. It may feel like nothing to press a little harder on the gas to get back up to 85 mph because some jerk is going the speed limit (how dare he) but it’s actually a waste of energy.

The major difference between the use of energy by a bike and the use of energy by a car is that the wasted energy in a car is harmful and pollutative (I like to make up words) but the wasted energy on a bike can actually be healthy. Saudi oil is burned in the car. Calories are burned on the bike. Money, gas, oil, maintenance costs, insurance, car washes, parking permits, and complex machinery are all necessary to get you to your destination in a car. Simple machinery, low upkeep, very little money, physical fitness, and a healthy diet are all that are necessary to get you to your destination on a bike. I love when I have the option to ride my bike rather than my car, but I realize we need our cars, our buses, and our airplanes. But when we drive our car, we need to do better about remembering what it was like when we learned how to ride a bike for the first time and start driving our cars like we ride our bikes. That is, with an awareness of whether or not we are expending energy wastefully or necessarily and making the necessary adjustments to maximize our gas consumption when we must go by car.

Re”act”

What do you think? Do your driving habits contribute to the problem of pollution? Do you use a bike?

Please take the 1 World 2 Wheels challenge.

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A Theology of Traffic

Dark Knight vs. Jesus Christ

Dark Knight became my favorite movie overnight. Literally because I just watched the midnight showing. The effects were amazing, the plot twists were unpredictable, but ultimately, Batman is such an appealing super-hero because of his humanity. Batman isn’t an alien, he’s a man. Batman doesn’t fly, he has a cape that rigidificates (made up word). He doesn’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, he has a grapple gun. The genius of Batman Begins was that Batman had to learn to fight dozens of men using ancient techniques as well as technological breakthroughs. He learned how to become an icon, a symbol, a savior. He isn’t an alien, he’s believable…as believable as a fictional super-hero can be. 

In Dark Knight, Batman exceeded all my expectations for any sequel ever, and expectations were palpable during the hour before the movie started. Never since the re-release of the Star Wars Trilogies on the big screen have I seen so many weirdos in one place complete with costumes and make up (but without the lightsabers of course). With that many crazies in front of, behind, and beside me I had to make a mental note before the movie started not to get my hopes up that this would be as good a movie as Batman Begins. But again, I must say, Dark Knight exceeded my expectations. The crowd probably cheered fifty times during the course of the two and a half hour movie. We must’ve laughed together a dozen times in glee as the villains got their socks knocked off. We must’ve gasped twenty times at an unexpected plot twist. 

And the plot twists kept coming. I felt like I was on a two and a half hour roller coaster ride and every time our car came to a stop to let us off again the operator would flip a switch and we would go hurtling through one more time. Most movies are so unimaginative that the main twist in the movie is predictable. The difference with this movie is that there wasn’t just one twist, there were about fifteen and I didn’t see any of them coming. That really makes for a great story. Plenty of other people will probably talk about the special effects, the acting (Ledger was phenomenal), or the camera work, but I was simply swept away by the writing.

This leads me to another thought (and this is where you may want to stop reading if you were just looking for a review of a great movie): With all its twists and turns, this story can’t compare to the unpredictable, compelling story of Jesus. Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of person who tries to find the spiritual meaning in every movie. There’s probably a church somewhere that will develop a sermon series on the upcoming Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie. That’s not what I want to do here. I simply want to report that the thought struck me that although we don’t have visual stimulation and special effects, the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection will always be a blockbuster in the hearts and minds of those of us who have read it and have been changed because of Jesus’ heroics. 

There were a lot of plot twists in Dark Knight, but no director could ever have thought up the story that God has already written, directed, and starred in as the lead role. However, Jesus is such a great character for the same reasons Batman is such a great super-hero: his humanity and his believability. God, by his very nature is wrathful towards humanity (He’s just too perfect). Humans are the villains (ummm…we on the other hand aren’t that perfect) and deserve justice and God is the One who can give it. Human guilt must be punished. So what does he do? He dies for us. To pardon us would be unjust and therefore, imperfect. Watching a movie like Dark Knight makes me appreciate even more what Jesus did for me by dying in my place. For all the sacrificial, honorable deeds that Batman does in the movie, he never dies for anyone. If he did, he would only die for those who are good. He would never die for his enemy. And yet, “while we were still sinners [or “enemies”] Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) Could you imagine Batman dying for the Joker? That would be a lame story – except to the Joker.

