Creative Commons

Yesterday, all of the advertisements were flashing “Cyber Monday Blah Blah Blah”.  In case anyone was wondering Cyber Monday is a marketing term devised by www.shop.org based on the fact that 77% of online retailers report an increase in sales on the first Monday after Thanksgiving.  This phenomenon was first observed in 2004 and brought to light in 2005 when the New York Times reported that Americans were returning to work and the high-speed Internet connections.

I’m more inclined to think that consumers are sheep.  If you give a day a name, and tell people what other people are “doing” then that person is likely to join in.

Here’s an interesting movie that talks about consumption.

My friend Andrew says quite well in one blog post what I have tried to say so many times before inadequately.  Please read this and act accordingly.

And a kierkegaard quote just for fun:

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you?

As part of my studio practice I work with found objects and multiples .This year my studio practice has brought to look further into the retail world and commodity .Using Hangers as my starting point to my studio practice, this year I decided to collect approx. 600+ hangers and counting,  from all high street shops collecting masses upon masses of hangers. Each week I have collected transparent hangers,wooden hangers, black plastic hangers, all serving the purpose for me to play with !

Image 1: First week and started in my studio Space seeing the potential to expand and explore possibilities of going outdoors

I decided to make the hangers a very 2D object  become 3D and come alive, I started connecting the hangers and through trail and error i managed to create 3 dimensional clusters of hangers. Seeing the potential I decided to branch out even more and expand my obsession and create monumental Sculptures

Image 2: I decided to go up in scale and not solely rely on structures alone.

In week three I decided to be brave and go out into the colleges foyer, an old listed building, I built in a large open space, I built around the stairs, the beams of the college and the supporting pillars. It was a challenge and was harder than the last time as I was building in a public walk way so lots of distractions was to be had from tutors to security telling me all about health & safety and ENDLESS hangers jokes. I managed to hang on…and create a whole room of hanger structures. I was happy as in different parts of the sculpture I  worked into it making it more complex,rigid and using tiebacks and fishing gut i created a claustrophobic sculpture.

Image 3: Being Challenged by the building I managed to bear all the hangers jokes and health & safety rules to build literally in space!

I learnt to confront the issue of space and working around with what I faced with and also the issues of working in  public areas and making compromises to abide certain rules. Over all I enjoyed the building in space and broke down a few creative barriers I once had.

All images are my own documentation for my studio practice

That name is just WAY TOO LONG FOR ITS OWN GOOD, but that’s how it was today.

WARNING: IMAGE HEAVY POST

The day started off with me going to Capitol to see what else I could get. Heehee.

Photo was taken at Max Brenners, Parramatta – FYI it’s a curry manju and another hissho Doraemon, which I later gave to N as a graduation exhibition present

They changed the Hello Kittys, so they were quite hard to get. Rage. Wasted my money. But today was pretty good – I’m improving. Spending less, but getting a little more.

So I bought myself a return ticket to Parramatta. Why Parramatta? Well, I heard that it was good for shopping, and since it’s a reasonably large shopping centre, I thought that it’d take up my time. I don’t really like the idea of using a bus ticket to get to the city just to do one thing (like go to Capitol and get toys, or just only to buy one item) – I like to get the most of out my tickets. That and because I wanted to go check out the Papaya soaps!

Somehow I ended up with this by the end of the day:

Oh, I took this at home. I put the Doraemon in anyway (my own one) just to say I did get another one today. Weird logic, but yes. Three toys today. I’m improving

While I was at the supermarket, I noticed that not only did they have Likas, they had Silka. Some people have commented that Silka worked better? Either way, it was slightly cheaper and the green papaya soap I bet is cute. Plus it smells quite nice. I’ll use that after I determine how well the Likas is working.

I was at Lincraft and the place is completely… deserted. As in, they didn’t have much stock of anything and they didn’t have the most obvious stock. I wanted to make a fascinator or a headband of some sort for quite a long time now for a photoshoot. Instead, I went to Hot Dollar and found a rather cute headband for only $2.50 with 2 bows, and a really cool clip with a top hat on it. The hat I think can be very Victorian or very mod. It was only $3. There was a store on level 5 that was closing down with a similar thing, but instead it was about $15 still even after discount. Of course the quality is much better, but it irks me that I’d be paying $15 for something that isn’t quite worth $15, furthermore with a replica Burberry check on it. I’d rather be ripped off $3 than $15 I suppose. But I think it’s really cute! Great for an androgynous shoot – imagine the long falsies on the bottom lash, tie and blazer look. But yeah, that’s what I had in mind.

It’s probably cheaper to buy the headband than to make it unless it’s a fascinator or really elaborate. I’d still like to make a few one day though. I love headbands! But yeah, Hot Dollar = headband dream land. You can get 2 for like $2.50, but I didn’t like the ones they had. Wish I could mix the colours but I couldn’t, so I settled on those. BTW I tried on the headband – it’s really cute! The hat looks really awesome too! Super worth the money- what a surprise!

Living proof that I really did go to Parramatta – but the tree was quite pretty~!

Parramatta was kind of scary, actually. TBs and all. But it’s alright – quite a different experience.

Of course after getting lost and walking every single floor (but NOT into every shop), I realised I had forgotten to buy light bulbs. Did you know, a normal lightbulb (as in the incandescent ones) actually is made by simply gluing the glass bulb to the metal base? I kid you not – I should have taken a photo, but whilst I was meant to steal a bulb for the bedroom, somehow the metal base detached from the glass bulb part. RIDICULOUS! But now we are using all long life/ energy saving bulbs, so that’s a relief.

So I was trying to find Max Brenner (where I came from) when I kept on getting sidetracked. I passed a sale where everyone was grabbing everything, and eventually, I settled on buying these things:

RRP $49.95, but I bought a set of 4 (2 large, 2 small) for just $5. If it was really $50 then hell yes it’d be a pretty big SCAM >_>

Talk about impulse or what. But I remember the advertisement intrigued me so much – and also that if I bought cleaning towels, I’d actually be more encouraged to clean windows or the car or something. I paid with coins only because I had a lot of silver coins weighing me down. I also hate people who push in. Some guy at Hot Dollar pushed into line, but then I ended up being able to go to a free register (the chick who was paying before him had a lot of crap and was even paying via credit card or eftpos). At the Sham Ezee sale place another woman butted in too, but spent like $50 on junk, basically. I just handed the guy a handful of coins and I could leave after that. YES FOR SPEEDINESS.

