Why I Teach Free Guitar Lessons
"You cannot serve both God and Money... Therefore, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear... But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
-Jesus of Nazareth (Matt 6:24-34)
Allow me to bear my heart a bit: I'm frustrated and beat down. Chewed up by the city - though not spit out! - and hardly having earned any money since my move, I sometimes struggle with doubt, fear, and insecurity. I don't really have any money and apparently money is what makes the world go round. So I suppose you could say I suffer from existential vertigo every once in a while.
Still, I have found over the past year that God has provided for all my needs in truly remarkable ways. I joined the NYC freegans last December and began eating near 100% freegan in June. That is to say: my grocery bills no longer exist. And since my move to NYC, I have also been gifted a laptop computer, iPod, cell phone, camera, computer speakers, clothes, even a metro card!
In the mean time, I have increasingly offered myself - my music, time, effort, gifts, and passions - for free to anyone who should ask or desire it. For my VVOT Tour, I played donations-based shows in 20 cities along the eastern US; in return I received free rides via hitchhiking and free lodging via couch surfing. Of course, the people I played for were not always the people offering rides and lodging. I could not afford to return the favors that so many did me, just as many others did not pay to see me perform my music. So how does this free economy work?
I have found that in the free economy, there is a different kind of "invisible hand" at work. Rather than being moved by principles of supply and demand - as the hand of the free market is believed to be - the hand of the free economy is moved by compassion, generosity, "asset mapping." So I can give all of me - literally, everything that I am, say, and do - to my community, to my city, to the Church; and I can expect that the invisible hand of the free economy (what I call the goodness and provision of God), will meet every last one of my needs.
Bearing this in mind, I am declaring my official incorporation in the free economy! What does this look like? Well, rather than making financial transactions with people, such as offering a music lesson for a certain sum of money, I will be making existential transactions with God. When I give a free guitar lesson, it is not necessarily for my own benefit or even the benefit of the pupil; but rather for the glory of God and His Kingdom! I believe that God will honor my generosity and provide all my needs, as promised in Matt 6:33.
Is this foolproof?
At this point, there's no way to tell. I can only trust God, experiment with it, and see what happens! Thanks for your interest, love, and support. Shalom to you and yours.
-Jesus of Nazareth (Matt 6:24-34)
Allow me to bear my heart a bit: I'm frustrated and beat down. Chewed up by the city - though not spit out! - and hardly having earned any money since my move, I sometimes struggle with doubt, fear, and insecurity. I don't really have any money and apparently money is what makes the world go round. So I suppose you could say I suffer from existential vertigo every once in a while.
Still, I have found over the past year that God has provided for all my needs in truly remarkable ways. I joined the NYC freegans last December and began eating near 100% freegan in June. That is to say: my grocery bills no longer exist. And since my move to NYC, I have also been gifted a laptop computer, iPod, cell phone, camera, computer speakers, clothes, even a metro card!
In the mean time, I have increasingly offered myself - my music, time, effort, gifts, and passions - for free to anyone who should ask or desire it. For my VVOT Tour, I played donations-based shows in 20 cities along the eastern US; in return I received free rides via hitchhiking and free lodging via couch surfing. Of course, the people I played for were not always the people offering rides and lodging. I could not afford to return the favors that so many did me, just as many others did not pay to see me perform my music. So how does this free economy work?
I have found that in the free economy, there is a different kind of "invisible hand" at work. Rather than being moved by principles of supply and demand - as the hand of the free market is believed to be - the hand of the free economy is moved by compassion, generosity, "asset mapping." So I can give all of me - literally, everything that I am, say, and do - to my community, to my city, to the Church; and I can expect that the invisible hand of the free economy (what I call the goodness and provision of God), will meet every last one of my needs.
Bearing this in mind, I am declaring my official incorporation in the free economy! What does this look like? Well, rather than making financial transactions with people, such as offering a music lesson for a certain sum of money, I will be making existential transactions with God. When I give a free guitar lesson, it is not necessarily for my own benefit or even the benefit of the pupil; but rather for the glory of God and His Kingdom! I believe that God will honor my generosity and provide all my needs, as promised in Matt 6:33.
Is this foolproof?
At this point, there's no way to tell. I can only trust God, experiment with it, and see what happens! Thanks for your interest, love, and support. Shalom to you and yours.