But it doesn’t end there, the story is so much more astounding when you factor in the twist that God died for humans. Indeed, he took on flesh and became a human so that he could reconcile us to God. It’s hard to imagine Batman dying for the Joker, but now try imagining that the Joker is an evil fruit fly trying to breed evil fruit fly anarchy around the fruit fly world? How insignificant is a fruit fly to you and me and how much more insignificant are we compared to the God who created the entire universe. Yet, God loved us so much that He died for us while we were enemies towards Him. Hollywood will never come up with a better story than this (not the one about the fruit flies, the one about Jesus). And what makes it so good? Jesus’ humanity and his believability. Jesus’ story rings true because it can’t be fiction. The fiction of the Dark Knight can’t compete with the truth of Jesus Christ. I love the action, the story, the special effects, the cast, the acting, and the experience of the movie Dark Knight, but nothing will ever compare to the story of Jesus Christ. I’m happy to enjoy Batman as entertainment and to leave it at that, but Jesus is more than a symbol or an icon, He’s my Savior.

Family Members or Club Members

Have you ever been frustrated with how the church doesn’t seem to get it when it comes to relationships? Doesn’t it seem like no one is really committed to the church or to each other sometimes? Perhaps thats because of how we view membership in the church.

Membership in the church has come to be very formal. We talk about members but it feels like membership in a club rather than being a member of a family. “Members should feel like they are at home with family when they gather for worship. Involvement with a church family shouldn’t be about filling out a card and subscribing to a minimum set of requirements. Tithing isn’t about giving only ten percent to the church, it is about discovering God’s plan for the money He has blesses us with and using it wisely. Members shouldn’t have to be asked to show up on Sunday, they should have a desire to invest in a community of believers and live life together with them. Involvement also doesn’t just mean activity with believers. Being a member of God’s family means loving and serving God and people. It is a recognition that God has put them in a particular time and place to make a difference for His kingdom.

Some members are more committed than others. Not everyone will fit neatly into the following categories, but I have identified a few levels of commitment that will help us see more fully how people get involved with their church.

The Core
People who have dedicated themselves to following Christ and Christ has led them to our church. They believe that a church is their family of faith for as long as God keeps them in a particular place. These individuals are committed to gathering at least weekly with other believers but they also sense a great responsibility to reach out to their lost friends, family, coworkers, or anyone else in their circles of influence. The Core are active givers to the church with their time, money and talents. They set an example in the church and are servant leaders. They are active disciplers and are being discipled regularly.

The Community
These are people who seek to grow in their relationship with God and with others, but need more than they can give. And that’s okay! As long as they are growing and have the goal of being able to give and not just receive. The church “community” is comprised of people who need discipleship in their life and have identified a particular church as a place where they can learn and grow. They are actively involved in the church but are maybe not ready for teaching roles or leadership roles. However, they are actively involved in giving to the church, building relationships, giving and receiving encouragement and are earnestly desiring a deeper commitment as a follower of Christ.

The Committed
There are some who identify a church as their “home church”, but most of their community is developed through groups other than the church. Mostly, the committed only come once a week and there is no real investment. Many will tithe and sometimes be involved in various activities of the church. They come for the large celebration event on Sundays, but if they are to receive or give discipleship or engage in community, it is done elsewhere.

The Crowd
Many people will “church hop” based on where their friends go to church. They might hear about what a church across town is doing and want to go their occasionally. Sometimes they will call a church their home church, but are gone more than they are there. This person usually feels they have no time for discipleship, community or investing in unbelievers. They are looking for a church to meet their needs. If they didn’t enjoy the celebration one week, they might find themselves at another church the next week. This person may even be a seeker who has not believed God yet. In that case, they are looking for answers and it is a good thing that they are giving church a try. Mostly, people in the crowd are not tithers or givers and certainly don’t invest time for any activity unless it is a fun event or it meets certain needs for them.

There are, of course, various shades to all of these categories. I only categorize them here to help get a feel for where someone might be on their spiritual journey. If someone is a part of the crowd, how can I encourage him or her to become committed? Do they have a personal relationship with Jesus? Are they living as a selfish Christian? If they are in the committed category, are they getting discipleship from a campus group? If so, is it Biblically sound? Can I trust that they are engaging in discipleship and community or do I need to encourage them to be more involved in the church community? Are they in a healthy relationship with our church when they only come on Sunday? How can I help the community grow to be servant leaders in the church? What needs do they have that I can help disciple them in? Which of our core can begin investing in them to mature their faith and develop their spiritual gifts? How can I make good use of the core? What areas of their life could use some direction and guidance? Do they feel like they are being used synergistically or are they getting bogged down in areas in which they are still weak? Are they allowed to dream and think creatively? Do they have input in the direction of the church?

