4. Medium Income for US households = $51,512 Global Medium Income = $1,225

8. The average American child sees 50,000 TV ads per year

9. The average American is exposed to 3000 ads per day

10. “Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction & our ego satisfaction in consumption. We need things consumed, burned up, worn out and discarded at an ever increasing rate.” Victor Lebow, Retailing Analyst - 1955

13. “In a funhouse world of ever proliferating wants and exquisitely unsatisfied desire, consumption has become, most profoundly, the consumption of novelty.” Rodney Clapp

15. The Problems with “Consumption as a lifestyle” - A constant state of Insatiability/Discontent - Exhaustion of natural resources - Debt as slavery - Callused heart - Rationalizing our Consumption

16. “Don’t let the car fool you. My treasure is in heaven ”

17. Luke 12:13-21 - Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

18. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

19. Luke 5:18 – “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20. Romans 12:2 – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Ephesians 4:22-24 – “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your mind, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

21. October Challenge Practice Simplicity & Stewardship “Simplicity is not asceticism. Asceticism renounces possessions. Simplicity sets them in proper perspective.” Richard Foster Practice Generosity & Hospitality Practice Gratitude

23. 1 Timothy 6:8-12 - But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man (and woman) of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.