What does it take to make honourable men act honourably? When will our leaders learn to act more like leaders and not thieves in Little Red Riding Hood costumes? When will politics become about the people and not the private investment funds of the rich and powerful?

A bunch of questions that ring out from the mouths of hard working middle class people around the world. The lower class have in time learnt to accept their place in society and seem to be the forgotten trouble of this generation, and every generation to come, until the trouble comes knocking on your door, and the crimes of survival are brought unwelcomingly back to our memories as we realise that we’ve been done over by some fool on a bender to score their next fix.

This is my society. This is the reality of the world in which I live. Trying to survive against all odds, trying not to draw any attention to ourselves lest we become the target of the shadows of the night. This is the legacy that I’ve been left and the legacy I know I’ll pass on. Bankers in charge of my money earning more than many of the Small and Medium businesses listed on the balance sheet in their banks turn over in ten years.

This is the world that I wake up to each morning, where the politicians that rule in a grey cloud of diplomacy that makes their work appear out of focus, in their desperate efforts to be as corrupt as possible while chanting an all too familiar mantra about how incapable the opposition really is of doing the job correctly, while our national debt spirals out of control, and credit lines once extended freely, now act as the rope around the throat of the very people who’s money keeps the system afloat.

Spin is the reality of the truth I am expected to swallow no matter how I may choke on the blatant lies of the bureaucracy spinning the yarn. As our communities have learnt that our leaders hide behind fire screens, pointing in any way possible to create a diversion from the original issues, it has become the norm for society to accept that lying is a way of life, and if you tell the truth you are regarded as being as dishonest as anyone else so What I ask is the point of standing out from the crowd, and trying to be honest.

I have come to the realisation that crime is what really pays in life today, and living by the book, trying to make it in this world without resorting to some sort of dodgy activity is really just not worth it. You know the more I look at society around me today the more I realise that I live in one really messed up world. Morality, respect, justice, chivalry and common decency are things of a bi gone era.

What a depressing thought. What has our world come to? Is this all society can show off for itself after 2000 years of mankind here on earth. Yes that would seem to be the case. It is a harsh reminder that life is not all it’s cracked up to be. But the moral of the story is that no matter how hard life is you can still enjoy it, and it’s up to us to find the things in life that make it enjoyable and cherish those moments in our life.

The older I get and the more I begin to understand this life of mine, the more I realise that friendship is one of the most important relationships that we’ll ever develop in our lives. And when I use the term friendship, you find that most adults can count on one hand the people that they value as their real friends. You see friendship is not all about what you can get out of someone, it’s probably more importantly about what you can give to someone. Selfishness aside not many people know how to be a real friend to someone they cannot understand, do not have respect for, and don’t really rate as an individual. In these circumstances I believe it is far better to be honest with yourself and the other person about where your relationship stands and focus your energy on those friendships that really mean something, rather than waist time being friendly when you don’t mean it.

I have also come to accept that unless you are born exceptionally rich, or land with your bum in the proverbial butter, that hard work is a fact of life. Good things don’t come to those that don’t get up and commit themselves to getting what they want. As a society we need to get out of the daydream that fame and celebrity will be the answer to all our woes. An understanding that hard work and focus on a realistic goal is what is going to make life more comfortable for you, unless living in a council flat on the dole is what makes you happy. Get some ambition, and wake up to the challenge of life before it passes you by.

As the world gets smaller, and its more and more easy to keep up with an international spectrum of friends, relatives, acquaintances, business colleagues and others that fill the gaps, it almost seems that you have to reduce the size of the world around you and keep your near and dear close to you in an isolated bubble of protection that allows you all to thrive in your own little environment. We meet and speak with people on a global scale, but like most other people out there, the world as a whole is desperate to make it, and will climb over any obstacle to get there, even if that obstacle is you.

I’ve also learnt that in life to be in the centre of attention, to aim to be the hero, or seeking for celebrity status is only going to set you up for a fall. People are only admired for an instant in life, and then torn apart as the truth about their lives comes out behind the scenes. How often it is that I meet people who are yearning for attention only to hear rumour after rumour behind their back as the reality is that in order to attain their popularity most celebrities have hurt and trodden all over someone on the way up, and I’ve also come to learn that it’s a long lonely fall coming down too.

