Scale of the Universe
My friend Tim sent this to me lately. As some of you know, I like to "nerd it up" frequently. This is something you can spend hours on if you choose.
As I was here I began to see how small we are in relation to so much. Then I began to think of the words of the Psalmist, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is humankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" (Psalm 8.3,4 NIV).
Quite amazing. Spend some time, and enjoy.
Sex, Contraception and Abortion ... In the Church
A couple of weeks ago Christianity Today featured two articles about the reality of sexually active young adults who are a part of the church. It's been well documented that 4 out of 5 adults ages 18-29 have had sex.
With the number being this high, it's no surprise to see the number of unplanned or unwanted pregnancies in the church also on the increase. Of those pregnancies 1 out of 3 end in abortion.
In light of this a new conversation has begun asking whether or not churches should, not only affirm, but "advocate contraception" for their sexually active singles. You may immediately think, "Of course not!" or "Absolutely they should!" or you may be aghast that this question is even being taken seriously.
Whatever your response or opinion, we must always seek to listen, think and discuss these pressing issues that we continue to face in our world today.
Matthew Anderson wrote the first article titled, "Why Churches Shouldn't Push Contraceptives to Their Singles." He believes that "reducing abortion is a noble and urgent goal." And adds "This is the wrong way to do it." + Continue Reading
Jenell Paris wrote the second article titled, "Both Chastity and Contraception: A Sacred Compormise" She believes that "Churches discussing contraception with singles isn't about giving up. It's about being in a relationship with them." + Continue Reading
Some questions to provoke thought:
While some advocate chastity, it has not worked, (I remind you 4 out of 5 singles are having sex) should we keep promoting it or is that "old fashioned?" If we do advocate chastity how might our message and ethos change?
Some feel "they're going to do it anyway." Maybe they are right, but does that mean we advocate contraception? Is it possible that educating about contraception could be viewed as endorsing sex before marriage?
How can those who are a part of the church address all of this in a loving, grace-filled way so that, rather than people hide their sexually active lives, they are free to speak about it - even admit to unwanted pregnancies? Has the Church preached morality and shame so much that we've driven many from being able to speak about it?
Final Reflections on Living Below the Line
There is something to be said about “less is more.” For the last five days I have lived on $1.50 per day for all the food that I eat. Rice. Beans. Eggs.
I did all of this thinking that I would raise some money to go toward the fight against malaria and extreme poverty.But that was not all that happened.
I have this time to do a lot of reflecting. I’ve learned much more than I expected as I lived on less.
I did all of this thinking that I would raise some money to go toward the fight against malaria and extreme poverty.But that was not all that happened.
I have this time to do a lot of reflecting. I’ve learned much more than I expected as I lived on less.
- I have been challenged to live more simply. I am no stranger to having too much of … well, everything. Often I use the word “need” when I should use the word “want.” I’ve seen that I can live well on less.
- I have been truly blown away by the generosity of people, some of whom I barely know. In a week’s time more than seventy people gave their hard earned cash, and their gifts have totaled more than $4,500. It’s taught me that many are willing to and want to serve - all they need is an opportunity to do it.
- My level of awareness has skyrocketed. With my grumbling stomach, lack of energy, and constant dull headache my mind has remained on the 1.4 billion who experience this every moment of everyday. My commitment and passion for the world’s poorest has not only grown, but also been better informed. I do not believe I’ve walked a mile in their shoes, but I have felt a smidgen of their desperation.
- We are still on the journey. This has been a great time of learning, and a great time of giving. While we are making great strides toward eradicating extreme poverty there is still more to be done. We cannot grow weary, rather we must take this step as an encouragement to take another.
- Lastly and most importantly - God will always add to whatever we give him. He will make our less into more than we could ask for or imagine. Many in our faith community - Mandy Lester, Amanda Lum, Jeff and Tonya Jenkins and others - and thousands around the country have lived below the line this week. Many have done this as an natural outworking of their faith. In this small thing, God has spoken loudly through their actions. A long time family friend, Phil Moser, commented on one of my Facebook posts saying, “To God be the glory.” Indeed. In all of this - the fight against poverty, beating back malaria, feeding the hungry - we are seeing his kingdom come and his will be done on this earth as it is in heaven.
A sincere thank you to all who have been a part of this effort and made it grow into something that has provided for many and challenged us all. I want to add a special "thank you" to Ben McKee and Kimberlee Roher for bringing this to a broader audience than we thought possible.
