It's true….2009 was a rough year for the American Dollar. Light has been shed on the near-sighted greed that led to its downturn. And, with this light, has come the spark of new sensibilities. As a country, we are scrutinizing our business ethics and the values and worldviews that gave them shape. This exercise is long overdue.

I am very hopeful that it will lead to a collective effort to value simplicity and quality of life over quantity and status. Yes, I am optimistic--but I am also a realist. It is already very clear that advertisers have taken up arms. They are working hard to secure the perimeters of the consumerist mind frame.

A chain of ads in the subway feature snapshots of very jolly people in the midst of absurdity. One primped and pretty woman prepares to gleefully battle a ferocious white tiger. Another couple sits looking down at their pet bear as it shreds its way through their sleek and stylish fridge. The catch line repeats with some variation, "Stupid Ain't Dumb." There is no question that the people in these pictures are stupid--but they also seem so happy. No. They are liberated. They aren't worried about their jobs, the economy, or the war in Afghanistan. They're too "smart" to worry about any of those things. Stupid just might not be dumb after all.

The ads were so well done that I hardly remember what they were selling. I think it was shoes, but I can't be sure. I don't think their main focus was their product. It was creating, or maintaining a mood of consumerism. They don't want Americans to question the faith that we place in buying and selling. It may be a little stupid to spend 50 bucks on a new pair of shoes when there isn't anything wrong with the ones on our feet, but it may just as easily be a healthy exercise of freedom. It is a beautiful kind of recklessness.

What do you think about spending habits as a Christian? How do you worship God with the way you spend your money?

If you are anything like me, you don't think much about either of these questions. At least, not until someone you love needs your help, and you have nothing to give them. Or you look at the tragedy that struck Haiti and the tug of the Holy Spirit on your very full heart sends you diving into an empty wallet.

In moments like this, you need real freedom. The freedom to trust the charitable spirit and the God that sends it forth more than the mood of consumerism. Your friends, primed with the doubt that economic shifts have cast on the consumerist way of life, look to you to see how Christ's Body might respond. Trapped! Paralyzed by what you thought was a healthy exercise of freedom.

If you kept a record of how you spent your money for one month, it may surprise you. I know that I would be found guilty of extravagant spending on books, food, and entertainment that distrac t me from God and very valuable relationships with others. Perhaps, it would have something to say about more dangerous things. Like the realization that I spent a whole lotta dough just trying to keep up with the status games being played all around me.

Food worship. Pleasure worship. Knowledge worship. Self Worship.

Well, this column is my confession. To animate and sustain my repentance, I am turning to something that has been right in front of me for a thousand Sundays. I am going to tithe! See tithing is not for God. He does not need our money! It is about us. It sets us free. The mere act of setting aside 10 percent demands that you create some sort of budget. It means that when the money comes in you are putting forethought into ways to be a good steward with it.

I am not stopping there, though. I intend to have a section of my budget reserved for charity -- to set a goal to give away more than I spend on entertainment. When my shoes go out of style, I am going to ask God to give me a new pair. They might not come in time to keep up with fashion, but I bet they will show up before the soles wear out.

I am going to try my best to set aside money to express my love for my brothers and sisters in Christ. And, if I don't have money, I am going to budget out my time. We are wholly integrated creations and as we give ourselves more fully and carefully to God, I believe we will see people around us turning to the reckless and foolish economy of grace with greater faith than they have ever given to near-sighted consumerism.

*My note: For further reading on Christian and Biblical approaches to simple living, please check out Freedom of Simplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex World by Richard J. Foster.

K. Swann is a singer-songwriter in New York City with cutting edge thoughts on life, art and spirituality. He is currently studying Biblical Studies and Theology at Nyack College.