chris and i recently watched a great documentary called ABC Africa, which was filmed in uganda
after watching it, chris said,
“i don’t mind living in america. i just don’t want to live an american life.”
pretty smart, huh?
discuss…
chris and i recently watched a great documentary called ABC Africa, which was filmed in uganda
after watching it, chris said,
“i don’t mind living in america. i just don’t want to live an american life.”
pretty smart, huh?
discuss…
Comments
57 responses to “living in america vs. the american life”
I would say this is one of the best quotes I’ve read. I totally live it everyday.
Having been adopted from a developing country, I’m reminded of this truth daily!
That resonates with us. It’s hard to explain it to others though.
Recently 60 minutes and Barbara Walters (think it was 60 minutes) did an interesting interview.
8 years 8 miles
In it – they asked a little boy from Camden City NJ what his dream was – 8 yrs old.
They asked a little boy 8 miles away – also 8 years old what his dream was.
He lived in Moorestown NJ
The Morrestown Boy said “To be a CEO like my Daddy.”
the Camden Boy – “A piece of Bread”
Did you know that in this city – in Camden Many people do not have running water, do not eat more than a piece of bread or less a day …
It is difficult sometimes to resonate these issues to others… but we should use every means possible to spread news about the disease of Poverty to the world.
Poverty is not being POOR !
it is however – the lack of power to change ones situation.
Less than 10% in Camden Graduated High School ? welcome to America – we are still a developing country… just have the ability to hide it very well.
Pastor Glenn – http://www.UnboxedChurch.com
I’m an Australian born and bred, from an Italian dad and a Greek mother, married to an American who was born in Mexico and raised in Cleveland OH… Aside from Australia, I’ve lived in Italy, England, and now here in the States… but the American way of life is so addictive! I took our youth group to Italy & Germany this past July and all I could think of was…
I have to pay to go to the bathroom???
No free drink refills???
Where’s the ice in my drink???
Please use deodorants!!!!
You want how much for that!!!???
Don’t touch me!!!
They were not questions I would have asked or thoughts I would have had having come from living anywhere else in the world.The American way of life is truly of beast on its own. But God has called me here… and I love Americans (except when they beat Australia in swimming relays!!!)… but, as bad as one may think the American way of life is… the Australian way of life is no better nor is the Italian way of life…
There’s only on way in life, and that’s Christ’s way… all else falls short. So we strive to live His way… and change culture from within! :)
i live by daily conviction over that very statement. wise man, that Chris Jackson. where’s his blog, again? :)
oooo. that’s good. that’s very good.
chris says it so well. may I copy the use of that phrase?!
I love america. I just don’t necessarily want this silly american dream.
YES. My family (mostly me) is currently going through this yearning as we speak. I’m dreaming, longing, and yearning for less. We’re close. Society feeds the American Dream as being that of more more more. We follow the leader and before you know if we have more than we can even handle…. I’m over it! Great statement by Chris. Thanks for sharing it with us!
exactly…doing one does not have to define the other. a good question to ask: is the state of my heart for the world best represented by taking a leisurely walk to the middle of the U.S. or running to the coastline? i suspect most of us are somewhere in between the two, but which direction are we moving?
Oh yeah, that resonates with me. Living an American life is one of my greatest fears…
Having been there, I can say with a degree of certainty that the majority of the population would disagree with the entire statement, deep as I believe it to be.
It also goes to show that poverty’s biggest ally is ignorance. To a degree, self-education is what will stop the cycle.
Love and understanding on the part of the developed world will help jump start the process.
Pretty smart indeed. Love it. Trying my best to live it.
Absolutely. It is so easy to get caught up in the lifestyle, the consumerism, and the daily self-indulgence that Americans seem to aim for. It’s hard to fully grasp the statement “sell all of your earthly possessions and come and follow me.” I probably have 15 shirts that I don’t wear but everytime I give to Goodwill, I think hmm….I may need that. Really Andrea??? When exactly will you wear that? Well, I don’t know, but I have that feeling that it is MINE, really trying to get away from that though and live by faith, giving all that I have in excess and trusting God for what I need *not what I might think I want.* :)
ahhh…. the force is strong in young skywalker.
Love it. I totally believe God assigned me here, but expects me to be cool about it. I’m still His, not America’s.
I just found your blog through Shannon’s Rocks in my dryer blog. I think I’ve seen your name mentioned on Boo Mama’s blog. The Compassion trip to Africa sounds like it was amazing. Take care, Julie
i think that’s my new favorite quote! he summed it up so well.
