I’m reading another article right now about how average Americans are making claims to destroy the filthy rich bankers. The greed and disconnection from the rest of us makes them wealthier (and us angrier) than most of us could imagine.

Ouch…if they had only made better choices with their/our money. If they had lived off of less and not been so greedy when so many of the rest of us had so much less, maybe we would forgive them. Maybe even allow them a pass from the public flogging we now demand…

This attitude bears an uncomfortable question. How are we doing with our own little investment banking firms?

“What investment banking firm?” you say.

Most of us standing in a position to protest or voice an opinion in this western world live in the top 5% of the global population. We must look like filthy rich hedge fund managers to the majority of the developing world. How are we doing managing the waste that we put out for the rest of the world?

— Whoa, hold up. If your first thought was, “yeah, our western governments are kind of wasteful”, turn that pointing finger around …

When it comes to issues of money there are two types of people, those that choose to be God’s restorative force to people around them, and those can’t for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately many of those who cannot contribute in times like these are in that position because of runaway consumption.

Those that are able to contribute in this economy are largely able to do so because they have purposely chosen to live off of less than what they make when times were good and those around them were living it up. They did this so they could continue to help others who are in trouble because of their consumption, and so they can build a surplus for the future.

I’m no expert, but I am trying to live this out in my life. Every month I choose to limit my spending significantly. I do have to consume some things in order to live, but I do so cautiously…putting in place a simple lifestyle designed to honor God and the people around me who need my help.

My lifestyle is certainly lavish compared to some (I know this to be true as I have …

Money was supposed to be the answer.

Having more money meant that we could consume more. More consumption meant more satisfying of our needs and wants. More satisfaction meant more contentment.

Or so we thought.

Turns out the whole thing was an illusion. Like an itch that gets worse the more you scratch at it, increased consumption led to less satisfaction and contentment.

The more we got the more we wanted.

Surprisingly consuming isn’t the answer to our emptiness. Contributing is.

We live in a world that tells us that consumption will satisfy our cravings. It challenges us to buy more and more stuff. I want to be a part of a movement that challenges this thinking. A movement that throws a brick through the glass of the status quo. A movement of consumers turned contributors, who have found joy in generosity, who understand that more consumption does not equal more happiness.

As I travel the world I find that more and more people joining this movement. This blog is an attempt to share my journey while connecting to those who care about turning consumers into contributors.
This is a place to share your journey, or tell the story of someone you helped. Share your …