So far, that risk has paid off. Sure, we aren’t necessarily as financial comfortable as we were before, we don’t eat out as often, and I rarely go shopping anymore. But, we are happier than ever before, my stress level has dramatically decreased, and my health is significantly better.

Why did this work for us?

Did I unlock some new secret to happiness? Not at all. I simply had the courage to step out in faith and make a change. The decision was not made lightly. I did not wake up one morning and randomly decide to make this drastic life change. Instead, I planned, I talked, and I investigated almost every possible path to making this change. Then, I made baby steps until we were ready to go all the way.

This may not be the path that everyone follows to make a change. Everyone has to find what works for them. But, no matter what, we always have to remember that more than anything we must have the courage to be willing to step out and seize something new.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”- Genesis 12:1

Abraham and Sarah’s story absolutely fascinates me. Here is a couple quietly making their way in the world. Sarah, filled with grief over her inability to have a child, continues to trust in a God she cannot see and does not understand. Every morning, she and Abraham wake and spend their time working to build a future. And in one day, with one statement, it all changes.

God tells Abraham to move his family, saying He will guide Abraham to a land set apart just for them. Imagine having to leave all you know – your friends, your home, and your church— with no clear direction of where you are going. But Abraham does not throw those things back at God. He simply finds his wife and his nephew, tells them God has asked them to leave, and begins making preparations.

Through it all, Sarah is a stalwart by his side. We do not know if she questioned him, or if she went quietly, but the point is that she went. She too left the life she knew to follow a husband she loved and a God she believed in.

Sarah’s faith is remarkable. She never heard God’s command. Instead, she trusted in her husband, knowing that his relationship with God was solid enough to guide them both. That is the kind of faith we should have, and that is the kind of people we should surround ourselves with.

…devout thanksgiving…penitent confession of our sins, and humble supplication for pardon, through the merits of our Savior.

Thanksgiving Proclamation (1778)

…to cause virtue and true religion to flourish, to give to all nations amity, peace and concord, and to fill the world with his glory.

Thanksgiving Proclamation (1784)

These United States

The Declaration of Independence (1776) announced the birth of a new confederation, the United States of America. But its first constitution, The Articles of Confederation, wasn’t ratified until March 1, 1781, five years into the seven-year War for Independence. The confederation had neither a chief executive officer nor a court system. The Articles only allowed for a Congress. And the Articles never described the United States as a nation or even a government. They said rather that, “The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other…binding themselves to assist each other…” (Article III). That “union” was supposed to be “perpetual.”

Given this history, it is technically incorrect to speak of anything Congress did under the Articles, let alone before, as having a “national” character. The United States weren’t (note the plural verb) really a nation. Still, Congress spoke for the confederation to the rest of the world, and it spoke with legitimate authority to its member states. It was the forerunner of the Congress we have today.

Thanksgiving in 1777

In the fall of 1777, Congress was working from York, Pennsylvania, while British troops occupied Philadelphia. There had been some recent upturns in America’s fortunes. Benedict Arnold had defeated the British at Saratoga—the first significant American victory—and France was ready to pledge her support to the American cause. With such blessings in mind, Sam Adams and others called on Congress to recommend a confederacy-wide day of thanksgiving. Adams himself wrote the first draft of the proclamation. The Second Continental Congress chose Thursday December 18, 1777 as America’s first thanksgiving day. The Proclamation begins like this:

FOR AS MUCH as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success:

The Proclamation takes for granted the doctrine of divine providence. The God acknowledged by Congress governs the world; He ought to be worshipped; He answers prayers; He is abundant in mercy; He honors the prosecution of just wars and gives victory in battle. This isn’t the god of deism or Enlightenment pantheism.

The Proclamation continues:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE:

Congress had no power to order a day of thanksgiving. But Congress believed it could properly recommend such a day to the States. Congress believed it had legal authority to call America to give thanks to the God who ruled the world.