Great Quote!
Summarizes what our Expat community talks so much about – the re-adjustment we will face moving back to the States. Wondering how long it will take us to fall into the old habits and routines that we’ve had a break from. Not that we are living in Africa – but we definitely live a different lifestyle.
The American life…. what an EASY target.
What about the HUMAN life. The life of sin. It has gotten so popular to “pile on” “the american life” the Church needs to instead preach against sin… not consumerism. If any other country on the face of the earth were blessed as America has been they would eventually turn from worshiping the blesser to worshipping the blessings just like we have.
Not trying to single you out Ann, I’m just sick of the church jumping off message. Jesus didn’t come to make social reforms….. He came to conquer sin and death. I know it’s very popular to leave that reason to jump on another cause or for discussions on social justice topics but that would miss the point all together.
Jesus isn’t going to make the World a better place, that wasn’t why He came the first time and that isn’t why He’s coming the second time. He’s going to destroy the World, condemn the lost, save the righteous and establish a new heaven and a new earth.
If
Anne,
Great quote. We lived in Spain from 2001-2003 and when we returned it was a constant struggle to avoid falling back into the American lifestyle. Now that we’re living in Africa the contrast is even greater. BTW, I’m going to post your husbands quote this week on my blog.
Jud,
I think you’re missing her point. Most of our US churches are equally as guilty of pursuing the American dream as the “secular” world is. We mask it well but it’s still there. We struggle just as equally with being the next superstar, with building bigger buildings (because that obviously means we’re successful). So I don’tthink you can say that this is getting off message. The early church was charged and led to live lives that were amongst but not like the world. We’re not talking social reforms we’re talking about being the true church amongst our host culture and not allowing their values to shape ours.
Camel Rider
sometimes it seems like with jud everything is off message.
stop reading in so much to stuff and realize that the face of holiness is expressed in many different ways!!!
“The early church was charged and led to live lives that were amongst but not like the world” – Nope, not in a possession sense only in the spiritual sense.
somewaht like jud, i’m tired of the ‘spritual minimalist’ mentality of so many. correct, we should not worship money or things, but when God gives them to you absolutely do ot be ashamed – if you’re using them to fulfill His calling in your life and changing the lives of ohters.
let’s dummy this down to practicality – I willl absolutely NOT be ashamed of the material things God has given me, that’s a toal insult to Him. He is the creator of all things including big houses, churches, nice cars and cash.
if I have no spare cash the spritual minimalist does not get to send their kids to camp for free, the missionaries don’t have a place to stay free when threy’re in town, the mosquito nets won’t be bought, the medicine won’t go to Africa – heck the ‘rich’ doctors won’t go if they can’t afford the 6 times a year plane fare
like my daddy always said ‘buy for a penny, sell for a dollar’ and ‘it’s not what you have, it’s how you use it’
sorry, ain’t buyin’ the poor Christian is a better Christian junk
please, someone please show me a scripture that says being rich is a sin – btw, you can’t
The American lifestyle is so distracting and can easily insulate you from the people we’re called to love. But the freedom we have here is a wonderful thing.
I feel so afflicted by all this consumerism and trying to grow more of a conscious for it. I feel like Neo waking up from an American dream trying to find my new legs as a follower of Jesus in a world of needs.
I actually was thinking about ‘consumerism and materialism’ in general.
Living in abundance: Not bad
Applying for 8th mortage to install a pool in the backyard, cause mr & mrs. jones next door just had theirs installed last week: Bad…and I think that’s one of the concerns of a lot of people.
(just so you know I dont have a pool in my 12×12 dinky backyard).
I have added it to my favorite quotes file. I also savored Glenn Kelley’s shared quotes.
Tony,
I’m not saying that having things is bad and that being rich is being bad….maybe that’s your conscience telling you that :-)
I was speaking of two things….
1. Our obsession with having more. Why are we currently having a mortgage crisis? Because we wanted bigger and better….now….and we got caught with out pants down and the gov’t is having to bail people out because they out spent. I have friends that have large houses and they use them for the Kingdom….more than hosting a once a week small group….they let missionaries stay with them and stuff like that. BTW, our people have learned this from the church. We spend millions on a building that WE only use once or twice a week. How about this? Don’t build the 35 million dollar recreational building and instead buy each person in your congregation a membership to the local gym. That would reach alot more people than the Jesus-Gym.
