Money

05.30 | I think the term mo money, mo problems is a relevant term.

The more money I have the more guilt I have that I am not spending it wisely or that I using it for the wrong purpose. I try to be wise with my money but every now and then I make some impulse buy and regret it later. Then maybe after I bought something I look at it two years from now and say, "well you were a waste..."

Buying gas always depresses me because I know that I'm buying something that is going to be burned up in a matter of days but gas is essential for the car to run.

I never know what to do with my money. Most of it is spent on food because I'm just to lazy to cook for myself. The rest probably goes to music, clothes, and gas and even there I don't like spending it. You should take a look at my shopping cart on iTunes someday because there is a lot of stuff waiting to be bought. It's just cooking in the oven.

For the last couple of weeks I've been trying to give some money to an organization that makes shirts from recycled pop bottles and half the profits go to other charities. By giving them money I mean buying one of their products and for the last couple weeks I've been trying to buy one of their shirts but their website doesn't work so it is sad. I want to send them an email saying that I want to give them money but I want something I return.

People say that tithing is good for you and it helps God bless you in your everyday life.

I tithed once.

It was when I was in Waco, TX and the previous week they talked about money and I decided that this was a good time to start tithing so that God would bless my life in my time of need. I made ten dollars that week I don't remember how so I put it my one dollar when the bucket came around and went on with my daily life.

It wasn't all that exciting or anything because I knew it was only a dollar. I probably could have put in all ten dollars but I didn't because there was probably some music I could get later on with it.

That was my one time tithing.

I've never felt right about the whole offering thing in church. The whole passing the bucket around so everyone can see if you put anything in.

At my church they always give the same old speech about how giving money to the church is a form of worship and I don't mind them saying that because I hear it's in the Bible but it just gets so old and it loses its value after awhile. I mean, there must more ways to worship other than singing and giving money away.

I think if I start a church it won't have an offering. I mean, we'll accept donations because somethings got to pay the bills but I don't think it will pass the bucket around. If someone wants to give their money away they'll have to come to us and not the bucket coming to them. I don't like the bucket because it always seems like a charity case or something that is supposed to convict us.

My roommate said at his church they take an offering with a bucket, but the cool thing I found is that they say if you can give money, then you can, and if you need to take some money, then you can.

I like that concept. Instead of an offering bucket it's like a community pot. Put something in or take something if you want.

In my dream world everything is free and everybody is not corrupt by greed. In my dream we are all walking down a street and all the vendors are on the side with displays of their product. You can walk around and just browse looking for the things you need. In my dream I see an exchange between two men of a shirt and both are smiling. One is smiling but he enjoys giving something away while the other is smiling because he now has a gift for someone else that will make them smile.

I remember reading something in Shaine Claiborne's book "The Irresistible Revolution" that tribes in Africa would receive gifts and be so excited just about receiving a gift that they would send the gift to another tribe. It could have been an empty box but they still get super excited about it so much that they want to share it with another tribe.

Thoughts on money...