Disqus - Latest Comments for Ariah Fine

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 19:35:37 -0000

Great that you are opening your home. I think we run into the difficulty of safety being a concern far too often, and it has kept us from being the church we should truly be.

Open your home, and you'll figure out the way it needs to work as you go. This is your friend and your home, not a business or government. You are the Body of Christ.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 19:35:37 -0000

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 19:36:47 -0000

P.S. My only comment is don't let someone sleep on your mattress unless your okay with getting pee on it (you never know, but if they have alcohol on their breath it's a warning sign).

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 19:36:47 -0000

P.S. My only comment is don't let someone sleep on your mattress unless your okay with getting pee on it (you never know, but if they have alcohol on their breath it's a warning sign).

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:13:54 -0000

For all the negatives and what not I think an article like this is great. Mainly because it points out that there is another side to this Jesus guy. If anything I think it might encourage some to open a Bible and take a look at the real deal and think for themselves what it's all about.

My two cents, I think it's a good thing.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:13:54 -0000

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 23:22:56 -0000

Definitely an interesting take. I've been peeking at the Missio Dei stuff and found your conference on consumption recently. Looking forward to more.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:22:56 -0000

Definitely an interesting take. I've been peeking at the Missio Dei stuff and found your conference on consumption recently. Looking forward to more.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:55:41 -0000

This is great stuff. My wife and I are moving to Minneapolis this fall. We've heard good things about what you got going there. I'd love to know more details about your neighborhood.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:55:41 -0000

This is great stuff. My wife and I are moving to Minneapolis this fall. We've heard good things about what you got going there. I'd love to know more details about your neighborhood.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sun, 20 May 2007 16:03:12 -0000

Well said. I think you hit in on the head, and I don't think shane would disagree with you. I was writing a post to go up on Friday linking to his NPR spot, and I'm still gonna do it, but I'm gonna include a snippet from your post too if you don't mind.

peace.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sun, 20 May 2007 16:03:12 -0000

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 23:38:21 -0000

I agree with Mark, Don't let them off Easy!
Make sure you have a clear message and an intentional way to respond.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 23:38:21 -0000

I agree with Mark, Don't let them off Easy!
Make sure you have a clear message and an intentional way to respond.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 02:50:21 -0000

Congrats!
Babies are an amazing thing. My wife and I are hoping adopting an older child when we move north, so I'd love to chat sometime about the Hennepin adoption process sometime.

Peace and congrats again.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 02:50:21 -0000

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:08:59 -0000

Mark,

Thanks for posting this and bringing up the conversation. I'm looking forward to your response later, but I'm more then willing to chime in with mine. As Cary didn't address very much on the 'Jesus' level, I think I might add some rambling insight there. If these people serving were not follower's of Christ's teaching I can see them making whatever choices/excuses they want, however, it's not quite the same if they choose to follow 'the good book.'

The answer to your last question:
"Is there any real difference between these “rich” people and those of us who do occasional stints with the poor or downtrodden only then to return to the safety of our middle-American lives?"
In my Opinion is 'No' there is no difference really, we definitely would fit into the 'rich' camp. So, the issue isn't so much about taking the speck out of our siblings eyes, but removing the plank from our own.

Let's think about Jesus for a second. When we remove him from the distorted view of what our current 'christianized' picture of Jesus is, and place him back in his true character that we see in the gospels, I think we have a strong case for something entirely different then occasional charity.
Jesus lived amongst the poor, in genuine solidarity with the poor. He did not go and serve occasional meals to the poor, he would be the one in line getting food. He did a couple food related miracles, but those were certainly not the stepping down from on high types of charity. Before I start rambling, I think my point is this. If you actually look at Jesus' life I think the example we see gives more evidence for avoiding ritzy dinners, eating in the parks and soup kitchens with the least of these, avoiding pious charity events and changing our lifestyle and attitudes so that we are amongst and in relationship with those we intend to 'serve.'

Sorry, that was a lot of rambling. I'm tired. peace.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:08:59 -0000

Mark,

Thanks for posting this and bringing up the conversation. I'm looking forward to your response later, but I'm more then willing to chime in with mine. As Cary didn't address very much on the 'Jesus' level, I think I might add some rambling insight there. If these people serving were not follower's of Christ's teaching I can see them making whatever choices/excuses they want, however, it's not quite the same if they choose to follow 'the good book.'

The answer to your last question:

"Is there any real difference between these “rich” people and those of us who do occasional stints with the poor or downtrodden only then to return to the safety of our middle-American lives?"

In my Opinion is 'No' there is no difference really, we definitely would fit into the 'rich' camp. So, the issue isn't so much about taking the speck out of our siblings eyes, but removing the plank from our own.

Let's think about Jesus for a second. When we remove him from the distorted view of what our current 'christianized' picture of Jesus is, and place him back in his true character that we see in the gospels, I think we have a strong case for something entirely different then occasional charity.

Jesus lived amongst the poor, in genuine solidarity with the poor. He did not go and serve occasional meals to the poor, he would be the one in line getting food. He did a couple food related miracles, but those were certainly not the stepping down from on high types of charity. Before I start rambling, I think my point is this. If you actually look at Jesus' life I think the example we see gives more evidence for avoiding ritzy dinners, eating in the parks and soup kitchens with the least of these, avoiding pious charity events and changing our lifestyle and attitudes so that we are amongst and in relationship with those we intend to 'serve.'

Sorry, that was a lot of rambling. I'm tired. peace.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 23:29:14 -0000

Points well taken from the others comments. What I meant to imply by the 'ritzy' dinners comment was in connection with the type of superior elitist dining that seemed to be occurring in the original story. Jesus certainly dined with the elitist crowd, but I think he did it in a way that clearly conveyed he was not a part of that crowd.

In response to Jonas, here's something I wrote a while back:
http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2006/11/27/least-...

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 23:29:14 -0000

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:29:17 -0000

Mark,

This is fabulous. Let me just say that I strongly resonate with you. I still think you should do what you feel is most in line with following Scripture as it relates to specific situations (the Ellul material), but let's look at the bigger picture your talking about.

Your absolutely right that we could do this thing SO much better. I've always thought all churches should have libraries, and yet, people still don't read that much. Imagine inter-library loan from church to church. Wouldn't that be pretty sweet?

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:29:17 -0000

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:11:33 -0000

Very well said

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:11:33 -0000

Very well said

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:30:34 -0000

Dude, you got to check this out:
http://www.anothersky.org/main/our-beliefs/

I think you'd be impressed.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:30:34 -0000

Dude, you got to check this out:
http://www.anothersky.org/main/our-beliefs/

I think you'd be impressed.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:36:40 -0000

I'd be interested in hearing more.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:36:40 -0000

I'd be interested in hearing more.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:10:34 -0000

Hey, I'd still love to get together if you have a chance...

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:10:34 -0000

Hey, I'd still love to get together if you have a chance...

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:39:24 -0000

I totally understand the lady too, she was looking for something in particular.
I think the problem is that you looked on face value like most other churches whose doors she walked through, and when she browsed the program and things (like she's probably done in other churches) she didn't see what she was looking for. Maybe the disservice you did her was not to not have programs, but rather that you didn't run out the back and talk to her about what it was that she was looking for, and explain why your church was not only different then ones with typical programs, but different then all the other thresholds she's crossed on a Sunday morning.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:39:24 -0000

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:17:57 -0000

@espiritu: Your absolutely right on.
I didn't mean for it to sound like 'talk' was what needed to be addressed. My intention was to point out that these 'talk incidents' that have been made known in the spotlight are an indicator, like the visible tip of the iceberg, to the mountain of racism, largely structural, that exist in our society.

Your examples are great. Keep sharing them.

When incidents like the Jena Six, Megan Williams, and many others still occur, there is certainly more then just 'talk' that needs to be addressed.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 04:17:57 -0000

@espiritu: Your absolutely right on.
I didn't mean for it to sound like 'talk' was what needed to be addressed. My intention was to point out that these 'talk incidents' that have been made known in the spotlight are an indicator, like the visible tip of the iceberg, to the mountain of racism, largely structural, that exist in our society.
Your examples are great. Keep sharing them.

When incidents like the Jena Six, Megan Williams, and many others still occur, there is certainly more then just 'talk' that needs to be addressed.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:47:15 -0000

Well said Richard

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:47:15 -0000

Well said Richard

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:52:29 -0000

Forrest,

Can I start by saying your a really well-written and deep thinker. It's taken me a while to process through what you said, and I'm not even close to done yet. At the same time let me clarify why I chose the list ideas I did.

I agree with all of what you said, that I understood. The reason I chose the 'pastor' 'worship' 'church' ideas to brainstorm is because I think the current mainstream church lacks creativity. And I figured there are a lot of brilliant people like you who visit Jesus Manifesto who could throw out some ideas that might help those churches step out of their shell a little bit.

I'm already a skeptic and critic of church in general most of the time, but I saw this as an opportunity to plant suggestions rather then critics on my part. I completely agree though that if things aren't done with a proper spirit and attitude, they aren't worship and are trivial at best.

I hope that clarified what I was intending at least a little bit.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:52:29 -0000

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:50:46 -0000

Well, you've extended my reading list.
You've given me a lot to think about.

Starts making me wonder what I'm doing babbling on.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 01:50:46 -0000

Well, you've extended my reading list.
You've given me a lot to think about.
Starts making me wonder what I'm doing babbling on.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:19:24 -0000

That's an excellent list.

It's hard to make a case when we start from the basis of our current culture, which assumes we should live as separate family units. If you can step away from that though, communal living is a no-brainer.

You hit the major points, but there's more:

It's just more fun.

Saves time (shared cooking, cleaning, etc)

Keep one another accountable

Instant Babysitters

Shared possessions curbs consumerism (how many blenders do you need?)

Shared space and appliances cuts down on your carbon footprint

Did I mention it's a lot of fun?

It can be a 'withdrawal' but it really doesn't have to be.

From experience I know that when you live in community random people are MUCH more like to 'drop by.' When it was just me and my wife none of our friends would ever stop by, in community it's much more inviting.

Go Community!

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:19:24 -0000

That's an excellent list.

It's hard to make a case when we start from the basis of our current culture, which assumes we should live as separate family units. If you can step away from that though, communal living is a no-brainer.

You hit the major points, but there's more:

It's just more fun.
Saves time (shared cooking, cleaning, etc)
Keep one another accountable
Instant Babysitters
Shared possessions curbs consumerism (how many blenders do you need?)
Shared space and appliances cuts down on your carbon footprint
Did I mention it's a lot of fun?

It can be a 'withdrawal' but it really doesn't have to be.
From experience I know that when you live in community random people are MUCH more like to 'drop by.' When it was just me and my wife none of our friends would ever stop by, in community it's much more inviting.

Go Community!

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:48:41 -0000

Amen. Bless the Lord for your birth and may this year bring to pass all you desire.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 06:48:41 -0000

Amen. Bless the Lord for your birth and may this year bring to pass all you desire.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:00:44 -0000

great discussion!
I wonder how I'm supposed to handle my finances. It's obvious we should not spend on our selves lavishly, but what do we do with the extra income that we have?

Do we invest it for greater good, or do we give it away now for immediate good? I'm not sure of the right answer. A little of both?

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:00:44 -0000

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:09:08 -0000

Interesting.
Does it really cost $8 a month to power my laptop?

And what about just putting linux on an old computer? Less production that way.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:44:44 -0000

Cool. I find it interesting and might think about it at some point

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:09:08 -0000

Interesting.
Does it really cost $8 a month to power my laptop?

And what about just putting linux on an old computer? Less production that way.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:44:44 -0000

Cool. I find it interesting and might think about it at some point

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:26:39 -0000

regarding energy cost:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/ee...

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:26:39 -0000

regarding energy cost:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/ee...

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:56:22 -0000

Thanks for the Comments Everyone!

@Mark: I definitely didn't mean this is a critique of you, I can understand your struggle as an editor, and it's mostly my fault since your so willing to publish my simple stuff, I could be that other voice on the site.

That being said, thanks also for understanding the need to struggle with this.

@Michael: Thanks for chiming in. I'll be honest, I didn't read your post. I skimmed it, but I'll be honest, big words like 'ideology' and others scare me (I'm sounding like a wuss aren't I?). Even mentions of Marx and Ellul, though I love the reflections I've seen come from the writings, tend to be hard to digest.

@Anna and Joe: Thanks for the encouragement.

I believe the goal is not only to struggle with the academic issues, but to constantly try and struggle with them in such a way that others can engage (basically what Mark said)...

"how do we explore challenging and lofty ideas on this site in such a way that non-academics still free to engage in the process of fleshing things out?"

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:56:22 -0000

Thanks for the Comments Everyone!

@Mark: I definitely didn't mean this is a critique of you, I can understand your struggle as an editor, and it's mostly my fault since your so willing to publish my simple stuff, I could be that other voice on the site.
That being said, thanks also for understanding the need to struggle with this.

@Michael: Thanks for chiming in. I'll be honest, I didn't read your post. I skimmed it, but I'll be honest, big words like 'ideology' and others scare me (I'm sounding like a wuss aren't I?). Even mentions of Marx and Ellul, though I love the reflections I've seen come from the writings, tend to be hard to digest.

@Anna and Joe: Thanks for the encouragement.

I believe the goal is not only to struggle with the academic issues, but to constantly try and struggle with them in such a way that others can engage (basically what Mark said)...
"how do we explore challenging and lofty ideas on this site in such a way that non-academics still free to engage in the process of fleshing things out?"

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:03:10 -0000

Thanks for all of the conversation, it's really encouraging to see the conversation that comes out of sharing our stories. Let me address a couple things...

My point of telling the story was in no way to make a statement, theological or otherwise, about either of the groups (FNB or the church) but rather to raise the question. The question at the end wasn't intended to be rhetorical, but to be an honest one that creates some tension, I don't think it's an either/or.

To respond to Joel, I do believe I tried to introduce those I interact with to Jesus. I'm not sure I did it in the same way you would, but I feel like I both lived and spoke in a way that attested to Jesus' work in my life and his truths for all people.

I would be curious though Joel, what you might think a conversation or introduction might look like.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:03:10 -0000

Thanks for all of the conversation, it's really encouraging to see the conversation that comes out of sharing our stories. Let me address a couple things...

My point of telling the story was in no way to make a statement, theological or otherwise, about either of the groups (FNB or the church) but rather to raise the question. The question at the end wasn't intended to be rhetorical, but to be an honest one that creates some tension, I don't think it's an either/or.

To respond to Joel, I do believe I tried to introduce those I interact with to Jesus. I'm not sure I did it in the same way you would, but I feel like I both lived and spoke in a way that attested to Jesus' work in my life and his truths for all people.
I would be curious though Joel, what you might think a conversation or introduction might look like.

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:17:11 -0000

Josh,
Thanks for the link, looks like your project is taking off. Glad I could be of encouragement

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:17:11 -0000

Josh,
Thanks for the link, looks like your project is taking off. Glad I could be of encouragement

Re: the Jesus Manifesto » Maintenance Mode

Ariah Fine — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:17:11 -0000

Michael Cline, You've done fabulous work friend.

Re: Twelve Marks of a New Elitism? - Mark #10

Ariah Fine — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:29:07 -0000

Super solid! Thanks for putting into words some of my struggles. I've tried to articulate the desire to choose a lifestyle (and food style) that could be both sustainable and attainable by others in our neighborhood. In other words, affordable both financially and time-wise for others with limited food budgets.

Thanks and I look forward to your other posts on this topic.

Re: Teen Assaults Teacher, Activist Worries About Teen?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 08:39:16 -0000

I have no intention of taking sides on this, but I do wish to comment. And this is not in defense of Rose or Fullwood, it's just about our current society in general.

You say:
"The races of the people involved are irrelevant to me, as they should be to the school, the court system, and everyone else involved."

Unfortunately, that's not the way it is. Rose isn't the only one with the 'us against them' mentality, though he might be the only one outspoken about it. Unfortunately, many teachers, many judges, many police officers, and many other people in our society are racist and prejudice, though they'd never come right out and say it.

I'm not saying this is one of those incidents, but racism still exist, and until we as a society start to get that right, there are going to be people like Rose, some with good intentions others not so good, rising up and speaking out.

Re: How do you decide where to live?

Ariah Fine — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:34:09 -0000

having grown up in Madison and now living in Minneapolis I'll have to give another vote for either of those states and cities, also Chicago is pretty swell.

Re: New Plugin Ideas for WordPress

Ariah Fine — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 18:18:01 -0000

First of all your sticky note is great, mind if I steal the idea?

Secondly,
I think a great plugin would be something like the feature plugin:
http://no.oneslistening.com/160
but more robust. If you look at the post on my site, I have title banners for 'pillar' posts. Would I'd love to do is have a plugin that could display a random title banner image, linked to that post, from a collection of 'feature' posts that I have picked out.
Currently I'm planning on just hardcoding it in, but I think a plugin would be great.

Re: Hump Day YouTube

Ariah Fine — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:41:05 -0000

Thanks for the link ;)

I've seen that other one before too. pretty good

Re: Hump Day YouTube

Ariah Fine — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:41:11 -0000

Thanks for the link.

Re: Zondervan, The Ooze and “My Beautiful Idol”

Ariah Fine — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:37:40 -0000

:) just finished it. review on Saturday

Re: Getting More Focused

Ariah Fine — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:36:46 -0000

Blake, so do you like the IntenseDebate? I was thinking of adding it. Mainly for the email reply feature. Let me know what you think.

Re: Living in a “Post-Race” Era?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:23:21 -0000

Isn't this terribly disturbing? And then they defended it? Crazy.
I'm loving the ID plugin by the way. reply by email is awesome.
Also, I changed my domain to TryingToFollow.com
mind changing it in your blogroll?

Re: Living in a “Post-Race” Era?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:07:06 -0000

Yep, same feed and everything, just changed the domain url.

Re: I think this pretty much sums it up…

Ariah Fine — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:19:09 -0000

Wow, that's quite the image. Where'd you find it?

