Prayer

And now we come to the end... It's been quite the semester. I have learned quite a lot about our society, and have formed relationships with some of its newest members. I am now about to step out of the bubble of my private Christian liberal arts school, and into the world of the rich and the poor, the homeless and the mansion-dwellers, the hungry and the over-fed, the successful, the hopeful, the well-established... and the failures, the hopeless, and the immigrants. I will graduate from a hugely expensive university with little but a tiny scrap of paper to show for it (which society tells me that I need), and the learning which that paper represents (which is of much more value. Priceless, in fact).
America, to me, means consumerism, a house in the suburbs, and a life in the rat race. It also means exploitation of the 3rd world, atrocities carried out in the name of democracy, and a military force larger than that of the rest of the world combined. Sorry for the judgment and cynicism. I realize that other countries would probably be no better if they had as much power as we... All of that to say; I think the best way to end this series of blogs is with a prayer.

May God lead us away from arrogance and hypocrisy and towards humility. May God give us the strength to give up our greed and spread the wealth to those who truly need it. May America give up the idolatry of Nationalism and instead seek the God of Truth who shows up in the faces of our brothers and sisters all over the world. May we move away from individualism and toward community, building relationships of love with those we used to ignore or despise. May we pull away from our television sets long enough to recognize and respond to the ill-effects of the non-committal sex and mindless violence with which our culture is unhealthily saturated. May we be a people who seek justice for the poor and helpless. May we learn to love laughter and peace. May we lead the way in laying down our weapons (or turning them into farm equipment). May my skepticism be proven wrong.
Amen.

Do we NEED it? or WANT it?

by: Jenny

There are many things I love in life. I love God. I love country music, stepping on pine cones and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I have a fiancé who I love very much, and the best friends and family a girl could ask for.

I love that I am free. I love that in America, we are free. I love the privileges that we have here and the ability to be or become whoever we would like. I love the opportunities of America.

Sadly, I think a lot of people (myself included) can take these freedoms and privileges for granted. Maybe not all the time, but at least occasionally.

One example is our (Americans) use of media.

First, can you imagine this? Ask yourself, "How many times have I checked my cell phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or Myspace today? This week? This month?"

Now imagine living life without those forms of media, like in some countries.

As whole, America revolves around media and Americans seemingly, are obsessed with media consumption.

But that isn't the only thing some Americans take for granted.

What about clean water or water at all?

What about food?

What about clothes?

A roof over our heads?

A bike?

A car?

A new wardrobe?

Shoes?

There are so many people in the world that do not have any of these things.

As an RA I had to spend a week backpacking in Sisters, Oregon. With no cell phone. No Internet. No TV. No bathroom. Over the week, I learned to really appreciate these things.

Especially indoor plumbing.

We are so blessed in America to have so much, but this is something so many people seem to take for granted. What if we were a country with barely any clean water? What if we were in a country that we were only able to live off a dollar a day? Could we do this? Could we give up these luxuries? Could we possibly imagine passing up the daily coffee or not buying those jeans that you already have three pairs of?

I challenge you, Americans, to think of this next time you are at the store. Next time you see something that you absolutely "CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!" Because honestly, you can.

Give to others.

Serve others.

We have the power and the resources to do so.

It just takes one to cause a change that has the power to affect millions worldwide.

Use the freedoms and privileges guaranteed to us through the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.

Stand up for what you believe in.

Stand up for things you deem as unfair or unjust.

Stand up and speak for those without a voice.

America, we have so much--sometimes too much. It is time to give a little back both domestically and internationally.