2. The mentality of “rich”means “blessed”. I can disapprove that very quickly. I live in a Muslim, African country. I guess no one here is blessed….because they have nothing. Scripture actually says that persecution is being blessed.
BTW, Christian rich isn’t better than Christian poor either….it’s what you do with it.
“I?m not saying that having things is bad and that being rich is being bad?.maybe that?s your conscience telling you that :-) ”
my conscience is very, very clear – thank you – maybe people who have been blessed with riches would give more if folks like you wouldn’t bash them so much for being blessed w/ riches
if you will actually read what i said – i was very clear ‘it’s not what you ahve, it’s what yu do with it”
2 Chronicles 32:29 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright ? 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
29 He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches.
is that so dang hard to comprehend – evidently so
but i will absolutely not let those w/o money bash those that do out of their pettiness
By the way
How rich are we talking here? Obama’s rich or McCain’s rich??
:)
“maybe people who have been blessed with riches would give more if folks like you wouldn?t bash them so much for being blessed w/ riches”
“but i will absolutely not let those w/o money bash those that do out of their pettiness”
Calm down Tony….I’m not bashing you. My response wasn’t aimed at you. Besides my joke response (hence the smiley face) I wasn’t writing to you or at you. But thanks for assuming that I’m poor and petty.
Have you ever read John Piper’s book “Let the nations be glad.” He addresses the issue of wealth and really puts new (although old, from scripture) perspective. He points out that the old testament concept of tithing was 10%, the NT raises the bar to “whatever it takes.” We’ve bought into this concept that if I tithe 10% then I can do whatever I want with th other 90% and God is happy. Really? If we believe that all we have is from God….and there are countless needs around the world….why would we assume that God want’s us to keep 90% of it for ourselves?
If you have a problem with my line of thinking…I do apologize….but again I’m not being petty….but I do believe us Americans, Christian included, are consumed with our wealth and justify it by saying how blessed we are and using random scriptures to justify it….
i didn’t realize the scripture was random – and yes, you are petty
yonas – who are they?
Future president Obama and Senator McCain? They are currently the US presidential candidates.
Tony,
I’m sorry that this has turned into an argument…it wasn’t intended to be such. But the simple fact that out of everything that I wrote…you got upset about the fact that you have a lot of money….and you’re tired of people telling you that it’s bad. The tone of your posts, both here and on my blog, would lead me to believe that you are struggling with the use of your wealth. I do not know what you give, nor do I care…thats between you and God. God gave you money to use for His Kingdom….He’s allowing you to set your own salary…and give the rest away. It’s what you keep that you’ll be held accountable for….as will I.
I’m sorry that you perceive me as petty…you don’t know me, nor do you know my heart. When I spoke of the American dream seekers, I did not single you out…I don’t even know you. You have called me petty, countless times….and you don’t know me.
You have no idea what I’ve given up and go without on a daily basis to serve God. I didn’t choose this lifestyle….He chose me and I simply responded. So to call me petty….how dare you? I don’t think I’m better than you because I don’t have as much as you. I’m blessed because on a daily basis I interact with a population of over 30 million people, most of which don’t know Christ. I get to live and share truth with people that have become friends and desperately need Christ. My kids get to see the world and see lives changed. I am rich in a way that money cannot compare with. Maybe it is you that is actually poor…
Oh noo…….
I live and work in an extremely poor location, I previously worked and lived in an upper middle to affluent area. My observation… EVERYONE is materialistic. You don’t have to have money too be that way. Africans or Spaniards for that matter are just as lost and depraived as the fat American… and if they had the same opportunity they would prove it. A forum like this is just the place to pick easy targets, “American lifestyle” being one of them. Christians are WAY off their turf when dabbling in the social justice/ activism territory. All of this is the bi-product of SIN and a fallen world. Preach the Gospel (all of it), do what YOU are convicted to do about the rest and move on. I don’t intend to offend anyone, just sayin’ .
Chris,
Thanks for the thought provoking quote and for the previous comment. I apologize for the way the discussion went with Tony. I had no intention of starting a “hot” discussion. I am not anti-church, anti-rich or anti-money. I’ve re-read my comments and nothing that I wrote implied that. Whether or not one has money was never my point. It was that we live in a constant pursuit of more and that we equate more with success and blessing. Nothing else….
Thanks again for what you said.
I would email but can’t get the email browser to work as we don’t use Windows email.
I commented earlier and then felt a little naive after reading the later comments.