That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance;

The Proclamation here draws upon the judicial theology of Scripture. The American people have sinned; that is, they have broken God’s laws. These sins have cost America any claim upon God’s favor and  blessing. Now the American people need to confess and repent of their sins; and with humble hearts they need to beseech God for forgiveness. Such forgiveness is only possible through the merits of Jesus Christ. These “merits” are the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ to God’s moral law, His atoning substitutionary death on the cross, and His resurrection victory over sin and death. Belief in these merits presupposes belief in His deity. Congress wasn’t ashamed to confess their belief in this judicial theology or to name the name of Christ. They clearly assumed that most Americans shared their faith.

That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield its Increase:

God’s providence, as Congress understood it, encompasses the whole of human life:  civil government, military command and service, commerce, manufacturing, agriculture, and the productivity of the earth itself. But Congress recognized as the greatest “human blessings” independence and peace. That is, Congress recognized that these, too, are within God’s providential rule over history and that He bestows them in mercy. Men don’t earn them.

But Congress looked beyond the merely human:

To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper the Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth “in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost.”

Virtue and piety are vague words, appropriate to Roman philosophy as well as Christian theology. The same may be said of “religion.”  But the kingdom that consists in “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17) is very specific. It’s the kingdom of Jesus Christ described in the Gospels and the New Testament epistles. And it is this kingdom’s growth and advancement for which Congress would have the American people pray.

And it is further recommended, That servile Labor, and such Recreation, as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion.

This final note may seem strange to most Americans, even to most American Christians. The Proclamation is suggesting that this day of thanksgiving ought to have a Sabbath-like quality. The American people ought to get serious about their thanks and supplications, and to that end they ought to lay aside their normal work and recreations so they can focus properly on their approach to God in Christ. Congress actually believed that all religious forms weren’t equally valid or equally appropriate at all times. They even thought that entertainment and leisure ought to give way to serious religion.

In Later Years

This proclamation of a day of thanksgiving wasn’t a one-time affair. Over the years that followed, through the years of the War and beyond, the Congress of the Confederation continued to call the American people to thanksgiving in very similar language.

The Proclamation of 1778 speaks of God’s “great and manifold mercies on the people of these United States.”  It makes explicit reference to the French alliance and God’s “disposing the heart of a powerful monarch to enter into alliance with us.”  It again recommends “devout thanksgiving…penitent confession of our sins, and humble supplication for pardon, through the merits of our Savior.”  That Savior is Christ.

The Proclamation of 1779, with reference to the settlement of America as well as the recent War, calls Americans to thanksgiving for the “wonders which his goodness has wrought.”  But it places “above all” that He has “diffused the glorious light of the gospel, whereby, through the merits of our gracious Redeemer, we may become the heirs of his eternal glory.”  With this in mind, the American people should pray that God “would grant to his church the plentiful effusions of divine grace, and pour out his holy spirit on all ministers of the gospel; that he would bless and prosper the means of education, and spread the light of Christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth….”

“And finally, that he would establish the independence of these United States upon the basis of religion and virtue, and support and protect them in the enjoyment of peace, liberty and safety as long as the sun and moon shall endure, until time shall be no more.”  The language here intertwines the American vision with the language of messianic prophecy (cf. Ps. 72).

The Proclamation of 1780 is similar in its estimation of the “gospel of peace” and in its hope that God would “build up his churches in their most holy faith and to cause the knowledge of Christianity to spread over all the earth.”  The Proclamation of 1781 borrows a phrase from Isaiah and looks forward to the day when the knowledge of God will “cover the earth, as the waters cover the seas” (Isa. 11:7). And the Proclamation of 1782 speaks of “the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.”  The allusion is to James 1:27.

The Proclamations of 1783 and 1784 contain much the same language, though by those years the War was over and emphasis was shifting from repentance and the need for divine aid in war toward thanksgiving for victory and prayer for the success of God’s kingdom among all nations. The American sense of mission was already taking deep root.

Conclusion

Much has been said and done in the last fifty years to downplay the role of the Christian faith in our nation’s history and civil government. The disparagement of Thanksgiving is one small part of that secular campaign. We call the holiday (holy day?)  “Turkey Day.” We use it mainly to kick off a materialistic binge of Yuletide consumption.

