This is where we meet.

Hi. I’m Alicia.  I’m a white, suburban mom in southern California.  Certainly my husband and I are a team working together to run the house and raise the kids, but I’m the keeper of the calendar, the chauffeur, the emotional support coach, the buyer of all the things, and the cook.  In an effort to keep my sanity as a mostly stay-at-home parent, I tend to be a bit of a compulsive planner and stick closely to my carefully crafted schedule.  You know, the schedule that means everyone gets to work and school, but also fed at regular intervals and enough sleep so as to minimize  tantrums, meltdowns, and general melee.  I love being with people, and getting things done, but at the end of the day, I want a hot cup of tea, some chocolate and a good book. My life is beautiful.  It’s filled with loving my husband, raising our two kids, going to church, making music, and spending money.  It’s this last part – the money part – well, and the church part, that inspired me to start this blog.  I want to know:

How can money draw me closer to God?  

Money is a huge source of stress for me.  Sometimes it seems like a blessing, a way to bring beauty and delight into our lives, but mostly, it is a responsibility.  A worldly thing that threatens to lure me from the God of the widow, orphan, immigrant, and poor.  Participating in the market economy is unavoidable and I have so many questions on how to do that ethically and spiritually.  I spend money.  Every. Day.  Daily I must choose what to buy, where to buy, when to buy, who to pay, how to pay, and what not to get.  I buy food, clothes, gas, gifts, and treats.  I support the church, the schools, and charitable organizations.  I buy books, movies, pay for admission and activities and order supplies.  I pay the mechanic and the plumber, I pay our rent and the housekeeper.  My husband, thank God, pays the bills, keeps all accounts current, and puts money in savings.  But what if this entire part of life – the marketplace – can be another way to actually draw nearer to God, another way to experience God’s presence and grace?  What if money, not just a tithe, but all of it, could be a way to love God and love others?

This blog is about what I learn along the way to making this happen.  I expect this journey to take awhile and, at times, be uncomfortable and disorienting.  It certainly has been so far.  But I’m determined to see this through, to be changed.  Because if I know Jesus at all, I know He cares about this and that, in the end, I will be free.  There will be victories along the way, and mistakes, but peace will be my reward.