But yes, NO WAY was I going to pay $50 for just cloth. Geez. $5 is bearable.

Sorry, wasn’t thinking dirty (well, okay maybe a little) but this sign made me chuckle the first time since I saw Jizz Fashion in the Town Hall to Kent Street arcade.

Sorry!

I was tired and getting hungry so I decided to get a Cookieshake from Max Brenner since LK and C seem to love it (and because I kept getting lost and forgetting that my actual destination was Max Brenner, NOT some random factory direct sale or Hot Dollar).

It’s not often I sit in a cafè, let alone sit by myself at one – but it’s a nice way to rewind

They have quite a lovely atmosphere at Max Brenner, actually. I’ve only been once and it was the one in David Jones basement level in the city. I must say, the Parramatta one isn’t bad, since it’s big, spacious yet cosy.

Finally, the Cookieshake arrives! I waited for about 7 minutes or so for it to come, actually. But it was worth the wait – it was delicious!

If you have any doubts spending $7.60 on a shake, dispel all those thoughts, like, NAO. Best damn $7.60 drink ever. Forget the cocktails and shizz – this is made of epic YUM.

I gobbled that stuff up so quickly it was sooo yummeh D: It also made me very full too, considering it’s made of cookies, white chocolate bits (that melt into your mouth) and I think pecans… omg… drools….

So that was the end of Parramatta. It was time to head back!

I went back to Capitol and won the pink Manju. It was because they didn’t have the pink ones the other day and earlier on I tried to get the pink one after getting the curry one, but I failed. It was in a good position when I got back, and I managed to get it. YES. I feel so satisfied now that toys actually do come out of those machines.

For hardcore Converse fans, did you know they have a Converse store at Market City? Isn’t that insane? A shop purely dedicated to Converse. You can’t say no to that. But I will. Those shoes have killed my socks. I miss my white cons. They are somewhere in a rubbish tip, because I decided that they were too old and worn, even though they weren’t, and threw them out.

Seems like the store actually has quite a few unique/ exclusive designs. The displays weren’t bad either, this was one of them. I haven’t seen this design before.

Also, if you use the Chinese kind of rip off a page calendar or one of those large square wall calendar types, they are selling them at Market City at the moment in the sales area. Po Hong shut down (and I never bothered to check what happened to them) and I really do not like Windfair. So I bought 2 calendars for mum from Market City. The wall calendar was only $3! Usually I pay $5 or $6 for those things at Po Hong.

I am well aware that I have spammed WAY TOO many images already, so I’m going to cut down on the number of images for the DESIGN REPULIC exhibition.

There are TWO entire storeys dedicated to this exhibition, which is already amazing to me – it’s basically 4 subjects or so together with free flowing booze and many security guards standing by to make sure nothing crazy happens. First thing I thought was WOW HUGE and then WOW SO MANY PEOPLE. No seriously, there were so many people it was seriously difficult to walk around. Not only that, we are talking about an entire ground floor and another level above (and below since that’s where the bar is) of lobby/ display area. Not only that, they didn’t need to use display panels, they hung their drawings from the ceiling, and anchored them securely onto the floor with a bag of sand to prevent it from madly swinging and smacking anyone in the face. No, it’s amazing, the idea of it hanging is so clean, and you can see who’s on the other side so you don’t happen to bump into people. It generates interaction and spatial depth. Fantastic.

Seriously, wow, there were a lot of people. And how neat is the whole thing???

They had a timetable schedule pamphlet, and my friend N told me grab a Graduation booklet with the entire years’ works. Seriously, it was so organised I’m speechless. I’m not going to put up a photo of the booklet and book because I can’t be bothered. I forgot to take a photo and uploading is really a nuisance at the moment.

Look at those pretty lights! The blue white and pink (yes, pink, sorry for the photo it looks red) striped pattern is actually the DESIGN REPUBLIC colour scheme/ pattern thing. And yes, all those human heads you see behind this low wall under the lights are all people chatting and enjoying free booze. Why does it happen to be that the free booze areas have the coolest lights?

This photo is just to show how many people are going downstairs for more booze (bar), the idea of space and how many people were at the front part. MY GOD. SO MANY PEOPLE.

I’m officially jealous. They had projection screens, they had a DJ (yes, a Disc Jockey I kid you not) and it was just so well done. Thanks for inviting me to a cool graduation exhibition! I can only hope that ours will be as cool if not cooler D: Plus they had lots of free food, but apparently the booze was limited to just 4 drinks per person.

Last but not least, I’d like to let everyone know that today was Red Ribbon day. I got this from Central as I came back from Parra and took the liberty of pinning it to my camera case. Usually I don’t really buy ribbons and stuff, I occasionally donate the odd coin when I feel like it, but I thought the red ribbon looked quite lovely.

Complementary colours <3

So I came home, had dinner, read through this month’s Marie Claire magazine (for January 2010, the latest issue) since it came in the mail today, and I must say, IT SUCKS. PLEASE DO NOT BUY IT. There is absolutely nothing in it worthy of reading! Except for the horoscopes and the year ahead, otherwise none of the stories caught my eye, and none of the fashion spreads were of interest.

Came onto my computer, and I noticed I got my Results of Assessment in my inbox.
I’m a bit scared of the results because I felt that I did poorly for design, but to my surprise, I got this:

That’s really good for design D: And I know, a DN isn’t really the most fantastic mark, but it’s hard to get more than a DN unless you want to live and breathe the subject 24 7. To be honest, I’m not really willing to do so, unless I am completely free of all responsibilities and embrace myself to lose my social life. I did better this semester than last semester, and this is after attending random photoshoots and the soompi meet instead of doing work. Maybe my luck IS going to only just improve from now on!

I think I shall end this post. That was my epic day! I am very tired and my shoulders hurt.

Until next plog!