And by the way, you've got some sweet networking things (google connect, facebook, etc). Nice
Sorry I don't get over to comment and off the rss feed much.

Re: Good conversation.

Ariah Fine — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 14:32:48 -0000

My wonderful anonymous friend,
stick around and make your claims. I will not try and refute you. I think I have made an apology and I was sincere in my acknowledgement of your wisdom about these political things.

May I ask if the Bible has an influence on your political views? I guess that is maybe the foundation that we can find common ground on. At least that's somewhere to start maybe.

Re: Good conversation.

Ariah Fine — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 14:38:06 -0000

Fast responses. I'd love to hear more about how both the Bible and Ayn Rand have shaped your views. Take as much commenting space as necessary, I could use to learn somethings from you.

Re: Checking Amazon Prices

Ariah Fine — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 16:54:16 -0000

Thank you kind sir, I've corrected the grammar

Re: Is Nashville any different?

Ariah Fine — Sun, 07 Aug 2005 00:29:14 -0000

I've fixed my grammar problem thanks to the correction of Stephen and Katherine.

I'm glad this has created some discussion. More to come on this topic later.

Re: Back to education

Ariah Fine — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 21:36:19 -0000

Anonymous, my dear friend,

I'm sorry you feel everything is a debate. The reason I use words like "I guess" and "I don't know" is because that is what I mean. I don't pretend to have the right answers or the perfect solutions. As I wrote in my post I'm asking questions, you seem to think I'm trying to persuade you of something.

Somehow you've jumped to the conclusion that I'm trying to convince you of something that would take you away from money you feel you've earned, and that I'd do it at gun point. Obviously, we've got a lot to learn about one another.

Back to my questions:
Do you really think it's fine for education to be unequal?

Re: In Defense of Kanye West

Ariah Fine — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 20:28:31 -0000

First of all, Kanye West said, "Bush doesn't care about black people." He didn't use the word "hate."

Second, Jon, are you suggesting that Bush's primary decision in picking in his cabinet was on whether he liked the people or not? I guess I just didn't expect that sort of argument from you.

Re: A discussion of means, not ends.

Ariah Fine — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 16:30:30 -0000

Your gonna have to break that one down for me a little more Stephen. Somethings I need defined: "the Real of politics"; why are "means" and "intentions" theoretical; and what exactly do you mean by "political doctrine?

Re: A discussion of means, not ends.

Ariah Fine — Sun, 11 Sep 2005 00:34:46 -0000

Okay, wow, Stephen sure laid it out there.

I hope Stephen and others don't mind but at least for a while, I'm not really going to address what he said.

There is one main reason, I don't know nearly as much about politics. And second, like I said earlier, this is not a political argument. We can get into the politics at some point, but Stephen, all your political defenses (and you did a heck of a good job above) are not going to change my opinion one bit. Please understand I don't mean that rudely, I simply mean that those things have nothing to do with why I am a pacifist or not.

Hope that's okay, let me know if it's not.

Re: Starting with Jesus

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:44:07 -0000

Thanks for the post Brian and Joe.

Joe, I'll agree with Brian in that we are probably all in agreement about salvation, and I think your in agreement there too. But I'm with you that I get a lot of mixed messages and sometimes "the church" I walk into on a Sunday doesn't seem to look at all like what Christ and his disciples where doing and talking about back in the day. But, that is a conversation for another set of post (one I guess I'll start really soon, since you mentioned it).

Re: Starting with Jesus

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:49:00 -0000

Now Brian,

It's okay that you jumped ahead, but I'm not going to respond to the turning the tables thing till I get there, that way we can keep seperate trains of thought seperate.

And I'm glad I hit the nail on the head. That's what I used to think though, and every scripture I'll post about started to make me question it.

I mean, I agree with you completely that in the vast majority of cases we believe that what we are doing is for the greater good and it is to bring peace.
But, I also know as humans we sometimes get caught up in other motivations (example, not to be argued just to be noted).

We are in agreement about being peacemakers, I've just found, as I'll show you, that bringing peace should be gone about differently then I used to think.

Re: A discussion of means, not ends.

Ariah Fine — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 10:50:34 -0000

Stuart,

Thank you for your comments, they are well put and I hope I will address the things that you are asking. I'll certainly get to the Romans 13 passage, but you'll have to bear with me. Also, I hope to address your concerns about people protesting war as well, but that'll come much later.

For now thanks for tuning in, and I hope you'll subscribe, or at least keep checking back for my future post, that way we can keep the dialogue going. thanks.

Re: do not resist...

Ariah Fine — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 13:04:47 -0000

I'll wait for your further response Brian till I respond.

Re: why a building?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 19:19:26 -0000

Brian,
Great stuff, I'll respond to it in my next church post. Definitly interesting stuff.

p.s. when are you gonna finish responding to the "resist not" post?

later.

Re: why a building?

Ariah Fine — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 18:47:41 -0000

Brian,
I don't understand your:
"especially non-Christians" comment. Is that really a generalization you want to make?

Re: do not resist...

Ariah Fine — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 10:55:51 -0000

Brian,
I'm with you on not holding "good" people as reasons for our argument. I do think there is no harm in mentioning someone if we think they are a clear example of what we see talked about in Scripture.

Let's be honest, there are a few Christians I can quote at this point to, with some messed up theology. I'm not saying Gandhi is an overall example of Christianity, by no means, but to some degree I think he gives us an example of "do not resist" and to that degree I think it is fair to look at him.

I'm a visual person, and an examples person. I'm not trying to uphold Gandhi overall, just this example of his movement as being a good embodiment of the scripture we were talking about.

Re: Cellphone Conspiracy

Ariah Fine — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 02:15:04 -0000

I'm testing if my comments work

Re: A discussion of means, not ends.

Ariah Fine — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 08:51:12 -0000

Thanks for the comment Stuart. I've been trying to deal with a bunch of spam comments recently and that's taken up my time over the weekend. I'll get into the 1st Peter discussion soon, but I think we'll get into some of it in the Romans 13 passage I started talking about as well.

Re: Biofuels bad?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:26:35 -0000

testing my commenting abilities

Re: Geez Magazine and art

Ariah Fine — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 00:59:37 -0000

excuse my dust while I upgrade

Re: Podcasting in the works

Ariah Fine — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 10:08:37 -0000

How about calling it:

The ZachAriah Show (it's NOT Biblical).

Re: Sharing our feelings on race

Ariah Fine — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 09:56:00 -0000

Now, maybe I miscommunicated, or maybe I allowed for assumptions, but that isn't quite what I meant. I didn't mean to say that the response, or individuals, FEMA, or other specifics where "racist." I DID mean to say that the situation reveals RACISM. Was there ingrained racism that caused the slow response? maybe. Was there racism in the media bais? maybe. Was there racist comments made after the events? Most definitly (I heard many with my own ears). Were the events from Katrina revealing of racism in the past? I would venture to say so. I'm not saying the number of black people stuck in New Orleans during the Hurricane is racism, I'm suggesting that it maybe revealed some of our racism from years past.

Re: Radiant Magazine and sexist assumptions

Ariah Fine — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 10:27:31 -0000

Amy,
Thank you So much for your comments. I FULLY agree that we need more solid women's magazines with good values. I DO think it's great to see a magazine like this that is going to give a solid voice, and a new perspective, to women. And believe me I'll be checking out Radiant's articles and podcast fairly regularly.

I STILL see a problem with some of the way it's being advertised and what that reveals about our male-dominated, male-centered culture. Your right, I do agree Relevant was supposed to and probably still is a "general magazine," but the exact problem is that "general" and normal often men's male dominated. Don't you think "It's our turn now." Reveals quite an interesting perspective on previous assumptions?

Re: Radiant Magazine and sexist assumptions

Ariah Fine — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 12:29:34 -0000

Glad I could help facilitate some discussion.
For a little while this article was number two on a google search for Radiant Magazine, so your thoughts have been read.

more on all of this to come I'm sure.

Re: Another Reason why I WON'T Shop at Abercrombie

Ariah Fine — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 11:12:06 -0000

I don't think you have to sign up for Salon.com, just look at a brief ad from them.

Re: After Innocence Directed by Jessica Sanders

Ariah Fine — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 10:44:24 -0000

Melissa, you are completely right. There is a lot of injustice in our world. Whether it be in the justice system itself (cause the human's that run it are unjust), or in every other facet of our society.
I think I was trying to avoid people missing the importance of the movie because they got hung up on me being critical of our country and what not. But your right, and I should probably speak up on this a bit.
Do you have any books that you would recommend someone read to learn more about this?

Re: If I don't write, you don't read.

Ariah Fine — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 10:48:27 -0000

David,
Thanks for the swift kick in the butt.

Re: Love your enemies

Ariah Fine — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 01:42:57 -0000

"I’ve tried to raise the issue of the Old Testament before with no luck"

Now Brian, I'll try and say a little something here but this probably deserves a post of it's own.
I hope you don't think I've avoided addressing the Old Testament, or avoided points you've made concerning the Old Testament. Here are my two brief hesitancy's concerning jumping to the Old Testament. One, As a Jew I think the Old Testament is HUGELY important, and at the same time as a Messianic Jew, I think the Old Testament can ONLY be looked at in light of the New Testament. Two, the rules and laws, as well as the wars, we see in the Old Testament were from a very different period of God's involvement in the world. What I mean by that is the rules where for Israel, and it was when they where running as a Theocracy. Applying those rules to the church, or the governments of this country is a little uncomfortable for me.

Re: What would you do if…

Ariah Fine — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 10:05:35 -0000

Thanks Mel, that's really encouraging to her you say that.

I'm surprised no one else is commenting on this statement.

Re: Why the sermon?

Ariah Fine — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 10:11:55 -0000

I can agree with that, that the idea of "church" is more a place for the believers to focus on worshiping God. At the same time, I think our "seeker" services, and other compartamentalizing needs some critiquing.
Out of curiousity, how do you explain I Corinthians 14:22-25? Gives me a new twist on what "seeker" services might be.

Re: Relevant removes it's incriminating Radiant Ad

Ariah Fine — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 10:13:30 -0000

Kyle and I had a great conversation through some emails about this, and I think we both heard one another well and I'm excited to see what Radiant becomes.

Re: Why the sermon?

Ariah Fine — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 00:57:25 -0000

That did make sense. And I think to a large degree I agree with you.

I think I touched on some of it in this post:
http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/?p=66

I agree though, Church is for pushing believers to Christ like living

Re: The False Charity of Clothing Drives

Ariah Fine — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 09:35:13 -0000

Kate,
thanks for the thoughtful comment. I think your absolutely right in that a big problem comes in trying to figure out how we define "need." The truth is I find that is a hard one to argue or impress on people. I think your right our society default's to things as needs that really aren't. I think though we allow individuals to make their own decisions regarding this.
I find based on what I posted above. That even if the person feels they need a winter coat, a rain coat, a spring and fall jacket, that they probably have plenty of other coats and clothes that they would be honest and say aren't "needs." I think that's where we start. When everyone is giving up to their "needs," then we can start working on defining needs.
What's your thoughts on that?

Re: Your problem with Giving is probably You.

Ariah Fine — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:18:23 -0000

now that is an interesting question. I would ask what you mean by the "pursuit of not having money" ?

Re: North Country

Ariah Fine — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 10:00:31 -0000

I'd be very careful to say "we don't usually find things like this today" because it will keep us from being aware of it occuring today. It STILL is occuring today in the US and China and many other places and we need to be aware, we need to vocalize that it is not right and we need to stand up and be a open and loving place to anyone who comes forth for help. The church and society has far to long put guilt on the victims of this abuse and that must stop.

Re: Your problem with Giving is probably You.

Ariah Fine — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 10:11:32 -0000

Maybe I'm being misunderstood here, I'll try to explain a little in this comment, but it might warrant a whole different post.
First, I'm NOT advocating "Not having money." If my ideas of giving appear that way then I am sorry, I am trying to advocate for two things: Caring for the needs around us, and serving God, not Money. This post was about breaking from making money our God.

Two, there are two sides to giving: the giving and the receiving. This post was about the giving part. Too many people justify their lack of giving on the inappropriateness of those receiving. My point is to say we need to GIVE, and too many are not doing that and blaming it on those other then themselves. I MUST give, I MUST hold loosely to my money. Once I get that figured out then I agree I'd rather give it to meet the needs around me rather then some exec. But, I'm GOING to give it.
You see too many Christians (who should be tithing 10% at least I believe) see the man asking for money at the stoplight and say like you, "I'd rather give this to alleviate suffering then to this guy who might buy booze," and then they NEVER give that money away, most of us only tithe 2.5% of our income. If your going to give it away, then this post wasn't necessary for you, but far too many people don't and they blame it or justify it by talking about the receiving.

Re: A Major Flaw of Wheaton College

Ariah Fine — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 10:21:36 -0000

Chuck,
I'd agree "fancy" might be a value judgement, but "big" and "expensive" are not. My two bedroom apartment is "big" compared to the majority of living situations in the world, that's a fact. You be the judge of what qualifies as "expensive" in actuality and I think you know what I'm talking about. "Fancy" yes, you might be right, that's probably my value judgement, and more so my jealousy and never being able to figure out how to dress well.
I would agree God can use "unnecessary" things, I know someone who was saved while reading Playboy, but that does not many I would EVER condone someone purchasing or reading it.
Here's where I run into difficulty:
"poverty is righteousness"
I looked all through my post and previous post, and I don't believe I have ever, even once said that, nor do I think I hinted at it. I do see me saying that Jesus calls us to "care for the poor," to "take up our cross," to give to those in need, hold loosely to our money, to not spend on worldly treasures, but I do not say "take a vow of poverty." You try hanging out with poor folks and tell them you want to take a vow of poverty and they'll look at you like your ridiculous.

If, in my giving and caring for those around me, etc. I wind up looking "poor" so be it. But don't get what I'm saying confused, I'm rich beyond belief.

Re: Your problem with Giving is probably You.

Ariah Fine — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 01:05:19 -0000

Kate,
I think the crackers/snack bag is a great idea. I'm definitly encouraged that you are doing that.

Re: Journal of Christian Nursing II: Male biases off the deep end

Ariah Fine — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 16:30:44 -0000

I might have been overly critical.

Could you be more specific though in pointing out where you disagree or think I've gone to far? (or is this podcast material?)

p.s. I'm white and male too.

Re: I want to write a book

Ariah Fine — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 13:14:07 -0000

Yes, knowing what you want to write about FIRST is key. I looked through some of my initial attempts at starting a book from back in the day, and here are some rough ideas of what I want to write:

I want to write about how we, "Christians," in the US have been so warped by our culture that we cannot clearly see the life Christ is calling us to.
I want to talk about the self-indulging culture we are a part of, and how dangerous it is when we buy into it, or participate in it.
I then want to talk about what I see in Scripture and provide some idea of how I think Christ might be calling us to live.

Now if only I could turn that into a Killer thesis statement.

Re: GLBT Wheaton Alumni Story

Ariah Fine — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 13:18:32 -0000

Thank you for the encouragement. I'll do my best to continue updating the stories and articles on that site.

I'd appreciate it if you'd spread the word.

Re: ads?

Ariah Fine — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 13:20:16 -0000

Yeah, it's a tough issue.

But Let's say a long term goal is to write full-time. I've got to pay the bills some how, and that seems like the easiest.
But your right it doesn't jive, I've struggled with that for quite a while.

Thanks for your note.

Re: Radiant Magazine and sexist assumptions

Ariah Fine — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 13:20:50 -0000

Hello Jason,
Glad to have your input on the topic at hand. Not sure how you found this post or anything, but glad you did. My name is Ariah Fine, it's at the top of my blog and fairly common knowledge, so I hope you don't think I was trying to be anonymous and sneak.
I agree Relevant is not a 'Men's Magazine' I never said it was.
I hope you read my post, because this might be a repeat. I was writing about the ad that said: "It's our turn now." You can read the post, but basically I said that seemed to imply that Relevant was the Guys turn.

Does that make any sense to you?
I didn't mean to offend you, and I don't take what you said personally, but I wouldn't mind helping you to see what it is I'm talking about. Hope I was of service.

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 13:28:48 -0000

Just Real,
I wanted to take a quick minute to clarify with you what I meant. It's not that I think Dave's advice for saving and getting out of debt aren't good, in fact I think they are great! He is about the only financial advisor I've heard that is so hardcore about getting out of debt, which I think is very "Biblical."
And it's not that I don't think he is an advocate of giving, I'm sure he is and has given a large amount of money.

The problem I had is exactly the situation I mentioned above. I think it is very dangerous when a leader like Dave justifies things, especially when the person is leaning the other way.
The lady who called in need to hear that her desire to save money and gas by her vehicle choice is God-given, that it is a kingdom issue and that she should be applauded for sticking with those convictions.

Re: Why I'm all about education lately.

Ariah Fine — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 08:27:34 -0000

Thanks Arne,

I've always liked Show and Tell
it still hasn't gotten old ;)

Re: Education Pays

Ariah Fine — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 08:30:38 -0000

Richard,
that's a good question. From what I can tell though, the statistic and evidence points strongly to an individual scale. If you can't read by third grade there is STRONG chance you'll get behind and drop out of school.
And from there it's more tempting to join a life of crime then a low paying job (not for all , but some).

I definitly agree there are probably more exceptions.

What would be your thoughts on how to approach the problem?

Re: Why don’t we do what the song says?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 08:33:23 -0000

Great thoughts everyone!

I really appreciate hearing feedback on what I share, it challenges me, gives me ideas, helps me to think more clearly and much more.

I feel like there where a lot of tips pointed out:
act on your convictions to move or dance
remix that music!
emphasis the value of different postures in worship
foster a more comfortable atmosphere.

I'm with you all the way. Let's sing songs that we can all fully sing. Thanks for the thoughts everyone!

Re: Education Pays

Ariah Fine — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 08:01:54 -0000

right on Richard.

I think it's probably a little of both. but I honestly think we tend to put much more blame on the community attitude and then excuse the need to address the opportunities for individuals.

Re: Relevant removes it's incriminating Radiant Ad

Ariah Fine — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 08:02:32 -0000

Thanks Cara!

