Chickens

One 8 GB ipod touch ($193.99 at Walmart) = a sheep, a goat, and two ducks to feed a family in a third world country ($192.00)

One Chi hair straightener ($99.99 at Target) = a small business loan for a woman in a developing country ($100.00), which helps that woman provide for herself and her family and provides an alternative to prostitution.

One Nintendo Wii ($199.99 at Target) = $1000 dollars worth of food aid in Africa ($200.00)

Today it dawned on me that one ipod, hair straightener, or Nintendo gadget is a lot of chickens, business loans or a even a well that can provide clean water for a family struggling against the oppression of poverty. Isn't that crazy?

What if we, as a generation, refused the many calls of our materialistic culture and said, "NO! I don't want your junk anymore!"? I think people would think we were crazy, but it's worth a shot. Crazy people usually get more attention anyways. Let's be different! Let's go against the grain of our culture. I want to encourage you guys to ask for something that promotes nutrition or health for someone who lacks it on every birthday and Christmas. Especially Christmas, and here's why:

Christ came to earth to confront the evil of sin head on and die for us. We often think of evil as a diabolical character in a Disney movie or as a terrorist who kills innocent people. Yes, that is evil. BUT we tend to overlook the evils of hunger, sickness and oppression. That's the kind of evil that makes my skin crawl. So, if we follow the example of Christ's gift to us, it is imperative that our gifts challenge the evil in the world as well.

Here are some ideas:

*Have those attending your birthday party bring target gift cards, and donate half of them to charity

*Ask people to bring donations for something that you're passionate about (animal shelter, children's charity, World Vision) when they attend your party

*Ask for items to be bought in your name through World Vision

*Ask for gifts that support organizations like Invisible Children or Branded

*Ask for a pair of TOMS shoes

How LOUD is your life?

1 John 3:18 says, "My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality."

So what exactly is God's reality, and how do we practice living in it? God's reality is based on justice, grace, and mercy. God reveals His promises through grace that gives us everything we do not deserve. God shows mercy by sparing us from the punishment we do deserve. And then God is just; His desire to set things right is revealed through the life, death, and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ.

During His brief 33 years on earth, Christ lived out His father's reality by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and hanging out with the lonely. He faced the evils of poverty, sickness, and loneliness head on, and proclaimed to the masses that He was the solution to the evils of the world. As disciples of Him, we are called to be His hands and feet. He is asking us to stand up and proclaim that the evils plaguing our existence are not right. He wants to use us to be the solution.

Words alone cannot show the world this Divine Solution. Our actions must proclaim BOLDLY that we will stand against the physical, relational, and spiritual poverty of the world. So let's practice real love and live in His reality with actions that speak LOUDER THAN WORDS.

-Amanda