How I Practice Simplicity

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have chosen to live in a simple manner, as is the Quaker way.

For those who have asked, these are the ways I practice simplicity in my life:

• I don't buy things I don't need: I do not need an iPad for example because I have a laptop, an MP3 player, a phone, etc, ergo an iPad is an unnecessary expense. It's indulgent to buy things you don't need for the sake of having it or because it makes you cool, whatever
• I don't allow myself to become addicted to products/commit idolatry by becoming devoted to material things: this might sound silly, but if you have to have every Apple product no questions asked, you're addicted to technology. If you find yourself buying products you don't need or hardly use because Apple made it and you pour money into their products, you are effectively worshipping Apple because your hard earned cash will go to them without reason
• If I need something, I buy it on a budget: I hate to admit that I'm dependent on my phone, but I am. I feel unsafe if I leave the house without it. What happens if I break down? Get lost? Need an ambulance? So owning a phone is essential. But that doesn't mean I need to spend £500 on an iPhone and update it every time a new model is released. That's extravagant. My last phone cost £30, it was a touchscreen, it made calls and texts. Sorted
• I try to avoid excess: I don't need to buy 15 tops if I only need 5. So I don't. If I get bored of my clothes or they are too worn, I donate them to charity if possible or throw them out. Then I buy more. There is no need to buy more clothes than you need, nor is there any need to dump your clothes because they're out of season. Does it really matter at the end of the day?
• I try to make my money go further: I would never buy an item of clothing for some extortionate amount, £200 is definitely too much, but even £40 if you could buy the same thing for £15 I find is a waste. If I can buy 4 dresses for £20 instead of 1 dress for the same price, I do
• If I wear designers, I don't pay designer prices: this overlaps with other points, but basically I grab designer labels like Ralph Lauren, Aeropostale and Vans when they have sales. If shoes from supermarkets cost £10 and you can get designer shoes for £10 in a sale then go for the label if you like it. It costs the same as unbranded shoes
• I try to spend money productively: I don't spend stupid amounts of money on things like alcohol and partying. I drink sometimes and I go out to clubs etc. But I'm not one of those people that spends £40 in a night out on drinks or £40 a week to get into clubs

I think that's everything for now on how I practice simplicity :)

God Works in Quaker Meeting

I just wanted to share quickly today one of the ways we can see that God works regularly in Quaker Meetings.

Today in Meeting, a man stood up to give ministry (for those that don't know, ministry is when a person feels moved by God to stand and speak about something. It's what they feel God is telling them to say, not what they just want to stand up and talk about. A lot of people say they don't even know what came out of their mouth during ministry). He read a section from Advices and Queries in 'Quaker Faith and Practice' on simplicity.

It was interesting because this ministry spoke to me. Often ministry will reach at least one person in the room, occasionally everyone will relate directly to the ministry given. It just shows that it is God using the people in the room to say what he wants to say and what needs to be said. What the people gathered there are feeling and thinking is often responded to by God via ministry.

A friend of mine told me a story today of when she was feeling depressed over a long period of time. One day in Meeting, every ministry given was about helping those in need, comforting those suffering with depression. It confirmed to her that God knew how she was feeling and the ministry helped others reach out to her for the support she needed. Amazing!

Today's ministry spoke to me because this week I have been thinking about simplicity. How I live simply in the Quaker way. (I will do a separate post soon on how simplicity is in my life). But I was thinking about it this week because I was shopping for new clothes and trying to decided what was an appropriate amount to spend on an item of clothing and how much I should spend overall.

Is there any difference in spending £100 on 10 items of clothing or spending £100 on 1 item of clothing? This ministry spoke directly to me because it said 'do not be led into buying things you do not need nor things you cannot afford'. It answered some of my questions. If you don't need it, you shouldn't spend a penny on it. If you do need it but you can't afford it, drop it.

It just goes to show that God knows what's going on in your life and he does find ways to communicate! My God is there with me every week in Meeting.

My Take on Abortion

Recently this has been a topic of conversation among me and a friend. I will summarise my view and then explain why I hold this view. I do not agree with abortion under any circumstance, at any time during pregnancy.

Why?