It is a human instinct to want to be credited for the things we do. It is only natural to want acknowledgment for the things we do. But in this life it is sometimes better to do quietly, without seeking credit, and reap a reward far greater than man’s praise. More is done by those who quietly pass by in the night, changing people’s lives without recognition for their great deeds, than those that cling to their fragile pillar of the spot light. I tell you now, those people come and go and amount to nothing in your life. Those that are quietly there for you, encouraging you to be all you can, listening and saying nothing when you are rabbeting on about nothing, those who quietly pick up the pieces when you crash and burn and stand back holding them till your ready to return and accept their help to put your life back together. Those are the real treasures of your life. Learn to tell the difference between the light hoggers and the light bringers, and give of your time wisely.

Much of what we do in life is judged by others. And having watched our leaders, read the business success stories, and learnt from experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that it matters not what the world thinks of you. What is really important is what you think of yourself. Are you able to sleep at night without the nightmares keeping you awake? Is your conscious clear and most of all are you proud of what you’ve achieved in life? Forget trying to impress the world, stop hanging around with people whose sole ambition in life is to be famous, and learn to enjoy life around those that are important, make you smile, make you feel special, and keep you on the right road of sanity. In doing this the depression of the realities of the world we live in start to fade off into the distance, and while we have to accept that this is part of the world that we call home, we learn and ability to survive and make our survival tolerable with moments of pure happiness and enjoyment and lots of treasures to be thankful for.

The Russian literary giant, Leo Tolstoy, once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot.  He wanted more of everything.  Here is how Tolstoy tells the story:

“One day a farmer received a novel offer.  For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day.  The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown.  Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace.  By midday, he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground.

Well into the afternoon, he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point.  He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run; knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost.  As the sun began to sink below the horizon, he came within sight of the finish line.

Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared.  He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth.  In a few minutes, he was dead.  Afterwards, his servants dug a grave.  It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide.”

The title of Tolstoy’s story was: “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” (Adapted from Bits & Pieces, November, 1991.)  In the end, Tolstoy suggests, all a man really owns is a 6-foot by 3-foot piece of earth, so we are better off putting our confidence elsewhere.

Jesus, like Tolstoy, warns us (Matthew 6:19 – 24, 33) that we had better not put our trust in the promise of materialism.  If we do, we will be sadly disappointed.  Instead, there is something of eternal value that we can give our lives to pursue.  Anything we forfeit here on earth to gain what is in heaven will be returned to us there 100 times over (Matthew 19:29) along with eternal life!

Unfortunately, the western church in particular has drifted away from this teaching of Jesus.  Like first century Judaism, we associate material blessings with God’s favor.  Yet, very few people as well as nations have ever passed the prosperity test (Deuteronomy 8:8 – 10; 31:20; Jeremiah 5:7; Hosea 13:6).  The antidote to the poison of material envy and greed is “seek first His Kingdom and righteousness and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

However, this is not a prescription for poverty either.  We are not more spiritual if we are poor – or act poor because we do not want people to think we have anything, which is hypocrisy.  Instead, in abundance or in want, the Lord wants us to trust him for all our needs.  He wants to use us to pour out his riches and grace upon “all nations” so that through us all people will know that He is God.  Like Abraham, he was to bless us so that we can be a blessing!

Nowhere is this more evident than in the churches of nations of the two-thirds world that are marked by material poverty but spiritual abundance in revival, signs and wonders, and miracles.  These saints do more with less for the Kingdom of God, while the American church does less with more.  While we are rich in available materials and resources, we are growing more and more Biblically illiterate and spiritually impoverished.  Thinking that we are rich and blessed, we are truly “blind, naked, and poor.”

Waitsburg Tombstone ©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2009)

While in Albania, I saw a church that was struggling with the simple resources that we take for granted everyday and every Sunday.  Can you imagine attempting to teach Sunday school or disciple without materials in your own language?  Can you imagine a church without any resources to pay for a staff of pastors and office help to keep ministry going?  Can you imagine doing Children’s ministry without any props or tools?

This is what I witnessed in Albania.  Yet, I saw a vibrant church in prayer, reaching lost souls, fellowship, and growing future leaders.  I witnessed creative people and pastors inspired by God who gathered dozens of children to teach them about Christ.  I saw the church gather for prayer and then “hit the streets” to find people to pray for and possibly be a witness to them about the love of Jesus.

