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In which I get rid of my mobile phone (and learn a couple of things)

January 16, 2013

After yet another billing squabble with our mobile phone service provider, my husband asked me what I thought about cancelling my phone contract entirely.

And then I died dead of horror.

Okay, so not quite that bad.

But still. My phone? How will I text? How will I call people? How will I check my email when I’m out for the day? How will I find the closest coffee shop quickly? How will I get where I’m going without Maps? How will I occupy my children in church? Will anyone know I’m occasionally funny if I don’t tweet my wit?

Source: 9gag.com via Sarah on Pinterest

 

After a week of looking at our finances as well as our dreams for the future, I realised he was right: the phone needed to go. I don’t work in a traditional job, I don’t drive long distances, I really don’t use it much (or so I thought).

So sure, let’s get rid of my mobile. No big deal. I can totally do this. Right?

I’ve now been without mobile phone access for a month or so. And I’ve noticed a few things

Source: flickr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

 

I used that phone waaaaaaaay more than I thought I did. I had a hand-me-down first-generation iPhone (yes, the original ones with the round corners and no flash on the camera). I prided myself on “having boundaries” with my phone. And yet, that first week without my phone felt like withdrawal. Painful withdrawal.

I’m safer. British Columbia has a strict Hands-Free driving policy. Police will give you a ticket if you are caught with your phone in your hand while driving. And I was sure that I didn’t check my email or my messages – much – while driving. But  my most common time to want to reach for my phone after we turned off the service? While I was driving. I couldn’t believe it. (I thought I was smarter than that.) Apparently I was checking email at stop lights. I was “quickly glancing” at text messages that bonged in while barreling down the highway at 100 km/h. Once my phone was gone, my attention was more fully on the road. Or on CBC Radio (yes, I’ve got an unreasonable crush on Jian Ghomeshi, so what?)

I’m saving money. Our plan was for $50 a month, yet somehow, I always exceeded that plan to the tune of $70-80. By getting rid of our phone, we’re saving a minimum of $600 a year (but it’s probably more like $960/year). Craziness. We have some dreams about being more intentional, counter-cultural, and generous with our money so we’re doing everything we can to get the house in order as fast as possible. This is a seemingly small step that adds up over the years. I had no idea we were spending that much every month on my ability to check email while driving.

I can still use wireless access. Holla! Who knew, right? When we were close to pulling the plug on our contract, I admitted that the primary reason I love and use my phone is Instagram. I have a terrible camera in my phone but I love taking pictures throughout my day, and I love the Instagram community. I seriously contemplated hanging onto my phone for the purposes of Instagram. But then I realised, I can still use my actual phone with wireless access. It’s a bit limiting, absolutely. It takes the “insta” out of Instagram. But I still take pictures throughout my day, and then, when I’m home and on our wireless, I can upload them and still check out Instagram pics.

 

I’m not quite as rude to others. I can’t assuage my boredom at appointments. I can’t decided I’d rather be on Twitter than talking whomever is in the room. I can’t scroll through my phone in church. I can’t hold my phone like a shield at home group.

I feel less accessible. It might come across as a negative but, on the contrary, this is one of the greatest wins for me. Now, when I’m out, I’m out.  It takes away the sense of urgency for my online life. Email has to wait. Responding to comments has to wait. Tweeting has to wait. I have no idea what is happening on Twitter or in my comment sections for huge chunks of my day, and that is a great gift to enjoy.

It’s inconvenient. Totally and gloriously inconvenient. The first day I got rid of my phone, I had made plans to go to the theatre with my sister (Les Miserables, you know it). I waited and waited and waited in the theatre lobby but she never appeared. Normally, I would have texted her in two seconds. But now I waited. I went on a hunt for a pay phone  which was practically an adventure. After I found one, I deposited my quarter, dialled the number and promptly heard the operator instruct me to deposit another $3.60. I hung up. I didn’t need to talk to her that badly. Pay phones have gone up since the last time I used one, which was likely when I was 13 and calling my mother for a ride from the mall after trying on inappropriate and cheap club wear at Le Chateau. I went into the theatre, sat on the edge, and kept an eye out for her. She showed up five minutes after the movie started, apologetic and worried. She had gone to the wrong theatre by mistake, she couldn’t call me, we were both so sorry and relieved. That entire situation would not have happened if I had my phone. But on the flip side, I have become more careful about plans in advance and less prone to being late or cancelling. Without a phone, I have to honour the plans I make with people. Instead of being able to text with an “oops, I’m running late!” pseudo-apology excuse as I was prone for my lack of value on their time, I have to get my bum in gear and get there on time.

