This is an excerpt from an email I read today from a ministry whose focus is our relationship to money. I thought it worth sharing in general.

Peace,
Peter

"Dear Friends,

<There is a movement growing around the world called The Slow Movement. It encourages a slowing down in everything from cooking food to communication to transportation to careers. As I understand it, it is about making real connections instead of moving at warp speed in everything we do.

Humans need connections, it's how we're built, it's what we're made to do - with ourselves, God and others, both near and far. It is so easy for us in the affluent world to forget this important fact, yet deep human connection is what makes travel in the Two-Thirds World so meaningful and life-giving for those with an opportunity to experience it there. Most Ministry of Money pilgrims returning from a trip speak about the experience of life at a slower pace, the obvious interdependence of people, the gracious hospitality shared and the spirit of generosity among people living in community. We miss it, we want it, but we seem to have forgotten how to let it happen here at home.

I laughed at recent television ads showing adults buying donuts, purchasing plants or standing in line at a food court. Everything is clicking along nicely, happy music and smiling customers, when all of a sudden some backward oaf (who looks like you and me) pulls out his checkbook or cash to pay for his item instead of using a debit card. All of a sudden the snappy music stops, the clerk and other customers grimace and growl, and the quick clip of payment activity comes to a standstill. God forbid someone say "Hi, how ya doing?" to the cashier or the person beside them in line. There's no time for that kind of nonsense. Just swipe the card and move along with your purchase!

There is also a new advertisement for an updated Monopoly Game. Instead of the cardboard 'bank' with the various multi-colored denominations stacked neatly in their assigned slots, the new game has an ATM-type machine in which you swipe a card to buy or make payments on properties, or to get out of jail. A quick swipe and it's done. No learning to count money. No addition or subtraction skills needed. No slowly counting your stash while pondering if you've enough to take an action. No asking to borrow a few bucks from your sister. No having to hand the bills over to the bank or another player. Swipe and go. I bet the game moves much more quickly now than when I was a kid!

We've lost our physical connection to money - the flow of resources moving through our hands and into others'. We've lost the relational aspect of money, the sense of money being for our common good, the give and take that keeps us all afloat. So much of our financial dealings now happen with card swipes and online submit buttons. Money movement has become invisible, and therefore, it often happens without a lot of thought.
We have enough time, you know. It's a lie from the culture that we don't. Maybe money haste is good for banks, merchants and accountants, but it's not good for those of us trying to live with any kind of intentionality.

So this week, strive for connection. Pay in cash a few times. Cook something from scratch - with real ingredients, not pre-packaged microwavable foodstuff. Write a letter instead of sending an email. Better yet, have a face-to-face conversation. Play a board game using paper money. Ask the clerk about her day as she returns your change.

Blessings as we revel in the shades of autumn,
Jan Sullivan>