Sometimes the problems of the world seem so large. So I love it when organizations and bloggers come together to ask for a small donations that will make a big difference.

I just donated my $5. Somewhere around the world two kids will have shoes to wear. If you can help please click the link. The 50,000 Pairs in 50 Days Challenge.

It’s that easy and yes it truly does help. It took me 2 minutes.

So today is Blog Action Day 08. Bloggers across the globe will deal with one subject-poverty. Social Justice is somewhat sexy now. We all have our shirts, wristbands and shoes to let the world know that we care about poverty. And truthfully I’m fine with that. I’m glad that people are more aware.

But my question is this. Do you really care? If so…How? You can’t wear a t-shirt or wristband and know data and see all the cool films, that is not enough. We all have to act. We all have a part to play in the grand-story of extreme poverty.

We can provide hope, food and love. We can provide a simple $10 net for children who live in Malaria infested countries. We can sponsor a child and provide housing, food and education. We can fight for those trapped in the modern day slave movement, we can help provide clean water, or help a third-world entrepreneur by loaning them some cash.

We don’t have to be heroes, we just need to be human, we don’t have to be rich, but we can’t afford to be selfish. Humanity is our greatest resource. When we decide to live for others and fight for a cause, extreme poverty can be eradicated. We can do that, we have the resources & education, but the one-thing we lack is enough people who will do small things so we can solve a big problem.

This is why I’m starting Help End Local Poverty. So I can do my small part, so I can help others do their small-part. So together we can see a generation fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.

IT IS NOT RIGHT AND EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE MAD AS HELL THAT THIS HAPPENS. But for the most part we simply ignore the issue. I know I do…Because I hate that it exist.

That being said their is a new flick coming to Austin (and the nation) called Call & Response. Oct 9th their will be a showing here in Austin. I would some Vista peeps to get together and see the show. Then discuss how our church can respond.

* Malaria kills more than a million people per year; 90 percent of those who die are African children.
* Every 30 seconds in Africa a child dies of malaria.
* Malaria incapacitates people, keeping countries poor. In addition to the health burden, malaria illness and death cost Africa about $12 billion per year.

Info from Nothing But Nets.

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Last November I slept under a bed-net while in Zimbabwe. It felt so good to know I was protected under this net as mosquito’s swarmed around me.

Today many children in Africa do not have this luxury. It take $10 to purchase a net that could save lives. If you look at the stats above…You will understand the importance of spreading the news.

You can get involved by clicking the link below:

But somehow along the way I missed the gospel. I got caught up into my life and what I deserved. I was OK with spending money however and whenever I wanted. Even though the gospel requires me to live differently; as long as I tithed and occasionally gave to a certain needs, I thought I was good. However I was selfish on many levels. I would consistently ask God to forgive me for my pride or anger…which of course are big and in-need of repentance. But my consumerism had gone unchecked for many years.

No doubt there is a hard tension between consumerism and normal American living, which is simply hard to define. But I think we need to consider how we spend our resources, not with guilt or self-righteousness, rather love and service.

Shaun Groves pretty much nailed it with this blog post. When you pick up a child that may or may not eat for days, everything changes. Life shifts in a heartbeat. You become crushed by your own personal selfishness. You become aware of how blessed you are and how much others have to over-come.

One of my passions in life is pretty simple…I desire to get every man, woman and child to spend 10-days in a third-world country.  I’m convinced this will cause a dramatic shift in how we think about life and priorities. I can preach, take pictures, tell stories, create a website etc. But none of this captures the reality like going and seeing the harsh realities of third-world situations.

Rick McKinley was quoted in the article called The Advent Conspiracy in the current issue of Relevant Magazine. Rick started a anti-consumerism x-mas movement called Advent Conspiracy. If you are not familiar please check out the link and get involved to stop the silly consumerism in America.

I could not find a link to the article, but you can read the article under the “current issue” tab on Relevant Mag’s site.

Below are list of org’s that are tackling the water issue’s that our world is facing.

charity: water

Living Water International

Water 1st International

“Can I go with you?”

I had to walk away as I was close to literally breaking down. I know there are millions of kids just like him. Many are in Africa, plenty are in Austin-wherever you live there is someone in need. They need help, the crave love and they have no family. Thank God for those who sacrifice to love, help and give to those in need.

So today as I bought gifts for my family I had this strange tension…Not guilt, but love. So please do me a favor this holiday season. Help somebody somewhere. Give your time, money or maybe something around your house that you no longer use but could be used by another family in need.

I love what the prophet Issiah said:

“Seek to do good.”

Those are words to live by.

For many in America Aids is a 90′s after-thought. (me included) But in many third-world countries Aids is literally running rampant and causing unspeakable damage. Below are some stats to put this all in proper perspective.

“Please remember the 6,000 children every day who lose a parent to the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. Remember the ways to make a difference in the lives of these children. Most of all, remember to take action — because silence on this crisis is the greatest tragedy of all. ” World Vision

Truthfully, It’s really hard to post my thoughts about Africa. Being there for 9 days does not make me an expert and if anything I probably have more questions now then before I went. *sigh*

I also don’t want to discuss Africa in a way that will offend Africans. We in the West have a “we need to help them” mentality at times. But the truth is we need to collaborate and partner and help each other. The West has so much to learn from the Global South and East. I really doubt the West will be the key leaders of the church in the next 20 years. It’s time we hand the baton to our brothers and sisters in other areas of the world and we become learners.

I have a lot of vision and big plans in the works. We will be doing an art show in Austin and I will be doing some small and large fund raising soon. If you know me there is a good chance I will be calling and asking for help. And I’m going to need a lot of help. My goal is raise close to $150,000 for a orphanage/farm in Zimbabwe. So we have lots of work to do and I’m way motivated to get the job done.

Now, this may sound crazy but I think I’m going to try and raise these funds in 6-9 months. Tonight many kids are (literally as I type) sleeping outside with no home, food, or family. And we all know that is not right.

When you travel and meet people, they become a part of you-their story becomes your story. It’s no longer an African thing or a poverty thing, or let’s be cool and act like we care about social justice issues. When you hug a kid and he holds you tight, at that moment he becomes a friend and the gospel explodes in you and action is the only acceptable course to take.

So today is my day to unpack my thoughts. There is a good chance I will have tears, my heart will be broken and the task will seem daunting. But I have so much hope and I know that this is really a Jesus issue and I will rely on the beauty of the gospel.