Live Simply

Live more simply so that others

might simply live

This has been our rallying call for the past 9 years around Cornerstone Church. It's not a call to skimp on toilet paper just because it's cheaper. It's a call to focus on the heart of God when everything around us tugs at us, pulls at us, screams at us to come over to the dark side. The dark side for me is the consumer side, the side that tells us we have to spend our way through Christmas so that we can pay for it during the first 3 months of next year, along the way missing the whole reason for the celebration in the first place.

9 years ago we started the Live Simply Project as a way to help us connect with the heart of God. The goal is simple [as it should be]: spend less on yourself and give that portion to the poorest of the poor in our world. For Cornerstone we encourage people to support a child in "our" orphanage in Guatemala called Fundaninos or a child in Haiti through Starfish Kids. Then we have a general offering which goes for a different project each year, with a tithe (10%) of that offering going to our local mission partner, Hamilton Living Water Ministries.

In 9 years we've invested over $460,000 into changing lives around the world. And while we've made an impact in our world, the change we've seen in our own lives has been just as significant.

Wal-mart, Target, Michael's (with whom my wife has a craft affair!) are all opening on Thursday for shopping. The creep continues....and it's getting closer. What will you do to push back? Will you resist the pull?

It's my opinion that if I want to be close to the heart of God then I need to be close to those that are close to God's heart. Who is that? It's the poor.

Proverbs 14:31 "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."

When children approach me with bags of coins collected year round, I know it's working. 

When children have birthday parties but say, in lieu of presents, bring money for Live Simply, I know it's working.

When families actually do cut down on Christmas gift purchases and give like never before, I know it's working.

Consumerism captures us. It enslaves us to debt, spending our money before we earn it. It encrusts our hearts with a desire for more, making us less plyable in the hands of the Potter. What will you do this year to resist the encroachment?

If you'd like to know more about the live simple project, call the church office (513-874-0910) or comment on this blog and I'll be in touch. Consider what you might give this year. Generosity is one of the best ways to free yourself from the claws of consumerism. What will you do this year?