Re: A funny look at the Immigration Debate

Ariah Fine — Mon, 08 May 2006 09:53:01 -0000

I kind of thought the creator of the cartoon was trying to by satirical about the whole thing. I actually felt it was pretty balanced, poking fun at both sides.

Re: Gift Bags

Ariah Fine — Mon, 08 May 2006 09:55:24 -0000

Sanitary napkins are and excellent addition.

Drew, that's a great story you shared, thank you for being honest and willing to share it, especially the ending. I think we often coat stories in such a way as to make a happy ending. Yours is real and points to the fact the life and love is more complicated then we like to think.

Re: GTD Notes: Using Containers

Ariah Fine — Mon, 08 May 2006 23:46:10 -0000

Agreed, voicemails won't stay there for long. But it's still a container because things collect there.

Re: I'm terribly afraid of where my name came from

Ariah Fine — Fri, 12 May 2006 16:14:29 -0000

So that's what it takes to get your parent's to comment on your blog...

I LOVE my name.

Re: Socially Conscience Children's Books

Ariah Fine — Sun, 14 May 2006 13:18:38 -0000

I was definitly thinking of something geared toward the non-reading kid (5 or younger I think). I mean any age would do, but I got the idea because I've been reading these books to this little girl who just wants to hear neat pictures and listen to a story.

Little kids are like sponges soaking up anything you put there for them to consume. I want to take the opportunity to help them consume valuable things (as in values and morals, not physical products).

Re: File folders and Paper vs. My granola soul

Ariah Fine — Tue, 16 May 2006 22:19:18 -0000

Well I have a PDA, it's called a HipsterPDA
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shelbybark/8167097/

But seriously, the paper is not stuff I print, it's stuff given to me, not stuff I currently have on my computer.

Re: Why go to college when you can blog instead?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 19 May 2006 00:33:59 -0000

I might be slightly serious

Re: GTD: The first step is getting to Ready

Ariah Fine — Fri, 19 May 2006 00:34:23 -0000

I would recommend the book, but I'd recommend my notes and some other quicker reviews of it first.

Re: Ditching Dave Ramsey is all the rage

Ariah Fine — Fri, 26 May 2006 00:02:58 -0000

Bean, I understand you might not think $30 a month is "living large" but in actuality it's the difference between living and not for a child you could sponsor.

Re: What a church should look like...

Ariah Fine — Tue, 30 May 2006 09:00:11 -0000

What I would say is that you are right about the fact that the communities we are engaged in our not necessarily, nor usually, the communities we are living in.
There does seem to be a not too difficult solution to that and that is to actually pick up and move to the community were you are engaged in.
Yes I am calling for some mass movement in the "Christian" community. But it can be done and I strongly believe it should be done.

Re: Twin Towers wreckage being turned into a Weapon of War

Ariah Fine — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 09:33:37 -0000

I agree with you all entirely,
It seems to me to point directly to this idea that our reaction to 9/11 is revenge.

Re: Whitney Cerak: An update on her condition

Ariah Fine — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 09:36:49 -0000

Thanks for all your response everyone.

wabbling,
It's difficult to speak of a God in a world of dying people, I certainly agree. Children die everyday of hunger, when there is plenty of food to go around, earthquakes kill thousands, serial killers take many lives, and fatal car crashes seem frequent. Where is God amidst all of this? You ask a very difficult question wabbling, and I see how hard it would be for you to think there is a "God" somewhere who people consider "great" and "loving"

Re: I like free stuff. Music downloads are a treat.

Ariah Fine — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 09:37:08 -0000

I'd love to send you a code, but I tried to email you and it didn't work.

Try emailing me first.

Re: Tech Friday: Using Google Maps as Yellow Pages (Firefox only)

Ariah Fine — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 09:38:02 -0000

Glad you enjoyed it.
I'll post a few more similar ones in the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe, or check back on Friday's to catch them.

Re: AllofMp3... Maybe it is legal?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 20:36:55 -0000

What is an mp3 worth?
I really couldn't tell ya... to me not too much.

2 why push?
I agree we shouldn't be pushing the boundary at all. It seems to me like it might be a legit business. If it's legal there is no boundary being pushed.

But just you know I haven't purchased anything from them.

Re: Journal of Christian Nursing: reeking of sexism

Ariah Fine — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 13:54:02 -0000

Thanks Debbie for responding. I appreciate what you shared and I feel like I agree with you on a number of points.
To me it seemed like what you said about guys not necessarily meaning to be sexist is similar to what I said and what I suggested the article say instead. Do you disagree?

Re: Skepticism about travel

Ariah Fine — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 14:14:50 -0000

It's tough. I certainly agree that God designed rest. I also agree God designed this planet and the beauty through out it. I believe he created the majestic mountains of the Himalayas and the great chasm of the Grand Canyon. I used to have plans to travel as much of God's green earth as a possibly could. I say all that to simply get at the fact that I'm not just coming at this without much of a desire to travel.

Yes, there is a desire on my part to leave a small "footprint," but I think I've probably already managed a gigantic one in my short years on this earth. I also have difficulty with spending too much on "liesure" and travel often seems outside of the price range.

I guess one major thought I have is that if Heaven is really all we believe it is going to be, isn't it worth foregoing the pretty stuff hear on earth in an effort to sacrifice and give to those in need?

Re: My response concerning high gas prices

Ariah Fine — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 00:21:55 -0000

I'm glad you like it. It would be great to see churches adopting this as an issue to address.
I think Jim, who posted on my other gas related post has some worthwhile things to say about it all too though.
We really need to tackle the issue of living in such an unsustainable way. We've got to start living and working in the same area and quit these long commutes.

Re: A response concerning high gas prices

Ariah Fine — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 00:25:52 -0000

Jim,
I really appreciate your thoughts, I think you shared some important things and I think they are things that need to be addressed. I like what you wrote in your blog post about this too as you point out the need to not try and put a band-aid on the issue but rather start making some structural changes.

I agree by the worlds standards even many of the poor year live in a bit of luxury, but before you and I get on our pedestals because we bike to work, let's acknowledge some things.
The poor don't have as much freedom of choice in this society as you or I might. The commute to work is not something they have much say over because there are only certain places one can afford to live and certain places one can manage to get a job at. There isn't the luxury of spending time picking and choosing a career, and there isn't the finances to pick up and switch living spaces. I completely agree these are the things that need to be addressed, but they aren't simple lifestyle changes, there are some structural things like affordable housing that need to be dealt with.

Re: Journal of Christian Nursing: reeking of sexism

Ariah Fine — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 00:31:28 -0000

Debbie,
Tell you what, I'll certainly give the journal as a whole a chance. Even if this editor is some what sexist, that doesn't mean she doesn't have anything else of value to say.

I think my major beef was with that guy who wrote the other article. I just felt like that was way off base. And I feel like those things need to be addressed.

Re: haka: Talk about intimidation factor

Ariah Fine — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 13:37:20 -0000

We did the Haka at a YWAM conference once too.

It's such a cool dance.

Re: A response concerning high gas prices

Ariah Fine — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 19:58:00 -0000

Sue,
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, I totally agree with what your sharing.

Thanks for your wisdom.

Re: Community begins with small steps

Ariah Fine — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 21:38:30 -0000

Thanks for the comments everyone, it's really encouraging to know others are interested in what we are doing.

Re: Community launching in T-minus 24 hours...

Ariah Fine — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 21:41:37 -0000

The honest, yet staying positive, unfiltered, yet respectful of one another, all this will be discussed and shared.

Hope you find it engaging.

Re: Read and then write, or write and then read

Ariah Fine — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 11:34:42 -0000

Sh4wn,
thanks for stopping by. It's encouraging to know folks are reading what I write.

peace.

Re: Hobbies: How many is too many?

Ariah Fine — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 20:18:32 -0000

Sh4wn, that's quite inspiring. Have you finished your novel?

Richard, I didn't intended to make that association as a fact, I was more pointing out how that has very much played out in my life and I have a feeling it often does in the lives of others as well. I'm learning more, like I insisted not buying new cleats until I was playing again regularly.
I think my main concern is this idea that we all have this "quality stuff" for ourselves that we end up rarely using.

Adria, I got another SLR for you...

Re: Salaries, income and the wage gap

Ariah Fine — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:49:01 -0000

Glad I didn't have a lot of dissenting views on this one. I was tempted to just post up my salary right here, but I'm not sure that's a good idea.
What would be an effective way to begin to make this sort of open salary thing more of a reality in a way that doesn't run head-on into the taboo culture around salaries?

Re: Buying “Ethical” Shoes.

Ariah Fine — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 23:13:50 -0000

I'm all for high quality. I agree though the up-front cost is deceptive. I start to wonder if the cost is really for quality or a name. You'd certainly agree paying an extra $60 for a swoosh or three stripes on the side of your shoes is not necessarily increasing the quality.

I guess my question is more if anyone has come to a good answer for this one.

Re: Buying “Ethical” Shoes.

Ariah Fine — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 07:47:28 -0000

Leslie,
have you checked out Alternative Apparel?
http://www.alternativeapparel.com/
They seem quality. I totally hear you on the American Apparel issues.

I've seen No Sweat's shoes, they are just a little too chucky and not enough atheletic shoe for me.

Re: Maybe we are just pleasing ourselves...

Ariah Fine — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 08:21:10 -0000

Christy,
thanks for the response, I think it was well thought out and address a key concern. I think I'm a big advocate of a lot of what you said. Too many people think they have all the knowledge and come in to places with superhero mentalities and want to save everyone.
I think you said it quite well when you said, "an ill-placed, unsanctioned, imperialistic display of ignorance, arrogance, and cultural incompetency." I completely agree that is and would not be a good thing if that were to occur.

However, I want to say I don't know that my idea is really that horrible. It would be great to stop these sorts of things through the diplomatic measures in place, ideally it could be done. And I know our letters and phone calls do something, I saw the effects of that when we were in Illinois and watched IL take the lead in a lot of things related to Darfur.

Yet, the genocide is still occuring, and I can't help but think things don't seem to be working as we thought. I also realize that for all my creative non-violence beliefs, all my phone calling and letter writing might just end up in a bunch of soldiers finally going in there and shooting up the "bad people," which I don't like the sound of either.
So, I say, if our already corrupt governments are supposed to be sending people with guns into a country to stop genocide, why can't a bunch of people who care about the situation, who are also ready to give up their lives if that's what it takes, fly over and go and stand side by side with those who are being killed, and stand in the way, and declare, "this is not right." Your right in your earlier comment, the reason us just saying stop the killing wouldn't work is because the killers don't care, they see the people they are killing as less then human. But if thousands the world over where to be there standing in the way of the gun or the machete and declaring you must kill me first before you harm another person here, maybe they would see there are people who care, and that what they are doing is wrong.

I'm just bothered that all we are doing still is not solving the problem. If I were to meet in heaven a Sudanese that was killed in the genocide, and they where to ask why I didn't help, and I said, "I did care about you, I wrote letters and made phone calls," I just don't think I'd feel right about it, I feel like we could be doing more. But not just about genocide, about starvation, and more injustice the world over. Yet, here I am again, typing away at my computer, about to do other self-centered things and not really seek to address the injustice I passively let occur.

Re: Bad Boys, Bad Boys: an that's just the "G" movies

Ariah Fine — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:14:10 -0000

Thanks for stopping by and reading it. I'm glad you found it useful. Out of curiousity what's your take on the research?

Re: Killing Us Softly: A look at Sexist Media (a MUST watch)

Ariah Fine — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:14:59 -0000

So, what did you think of it? I'm sure there is much conversation to be had around the movie. Let me know when you have a chance to share your thoughts.

Re: A reading review

Ariah Fine — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:18:49 -0000

Lynnette, and anyone else interested in diversifying, I would highly highly recommend http://racialicious.com/ as your starting point for blogs and info on ethnicity related topics. It's a great site "about the intersection of race and pop culture. " Check it out a little and you'll find not only interesting topics, but reading through the topics will connect you with a number of bloggers you'd be interested in reading more from.

hope that helps.

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 23:56:40 -0000

Roy,
Thanks for bringing this back to the original issue and asking a great question:
"do I have to give and give until I’m living on beans and rice again?"

I think the issue really is a question of a lot of other Biblical commands to give and meet the needs of those around us. You have to ask yourself if your needs are being met on your beans and rice diet. Do you "have to" do things, or should you be compelled by the life that Christ lived to do those things?
It's a tough issue to take up and it's the kind of thing I try to do everyday, but I'm not sure what direction to take.

In fact, that's why my blog is called Trying to Follow, cause that's what I'm doing.

Re: Further thoughts on Contentism… a podcast

Ariah Fine — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 19:55:00 -0000

Yes Jody, Mindy actually heard it quite a bit in Costa Rica.

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 10:05:05 -0000

Alright commenters,

Your recent comments have become material for a recent podcast I did:
http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2006/10/06/105-ma...

I hope nobody is offended, but I also hope the response I gave to your recent comments will create some discussion.

Re: Understanding Poverty: Language

Ariah Fine — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 22:32:08 -0000

Sonia, I completely agree with everything you shared.

I'm a little confused with the photo you are speaking of, there doesn't appear to be a photo on this post of someone with a "grill" or any mention of acting ghetto

Re: Daily Minutes moved to sidebar

Ariah Fine — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 22:40:19 -0000

this is a test

Re: Understanding Poverty: Language

Ariah Fine — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 13:51:25 -0000

I think I see the problem Sonia. The post you are referring to is this:

http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2006/05/15/questi...

Because it's a short post it seems like it's connected to this post:
Understanding Poverty: Language

It's not connected to the understanding poverty post at all.

The picture and the post it's on are simply about the popularity of "grills" and asking why they are popular. The post is tagged with the term 'poverty' because it seems there are people in poverty (certainly not all people in poverty), who are eager to get a 'grill' when they need to be providing for their basic necessities.

does that make sense?

Re: Dorothy Day Quotes: A Servant of God

Ariah Fine — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:39:08 -0000

testing to make sure this is working great!

Re: A quick Survey for my redesign

Ariah Fine — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:40:56 -0000

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses!

Re: 10/8 - Thoughts on Product(RED): Spending to Save Lives?

Ariah Fine — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 21:33:38 -0000

Thanks guys for sharing your views. I think your right on a lot of levels.
I understand this is targetting a different group of people then myself, and in that way I think it's good. At the same time, I think it falls short of what we really need in our world, and I don't think it's wrong to question it.

As far as sweatshops, I'd love to hear more from your friend, especially if she actually works or has worked in the sweatshops. I'm certainly not an advocate of just doing away with factories that make clothing, there's no way in the world people in the USA would let that happen, I just would argue they should be more ethical and meet basic human rights standards.

As for GAP, Mel, I think they are making progress. And I think it's your call as to supporting them and how. I love Taco Bell, when I was in sixth grade my plan if I became a millionare was to buy a taco bell. But then I learned about their unfair wages for tomato growers and pickers, and I was compelled to stop eating there (I learned late in the game though). Just last year they finally signed an agreement (someone said Shane talks about this in his book), anyways, now I've bought tacos there a few times. My point is, I'd love to hear about the decisions your making in regards to what you buy and where you shop. I'm still trying to figure mine out.

Re: 10/8 - Thoughts on Product(RED): Spending to Save Lives?

Ariah Fine — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 15:27:58 -0000

I guess I'm not the only one complaining about this RED campaign thing...

There are others:
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?pid=13024... X-spaminator-strike: whitelist, -3 -->

Re: That's My King: a Proclamation by S.M. Lockridge

Ariah Fine — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 10:51:48 -0000

I think I know of the other video your talking about. I think I was bothered by all the Eurocentric depictions of Jeus in it.

Re: What would you do if…

Ariah Fine — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 19:10:03 -0000

Dave,
Thanks for your question. I think Pacifism address as lot more then killing. I think the motivation the brings me to pacifism as a Christian is the incredible love as a driving force in Jesus' life and in what he calls us to.

I'm curious what you mean by "any means necessary" in protecting. Because if you mean using power and force then I wonder where you find the line to draw on that.
I'm certainly not trying to simplify it, I think you bring up a very valid point. If your child had a knife in their hand and you were worried they were going to hurt themselves, would you use force to pry it out even at slight injury to them. I'd assume of course you would. So, I wonder how you decide what's okay and what's not.

What do you think?

Re: Tennessee 2006 Election

Ariah Fine — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 15:06:36 -0000

Jody, I definitely need to clarify the statement about Harold Ford. There has been no African-American senators from any southern state since reconstruction. It's easy to say it's not about race, but the reality is we still live in a very structurally racist society. A large group of our population are not being fairly represented in our government (not that being black qualifies you as a voice for all blacks, but it helps you understand more). The truth is whether we say it or not, there is a lot or racism around, and we need to be actively involved in combating it or it will continue to exist. This topic probably deserves it's very own post soon.

Re: Why I would have voted for Ford

Ariah Fine — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 09:34:07 -0000

Hmmm...
Interesting thoughts Jody. I'm still sticking to this one though. Maybe it's particularly black male youth I'm thinking of, but I think it probably applies to others groups as well. I've worked with a wide range of age groups of kids and a large percentage of black males from 1st grades to high schoolers tell me they want to be a rapper or a professional athelete. Your definitly right though that individuals they know personally influence them too, because some say they want to be a judge, police officer, mechanic, etc.

Your right on not looking up to politicians because they've been poor role models, but seriously you see a face on the media, and at a young age you want to be there.

Finally, and this probably needs it's own post too. I agree it's racist to pick a person for something based on their race. The reality is a heck of a lot of people voted for Bob Corker because of his race. And tons of males are hired every day over females because of their gender. The reality is that many of us are racist and sexist though we'll never admit it. Affirmative Action, and other discussion about race and gender as qualifiers, should be an attempt to combat what is already occuring of election based on race and gender. In other words, forcing people who are already biased in one direction, to pick someone they would have never picked due to their racist or sexist preferences.

Re: Whose giving thanks?

