The big screenFebruary 20, 2016
It’s not extravagant
but we didn’t need it
but people think we are strange for not having one
but we have other things we use instead
but alternatives do have their limitations
but our bank account is, in part at least, filled by donations
but it would be nice…
and it’s not extravagant
That’s the conversation that circled my head for months, ney years. It’s a conversation that I’m sure many whose lives are funded, even in part, by generosity rather than companies have had millions of times. It’s the uncertainty between funding items you need and items you want. It’s why church leaders with expensive cars set alarm bells off in our heads, it’s the thin line between provide and squander.
We’d looked and dreamed and placed our dreams away again so many times.
Did we always need to agonise like this? Where is the line drawn, how do you mark the sand and feel confident the wind will not shift it into unacceptability? How do you separate the reward for your work, your tent-making and you mission? How do you deem something an ordinary need rather than an unnecessary splurge?
For us the conversation rotated round one item, an object that you will find in almost any house you enter, a television. When we first married we lived in a borrowed flat with a TV, since moving out, approaching 4 years ago, we’ve made do with tv through Zeljko’s computer, using catch-up and streaming services. Apart from the news and international sports events, it almost became a boast that there wasn’t one in our house. Time was not squandered channel hopping and wasted hours carved of advert breaks were not part of our lives. Then Adam ended up watching his beloved ‘Bing Bunny’ on my little tablet because Zeljko was working, and touch screens and toddlers…need I say more. So, with a wall bracket at shoulder level the new tv sits on the wall. The voice that told me it wasn’t extravagant won.
As mission turns from temporary into permanent your needs evolve, it’s a natural but challenging experience. Many people on mission live knowing there is an end date in sight, it flavours their friendships, peppers their conversations and fuels their drive forwards.
Living in a state of temporary is unhealthy for so many reasons, and yet we passivly, if not actively, encourage our oversees volunteers to do just that.
While having an end date can be useful it can also be really harmful, especially when it comes to building a home. We berate missionaries who indulge luxuries, pennies must be accounted for and generous blessings eked out as far as possible. For short-term-ers this is logical, why would they invest in objects they can’t bring back, why can’t they do without and bask in the luxury of homes normality when they return. But long-term-ers know the return is so far away, if it’s ever coming. They need the ordinary ‘luxuries’ to build their present ‘home reality’, just as much anyone else needs theirs. Shouldn’t keeping them in check, at a relevant level for the community you are in, and generally being frugal be all that’s should be demanded?
Selling outFebruary 10, 2016
I’m going to do it tomorrow
My kids ministry website – Jesus without language – has been a constant work in progress since it’s first incarnation at the beginning of 2011. Every year I’m trying new ideas. I’ve tried adding video’s and even a game, I’ve reformatted, redesigned and revamped some lessons multiple times. I’ve also taken things away, like the said videos, and just this week I’ve done some major pruning!
There has always been one steady necessity, that the material is freely available, not hidden behind any payment walls or subscription needs. It’s been great to offer to the world of kids ministry, school teachers, kids groups and homeschoolers the doodling and musings, paper creations and craft explosions that’s come over the last 5 years, nothing can diminish that. Sadly distinguishing between free and freely available is a constant battle lost. The donate button is seldom used considering the demand.
The one think I kept returning to, kept being bough back to, was making the material publish worthy. I’d tinkered with the idea, made a few trials… frankly, it was just so much work. People could just build the lesson from the parts I provided anyway, couldn’t they? The idea wouldn’t die though.
Eventually I embraced it. I sold out? I’ll put something behind a payment wall, sort of, not really, kinda… OK I didn’t sell out at all, I just figured I’d help all those people who could afford to be lazy! Because ultimately that’s what this was, it was a tool for people to be lazy with, a lovely pretty layout that would print nicely so they didn’t have to juggle papers. It wasn’t needed and I wasn’t holding anything back by putting a minimum donation price on it.
The more I pondered the more the idea rooted itself. I had been given a talent and I must be prudent and wise in it’s stewardship. I must take account of human nature, of the belief that the whole internet is free as long as you hunt hard enough. I must acknowledge that God has given me this talent as a way of survival, to bless but also to be blessed with. I must see these keyboard taps and glue sticks just as Paul saw his tent canvass and needles. Even if it fails I must try, because this idea really doesn’t want to die.
I’m going to hit publish tomorrow – I’m sorta terrified.
January’s projectFebruary 1, 2016
As part of my year of ‘appreciate’ I’m trying to note one thing I’ve really appreciated each day… I’ve challenged myself to add to that one activity I’ve deliberately orchestrated to do with Adam. With the cold and miserable January weather keeping us in, more days have been creative challenges, and less have been trips to the park!
Adam is at the stage he will taste chew everything he can put his hands on, plus I don’t really want to be washing him down multiple times a day when parts of the house are quite cool – so messy play was limited, but we still found lots of things to do.
Some things were basic like crayon work, hand-prints or just running around the room from one large animal picture to the next (animals from birthday). Others required a little preparation using things on hand, like a batch of play-dough or some little knock to flash balls placed in a bottle to shake and roll and hide.
I photographed some and here are my favourite 4.
1. Ribbon run – We play with this a lot! I used our bath-stand as a base, everything is simply tied on. Various thickness’s and textured ribbons, string, wrapping ribbon, paper ribbon, Christmas beading, and bootlaces. It’s great to sit and explore the different textures, but the most fun comes from walking, crawling or dragging a parent through.
2. Reveal board – this was the most work but we love it. The base is a trimmed box with the two sides glued together and a silver sticky tape border. With a trusty glue gun I attached wet-wipe lids, using the inside as a template for the various scraps we collected around the house. A quick measurement of the original labels, made short work of creating a printout for the letter and number labels.
3. Tissue paper shapes – this was made with a foam floor piece and some sticky back plastic. We had fun pulling apart some red and white tissue paper and placing it in and out the shape. It was lovely to watch him realise that some was sticking. We started with ‘Apple’ as I’m hoping to work slowly though the alphabet this year.
4. Paint bags – after cleaning the white off a zip bag with a touch of nail varnish remover, I put a few squirts of paint in and taped the whole thing down on the table. The whole family had a smush at it, making tracks and writing. Sharp nails did break it a bit too easily but it’s worth playing with until the end as you get a lovely effect as the paints blend.
Roll on February and the warmer days we hope!