One last thing, these are just categories that are inside the church so that we can see the patterns of people’s involvement. Membership is often viewed from a country club mentality where I pay my dues and attend various meetings. Instead, we should be viewing membership as family. These categories are simply for church members so please don’t think I’m ignoring those outside the church. Are we as a church finding ways to dialogue with unbelievers? Are we equipping the saints? Do we know how to share our faith? Can we use the relationships we are building to draw unbelievers into the church? Is the church meeting needs in the community? Do the people of the community think favorably about the church? There is a lot of equipping and building and investing to do and these are only some of the things a church family should be doing together to change the world.

A Theology of Traffic

Boston is arguably one of the worst cities in which to drive in America. As a result, I fit in quite well. I regard myself as a safe, conscientious, but yet aggressive driver. I use my defensive driving skills as offense when navigating the roads and highways in and around Boston and I’m not alone. When someone else models bad road behavior I realize that he is the one contributing to the problem, but I think it’s okay when I do it. But is that the sort of behavior that I should contribute to as a follower of Jesus?

William Beaty is an electrical engineer that has done some experimentation with traffic patterns and he has some interesting things to say. His experiments illustrate what should probably be common sense to all of us, but I want to describe his experiment and then show the implications for Christian discipleship and kindness.

Bumper-to-Buffer
Beaty describes how he was in stop-and-go traffic one day and everyone ahead of him was rushing ahead to close the gap so that no one else could cut in front of them, jockeying for every advantage possible. Beaty decided to leave a large buffer in front of him and try and maintain the average speed of the traffic (about 35mph). In other words, the people in front of him were zooming ahead at about 55mph, only to have to slam on their brakes and slow to about 15mph or come to a complete stop (thereby wasting gas, converting it into heat rather than forward motion).

Because Beaty was maintaining his average speed of 35mph, he was saving gas and breaking the ubiquitous stop-and-go traffic waves that were occurring ahead of him. At one point, on a long stretch of road, Beaty looked behind him and saw that his behavior was eliminating the stop-and-go pattern that was happening in front of him. He had made the difference. Since his speed was consistent, the others behind him were “forced” to drive at a consistent speed of about 35mph. The savings in aggravation and in fuel costs are incalculable for that many people who were positively influenced by Beaty’s behavior.

I’m not always the model of behavior on the road, but I’ve done this plenty of times before just out of my own personal desire to break the pattern of stop-and-go traffic. I would try and coast to the front and accelerate slowly to try and maintain the average speed never knowing that this might actually be helping people other than myself. I never considered that people behind me were “following” me (literally, but not intentionally) and that I could erase a small bit of their economic and emotional woes.

Traffic Patterns
Beaty’s experiments in traffic serve to highlight the need to be courteous on the road, but it also has larger implications for those of us who desire to “follow” Jesus on the “road”. Beaty says, “My single tiny car had erased miles and miles of stop-and-go traffic” and “A single solitary driver, if they stop ‘competing’ and instead adopt some unusual driving habits, can actually wipe away some of the frustrating traffic patterns on a highway.” It’s true that people are following us. The cars that are following behind us on the road didn’t make a conscious decision to follow us. They are simply behind us. They don’t consider the car ahead of them to be the leader. However, it’s amazing what kind of impact the car ahead can make by simply being cautious and courteous and respectful to the cars that are ahead, beside, and behind them.