PS: I am NOT going shopping except to look at Gucci. I am NOT going to buy anything any more. Today alone was a VERY expensive trip and I don’t know how it happened. Mum did reimburse me for the calendars and the lightbulbs, but I am still in a state of shock. I didn’t even buy that much! But if you think about it, small amounts will accumulate – the train ticket itself was already $4.40. Sad. That’s almost $5 :\ Anyway, I’m depressed that $50 doesn’t get you anywhere these days, because I spent more than that somehow. Excuse me while I lock myself up at home and imprison myself. On the bright side, I can still buy things and buy food, but if I need to entertain myself, I better not go window shopping. I’ll walk to uni and back home even to save the bus fare. Guh, I need exercise and moolah. On the humorous side, I need a cow to gimme money Don’t worry if you don’t get this – I don’t expect everyone to

Cheap Items:

• New Betta for my office. (Poor Huey P.)
• Lip balm, any variety
• Starbucks gift card (for sloggy days on campus)
• iTunes gift card (because I always need new tunes)
• A vintage fallout shelter sign (as seen on eBay)

Sorta’ Free Stuff:

• Fix my bicycle.
• Take my car for a wash/wax and clean the icky latte out of the passenger’s seat.

Cooking Gear:

• Really cool Pyrex Box Grater

Videos of All Varieties:

• Walt Disney’s Treasures: On the Front Lines
• Walt Disney’s Treasures: Tommorrow Land
• Gone with the Wind (on DVD)
• The Wizard of Oz (on DVD)

Books:

• Margaret Atwood. The Year of the Flood.
• Julie Powell. Cleaving.
• Sarah Palin. Going Rogue. (Morbid curiousity on my part)
• Alton Brown’s new book about “Good Eats”

Other stuff:

• Emily the Strange Collectable Print (Too cool!)
• Emily the Strange Red Riding Kitty

So, where is your list? I’m waiting to shop!

After hearing from a friend how consuming new clothing supports different types of illegal trade (child labor and even sex trafficking), I realized I probably could go without buying any new clothes for myself for awhile. The statistics my friend gave me regarding consumerism in America were nothing I hadn’t heard of before. But quite honestly, I’m tired of going to more benefit concerts, watching more Flash videos of poor kids in Southeast Asia, and listening to more pleading sermons – if I’m not taking away from the problem, I’m still contributing to it. I decided in July, not to buy any new clothes for myself until 2010. I have bought clothing from thrift stores (primarily for costume purposes…) but nothing completely new. I know, it sounds ridiculous – many people go many months without buying clothes. But I’m a pretty typical girl with pretty typical wants and sometimes, that retail therapy pang strikes.

Since July I realize I really can make do with what I have – no surprises there. I’ve found new ways to accessorize with things I already have and I’m doing a lot less laundry, which saves me time and money and preserves natural resources. I used to think it was complicated to live consciously but in taking small steps here and there, it’s not as difficult as I thought it would be. I used to be quite consumed with checking fashion blogs and websites, wanting to be up on recent trends. It’s kind of nice to admire those things knowing I wouldn’t act on my desires to actually be trendy. And I’m not that unstylish wearing clothes I bought years ago…

For me, this isn’t a religious thing – it’s also out of the genuine concern I have for how much I personally consume. I don’t write this to condemn, but sincerely believe that for myself, I’ll do what I can to make a dent in the amount of consumption that occurs in this country. Consider these statistics when you go shopping:

Statistics taken from a recent sermon by Pastor Mike Erre of Rock Harbor Church.

I’m going to see how long I can go without buying any new clothing. And this Christmas, I’m hoping not to consume on behalf of others so I plan on making my presents donations to organizations and families I support. Plus giving books and music. Books and music are always good. Do you want to make a dent? If so, how?

What does it mean to you?  I know a lot of people who complain about how commercialized Christmas has become…and then rush out with their lists and catalogs and ads to wait in lines at 3 in the morning on Black Friday.  I always wonder…if you hate what Christmas has become, why bother?  Don’t be the thing you hate.  You know that expression, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?  Well I kinda hate that phrase.  Maybe not all the time, but in this case, definitely.  Fight the system!  And if you refuse to fight the system, don’t complain about it.  You are perpetuating the problem.  How?  Well, I’ll tell ya!

First off, don’t complain about it.  No one likes a hypocrite, especially one who feels the need to guilt trip our entire society.  Hey, I hate the Hallmark-ing of a sacred holiday too, but I also know that I will, without a doubt, end up shopping for Christmas gifts, and asking for/looking forward to something special from Mom and Dad.  So I keep quiet about it.  It’s about balance.  Which leads us to our next point.

Don’t worry about hurting people’s feelings.  You really don’t HAVE to buy everyone you know a present.  Or if you really really feel the need to give every coworker in your building a gift, make a giant batch of cookies and leave it in the break room.  Ta-da!  20 gifts or so out of the way.  Along the same lines, making gifts is a great way to cost-effectively include everyone on your list.  What you make is up to you (I’m really bad at gift ideas) but the classics are: A custom frame with a favorite picture or poem, a coupon book (although that tends to be associated with kids), pasta necklaces, etc.  For my birthday, my best friend Allison made me a purse out of an old skirt.  It was my favorite birthday gift this year (although I am extremely grateful for all the other gifts I received!).  I think of her every time I use it, which is daily, and it makes me smile to think about what it originated as.  And when people compliment it I get to tell them its story!

Another great gift for people is a memory.  What I mean is, not an object.  The best way I can think to describe this is with an example.  For my mom’s birthday we had a day where we went to get massages, had lunch, and went thrift store shopping.  Things she likes!  Sure, I like massages and food, too, (not so much with the thrift stores) but the point is that we had a nice day together.  For my dad I bought tickets to see Bill Cosby.  Sure, the tickets won’t be any good till May, but it really is the thought that counts, and we will still have a nice evening together and we’ll be doing something he’ll enjoy.  So instead of trying to find the perfect thing for someone, try spending some actual quality time with them.  Isn’t that the point?

Last, but definitely definitely not least, is Tiny Tim’s famous quote: “God bless us, everyone.”  Yep, everyone.  Not just friends or family or coworkers or that boss you’re trying to suck up to.  Every.  One.  If you are like most Americans, you have some sort of budget or spending limit for the holidays.  Why not include a fund for charities or donations?  I know it’s cliche, but it’s cliche for a reason.  And, again, that’s the whole point.  Sure, we should give to and help others all year long, but the point is, generally speaking, we don’t.  So, if we’re looking to fight the commercialism, why not make an extra conscious effort to reach out during the holiday season?  If not funds, why not time?  Volunteer at a soup kitchen (again, cliche) or something along those lines.