My family has paid a price for my trips abroad to Albania and India.  Seeing such poverty among the world’s poorest of the poor ruins a person.  It gives one a jaundiced eye toward our western materialism and consumerism.  As such, for the past several Christmases we have not exchanged gifts.  We have not given gifts.  Plus, we have asked our friends and relatives to help us express Christmas in a new way.

Every year we pick a world poverty problem to target and give towards efforts that attempt to meet it.  We have supported homes for girls rescued from forced prostitution; bought and put together medical kits for AIDS patients; bought chickens for a impoverished family.  This year we are buying a goat to be given to a family in need.

This is a great time of year to ask ourselves:  How much stuff do we need to be successful?  How many material things do we need to feel God’s care and love?  How long do we wait until we have the earthly things we need so that we can answer God’s call to bless others?  How much of this world’s stuff are we dependent upon for our personal happiness?  How much “earth” does one need?

©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2009)

My junior year in high school was very difficult for me because of a number of different circumstances that existed in my life during that time. To help distract myself and create an alternate reality I used to spend my school days coming up with “Top 10 Lists” like the ones featured on Late Night With David Letterman.

When I was younger, and my parents allowed me to stay up, I would sit through Leno’s monologue not understanding why his jokes were funny, before I switched over to CBS for Letterman’s nightly Top 10 List. For some reason I was attracted to this form of comedic expression and adopted the practice as an outlet for my thoughts and feelings.

I used to write lists about whatever popped into my head, and as a result they covered a wide-range of topics from my life experiences to pop culture and sports. Coming up with ten reasons and ranking them for a particular topic takes more time than one would think, and therefore helped me get through many long and difficult days during my junior year.

At the end of school I would meet up with my friend Jeff and read him the lists I had written that day. He would then provide me with some feedback and sometimes even gave them a letter grade for fun. When I think back on it I believe that Jeff was the only person I ever shared a list with, and therefore his approval by means of laughter or praise became very important to me.

I still have every Top 10 List that I wrote and I suppose this is because it’s important for me to save things that symbolize different periods of time in my life. My Top 10 Lists became an indicator for the things that I was feeling and coping with during my junior year in high school as illustrated by such lists as, “Top 10 Reasons Why I Hate School,” “Top 10 Reasons Why It’s Overrated To Be A Jock” or “Top 10 Reasons Why I’ll Never Use Math Again After Graduation.”

From these lists it is clear that I disliked school, was struggling with finding my niche in the high school social scene and was jealous of those who had achieved a type of status that I couldn’t even begin to dream of for myself.

At the end of my junior year I ceased writing Top 10 Lists for reasons I can’t honestly remember, and didn’t consider trying to produce another one until recently when I was shopping at Target and I started thinking about how much it sucks to not have very much money.

A light bulb then went off in my head as I began coming up with funny and crazy reasons why it sucks to be poor, and vuala I had a Top 10 List.

Therefore, for the first time, I would like to present to the world a Top 10 List entitled “Top 10 Asinine Reasons Why It Sucks Being Poor.”

Number 10: All of your appliance and electronics shopping is done on Craig’s List in the “Free Stuff” section.

Number 9: You begin seeing expiration dates as more of a loose guideline rather than a rule.

Number 8: I’m pretty sure one of the active ingredients in discount mouthwash they use to kill germs is battery acid.

Number 7: Generic brand diet pop tastes more like cancer than name brand.

Number 6: Your cable suddenly ceases to exist after channel 99.

Number 5: For dinner every night you are forced to eat a mixture of condiments that you bought cheap at Costco in 25 lbs. drums.

Number 4: Wal-Mart produce, need I say more?

Number 3: You can’t stuff your pants pocket with a roll of quarters before you go out to meet women because you need that money to buy food.

Number 2: You stole your couch from a college student’s porch.

And the Number 1 “Asinine Reason Why It Sucks Being Poor” is…

You currently have one of your kidneys up for auction on eBay.

Sunday November 29, 2009 By Kevin Morrow

The topic that has come into my awareness at this moment is that of “Wealth beliefs vs. Poor Beliefs.” I’m going to reference money in this blog because that is what most people are familiar with.

Money seems to reverse engineer the belief of wealth. It appears to be a material form of wealth. However, the wealth that the material has comes from how the observer “sees” it.

Events have no meaning until my/your mind decide what’s true in our minds. Take the last statement and apply it to money. Money means nothing until “the mind” decides what is true about it.