Ariah Fine — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 02:25:32 -0000

Virgil,
I'm sorry for the depressing post. Sorry also that this is your first exposure to my writings and thoughts.
I wanted to send at least one link your way concerning a group of natives that don't seem to be fine with the "situation."
http://www.uaine.org/moonanum2001.html

As far as my "solutions," I'm trying to figure that out, that's a start, I think I write in hopes that others might join in the journey with me. Questions often come before answers.

Re: The Wall that is being built

Ariah Fine — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 23:59:25 -0000

glad you enjoyed it. I feel like everyone sort of recognizes this in the back of their mind, but we don't seem to want to do anything about it.

The winners write history.

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:01:56 -0000

Dan,

A lot of squabbling for sure, and your absolutely right, this is a dysfunctional family.

I think the sooner Christians can collectively admit that the better.

I think your point is valid though, a lot of people posting comments here have been pretty rude.

I also think they've gotten miles away from what my original post was all about. But oh well.

Re: "Without being lead like a child"

Ariah Fine — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:05:26 -0000

Kate,
I think your right in that there are many out on the street struggling with addictions and more. It's great that you are a part of an organization that can offer much more help.
For many people though, we aren't structuring our lives in such a way as to be able to provide the many other things that person might need in the moment. I currently don't live the type of lifestyle I would like to where I can meet this person on the street and leave everything to address their needs.

I'd also ask you this though. Working with many homeless and addicted, you've probably learned pretty well what an addict looks like. Don't you think when walking the streets you can discern fairly decently who might spend that money on drugs and addiction and who might not?
Just curious.

Re: "Without being lead like a child"

Ariah Fine — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:06:54 -0000

Yesha,
Let me just say, I am so happy that you have started commenting! It's such an encouragement to know you are reading and are being challenged. I'll continue to write and I hope you continue to respond.
May we continually challenge our frivolous nature and hold ourselves under the same measure we hold others to.

Re: Christmas is Coming

Ariah Fine — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:14:35 -0000

Yesha,

Again, thank you for the encouragement. I'm honored that you find them challenging and not distrubing coming from someone who professes Christ.

Re: "Least of these" ≠ "unsaved"

Ariah Fine — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:17:42 -0000

Heidi,

I emailed you for clarification because I think I might disagree a little. What I do agree with is the idea of caring for those in the "church", but I think we need to expand our view of what church means. The body of believers does not know denominational or physical boundaries. Our brothers and sisters in Christ walk by churches and homes everyday with no place to live, our brothers and sisters starve to death across the globe with nothing to eat.

Re: Whose giving thanks?

Ariah Fine — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:23:09 -0000

Virgil,

I'm trying to respond to your latest comment but I'm struck by the words of your first comment:
"The healing is not taking place because you keep bringing it up"
I sense you would rather not even have a conversation about the topic of land, native people's rights, forgiveness and addressing this situation.
If I presented you with some clear suggestions on things we could do today to try and address some of the injustices that still exist, would you be willing to take those steps? Are you willing to consider making a lifestyle change to address injustices that might have been done in this world, injustices that you might or might not benefit from?

Are willingness is where we need to start.

Re: upgrading

Ariah Fine — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:57:36 -0000

Funny, the most life changing post I seem to have done was about the switch to google reader. That's oddly sad.

Re: The Very Resistible Revolution

Ariah Fine — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 18:45:42 -0000

Heidi,

Find a community that will challenge you toward that revolution. Settle for nothing less.

And starting with the notes is a great idea.

Re: We will Not Be Silenced

Ariah Fine — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:37:46 -0000

Nate,

Glad you enjoyed the post. If you look at the source code you can just copy and paste it.

Re: let's talk about race

Ariah Fine — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 23:24:28 -0000

Richard,

That's an interesting distinction to make. I don't think as far as my language goes that I make that distinction. I do think it is important to make that distinction, between individual and systemic or structural.
Personally though I do think the word "racism" can be used to talk on both levels, just using the other words (individual or systemic) as qualifiers. Racism is a specific form of prejudice, in the same way as sexism, ageism, nationalism, etc.

Do you feel like individuals can be "racist"?

Re: Live "a dollar above" the Poverty Line

Ariah Fine — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:04:51 -0000

First of all let me say, thanks for the thoughts, comments and encouragement. I'm glad you found something worth thinking about in this post.

Virgil,
Thanks for your thoughts, I see you have some strong feelings about the "poverty line" and how arbitrary and ridiculous you believe it is. So, let's agree it's got it's problems and move on to the more important point of this post. Let's see if we can discuss in the practical, not abstract, what dollar amount or annual cost of living we think is enough for us. Specifically, as it relates to being followers of Christ.

What's your thought?

Re: The Very Resistible Revolution

Ariah Fine — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:08:07 -0000

Thanks for all the comments everyone! It really is encouraging to hear such positive words, especially because this post was born out of the frustration of folks so easily turning their back on this "revolution" we are a part of.

That being said, I'd love to hear more about how your taking baby steps to joining the revolution, and what tips and ideas you have for me to continue to grow in it.

Re: Live "a dollar above" the Poverty Line

Ariah Fine — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 23:11:58 -0000

Virgil,

Thanks for the good hearted conversation. I agree with you whole heartedly about not letting some sort of government or structure demand or order by force how you should live, that's certainly not what I'm advocating for.
Towards the end of my post (I know it was rather long and drawn out), I mentioned that:
"Imagine a church with doctors and school teachers, CEO’s and janitors all choosing to live at a standard that meets their needs and giving their extra resources to meet the needs of others. Shouldn’t we as Christian’s dictate our cost of living more as a group within the churches we attend than by the income we make?"

What maybe wasn't clear from that is that I'm not advocating for everyone to only make that much money, but rather to choose to only spend a certain amount on ourselves, and use the rest to meet the needs of others.

I'm sure we can get into a great conversation about how best to use the extra money you have to help meet others needs, but I think we should save that for another time. For now what I'm trying to figure out is what we might be able to agree on as an acceptable amount for you and your family to be content, but not over indulgent.

Re: Quit making Hummer's Mr. Rick Wagoner

Ariah Fine — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 17:07:13 -0000

Christy,
I'll definitly add it to the list.

Jerry,
Yeah, I was at PAPA Fest, another life...
Well, we can certainly be friends now.

chat more later,
ariah

Re: Racism in Calgary

Ariah Fine — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:00:15 -0000

Stephanie,

At the least I'm glad I had the opportunity to enlighten you. The goal now is to make decisions to change the way things are and to begin to make progress in our own communities.

Where are you from?

Re: Lame Excuses Probably Won't Get You in Either

Ariah Fine — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:17:40 -0000

Wow!
Thanks for all the thoughtful comments everyone. It think your all on the right track. I'm going to post again tonight about this, specifically about housing the homeless. Be sure to check back and let me know what you think.

Matt, thanks for the link I'll be sure to check it out.

Mack,
I think your dead on about companionship. At the same time I know a lot of homeless who seem to have many companions about them, and they still need something to get off the ground.

Heidi,
Let's do it! I think your making some great strides. Not a fan of McD's but arch cards do seem like an effective resource. Any more ideas?

Re: Lame Excuses Probably Won't Get You in Either

Ariah Fine — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:37:10 -0000

Here's the newest post on Lame Excuses:
http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2007/01/04/guestr...

Re: Lame Excuses Probably Won't Get You in Either

Ariah Fine — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 23:40:01 -0000

Alexander-
Well said. I definitly don't mean to imply by this post that your motivation should be out of fear, rather it should be out of love.

Your absolutely right that what we tend to admire in people's giving is a pure heart. We aren't impressed by donations for tax breaks, or service under compulsion of punishment or otherwise.

I think this passage of Jesus' words needs to be closely tied to his calling us to the commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Re: I like free stuff. Music downloads are a treat.

Ariah Fine — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 21:18:12 -0000

Hey, Just so everyone knows and is well aware, I don't have any more codes to Sonic Stage.
They are still doing free offers every so often, and if I find another one I'll post it. So, if your interested subscribe to the site so you can catch any posts about free music.

Re: Guestrooms for Jesus

Ariah Fine — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 01:09:04 -0000

Everyone,
Thanks for the thoughts and honest opinions. Indie, I appreciate you pointing out that I'm suggesting we still keep our concerns in mind.
I love the idea of being a part of a group of Christ-followers (maybe you folks) who think outside the box and encourage one another to be creative and daring in our attempts to follow Christ.

I'm going to be a father soon too, and so I'm sure there is plenty more I will learn about what it takes on the emotional level to raise children and live Christ's call (not that those are mutual exclusive by any means). Maybe those mother's out there already can lend further insight into what it takes to follow Christ, uniquely as a parent?

Re: Cashing in on my Baseball Card Fortune

Ariah Fine — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:56:58 -0000

Sam,
Did you really make a few bucks on ebay? It doesn't seem like it would be worth the effort to post them, pack and mail them. But I could be wrong. There's no card shops in Nashville are there?

Jody,
Beanie Babies are another one I thought of too. Lesson to learn is sell them when the market is there. Anyone remember Pogs?

Re: 2007: The Year of the Baby

Ariah Fine — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:58:14 -0000

Thanks for all the congratulations. I'm definitly looking forward to having the support of others around.

I'm still on the search for examples of others that I can learn from.

Thanks for the article yesha.

Re: Guestrooms for Jesus

Ariah Fine — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:01:14 -0000

I love that there are so many "amens" and encouraging voices. I wonder how to harness this energy into action. A lot of you make good points about the barriers and also the resources that are there to make these things a reality.
In Nashville, I've been excited to support the Nashville Homeless Power Project and their "Housing is a Human Right" Campaign. I'll just include a snippet from a recent email from them about what's going on in the campaign here:

200 RENTAL UNITS FOR US IN 2007

CONTACT THE MAYOR TODAY

SAMPLE LETTER:

SUBJECT: 200 Units for Homeless before you leave office

*Please send us your letter so we can track them and any response that your receive. Thank you!

Mayor Purcell, thank you for starting the Mayor’s Commission to End Chronic Homelessness. The commitment to build 1,800 units; 1,000 for chronically homeless, and 800 for homeless families by 2015 is critical to the vitality of our community. Before you leave office please commit to leverage $2.3 Million to help leverage 200 units (1/9 of your commitment) for our homeless community ($7 Million worth of housing). I will be watching the budget hearings and contacting my councilmember but you have the greatest opportunity to make this commitment a reality. I understand that your office and several agencies are supportive of 50 units but this is just not enough. Our friends in the street are sick and are dying. This investment will save our city money.

Re: The False Charity of Clothing Drives

Ariah Fine — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:03:13 -0000

Greg and Lynne,

Thanks for your comments, both insights help us better understand the ideals and realities that we face on this topic.

I'm definitly an advocate of making resources available to those who need them, even if they are the leftovers or trash of another group. This article though was very much directed to the folks who fit into the full-closet category.
We need to start rethinking the way we live.

Re: Killing Us Softly: A look at Sexist Media (a MUST watch)

Ariah Fine — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 18:40:01 -0000

I've updated the video so you should all be able to view it. Let me know if you still can't.

The link is here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-199336...

Re: An Attempt at Explaining How I Plan to Raise my Kids

Ariah Fine — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 02:02:36 -0000

Wow,
I really appreciate all of the encouragement everyone is so eager to give. I guess I'm not too crazy for desiring to live this way. I'll be posting a lot more thoughts on parenting and life with children in the future, so you might want to subscribe to not miss anything.

Re: Support Our Troops: It's Not Just a Bandwagon

Ariah Fine — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 08:06:56 -0000

Wow Indie,
I'm sure there is a lot of insight you could speak to on that. I think most people don't realize the impact War has on the soldiers and so they see it as a sort of romanticized event, like they see in the movies. They don't know the longer term damage it does and so they are more then willing to support the war, not willing to support our troops for years to come.

I'd love to read more of your story sometime.

Re: An Attempt at Explaining How I Plan to Raise my Kids

Ariah Fine — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 03:01:54 -0000

Patrick, Phil and Cynthia,

Thanks for the encouraging comments. I'm quite glad you took the time to stop by and leave a comment. I'm definitly continuing to think about the issues that I talked about and brought up in this post. I recently wrote a response to an email from another reader of my blog, that you might want to check out:
http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2007/01/20/protec...

let me know what you think.

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 03:06:54 -0000

Jim,

I appreciate your concern, but I think your concerns only apply to a very few number of shady organizations out there.

There are plenty of very legitimate organizations out there who truly do a lot of good and do sponsor many children. I know of a few people who have personally visited the child they sponsor.

World Vision is one of the better organizations out there.

Re: I want to write a book

Ariah Fine — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 17:53:05 -0000

Frankie,

Wow, sounds like you have an incredible story to share. I'm not sure if I can give you a whole lot of direction. I was thinking of Self-publishing my stuff, on lulu.com, which might be a nice start for you.

Let me know if I can be of more help.

Re: Be Anti-Racist with Your Purchasing Power

Ariah Fine — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:34:16 -0000

Great thought. Boycotts are a strange bird. I definitly see the point of NAACP's efforts, but your right in the way that it effects the system.

What alternatives do you think you could offer the NAACP or others who are considering boycotts based on some injustice or wrong?

Re: Entertaining Jesus' Third Way

Ariah Fine — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:36:36 -0000

Glad you enjoyed. If your further interested in the discussion there might be some that happens on this forum but no guarantees.

I'd love to hear your thoughts or more on what becomes of your discussion with others.

Re: Isn't There Something Wrong with This?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:25:02 -0000

Glad you ladies were equally bothered.
If you want to be even more disturbed (and you might not want to) click on the video and view the comments at youtube about it.
Sad, so sad.

Re: Protecting our Children while Caring for Others

Ariah Fine — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 14:42:56 -0000

Jerri,

Thanks for stopping and checking out the site. I've written quite a few more things I think you'd be interested in about breaking out of the "americanized" version of Christianity. Stay tuned you won't be disappointed.

I do find it amazing, as I think about us having our first, that you've managed to raise 12 children. I know that will make any lifestyles changes a difficult task, but I believe it will be worth it.

Re: Recycling is Biblical (part 1)

Ariah Fine — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:32:30 -0000

http://170.190.30.13/ASFroot/recycle/recycle.wmv

Re: Maradona: The Hand of God

Ariah Fine — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 13:12:43 -0000

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mar...

That should get you what your looking for.

Re: 5 Minutes of Darkness

Ariah Fine — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 13:17:47 -0000

Thanks to Shandus and Christy for pointing out that there are folks doing this here in the states tomorrow.

7:55-8:00pm I think is the time, Everyone turn out your lights!

Re: 5 Minutes of Darkness

Ariah Fine — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:32:06 -0000

Well, I think it was just CNN's search, not an article or anything. This event definitly showed how word of mouth with the technology we have today can bring about some great movements.

Anyone think we can really bring about a big movement in the USA with a similar action? What about something like not driving for a day?

Just brain storming here. Any ideas?

Re: Entertaining Jesus' Third Way

Ariah Fine — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:39:50 -0000

Mike,

I think to some degree you and I might operate on some of the same basic values and assumptions. You seem to believe in the value and dignity of human life. You believe that there are times (with hitler's and bin laden's) that you must rely on violence to met your end because those folks have no reasoning, shame or fear.

I have come to believe that every person is capable of redemption and love. I know of a dangerous terrorist turned lover and evangelist, I also know of other's whose choice not to turn to violence did indeed result in their own death, but it's impact for good is unmeasurable.

We can talk hypothetical all day. No one will ever no what a massive non-violent resistance during the holocaust would have accomplished (Though we know a few stories of small scale non-violence that worked). We can only guess what radical non-violent love would do to the heart of Osama. For me, on a day to day level, I'm going to respond to every situation I can with the most love as I can muster, and trust the outcome is better then if I had chosen violence.

Re: Say Goodbye to Edison's Lightbulb

Ariah Fine — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:45:25 -0000

I think Zach took care of the regulating morality question quite well. I thought about that a bit also, but realized there are plenty of things we encourage our government to regulate and this seems like one that isn't difficult to agree with.

Indie,
Thanks for your comments. I hadn't thought about the mercury at all. I wonder what investigation there has been into non-toxic lighting. I did read the handout you linked to which was very informative. It says that CFL's are actually better as it relates to Mercury in the air because they take less energy production (coal, etc) which is often the cause of most of the mercury in our air. So it sounds like proper care and disposal makes CFL the best choice for Mercury avoiding as well!

Re: Hoping Hmong History Brings Understanding

Ariah Fine — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:46:37 -0000

racism amongst all people groups is not uncommon. It does take a life time of learning and interacting. Most of us just don't seem to be putting ourselves out there to get involved.

Re: Task: Convey Our Values about Stuff and Kids

Ariah Fine — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 11:25:59 -0000

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think one thing that I really think is important is that the message comes across clearly. The mention of the fitting in the car, and the mention of only what's on the registry are the two clear statements about practically what we mean (don't buy us a bunch of junk, basically).

So, I'm all for taking those out if they don't sound right, but how are people going to understand the idea that we don't want, nor need, additional items?

Re: Brilliant Guerrilla Marketing: Want to Join?

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:20:32 -0000

Jessica,
that is a fabulous idea and video. I'm excited about it and maybe being a part of something like that. I think I'll encourage taking that project on within our church or something...

Re: The Church's role in Suburbia

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:25:11 -0000

"I think the role of church in suburbia is to tell the community about Jesus and show his love, just as it would be anywhere in the world."

Patrick, this statement I completely agree with (as I mentioned early on in this post), however, your thought that that somehow dictates the need to shape our lives appropriately to being the most appealing (in the way that we would think) to suburban church visitors is what I think is terribly dangerous.

In our desire to "share Christ" and be "seeker friendly" we've completely ditched a lot of what Christ's message was. There are so many scenarios in the Bible were our logical choices would be different then what God dictates and we both know whose plan works in the end.

I've got a few more verses I'll probably hit on as it relates to this. But do you understand what I'm saying? I'm saying the most evangelistic, sharing the gospel way we can be, is to live it out as fully as possible, and that means a sacrificial life.