The point of all this (and it’s a lot I know, sorry) is that if you are going to whine about the mindset of most people around this time of year, don’t buy into that same mindset, or at least not as much.  Do something about it.  Make Christmas what it’s supposed to be.  It’s not like Father Christmas just decided one day that he wanted all of us to panic over the new hot toy.  He didn’t disappear.  Father Christmas is still there trying to catch our attention.  We’re too busy clipping coupons.  We, as a society, broke Christmas.  We can fix it.

Many mark the Think Tank album cover as the beginning of Banksy's mainstream success.

Banksy brought street art to the mainstream. His stencil work appears on walls across the world from Bristol to Palestine. His subversive political subject matter, that questions authority and appropriates clichéd imagery as a means of demonstrating exploitation and inequality, has become emblematic of the sentiments of the street art movement in a holistic sense. As such many have likened his influence in the art world to that of Andy Warhol. His work has been reaching prices far beyond those attained by British artists of grater repute and longevity. His sphere of artistic influence is so great that massive British rock band Blur commissioned a piece of his work for their Think Tank album cover.

Underlying the rave reviews exorbitant sale prices is one fundamental assumption: Originality. When I first saw Banksy’s work I was blown away, it was visually punch, witty, satirical and held profound social comment, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. In my mind he was the inventor of appropriative political stencil art. I almost deified Banksy as an artist, emulating his techniques and media in my own work.

An instance of banksy plagiarised rat symbolism.

You can imagine my disappointment then when I was watching a program on ABC2 about a month ago that contained an interview with French artist Blek le Rat. This interview revealed a shocking truth, Banksy’s artwork was not original it was derivative. Thirty years before Banksy’s rise to prevalence Blek le Rat was creating works almost identical in a visual sense.

It would be forgivable for Banksy to have borrowed Le Rat’s aesthetic and media, but the correlation of subject matter brings this issue into the realm of plagiarism. Le Rat appropriates images of brutality and despotism for use in juxtaposition with images of innocence so Banksy does the same. Le rat Employs Rats as a symbol of the downtrodden elements of society, and so does Banksy.

So what is the difference between these artists? Why have you heard of Banksy and not Blek le Rat? The answer to these questions is in marketing, Banksy might famously and very publicly shun commercialism and capitalism instead supporting the notion of anarchy, but take a look at his art. Every piece is branded with the Banksy slogan for validation, he’s published an expensive coffee table tome (you know the sort that people buy to leave laying around so they appear edgy and cool) and his work has increasingly moved in a direction conducive to display in galleries.

Blek le Rat's rats

While some people may hold these things against banksy, personally I don’t mind, it brings his art to the masses, and its art worth looking at, with egalitarianism at heart. I’m not going to condemn an artist because he’s not starving.

Hey, I’m not going to tell you what to think, define your own subjective truth, you might want some references though, check these out.

Banksy’s Book is Wall and Peace
Banksy’s Website
Blek Le Rat’s website

On the left a piece by banksy, on the right a piece by Le Rat. I wonder where Banksy got his ideas from?

Oh well, editia a doua a PR TEA-ului urmeaza sa aiba loc. Cum, unde si la cat va las sa descoperiti singuri din afis. “De ce?” va lamuresc eu. Pentru ca ne place, prentru ca voi ati fost receptivi, pentru ca ni vrem sa mai vedem cel putin 100 de editii de acum inainte si mai ales pentru ca invitatii au ce sa ne invete si noi avem nevoie de cunostiintele lor. App de invitat, Calin Crainic va fii acolo cu noi si o sa ne spuna ce si cum si cat

 Nu uitati de inscriere, ca fara e bai! Si nu uitati ca noi va asteptam!

The Rise and Fall of Design Within Reach | Fast Company.

Consumer habits changing : Opinion : The Buffalo News.

Consumer habits changing : Opinion : The Buffalo News.

As the movement of seemingly organized activists descended into chaos, I remember watching the WTO protests in disbelief.  The tear gas, the riot police, the mass arrests- I had never seen anything like it, let alone in Seattle’s downtown (the Seattle Times takes a look back at N30 here).

Photo by Pedro Perez, The Seattle Times

Though my attitude at the time (as an ignorant college student) was probably more along the lines of “take a shower, hippie!” than “fight the power!“, the unfolding drama piqued my curiosity on the issues.  I wondered why people would promote anarchism and chain themselves together with bike locks over what seemed like little more than “harmless” international trade policies.  Well, I’ve learned a lot in the past decade since that fateful November 30th.

First, I’ve learned that globalization has an underside; an ugliness that we often prefer to keep hidden from view.  Globalization has not benefited everyone equally (if that weren’t already painfully obvious); and in fact it has– somewhat predictably– helped those at the top of the global heap to secure a strikingly disproportionate share of the spoils.  When labor is cheap (as it certainly is in the two-thirds world), 9.9 times/10, you can bet that the increased profit margins are not going to the laborers.

Second, I’ve learned that the language of “international trade liberalization” often functions as code words for global trade deregulation on a massive scale.  And I’m no economic genius, but we’re all living in the aftermath of a deregulated financial market collapse, and the outcome wasn’t so great.  The idea that government controls on trade always stifle economic  growth is corporate propaganda; market regulation is simply a healthy part of a system of checks and balances that keeps greedy capitalism from going off the rails.

Third, I’ve learned that supporting opposition to organizations like the WTO does not mean that you have to subscribe to principles of economic isolationism.  International trade is a good thing– a necessary thing, even– but it needs to be regulated given the vast social, economic, and political disparities of our world.  More stringent regulation may curtail explosive short term growth, but in the long run, it supports equity and sustainability, environmental stewardship, just profit sharing, and mutually beneficial trade partnerships.

And I’ll take those long term benefits over short term profits any day of the week.  Long live the free trade protests (next time just leave the trouble-making oregonian anarchists at home)!