A wealth belief is a mind deciding what is true for it. A poor belief is a different truth, but also a decision made by a mind. Whether indirect, or direct, the mind is creating it’s truth through events that have no meaning.

What is a lot of money to you?

$100, $200, $500, $1,000, $1,000,000? It all depends what you decide in your mind is true. I know someone who receives monthly checks of over $900. They don’t have any expenses, their tv,food,room,electricity,and all expenses are covered by someone else. The only thing they have to pay for is anything they want to buy that’s extra. And yet in their mind they are poor. They go to the store already in a lack mindset. Everything seems to be a life or death decision to them.

But the way they see it is just one truth. There are many truths that can be seen from this situation. I see it as a belief in being poor. Read my other posts and you will see that the only reason why I see this is because I have some “poor” beliefs within me.

One way to purge my mind of these “poor beliefs” is to change how I see the person in my mind. This is where forgiveness is key. I have to forgive the fact that what I think I see is real, and then I have to forgive that fact that the person does what they don’t know there doing.

What’s happening is a person operating off of an old form of lack mind programming. The only reason I would see this, and be annoyed by it, is if I’m doing this to my self.

Back to the question about how much money is a lot to you…

To Bill Gates $500 is nothing. He receives it so often that it may seem to be like a nickel to him. An even better way to say it is that $500 is more than normal to him.

To my friend $500 is a lot of money. They don’t see themselves being able to receive that consistently in a normal setting. What they see is really a “poor belief.” They believe poor is a reality for them.

To me I know $500 is not a lot of money. I know I have to believe that I am worth that amount of value in order to experience it. There may still be some “poor beliefs” within me, but as they surface I realize they are no longer true to me.

The beliefs about money actually reveal underlying beliefs about my image of self.

Money is commonly attached to the image of importance. So in the society that I see, money is attached to importance. In the reality that I believe, money is a tool, and importance comes from how you feel about yourself. To me the only way to feel important is to help other people feel important. Like a revolving door of importance.

I view money in the same way. I wouldn’t want to earn millions of dollars and not show people how I did it. That would be lame.

Poor and wealth beliefs apply to any situation that you “think” you see.

Your reactions to things will tell you what your mind is looking for.

At the moment I’m unemployed, and I don’t know how much money is in my bank account. I was once very stressed out about this. It was a “poor belief” of mine. “I’m doomed, I’m unimportant, I’m a low class citizen, I can’t afford to live, I wish I had a billion dollars…”

Those were all poor beliefs that I made true within my mind. But wait a minute…What’s the point in thinking that? I decided to flip my truths. I’m in an excellent position to make myself a multi-millionaire through doing things I love. Now what’s the purpose in thinking that? Seems better to believe that then the “poor belief.” Otherwise I would remain the same.

This blog is the result of my transformation of truth…

In this morning’s (Sunday) NYT, the following article runs–

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/us/29foodstamps.html?_r=1&hp

Full of pathos appeals, coupled with some interesting statistics, the article tracks increasing use of food stamps across the country.  In and of itself, that’s not terribly surprising.  In a difficult economy, people need help buying food.

What I found surprising and worth mulling over are a couple of facts–

1.  Growth in food stamp use is about the same in the 600 counties where it’s historically been highest, and the 600 counties where it’s historically been lowest.  That is, use of foodstamps is increasing rapidly in places where it hasn’t before.  The article isn’t terribly precise about this next point, but suggests a couple of times that the second batch of counties tend to more conservative than the first, which means that reliance on government support is (again) penetrating into places where conservative dogma says it shouldn’t.

2.  It’s not just poor people who are using food stamps.  The article makes very clear that working people and families at many levels of the economic hierarchy need support–job losses, housing bust, medical expenses, etc, are all contributing to hunger.  At the very least, the data challenges the conservative wisdom that only lazy people rely on government support.  Of course, anybody who’s paid a lick of attention for the last 30 years has known that’s crap, a fabrication of the Reagan campaign in order to fan poor white people’s indignation, while at the same time keeping them from doing much to help themselves.