I’m both more present and more private in my moments. There isn’t another option than the present moment. I can’t decide to check out on the conversation at hand if I’m bored. I don’t get to “quickly check” my phone while at the playground. I’m looking around the world more, my head is up, my eyes are open. I noticed my surroundings, the people, my tinies, my life again. I’m listening a bit better. I haven’t had to say “I’m sorry, I missed that – what did you say?” quite as often. I actually live the moment instead of Instagramming the moment. I can’t post a status or a tweet from everywhere I am, the temptation to take a picture of my food has disappeared (and everyone said hallelujah) and I have restored a measure of privacy and secrecy I’d forgotten to appreciate or notice. It’s nice to disappear. I like my secrets. Not having a phone has restored some balance, beauty, and perspective to my life.

 

One of my favourites, Heather of the EO, is launching a new podcast called Power Down with a couple of her friends. It’s about finding the balance in online writing/social media life with our creativity and our time. Check it out.

 

 

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Continue Reading · consumerism, moments, simple living · 69

In which it’s Generous Tuesday (+ my video from Haiti)

November 27, 2012

Email or RSS subscribers, please click through to my actual site to watch the video – it’s the one we shot while I was in Haiti last month. (If anyone doubted Kris Rutherford’s film-making talents - and no one did or could but if - they need only see that he somehow managed to edit my sobbing and slobbering mess of an attempt into something that is very nearly coherent. Well done, sir.) 

 

Black Friday.

Cyber Monday.

Over time, our culture has added those weird labels to describe our perception of its meaning and purpose. Some of us are excited by those labels, others are disgusted, either way, these labels have eroded the true spirit of the holiday giving season: Generosity.

So we declare that today – 27 November – is Generous Tuesday.

Thanks to Pure Charity, individuals, non-profits, and businesses are coming together to remember what the giving season is truly about, and giving back. They’re coming up with inspired ideas and big plans to join in Generosity, and you can too. Tell people what you are doing and why.

Generosity inspires generous living, and it can spark a movement of transformation.

Haiti has taken up room in my heart, and our family is still moving things around to make space for the newness of our friendships there.

The Legacy Project is not simply aid nor is this a hand-out or an invasion, a grand gesture of absolution. No, this is Haitian-led community development born out of friendship and relationship, and I simply feel honoured to even be a small part of this thing


haitiblog_mollie_224
And I yearn to build this school for the tinies of Haiti with you.

Here’s how to participate:

  1. You can sign up with Pure Charity and help us reach that goal. Install the widget on your Internet browser to be notified when you’re at a Pure Charity retailer and/or register your credit card. If you need help, click here.
  2. Just this week, I ordered my family holiday greeting cards from Shutterfly and I received 4% of my purchase back to my Pure Charity Giving Fund. Then I ordered toys for the tinies from Chapters Indigo, and received 2.5% of that purchase back to my giving fund. Retailers from Apple to Target, Walmart to Barnes & Noble are participating.  I’ll donate the full amount our Haiti Legacy Project after all of my Christmas shopping is complete.
  3. You can also make an immediate one-time donation directly to the school project here. 

 It’s Generous Tuesday!

Let’s spread the word, shall we?

 

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Continue Reading · consumerism, faith, fearless, Haiti, social justice · 13

In which we will subvert the system for good

November 1, 2012

Before I even start, would you do me a favour?

Would you watch that video just above these words? (RSS or email subscribers, you may need to click through to watch.) There, now. See? AMAZING.

