:: In.a.Mirror.Dimly ::

My wife and her family completely blew my mind for my birthday. They bought me the new e-ink Nook.

I know, crazy, right?

The only downside was that I had to let it charge for 3 hours before I could read anything on it.

This morning I woke up and it felt a bit like Christmas. I registered it before I poured myself coffee, which should tell you where the Nook ranked in my priorities. Before I poured my second cup, I had downloaded the New Living Translation Bible, my favorite Bible for general reading and devotions.

I’ve been reading through Matthew, but I was still figuring out the page-turning buttons—as in, I just sort of tapped at the screen until something happened—so I just read something after I tired of experimenting. Who reads instructions anyway?

The passage I landed on was the one with Jesus and rich young man who was told to sell everything he has, give it to the poor, and then follow Jesus. I thought that was a pretty ironic passage to read on my brand spanking new E-book reader.

God’s Call, Sacrifices, and “Possessions”

I’ve actually been thinking through that passage quite a bit over the past few weeks because I’ve been both a child of privilege thanks to my hard-working family and a relatively poor graduate student thanks to God’s calling in my life. 2010 was one of those years I’d rather forget, except that it was chock full of lessons and blessings that set the course I’m on today. In 2011 many things have started to come together as I pursue writing full time.

Oddly enough, I see my Nook as a small part of that path, God’s calling in my life.

My wife watched me research e-readers from the moment they hit the market because I wanted to understand their impact on the book industry. I needed to understand what it’s like to read on a book on one of those new fangled devices if my calling really is to be an author.

Embracing that calling has meant sacrifices in many areas. I think I can squeeze into the Kingdom with a Nook in my saddle bag. I mean, have you seen how thin that thing is?

But this all does bring up issues about money and possessions, and particularly how they tie into our callings. I don’t think Jesus demands that we all become dirt poor in order to follow him. You have to eat. You need shelter. I know missionaries who travel the world practically like vagabonds toting MacBook Pros that they regularly use to create all kinds of things for their ministry.

The Bible doesn’t intend to give us a precise blueprint for every aspect of our lives. I don’t see the story of the rich young man as a command to rid ourselves of everything, but rather as a dire warning about making sure our possessions don’t prevent us from following Jesus.

Have We Surrendered All Objects to Jesus?

As I clung to my Nook this morning and read the words of Jesus, I prayed a simple prayer of surrender. Even that silly little Nook is a tool that God can use. If we’re willing to open ourselves up to his Spirit’s probing, God can reveal the sin in our lives that keeps us from him and prevent us from clinging to our plans, desires, and even objects—be they digital or not.

I think the reason why I read that passage this morning was to remind me that possessions aren’t important. They’re really just things that bought with money. They’re not special or significant on their own. Even calling these objects “possessions” can be problematic.  However, when we are yielded to God’s plans for our lives, he can use these items for his purpose.

It’s my hope and prayer that everything I own becomes a tool in God’s plans for my life. I don’t want my possessions to become status symbols or idols that consume my time that should otherwise be spent pursuing God’s Kingdom.

Ironically, the minimalist reading experience of the Nook emphasizes the words on the page to the point that you forget you have an electronic device in front of you. There is spiritual wisdom in that design.

All of the talks within the U.S. government about potential spending cuts has me really worried that our nation could make drastic cuts to one of our most important groups: nuclear weapons. A nuclear weapon is always a sound financial investment because there really is nothing like guaranteed mutual destruction to make you sleep well at night.

We’ve built our weapons with great care and precision, stored them in specially designed bunkers to keep them warm and dry, and even paid people to care for them. What kind of heartless savage would tell our loyal weapons, “Thanks for preventing WWIII, but we need to balance the budget and you’re going to be dismantled.”

Shame on us. How could we be so uncaring as to tell some of our 5,000+ nuclear weapons that they’re superfluous and unnecessary! If China only has 240 nuclear warheads, it’s only because China clearly fails to see the long term value of stockpiling thousands of nuclear weapons.

Before we allow our politicians to sabotage our national security by dismantling even one weapon, let’s consider these important facts about nuclear weapons:

Nuclear Weapons Need Shelter

Under their cold metal shells, nuclear weapons really are defenseless. Sure they could blow you up if you don’t handle them properly, but every nuclear weapon just wants a quaint little bunker to call home. I’d think we could at least maintain enough funding to make sure that every single missile in our country has a place to call home. As the largest economy, that should be a simple task for us.

Nuclear Weapons Need Care

But it isn’t enough to provide shelter for our missiles. We need to maintain them, plan for their future, and make sure that they’re ready for any challenges to come into the future. If we don’t invest in our missiles, they may let us down when we need them most.

Nuclear Weapons Deserve a Dignified Old Age

As nuclear weapons enter their golden years, they won’t be able to care for themselves. Our weapons have worked hard all of their lives to prevent nuclear war, and now we dare to send them off to a landfill or wherever you send hazardous waste? No weapon should have to worry about whether it will have a safety net of support to ensure it has a dignified existence when it can no longer take care of itself.

I understand the pain of our lawmakers who have to make tough cuts to our budget, but there are certain budget cuts that are simply unconscionable.

How could we make a budget cut that leaves a missile out in the cold?

How could we fail to invest in the future of our missiles, especially missiles in poor states that may not be able to afford caring for them?

How could we let our weapons down late in their existence when they’re at their most vulnerable?

Perhaps Jesus said it best when he told his disciples, “Blessed are the peacemakers who prevent wars by using nuclear weapons to assure the mutual destruction of everyone.”

