Sequoyah member Dave Clark was moved to share the following

The Garbage Antidote

In this age of rampant consumerism as urban gestalt proclaims, it’s no longer what we are, but what we’ve acquired that counts. No doubt, we’ve all been told what the good American citizen should become. Personal security is no longer personal, parents have become passé, and teachers are too busy preparing for tests. Has the church’s inner odyssey become irrelevant as well? Has it all been replaced by corporate themes and sponsorships, flat screen TV’s and digital signals? It seems advertising, the driving force, is dominated by a psychology of inadequacy, which keeps us forever searching. Like the early Israelites, we feel abandoned; always looking out there, in search of, we’re not really quite sure… As modern wanderers the pivotal questions have changed. No longer do we ask, where is God, but rather, how do we stay busy today? And society is always there to provide, for better or worse.

So paradoxical yet predictable are the ways we experience God in our lives. From a burning bush, a stranger on the road, or even wine in a stone jar, we are continuously summoned to experience true security. Have you ever wondered what would happen to this wonderful mess of a country if we found real security in our shared divinity? “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you -” 2 Corinthians 13-5 Our need for distraction would be drastically changed, not to mention our relationships with, well-everyone!

Garbage collection, the hidden sacrament, maligned by those who may contribute to its’ accumulation and often misunderstood by even the faithful as a means of grace and spiritual awakening, is seeing a rebirth in our times. Not since the 70’s when an Indian brave stood tearful along a major turnpike, garbage tossed at his feet from a passing motorist has litter awareness seen such resurgence. And that’s a surge to truly believe in!

Litter pick up has been a practice in our family, spiritual or otherwise, depending on whom you ask, for several years. The longing for a spotless street or pristine roadside had its’ genesis for me after a disgruntled neighborhood complained of the unsightly mess (human or otherwise), of a homeless program where I once volunteered. After you purchase a niftynabber (claw handled yard tool), you can never go back. If one was ever looking for distraction combined with instant gratification they need look no further than beyond their curb. Where else might one be confronted with the notion of forgiveness and humility in one full clump, literally? After driving down a major arterial all winter, you can’t wait for that first warm afternoon, your big chance to make a difference out there. What a beautiful example of contemplation in action! If you need an antidote to stem the tide of current wisdom, just possibly, litter cleanup could be another spiritual practice for you. My wife brought home a sticker from a Christian environmental conference a few weeks ago. “If you love the creator then love his creation.”


No experience necessary, only a willingness to be changed.