3.  Notable are a couple of interviews with self-identified conservatives who are accepting government support for (what sounds like) the first time, although depending on how you define “government support,” you could argue that they’ve been accepting it their entire lives.  It’s good to see at least one of the interviewees acknowledge that food stamps aren’t just for poor, lazy people.  One of them says something like, “These are people I could be having lunch with.”  The classism of that aside, at least she recognizes something of value.  Somebody makes the point that poor people are often just as resistant to government aid as others, which was helpful to see.  But the one that really gets me is the guy who, with one hand reaches out to grab the money, and with the other slaps people who take it.  Hypocrite.  And the guy from the Heritage Foundation who (shockingly) pulls out the example of the person who lives in an expensive home and drives a Mercedez, and generalizes from her to the entire world.

If one person abusing a system were enough to call for the destruction of the system, then the Bush administration would be responsible for having smoked the Constitution; Blackwater’s rapes and murders in Iraq would be enough to destroy the US military.  And on and on.  The double-standard here is so Orwellian that it’s hard to address (thank you, John Birch, for legitimizing this kind of political discourse).

At the end of the day, what this article demonstrates is that everything conservatives say about government aid is wrong.  The system isn’t fraught with people abusing it–that’s nothing but a lie.  The system doesn’t enable laziness–it feeds working people who can’t feed themselves because our pro-corporate, anti-worker economic policies have utterly failed them.  Self-righteousness shouldn’t dictate accepting hunger as a condition of living in the wealthiest nation in the world. And conservatives who scream bloody murder about government support at the same time they accept it need to think a little harder about what they’re screaming.  I won’t argue, as some others do, that they should refuse to accept help.  It’s not the government’s job to decide who’s worthy of care based on how they exercise their First Amendment rights.  It is, however, deeply troubling that some of these folks really seem not to understand the problem here–that if they win their arguments at Tea Parties, the very support they rely on for survival will go away.

You do so many things to ensure your baby’s health during and after pregnancy, by eating right, avoiding drugs and breastfeeding. But have you had your baby’s spine checked for nerve interference?

Often a newborn’s spine can be harmed during the birth process.  A normal, uncomplicated delivery puts 90 lbs. of compressive pressure on a newborn’s delicate spine.  One medical study of 1,250 babies examined 5 days after birth showed that 95% had spinal misalignments related to the birth process, causing lowered immunity, poor digestion, and sleeplessness. 

Babies are gently adjusted using low-force techniques equal to the pressure on a touch-tone phone, reconnecting their nerve system, giving them a great start in life.     

 To learn more about how a safe, gentle and scientific, Chiropractic adjustment could TRANSFORM your health contact your chiropractor.  If you are interested in a complimentary consultation, CALL  The Family Chiropractic Centre, 519-837-1234. 

I’m Dr. Brent Lipke, educating you to help you educate others !

Amazing photo documentary of Stanmeyer, VII Photo agency. It’s getting in to your mind. 

There no words needed for his work, it explains the reality of the world we live in. Check the images on:

 http://viiphoto.wg.picturemaxx.com/series/1.1178

A couple friends of mine, who’s names I will not mention until a later date, are writing a book together. One of them asked me to do a short write-up about our (Intentional Gatherings) time with the homeless on the streets of Ft. Worth for them to publish in the book. It was so reminiscent to think back two years ago and write out our story. Hope you enjoy…

On Becoming Homeless…

For a group of white, middle-class, suburban kids the journey we were about to embark on would prove to be quite shaping. We had been exploring what life as a follower of Christ should look like based upon what we found in scripture. It was not long after that we “broke it off” with our beloved pew, and said “goodbye” to the church as a building. While we stayed closely connected to the Body of Christ as a people we refused to allow that to hinder us from intentionally spending more time with non-Jesus followers than we did followers. From Starbucks and other “third spaces” to our neighborhoods, schools, and jobs we began exploring a life on mission outside the context of the bubble we had so unknowingly been seduced into previously.

As we devoured the scriptures communally it was not long before we noticed a theme throughout Jesus’ ministry of service to the poor and needy; not to mention His commands to us, as His Body, to take care of them. At this time in our lives ministry to the homeless was not the “hip-&-cool fad” it has become today. As we began seeking ways to live out these Gospel principles found in scripture we learned about what we would soon label the “modern-day leper colony”. About 20 minutes from our comfortable suburban homes, tucked quietly under the intersection of several major highways near the downtown area, we found what would soon become a place our souls longed to be. The majority of Ft. Worth’s homeless population called this area just off East Lancaster Boulevard “home”. For the most part they went unnoticed, and were ignored by society. Those who knew they existed steered clear of the area, or pointed down from the overpass as they attempted to teach their kids a lesson about “responsibility”.