People are following us too, whether on the road or in life, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and our patterns of behavior can either calm or cajole them. Our patterns of behavior can either bring peace and joy, or enmity and strife. Beaty’s traffic experiment once again illustrates why followers of Jesus should be leading the way in improving our culture and God’s creation. Beaty’s behavior caused others to arrive at their destination a little more calm and peaceful, with a little more gas in their tank, and a little more money in their pocket. A Christ follower should have the same sort of impact every single day. I might not be able to share the message of Jesus with someone every single day, but my actions should improve the environment, spread peace to those ahead, beside, and behind me, and bring a smile to people’s faces. This is Christian discipleship. Some Christians try and slam on the brakes with boycotts and legislation against the things of which they disapprove. Meanwhile, the culture is speeding ahead trying to break new ground with immorality and selfishness. The true Christian should consistently set the pace with his or her love, respect, kindness, and service to others. We need to accept that there are some people “ahead” of us that will never be impacted by our behavior. Instead, our focus should be on those who are “behind” us that we can help economically, emotionally, and spiritually by living a life consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

What is your traffic pattern? How are you positively impacting culture and creation for the glory of God? If you are not a follower of Jesus, would you say the Christians you have personally known have contributed to or detracted from society? In what way?

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Why I Blog About Christ

Starving in China

Did you know that in some parts of China it’s considered rude to clean your plate? Take that moms everywhere!

I wonder if there are moms in China saying to their children, “You cleaned your plate!? There are children cleaning their plates in America. Next time, leave some on your plate.”

Apparently, to clean your plate is to say that you weren’t given enough to eat and that you wish you had been given more.

How ironic.

Why I Blog About Christ

When I first started this blog I wrote a post called Christ, Culture, Creation, and the Church. I wrote it to let people know about the four main topics that I will be writing about. In summary, I write about Christ because I follow Him. I write about culture because I know Christ can redeem it. I write about creation because I know Christ can restore it. And I write about the Church because I want to help the Church understand those first three issues better.

That’s right, I want to help the Church (and I’m part of the Church) understand Christ better. So, I want to write one post specifically about each of these issues to really help clarify why I’m blogging about them.

CHRIST

To begin with, I write about Christ. But I don’t just write about Him, I love Him. That means I talk to Him, I read about Him, I try and live my life like Him. Like Short Round mimicking everything that Indiana Jones does, I want my heart to beat like His. Normally, I call Him by His name: Jesus. I use the title “Christ” here because it goes so well with the other three issues that I like to ponder and write about. So, here are some reasons I write about Jesus.

Global Influence

I don’t know if there is another person with as much popularity today as Jesus. Easily one-third of all people today claim to be Christians. That means they’ve at least heard about Jesus and have respect for Him (even if they aren’t truly Christian). At least another third of the world population follow religions that would regard Jesus as an important prophet, or guru. This means that at least two-thirds total of the entire world would have respect for the man, if not actually follow Him as Lord of their lives. Add to that another 5% or so who take His name in vain and you’ve got quite a considerable amount of people who have the name of Jesus on their lips. Jesus’ influence globally is reason enough to write about Him and to study His life.

Historical Influence

In addition to global influence, Jesus also has a significant amount of historical influence. There was a time in history when Christianity dominated the religious landscape. He made such an impact that the years after His death and resurrection, His followers were willing to die for their love of Jesus. For roughly three centuries Christians (the followers of Jesus) were crucified, burned, and beaten for their faith. Sadly, after the age of Constantine, people claiming to follow Christ strayed further and further from His teachings, but the Church still stands as a monument to the movement that was created from the wake of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Not to mention that time is now delineated from the birth of Jesus to the present. Of course, we’ve changed that from BC (before Christ) to BCE (before the common era) because not everyone wants to acknowledge that even our calendar was affected by the birth of Jesus.

His Message

Another reason to write about, study, and follow Jesus is because of His message. The message that Jesus brings to us is a simple but important one: God created the world. He created humans as a special masterpiece of His creation and walked with them and had fellowship with them in the garden. However, the first people disobeyed God and thus, sin entered the world. Sin and disobedience to God invites His wrath and so God threw Adam and Eve out of the garden where they once had such sweet fellowship with Him. This was because of His character. God is holy (morally perfect) and just (cannot allow a guilty person to go free) and so humans were helplessly lost and separated from God. There was no way to reobtain His favor. The good news is, God is also merciful. At first, that doesn’t make sense with the whole “God is just” portion of the story, but this is where Jesus comes in. Jesus is God and He is also holy, just, and merciful. It so happened that while we were still in the midst of our sins, Jesus died in our place, taking upon Himself the wrath and justice of God. He was an acceptable substitute who could assuage the anger of God. Therefore, the good news about Jesus is that He died in our place even when we were still hostile and rebellious towards God. How great is the love of God. It’s not often that someone will die for another person, it’s even rarer that someone would die for someone that they don’t know, much less for someone who was hostile towards them. That is the message of Romans 5:7-8 which says, “For rarely will someone die for a just person – though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!” Jesus’ message, and the message about Jesus is unlike anything humans could have invented. It’s a story and a message that invites people to follow Jesus.

