Simplifying The Skeltons Month Two/Post One

Posted by Grant

   In "7," Jen Hatmaker and her family gave away 7 possessions a day, for a grand total of 210 possessions. Michelle and I have decided to mold this a bit to better fit our life. We're going through our house room by room and looking at each individual piece of "stuff" we've accumulated over the years and asking ourselves how necessary it is. This sounds easy, but believe us it has proven to be much more of a task than either of us had anticipated. And here's what's most interesting: the hard part is not deciding which possessions to give away, but forming intentional relationships with people whose need is greater than one's own. Jen Hatmaker pointed out that anyone can load up old clothes into garbage bags and drop them off at the local Goodwill. Initiating relationships and seeking out real needs - that's the awkward, uncomfortable, and very necessary part.
   So far we've managed to go through all of our DVDs and our clothes. If you know me, you know that I've always loved movies. In college I had an extensive DVD collection...that always ended up getting sold to Hastings (I still mourn that the local Memphis one closed down in December) because I needed to buy gas or food. But I would inevitably end up replenishing it as soon as I had enough disposable income to do so. More on clothes later.
   Michelle and I lie to ourselves about our possessions. We tell ourselves that we don't own a 72" flatscreen plasma TV, a 2013 red sports car, a three-story house, a boat, a beach condo, or the like. We lie and say that since we don't own these things, we don't have much. We are not wealthy, we are not well off or rich. This is an American Dream fallacy of the highest order. We have learned that the single greatest disadvantage of wealth is that wealthy people do not believe they are wealthy. "We don't have as much as they do," we say.

   But when we read about Jesus' dialogue with the rich young man (Mark 10:17-31, Matthew 19:16-30) we saw ourselves in it. Jesus tells the rich young man to sell all of his possessions, and that the young man, "...went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." (ESV) The Greek word translated as "great" is "polys." It means, "many, much, large." (Blue Letter Bible. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4183&t=KJV >) 

   The number of the possessions is not the issue. The issue is how much value one has invested in them. I absolutely love my iPod. I would not know what to do without it. Because of that, it is a "great" possession. What are your "great possessions?" What, if you were asked to give it away, would make you "walk away sorrowful?" 

Simplifying the Skeltons! End Of Month One

Posted by Grant

  Happy belated Easter! Sorry we've been a little lax in posting of late. We've had a lot on our plate recently (no pun intended). We officially concluded month one on March 31. Personally I thought the food fast would be difficult at first and then progressively get easier. But it turns out to have worked the other way around for me. The first week wasn't that difficult, but by week four I thought if I even saw a tortilla I would vomit. I have gained an appreciation for avocados, a vegetable I've always been leery of. I also discovered that I don't need 3 or 4 cups of coffee every morning before work. Since our only option for a "sweetener" was honey, Michelle and I can drink "unsweet" tea with no problem, quite a task considering sweet tea was (and still is) a staple in my own family. You'd be surprised how much better your mind will feel when it isn't filled to satiety with processed sugar. Needless to say, after we came off the fast, yours truly did enjoy another Ghost River Black Magic (www.ghostriverbrewing.com). My dearest wife was able to satisfy her longing for a Chic-Fil-A Chicken Biscuit, which is always exceptionally delicious (I mean come on. It is Christian chicken after all. I know the Bible says Jesus fed people with bread and fish...but it was really Chic-Fil-A.)
   We have seen the advantage of asking and seeking (don't you love all the Biblical puns in this post?) where our food really comes from and what's in it. If you're going to eat out, eat local. The food really is better! I didn't believe this before I tried it. When it came to food, I was a dedicated low-price only food shopper. I told myself I couldn't afford to buy local food because it was too expensive. Undoubtedly I have paid with my health to some degree, and if a change was not made I would have paid later as well. I suppose it just comes down to deciding if you want the cost to be from your wallet or your health.
    Michelle and I have loved and hated this month. We thank all of the folks that read this blog and encourage us. We hope you will continue to follow along with us. Stay tuned for an intro into Month Two, in which we'll be fasting from the excess of all of our stuff. You know...that drawer or closet full of clothes you never wear and those DVDs you never watch? Yeah that stuff. And then what about the stuff you do love? Your favorite shoes, or the movies you do love, or your iPod? Yes indeed. Next month will be interesting.