Twelve months after our church home group studied the book Radical by David Platt, I’ve made it through a year feeling as though I accomplished something.
I didn’t take up some of the more stringent challenges, such as going on a mission trip to Africa. My wife and I seriously thought about it, but we couldn’t work it out with our schedule.
I managed a less sacrificial task: forgoing the purchase of any clothes for myself for a year. That may not seem like a big deal, but until making the pledge I often indulged in purchasing a new shirt or pair of pants that caught my eye. As a result, I have an overstocked wardrobe.
So, when too many stains gathered on some shirts, I didn’t run out and buy new ones. The Radical experiment really helped me change my attire lifestyle. I realize I had — and still have — too many garments. Money for new clothes can be channeled to more worthwhile causes. I don’t mind wearing socks and underwear with holes in them.
It’s a message that Americans need to constantly hear. Working in a Christian environment doesn’t make us immune. In fact, materialism competition may be more acute in the evangelical world than elsewhere. I’m surrounded by employees in a company who crave the latest designer purse or shoes, who have an expensive luxury car or who live in a gated community. Apparently, as my wife loses her job tomorrow because of economic downsizing, self-sacrificial ministry is no longer in fashion. Shallow consumption and enriching oneself is the order of the day.
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