Day 64: Raleigh, NC

Cool to be with folks in the Raleigh-Durham area, #5 in the nation of cities most populated by creative types. Cool area. Beautiful drive through tall trees to get there.

Arrived in time to see the new Narnia movie. More thoughts on that later. Still processing some of that stuff.

We grabbed a fine dinner (artichoke sandwiches) and headed into Raleigh for a house show. The night was one-part music and one-part conversation. Nice. Ken (one of the folks at the house show) mentioned that he has a Make Poverty History banner on his site (like I do there in the upper left-hand corner). He said he was asking himself just the other day, "What have I done in my own life to actually make poverty history?" This spawned an entire conversation about the things we advocate and how if they stay as 'issues' then they never have to affect our own lives. Like somehow throwing a banner on my blog for the ONE campaign frees me from having to do anything else...and somehow poverty will become history. Interesting.

So we began dialoguing about this and its implications for our lives and what Jesus meant when he said, "Blessed are the poor." Perhaps it's not about making everyone in the world like Americans...living lavish lives of with disposable incomes and things we don't need. Certainly poverty is a tragedy...particularly because God's economy is an economy of abundance, not of scarcity. "There is enough for every man's need, but not every man's greed," the saying goes. So the goal is not to bring every one up to American par, but rather that the mountains be made low and the valleys raised up, you know?

So perhaps a counter campaign to Make Poverty History would be Make Deccadence History. Perhaps it's not just about the government sending more aid to those in need. Perhaps it's about living off less and consuming less...and giving away more.

And perhaps that means supporting folks who are doing good in the world...but perhaps it also means being in relationship with those who are not in your income bracket. And personally figuring out with them how to share resources. And learning from those who live off less than you. I could learn a thing or two.

If that just struck a chord in you and you are interested in being a part of a community that is seeking to do just that, you might check out the Relational Tithe website for ideas or perhaps to become a part of something like that.

Okay, enough preaching. Off to Atlanta we go!