The American lifestyle I referred to as harder to return to is that of “bigger is better” “quantity over quality” “Its so cheap I’ll buy 5 even if I don’t need it.”
I didn’t view that comment in a spiritual sense – the county we currently live in is physically rich but spiritually poor. Nor did I think of it as rich vs poor. I thank God every day for the physical blessings we’ve been giving and we actively work at giving back in various ways.
My appreciation for living in the States are things such as: clean running water (usually :) ), refrigerators larger than a cupboard and a freezer larger than a drawer (we got lucky and have bigger in our own home), plumbing that works (again – usually), utilities that work better than most of the worlds, healthcare that is readily available even though it has it’s problems, air and heating, freedom of speech, freedom of religion (our Bible study is considered a type of cult because we are not a gov’t sanctioned religion – but we aren’t persecuted for it) – I could go on. That’s why I love living in America.
The lifestyle that is hard to adjust back to is the wastefulness or thoughtlessness in the daily life – after 2 1/2 of going back and forth we do see it. That said, it does NOT mean we live a perfect lifestyle where we never waste anything or act carelessly in our life.
I have neighbors that I give all our perishable food items to before we leave for trips – they grew up with parents who lived through WWII food rationing in Europe and waste is verboten. We decline boxes when we buy shoes (and other things) – packaging waste. We have to pay for bags at the grocery store – I always reuse them, bring them along. We carpool when going different places/take public transit. We really think about things we buy – there isn’t the quantity here nor the low, low prices. Our Sundays are for church and family – maybe a hike, a nap, friends over – the stores are closed! Makes the weekend more simple and relaxing.
That is what I think of when I saw the comment. I still like the comment – Thank You.
Chris,
I get where you are coming from however, remember the inherent power of words. When you post a phrase like that that IS rather open ended, then your last word is “discuss” …. ANYTHING can happen. Christians have become so thin skinned that they are stunned when their words are challenged (especially PASTORS I am finding out). There are all kinds of whacky things flying today with the label of Christianity and, for the most part the church is just eating it up.
Perhaps it’s errant to jump all over a simple phrase on a blog but I’ve lived in the heart of post-modernism (higher education/ creative community) and I live backed up to poverty right now. The answer is THE GOSPEL.
Jud (and some of the other people Chris had addressed in context of his comment),
Jud – The word discuss was my word. Chris quote is in the little quote box.
While I do agree there is power behind words, there is also consistency in some of your (referring to a group of people) negativity on my blog and other blogs’ comments. It is more than disagreeing, it is downright divisive. And to tell you the truth, as a believer, it disheartens me and I know others who have mentioned it to me whether on or off the blog.
Whether or not that is your intent, I do not know, but in case nobody has brought that as a concern to you before, please consider this as such.
If being on a blog with different opinions or thoughts or theology is only going to make you angry and disrespectfully divisive, I would gently request you, or anyone else with the same feelings and propensity to project, for lack of a better term, self-righteousness, that you would refrain from posting those feelings on my blog and causing trouble. There is a huge, not fine line between respectfully disagreeing and discussing and flat out being arrogant.
If your heart is not to be arrogant, you may ask someone to review your comments before posting them because myself and many other people seem to interpret them that way.
thank you.
negativity, downright divisive, disrespectfully divisive, self righteousness, arrogance.
All I did was disagree ! Oye vey ! I’m pretty sure the original quote that spawned this whole discussion ….?i don?t mind living in america. i just don?t want to live an american life.? could be considered…
a) negativity
b) downright divisive
c) disrespectfully divisive
d) self-righteous
e) arrogance
or
f) all of the above
camel rider – “I am not anti-church, anti-rich or anti-money. I?ve re-read my comments and nothing that I wrote implied that”
“The tone of your posts, both here and on my blog, would lead me to believe that you are struggling with the use of your wealth.”
?I?m not saying that having things is bad and that being rich is being bad?.maybe that?s your conscience telling you that :-) ?
maybe you should reread your post camel – you continually take passive/agressive digs and i stood up to it – sorry guys, Jesus did that too a couple of times, but I won’t quote random scripture
btw please look and see where i ever said i had any money at all – it seems your opinion of people with money tainted your reading skills a bit – actually my first quote about money is below – take the time to read it before you throw your darts:
“somewaht like jud, i?m tired of the ?spritual minimalist? mentality of so many. correct, we should not worship money or things, but when God gives them to you absolutely do ot be ashamed – if you?re using them to fulfill His calling in your life and changing the lives of ohters.”
Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Punish those who hurt others. Help the orphans. Stand up for the rights of widows.”
While I clearly think we should take the gospel to the world, it’s kind of difficult to share that gospel with them when they are starving to death. Even Jesus himself realized that he needed to feed those he was teaching when they were hungry.
When almost 16,000 children are dieing a day of starvation I think we have a responsibility to both feed them and share the Gospel. I don’t think it’s “either or” but “both and”.
To continue to live our typical American lifestyles while ignoring the condition of the world would be scandalous in my humble opinion.
Tony, maybe god has given you all this money so you can GIVE IT ALL AWAY.
ger – i couldn’t agree more! (i wondered how long it would take for someone to make that comment) He has given me very specific instructions on what to do with every cent He allows me to steward. but, i never said i was rich.
“He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
i think that is opposite of “American” culture. Let’s live a God culture.
A great philosopher Dr. Rodney King once said Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Isn’t it crazy…can you guess one of the longest posts in Anne’s blog, but with the least amount of argument? Starts with b…ends with S…rhymes with ‘googies’.
I’d say bring that thread back and let the boobies united us once again.
this may be off topic a bit, but:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/18/news/economy/Colvin_next_credit_crunch.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008082004
this is an excellent article about the ‘american way of life’ and how we (Amercians) are going to feel it if we don’t learn to live within our means- poor people and rich people, Christians and non-Christians, arrogant and humble, – we’ll all feel it.
i truly believe that the american way of life will basically be no more than a ‘good ole days’ memory if we don’t control our finances – not get $ rich, but control our finances
the reason i post this is so anne will archive this blog and all the comments here……………..then we can look back and laugh at ourselves when we (america) don’t have pot to p in.
yonas – aren’t boobie discussions divisive? don’t they lift up people’s opinions and separate the haves and have nots?
Anne and Chris,
I met this morning with a local friend of mine to discuss The Great Gatsby. He’s obviously not American but he’s fluent in English and loves to read classical literature. He came to our discussion prepared with around 20 pages of critical analysis he had found from various sources. As we went through our discussion I was amazed at how applicable Gatsby is to our modern life.
As I’ve said before I am not anti-rich, or anti-money. I’m funded and supported by others and I am grateful that God has blessed them and had led them to bless me. I’m also not opposed to those who have money…being poor isn’t neccessarily better than being rich. But I do think our nation is especially vulnerable to chasing after the “green-light” which is like the horizon…always moving. We currently have a mortgage crisis because millions of us saw the opportunity to buy bigger and better without the money to afford bigger and better. Now the gov’t is having to bail us out because we’re continually chasing after something that continually evades us. When I read your quote Chris this is what I thought of.
I love America and I’m proud to carry a blue passport everywhere I go. I miss the conveniences, health care, public services and rights that our government provides. But I don’t miss our apparent obsession, both inside and outside of the church walls, with pursuing bigger and better at any cost. I don’t miss seeing rich church members favored because of their wealth, I don’t miss seeing the parking lot fill up with Hummers and Mercedes while we cut our missions budget due to lack of giving, I don’t miss watching my neighbors work themselves to death to try to keep up with their neighbors….only to find out that the neighbors are in debt to their eyeballs and barely making it. It’s a fatal trap for all of us and I don’t miss that temptation.
Camel Rider
btw, I truly didn’t mean for my comments to lead to a divisive comment stream. My comments were not aimed at anyone and I do apologize for anything I did to sidetrack the conversation….that was never my intent.
Tony-
I seriously never thought of it that way. Thank you for pointing it out (no pun intended).
Sincerely honored by your wisdom.
Y.
Pete,
I totally agree that we have to address issues such as poverty and famine while we present the Gospel and I’m not sure why there is an assumption that people who are concerned about the INTEGRITY of that presentation do not care about about those issues. I base my concerns off of the unequal yoking that is taking place today, be it through the “One Campaign” or, closer to the center (politically) the P.E.A.C.E plan from the PDL author/pastor.. Concerning the latter, there is a decided shift AWAY from addressing the “Spiritual Giant” exclusively with the Person of Jesus Christ., to whatever works for the given culture. Unfortunately the current of our day is to “go along to get along” and there are very few voices in the Church that are willing to address this… and we collectively stand down from this subtle spiritual deception (passive universalism) cloaked in the promise/ goodness of compassion.
well – uh – oh nevermind.
i
yonas – maybe that’s your conscience telling you that :)
lol
Wow! I’m now subscribing to this feed…