I went out shopping for groceries and household items today. Gods, how I hate shopping between the middle of October and the end of December. I try to avoid shopping on weekends completely during this period, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances force me to do so. The level of consumerism in this culture looks so odd if you’re an outsider. I’ve been here about 40 years, and every year the level of consumerism increases a bit more. I understand it’s not quite as bad elsewhere on the planet, but it doesn’t make it easier to have to live in the place where it’s at its worst. Coming from a culture that only produces and consumes what it absolutely needs and re-uses resources as much as it can, the mounting level of waste is very disturbing.

I’ve also noticed that people get very aggressive shopping, driving, walking, etc. this time of year. It’s as if their survival depends on getting whatever the mass media advertisers decide is the ‘next big thing’. While the notion is absurd to me, I think that one day the reverse will be true. If this civilization is to survive beyond the next 50 or so years, they’ll have to get past their material fixation.

Later in the evening, I caught up on computer work for a few of our clients. A couple of us went into business servicing and upgrading computers. Since our own machines are quite a bit more advanced, the locals’ computers are easy to work with. Sometimes the locals’ lack of technical knowledge [even of their own tech] gets a bit annoying, but we grin and bear it.

We earn enough hard currency to buy food and other necessities from the locals. It’s more honorable than replicating the local currency, not that I think anyone would catch on if we did. We haven’t used hard currency in our own economy for quite a long time, so those of us who don’t stay here a long time have a bit of difficulty getting used to the idea that it’s still in use here.

Tomorrow, I’ve got a bit of ‘official’ work to do. The people in charge of the mission on-planet want to have someone look at some experimental aircraft in-person. I guess they’re afraid the locals might have developed some sensor tech that would detect the drone probes we’ve been using for this type of recon. We have some small scout ships hidden on-planet in case we need them, so it won’t be a problem to look at what’s going on first-hand. The scout ships have a lot better ’stealth’ capability than those old probes. It should be a nice change of pace.

Sir Rake is the chairman of British India (british telecom)  who lives in a broadband desert country area in england between High Wycombe and Henley (where the regatta is held)

He is the only man with broadband in the area, to anybody else a connection would cost you £ 68000 pounds sterling.

Oddly the economics and civil service ethics clash – apparently nobody in Hambeldon wants broadband and thus nobody gets it, but if an employee like Sir Rake moves in it is ok, British Telecom (britsih india) also want a .50 pence tax (half of a pound sterling)  on all phones line to pay for Hambledon areas.

The moral of the tale – monopolies are bad and that  bt.plc is no  business (my blog). Thus if in a desert Michaels your man.

Americans have a new reason to ramp up their massive consumerism! Cyber Monday has arrived! Ok, so the term has existed for a few years now, but I’m hearing it for the first time. Cyber Monday is the day when supposedly online sales peak. So we are encouraged to celebrate by buying more! Now I’m not opposed to online retailers using the term as an excuse to offer great discounts and sell things at a cheaper price. I support any excuse to discount items. What I hate is how Cyber Monday is presented to us all as the day when we’re supposed to buy things online. And it’s done in a “didn’t you know this already?” fashion.

To me it’s like someone giving themselves a nickname and then expecting everyone to think they are special because they have this cool nickname. It’s not a special day! If they, in their attempt to make it special want to offer discounts, then that’s nice. But for the media to treat it like a Black Friday is preposterous. You don’t see the news reporting on the effect of the Foley’s Red Apple sale do you? But you do see this and this. It’s advertising. “Cyber Monday” sales are strong because the deals are strong. Not because everyone is in the shopping mood and suddenly returning to their cubicles with their high-speed internet and buying Christmas presents on company time! I haven’t done the research to support my statement. I’m relying on a little wisdom from the rarely cited source, common sense. Plus I’m encouraged by whispers of affirmation I received from wikipedia. But that’s just wikipedia and I haven’t taken the time to review their sources.

If you don’t believe that it is all advertising hype which the media is supporting by making a “story” out of it please just look at this “article” on mlb.com. That my friends, is advertising. Do not be fooled by the fact that it’s the first article listed in the headlines section. Kudos, by the way, to NFL.com and NBA.com as they don’t list anything about “Cyber Monday” on their home page. Granted they aren’t in the offseason like the MLB is, but if you don’t think MLB.com would look like that regardless then you don’t visit the site often. They seed advertising into their news year round. It’s normally not so silly though. Nascar has a big “Cyber Monday” graphic, but it is straight-up good, honest advertising. Well as honest as anything with the term “Cyber Monday” can be.

I’ve said it before. Americans don’t like being advertised to in secret. Forcing this “Cyber Monday” concept into our consciousness falls in to that category. The mainstream media has become an advertising outlet in ways that it was never intended to be. Granted, it needs advertising to survive. That’s we have commerical breaks, sidebar ads and yes, even annoying pop-up windows. For the advertising to enter into the media’s content is a shame.
]]> http://creedorchaos.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/distracting-messiahs/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:17:46 +0000 creedorchaos http://creedorchaos.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/distracting-messiahs/

Yesterday marked the season of Advent, which begins the celebration of the coming of the Child-king and Messiah, Jesus Christ. But three days before the beginning of Advent, many people in the United States have already started worshipping their messiahs—all the various forms of consumerism and entertainment. In his fascinating book, The Wages of Spin, Carl Trueman gets at the reason why people are so caught up with entertainment. He writes,

Distraction is the production of entertainment for the purpose of taking one’s mind off the deeper realities of life (p. 177).

Both in and out of the Church, people create messiahs and adore them in order to distract themselves from the most pressing question that Christmas would otherwise make them face. That question has to with the ultimate meaning of life and the cold reality that everyone will die. But denial makes life so much easier, does it not? As the cliché goes: ignorance is bliss. It is so much easier to sit around and numb ourselves with self-congratulation and self-worship. The messiahs, whom we want, are the ones who save us from deep thought. We want saviors that help us sidestep the most important things in life. After all, if we militate our need for savior, then we can find equally pathetic and mind-debilitating saviors. If my real problem is boredom, then someone please just buy me a PS3 to stop the pain; but if my problem is sin, death, and the wrath of God against my sin, then I am going to need something that money cannot solve.