Re: Task: Convey Our Values about Stuff and Kids

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:26:34 -0000

Rough Draft #2 will be coming soon. Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

Erika, I like the last line "any gifts we receive in excess..." I wonder how that will go over.

Re: Consumption Junction: A Visual Tour

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:32:10 -0000

Jody, I'll have to find something. I read a crazy article about it and the pollution and trash it's caused world wide, with neat pictures, but I don't think I bookmarked it.

Erika,
Sewing your own clothes! That's sweet! I used to have a link to a place that had fair trade fabric, but I'll have to look for it again.

Re: The Church's role in Suburbia

Ariah Fine — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:53:10 -0000

Patrick,

Your right on that there is nothing "dangerous" about showing people the love of Jesus.

I absolutely believe we should allow people to 'seek' out the gospels meaning as well.

I think there is a lot we agree on, and I think before we can take this part of the conversation further, we're going to need to back up a little. I'm not sure quite were to begin, maybe we have to find an agreed upon starting point on what the gospel should look like in our lives?

Re: How do you perceive the Bible?

Ariah Fine — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:56:36 -0000

@Virgil: I appreciate the encouragement. Like I said I felt the need to say that preface so I could just write my mind. It didn't come off to off the wall anyways so I think it's okay.

@pk: I agree with a lot of what you say. I think a lot of the negative things we see in Scripture have been people distorting what God really intended.
However, like I said, my insight has come mostly from recognizing and attempting to listen to my sister's in the faith, who have expressed a struggle with such a male-centered, male-dominated, and often times male abused text as the Word of God.

Re: Blackback Theory and Anyone know CSS?

Ariah Fine — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 18:21:03 -0000

Virgil, thanks for the insight. One of the links points to the fact that most computers are moving to LCD, but the impact of the CRT use of energy is still significant.

I did notice as I was reading last night that, when I switched the google page to a black back layout it was a bit harder to adjust to.

Maybe I'm jumping a little too quick.

Josh, I still might take you up on a little color tweaking.

Re: The Church's role in Suburbia

Ariah Fine — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 20:50:49 -0000

-drm-,

I can be a little dense at times. I appreciated the quote and the thoughts, I'm a little unsure how to respond though. I feel like we always need to begin with the individual, that's almost always the place that change begins, it begins with you.

Affordable housing is great, how do I change my life to help address that?

Re: The Church's role in Suburbia

Ariah Fine — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 07:37:17 -0000

-drm-,

Wow, I like your mention of "encounter." I think that's pretty spot on. That's why I'm encouraged not to live in isolation carrying out my faith, because God calls us to community, "love your neighbor."

As for affecting change toward affordable housing, I don't currently live in the power structure of the suburb. I think the majority of the people who read this who do, need to begin by making lifestyle changes, and then organizing to affect other changes.

As for inviting people to live with you, you might want to check out this post:
Guestrooms for Jesus

Re: Home Sweet Mortgage: Isn't Debt Bad?

Ariah Fine — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 22:39:26 -0000

meredith,

sorry to swallow your comments. They actually just got tagged to be moderated (sometimes happens) but there they are above. I'll try to fix it so it says something like "hey your comment will post shortly."

Anyways, about your thoughts. I definitly hear you. As a bike to work guy myself I'm a fan of what you've done.
And I'm certainly not saying that buying a house, having a mortgage, etc is necessarily bad, I'm just trying to ask the question.

I don't think enough people are asking the questions. I love the idea of not paying rent and owning a home (I mean owning, not having a mortgage), there is so much good you could do through your finances if you didn't have a monthly house payment or rent bill to pay.

Yet, I do wonder a bit about it all. I just wish we were talking more about these things in the church. You know, maybe that would quell the "bigger and better" housing attitude in the church. It doesn't take much peeking at Scripture to think that our lavishly large houses are a bit out of line with Christ's calling on our lives.

Re: A liar and a Thief: What To Do With Excess?

Ariah Fine — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 22:44:16 -0000

Richard,
definitly a good point. I'm not sure Wesley had kids either, but the money he gave out went to an orphanage so there's definitly a hint at caring for children.

Dan,
I should have broken that one down more. From my faith perspective, I think having security in anything but God is a dangerous thing. There's a lot of Bible verses that would hint at this: can't serve two masters, don't store up where moth and rust destroy, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and on.
My mention of that is mainly to say I am very susceptible to trusting in my own ability to care for my needs and my family, and I don't think that is what God want's of me.

pk,
Maybe I misspoke somewhere, but I'm not really advocating for the government to take all our money. However, I would challenge you in saying, I don't see a lot of loud-mouthing Republicans who are calling for an end to taxes sacrificially giving to the poor. Maybe I just don't see them. God bless those that are.

Re: Consumption Junction: A Visual Tour

Ariah Fine — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 23:05:26 -0000

Jody,
you asked for it, he delivered:
http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=7

Re: Home Sweet Mortgage: Isn't Debt Bad?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:59:13 -0000

Josh,
Thanks for that perspective. I think so many people ignore the costs to a house and just give the "saved money" figures. My friends who we moved in with (renting) together were looking last summer and blew a bunch of money on inspections trying to find something. There's also the interest. There's also insurance. There's also usually more per month in utilities. I wouldn't say your dumb, I would say your pastor should have been preaching to you on the topic at least.

GKB,
Thanks for sharing your perspective too. I definitly have felt the need to not "throw away" my money. At times I'm skeptical at how true this is. Currently we pay a ridiculously low amount for rent because we split it between 7 adults. Granted if someone owned the place we are renting it could all go to their mortgage, but I still think we need to step back and think about it. Are there additional cost you've faced that you wouldn't have owning a home? Maintenance?

Jody,
First, I love that you want to share. And I like your current place. I think you need to find a group of folks to live with. Rent will be cheaper, and you can probably pull off an extra bedroom.
Do you never want to buy a home? Not saying you should, just curious. We are considering it, just considering how to do it if we did.

Re: A liar and a Thief: What To Do With Excess?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:53:58 -0000

Dan,
Thanks for the encouragement in that. I appreciated your insight to begin with. I think it's a difficult line in the USA to figure out what is financial security and what is not.

pk,

Again, thanks for your insight. I think we'll take up that conversation soon.

Re: Home Sweet Mortgage: Isn't Debt Bad?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:56:08 -0000

Jody,
Thanks for the chat this evening. I think your making great decisions related to the housing thing. Definitely would encourage you to look into community and roommates.

Goslyn,
Appreciate your insight. Seems like you've done a good thing financially. I'm still skeptical of some of it. And I wish more conversation happened in the church, not just about money, but about all these sorts of decisions we tend to make.
As for the Taxes, I think you and PK from my other post might have an interesting discussion.

Re: Capitalism: Get Out While You're Still Saved?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:38:39 -0000

PK and Virgil,

I love the comments, and I appreciate your insight. I am NOT advocating for a different form of government or economic system enforced by the government, so that side of the debate/conversation need go no further.
Virgil, I really like this point your brought up:

the self-centered nature of Capitalism is what would make our Christ-centered actions stand out and be infinitely more visible.</blockqoute>
I think I completely agree. I guess my post was not to suggest a governmental take over and change in the system, but a thought that maybe there is a way to step out and live differently even while and amidst the current system. Maybe like Josh mentioned at the Burning Man festival.

PK, good point on capitalism being used selfishly etc. but not therefore wrong. I think Jesus' lack of critique of the current system is an indication that huge systematic changes is not our goal, but living differently amidst it might be.

What about bartering? Is that a way to avoid involvement in the system?

Re: Home Sweet Mortgage: Isn't Debt Bad?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:42:52 -0000

MBR and Alison,

Thanks for your thoughts. I definitly hear you about some of the equity values of home ownership and the hidden costs of renting, but I think there's still discussion to be had.
I think it might be worth a little bit of example giving and number crunching to see if there is maybe more to this idea of renting then we might think (as far as investing goes).

Re: Home Sweet Mortgage: Isn't Debt Bad?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 00:53:52 -0000

Jac,
Great thoughts. I think next week I'm going to present some more concrete ideas I've had of ways we might live in a radically different way.
I fully support your goal of living in a community in a neighborhood that you might be able to serve and be a part of. If you haven't read elsewhere on my blog, I live with my wife and 5 other adults and two kids in a neat neighborhood.

Ruth,
I'm sorry to hear that you've had or heard of such negative experiences with giving and people taking advantage of that giving. I think you'll find as you continue to give and serve that not everyone is like that. I'd also challenge you that, yes, we shouldn't feel obligated as Christians to care for the needs of other Christians, but we should do it, we absolutely should. And if you do it out of obligation, I think you'll find joy will follow.

This has been an amazingly good discussion. I'd love to keep it going. I'm maybe even thinking of podcasting it. I tell you what, if anyone out there has Skype and wants to have a discussion for a podcast, let me know.

Re: Talk to Someone about Domestic Violence

Ariah Fine — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 09:40:04 -0000

Thanks for the feedback folks.

I won't be posting any more of these. However, I really believe the topic is important and needs to be talked about.

What thoughts do you have on more positive ways to raise awareness?

Re: Chocolatey Goodness and Why I'm Avoiding It.

Ariah Fine — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 11:32:43 -0000

Jamie,

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm ready to head down that path, be it slowly.

I do want to find a way of life that seems sustainable for all the people in the world. Maybe you can help me find that direction.
by the way, I'm hoping you'll chime in on the housing discussion some.

Re: Okay, But What If Debt Really Is Bad?

Ariah Fine — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 16:13:44 -0000

Thanks you two!
I guess not as many people have begun to think outside of the box of our culture very much. I think your ideas are great! I think if we begin to start thinking in this way we might actually get somewhere.

Re: Okay, But What If Debt Really Is Bad?

Ariah Fine — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 07:20:19 -0000

Cool Jake, I didn't know you were living in shared space too! I'd love to hear more about your "non-economic" reasons as well.

Re: Chocolatey Goodness and Why I'm Avoiding It.

Ariah Fine — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 07:21:50 -0000

pk,

I hope your "what are you gonna do?" isn't a cop out.

I think Jamie will tell you and others will to, that there are other options. There are ways to go about life making a serious effort, and finding healthy and ethical "chains of events" preceeding our consumption choices.

Re: Okay, But What If Debt Really Is Bad?

Ariah Fine — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:09:52 -0000

Amen to that.

We should chat more about life in communal space and all that. It sounds like your experience has been good.

throw that "start your own life" stuff out the window.

Re: Chocolatey Goodness and Why I'm Avoiding It.

Ariah Fine — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:10:51 -0000

Jamie,

I'd love to simply know more about why and how you've chosen to live a Vegan life. I'm sure you could write books about it, but maybe you can throw me the condensed version.

Re: Chocolatey Goodness and Why I'm Avoiding It.

Ariah Fine — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:09:41 -0000

PK,

I understand there are people who spend a lot of time in the grocery aisle deciding what to buy, the majority of us (you and I included) don't.
I in no way am suggesting anyone replace caring for the needs of their neighbor with socially conscience shopping trips, I'm suggesting something far more radical: Do BOTH!

But be careful about ignoring these purchasing choices in favor of "loving your neighbor." The reason I gave up chocolate was specifically because I love my neighbor. The one half way across the globe who deserves a decent wage if I'm going to eat chocolate (fair trade) and not to be oppressed because I want cheap chocolate so I can have more pocket change to love my closer in proximity neighbors.

p.s. Thanks for the links Jamie

Re: Space: More Or Less? (Reflections on Community)

Ariah Fine — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:18:40 -0000

Richard,

You bring up an interesting point. I was specifically talking about the people with who we live. But I would love the idea of being a community that was created in such a way that anyone was welcome. I'm not quite sure how that would work, but I've brainstormed about it.

The thing is when we all moved in together some of us were definitly "strangers" to one another. It's been a beautiful community even amidst that. And we are much more family then strangers now.

Zach,
Let me know how much space you have. And I guess you can count the dog as a person...

Re: Finance Brain Storm: Pay Each Others Mortgage

Ariah Fine — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:30:06 -0000

Zach,
Mindy pointed out that your friends lack of belief that it would work was probably an indication of their own thinking, that they would "screw people over." I certainly wouldn't join them in this partnership, but I might hook up with you and the Duncans, people I could believe would commit to it. I think the corporation thing could work too though.

Mel,
Well, I'm also certainly not suggesting anyone actually buy a house if it doesn't make sense. Sounds like it might not for them. I'm always curious though, I think most people (generalization obviously) could easily pay off their house in about 5 years if they actually lived a more frugal lifestyle (which I would advocate they do permanently, not just to pay off a mortgage).
And as far as your willingness to stretch for someone else, I would say that's the whole point of the Christian faith isn't it?

Re: What about the Children?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 22:02:44 -0000

Woah! Way to go Richard. I just got back and started to search the topic as people were asking about it and here you are doing the work for me!
The second link you gave was too the letter writing, which appears to be done. I looked into the county board and I think they made a decision on this in February. I couldn't really decipher it but I think it was denied.
Here's a link to the highlighted section:
http://pages.citebite.com/n1m2q8l9d8fje
and here is the actual text:

To approve the following zoning relief: Conditional Use to permit group dwelling quarters in the R-1 Single Family Residence District (Lisle Township/ District 5)
ZBA VOTE (On a Motion to Approve): 3 Ayes, 3 Nays, 1 Recusal
Development Committee: (On a motion to Approve) 2 Ayes, 4 Nays
(If the County Board seeks to approve requires a simple majority of all County Board Members- 10 Votes)

Re: This Is What Democracy Looks Like?

Ariah Fine — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 23:09:53 -0000

Scott,

Thanks for your thoughts I hadn't realized that before, or thought much of the difference. Well, I guess I could say you've ruined my whole series, but I'll try not to get too down about it.
Let's just assume I meant republic where I said democracy.

Re: Chocolatey Goodness and Why I'm Avoiding It.

Ariah Fine — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:47:21 -0000

pk,

If you take a chance to check out the links the post references, you'll find that there are a lot of slaves in the cocoa industry. So, choosing not to purchase from "free trade" companies will eliminate the needs for laborers (slaves) in that industry and allow them possibly freedom.
Additionally, I'm suggesting, as you can check out the recent Corporate Responsibility post this week, that if you choose to purchase chocolate or coffee, you do it from a company that pays their works a decent wage. A switch to that sort of purchasing will result in a lot of decently paid workers, not a bunch of down and out workers.

Re: Entertaining Jesus' Third Way

Ariah Fine — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:47:44 -0000

Richard, I couldn't have said it any better myself.

Re: Radiant Magazine and sexist assumptions

Ariah Fine — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:01:46 -0000

I read your's!

For more gender in the media check out:
http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2006/09/27/bad-bo...

http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2006/09/23/killin...

Re: What are the Boundaries of our 'Democracy'?

Ariah Fine — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:13:06 -0000

Great points folks...

Andy, I think a conversation about freedom is a fabulous idea. Maybe I can get some moment and talk about my feelings on that next week.

Scott, check out my post tonight and let me know if you think it's really a stretch. I'll get on the Romans 13 passage in the near future.

Josh, you rock. Thanks for your wisdom and being right on.

Re: If People Can't Vote, It's Not Democratic

Ariah Fine — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:00:14 -0000

Richard,
It's really sad and frustrating.

Citizen J,
That's interesting, I've thought about the goofiness of the electoral college, but it still seemed the like the votes counted somehow

Re: Welcome to the Police State of America

Ariah Fine — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 08:42:11 -0000

Thanks for being willing Jamie.

I actually made a DVD of the video and if it's easier to watch on a tv with a DVD player I could send you a copy. It's not really kid friendly but I really think it's worth a viewing.

Re: What are the Boundaries of our 'Democracy'?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 08:45:53 -0000

Joshua,

Thanks for being the loving person that you are and showing the maturity that you did. Scott, thanks for your maturity as well.
I love that I can write these sorts of things and they can create the level of conversation that they do, and that the readers are ones who truly express the maturity and love that I esteem to.
Thank you for being an example to me folks.

Re: If People Can't Vote, It's Not Democratic

Ariah Fine — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 08:46:53 -0000

Citizen J,

Your pretty passionate about this issue. Thanks for making me aware and helping me understand a little more about our system.

Re: Tech Friday: Look up driving directions on google maps

Ariah Fine — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:05:28 -0000

Seth, no prob, the link to that post is right here:

http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2006/06/02/tech-f...

Re: Four Years in Iraq: Forgive Us Father For We Have Sinned

Ariah Fine — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:52:24 -0000

It is an interesting perspective, but I'm not sure what the statement behind it is supposed to imply.

Re: Shutdown Day: Acknowledging Computer Dependency

Ariah Fine — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 09:21:18 -0000

Zach,
That would be interesting. What if it caught on, and similar to take your daughter to work day, people actually did it and companies were accepting and accommodating.

Joel,
Yeah, regulating this stuff is a good idea. Let me know what you come up with.

Re: What If There Were No Black People?

Ariah Fine — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 09:21:33 -0000

Zach,
I should have added a note about that. I think in an effort to simplify the story they don't go into detail about what element each person contributed to the invention. In other words, they say: 'invented' when at times it means, 'contributed to the development of' or 'added a very important component to'

Re: The Consequences of Buying Everything

Ariah Fine — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 09:22:48 -0000

I love all the new comments that pop up on here. Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone.

I'm curious how sharing the views of Kalle has changed your purchasing habits.

Re: Devotional Thoughts: Leaving Everything

Ariah Fine — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:46:39 -0000

Just wanted to say thanks for the encouragement everyone. I haven't had a post with so many brief, but encouraging comments in a while. I'll keep writing.

Re: Guestrooms for Jesus

Ariah Fine — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:28:16 -0000

Patrick,
I certainly appreciate your passion. I'm curious as to your take on the post above. Is it a good idea or not in your opinion?

Re: Storing up in Barns…Take Life Easy

Ariah Fine — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:29:18 -0000

Jamie,
Thanks for the encouragement. We are certainly preparing ourselves to tread through the temptations and expectations of the society (and good intending family and friends) around us. May the Lord give us strength.