My Story

Finally, I write about Jesus because I know Him. If someone said to you, “Oh yeah, I know Benjamin Franklin, we’re great friends,” you wouldn’t be able to stop laughing. So, for me to say that I know Jesus invites your ridicule and rejection. But that should prove to people either my sincerity or my insanity. Think what you want but I sincerely know Jesus. Thousands of people have died for their faith in Jesus because they knew Him and that invited derision and persecution. I follow Jesus because He has brought joy and peace to my life and I know that nothing that this earth has to offer can bring me more joy and peace than Jesus.

Conclusion

So there’s my reason for writing about Christ. Following Him affects everything that I do. The way I love my wife, my family, my friends, even my cats, all of it is affected by Jesus. I am a seminary student because I want to learn more about Him. The way I spend my money (or choose not to spend it) is a direct result of my relationship with Him. The causes, both humanitarian and environmental, that I involve myself with are because of my desire to bring the same joy and peace that I’ve found to others.

What about you? Why do you follow Jesus? Why do you reject Him?

The Wounded Body – Division

THE WOUND OF DIVISION

One of the greatest problems in the Body of Christ is that of division. As a pastor and student of God’s Word, I take this very seriously. When God raises up leadership for the church it is for the purpose of unity (See Ephesians 4), but instead, so many local churches suffer from a lack of unity. Notice the issue here is “division” and not “denomination”. While I do wish we could be more unified on a broader scale and maybe have fewer denominations, the truth is, denominations are not all bad. Most of them were started for the purposes of fellowship, common mission, and unity. Some of them may have adopted an “us against them” attitude since their inception but in general, denominations are cooperative in nature.

We Like Sheep…

The problem of division primarily resides within the local church. In fact, it goes all the way down to the interpersonal relationships between one church member and another. Sadly, where two or more are gathered in the name of Jesus, more often than not there is division, and they are paying no attention to Jesus who is there with them. What do we expect? We are like sheep right? Sheep are brought to a pasture. As they start grazing on the grass they start moving away from one another. They are only interested in the food that’s in front of them and they will literally walk off a cliff if that’s where their food path leads them. The shepherd has to keep an eye out for them to keep them together and not wander off into danger.

…Have Gone Astray

Members of a local church are the same (and I mean all members including leaders and including myself). Without guidance and correction, we begin to spread out. We begin to lose our sense of common purpose and unity. We get too absorbed in our own self interests and self preservation (our own tuft of grass if you will). If someone offends us, we offend back rather than seek the reconciliation for which God Himself has made us His Ambassadors. A member wanders too far astray and we keep nurturing ourselves and neglect our fellow members. This puts too much distance between us. Two members can be a part of the same church body and never speak to one another. This ought not be.

The Lamb Was Sure To Go

There was once this little girl named Mary. Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow. I don’t know if you know this story, but interestingly enough, everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. Okay, enough with the poem. I bring it up to say that the more we follow Jesus, the less we have a problem with division. Think of the previous scene with all the sheep grazing and following their own interests until they are spread out all over the hillside. Then imagine a scene where all the lambs want to follow the Shepherd. Sure they will grab some food for themselves here and there (you know, their basic needs), but their primary interest is in being close to the Shepherd until they are baaing and bleeting and surrounding Him. Sheep are side by side, bumper to bumper. There’s a huge circle of sheep with the Shepherd at the middle. This is the solution to division…each of us must follow closer and closer to Jesus until we are velcroed to each other’s wool. Wherever Jesus goes, we should be willing to go. The closer we are to Him, the closer we are to each other.

Let Not All Lead

Some of the problem comes from the general membership, but I say the large majority of the problem comes from the leadership of the churches who are leading the others astray. For too long the leaders have set themselves up as the ones to look to for guidance. The pastor is almost as infallible as pope claims to be. The people can’t read their Bibles at home, they just rely on the pastor to feed them. The pastor gets high on the sense of dependence upon him. The people look to the pastor as THE Shepherd. The pastor supplants the Shepherd with himself as a sheep in Shepherd’s clothing. Instead, the pastor should merely be the sheep bleeting the loudest that we need to get closer to the Shepherd. The pastor should be the one saying, “Hey look, there’s some room right up here…come one! You can do it!” I know that’s an oversimplification of pastoral responsibility, but it’s better than the egotistic, power hungry, “have your best life now, but not until I’ve got mine first” leadership of some of the churches today.

