Blessed are the Poor...

I just read about a church in Corpus Christi, Texas that is going to give away over a million dollars in prizes during their Easter service.

"Cornelius asked church members to donate during services two weeks ago. The response since has been overwhelming. The plan was promoted as a $1 million giveaway, but the actual value is going to be much higher. The 15,000 gift bags alone are worth $4.5 million if all the goods and services are cashed in." (Complete article here)

So, what do you think about this? Is this something that is beneficial to the Kingdom or is there a better way to wield generosity?  I would be curious to hear what you think.

Excellent Op-Ed Piece by Bono

I just read this article It's 2009. Do You Know Where Your Soul Is? in the New York Times by Bono and again I am blown away by both the eloquence and timely truth that he weaves so masterfully into his writing. Take a few minutes, sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy.

The Advent Conspiracy

To GIVE clean water click here.

Become an Investor

Kiva is an organization that provides a place for those wishing to invest in micro loans. These loans are often the difference between a life of destitution and of hope for those in impoverished and war town nations. Check out this video to see how it works.

Thanks to A Fresh Focus for pointing our this organization.

Bono on the Wall Street Bailout

"It's extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases."

-Bono

Speaking at Clinton Global Initiative

Seek Righteousness and Justice

"See, a king will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.

Each man will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.

The mind of the rash will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil:
He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the LORD;
the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water.

The scoundrel's methods are wicked,
he makes up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.

But the noble man makes noble plans,
and by noble deeds he stands."

Universal Healthcare???

So I just watched Sicko last weekend. Yeah, I know, I know. It's been out for a long time. Anyway, I watched it my first thought is that it is unfortunate that such am important topic was taken on by such a controversial person (Michael Moore). I watched his Bowling for Columbine and he was definitely suspect in the way that he manipulates the viewer and spliced the clips together in a questionable way. I chose not to watch Fahrenheit 911, but when Sicko came out I knew that I wanted to see it in spite of the fact that Moore was behind it. Why?

Well, during our 6 and 1/2 years living in Spain many of my preconceptions of socialized health care were challenged. Lori and I were highly skeptical of the socialized system in Spain and purchased our own private insurance through a Spanish insurance company. Since the private system was competing with a free system, not only were our insurance premiums affordable, but when we went to the doctor or the hospital, they would swipe our insurance card and that was it. No forms, no bills, no co-pays if we stayed in our network (it covered 90% outside of the network). Medicines were significantly cheaper than in the states and cheaper still if you were in the Spanish social-security system. During our time there we saw many positive ways in which the socialized health care system was a benefit to the whole of Spanish society. While not perfect, it made the American system seem both bizarre and expensive.

That said I don't think that everything in the socialized medical system was great. While they were reputed to have better technology they were also known for being less personal. We had some very dear friends who experienced the impersonal part of that health care system.

In Sicko, Moore brings up some great questions.

• How come we believe that universal education (public school), universal fire protection (firefighters),or universal police protection, but we freak out at the thought of universal health care?
  
• How can the richest country on earth rank 37th in world-wide health care?
  
• Why are our medical costs spiraling out of control and what, if anything can be done to make sure that the working poor are receiving the care that they need?

So, first I would like to hear from those of you who live outside the USA. My first question is:
1) What are the benefits and the pitfalls of a socialized or universal health care system?

My second question is for all of us:
2) What is the role of the church in the USA in regards to health care? What are some practical ways that the church is already helping people who lack the care they need and what are somethings that we can do that are not being done?

World Insight: Lagos, Nigeria

I was captivated by this brief look at life in Lagos.

The Church and the Homeless

"Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?"

James 2:2-7

So, my friend Chris recommended that I read the book Under the Overpass. I just read it last week and I was a very insightful read. It is the real account of two college guys who spent 5 months living as homeless and describing their encounters. It is amazing both the ways that some people treated them horribly and how others demonstrated great acts of generosity. I was intrigued to see the different personalities of different cities across the USA come out. It was also amazing to see them being stretched. Most importantly, as Christians, they describe their interactions with other Christians and with churches and remind us what it means to live out our faith here and now so that we may be agents of Christ in this world!

UAE and It's Labor Practices

Click here for presentation.

Feed My Starving Children

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Last Friday night Abigail and I and a group from Harvest Church went to a Feed My Starving Children mobile packing event. It is exactly what it sounds like. FMSC is an organization that prepares special packets of nutritious dried food that is then shipped to missionaries working in areas of extreme poverty where children are starving to death. I think there were around 120 people working at the shift we were at and in two hours we were able to prepare over 28,000 packaged meals.















FMSC has a permanent packing facility in Minneapolis, but are on their way to opening a second facility in the Chicago area. In the meantime they are holding mobile food packing events in area churches. If you live in the Chicago area and would like to take part the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will be hosting packing events Nov 14-17.

Preparing food for the hungry was more than just a time of work. It was a time of worship and a blessing to be able to be part of it. It was so good being able to share this experience with Abi as well. She kept asking me who was making the kids sick, and I kept trying to explain in different ways that in some places people don't have any way to get the food that they need. She had trouble understanding how this could happen, but was very eager to prepare food for the kids who are starving. When we were driving home I asked her what her favorite part of the day was. She said, "The party". I was confused and when I asked her she responded, "You know, the party where we made food for the kids."

Random Chicago Fact

Cook County, IL has the
second-highest number of millionaire
households (167,873)
and the
second-highest number of poor
households (273,658) of
any county in the nation

To find out more visit the 2007 Report on Illinois Poverty

Lectio Divina

10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge. 11 Stay outside and let the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12 If the man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession. 13 Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God.

14 Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. 15 Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

17 Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.

19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

Deuteronomy 24