Re: Se7en Statements of Jesus about Wealth

Ariah Fine — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:30:35 -0000

Sorry Zach.

Virgil,

Extremely interesting thoughts. Is your opinion that everything Jesus said regarding wealth simply to prepare them for the AD 70 temple destruction?
I've never heard that view before.

Re: Flash Back: Considering Church

Ariah Fine — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:31:06 -0000

House churches are a beautiful thing.

Re: What If? Visions of the Future or Future Fridays

Ariah Fine — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:32:52 -0000

I was reading this book, Mere Discipleship, recently and it was explaining how after Christianity became the majority religion, that's when people began interpreting things to be "not for us today," and that only "some" are called, like your talking about. It was quite interesting and makes a lot of sense.

Re: Thoughts on Worship from Walk The Line

Ariah Fine — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:34:33 -0000

Andy,

Thanks for the encouragement and the wisdom. I do pray that God would give me the gift to put my heart into song or at least spoken word at some point. So far I need to just learn rhyming words. But I do long for "worship leader" to take on new meaning in churches.

Bryan,
let's chat man.

Jamie,
Derek Webb rocks my socks off! So practical and challenging in his lyrics. And I happen to love the music too.

Re: What If We Stopped Dining Out Until Everyone Could Simply Eat?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:13:49 -0000

Kate,
I appreciate your thoughts. That's certainly a dilemma of this idea, that's sort of why it's a "what if" cause I'm just brainstorming outcomes. What I'm suggesting is not a permanent change, but rather a boycott of sorts, on a massive scale. I think the impact would be so drastic that our country and others would immediately see it as a priority to address the hunger situation in the world.

Brian,
I was trying to be sarcastic, or something, with that statement (I guess it doesn't work very well). The point is that there is some reason we don't make any change in our lives at all amidst the awareness of the hunger situation in the world.
I understand eating out supports workers to some degree, and I think capitalism makes a lot of sense in helping everyone out, but I'm weary of a trickle down approach sort of attitude.

The point was to suggest a drastic initiative, a boycott of sorts, that would have a serious and crippling impact. When they boycotted buses in the south it caused the lose of jobs for many bus drivers, and I would bet many of them stood up to agree with the change. When employees strike the point is not to put themselves out of a job and cripple their city, it's to make a drastic temporary change to bring to light a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

That was my thought.

Re: Hip Hop ≠ Rap; Hip Hop > Rap

Ariah Fine — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 16:12:30 -0000

Zach,
Stay tuned, we are getting to them.

Indie,
What seminary was that? I'd love to find out more about the conference, if it's continuing and maybe who they have speak at it.

Re: Hip Hop Lesson #1: Listen to People's Struggles

Ariah Fine — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 16:16:24 -0000

Kate,
Thanks so much for the thoughts. I'll definitly get to the degradation of women, it's an important topic. And that Everlast song is deep. I'd heard it before but never really listened to the lyrics.
I'm collecting YouTube videos of songs of struggle, so send any more you can think of my way.

Josh,
I checked the blog briefly, but not too much. I'll get to it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your blog about race, it's an important revelation.

Amber,
Glad your enjoying the posts. Whose the artist? I went to Pine Ridge once in high school. It was an interesting and education experience. Thanks for sharing your story.

Brian,
Glad to have you back!

Re: Why Isn't Church More Like a 12 Step Program?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 16:22:21 -0000

Michelle, I'd love to hear more! Let me know your thoughts.

Patrick,
If you don't mind I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on my comments above specifically, not just your thoughts on 12 steps.

Re: What If We Stopped Dining Out Until Everyone Could Simply Eat?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 23:41:23 -0000

Kate and Jamie,

I'll take a look into it. I do think it takes the gravatar site a little while to put the images through the system. If it's not working for you two by monday I'll definitly look into it.
I'm really glad you like the idea though! I wasn't sure if it was a welcome addition or not.
I also added a 'I heart comments' section on the sidebar listing the most frequent commenters, and guess who are in the top two spots? you!

Re: Hip Hop Songs of Struggle

Ariah Fine — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 14:14:39 -0000

Jamie,

Did you sneak that second comment in just to make it to the top of the comment list?

Re: Guestrooms for Jesus

Ariah Fine — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:35:58 -0000

Stephen, another reader wrote in with a verse that talks about family:

1 Tim 5:7-8
7Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. 8If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

My question would be what does "provide" here mean?

Just for additional conversation here's a little more context of those verses:
3Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. 8If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Re: Discussion ?: Driving and Environmental Stewardship

Ariah Fine — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:15:45 -0000

I said it was a discussion question, and WOW, we got some discussion going. Thanks everyone, and sorry I've been absent from the conversation. Here's my quick take, one at a time:

Sam: agreed we should be taking action rather then reading research. However, the reason I'm inquiring into the research is I don't want to jump on a bandwagon and find out it's not accomplishing the goals we set out to accomplish. In other words, I don't want to be cruising around in my honda when I should have been driving an H3 hummer baby!

Indie: I'd love for you to see if you find any holes in it. I did think it might have been "sponsored" by big business, but I think they would have then made a nicer website and done a bit more PR. Thanks for the carseat tip also.

Jamie: I've totally heard about the bio-desiel thing, in fact we almost bought a car to do that with and then decided not to at the last minute. If I get a chance I'd love to do it sometime.

Jac: thanks for your input and your questioning of the status quo. I think your absolutely right about us needing to step away from our assumptions and dependency on automobiles. We really can find alternatives, we just need to seek them out.

Indie: I hear you loud and clear. Knowing you just a little bit, I think your heart is in the right place. I think you and Jac agree fundamentally on the changes that need to be made in our world, and your struggling with the tensions of living those out for your family. Don't lose sleep over it, your doing a great job and I know you won't settle for the status quo.

Jac: Thanks for being willing to challenge others, I think your ideas and challenges are excellent and valid. We need people like you in the world, and particularly in the church. A collective body of people could pool their resources and find solutions that would help folks like Indie really live out her convictions (the same ones you have I think) in the ways she would like.

Re: Hip Hop Songs of Struggle

Ariah Fine — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:21:34 -0000

Jamie: definitly enjoy "Jesus Walks with Me" but I wanted to limit my list, I could have gone all day. I'll have to highlight it later in this discussion.

Re: Bikes, Maintenance and Pedal Powered Washers

Ariah Fine — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:23:02 -0000

Jamie, we actually just got a Baby Bjorn off ebay for $19. We were thinking about a sling, and will probably try one or a mai tei at some point.

I don't know how much it would cost but I plan on trying to build one someday in the next year if possible.

I did the bike work myself, I think I'm happy with the outcome.

Re: Corporate Responsibility Monday: Sweatshop Free? No Sweat.

Ariah Fine — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:24:30 -0000

indie: Sorry, maybe they'll have yours soon. I'd book mark the clearance page and check it out when your thinking of looking for any clothing. It might have just the item your looking for.

Elisabeth: Thanks for stopping by. Glad your a No Sweat fan like we are.

Zach: don't worry, Coke's coming.

Re: Flash Back: A look at Romans 13

Ariah Fine — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:30:55 -0000

Marc and Brian,

Thanks for getting the discussion rolling again. I think you hit on some excellent points (Brian, well done on your initial thoughts, you should have written my post). The goal of the discussion as a whole is to get to the details about war. I'm happy (and maybe surprised) that we all seem to agree on this idea that first and foremost we need to be following God and whenever we come to believe that what God wants for us and what the state wants are opposite, then we should always do what God wants. I guess it's just a matter of discussing what God really wants for us now.

As for the Pope, I'd never really thought about that before. Very interesting and thanks for mentioning it Marc.

Jamie: thanks for always having smart and thoughtful points to add.

Re: An Entire Life of Sadness...

Ariah Fine — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 07:25:09 -0000

Wow, Thanks for all the positive comments everyone. I didn't intend for this to be about me, but I appreciate the encouragement (and the challenge, Chris).

I'll offer a hearty amen to everyone, and mention to Chris, that yes, I do ride a bike.

Re: I Cry At The Teasing and Bullying Too.

Ariah Fine — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 07:26:24 -0000

Bill, Great post, I would have commented but your comments are turned off.

"Words can crush a soul." That's powerful.

Re: I Cry At The Teasing and Bullying Too.

Ariah Fine — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 15:14:33 -0000

Jamie,

I definitly do not mind at all.

Re: I Cry At The Teasing and Bullying Too.

Ariah Fine — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 19:10:10 -0000

I'll tell you this Josh, after 9/11 when we went to war with Afghanistan I made posters and a t-shirt that said "God Bless Afghanistan" and "Pray for Osama Bin Laden." The posters never lasted more then an hour before someone tore them down, and the t-shirt usually got weird stares and looks. I wouldn't be surprised if the VT shirts got trendy, in fact, look at what a quick search for "Virginia Tech" brings up on Cafe Press:
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/virginia%20tech/

Re: Corporate Responsibility: Quenching Your Thirst

Ariah Fine — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:25:46 -0000

Tank,
Thanks man, I didn't know about Izze. It's good to know there are others out there putting a ethical option into the beverage industry.

Re: Creation Sunday: Love Your Neighbors

Ariah Fine — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:30:21 -0000

Glad it was helpful for you.

Re: Equal Pay Day: It's Time Women Get Even

Ariah Fine — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:31:46 -0000

Yeah, looks we are all in the wrong jobs!

Thanks Christy for the encouragement. I've got a few more coming on this topic.

Re: An Entire Life of Sadness...

Ariah Fine — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:41:25 -0000

Creamcitian,
Always enjoy your occasional stop-bys. Thanks for the encouragement.

Re: Flash Back: What it Might Be Like to Live Without Heat

Ariah Fine — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:42:40 -0000

Indie,

Well said. I know I certainly take the ability to control temperature for granted. I'd love to live in a home that was set up to work well with the weather.

Creamcitian,
I know I would be a more irritable person. But yes we are a resilient people.

Re: I Cry At The Teasing and Bullying Too.

Ariah Fine — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:54:42 -0000

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful comments.

John,
The goal is not to figure out possible solutions for that past situation which we can't do anything about now, but to look forward.
Repairing damage is a long and difficult road. Sometimes we need to just sit back and lament our previous mistakes, mourn the outcomes and figure out how to live our lives differently from here on out.

Re: What if Everyone Just Stopped Driving?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:00:01 -0000

Virgil,
Yeah, I recognized I hadn't mentioned the service sector really. I mean even on a local level, the businesses get there materials or supplies from somewhere else.
So maybe you could qualify that by saying 'service vehicles' are acceptable.

Re: Testing the Mini-posts feature

Ariah Fine — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:05:28 -0000

testing ajax

Re: Testing the Mini-posts feature

Ariah Fine — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:06:39 -0000

and again

Re: Testing the Mini-posts feature

Ariah Fine — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 02:48:03 -0000

and one more time

Re: Flash Back: Is Church Really About the Sermon?

Ariah Fine — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 15:02:05 -0000

Great thoughts everyone. It's encouraging to hear about churches that are doing things differently, even when it's just occasionally. I guess I'm still looking for something even more strange and out there, were songs and preaching take a back seat to doing.

Re: Comment Love: Encouraging the Conversation

Ariah Fine — Tue, 01 May 2007 18:52:39 -0000

Zach and Indie,
two of my favorite commenters and still no gravatar? It's not too hard, and I did warn you, if your not careful, I'm gonna put one up for you.
Indie, you'll be glad to know your back on there, and all it took was a comment.
Zach, now that is funny. I'm going to have to think through what it was like to read all Jamie's comments as if they were thompson's...

Josh,
I might have been the one to mention black google, I blogged about it a while back. Have you tried out stylish on firefox to get the black google?

Re: CRM Summer Project: Socially Responsible Investing

Ariah Fine — Tue, 01 May 2007 22:59:36 -0000

Okay, so with enough motivation, maybe Corporate Responsibility Monday's won't disappear. I think questions like you asked Jamie will help me continue to write on this topic. So, ask and ye shall receive. Next Monday I'll write about my thoughts on the 'lesser of the evils' concept and give my personal opinion on that topic.

Keep asking and I'll keep writing.

Re: An Entire Life of Sadness...

Ariah Fine — Wed, 02 May 2007 07:51:50 -0000

John,

You ask some very good questions. I think your thoughts are ones that a lot of people struggle with, myself included at times.
I think you might find situations though that give you a glimpse of a survival, a society, a way we were created that was not 'at the death of another creature.' I think you might find those to be truly how we were intended to live; what we were created for.
I understand though that sometimes those glimpses seem few and far between in our world.
I certainly don't have the answers, but I hope you'll stick around and read some more, and maybe you can understand a little more about why and how I've come to believe there is a Creator worth worshipping.

Re: Se7en Verses that are NOT in the Bible

Ariah Fine — Wed, 02 May 2007 07:56:00 -0000

Dan,

I'm an idiot. #2 I think still stands, simply because I've heard so many people say that line as if it was a quoted verse, but yes, maybe implied is not strong enough of a word.
#5 yeah, my choice was pretty bad. I'm gonna change it. What I intended to put was something people say with the word 'trinity' as if it says 'trinity' in the Bible. You've cleared up my mistake, and now I'm the one who looks silly, not the folks who don't know who Noah's wife was.

Re: Comment Love: Encouraging the Conversation

Ariah Fine — Wed, 02 May 2007 08:00:11 -0000

Richard and everyone,

Now the picture doesn't have to be of you, it could be a comic book character, a pretty sunset or anything. I just think something is better then just a question mark...

And here might be a good time to say that my comments don't count toward the comment love count. I just haven't figured out how to remove them from the total...

Re: Thinking Blogger Awards

Ariah Fine — Thu, 10 May 2007 08:50:22 -0000

Richard, thank you in return.

Connie, Thanks for the links. I'll definitly check them out. I'm doing my best not to become an overly protective paranoid father, but I think that's going to take some work.

Keep writing.

Re: CRM: 3 Reasons Why When In Doubt, Always Buy Generic

Ariah Fine — Thu, 10 May 2007 08:53:06 -0000

Jody,
Yeah writing is a good step. It takes a couple minutes, and honestly I feel like it's a worthwhile thing to do. It's the kind of pro-active consumerism we need.

Indie, thanks for the soda tips, for the connoisseurs this will be quite welcome.

Jamie, no problem, I love writing and dialogging. Keep sending more questions as you have them.

Re: Life to the Full: I Highly Recommend It

Ariah Fine — Thu, 10 May 2007 08:57:14 -0000

Josh, thanks.

Stephanie, thanks I completely agree that our society has a confused sense of what it is we want.

Dan, no doubt struggle, suffering, and sacrifice are part of what we are called to in the Christian life. I'll take it on at some later point (probably not in the academic depth you might be looking for), but for now I'll just nod that I agree with you, the pop-theology idea wouldn't really have room for suffering.

I'm more speaking in a 'true joy comes through living how God has created us to live,' sort of way which would say God is great and we can find joy in those moments of tragedy and suffering. Not fake smile on your face joy, but God-given joy.

Re: A list of Definitly NOT Free Trade

Ariah Fine — Thu, 10 May 2007 08:59:16 -0000

The two above are called 'track backs' if someone (including myself) link to this post from another blog post, the links show up above with snippets of what was being said around the link. They look kind of confusing though I agree.

Yeah, I wish I could find people who knew more about all this stuff then me to discuss it with, but many people I talk to who know a lot usually have quite biased opinions and won't entertain a discussion really. Here's to learning more.

Re: skyangel saved my soul!

Ariah Fine — Thu, 10 May 2007 09:01:33 -0000

Stephen, sorry, it's satire.

C,
first of all I don't watch TV anyways. But I'm not sure same sex couples are necessarily a bad thing to see on tv or in real life. What would be the goal of avoiding viewing same sex couples?

Glad you had a chance to rant about the Parsley guy. Sounds pretty sketch, that stuff certainly freaks me out as well.

Re: Love your enemies

Ariah Fine — Thu, 10 May 2007 09:11:04 -0000

Jamie,

Good stuff! I've discussed this ton's of times with my more conservative friends, obviously with returned crazy stares and harsh comments.
It's like Christian Peacemaker Teams times 100x! They are doing great work, but what if planes by the thousands arrived in a war torn area and just went around caring and loving people, and standing between the violence. I think I've written on this before on the blog, I'll have to dig through my old posts. Otherwise I'll definitly be posting a what if? next Friday.

Re: Discussion Question: Do you See Police Abuse Their Power?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 11 May 2007 19:52:44 -0000

Wow, I wasn't expecting everyone to jump in with such intense stories!

Jody, any chance she got the officers badge number? or even a description. I think that would be a great thing for our community group or church to do a letter writing campaign around.
What do you think?

John Q, welcome to the system.

Indie, man, I'm sorry your brother has had those experiences. Have you or he felt there was any responses that can be taken?

Re: Pizza, Brought to you by a Dead Man

Ariah Fine — Fri, 11 May 2007 19:53:48 -0000

Yeah, I was inspired and encouraged.

I wish someday things will change and we'll see the death penalty as ridiculous and inhumane. But that day is still a ways off.

Re: Guest Writers Anyone?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 19 May 2007 07:58:05 -0000

Glad you like the idea Jamie, since you practically run the comment sections around here ;) Hopefully we'll have a few people post.

Virgil, Looking forward to your post.

Re: Pizza, Brought to you by a Dead Man

Ariah Fine — Sat, 19 May 2007 08:00:54 -0000

a and Jamie and others,

Sorry I didn't chime in, I told Aaron his thoughts were something I need to reflect on a bit, and as I did the comment section grew and died.

Two things I wanted to mention. First, a's initial comments are what compelled me to ask for 'guest writers' for next week. I think you wrote a couple quick critiquing sentences, and I really truly want to hear more and have you elaborate on them. I've thought about it a bit and want to listen more.

Secondly, the conversation has inspired a couple of posts, so if I don't have many guest writers next week you can expect some posts directly inspired by Aaron's comments.

Re: Life to the Full: I Highly Recommend It

Ariah Fine — Sat, 19 May 2007 08:02:07 -0000

Bryan,

Thanks. I've been honored to live with you and have been challenged and convicted many times about my choices through walking this year together. Thank you for being a wise mentor and faithful friend.