Last night I heard a sermon on Matthew 2 about the Child-king who would come to rescue people from their sins and death (Matt. 1:21). The Gentile magi (ancient astronomers and readers of dreams) came from the East to Israel to pay homage to this newborn King. Eventually finding their way to Bethlehem, they offered kingly gifts to the child. They spent not only their time but also their money on this child. What a phenomenal act of worship and praise! Instead of numbing their senses to the very visible star in the western sky, they went in search for the King of Israel. Unlike the Jewish scholars of the Scriptures, the magi were more sensitive to the messianic prophesies. Instead of ignoring the Star like the Jews, we should follow the magi to Bethlehem. This Advent season, we should consider to whom we owe honor and praise. But more than that, we should consider calling attention to the Light of the world, the Star who is more dazzling and true than all the false idolatry that surrounds us.

This Infant-king deserves our adoration, but he deserves it in a way that is backed by real cash and real time. Perhaps we should use this distracting season not only to call ourselves but also close friends and family to think deeply about our need for salvation from sin and misery, instead of reinforcing and augmenting our false and distracting messiahs. What I am asking all of us to do this Advent is to stop worshiping ourselves and to bow down to the only King that matters, to reflect deeply on our faith. Stop entertaining yourself with thoughtless activities. Instead read that book that you always wanted to. Maybe read John Murray’s book, Redemption Accomplished and Applied. Have that long talk with a close friend or family member that you have been avoiding. When the opportunity presents itself, defend your faith in this Child.

~Joshua

Building Project for First Baptist Dallas

More bang for the buck is the global shopper’s mantra of the century. That is why, even though it isn’t healthy to do so, many people still are “supersizing” their fast-food value meals. Many also are visiting king-size theme parks for more spectacular attractions and superb entertainment, and they are shopping at various membership warehouse club stores for bulk packages of food, drink, and household goods.

As a result, fast-food restaurants that are not supersizing their meals might find it hard to compete with a McDonald’s or a Burger King that is. Then too, the local amusement places, those that do not have hundreds of acres of breathtaking attractions and extraordinary entertainment, also might find it hard to compete with a Disneyland or a Six Flags Over Los Angeles (a.k.a. Magic Mountain) that does have the acreage, attractions, and entertainment. Last, it is obvious that ordinary grocery stores cannot compete with the bulk sizes found in a Costco or a Sam’s Club.

In fact, it is because of our love for bigger and so-called better things that many of us have a difficult time being happy with anything that is the “regular” size. This love for bigger and so-called better things also is the reason why, even though we might not be able to fulfill our dreams, we still long to live in homes as enormous as castles, or long to drive fully loaded full-size cars, or long to be members of mega-churches that offer us all of the amenities found in shopping malls (like banks, coffee shops, bookstores, spas, weight rooms, and so forth).

Concerning our churches, many pastors have adopted a Field of Dreams philosophy—if we build it, they will come. My, my, my, how twisted we have gotten the Great Commission. Instead of The CHURCH going into the world and turning it upside down, the world has come into our institutional church and turned it inside out, which is why many of our churches are now nothing more than a branded product. In these branded churches, we are marketing and selling the Gospel and, by extension, Jesus the Christ, and our consumers (Christian members) are expecting our churches to promote, sell, and distribute our goods and services (the Gospel and, by extension, Jesus the Christ as consumer options) just like we would promote, sell, and distribute an amusement park, something that entertains, a car, house, food, and so forth!

As Tyler Wigg-Stevenson writes in the article “Jesus Is Not A Brand”:

In other words, people who respond to church marketing approach Jesus as another consumer option. This is first and foremost a problem because it is blasphemy: We are talking about the incarnate Logos, not a logo. Additionally (in case blasphemy isn’t bad enough), this should concern us because of the problems it creates for discipleship. Consumerism isn’t just a social phenomenon—it’s a spirituality. And it comes with spiritual habits and disciplines that conflict with the particular practices of the Christian life. (p. 4)

It is no wonder then that this view of salvation—marketing for selling and distributing—has contributed to why we now are more concerned with building mega-churches that have evangelistic windows than concerned with ministering to people’s spiritual needs by first winning them over with the Good News about Jesus the Christ, and then infecting them with our love for God and our zeal to glorify Him in the world. How foolish it is for anyone to think that church windows can do the Great Commission work that has been assigned to every believer!

While it is true that the Lord can have the rocks cry out His name and/or worship Him, God does not want this scenario to be the norm. Thus, creating windows that have an evangelistic effect—that say to people “come and see” what we have in our church—is not what we are called to do. We ALL are called to be evangelists (preachers and/or teachers of the Gospel) who then make disciples of the saved ones. We must “go and make” disciples of mankind rather than sit and wait for our evangelistic windows to draw into our mega-church buildings those who are on the outside looking inside!

Jesus the Christ says: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19-20a, NLT). How, then, do we justify using sky-high amounts of money for building mammoth churches? Why are we not putting the millions of dollars earmarked for church building projects toward the advancement of the Kingdom of God on Earth? Are we not supposed to be about our Father’s business? Isn’t God’s business about influencing the people we meet for Jesus the Christ, and about making an impact upon our surroundings, the community in which we live, so that we fulfill our part in the salvation of lost souls and the spiritual growth/maturity of the saved?

When our Lord commands us “to occupy” until He returns, He certainly doesn’t mean for us to be so busy building bigger churches, only for members to sit in during Saturday or Sunday worship services and weekday Bible studies, or just so members can use their own banks, spas, weight rooms, coffee shops, and bookstores, that we merely produce a small fraction of our mega-church members who actually fulfill their evangelistic and discipleship responsibilities! If this is what the building of bigger churches has come to, then clearly we will have some explaining to do!

For more of “Jesus Is Not A Brand,” please read Tyler Wigg-Stevenson’s January 2009 Christianity Today article in full. Also read Jared Wilson’s “Six Flags Over Jesus” entry on his The Gospel-Driven Church blog, and please read Michael Craven’s May 2009 article, “‘If You Build It, They Will Come’ Ecclesiology,” on Crosswalk.com.

]]> http://keepyourcoinsiwantchange.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/want-to-smell-like-mjs-corpse-okay-then/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:58:52 +0000 jeff http://keepyourcoinsiwantchange.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/want-to-smell-like-mjs-corpse-okay-then/

Sit down Kittens and prepare to be baffled.