1. Because there is no such thing as an 'accidental' pregnancy. If your condom breaks, you could have been taking the pill at the same time, or even have the implant. It's called 'double dutch', using 2 methods of contraception at once to prevent pregnancy. If you use the condom properly and take your pill properly in the first place, they're unlikely to fail anyway. If you're still worried. DON'T HAVE SEX! There's no excuse for abortion.
2. It could damage the woman permanently. Both physically - you may find it hard to conceive in future, if at all, your chance of miscarriages increase and emotionally - you don't know how you will react to what you're doing. Guilt, regret, sadness, depression can all set in at any time and stay there.
3. It's the biggest kick in the teeth you could ever give someone who is unable to have children for a legitimate reason (e.g. not someone who had an abortion before). While others are desperate for a child to care and love on, others stupidly get pregnant and terminate it. How nice.
4. You are taking a life, abortion is murder even if you'd like to live in ignorance and pretend it's not

"But what if you get pregnant from rape? That's harsh" my answer to this is: the woman's been raped, she's unlucky, if she's pregnant she's even more unlucky. Do you really think giving her an abortion will help anything? You might physically damage her, which will remind her forever more of her ordeal. You might emotionally damager her, do you want her to feel sad or depressed even further because she aborted? She wouldn't have to keep the child. There's always adoption.

"But what if the child has a disability?" Firstly, it's not always certain that the baby does. I know people who were told their baby would be born with down's syndrome. He wasn't. What if he was aborted? I know another couple who were told their baby would be born club-footed. Around 64 babies a year (I read in The Times circa 2009) are aborted due to club foot. That isn't even serious. This baby was born club footed and by the age of 2 this had been corrected via physiotherapy and corrective footwear. He is now 20 years old, walks fine in normal shoes and you can't tell by looking at him or his feet that he was ever club-footed. If we try to wean out 'disabilities' and imperfections before children are born, we might get it wrong and we do for a start, but how will that make those who are born with disabilities feel? And lastly, if you can't deal with your child having an issue, are you really ready to be a parent?

"But it's the woman's body, she should get to choose what happens" sorry, but you are in control of your body. If you don't want to be pregnant, take precautions, it isn't rocket science. It's not as if you walk along minding your own business and all of a sudden "oh crap, I'm pregnant". If you can't take precautions, don't have sex. And ignoring the instructions on pill packets for example (like taking them when you feel like it rather than at a required set time each day) then wondering why it didn't work is an example of a precaution missed. I've heard that excuse from someone trying to prove she did use protection.
If you're now wondering why it's such a big deal to abort babies, or fetuses if you prefer, I will now explain that.

Dictionary.com defines life as "The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death". So, by definition, a fetus is still a life because it has the capacity for growth, it will be capable of reproduction, it does function, it does change and it can die.

Here's a summary of the stages of growth while the baby is in the womb:

• 3 weeks: The heart begins to beat, the brain begins to develop into sections
• 4 weeks: The central nervous system (CNS) begins to develop
• 5 weeks: By this time the nose and ears are externally formed, the kidneys also begin to develop
• 6 weeks: The brain emits measurable impulses, bodily movements can be observed and the baby can start to feel pain and respond to stimuli
• 7 weeks: The 4 chambered heart is completely formed, fingers and toes are completely separated
• 8 weeks: Every organ is now present and in place
• 9 weeks: The eyelids close at this point and the fetus is able to suck its thumb
• 10 weeks: Fingernails and toenails appear and the fetus will have a unique fingerprint
• 16 weeks: The mother can start to feel kicking, fine hairs begin to cover the whole body
• 22 weeks: The fetus is now viable

(Source: Abort73.com)

And FYI, in the UK an abortion can be carried out up to 24 weeks into the gestation. In which case the baby will have been viable for 2 weeks. If the fetus is thought to have a severe abnormality, there is no limit to when it can be aborted. Most women are granted an abortion on the grounds that it will damage their mental health to continue with the pregnancy if they don't want it. (Y'know, cause it's not like she could have thought about that before she got pregnant?)

And a few last words: if a pregnant woman is killed, the killer will be charged for murder (for the woman) and manslaughter of the fetus in the US and the UK. Why is this the case if the fetus isn't alive or a person? If you stop someone from living, because a fetus is living and will become viable, isn't that killing? If a diabetic requires insulin and you take it from them, they will die, you have caused their death. Isn't that the same if you kill a fetus dependant temporarily on the mother?