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Monday, June 10, 2002 The Uses of Money I was flipping through channels on TV the other day when I ran across the MTV show Cribs. If you've never heard of it (I hadn't), the basic idea of the show is to take viewers on tours of various celebrity houses--the Osbournes, for instance. These guys all have incredible homes--which is expected, seeing how much money they have--with indoor swimming pools, basketball courts, jacuzzis, the works. What struck me as I watched the show was the immense waste of it all. Does a guy who lives in a house by himself really need a huge indoor pool and five big-screen TVs? You can have a comfortable house without going to such extremes. When I was working for PIRGIM we constantly ran into people who said that they believed in environmental protection but didn't have any money to give, not even $5. I really believe that some of these people were telling the truth, not just trying to get us to go away... and these were people living in nice areas and driving expensive cars. What is it that makes us spend more than we have just so we can look like we have it all together? Can't we just live within our means and enjoy life instead of worrying about the creditors that are calling and the bills we can't afford to pay? In the larger picture of the world, we Americans, even poor college students, are in the richest percentile. But are we happy? No. We just buy more and more.... Rich Mullins is a huge inspiration to me in terms of financial stewardship and being real. He was a successful musician and instead of "living it up," he donated his money to charity: "Rich sought to love the oppressed, and moved to the Navajo Reservation to live out his beliefs. He lived in a small trailer on a limited income, even though he could have lived as a king. He gave away his money and himself, believing that Christianity is shared by example and with love." He didn't just talk about what he believed, he did. People who saw him in concert tell me he was incredibly real and honest as well. If only I could live up to that calling.... ^ Top | 6:23 PM | | | 
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