Artsy Fartsy Wednesday ~ Caught in a Webb

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

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 SUV
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

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought I would start out this post with a song by Derek Webb. I thought I would put it first as an introduction. I have to confess that the first time I heard this song I wept. Sure, call me a sissy, but it made me realize how selfish I can be sometimes. I admit I didn't go right out and sell all my possessions that day, but I definitely have a better understanding of what Jesus really wants. He could care less about our money, not that we shouldn't give it away, but what about our time, our talents and gifts as well? We shouldn't treat God like a teenage kid that want's to bum money off us from time to time, but I think that's how many people feel when the give, when they tithe. God want's out time to be well spent and he wants us to use the talents he has given us to do good to others.

I believe this song somewhat goes along with what I was talking about on Monday. I first found out about Derek at Purple Door in 2007. He was playing the Gallery stage. He was just some background noise as I was talking with my friends and I wasn't really paying attention to the music. But then he started to speak and all of a sudden, Derek Webb became the most memorable person to me at Purple Door that year. He had a lot of great insights and he even quoted something Tony Campolo (who I mentioned on Monday) said in front of many Christian audiences: "I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night." Wow. What's appalling about that is not the fact he said "shit", it's the fact that the statement is, for the most part, true about many Christians.

So that was my introduction to Derek Webb. I was hoping he would be at Purple Door this year, but he's not on the line-up. I'll get the chance to meet and talk with him some day I'm sure. After listening to his podcast I found that we think a lot alike on many issues, mainly art. I took a few audio clips from the Derek Webb podcast and posted them below so you can hear what Derek has to say about certain issues. The first one is about 12 minutes, the second is about 3 and a half minutes, and the last one is about 13 minutes. If you want to hear more of Derek Webb, subscribe to his podcast at iTunes. It's been well over a year since he's done any, but I recommend listening to the ones he has. There is even a four part series of a conversation he had with Donald Miller. Enjoy these clips.

I'm going to end this post with a video and the lyrics to the song "Wedding Dress" which is the song he mentioned in the last audio clip. See you all tomorrow.







If you could love me as a wife
And for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I'll ever need
Or is there more I'm looking for
And should I read between the lines
And look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich, and wise
Is that really what you want

I am a whore I do confess
But I put you on just like a wedding dress
And I run down the aisle
I'm a prodigal with no way home
But I put you on just like a ring of gold
And I run down the aisle to you
So could you love this bastard child
Though I don't trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
And with the other in your side
I am so easily satisfied
By the call of lovers less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood

Because money cannot buy
A husbands jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife



You can find Derek's website here. However, it seems there is something strange going on there right now.

Inspiring Minds Monday ~ Claiborne

Shane Claiborne chooses to live a life that many of us cannot. To simply put it, he lives...simple. He is the author of books such as "The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical" and "Jesus for President".




He is also a founding member of the Potter St. Community, formerly known as The Simple Way community. Even though he chooses to live a simple and humble life, living well below his means, he is a revolutionary and a radical. There are a couple of events I would like to share with you that Shane has been a part of.

Jubilee on Wall Street: At approximately 8:27am Monday morning (October 21, 2002) on the steps in front of the statue of our first president taking his oath of office, a man dressed in black, holding a megaphone, stepped out. He proclaimed news of another way of doing life, in stark contrast to the example shown on Wall St. As he proclaimed, “Let the Celebration begin!”, a Shofar, or ram’s horn, was blown, ushering in the ancient Torah tradition of Jubilee. Seemingly out of nowhere, bills began to fall and three banners were unfurled reading: “Love.” “Stop Terrorism… Share” and quoting the forefather of the nonviolence and alternative economics movements, Gandhi, “There is enough for everyone’s NEED, but not enough for everyone’s GREED”. At the same time, about two-dozen pedestrians emptied their pockets and bags of thousands of dollars of coins. Both homeless and professionals alike scrambled for nickels, dimes and quarters while others stood back and watched astonished that thousands of dollars were littering the corners of Broad and Wall Streets. You can read the rest of this article here.

$100 Dollars to 100 People: I read a book by Rick McKinley who is the pastor of Imago Dei community in Portland, Oregon. The book is called "This Beautiful Mess" and he writes about Shane in part of his book. This isn't how it was written in the book exactly, I'm just remembering what it said from memory. One day, Rick received a $100 bill with the word "LOVE" written on it. It was from Shane Claiborne. Shane had sent 100, $100 bills to 100 people and Rick was one of the recipients. Rick carried the $100 in his wallet, waiting for the right opportunity to use it. He went to the store to buy some things one day, but all he had was the $100 bill. He thought about paying for his stuff with it, but because Shane had written "LOVE" on it, he knew he couldn't use it just to but a few things for himself. He ended up giving it to a single mother. I'm not sure what the other 99 people did with their $100 bills, but I hope they were as thoughtful as Rick.

It's obvious to see that Shane could be living a comfortable life, yet he chooses to live in what many of us would call poverty. I had seriously considered becoming a part of the Potter St. community at one time, but then a bunch of my friends started talking about getting something like that started here in our own area. We want to take a trip down to Philadelphia to check out the Potter St. community and see how they do what they do, living as a true community. By that I mean getting to know your neighbors, treating them as family, borrowing things from each other. For example: why should so many people who live so close to each other each need to own their own lawnmower? Why not own one together as neighbors. Yes, it is easier said than done. But that's why we need to get over our greed so that there is enough for everyone's need. What if the lawnmower breaks? Everyone can chip in to get it fixed which would be much less expensive than owning your own lawnmower.




There is a DVD called $imply Enough. It is a study/action guide and it covers a variety of topics such as money, food, lifestyle, and justice. We went through this study last year at Valley Mosaic. It features Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo discussing these different topics. Tony was one of Shane's professors at Eastern University. Below is the trailer for $imply Enough.





You can find out more about Shane and The Simple Way here.