Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Lies Versus Truth
I am going through a Bible study with a few ladies titled "Lies that Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This was the first real week to discuss the book and I've already been blown away by the amount of lies I have accepted as truth. There is a section in the book with a list of words: tired, defeated, depressed, frustrated, lonely, angry and a few more. I was asked which of these words describe how I feel right now. I had a very difficult time verbalizing it. As stated in past posts I am a very private person (or am I really since I have this blog? Hmmm). Anyway, we will work under the assumption that I am a private person or that at least I don't like to let people into my life enough to see the dirty laundry. Someone then said that believing that I had to keep all of this to myself is a lie I am embracing. I never thought about it like that! So, I tearfully pulled out a few of the words that I so readily highlighted when by myself. It was hard, but I feel somewhat lighter if that makes sense. I then came to realize that all of those words I highlighted are lies. Example: I am not lonely for Christ is always with me. He has also provided a great family, friends and church to support me. I can't wait to see what else God reveals to me through this study. I'll keep you updated. :-)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Silent Tsunami
I was informed that my blog feels abandoned so I will write about something that I have been reading about lately.
Have you heard the term Silent Tsunami this week? That is what the UN (who I don't always agree with or think is the best organization in the world, but I like their term so I'm going to use it) is labeling the global food crisis that is going on. They state that an extra 100 million people are now facing poverty throughout the world. So, what is going on? According to an article at www.bbc.com one reason is that the cost of rice has increased 68% in the last 4 months. That is a huge increase! Also, the cost of soybeans, corn and wheat is also increasing dramatically. This is stretching people to their limits in countries where the majority of their income is spent putting food on the table. Some comments I have read this week: We no longer can afford 3 meals per day...breakfast no longer exists for us...families in Bangladesh are existing on one meager meal per day...troops are being used in the Philippines to protect rice deliveries.
So, why is the price of food increasing? I've read many theories this week. Higher fuel costs, bad weather, drought, increase in land (corn crops) allocated to bio-fuels, surge in food demand. I've read so many different theories that I now believe no one really knows why this is happening. The scary thing is that based on the reports I have read the organizations that aid people during crises are not prepared for this. There just is not enough money or food to go around.
What can I do? That question has also been on my mind this week. I'm not a large nation with millions of dollars available to donate to organizations. I'm not even a wealthy individual that can give a large donation. All I am is a working, middle class, debt ridden, single woman.
What can I do? I think I can contribute in small ways. I went grocery shopping Monday night. When I got home I cleaned out my refrigerator. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I threw away a lot of food. Things I bought that spoiled because I never ate them. So, the first thing I plan to do is to actually use the food I buy and not be so wasteful. Today i considered how often I eat out during the week. I spend on average $10 per meal. Most weeks I eat out 5 - 6 meals. $50 - $60 per week. $2600 - $3120 per year. That money would feed a lot of people. So, instead of eating out as much I plan to eat at home and take my lunch to work. All the money I save can be donated to a reputable organization to help feed the hungry. Will this save the world from starvation? No, definitely not. But, it can possibly make a difference in one or two people's lives.
Have you heard the term Silent Tsunami this week? That is what the UN (who I don't always agree with or think is the best organization in the world, but I like their term so I'm going to use it) is labeling the global food crisis that is going on. They state that an extra 100 million people are now facing poverty throughout the world. So, what is going on? According to an article at www.bbc.com one reason is that the cost of rice has increased 68% in the last 4 months. That is a huge increase! Also, the cost of soybeans, corn and wheat is also increasing dramatically. This is stretching people to their limits in countries where the majority of their income is spent putting food on the table. Some comments I have read this week: We no longer can afford 3 meals per day...breakfast no longer exists for us...families in Bangladesh are existing on one meager meal per day...troops are being used in the Philippines to protect rice deliveries.
So, why is the price of food increasing? I've read many theories this week. Higher fuel costs, bad weather, drought, increase in land (corn crops) allocated to bio-fuels, surge in food demand. I've read so many different theories that I now believe no one really knows why this is happening. The scary thing is that based on the reports I have read the organizations that aid people during crises are not prepared for this. There just is not enough money or food to go around.
What can I do? That question has also been on my mind this week. I'm not a large nation with millions of dollars available to donate to organizations. I'm not even a wealthy individual that can give a large donation. All I am is a working, middle class, debt ridden, single woman.
What can I do? I think I can contribute in small ways. I went grocery shopping Monday night. When I got home I cleaned out my refrigerator. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I threw away a lot of food. Things I bought that spoiled because I never ate them. So, the first thing I plan to do is to actually use the food I buy and not be so wasteful. Today i considered how often I eat out during the week. I spend on average $10 per meal. Most weeks I eat out 5 - 6 meals. $50 - $60 per week. $2600 - $3120 per year. That money would feed a lot of people. So, instead of eating out as much I plan to eat at home and take my lunch to work. All the money I save can be donated to a reputable organization to help feed the hungry. Will this save the world from starvation? No, definitely not. But, it can possibly make a difference in one or two people's lives.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
I Don't Understand
I just discovered that Oprah replays at 8pm every night. I watched it tonight primarily because she was interviewing a transgender man that is pregnant. Strange? Yes. Do I understand? No. But I'm going to have to ponder that one and post about it at a later time. They showed a clip of tomorrow's show which is about the horror of puppy mills. Please don't misunderstand what I am going to say. I am an animal lover and would and have gone out of my way to help animals. I also understand that we have a certain responsibility to care for animals. However, Oprah cried...the women in the audience were sobbing and covering their faces in horror. What I don't understand is why we can get so upset about the fate of dogs and ignore the fate of HUMANS around us.
Prior to watching Oprah I read an article on a situation happening in Somalia. People are fleeing Mogadishu because of the violence occurring there between Islamic insurgents and the local government. Approximately 200,000 to 250,000 people are living in a refugee camp estimated to be one of the largest internally displaced people camps anywhere in the world. Many of the people are fleeing Mogadishu after their homes have been destroyed by artillery shelling so they have absolutely nothing. They are building shelters out of sticks and scraps of fabric. There is not enough aid coming in to supply enough food. Food is currently distributed once a month. So if a family enters the camp the day after a food distribution they are forced to wait one month to receive any sort of food aid.
What I don't understand is why we see stories of puppy mills on TV and not stories about the trials and struggles of humans. If more of these stories were told people would be made aware of the situation. If they are aware of the situation they will be more likely to find a way to help or to encourage our government to help. Do we now care more about animals than people?
Prior to watching Oprah I read an article on a situation happening in Somalia. People are fleeing Mogadishu because of the violence occurring there between Islamic insurgents and the local government. Approximately 200,000 to 250,000 people are living in a refugee camp estimated to be one of the largest internally displaced people camps anywhere in the world. Many of the people are fleeing Mogadishu after their homes have been destroyed by artillery shelling so they have absolutely nothing. They are building shelters out of sticks and scraps of fabric. There is not enough aid coming in to supply enough food. Food is currently distributed once a month. So if a family enters the camp the day after a food distribution they are forced to wait one month to receive any sort of food aid.
What I don't understand is why we see stories of puppy mills on TV and not stories about the trials and struggles of humans. If more of these stories were told people would be made aware of the situation. If they are aware of the situation they will be more likely to find a way to help or to encourage our government to help. Do we now care more about animals than people?
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