Re: CRM: 4 Reasons Why I'll Take the Thrift Store Over Target Any Day

Ariah Fine — Sat, 19 May 2007 08:03:22 -0000

Definitely good ideas. I'm not sure about the story behind the dollar store type places, I might have to research those a bit. And yes, go organic!

Re: Another Reason why I WON'T Shop at Abercrombie

Ariah Fine — Sat, 19 May 2007 08:09:17 -0000

Melissa,
Yeah, figuring out what to do with the convicting evidence of our previous ignorance is a tough one. If you have shoes or a shirt or something from company A or B it's tough to know what to do. I have a couple thrift stored nike items that I've tried unstitching the logos on, but you can't do that with a t-shirt. It's a tough call.

Tanyia,
I hear you loud and clear on the desire not to promote or affiliate with Abercrombie in any way.

Re: Corporate Responsibility: Chipotle's Food With Integrity

Ariah Fine — Sat, 19 May 2007 08:10:06 -0000

amber, thanks for the encouragement. It's comments like yours that have kept me going.

Doug, yikes! that is scary. It is an isolated incident, but scary nonetheless.

Re: Bottled Water Is a Scam

Ariah Fine — Fri, 25 May 2007 14:06:07 -0000

Connie, go for it, I love learning new things from comments on topics I'm interested in.
I didn't think this topic would get quite as many comments as it did. Keep up the conversation...

Re: Month One of Comment Love: $29.00

Ariah Fine — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 22:33:46 -0000

Richard,
That video was just bizarre. I mean really. Scary honestly.
By the way, when are you going to get a gravatar?

:)

Re: Memorial for Tara Cole: mourning an unjust death

Ariah Fine — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 22:41:39 -0000

kimmy,

thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hear your concern and can understand why it disappoints you.
From what I know having been to some of the memorials and gotten to know the story a little better, Tara had some mental issues which she needed medication for. She at times choose not to take the medication, and possibly because of that, or simply her desire to be free from it's constraints, she choose to live on the streets rather then under the shelter of her family. The issue we are morning isn't that Tara was homeless, though that is something I'm concerned about and think we should do everything we can to provide everyone with a home. However, I think the real tragedy is that someone would treat another human as worthless and do something as inhumane as pushing them into a river while sleeping.

Re: Racial Differences in Traffic Stops

Ariah Fine — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 22:46:40 -0000

Andy,

It is interesting, the whole idea of profiling 'working' and all. I mean do remember, Israel isn't exactly a peaceful neighborhood by any means.

Re: Month One of Comment Love: $29.00

Ariah Fine — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:36:01 -0000

I like the choice of gravatar!

Re: Sacraments: Is Birth a Sacrament?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:36:27 -0000

thank you two for sharing.

Re: Q Conference: A Qool Idea

Ariah Fine — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:36:46 -0000

Maybe when the internet works at home I might finally have a chance.

Re: Radiant Magazine and sexist assumptions

Ariah Fine — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 08:48:04 -0000

Richard,

I completely agree about the importance of providing a 'space' for those outside the 'majority culture' to express their point of view and to be heard. I think it's an extremely healthy thing.
And for the record, though I don't subscribe to Radiant magazine, I do listen to their podcast regularly. I don't have any problem with them starting a new magazine. I'm a fan of Radiant Mag!

The only thing I was trying to address was the choice of language. 'It's Our Turn Now' implies it wasn't their (females) turn before. I'm not saying Relevant was a men's magazine, nor that female voices didn't have influence and voice in the magazine. I'm simply pointing out that the choice of language on their advertisement implies something different.

(does that make any sense?)

Re: Skepticism about travel

Ariah Fine — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 08:51:34 -0000

Jono,

Thanks for chiming in. I think there are thousands who share a similar story like yours about a short term trip that instilled them with long term passions. I probably gained some of my passion from seeing first hand the hurt of others in the world on those same types of trips.

I think your comment about 'God fitting into your box' is interesting. I guess that's my thinking exactly when it comes to this. What if planes weren't invented, or the ability to travel on short term trips just ceased to exist. Do you think God could still have put that passion to get involved in your life? Do you think you'd still be doing those same involved things if it weren't for that trip?

Re: Skepticism about travel

Ariah Fine — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:04:03 -0000

Jono,

Again, thanks for the conversation. I think your choice of Jesus' command is a great one, God does call us to go. I think the confusing part has been our twenty first century interpretation of that.
Your right that verse doesn't talk about 'how or how long' but a lot of other stuff Jesus talks about does give us an idea of the how. Examples: Jesus sends the disciples out with a pair of sandals, no money, little food, and they wander city to city for quite while. Jesus, though he had quite a following, never chooses to cruise around in chariots or impressive entourages.
Then you've got the whole of scripture encouraging you to be a good steward of the earth. So, yes, God does say go, and maybe it means to a far off distant land, but He might also be telling you to get there by bicycle. Keep your mind open, that's all.

Re: Flash Back: Thinking About Real Estate

Ariah Fine — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 14:47:33 -0000

Jamie,
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm definitely still processing through this one, as I think that having a house you own might be a wiser decision in the long run then renting, but I'm trying to figure out how to do it in the right way.

Re: Happenings At Trying To Follow

Ariah Fine — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:10:07 -0000

Josh,

Happy Father's day to you as well! Really looking forward to staying in touch and keeping up with the Eikon Project out there in Ft. Wayne.

peace.

Re: Stereotype Of The Month Contest

Ariah Fine — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:10:51 -0000

Zach,
That's really cool, I should maybe try that sometime. Is the Patriots History really a legit history book? It sounds like an angry response to Zinn's book.

Re: Love is Patient

Ariah Fine — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 11:42:19 -0000

Wow, thanks you two for the encouragement. It's been a little rough this past few days, really hopeful, then depressing. It's a rollercoaster of emotion at times, but we are making it through. Thanks so much for the kind words.

Re: 3 Reasons that My Baby Won't Be Wearing babyGap

Ariah Fine — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:51:50 -0000

Makeesha, definitly understand the feeling of getting good deals. And I know sometimes shopping Goodwill can be frustrating with a limited selection and all.
However, for me it's eventually come down to ethics, and I simply don't frequent stores that don't align with my ethics.

Re: Fair Trade Footwear: Walk a Mile in Ethical Shoes

Ariah Fine — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 15:03:52 -0000

Terrel,
I'll definitely look into it. Never heard of Yellow Port before. How did you find them?

Re: What If We All Did Small Things?

Ariah Fine — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 10:04:13 -0000

Brian,
Sorry for not giving a clear explanation of that. The thought was that if EVERYONE switched from Hanes to Alternative Apparel, then all the demand that once created the jobs in Hanes factories would suddenly switch to demand and need for supply from Alternative Apparels factories.
Even simpler, what if we all agreed, from consumer to CEO that Hanes should be sweatshop free and fair trade? What if we ended up paying $5 more per package of under garments, and all that money went to providing better wages and facilities for the workers. Not that it would happen but just a scenario.

Re: The Research Institute of Mother and Child Care is a SCAM

Ariah Fine — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 12:44:53 -0000

Indie,

Right on. I was reading about this a bit more yesterday. It's crazy that our government uses their studies to make decisions. Right now though, I'd just like to see these "surveys" be a little more transparent. It should be clear they are coming from a maker of formula. They should also separate the questions used for government data and those used for their own market research.

I'm going to look into the PSA thing a bit more too. Thanks for the heads up.

Re: A Look at Sweatshop Labor

Ariah Fine — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 12:45:33 -0000

Virgil,
It's a life long kick my friend. It just won't stop.

john Q,
Yeah, I've been quite impressed with josh's work.

Re: Temporarily Preoccupied

Ariah Fine — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 12:46:02 -0000

Thanks for all the congrats folks. It's been an excited week and a half so far. She leads an exciting life I would say.

Re: Flashback: What Would You Do if?

Ariah Fine — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 00:45:25 -0000

Richard,
That was brilliantly put. I've never heard an explanation like you gave but I like it a lot!
Thanks, I'm definitely using that next time.

Re: What if We (the USA) Left Everyone Else Alone?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:33:21 -0000

Makeesha,
Nice response question!
I absolutely agree we have a responsibility to our fellow humans. I think my questioning was to think about whether we are doing more harm then good, and if our un-involvement would have a better overall impact then our positive and negative impacts combined? Maybe our governments uninvolvement would be far better for the whole world, that's what I guess I'm inquiring about.

As far as the "foreign aid to military weapons" I tried searching for a well put together chart to display this. Let me break it down two ways. 1) Our government does tend to call a lot of military spending for other countries as 'foreign aid.' That spending is often a large amount, and it is also often spent on US made weapons.
2) Even with that aside about 1/3 of our 'aid' spending has gone to Israel and Egypt for military Spending.

Here's some links:
http://thebudgetgraph.com/
http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/foreign_aid.html
http://www.warresisters.org/piechart.htm
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/politics/us-for...

Re: What if We (the USA) Left Everyone Else Alone?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:34:29 -0000

Jamie,
Thanks for the comment. Like I said at the beginning my attempt was just to ponder things. I recognize that those who want to actually pull out of involvement with other nations politically have far different motives then I'm suggesting.
You won't see me campaigning for this in any way, it was just a chance to ponder. Sort of like Job questioning the day he was born.

Your mention of the US in the second paragraph above seems like a much larger conversation is behind it. I've frequented your blog in recent months, but is there a specific post or two you could point me to regarding these thoughts of yours?

Re: Alexa Redirect done.

Ariah Fine — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:14:53 -0000

dude,

Yes, I think it will have an affect on your ranking. It's sort of a proof of concept plugin. I'm going to try and tweak it so you can decide were to put the redirects (sidebar, in posts, etc) I just haven't got around to it yet.

Re: An Attempt at Explaining How I Plan to Raise my Kids

Ariah Fine — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:42:11 -0000

It looks like a lot of people are subscribed to this post, so this comment is in hopes of stirring up the conversation again.

I'm one month in to fatherhood and it has been splendid. I've been taking a break from blogging sort of to try and reflect on the very things this post (about raising my children) is about.
I figured since so many of the comments on here were so encouraging I'd try and reignite the conversation again and see if anyone wants to dialog about raising kids in an ethical and justice manner.

Any thoughts?

Re: 3 Reasons that My Baby Won't Be Wearing babyGap

Ariah Fine — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:13:08 -0000

Cyn,
Thanks for the encouragement. I bookmarked the sites you mentioned, though I hadn't heard about the 'corruption' you speak of regarding freecycle, I'm a regular user of it.
I'm hoping my daughter will grow up excited about and understanding of the values we choose. It's nerve racking though, at this stage to think about how to do it.

Re: What if We (the USA) Left Everyone Else Alone?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:29:06 -0000

Jeff,
Nothing like the good old days of thoughtful discussion (now if only we had a hot tub).

You know far more about the history of this country then I do, so I'm not going to try and argue with you there. And it's quite difficult to look at the outcome of different war and things and say, "What if?"
In other words, I don't have much of a response to your comments, except that I still look at our policies world-wide and they seem to be mostly in our own self-interest. You said at the end:
"if we want to safeguard those freedoms we must be active on the world stage, and that includes having a vast and powerful military presence." I guess I wonder 'at what cost?'

Here's an article I saw recently that I thought interesting, maybe a tangent, but slightly tied to this discussion:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...

Re: A Major Flaw of Wheaton College

Ariah Fine — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 10:39:30 -0000

Matt,

I appreciate and really respect your comments. I think you are completely valid and right in asking them and encouraging some sensitivity and thought when considering these things.

At the same time, I think Jesus' example might help us in considering this as well. Jesus grew and benefited from the religious establishment, learning in the temple, obviously following and benefiting from the role of 'rabbi' and as a Jew. However, he still felt it appropriate to rebuke and correct the Pharisees, even harshly, for the way they were leading people astray.

What do you think?

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:34:15 -0000

Carrie, I appreciate your comment, but I don't think there is a need to use other examples to defend Dave. My point in the above post is that his response to this particular lady in this circumstance was troublesome to me and I found that is wasn't leading me to further follow Christ and make sacrifices, but to pat myself on the back for being wise and thus spend more on myself.

Re: The Shame Of The Nation By Jonathan Kozol

Ariah Fine — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:23:57 -0000

Phil, thanks for the encouragement. I'm actually hoping to have a continual endnote on my posts that talks about why each topic is relevant to Christians and non. Glad your liking it.

Re: Looking for Jesus

Ariah Fine — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:44:14 -0000

You sure can.

Re: An Open Letter to The Wells Church in Minneapolis

Ariah Fine — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:00:34 -0000

@Katherine: I completely agree God is bigger and can use any and all things to draw real followers. I don't think that negates that we should encourage and exhort each other to preach a clear message of Christ. I think Paul recognized God can use all things, yet he still sent letters of rebuke and correction to churches (and then we canonized them!)

Re: We Created God in Our Own Image

Ariah Fine — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:06:15 -0000

Pastor Andy,

I'm looking forward to writing more too. I think our propensity is are selfish by nature and want affirmation in our ways. Same reason we surround ourselves with people who look like us.

As for the few that have given in huge ways, I agree there are many out there. But I know so very few of their stories.

Re: Why I Have Not Bought a House

Ariah Fine — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:08:38 -0000

@Andy: Thanks for commenting. I agree there is no cut and dry answer. I do think there are so few people willing to suggest differently then the societal norm and thus most people think 'what a family should do' is to purchase a home.

I'm amazed when I think about how many resources could be freed up if most people in churches owned their own homes.

Re: Some great Answers to the “What Would you Do…” Question

Ariah Fine — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:11:32 -0000

Dominic,
I do still have a copy somewhere. I'd be more then happy to lend it to you if you can't find it in your local libraries.

As to the question, do you have a hypothetical response to a hypothetical question?

Re: The Consequences of Buying Everything

Ariah Fine — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:15:32 -0000

Erin,
Thanks for stopping by. I completely agree with your comments, it is quite sad and I wish more people would think like you!

Re: Why I don't shop at Walmart

Ariah Fine — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:11:48 -0000

J Justice,

Thanks so much for stopping by and chiming in. I don't think your annoying anyone by sharing your comments and thoughts. I think it is worth reflecting on that a fair bit as well.
Here's my thought in response. I boycott war also (I'm a pacifist), because I simply do not think it is something we should support or condone as Christians. However, I recognize that many Christians work hard serving in wars, amidst wars many chaplains and service people witness to their peers and those they serve, and probably through the intensity and travesties of war, many come to a more intimate relationship with God. None of that however, will change my opinion that, looking at Scripture, I do not see how I can support war.
But this isn't about war (for that tangent you can find plenty of other posts on my blog), it's about consumerism. Where you choose to spend your money is a clear statement of whose values you support. And there are businesses I simply cannot support because of some of their practices.

Does that make sense?

Re: Why I Have Not Bought a House

Ariah Fine — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:43:32 -0000

Richard,

You make a very good point. I completely agree one of the questions we should be asking is how to own a home in a 'God-honoring and loving way.'

My point with the 'American Dream' was (and I'm sorry I didn't make this more clear) that I don't want to appear to be promoting the American Dream. You know the whole, 'avoid even the appearance of evil' kind of thing. I don't want people to be confused by the message. And the reason I mentioned the difficulty it's caused people is to say that there are a lot of people who own homes and whether they are honoring God or not, the message that is conveyed without saying anything is, it's good to own a home.
Does that make more sense?

Re: Financial Straight Talk: Most of Us Have Money

Ariah Fine — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:42:51 -0000

@Phil: Well said. Here's a question for you, are you satisfied with just looking at this verse and taking it as authoritative and living your life accordingly? I know I find myself comfortable with that, especially because I see support for it further in the scripture.
Now the further question, you and I might be comfortable with just one verse, but, would it change anyone if you preached it from the pulpit of a church, calling people to use it as their criteria and give the rest of their money away?

Re: Video: Thoughts on Money

Ariah Fine — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:26:13 -0000

@Kathy-
Great comment Kathy. I do think that it can make a difference. With all the organizations out there and technology, you can take your $8 go home and immediately donate through online sites to meet those needs directly.

Why is it pointless though?

Re: Failing Reading Scores = Prison Cells

Ariah Fine — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:50:35 -0000

Alana,

Sorry I can't help you more then what I found online. You could contact that gentleman in the quote, or the author of the paper it's linked from.
If I have time later I'll try and do that myself.

Re: That's Not a Need... This is a Need.

Ariah Fine — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:54:07 -0000

@Aaron: Excellent question. I definitely think tithing/giving is a 'need' for us to participate in. Tithing is a value, like respect, being honest, fighting injustice, etc.
Your right though, it should probably be included in our budget. However, my goal in talking about a budget is to decide how much we 'need' to live on, so that you can pretty much give the majority of the rest of it away. So, the amount you give varies greatly.

Re: That's Not a Need... This is a Need.

Ariah Fine — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:06:14 -0000

@Dawn: Well said on the tithe and wants.
As for education, that is a unique item that doesn't fit into a 'monthly' budget. I think education in general is a basic right (unfortunately many in the world don't have it). Some school system's are so poor, there is a need for better education, which some can only do through pulling their kids out and homeschooling or sending to private school. This one is a long, case by case, discussion. The reason I didn't add it is because I don't think it fits in this budget breakdown, though you might be paying for your schooling monthly and thus would add it to your budget.

Re: Renting is better

Ariah Fine — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 09:37:16 -0000

Ben,
Glad your thinking this through too. I'm with you that Real estate might not be all it's cracked up to be. At the same time, the reason we've decided to pursue it is because once we own the home, we no longer have to pay rent to anyone, it's ours. And even when we are still paying the bank we have the freedom to fix it up more, add a garden, compost, major energy efficiency changes, etc. Not saying those are necessities, but those are some of the reasons we are pursuing it.

Re: What if there was no Television?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 15:37:23 -0000

@Mai:
Thanks for the comment. And no, you don't have to watch TV once your married. Our first year of marriage the ladies mindy worked with would be in awe of all the time Mindy and I spent together playing games, cooking meals, etc. They said it wouldn't last, but then they'd spend the rest of lunch hour talking about the shows they watched the night before.