But there was a time when the American Congress called for serious, heartfelt thanksgiving to the Christian God and devout prayers for His merciful intervention. Of course, America was then in the middle of a devastating war for her God-given rights and liberties. War does strange things to people. Maybe when we are at war and our lives and rights are in danger… we’ll turn to God for help. Maybe.

Our forefathers certainly did.

©2012 Off the Grid News

The Power Of Faith

We are not the first people to struggle with living in a faithless world; Peter and other disciples lived there as well. They traveled through inhospitable terrain to share the good news of Jesus’ life with people that did not want to hear it. He and many others were viciously attacked, both physically and emotionally. When others struggled with how to handle the negativity of the world around them, Peter encouraged them to, “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). This is the same call and encouragement we need today. Without a doubt, we will be ridiculed for our decisions in life. We do not have to defend those choices to anyone. We simply have to be prepared to respond that we have chosen this life because it is the path we walk with God.

Faith provides us with the strength to face anything. It is an absolute trust and confidence in God and His ability to guide, protect, and love us. When we live a life of faith, we live in obedience to God’s word, no matter what the world around us says. In fact, being faithful means we are able to stand taller when the world closes in around us. Living a life away from the commercialism of our mainstream culture seems like it may be an easier place to live a faithful life. But it can be in those moments we struggle to remain the most true to our calling from God. Ridicule can be lonely. The world may not understand our choices, just as people in Peter’s world did not understand his dedication to his mission. But just as it did for him, our faith can produce powerful results. When we stay grounded in the truth, in the absolute belief that God is the light for our path, we are reminded the power to do anything.

Breaking The Misconceptions of Faith

To live a life of faith it is imperative to understand the world’s false assumptions of faith so they can be dismissed.

• Faith is not simply a positive attitude. Yes, faith comes from the mind. You have to make a choice to believe. But faith is not just a mental acknowledgment of truth. It is completely abandoning your own understanding to rely on the power and strength of Jesus Christ.
• Faith has room for fear. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to live a life of faith and still face fear. God does not promise a perfect life for His followers. We do still live in a world that is separated from God, and there are times we may be afraid. Faith simply assures us we will not be alone as we face those fears.
• Faith can be small. God’s blessings come in all shapes and sizes, and He will use the faithful no matter what. We do not have to show miraculous signs of a grand scale; it can be quiet and small and just as powerful.
• Faith has room for doubt. Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, doubted Jesus even as He was standing right in front of him. It gave Jesus a wonderful opportunity to reach out to one of His followers. It is the same for us. Doubt allows for questions that will in actuality deepen our faith.
• Faith requires personal responsibility. It is true that only faith in Jesus Christ will provide our redemption; however, we are not called to simply believe in Christ. We are called to go forth and make other disciples, to share the good news of God’s love, and to minister to the world around us. This requires actions to go along with our faith.

God Uses The Faithful

Throughout the Bible, God is clear that He is constantly looking for and using faithful people to accomplish His will. Countless examples from the Old Testament through the New Testament offer examples of times God chose the ordinary man who exhibited only a deep and abiding faith to accomplish great things. Is it so far-fetched to think He would not do the same with us? He can and will use or faith as a testament to others in the world. When we make a stand in our faith, a stand to live a simple life that is dedicated to God’s will, people are going to watch us. They are going to see if we can remain faithful even when they may be the one tempting us to turn from our choices. And they will. People ridicule what they do not understand, and it makes no sense to many that there are people who are willing to live without the “comforts” of the modern lifestyle. But, God can accomplish anything with the faithful; He can even lead those that are blind to a new way of thinking.

God can, and will, use your faithful lifestyle to reach others. You simply have to remain grounded in your faith in Him. Be assured He is with you; you are not alone, even when you feel abandoned by the world around you.

©2012 Off the Grid News

“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.”