You can make a real, tangible difference for real people. And you can do it by turning your consumption into generosity.

Instead of a holiday season of blind and mindless consumerism, we will use our daily spending to subvert consumerism.

Yes, we’ll use our spending to be generous.

You know how I love a good subversion of the empire….

And here’s how:

As (the wonderful, beloved) Mary DeMuth says, “This could revolutionize the way we think about our money. It’s a winsome way to capitalize on capitalism, by leveraging what we already do and spend to bring more giving funds to those in need.”

If you’d like to change the world with your spending-giving, here’s how to start:

  1. Sign up for a Pure Charity account. If you’re on Facebook, you can sign in through that, or create an account the old fashioned way.
  2. Install the browser plugin. This will make it so a Pure Charity icon will pop up when you’re browsing particular stores online (like Target, Gap, Amazon, Walmart, Macy’s, Priceline, even Groupon). If you purchase via the pop-up, a percentage of your purchase will feed into your charitable giving account. (You spend $, then make $, then give $).
  3. Register your main credit card with Pure Charity. This is the no brainer part of the process. Every time you use your credit or debit card at one of their participating merchants, you again receive a percentage of your purchase into your giving account.
  4. Then browse the projects (there are many) that you could potentially fund. To start funding, add your own funds to the account (via bank or debit/credit card). (In fact…I have just the project in mind….)
  5. Support your favorite project. (You can change the amount you support…it starts with $5 increments…by clicking the dollar amount and changing it.) These are time specific projects with a set amount of $. If that project doesn’t fund by the finish date, Pure Charity refunds the money back into your giving account.
  6. Share it with friends! There’s a strong social connection to this, where you can share buttons and widgets with your friends and followers, to generate interest in a cause you’re passionate about.

Now I admit it: I have a sneaky reason behind this. Oh, yes, I do.

I have something special in mind for your charitible giving account.

I’ll tell you more about our special Legacy Project soon….yes, it has to do with Haiti, and, yes, that horrible little video moment will be part of that announcement, and I am so excited to do this very real thing for my friends in Haiti – with you. I’m excited by the creative power of the people of God that are redeemeing and revolutionizing even our spending and consumption into something beautiful and generous.

Let’s do some good.

 

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Continue Reading · consumerism, faith, Haiti, social justice · 9

In which I admit to being afraid of poverty

August 30, 2012

When I heard that Tropical Storm (now Hurricane) Issac was headed for Haiti, part of me wanted to hold up one of Glenon Melton’s WTF?!?! signs towards heaven. Seriously, can these precious people in Haiti not get a break? And now what? Now what? I imagined the tent cities I’ve seen on the news, blowing away any small gains since the earthquake, again and again, the loss of water and food, I thought of the Livesay family, and what can you do, but pray?

This next part is hard to write out loud. After all, maybe I’m the only one. But if there is one gift that writing my life out online has given me, it’s this one: I’m never alone. Every time I crack open some part of my heart, make some confession of my own inadequacies or fears, I am met with a chorus of “You, too? Me, too!” and “I thought I was the only one!” and that makes me brave. So I’m guessing that I’m not alone in this, either. At least, I hope not.

I’m scared of extreme poverty.

I’m scared of my own privilege, I’m scared that I’ll hurt more than I’ll help. I feel my white-Canadian-girl-privilege sticking out all over me, prickles and stings of my place in the world, my luck of the draw. I’ve written before about how I wrestle with it, how my heart is wounded at the slightest exposure to poverty, and then I quickly move on, stuff my fingers in my ears and sing lalalalalalalalahallelujah loudly to drown out the inadequacies of my response, look busy! look busy! look busy!

Also, I feel frustrated when I read about how our efforts can often hurt the very ones we all seek to help, and how even the language or methods of it all, just smacks of colonialism and imperialism, racism, sexism, nationalism. I’m scared of my apathy, of my comfort, and I’m scared that if I do take a risk and get my hands dirty, that really, I’ll end up hurting more than I’ll end up helping.

I want to love well, and I have no idea how to love the world’s extreme poor well.