Re: That's Not a Need... This is a Need.

Ariah Fine — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:31:41 -0000

@Jac: Thanks a bunch for your encouragement. I agree with you about the vehicle, however, I think it's such a difficult one for people to even consider in our culture. Big fan of Geez here though.

Re: The Constant Gardener: there's truth in it.

Ariah Fine — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:46:41 -0000

@katie: thanks for chiming into the discussion. I agree there should be more movies raising awareness. Might I also recommend: North Country, Blood Diamond, and Syrian

Re: Gentrification: a Case Study of Cabrini-Green

Ariah Fine — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:33:14 -0000

@Ashley: Thanks for chiming in. I agree the housing situations around most of our major cities is horrible. I lived in Nashville and saw a giant high rise condominium being built across the street from a major public housing development. You can be sure the people with the money to build that high rise have the power to make sure that housing development disappears.

Re: Devotional: Contentment

Ariah Fine — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:44:56 -0000

@Daniel: right on dude! I think you hit on a very good perspective of what all that, last shall be first, humble yourself, God chose the weak things, humility stuff in the New Testament. It seems so obvious when you just come out and say it, why do we have such a hard time actually living it out?

Re: Recommendations and NaNoWriMo

Ariah Fine — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:07:38 -0000

http://www.nanowrimo.org

want to join in?

Indie,
thanks for letting me know, don't worry I don't think less of you if you haven't read those books. I just recommend them.

Re: Questions about Missions

Ariah Fine — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:55:32 -0000

Daniel and Jody,

Both of you should go to this link and order the free book:
https://www.gfa.org/freebook

It's a quick read and a good intro to indigenous missions.

Re: "Safe" Is an Interesting Word

Ariah Fine — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:07:28 -0000

Andrea,
You got me all wrong. I'm not 'called' nor do I have some unique 'passion.' I'm compelled through the clear teachings of Christ in scripture to throw my lot in with the least of these, the outcasts, the ones Jesus hung out with. Jesus says blessed our the poor for theirs is the kingdom, I would be foolish to be hanging around with the rich then wouldn't I?
I strongly believe EVERY follower of Christ is 'called' to geographically place themselves with and amongst the poor in our society. And that will also require a radical lifestyle change as it relates to our possessions as well.

I can't think of a 'calling' that would be in conflict with that clear directive of Christ.

Re: Prisoners Fight Fires: Is This the New Slave Labor?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:18:56 -0000

Excellent point. At the same time, I think in both regards, there is something wrong when 'private' industry is running prisons and making a profit at the expense of the prisoners. The article mentioned the money 'saved' by taxpayers, but didn't mention the large profit the prison industry makes from this kind of labor.

If there is profit made I think it should go to something that benefits the prisoners, maybe a scholarship fund for the prisoner once they get out.

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:08:30 -0000

John,

My intent was not to judge Ramsey, but was pointing out that in that interview, which you can listen to, he clearly tells her to not worry about something, which she already had a genuine concern for. It's not that he's telling people to spend frivolously, it's that he discouraged someone from the direction of sacrificial living that she was attempting to live.

And I don't know if she already gives 50%. Does that matter?
You assume that it does...

Re: "Safe" Is an Interesting Word

Ariah Fine — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:02:07 -0000

Andrea,

I can understand why you think I'm going to the opposite extreme. Most Christians in our society live just like the status quo that we assume that's proper, or at least the norm. We never step back and question it, attempt to start from scratch, and try and emulate Christ.

Here's my question for you. If you could step back, out of your current home, and pretend you were starting a fresh. Your only goal is to follow the teachings of Christ. Where would you live? How would you most imitate Christ in your choice of geographic location? And why?

Re: Recycling is Biblical (part 2)

Ariah Fine — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:41:37 -0000

@what: Glad you noticed the inaccurate verse reference. It was intended to be sarcastic, clearly not a bible verse, and encourage people to open their Bibles up to prove me wrong.
I think most of my reader's where aware Habbakuk does not exist in the current Bible.

Re: The Economies of Jesus

Ariah Fine — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:43:46 -0000

From Mark's Facebook Group Page and post:
We need to abolish the tithe. It may be biblical, but it isn’t Christian. People shouldn’t give based upon income. Instead, we should all live simply, take what we need, and share the rest.

Re: Home Sweet Mortgage: Isn't Debt Bad?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:22:00 -0000

Christi:
Thanks for your comments and sharing your convictions.
As you can read in some of my more recent posts, we've been trying to figure this out as well. Right now we are planning on buying a home too. We'll be paying it off in a few years and in that way I feel like it's a good opportunity on different levels. But I'll be honest I'm still skeptical.

Re: Prisoners Fight Fires: Is This the New Slave Labor?

Ariah Fine — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:24:12 -0000

Indie: Thanks for mentioning that. I understand your feeling that even a prisoner, or especially a prisoner, should 'earn their keep.' I don't have a problem with that, I do however have a problem with the privatized prison industry. I found a great quote that I think expresses it well:

"(There is a) basic philosophical problem when you begin turning over administration of prisons to people who have an interest in keeping people locked up" notes Jenni Gainsborough of the ACLU's National Prison Project.

Nathan: Thanks for your thoughts too. I think it says a great deal about your society, how you treat your prisoners.

Re: Failing Reading Scores = Prison Cells

Ariah Fine — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:52:52 -0000

@John:

Thanks for chiming in and for the link.
As I posted, I'm trying not to make assumptions, just quoting people where there seemed to be indications that they did in fact use reading scores to predict future imprisonment.
This isn't to say that it's an accurate lone indicator, just that it is actually considered.

Stay in touch.

@Marilyn: AWESOME!

Re: A Major Flaw of Wheaton College

Ariah Fine — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:30:58 -0000

@Dave:
Thanks for chiming in. I appreciate your thoughts on the topic as well.
I don't think I am attempting to make a dichotomy. I am a graduate of the school, as well as many of my friends, and we've all endeavored to follow Jesus fully. It was also within the context of the school that we came to challenge the school's decisions as it regards finances. So, I agree, revivals and other good could definitely come from a place like Wheaton, but I do still think it creates a difficult underlying assumption that keeps students from fully recognizing the words of Christ.

I'll have to read some more Wendell Berry and Juliet Schor sometime.

Re: The Day After: Christmas Hangover

Ariah Fine — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:36:00 -0000

Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions everyone. I'm glad I'm not struggling with this alone.

Fortunately, my kids too young to remember any of it just yet. Also, I think if we make a serious effort to talk about it now with the family, we'll have a good chance of shaping the kiddos up bringing as it relates to Santa and the holidays. I can't imagine trying to rework their view of things at an older age, I'd love to know how that's going.

I'm definitely going to discuss this more as it seems there is a lot of wisdom from others to be shared. Peace.

Re: What if Global Warming Was Made Up?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 10:09:19 -0000

@Virgil: Thanks again for stopping by. I hear what your saying about developing countries, I should have mentioned that in my post. I agree that any country who hasn't had their own industrial revolution might not be in a place to develop more eco-friendly ways of production. However, if the companies building in the developing world are the multi-national corporations who are profiting the developing world, then they probably have the resources to cut their carbon emissions.
Your point is well taken.

@John: I haven't been deeply read on the global warming arguments like you obviously have. I'm just having a hard time understanding what motivations you would have for insisting it's all lies.

Re: Writing to a Better 2008

Ariah Fine — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:14:03 -0000

Well said both. My biggest problem had been that the technorati links are right there on the wordpress dashboard when I log in. But at your wisdom, I just removed them.

As for pretending that my name is margaret, I think I'll pass. That's just awkward.

Re: Recycling is Biblical (part 2)

Ariah Fine — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:14:19 -0000

Travis: Thanks for chiming in. I definitely admit these aren't the typical verses used to talk about recycling, but I don't think I was necessarily taking them out of context.
The verses you point to are accurate in that they commonly are referenced as it relates to environmental concerns. I just tried to give a new perspective to the argument.

Anyways, Thanks for stopping by. I hope you can find other ways I might be encouraging or you might challenge me in my worldview.

Re: Real Estate with Ethics

Ariah Fine — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:50:15 -0000

Richard,

Are you subscribed to this post? If so, mind seeing if you can get that friend's contact info? I'd appreciate it.

Re: Have you ever thought about community?

Ariah Fine — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:52:48 -0000

Just digging through old posts...

Dave, this comment is hilarious.

Re: Corporate Responsibility: Quenching Your Thirst

Ariah Fine — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:34:59 -0000

Jeffery,

Thanks for stopping by. Maybe once you have things up and running post another comment and we can try and set up a little interview.

Peace.

Re: The False Charity of Clothing Drives

Ariah Fine — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:58:57 -0000

Mike,
Definitely agree with you on that one. That's why our purchasing decisions need to be thought about on so many more levels then that currently are.

Re: The Consequences of Buying Everything

Ariah Fine — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:51:42 -0000

Jupiter and Tab,

Thanks for a brilliant discussion that was way over my head. I'm really glad you two could find a common space to dialog, to the benefit of others.

I'm not exactly sure what the conclusions was, but maybe you'll take some more space to make it clear to the rest of us.

Tab, are you suggesting we do anything about our consumer culture?

Jupiter, you sound like your interested in action. What type of action do you suggest?

Re: The Consequences of Buying Everything

Ariah Fine — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:08:30 -0000

Jupiter,

Definitely a lot of stuff I resonate with, though many I struggle with the legality of. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I'd love to hear stories about some of your actions.

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:59:22 -0000

ncsu,

Thanks for sharing that little tidbit

Re: The Consequences of Buying Everything

Ariah Fine — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:44:03 -0000

Jupiter,

thanks for your thoughts on legality, I'd love to hear more of what your doing, even being new to the movement, What have you jumped out and enjoyed doing?

Re: Free Phone Calls from your Computer to a landline

Ariah Fine — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:35:01 -0000

eljaa,

I was about to send you an invite, but they apparently took down that option on the site, I can't find it anywhere. Your best bet is to go to grandcentral.com and reserve a number for yourself. I'll definitely send you an invite if it shows up again.

Sorry!

Re: The False Charity of Clothing Drives

Ariah Fine — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:59:23 -0000

wilsonian,

we definitely all have a long way to go, but I really like your imagery...
"I just don’t think most of us would like to believe that we’d want Jesus to wear our old clothes while we’re hanging on to the new clothes."

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:21:45 -0000

Ren,

First of all thanks for your comment. You helped cross the 150 comment mark, which is pretty impressive. Though, as you noticed, a lot of the comments have nothing to do with the original post.

I really really appreciated what you had to say. I think you are honestly probably right that I was too harsh in my criticism based on a brief radio blip. I will say that I hadn't intended this blog post to be as popular as it has, nor did I expect the sort of harsh attitudes that many commenters have felt. I really agree that Dave's advice is something a lot of people need to take and it can bring them a long way, since so many people are struggling with debt and making ends meet.
My thought on this brief radio piece and other times I've heard him (and I've read his book) still stand that I'm weary of the statement "...so you can live like no one else." in what it implies. I would love to see Ramsey encouraging people to be radical givers even after they've paid off their debt.

I completely agree with your closing statements:
"Most government social programs would really (yes really) be rendered superflous if everybody attempted to help their fellow man. That flows across ALL religions (unless there is an acetic-loner religion I'm not privy to), and also speaks to a non-religious person with the same fervor."

Re: The Research Institute of Mother and Child Care is a SCAM

Ariah Fine — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:54:26 -0000

Mark,

Glad you found it resourceful.

Re: Fair Trade Footwear: Walk a Mile in Ethical Shoes

Ariah Fine — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:14:17 -0000

Jacob,
Thanks for the info. Do you have a pair that says it on the shoe? Or is there a source you can send me the link to for that information?

Re: Fair Trade Footwear: Walk a Mile in Ethical Shoes

Ariah Fine — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:50:08 -0000

Ted,
Do you work for TOMS?
I'm wondering if I can get some specific details on the "free trade and fair labor conditions" your talking about.

Re: What They Don’t Tell You When You Buy a House

Ariah Fine — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:52:16 -0000

Hey, everyone, hoping some of you are still email subscribed to the comments here.

We are still happy with the house, though it's been interesting in the last several months, with the economy and everything else, to continue to reflect on purchasing decisions.

for Meredith a brief details list of the house: it's a semi fixer upper but we got most of the stuff (appliances, etc) out of the way, and now we are just enjoying it. It's a duplex so with some good folks renting downstairs it helps with the mortgage a lot. And we are loving our community.

But, it's still extremely hard and not exciting to have an ever growing list of "To Do's" to get down around the house. I tend to just avoid them. for better or worse.

Re: "Missions Cruise" an oxymoron?

Ariah Fine — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:16:09 -0000

Nathan, thanks for checking it out. Glad you enjoyed the sick cruise banner. Never heard of Brad, I'll take a look.

Also, Nathan Myers, if your subscribed here... (sorry two years too late), If you google Federal Poverty Guidelines you'll get the latest ones, they update every year. Hope that helps, I'm trying to write more on the topic forthcoming.

Re: A Major Flaw of Wheaton College

Ariah Fine — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:19:48 -0000

Rosy,
Yes this is the Wheaton College in Illinois. Asking simply if we'd recommend it is a rather tough question. I think I'd need to know more about what your looking for in a college. Ask me some specifics about the college and I'll give you my answers (though I graduated in 2005, so it'll be a little outdated).

Re: The Consequences of Buying Everything

Ariah Fine — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:31:53 -0000

@Tina, Curious about your comment about Lasn. Do you have an article or info you could point to me about his lack of practicing what he preaches?

Re: Credit Cards

Ariah Fine — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:43:40 -0000

Wow, I just ran across this post again, over three years later.
We still don't have any credit cards. And though I'm still not completely convinced not having credit cards is a good idea, it continues to work for us. I'm curious if anyone else has thoughts on the topic now that we've been through the economic crisis our country has recently seen. Any thoughts on credit cards today?

Re: Lying 'to do God a service'?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:21:25 -0000

Zach, if your still subscribed to this post, did you ever read this passage and consider what I wrote? Let me know what you thought.

Re: Lying 'to do God a service'?

Ariah Fine — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:08:57 -0000

Zach,
I think the stuff you just said above is totally right on, and exactly along the train of thought that I had.

My last point was simply to say that I've come to find the sort of apologetic's movement and arguing for God thing to be a rather serious turn off. I'd imagine non-Christians would feel even more so. I think we do an actual disservice to God when we try and defend God. I think there is a place for explaining what we believe and articulating how we've come to our beliefs, but often I think our approach falls into the same sort of errors as Job's friends.

You catch my drift?

Re: Impacting Documentaries. Learn. Live.

Ariah Fine — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:03:06 -0000

Jody,
Not sure if your subscribed to this post still, this might be entirely too late for this, but here is the link for the Killing Us Softly documentary. It's available online:

http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2006/09/23/killin...

Re: A Major Flaw of Wheaton College

Ariah Fine — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:58:44 -0000

@Rosy: Tough questions! I think I got in on a fluke. Didn't have a great gpa or anything. But you know, to keep a close boy/girl ratio they lower the bar a bit for the boys; so basically I got in because of Affirmative Action.

My wife went to COD before transfering to Wheaton. That's a really really good idea. It's a million times cheaper and a great school. I've never actually been to Trinity, but my guess isn't it's pretty similar to Wheaton as far as the students go. In other words, if you don't like the Trinity student body, I don't see Wheaton's being much different.

And yes, lot's of students listen to 'secular' music. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Re: A Major Flaw of Wheaton College

Ariah Fine — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:46:39 -0000

@Rosy: Out of curiousity, what would should a 'Christian' student body look like?
Also, how do you define "Christian" music? Just curious. I'd like to know where you are coming from on this.

Re: A Major Flaw of Wheaton College

Ariah Fine — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:14:48 -0000

@Rosy: It's a start, but I'd love more detail. The only practical example you seem to give about the student body is people praying together. Any other ideas of what they should be doing?

and "music that glorifies God" seem rather vague. Are we talking just praise songs or are you talking about popular Christian artist like Third Day and Newboys as well?

Re: A Major Flaw of Wheaton College

Ariah Fine — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:20:44 -0000

@Rosy: Thanks for humoring me Rosy. I really appreciate you being willing to dialog. Yet, I still find your answer a bit vague. "committed 100% to God" is a strong statement, but what does it look like in day to day life? If it is simply people clasping hands in prayer, I'm extremely skeptical. "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. " James 2:18
I hope you browse around my site and read some of my posts. I think you'll find that, though I consider myself 100% committed, I talk very little about prayer and a lot about action. I hope you wouldn't write me off as uncommitted simply because you won't find me standing around in a group holding hands in prayer.

As to the Christian music question, would you consider artist like Derek Webb, U2, or Kanye West as Christian music as well?

Re: A Major Flaw of Wheaton College

Ariah Fine — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:29:54 -0000

@Rosy,
Thanks for the dialog. I agree "we should do what the Bible says", but I've been very shocked and disappointed by how many people seem to think that looks like in daily life. I guess I'm curious what you mean by it. If the Bible is our manual, what does your daily life look like? How does it apply?

Regarding the music, you said 'Christian' Music is music that glorifies God. Regarding the artist I mentioned, would you consider Kanye's song Jesus Walks a Christian song?
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kanyewest/jesusw...

And U2 has tons of clearly lyrically faith related songs, here's one:
http://www.macphisto.net/u2lyrics/Gloria.html

So, what do you think? Are those Christian?

Re: the importance of tags

Ariah Fine — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:15:05 -0000

Only say this once.

Re: Why I Ditched Dave Ramsey

Ariah Fine — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:15:05 -0000

Sorry, I changed my comment system (trying this thing called Intense Debate).
Anyways, I'm having some hang-ups getting all the old comments imported. They aren't lost, just haven't been able to get them into the new system.
Hopefully it doesn't disrupt the conversation too much.

Re: Ditching Dave Ramsey is all the rage