Interesting video (above), eh?

Each tribe in America has certain taboos that make them cry out to their constituents, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” ([youversion] Col. 3:21-23 [/youversion]) For liberals, its gluten, genetically modified foods, gas guzzling cars, and the like. Just try to order a steak at a vegetarian restaurant, and see the looks you get! Its amazing how many pious rules and regulations health-conscious have set up for their own personal quarantine. For conservatives, they make no mistake about it – personal ethics like curse words, drinking alcohol, or voting for big government policies. Doing these things or involving yourself with people who do will keep you out of the “inner circles” of the Tribe.

There are literally thousands of other tribes out there with the same spoken or unspoken boundaries on what they are willing for you to accept. Sports tribes, politics tribes, business tribes, family tribes, etc.

When you cross that border, you are no longer considered clean by your tribe. You “are off the deep end” and they now consider you an outsider.

Paul makes the case that in Christ, and in the Christ-Tribe, we are no longer to condemn (or be condemned) with such rules. There may be other benefit in driving a Prius, but your association with Christ is not made or broken on that. More importantly, following all these rules will get you no closer to the real problem – the evil and divine “ME” in all of us. Only Christ can set you free from your selfish desires. You are in his family – and as such you are set free from the bondage of worldly constraints. In a very real way, you have already died – and the limitations of an earthly life no longer apply to you. Now your life is brand new, and following Christ is the only path out of self-centeredness and into resurrected life.

So our lives have been ex-TV for the last two weeks. I’m proud to say I’m not desperately foaming at the mouth, and Katrina and I aren’t about to claw our eyes out from the boredom. In fact, we’ve had more silence and peace around here than we’ve had in awhile. We’ve had a chance to read more, to talk over meals, and to pray together. The best part about us getting rid of our TV is the story – so if you don’t mind, let me indulge:

We’d been trying to pawn off our TV for several months, each time chickening out – coming up with some excuse why we still needed it. It wasn’t until our good friends were putting on a garage sale that we finally worked up enough courage to pull the plug on our TV habit.

Let me tell you, hauling a 27 inch TV down a flight of stairs and shoving it into a two door car is not an easy job – but we did it. Then we hauled it out into the middle of a field (the “best” place for a garage sale…where’s the garage!?!) and set it up next to all the other stuff we could bear to part with.

Browsers and perusers kept eying the TV, but there were no takers. One lady “bought” it, but when she illegedly tried to “plug it into her car” it wouldn’t turn on. DUH. I’m not sure what that was all about, but we were happy to give her her money back when she started yelling profusely.

Then came this great Hispanic couple. They wanted to buy our TV, but didn’t have enough to make the full purchase. It was the end of the day, and I wasn’t looking forward to carting that thing back to our upstairs apartment, not to mention have to deal with the ball and chain of a TV now that we finally felt free enough to sell it. So we sold it for less than it was worth, and even drove it up to their house for them. Their words were full of joy and excitement. They pointed to their family’s names in the concrete. I noticed a few Scripture verses scrawled into their front porch.

As I was installing the TV, the wife asked if I liked tamales. When I responded in the affirmative, she left the room and brought back a big stack of homemade tamales! She confessed she was embarrassed they couldn’t afford to pay what I was asking for the TV, but would like to pay for the rest in tamales. I loved it! Believe me, those tamales were a gift of hospitality, not just a payment for the TV. I feel like I could’ve hung out there all day. It was a real place of peace.  That’s how the world ought to work in my opinion.  A world where capitalism looses ground and communism is unnecessary.  A sharing and redistributing of personal resources, rather than living off cash.  It’s old school, but I like it.

So, much like giving away a puppy, I was glad to know that our TV was in the hands of a good family. I suppose that only reveals my covert TV idolizing, and reveals how happy I am that its out of our house.

Now its on to bigger and better things. God is too big for prime time.

An inspiring “money drop” on Wall Street from some inspiring brothers and sisters in Christ.

What if another world is possible???