Changes in Attitudes...

From Patagonia's website.

I wanted to share some changes we have made since reading the book Everything Must Change by Brain D. McLaren...The book asks the basic question...

"How do the life teachings of Jesus address the most critical global problems in our world today?

Some of these social injustices I was aware of, others I was not. I thought I was doing an okay job of taking care of God's creation and His resources, I was not.

• We no longer use bottle water...ever! We have a filter on our tap and we drink that water.



• I recycle...faithfully! I was sporadic at best before.



• I have become a vegetarian almost completely. Most of our country's processed meats come from South America and that country is destroying it's Rain Forests to keep up with our demand for meat. In the past India and China were mostly vegetarians but they are now adopting a more western "meat eating" lifestyle. It also takes more water and land use to raise cattle than crops. (I did have a bite of a baby back rib, the other day!)



• We are now a one car couple and we plan our use of the vehicle daily.



• We have set our air-conditioning on 80 degrees. I am now cold almost any store I go in to because I have adjusted to that temperature.



• I shop only at stores that are rated an A or B by Better World Shopper.



• I consume far less than ever. I buy only what I need and look for environmentally friendly goods.



• I use cloth bags when I shop. No more plastic!



• When people say things that I believe are not factually accurate...I speak up. We can change this, we don't have to have a defeatist attitude and small changes CAN make a difference. No, I am not asking you to live in the "Dark Ages!"



• I use fair trade and organic items as much as possible. It IS the new name brand.

I am learning new ways of living...change doesn't have to be scary! I will continue to make more changes as I learn more.Find out what is the best possible solution for YOU and make small changes and share what you have learned. I would love to hear and maybe others would to.

A quote from Everything Must Change by Brian D. McLaren

..."The other day I saw two bumper stickers, spin-offs from the WWJD (What would Jesus do?) bracelet phenomenon of the 1990's--

WWJB and WWJE:

What Would Jesus Bomb? and Who Would Jesus Exploit? Bumper stickers aren't a good venue for serious theological reflection, but they can raise some good questions that deserve deeper reflection after a hard day of shopping for a bargains."

As for me, I can't just sit on the pew in my church or work on a committee anymore without these thoughts filtering every moment. I now ask myself daily"What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? For me, it means my acts of consumptions can not harm another person or the place where they will raise their families. My talent, my treasure and my time will go towards taking care of God's creation and His people. I may not be the most polite girl in church (okay, so I wasn't before) but I am going to speak up when I feel God's creation and His people are not being taken care of!

What are you going to do?