The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book Money, Sex, Power, and Faith: The Convergence of Culture.
In the spirit of transparency, I must admit I often fail in my endeavors, and I tend to let people down. I spent my late childhood and adolescence in a fundamentalist Christian school and church, and was told quite a few times I was a fallible sinner who can’t save myself. And although I’ve considered different versions of reality since, some lessons are hard to unlearn.
So I am beholden to state that I fell off the wagon a little earlier than hoped for and did not, in fact, make it for the entire year without using money. I was granted a stipend from Realize Bradenton to assist in the installation of The Labyrinth of the Unbroken Path at the ArtSlam Festival, and used the money to purchase hardware for its creation, gasoline for its transportation, and for a few celebratory items that served to highlight the fact that although I may be an idealist, I am in fact, not a perfectionist. Nevertheless, my year of monetary celibacy was never meant to showcase my stalwart behavior as a purely benevolent and perfect citizen of the world I inhabit. If you’re looking for a perfect person, keep on looking, because you certainly won’t find him by watching the shenanigans of Steve McAllister. But though I may never achieve perfection, I do still strive for excellence.
Regardless of my shortcomings, I do feel I have gained a bit of clarity through my fiduciary abstinence, and while I can’t offer all of the answers for all of the problems facing our multifaceted civilization of ideology and idiocy, I think my experience has made me a little wiser for the wear. And should you, dear reader, be willing to continue in this journey with this fallible man, this book will share with you the most apparent nuggets of wisdom I gained from my experience, and some perspectives not often shared in the mainstream.
Order your copy of Money, Sex, Power & Faith today!