I know as regular readers your skin has become thick to the vast weirdness of the world that we talk about here at Keep Your Coins, I Want Change but this two story is enough to make you smash your head on the side of your desk hoping that the resulting brain damage will be less harming than what I offer you today.

Are you prepared? Barf bucket and whiskey ready?

According to MyDNAFragrance.com, they have managed to develop and launch a perfume — from the late King of Pop’s DNA using samples from his hair.
The company, who claim to engineer scents from human genetic codes have recently teamed up with one of the worlds largest collectors of historical and celebrity hair, John Rezikoff, who has given some of Michael Jackson’s hair to the DNA company, so they can manufacture a perfume from the scent of his hair.

“DNA can be extracted from hair shafts with or without the follicle intact. My DNA Fragrance has analysed Reznikoff’s private collection of celebrity hair and is now engineering exclusive fragrances of each celebrity.”

I know Kittens. I pissed Jesus Juice all over myself when I read it as well.

Even creepier than the story about MJ’s hair spray, here is what the makers have to say about it.

“M is an exclusive one-of-a-kind fragrance that explodes into an indescribable fragrance, which seemly draws the attention of every person in the room. It is composed of the lightest, but most volatile essences. Much like the performer himself, this cologne is unique and like no other cologne in the world. We guarantee it.

3 oz. Men’s Cologne”

John Rezikoff must surely be so fucked up he could make Joe Jackson appear to be sane.

If smelling like a dead kid fucker isn’t your cup of tea or isn’t enough to satisfy your lust to stink of a dead famous persons noggin John Rezikoff has the worlds largest collection of dead peoples hair. For $59.99 you can go on their website and smell like Albert Einstein, Joan Crawford, Elvis, Katherine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Abe Lincoln, Babe Ruth, Marie Antoinette, Henry IV, Geronimo, Richard Nixon, General Custer or Stymie from The Little Rascals to name a few and no Kittens, I am NOT making this shit up. They even have a Twitter page so you can receive updates.

Thankfully your $59.99 doesn’t just get you the cologne, if you are at a dinner arty and asks you why you smell like dusty old Katherine Hepburns rotting scalp it also comes with a Registered Certificate of Authenticity just in case your hosts don’t believe you. Or throw up their quiche all over their dining room. You know, whichever comes first.

Maybe MJ’s hair spray doesn’t appeal to you because you remember that Jacko didn’t exactly have great luck when it came to hair, or smelling like Nixon isn’t the mojo that you were hoping for when it comes to getting with the ladies, then no worries Kittens, My DNA Fragrances has perfect and equally bat shit insane solution. They will use YOUR DNA and make you a custom blend of your own personal hair spray so you can smell more like…..you.

“Men’s Exclusive
As a man you are a leader and your individuality says who you are, from the clothes you wear to the car you drive. Now you can wear a fragrance that announces who you are. Its not a formulation to convince you that you are somebody because it has someone else’s name on it. It is a fragrance engineered by your genealogy, your genetic code. This fragrance is yours because it’s you. My DNA Fragrance Exclusive for Men.”

“Women’s Exclusive
As a woman this fragrance says I am. This is me. I no longer wear hand me downs. My genetic code is created from my heritage. I am connected to kings and queens. I dictate what is good for me. It is the history of my soul that announces who I am through My DNA Fragrance. I am exclusive.”

There really isn’t much more you can say is there Kittens?

Except for possibly that today is November 30th 2009 and my “Shit you just can’t make up and really wish you never knew because it’s just so fucked up” file has officially exploded and will hopefully never be the same again.

Bookmark this on Delicious

This digital file, a line drawing resembling a hat, is free. Here’s how to get yours.

Simply drag the image to your desktop and try not to think about sending me some of your money via Paypal. My account is under tjpeckham@gmail.com

Thank you and please come again.

This news arrived via e-mail just this morning:

Canon USA wants me to Wrap Up All My Holiday Shopping right now, and has many ways for me to save money.

Lulu.com, which helps people make vanity books, has a Cyber-Monday Sale.

Fantagraphic Books, which is a premiere publisher of comics for the intellectually robust, has a 30% off sale on all comix published in 2009.

JetBlue Airways is offering a Great Trio Sale with airfares of $39/$69/$99. My experience with JetBlue sales is that I never qualify for them or am interested in where they are going. My last airfare between New York and San Francisco on JetBlue was more than $400.

Apple is offering Great Pricing on Exclusive Accessories. They must be really great, because they sent me the e-mail twice.

Amazon.com wants me to Give The Gift of Reading with their Kindle.

Sur La Table, which has been contacting me almost daily since I bought four placemats a month ago, wants to offer me an entire 14-pice set of Wusthoff knives for only $119. With free shipping! That’s a good deal. Except I already have that set. Somebody else may need one, though. I’m not sure yet.

Perhaps instead I should get the Supreme Joyful Tidings Gift Tower from Wolferman’s Bakery. I have no idea how I got on their e-mailing list, but they’ve been on my case for a while now. Nice tower.

EBay has Hot Gifts for Stanley Bing for under $50, with Free Shipping also.

Or I could Save 10% off everything at Ace Hardware today only!

Cushman Fruit Company, whoever they are, wants me to know that it’s my Last Chance to Enjoy 25% off on selected gifts, with Free Standard Delivery on Others. Cushman’s spokeslogo seems to be a talking orange.

Red Envelope’s 25% off sale has been extended another 24-hours. This has always appeared to me to be a sign of weakness, but perhaps it was because demand is so high?

The Republic of Tea has holiday news. There are gifts under $15 plus a special holiday offer that I will learn about if I decide to open the e-mail.

PayPal, which is owned by EBay and offers me a way to pay online without much hassle, wants to inform me that there are Cyber Deals from Wal-Mart, plus other holiday offers.

The Museum of Modern Art wants me to shop their Holiday Gift Guide. Members get 20% off Today Only.

And all of that before 7:30 AM Eastern Time. That seems like a lot to me. It’s not even counting the stuff I put an automatic Junk Mail label on, which now resides in my Deleted Files folder, unread. Perhaps I’d better check that now. I don’t want to miss all the opportunities now being offered to me by Walgreens.