If we want to assure our continued existence and peace, we need more weapons. Let’s tell our politicians to make sure our budget continues to make that happen.

This morning I read the tithing and debt laws in Deuteronomy 14-15.

The Israelites had to tithe ten percent of their harvest, but I usually forget what they did with that ten percent. Some years they ate their tithe in front of God. Once every three years they gave the tithe to the Levites and to the poor.

Once every seven years they were commanded to forgive all of their debtors. The following verses drive to God’s heart for his people:

“However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today” Deuteronomy 15:4-5.

In other words, if the Israelites treat God and one another according to God’s commands, they won’t be in need. In fact,  we read in Deuteronomy that God desires prosperity for his people, though it isn’t necessarily the kind of prosperity we usually imagine with huge savings and extra homes.

God’s picture of prosperity is a nation of Israel with everyone having their basic needs met. Some may have more than others, but those with an abundance were tasked with ensuring that their hard-earned wealth was shared. In other words, a surplus was supposed to be given away after one’s basic needs were met.

Americans are touchy about anyone telling them what to do with their money. Tax our paper and tea and you’ll have a revolution on your hands. Literally. Though I think a tea tax would be a touch easier to swallow these days with the popularity of Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, but that’s a whole other debate. I suppose eBooks and e-mail would nullify a modern day stamp tax.

We’re quite protective of our money.

We learn in Deuteronomy that God’s chosen nation had to be commanded to give their money away, though there weren’t any immediate consequences, only long term ones. God didn’t have an IRS around to sort out their finances. They could hoard their wealth, disobey God, and deny the possibility of his discipline—which is generally what happened.

The Israelites, much like us, were not keen about giving away their money. Even a command from God didn’t work all that well.

Reading this passage today, I’m left wondering what godly justice looks like today. Some folks think the government needs to take over the redistribution of wealth. Others think it should be purely voluntary, leaving the government out of it.

Here’s the problem, both approaches have serious flaws. While a government can effectively extract the funds from people, who knows where it will end up or how effectively it will be used. Corruption and accountability become problems. Then again, a voluntary charity system offers much better accountability channels and effectiveness gauges, but actually collecting the money is tough work.

Very few Christians actually tithe ten percent. In his book The Hole in Our Gospel, Richard Stearns of World Vision paints a breathtaking picture of what Christians could do to alleviate poverty if their giving actually hit 10%. Though we can’t solve the world’s problems by tossing money at them, a lot of basic food needs could at least be met if financial resources were invested in the right food and water systems.

I don’t have any answers here. There really aren’t any big solutions a writer in Connecticut can propose in the grand scheme of things.

But here is something to chew on: Money is not a big deal to God. It comes and goes, and to a certain extent God doesn’t really care all that much about it. We could have a lot or a little of it, and either way, God just wants us to orient out hearts toward him rather than becoming enslaved to money.

God is not opposed to wealth. He’s opposed to wealth as master. God would love to give us pots of money if we could learn that it’s not a big deal either.

When I worry about money, I wonder if I look ridiculous before God. God is the one who can provide and solve my problems, but I’m spending my time asking money to come and take care of them. Money is just a tool. Asking money to fix your life is like asking a hammer to build you a home.

If we can see money as simply a tool that God wants to use, then perhaps we can begin to chip away at poverty with this new found tool that God has given us for our own benefit and the benefit of others.

My review disclaimer: I received this book as part of a blog review program. And by the way, I’m doing very, very few book reviews in the future after I wrap up the five or six books I have lined up for the next few months since I’m focusing on doing more series based on books of the Bible. I’m just saying.

I was sent a copy of Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert’s book after a publicist at Moody Press noticed my review of Richard Stearn’s The Hole in Our Gospel. I have found that this book, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself, is a great next step after reading Stearn’s rallying cry.

The problem is that many Christians want to help the poor, but the ways we aim to help often end up creating situations where we devalue the poor and create dependence on outside resources. Oftentimes charity work takes the form of relief work without progressing into phases of rehabilitation and community-lead development.

Never lacking for stories and detailed explanations, this is a great book for Christian leaders, charity ministries, volunteers, and anyone who is interested in donating time or money toward poverty alleviation. The chapter on short-term mission trips should be mandatory reading for every youth pastor. In addition, this book gave me both a greater understanding of what it looks like to help eradicate poverty and the encouragement to realize, “Holy cow! This is possible!”

Though this book strays more toward the reference category with its systematic approach and explanations of each facet of helping the poor, to the person involved in charitable work in any form or planning to start such a ministry, this book will be a motivational life-saver, if not a page-turner.

The authors wear their Calvinism on their sleeves throughout the book, even in creating a definition for poverty alleviation that has a heavy dose of the Westminster Confession to it. I’m not quite sure I’d use their definition word for word because I’d want to emphasize more about joining in the Kingdom of God and the extension of the rule of Christ. However, that’s more of a theological quibble that I have since I’m not a Calvinist—though I deeply appreciate much about that theological system.

Though the theology of the authors pops up at some interesting places throughout the book, I can’t imagine most readers would take issue with it. It’s certainly not a deal breaker.

I’m glad there are so many great books out right now about poverty alleviation and serving among the poor. My favorite remains The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborn, though if you’re looking for a practical guide to serving among the poor, this is a tough book to top. I highly recommend it. In light of the situation in Haiti, I suggest that this book is a very good place for Christians who are new to relief work and alleviating poverty.

Read a sample chapter today.