Conclusion

At some point, each member of each local church must ask themselves if they are contributing to the unity or the disunity of the church. We always see someone else as the problem and need to realize that if we aren’t actively being reconciled to God and to people then we are part of the problem. Our love for Christ needs to be so strong that we leave the good tuft of grass for someone else because being closer to Jesus is more important than in what sort of field we may find ourselves.

“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”

The eager children cry;
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did reply.

Easy and Cost Effective Ways We Can All Go Green

As I have mentioned in the past, I’m not a diehard treehugger, and yet, I do my best to be a responsible steward of God’s creation. I’ve been thinking through some of the things I’ve tried to do to be a better steward. Some of these things are no-brainers for some of my readers, but the reality is, there are a lot of people who still don’t even recycle (much less create their own compost). So, I want to give you my top ten things that I wish everyone in America would do to make the world a better place. More could be added, but at the very least let’s buy into these ten things.

10. Change to CFL lightbulbs.
They last longer. they use less energy. They save you money.
GE says, “If every household in the U.S. replaced ONE light bulb with a GE Energy Smart bulb, we would save…
– A combined national total of $600 million a year in energy costs.
– Enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

9. Walk or bike for trips shorter than two miles.
Here are a few stats from Trek:
– 60% of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively.
– 24% of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40% of all trips are made within two miles of the home, and 50% of the working population commutes five miles or less to work.
– The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.

8. Stop Drinking Bottled Water
According to the Refill not Landfill Campaign:
– Making all of the bottles for the US requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually. That’s enough to fuel 100,000 cars.
– Americans send about 38 billion water bottles a year to landfills. (According to Brita)

* Check This Out!

7. Shop Locally
There’s no reason to buy a tomato from Brazil. Many places have local farmer’s markets that you can go to and buy fresher, cheaper ingredients that weren’t frozen, packaged, shipped, unpacked, and put on the shelf. To shop locally is to conserve energy, support your local environment, and to improve your diet.

6. Plant a Tree
The Forest Service has identified a backlog of more than one million acres of America’s national forests that need to be replanted. And each year, with every wildfire, storm, or insect epidemic, the backlog steadily increases. Healthy forests filter water, remove air pollution, sequester carbon, and provide homes for wildlife. Do it on Arbor Day or purchase a tree in honor of someone.

5. Donate
A lot of what you consider to be trash might be what someone else is looking for. Consider the success of ebay for example. Donating old cell phones, computers, and even cars is a good way to make it last just a little bit longer.

4. Do a Yearly Service Project
Does your church organize a missions project each year? Is your family going on vacation? Why not do a Service Trip? Better yet, rather than jet off to some exotic location, why not find a “volunteer vacation” somewhere close by. Vacation is a state of mind anyway so make it a good one this year.

3. Think About What and How You Drive
Some of the tips here are a bit extreme, but there are a lot of great ideas for saving money on gas. Mostly it has to do with keeping the pressure in your tires, cleaning the air filter, not driving recklessly, etc. Over 50 tips for saving money on gas. Obviously, the priciest thing you can do is trade in your 20mpg SUV for a 60mpg hybrid or electric car. It will be the best option in the long run.

2. Go Online
Sure, it uses a small amount of electricity, but think about all the paper you are able to save by doing things online. Most online billing is free. Also, rather than print out a paper copy for your files, just keep it archived on an external drive.
According to Lime.com, “paperless billing [can save you about] $400 on stamps and late fees each year — it also has immense benefits for the environment. In fact, research shows that if every American signed up for online banking, 18.5 million trees would be spared annually.”

1. Recycle
You can take cans to a recycling center and get money for it. You can use newspaper for your gift wrapping instead of buying paper. You can simply put your glass, paper, and plastic products out by the curb if your city offers that. And if it doesn’t, you can petition them until they do. Lots of ideas here and it’s simply ridiculous if you don’t make an effort to recycle.
– WasteManagement alone recycled enough paper last year to save 41 million trees.

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Hugging Trees? Or Simply Being Responsible?”