As this campaign draws to a close I want to give one final list of organizations that are create sustainable change around the world. Giving toward them is truly the gift that keeps giving.
- The 1010 Project – partnering with business and community development to break the cycle of poverty.
- Hope International - implementing sound microfinance and basic business training that enables men and women to build businesses and break free from physical and spiritual poverty.
- World Relief – providing long-term solutions to fight against extreme poverty.
Again, a sincere “thank you” for all you have done. May we see the day when “everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree, and no longer be afraid …”
Food or Malaria Meds?
If I were forced to live on $1.50 per day in one of the poorest areas of the world, there is a good chance that my family and I would also be at risk for malaria. Which means that if one of us did get malaria that my $1.50 would not be for food, but for malaria meds.
The result is a life saved, but no food. So I decided that for today I would not eat anything, and live as though I had to buy a $.50 pill for each of my three children.
I’ve wondered how I would feel if this was my reality.
Right now my hunger is more palpable than it has been all week. However, I suspect that as a loving dad, the pain of my hunger would be offset by seeing my children recover from an illness that otherwise would have killed them.
The choice for any caring parent is simple. However, there does not need to be a choice. We can live in a world where there is no more extreme poverty. A world where parents can eat and care for their children in the event they get sick.
One of the ways to see this dream realized is by joining the fight against malaria. For $10 you can buy a lifesaving bed net. That covers the making and distribution of the net, net replenishment and the necessary education for those who use them.
More than this, organizations like Malaria No More are working to help doctors diagnose malaria more quickly and more effectively. Through this treatment can be delivered earlier, which means it is more effective.
Tonight as I put my kids to bed, laughed with them and saw how healthy they are I was thankful. And in that same moment I realized that there are parents in the 40% of the world that do this too – with the same love that I have for my children. The only difference is on many of those nights they are hungry. For their children’s life comes at the expense of food.
We can change this. Together we can make malaria no more and make extreme poverty history. Join with me as I enter my last day of living below the line. For every $10 gift you donate a bed net will be delivered, and that is a gift the whole family will love.
Support me as I enter my final 24 hours by clicking here.
Living in the Lap of Luxury
Over the last three days I have eaten four eggs, less than a pound of beans and two cups of rice. Believe it or not, I’m not really that hungry. Certainly I’m more hungry than normal and feel my stomach asking for something more. My energy level is a bit lower than normal, and my head has a dull ache all the time. But overall, after three days I’m okay.
I’m know that if I continued eating like this for a month I would feel the effects to a greater degree, but over the last few days the simplicity of the meals and the small portions have taught me something.
I don’t need as much as I think I do. Most of us throw away more food each day than most people have in their home at any one time. We have a surplus and excess of everything, and I’m not just talking about food.
My home is filled with my possessions. If you were to visit my home you would not think that it’s excessive or opulent. It’s normal. What we often forget is that most of what we own is a luxury.
We refer to “luxury automobiles” forgetting that owning two cars – even if they are both old but reliable – is a luxury. We speak of “luxury vacations” not realizing that the ability to take a vacation is, in itself, a luxury. In fact, most of the luxuries that we live with day-to-day are things that we can actually live without.
A friend of mine has been scrutinizing his spending lately. He told me, “I always ask myself, ‘Do I really need this and if so, why do I need this?’” He spoke of how remarkable it has been to see how little he really needs. So what does he do with all the extra cash?
He gives it to those who know nothing of luxury.
He decided that if he would have gladly spent money on a bottle of wine, then he ought to gladly take that same money and give it away. So he does - every week.
His challenge and my recognition of how little I can live on have been on my mind the last few days. So I’ve decided to start asking his question of myself. “Do I need this and if so, why?”
And so what can we do with our extra cash? Give it away.
There are several wonderful organizations that make donating easy. Perhaps today you will see that you don’t need that. If that’s the case, then may you give to those who know nothing of luxury.
You can give now to these organizations:
CARE - Defending dignity. Fighting Poverty.
Heifer International - Give families a hand-up.
World Relief - Stand for the vulnerable.
Ten Thousand Nets - Denver's campaign to fight malaria.
Poverty is Human
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I’ve been getting some concerned looks today. The concern is around how I am feeling. Several who have shown concern have asked, “Are you hungry?” “Do you feel okay?” “You gonna make it?” These questions have come from those who know me and are aware that I am only spending $1.50 per day on food.
