The American Dream

That ain't my American dream...

Our 500 sq. ft home has a bamboo gate, concrete walls and floor, no electricity and only rain water, but our heart's dream is no less rich. The illusion of armchair Christianity has been irreparably damaged. The call to dream beyond culture's expectations was issued on a cross long, long ago.

I want to live and die for bigger things...
The life of Jesus presses us to look beyond borders and racial divides to find the lives that must be given a chance. We must continue to fight our own cynicism in order to allow the power of hope to take root. Once hope is established, what follows is change in lives, towns, countries, and history.

I'm tired of fighting for just me...
The faces that surround us daily reflect a joy beyond language. The people with whom we exist deserve this war that we are waging with them against hopelessness and oppression. Let us not kid ourselves that every war has battle lines.

That ain't my America.
That ain't my American dream.

Switchfoot wrote a song that inspired this post and is somewhat of an internal anthem for me at times. It's a song that demands a second look at our assumptions and redefining of "excess." Let us aim for a new goal: enough. This post is dedicated to Dave Swain and Anna Pyles, who both share my affinity for Switchfoot and the principles of this song. The lyrics are below.

When success is equated with excess
The ambition for excess wrecks us
As top of the mind becomes the bottom line
When success is equated with excess

If your time ain't been nothing but money
I start to feel really bad for you, honey
Maybe honey, put your money where your mouth's been running
If your time ain't been nothing but money

I want out of this machine
It doesn't feel like freedom

This ain't my American dream
I want to live and die for bigger things
I'm tired of fighting for just me
This ain't my American dream

When success is equated with excess
When we're fighting for the Beamer, the Lexus
As the heart and soul breathe in the company goals
Where success is equated with excess

'Cause baby's always talkin' 'bout a ring
And talk has always been the cheapest thing
Is it true would you do what I want you to
If I show up with the right amount of bling?

Like a puppet on a monetary string
Maybe we've been caught singing
Red, white, blue, and green
But that ain't my America,
That ain't my American dream