The Power of Abusive Speech

What makes a word offensive? Is it merely the putting a few letters together to form a four letter word that makes it wrong? Is it society that tells us what is right and what is wrong? I grew up in a Christian subculture for the first part of my life so I know what it’s like to be legalistic about this issue, but at the same time, I do think there are some words that shouldn’t be uttered by a follower of Jesus.

I have many Christian friends who seem to have no problem with some of those words which would cause even Hollywood to put an R rating on a movie (if the offensive language is pervasive enough). Basically, those who I have talked to about this have given three reasons they don’t have a problem saying these words.

1) These are merely words that only have a meaning that society puts on them and in different societies there would be nothing wrong with them. For example, Americans have no problem with the word “bloody”. In Great Britain, on the other hand, this is just as bad as “f***” (I’m told). In Great Britain, pissing means drinking, but in America this is a vulgar term for going to the bathroom. The list of societal words is long, but you get the idea.
2) Many people have said to me that they see no problem with the “s***” because there is no rule in Scripture that that is a word we should not use. There are many words that are considered “curse” words that really are not preached against in the Bible.
3) As Christians, we are free in Christ and if we are among other Christians then there should be no problem with these words.

I believe this topic is an important one for 3 reasons:
1) Our very existence is because of the spoken word.
2) Jesus is the Word and He was with God from the beginning.
3) The Bible warns us of abusive language

I want to answer each of the disagreements that my Christian brothers and sisters have had with me on this issue. First of all, the argument that these words are not wrong because they are determined by society. There are a lot of missionaries who spend years studying a culture so that they do not damage their witness by the use of a wrong word or doing an obscene (to that culture) gesture. Just because society makes the rules doesn’t mean we are free to go against them and use objectionable language because what’s in a word? Words are very powerful, and even if it isn’t an objectionable word like the “s***”, they can still do damage. Telling someone they are stupid can do a lot of harm.

It is humorous, but depressing to me that my Christian brothers can make this argument when secular TV stations and movie rating systems are the ones bleeping out words or giving a warning not to take certain people to see these movies. Why do we let a lost world determine standards and then we go and watch something or even go so far as to say something that even lost people say is objectionable. At that point we have submitted to their measure of morals and we have failed to live up even to that standard. The Bible tells us to, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” (Colossians 4:6) We are also told to, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” (I Timothy 4:12) Are we setting an example when we let these words come out of our mouth.

Secondly, people have said, there is no “s***” commandment in the Bible, but they fail to realize that we are to “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) If we are disciples of Christ then we would want only the words that He would have us say come out of our mouth. A taste of what the words of God are like are found in Psalm 12:6, which says, “The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.” Maybe they aren’t so bad, but are they pure?

Finally, we are free in Christ so words mean nothing, right? Wrong! “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) And, “you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh.” (Galatians 5:13) Don’t use freedom as a “get out of jail free” card. We are told to be an example and we are told to be pure in our thoughts and words.

From the creation of the world God has placed a special emphasis on the spoken word. We were created by it. We are comforted by it. We are confronted by it. Sometimes we are cursed by it. Even Peter, Jesus’ disciple, when he wanted to prove that there was absolutely NO alignment between him and that Jesus fellow, used curse words to reject his Lord. “Then he began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know the man!’ And immediately a rooster crowed.” (Matthew 26:74) If that weren’t enough, the Bible tells us that, “by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37) If there is a question about whether it is right or wrong to say a certain word, just don’t say it. Our reputation as the light-bearers in this world is on the line and you are destroying it with your careless word. Why else would Paul exhort Timothy in this way, “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. There is power in speech, let’s use it wisely.

Here are some verses in scripture that I find helpful when thinking about God’s will for our speech:
Ge 1:3; Le 19:12; Ps 12:6; Ps 19:14; Ps 59:12; Pr 4:5; Pr 4:24; Pr 10:19; Pr 17:20; Pr 19:1; Pr 26:2; Ec 5:6; Ec 6:11; Ec 12:11; Isa 29:13; Isa 50:4; Isa 59:13; Jer 7:9; Ho 10:4; Mt 5:22; Mt 12:36; Mt 12:37; Mt 24:35; Mt 26:74; Mt 27:44; Mr 14:71; Lu 9:26; Ro 3:4; 1Co 2:13; Eph 5:6; Col 3:8; Col 4:6; 1Th 4:18; 1Ti 4:12; 1Ti 6:4; Tit 2:6-8; Jas 3:9; Jas 5:12