Consumerism Reflected: Zohar Manor-Abel

By Donald Mehl

We frequently hear of people who are planning an earthly legacy of their good works as a name remembrance for others. Some legacies might be in the form of accomplishments, contributions, recognitions, or generosities all proudly and visibly displayed so that others might admire them. Other legacies simply are a tribute to the person’s character, their compassion for others, their spirituality, or their selfless sacrifices for the benefit of others.

Many legacies are intended to be a long lasting memorial – insuring that earthly works or personal achievements will be remembered long after the person is gone. Legacies of that type could include substantial wealth, possessions, and properties donated to charities, or, simply passed down into the hands of heirs. Other noteworthy items of involvement perceived as lasting legacies might include a successful business, one’s name prominently displayed on a marquee or permanently carved in stone as a remembrance, significant books written or music beautifully composed, or the establishment of a Foundation or Trust for those in need. The list could go on and on.

A few of those items listed certainly are noble endeavors, and can be carried out with honorable and Godly intentions. However, the motives behind many of the others would need to be questioned. All legacies are, in part, attempts to answer the question, “How do I want to be remembered?”

The legacies formed using questionable motives will most often recognize and glorify the individual as the primary focus. They desire to create some visible means of memorializing their name along with the accomplishments. They want their name, their fame, and their fortune etched in history for all to see. Those legacies seem to shout, “Look at all the good things I’ve done”, or, “See how successful I’ve been”, or, “Just imagine all the money I’ve earned in my life and I did it my way.”

Sadly, many of those legacies have the wrong motives since they’re all about promotion and glorification of one’s self self-importance, self-image, self-achievement, and pride.

There’s no doubt that most people work hard to achieve their so-called earthly success. However, there are some who inherit wealth or a “famous” business and family name that might allow them to continue a prior legacy. Also, there are many today embracing and giving praises to the popular self-help books that promote self-esteem and positive thinking for success in life, but most of those books are totally void of sound Biblical wisdom.

Some people might even give token lip service recognizing God for what He has allowed them to accomplish. However, few if any will give Him all the honor and glory, nor can they say their complete faith and trust is in the hands of the One who is in control of all things. Instead of seeking His Will and guidance through prayer and Scripture, most people depend on their own wisdom and understanding along with the help of others.

For those of us who have worked long and hard to acquire, create, and accomplish many things toward a legacy, it should be disconcerting to learn that we don’t own any of it. Like it or not, God owns it all. According to Psalm 89:11, the Lord God founded the heavens and earth, and they are His and everything in them. Psalm 24:1 tells us the earth is the Lord’s, and everything and everyone in it. In Haggai 2:8, the Lord is declaring that all the silver and gold is His.

God only permits us to use that which has always belonged, and will always belong, to Him. Also, we must never assume that our successes and good works are the result of God having blessed them, nor does it mean that we have followed His Will. Often times He simply allows events, both good and bad, to happen or take place to teach us and draw us closer to Him.

Sometimes we think we’re pretty smart, and will often pat ourselves on the back for the new and great things we’ve managed to develop and accomplish. However, Ecclesiastes 1:9,10 explains that there’s nothing new under the sun. In Galatians 6:3 we are told that we deceive ourselves if we think we are something when we are nothing. For the high-minded among us, we are told in Romans 12:3 not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. Also, it’s written in Matthew 23:12 that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

The words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 6:1-4 should be seriously heeded by all who would desire public recognition for their contributions and good works.

Matthew 6:1-4 (NASB)

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Millions of people have been misled to believe they must earn God’s favor through their earthly works, and that those works will play an essential role in where and how they will spend eternity. The Scriptures, however, teach something entirely different. We learn from Isaiah 64:6 that all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags in the sight of God. Those people fail to understand that all the good things they do count for nothing without first repenting and reaching out by faith alone to receive God’s free gift of salvation. The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved not by good works, but rather, for good works.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Titus 3:5 (NASB)

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Earthly treasures and riches are not long lasting as written in both Proverbs 27:24 and Matthew 6:19. In fact, according to Proverbs 11:28a, he who trusts in them will fail. We are warned in 1 Timothy 6:9-10 that those who seek worldly riches fall into temptation, becoming trapped in foolish and harmful desires causing their destruction some even wandering from their faith.

Jesus, speaking to His disciples, asked these questions as recorded in Matthew 16:26 (NASB), “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or, what will a man give in exchange for his own soul?” We are clearly told in Colossians 3:2 to keep our minds set on things above, not on the earth.

All repentant, redeemed, born again, washed-by-the-blood sons and daughters of the most high God, all who have confessed that Jesus is Lord, and all who by faith alone have received His salvation are commanded to be Christ-like in everything we do.

Jesus came down to earth to be born in the most humble of surroundings. During His 33 years here He was poor by worldly standards, but told of how we would have treasures in heaven if we choose to follow Him. Jesus never taught self-esteem, positive thinking, motivation, or wealth preservation, but rather, taught self-denial, humility, and submission. His earthly life temporarily came to an end while hanging naked, beaten, and bleeding on the cross in our place paying the sin penalty in full for all who would believe. Then, when He arose on the third day as He said he would, He proclaimed victory over death and the grave – promising all believers that they, too, would have eternal life through Him.

Jesus’ life is the greatest and most powerful example of a legacy that has no equal, and it will endure forever. He alone is worthy of all the praise, honor, and glory not only for what He did and continues to do, but for Who He is.

What will be your legacy? How do you want to be remembered? Are your treasures in the form of earthly deeds and material things, or, as Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:19-20, are your treasures stored up in heaven? Is the name of Jesus publicly praised with all thanksgiving given to Him who makes all things possible, or, is His name suppressed?

He reminds us in Matthew 6:21 that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. Hebrews 4:13 has a warning that nothing can be hidden from the eyes of God. As written in Romans 14:12, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Will our life’s legacy bear witness that we have loved Him, trusted Him, served Him, and have given Him the honor and glory above all else as Savior, Lord and Master of our life?

We all must think about that!

During retirement, my prayer is that I might serve the Lord by sharing the Gospel through my writing. As the Lord leads, my work will inform, challenge and encourage. I also enjoy Biblical theme woodcarving, Bible studies and Christian music. Watch, pray and keep looking up!

Donald Mehl

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS-MAKE A WEBSITE