            — General George Patton

I am not generally known as being a risk taker. I like control, like the ability to know what is coming and to prepare for every potential obstacle. I do not participate in extreme sports, hesitate even when it comes to speeding, and absolutely detest heights. So, my life was thrown into a whirlwind when my husband’s company offered him a transfer. After living in my hometown for the first decade and a half of our marriage, I had to pick up and move away from everything I had ever known. But, I was still okay with this because I could plan it out. Our house would be on the market for several months while we sorted out details. Once we had a contract, I would be able to have at least thirty days notice before we finalized anything.

I was wrong on both counts.

Our house officially stayed on the market two weeks. In reality, it was sold in six hours. Our realtor was contacted by another realtor whose client lived out of state. It was exactly what they were looking for and they were willing to make an offer on it without seeing it in person. We signed the contract that night and they came to town two days later to see the house and formalize everything else. This was when they threw the other wrench into my planning. Their move was a job transfer as well and they needed to start in two weeks. I panicked! I was totally overwhelmed with the idea of moving my entire family away from our support system, schools, church, and family in less than two weeks.

But together, my husband and I stepped out in faith. We had already found a new place we loved and his office would be five minutes from our house. The school district would be perfect and our one visit to the new town left us with a few neighbors and church family established before we had even moved in. Stepping back from the franticness of our situation at home made me realize this was not being rash and going too fast. We were taking a calculated risk and looking back, I know it paid off ten-fold for our family.

We do not know what the future has in store for each of us. We simply know we have to take things in, weigh them carefully, and cannot be afraid to step out to take calculated risks. The disciples did it when they followed Jesus; we can do it in our lives as well.

“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.”     — Genesis 12:4

Can you fathom holding onto a promise for twenty-four years? Surely, you would catch yourself wondering if the promise would ever come true or if it had simply become forgotten. This was the exact situation Abraham found himself in. God told Abraham to pack up everything he had ever known and leave immediately. There was little time for questioning or worrying, just a sense of urgency built upon a promise. Abraham built his life relying on a promise God offered him. He lived God’s promise starting at the age of 75 and it was not until he was 99 that the promise came true.

This is the assurance we have as Christians today. We should not have time for worries or questions. We build our life on the promise of Jesus Christ, the promise God offers through His son. God’s promise has never been broken to us and is offered through the life, breath, blood, and death of Christ.

God’s promise is the blessing of our life. It is the one thing we know we can count on when everything else seems so unsure. In a world where we struggle to rely on any ounce of truth, we can stand firm in the knowledge that at least one promise in our life is rock solid. Take the time to revel in His promises and to share His love.

“The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

            -Galatians 5:22

There are few things more precious than listening to hundreds of children sing about the fruit of the spirit; yet, that is exactly what I was able to experience a few weeks ago during our church’s Vacation Bible School. Every morning, the kids would acknowledge through song that the fruit of the spirit is not a coconut, or a cherry, or a grape. Instead, it is powerful emotions that guide our lives.

But why fruit? With all of the parables and examples available to Jesus, why would He choose to entitle this list fruit of the spirit?

Fruit has a very specific two-fold purpose. First, fruit works to sustains us. It is a healthy, God-given, and natural food source that keeps us healthy and balances our diet. More importantly though, is the fact that the fleshy portion of fruit protects the seed inside. It works to create a heartier seed that has the potential to spread even better seeds in the future.

This is the exact purpose the fruit of the spirit has for us. Living a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control sustains us. It gives us energy to go on when we may want to give up. And, allowing these emotions to be our focal point enables us live healthier lives. More importantly, when we keep these fruits of the spirit central in our hearts, we are protecting the seed of faith and hope God has planted in each of us. Because of this, we will be able to continue passing that seed on, knowing it has the ability to grow in others.

Take what you want, says God to man. Take it, and pay for it.  –Spanish proverb

I’ve found this proverb a useful antidote to two common illusions that I encounter in myself and in other people.

First, there’s the assumption that we don’t have real choices, that we can’t really take what we want, that we have to live in conformity with the society around us. I’ve had people tell me that farm life, full-time volunteering, a balance of mental and manual labor are lovely ideas but just not practical in the “real world” — despite the fact that they’re all real parts of my life. I’ve told myself that a life without gasoline or flattering lies just isn’t possible or practical. I think this is an excuse. Over and over the Bible calls us to choose how we will live and whom we will serve. Jesus didn’t live as anyone might have thought that a dutiful second-class subject of the Roman Empire had to live, and he told us that he came with the truth that would set us free — free to choose.