Their concern is genuine, because they know me and care about me. They have seen how little there is to eat and when I do eat it’s rice and beans with an occasional egg.
This has caused me to reflect on the problem of hunger. When it is right in front of involving someone we know it becomes more important. So we ask questions and concern ourselves with the hunger that our friends are experiencing.
But I wonder. How many days do we go about our business without once considering those who eat on less than $1.50 per day everyday? Perhaps it’s because those who are starving are not right in front of us. So out of sight out of mind. Perhaps it’s because we have little connection to the problem, so we can forget about it most of the time.
However, when it’s in the midst of our daily routines and connected to those we care about it suddenly becomes … well, human.
It’s easy to write and speak about the 1.4 billion who are hungry. But when those statistics become faces, names, personalities it’s harder to ignore. When a number becomes a son, a husband, a father, a brother – someone like me – suddenly we can see that it’s not right.
We can never forget that those who are hungry are every bit as human as we are. They deserve the ability to be nourished every bit as much as you and I do. Why? Because they are human beings – made in the image and likeness of a loving God. The same God who said, “There does not need to be any poor among you …”
The reason extreme poverty is such an insidious reality is because it is a human problem. The good news is we can change that, one person at a time.
Below are two of the many organizations through which you can help a child by sponsoring them. In doing this you can provide for the basic needs of food, clean water and sanitation. You also give this child hope for the future through funding their education.
Perhaps today is the day that you make the reality of poverty human, and allow the numbers to become a face and a name.
For more information visit:
You can also join me as I Live Below the Line:
*The above photo is one that I took of three boys I spent time with while in Mathare, a slum community in Nairobi, Kenya.
Giving Not Guilt
Today was my first day participating in Live Below the Line. It’s not that living on $1.50 worth of food each day is bad. What’s bad is doing this in the midst of others who aren’t. This all came to a head when I got home this evening.
Tonight my family ate a wonderful Indian dish filled with chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, rice and some spices that smelled delectable. What’s worse is that I got the meal ready for everyone. With each breath I smelled the wonderful food that I was sorting onto plates for my wife and children. My mouth was watering more and more as I savored the thought of eating it.
When they were all set I prepared my meal. A small portion of rice and beans with a fried egg on top. It was only my second meal of the day. My first was a small portion of rice and beans minus the egg.
What struck me was the juxtaposition of my small portion of bland food compared to the fresh smelling food filled plates of my family. In that moment I realized that this is the reality for billions of people.
They may not sit next to us at our tables every night, but in their scarcity they know of our abundance. What I felt was minimal by comparison. Consider my plight.
I’m a healthy person with more food in my refrigerator than I could eat in any one sitting. Through a choice of my own I am taking only five days to eat rice and beans and eggs, all the while knowing that after Friday I can resume my normal eating habits.
But what about the 1.4 billion who live like this everyday – not by choice. They are bound by circumstance beyond their control. They eat a small portion of whatever they can get and most days I eat as much as I’d like.
As I contemplate this reality, my feeling is not one of guilt. Guilt is a horrible motivator. A friend once told me that I should never feel guilty for what I have been given, but should only feel guilty for what I refuse to give away.
With this in mind, my question is “What can I give?” Perhaps this is a question you want to ask yourself too. It’s far more challenging that simply feeling guilt for what we already have.
A great resource for you to consider is Hunger Free: A Global Movement to End Hunger. It’s a project through World Vision. Take some time and learn about why we have hunger and how you can play a part to not just feed someone, but make hunger a distant memory.
Thinking About Food
This morning I woke up and all I could think about was food. Not because I was hungry, or because I had a craving, but because from today until Friday I only have $1.50 per day to spend on food. I have joined with thousands of others to participate in Live Below the Line.
All sorts of questions have been in my mind as I spent $2.98 on two bags of dried black beans (thankfully they were on sale), and a few bucks on rice – all totaled just under $7.50. Will this last? How do I ration this? When should I eat? How often?
So, here I am thinking about food. In my refrigerator is a large container of rice and beans. It looks like a lot, but when you consider it has to last five days, it’s really not much at all.
Each day this week I will post on what life is like living on next to nothing. Perhaps this will lend a small insight into the 1.4 billion who only have $1.50 per day to spend on everything they need (not just food).
Along with these updates I will share ideas on how you can join the fight against extreme poverty, so that together we can make poverty history.