So, sure, I pray. I sponsor kids in Rwanda, and India, and Mexico, because I’ve become convinced that it’s a model that works. I try to do some good in my local community, too, with my real hands with real people in real life. And I believe that it matters, because if anything matters, everything matters.

But I still feel afraid of poverty because, honestly, I don’t know how it fits with what I think I know about God, with the Father-heart, I can’t reconcile my first-world problems and my first-world understanding of provision and prosperity and wellness, with the raw survival of poverty. Where is God and what is it that I don’t understand about him that this is happening? There are people who love and know God, that are faithful and good and holy, in a way that should probably shame me.  It’s scary.

But fear is never God’s way. The comfort of the divine is this: do not be afraid. Over the years, particularly over this past year of learning the meaning of fearless, God has gracefully, wholly, generously, ferociously, broken the chains of fear in my life.

And now I know that fear must always be cast out, and the only fix, the only key of the unlock  moments, is love.

So Love is greater than fear, and Love wins.

I want to love the poor, and recognise my own poverty, and I don’t want to make caricatures or sob stories or manipulations or success stories out of another person. I would like to love. I would like to meet my brothers and sisters in the developing world, to know them, and I’d like to learn, and I’d like to help, if I can, and I don’t know where else to start but right where I am, right now.

And because I don’t know how to help without hurting or making a mess of it, I’ve decided to start with Help One Now. They’re a tribe – people like us – committed to caring for orphans & vulnerable children by empowering & resourcing high-capacity local leaders in order to transform communities & break the cycle of extreme poverty.

Jen Hatmaker introduced me to this tribe, she’s someone I trust, and she does these garage sales for orphans with them. (I think a few of us could probably do that, if we’re feeling disconnected from this stuff. I’ll think about it some more. What do you think?)

We Have Not Forgotten Haiti

Anyway, they’re also part of the We Have Not Forgotten Haiti movement. Part of what I liked about these folks, is that it’s all local-led and it’s church-based. So instead of the Great White Hope from the North showing up with a toolkit, they seek to partner with and support the church that is already there, doing the work of the Gospel for their own communities. You can read more about the whole thing here (yep, totally cried my way through it, don’t mind me…).

(RSS subscribers, if you can’t see the video, you’ll need to pop over to the site to watch it. And it’s worth it.)

Above, I said: what can you do but pray?

I also want to pray with my feet.

I want to pray with my hands.

I want to pray with my voice.

And I want to pray with my money.

Let’s push back a bit of darkness with St Cyr in the tent city of Haiti.

You know, I wasn’t planning on this big post this morning. I really wanted to tell you about St Cyr (that’s him below) who has worked in this tent city for years and years, and how we have a chance to send some money to him, for food and water and his work there, because he’s seen suffering, and he still pushes back the darkness, with hope.

Help One Now has set up an emergency relief campaign to raise money for the aftermath of Issac in Haiti, it will be led by him on the ground.

You can click here for the page or to donate.

There’s a goal of $2,500. They’ve already raised $1,275. 100% of the money, minus transaction fees, goes straight to Haiti. Straight to Haiti.

So I wondered if you’d like to help, too? Push back a little darkness, a little hopelessness, a little apathy, with me?

(This donation, this campaign, isn’t the end of this for me though, I can sense it. You know that feeling of a bird fluttering over the water? the movement of the waters, right on the surface, a stirring coming. That’s what I feel, right now, that fluttering.)

I want to remember the poor, I want to pull my fingers out of my ears, I want to engage, and I won’t turn away, because of my own ridiculous insecurities anymore.

Not anymore. I hope.

Fear won’t win, not this time, no more, and it won’t hold me back from my future-friends, my God-family, around the world. I’ll start to practice loving the best way I know, with the people I trust to show me the way forward, and hope that we can make space for God, over and over, to sweep in with healing, wholeness, a spirit-wind of unity and love, as an outpost of the way of Jesus, one daily completely unglamorous step at a time.

 (Photo source) 

 

 

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Continue Reading · community, consumerism, faith, fearless, Haiti, journey, social justice · 38
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