But the choice still carries a great price.The other prevalent illusion in this society, and in my own heart, is the idea that somewhere there is a way of life that will satisfy us completely, allow us to realize all our potentials and indulge all our desires and keep the good opinion of everyone. God never promised that.The merchant who bought the pearl of great price had to sell everything else he had.

The freedom to choose, and the need to pay, are true not only for the great choice of faithfulness to God, but for all the little choices, all the perplexing practical details of working out a faithful life. Shall we remain in a church that provides good fellowship but doesn’t see parts of the truth as we see it, or go seeking another community to hold us accountable to our vision? Shall we live in the city or the country? Stay tied to the grid or unplug? There may not always be one choice that’s clearly right for everyone. Perhaps not even one that’s clearly right for us. The important things is to choose with open eyes, not to feel like victims when we have to pay the price for what we’ve chosen, and to be willing to reconsider our choices and what we pay for them until “by turning, turning, we come round right.”

Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

(Matthew 4:5-7)

The temptation to turn stones into bread, to turn what God has given us into what we want, is obviously relevant in our daily lives. This one may feel more remote to those of us who aren’t inclined to death-defying tests of faith. Nevertheless I think the underlying temptation—to do what is dangerous or destructive and tell ourselves that God will take care of the mess we are about to create—comes up in my daily life and in the lives of others whom I know.

It’s easiest for me to see it in other people, of course. I’ve had friends tell me that it doesn’t matter how badly we deplete and pollute the created world, because God will come again and make a new heaven and a new earth and take care of us there. This sounds to me like putting God to the test, and it doesn’t accord with the promise that those who have been faithful in little things will be trusted with great things.

I’m also learning to see this temptation in my own life. Too often I work carelessly, shoddily—sometimes because I’m exhausted, sometimes because I’m distracted by worries and daydreams. Too often I excuse myself on the grounds that I am doing Good Work—living in Christian community, tending the earth, caring for my neighbors… and surely God will make it all work out right without my having to take responsibility. Of course it doesn’t work.

I know sometimes we need to let go of human prudence. Not long after Jesus refuses to test God by leaping from the temple, he comes to his disciples walking on the water. And at the end of his ministry on earth he gives himself up willingly to death, and God raises him to life. The important thing is to venture out in response to God’s calling and not to our own pride or carelessness. I think that if we pay attention we can tell the difference.

The world would be better off

if people tried to become better.

And people would become better

if they stopped trying to be better off…

–Peter Maurin, The Case For Utopia

We live in a society that constantly urges us to get ahead, to better ourselves, to become better off—better off than we are now, and better off than the people around us. However much we have, we tend to believe that we’d be happy and successful if we had just a little more. Technological progress and economic growth have made it easier and easier for us to pursue this dream, to accumulate stuff and money and credentials and…

Some individuals can succeed at this game for a little while. But the race for individual advantage and material ‘betterment’ is destructive to the community as a whole, and eventually to each individual within it. The economy driven by ‘need creation’ and overconsumption wastes scarce and precious resources and dumps toxins into the environment, making it harder and harder for the earth to produce what we need. The push for individual gain weakens the bonds of community, leaving us lonely, fearful and insecure. The attempt to hoard up resources or prestige for ourselves undermines trust in God and love for our neighbors, alienating us from our spiritual roots.

We can choose to step back from the attempt to be better off and try instead to become better. We can be content with a simple standard of living. We can give freely as we have freely received. We can strive daily actually to love our neighbors as ourselves, both in our direct interactions with them and in our use of the world we share.

At first this may look like failure. It’s not glamorous. It doesn’t promise earthly security.  But it brings us back into inward integrity, right relationship with our neighbors, and communion with God. And it keeps alive the possibility of a just and sustainable human life on this earth, a life in which all of us, now and in the generations to come, may be both better and better off.