We began taking regular trips to the streets in pursuit of being obedient to what we felt God was instructing us to do. We became students of those who had “worked” there for many years, as well as the homeless individuals we sought to “serve”. We learned very quickly how ignorant we were to the real needs of these people based upon the real reasons they were there in the first place. It did not take long to realize the abundance of tangible resources available to the homeless on East Lancaster. From churches to various non-profit, and government organizations the basic needs of the people on the street were met with excess. They did not need our Wendy’s dollar menu burgers, or our hand-me-down fashion from the closet.

A man named Michael Hatcher became our close friend and mentor. Michael had been “ministering” among these people for years, and taught us everything we know about working among the homeless in Ft. Worth. He and his family had moved into the “hood” several years before, and were dedicated to seeing lives transformed by the power of the Gospel of Jesus. Michael was known on the streets as “The Rev”. He was someone the people trusted, respected, and would give their lives for. Michael walked the streets during the week ministering to these people. He helped them get their ID’s, jobs, bus passes, but most importantly he gave them himself as a friend. We naturally followed in the footsteps of our mentor. We made a commitment early on: while countless others brought material goods to hand out to the people of the streets we vowed only to bring ourselves; a “hand-up” not a “hand-out” if you will. While others handed out food and clothes we sat on the curb to listen. Conversations led to prayer, topped with hugs, and a side of comfort knowing they had made a new friend. You must understand that many of these people had not engaged in conversation with another human being in years.

Things were going well, and we were seeing fruit from our labor. However, there was still something missing. While we had close relationships with our new friends on the street they knew we came from our comfy suburban homes, and would return there after our short time with them on the streets. We could not truly relate to them. Around that time several twenty-something’s from our newly formed “organic” church community felt a strange pull to move in, and “set up shop” among our new friends from the streets. We all began praying that God would provide a house for communal living among the poor…

By the grace of God our little crew of 15 broke college-aged kids began to make quite the impact on East Lancaster. We had organized the annual “Art-n-the Park” celebration, birthed the “Unity in the Community Network” of organizations who served among the homeless in Ft. Worth, and had the attention of many in the city. We still felt we had so much to learn. After all, we were in this for our new friends on the streets, and God’s ultimate glorification, not our own narcissism. Michael Hatcher decided that we needed to know what “life on the streets” was really like. He and his wife put together “Ghetto 101”, and about 10 of us agreed to a weekend we would never forget; a weekend our parents would not be happy to hear about…

We knew that we had to “be in their shoes” to really know how to best serve them. We had no idea what it meant to sleep on cold cement without a wallet full of plastic, or a cell phone to call mommy and daddy when things got rough. Our weekend began with turning in everything we had come with, a cold shower in the Day Resource Center, and a hopeless search through a box of clothes that would be our only possessions for the next two days. For those two days we were on our own in this place we had deemed the “leper colony”. Luckily, we had made many friends who “showed us the ropes” and “had our backs” if things got weird. We ate what they ate, walked where they walked, begged where they begged, slept where they slept, collected cans for money, and endured life disconnected from the rest of the world. The weekend was incredible. We learned a lot, gained the respect of our homeless friends (Who now saw that we were “for real”), and scared the mess out of our parents.

After eight months of praying God decided it was time. We found two duplex’s on the same property. Two of the four units were for rent, and they were cheap. By this point our organization, Intentional Gatherings, had gained its non-profit status, and donations were coming in from people who believed in the vision of the “I.G. House”. We moved two guys into one unit and four girls into the other. It was then that we truly began to learn the in’s and out’s of homelessness, and how to attack the problem at the root. We were in a neighborhood about a mile from the “leper colony”, which was full of the “working poor”. (Those who are not-yet-homeless, but hanging on by a thread) The primary focus shifted from the already homeless to the almost homeless; the work among the already homeless continued, and the relationships that had been made were fostered. The “I.G. House” crew grew close as they lived in tight-knit Gospel centered community, and sought to make a difference in the neighborhood in which they resided. As the crew grew they eventually took over three of the four units on the property. From weekend kickball tournaments to front porch after-school tutoring & Saturday morning breakfast in the yard this group of immigrants was serving Jesus in a way previously foreign to us all.

