Hi Friends,
I received this email from a longtime pastor friend of mine in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area.
Archie.
Would you look at the possibility of traveling with me and a small team of men to Burkina Faso, Oct. 5 - 12. One of the purposes of this trip will be a conference we will lead for the men and young men regarding, the Father's Heart. How to raise up men of integrity.
Blessings,
Darrel
So I've been praying about this opportunity and have several issues to resolve between now and then. Simple things like getting off work and having no money to travel to Dallas much less Africa. Maybe you can pray with me? I am excited at the invitation for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest is to see God at work in meeting my needs and the needs of others in making this thing happen. Then, just think about all those God Spots!
I don't know how much a trip to Africa will cost, but I know it will be in the thousands. Thinking about the simple life of the people in Burkina Faso, I was reminded of an amusing conversation with my niece's boyfriend. I was laughing about the concept of dumpster diving as a way of life. The people taking on this sort of life style for a social cause have become known as Freegans. I had great fun with the thought. Today, the thought comes back to me for a different reason.
Freeganism is an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources". Freegans "embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed."
My thought is to develop a set of Freegan rules to abide by in preparation for my trip to Africa. Application of these rules will hopefully prepare my body, soul and spirit for the trip and possibly better relate to those I will encounter along the way. Somes rules I hope to follow include:
- Love the Lord my God with all my heart
- Consume His Word daily
- Pray without ceasing (tough one)
- Purchase no food for myself (bank the savings)
- Keep it snowing on my TV
- Reduce energy consumption (gas, electric)
- Don't buy stuff for self and sell stuff I have
- Be generous in helping others
- Do not ask for money
- Remember rule #1
If you have ideas for what should go on the list, I'm open to suggestions. Remember the goal of this craziness is to prepare my heart for the trip. The side benefit will be to put money in savings for the trip, generated by taking on a Holy Freegan lifestyle. I think I just coined a new word. HOLY FREEGAN.
This journey in preparation for Africa will be insightful. I hope you will choose to follow the adventure with Archie and friends at http://37stories.wordpress.com and at my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Archie-Rhines/123570852505 .
For more GodSpots - 37stories Enjoy!
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