From Shane Claiborne's "The Irresistible Revolution."

Pgs. 179-180

In Philly, we have an ongoing dialogue about creating a village of communities, bartering with one another, sharing things we need - even creating a new currency where people exchange hours of work and are valued not because they have money but because they are willing to contribute to others and offer their time to service. One community may have a plumber but need a gardener; another may have a gardener but need blankets; and yet another may have blankets but need a plumber. It is miraculous how the abundance of God and the gifts of the children of God are able to provide mystically for people's needs.

Others of us have been trying to think responsible about how to create alternative economic possibilities - like with clothing, for instance. Any time we have heard disturbing news about who is making our clothes, we've tried to respond, and not all in the same ways. One friend is working toward a global living wage, translating what it costs to live in different areas of the world, and trying to ensure that corporations are paying wages that will allow people to live. Some folks respond to oppression by shopping in thrift stores so that companies rarely see our money; more likely it goes to a family or a charity like the Salvation Army. Other folks cover up brand names so we don't advertise unless we know that what we advertise incarnates the values of the kingdom. Some of us make our own clothes. In addition to hitting the streets in protest, we can point people to alternatives that are more life-giving, fun, and sustainable. An entire youth group wrote to tell me they were making clothes together. And my pants have special holsters for bubbles and sidewalk chalk, and one of my housemates wears a tutu. Where else can you find that?

Claiborne forces a lot of rethinking in his writing, which is it's allure to me. Obviously, living in an ascetic urban monostic community, we're offered almost a foreign view of how to reconcile Jesus' gospel to our lives. Even better, the views are as entertaining as they are challenging.