We had finally learned that in order to make a true impact among a people we had to “incarnate” ourselves among them. We had to put ourselves in their shoes, eat what they ate, sleep where they slept, and live life in their context. It was then that we truly gained a door into their lives. We refused to simply come from the outside bringing in the “answer” to life. We brought our lives to the inside of their lives, shared life, and discovered what the “answer” was with them. Thank you Jesus for “incarnating” yourself among us, sharing in our lives, and teaching us of yourself, the answer.

But the rich, in that he is made low. That is, because his property is taken away, and he is made poor. Such a transition is often the source of the deepest sorrow; but the apostle says that even in that a Christian may find occasion for thanksgiving. The reasons for rejoicing in this manner, which the apostle seems to have had in view, were these:

(1.) Because it furnished a test of the reality of religion, by showing that it is adapted to sustain the soul in this great trial; that it cannot only bear prosperity, but that it can bear the rapid transition from that state to one of poverty; and,

(2,) because it would furnish to the mind an impressive and salutary illustration of the fact that all earthly glory is soon to fade away. I may remark here, that the transition from affluence to poverty is often borne by Christians with the manifestation of a most lovely spirit, and with an entire freedom from murmuring and complaining. Indeed, there are more Christians who could safely bear a transition from affluence to poverty, from prosperity to adversity, than there are who could bear a sudden transition from poverty to affluence. Some of the loveliest exhibitions of piety which I have ever witnessed have been in such transitions; nor have I seen occasion anywhere to love religion more than in the ease, and grace, and cheerfulness, with which it has enabled those accustomed long to more elevated walks, to descend to the comparatively humble lot where God places them. New grace is imparted for this new form of trial, and new traits of Christian character are developed in these rapid transitions, as some of the most beautiful exhibitions of the laws of matter are brought out in the rapid transitions in the laboratory of the chemist.

— Albert Barnes: Commenting on James 1:10

I’m going to start this blog off with my current situation with Verizon Wireless. The company has built itself many layers of “customer service” each one built so that the customer gets lost in the shuffle, so that the customer is placed on hold, transferred about, but never once is a true customer complaint ever answered.

Here is the start of my fun. When I was officially switched over to Verizon Wireless from Alltel, I lost my government discount of 12%, when I called in about getting the Verizon government discount I was told “You are on an Alltel contract so we can’t apply your government discount.” Which gave me status as a 2nd class customer with Verizon. after many phone calls, more then needed, because no one from that company calls you back as promised, the company actually realized what they were doing to all former Alltel customers with government discounts(and I’m sure all company discounts) was wrong. They offered a compromise of ending my Alltel contract without penalty, if I agreed to sign up for a Verizon account, with new phone. Being the type of person I am, I also said I should get a bigger discount since I was put through so much, Verizon agreed, and I got my new Motorola Droid phone for $75.

If a company offers so much to a customer that points out an error, it means the customer caught the company doing something not right. I did.

This is poor customer service, because if pointing out being a 2nd class customer doesn’t alarm a company then they need to rethink how they approach customer service.

So, any other Alltel customer’s that are reading this, you can get a better discount by switching to a Verizon account, if they won’t let you, email me and I’ll tell you what you have to say and to whom to speak to.

Mark 12:41-44
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,j worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

As the threats to Jesus increase and the attacks of the Pharisees and Sadducees get worse, Jesus continues to patiently teach his disciples rather than being stressed about the terrible things that are to come. What’s most amazing is that Jesus knew exactly what would happen and rather than avoiding the horrid betrayal and crucifixion, he is focussed on sharing the gospel, saving as many souls and clarifying the reality of what God wants for man. This observation he makes of the poor widow is again such a wonderful reminder about the fact that God looks at our hearts not the outward appearances we make.

We are often reminded by Jesus that he doesn’t want us to speak “Churchinese” or “Act holy” or make gestures that show we are Christian in Church specially when we don’t mean it. When we are faced with the world, what’s in our hearts shows in our way of dealing with non-Christians and our lives are a reflection of our hearts. The old widow gave all she had to tell God that her trust was completely on God whereas we will count our pennies and give what we think is right. If that’s our attitude, it will be so even when we serve God and show our love to the lost. What God wants of us is our everything, not just measured portions. If we truly understand the sacrifice God made for us, we will know that our everything will not add up to a fraction of what the Lord has done for us. Lets not count the pennies and count the cost but consider it pure joy to submit our lives to our Lord and Savior and glorify him shamelessly. He will reward us in his time and take care of our every need.

In His Loving Service,
Vineet

PS: Visit http://groups.google.com/group/in-his-loving-service to read the archives or subscribe to the daily devotionals

Nature's Perfect Mirror

I feel like too many people live their lives for themselves.  Sounds selfish, I know, but we all do it.  Too many Christians breathe day in and day out without making a change.  It’s kind of like John Mayer’s song, “waiting on the world to change,” but then immediately I think back to Ghandi’s classic statement, “be the change you want to see in the world.”

What if we started actually being the “change” that we want to see?

The truth is that you don’t have to have it all together before helping somebody.  You don’t have to be perfect.  You don’t have to have a college degree.  You don’t have to be rich.  You don’t have to be poor.  You don’t even have to be American.

You can be a normal person in the midst of a normal world who’s trying to do something that should be ordinary.

Because, really, everything that you are not… I AM is in you.

And once you believe that truth, you can change something for eternity.

Hey blog-watchers!  Sorry I abandoned you for a while- life’s been crazy.  I’ve had a lot of intense experiences lately though so I’m going to share the thoughts that are racing around in my mind.  I’m more involved in service activities than ever and my eyes are being opened every day to the injustices we allow to continue in the world around us.

It has often been said that you cannot truly understand someone until you walk in their shoes.  While I will probably(hopefully) never experience true hunger or homelessness, I got a glimpse into the life that millions of people must live every day.  I participated in a retreat that involved being homeless for twenty-four hours and it was the most eye opening experience I have had so far.  We walked many miles that day, because many people cannot afford a car and the closest Salvation Army(only place to get cheap clothes and other necessities) was pretty far from where we started.  We didn’t know where our next meal would come from and where we were going to sleep.  A local youth group brought us lunch and were told that we were really homeless college students.  They were visibly nervous and apprehensive- to be on the other side of the serving line made my perspective do a complete 360.

We ate dinner at a shelter and discovered that the people there were not so different from us.  One woman shared my love for books.  Another woman had a perfectly good life until she lost her job and everything went downhill.  She said that she never imagined she would end up homeless.  Then there was a woman who broke my heart in two.  The hope was gone from her eyes.  I’ll never forget what she said when someone asked her if she was alright: “Just tired.  I’ve been homeless for three months.  Being homeless is just really tiring.”  Later we found out that she also hadn’t eaten in three days.  I get hungry if I go without eating for an hour!  All I wanted to do was give her hope but I didn’t know how to.

Before we entered the shelter though, the highlight of the experience occurred.  While we were waiting for the shelter to open this man named Harvey came up to us.  He started talking to our group and then broke out into songs about Jesus.  Soon he was preaching his heart out and I can honestly say it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  Sometimes we talk about being able to see Christ in others but this man simply shone with Christ’s love like I’ve never seen in anyone else.

One of my favorite bible passages s is Matthew 25:35-40 which says, “‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’  ”Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

When Harvey looked into my eyes it was like Jesus was looking right into my heart and asking me to serve him.

Poor farmers in Niger, Chad and northeastern Mali will likely need food aid until the early harvests of August…. From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: farm. The blog is also related to: farm.

Poor farmers in Niger, Chad and northeastern Mali will likely need food aid until the early harvests of August…. From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: food. The blog is also related to: food.

I have now started to read ‘Calvin for Armchair Theologians,’ by Christopher Elwood. I have to admit that I come to this book with a very doubtful attitude. The front cover illustration of John Calvin and the many ‘comic-like’ illustrations throughout the book worry me. I just don’t get a sense that this book is a serious treatment of John Calvin. That is the impression that presents when just looking at the book – I hope to be proven wrong for having ‘judged a book by its cover.’ The illustrations in the book are by Ron Hill, who is apparently a freelance illustrator and cartoonist.

I have to admit that the ‘armchair theologian’ part of the title also gives me a poor impression of the book – it sort of gives me the picture of a guy who loves to watch sport on the TV while sitting in his armchair, while not really taking the sport seriously in his actual life – has nothing to do with it in reality, in that he doesn’t play sport. This is the idea that ‘armchair theologian’ paints for me, which is an approach to theology that is far removed from the Bible’s idea of involvement with the truth.

But, as I said, I hope to be proven wrong for having ‘judged a book by its cover.’