Poverty is not created by the poor. It is created by the structures of society and the policies pursued by society. Change the structure as we are doing in Bangladesh, and you will see that the poor change their own lives.
I also believe that providing unemployment benefits is not the best way to address poverty. The able-bodied poor don't want or need charity. The dole only increases their misery, robs them of incentive and, more important, of self-respect."
Muhammad Yunus from the book banker to the poor

Muhammad Yunus has quite the room too talk since he is the one who invented (or at least pushed) micro loans. Micro Loans have helped free millions from poverty. Perhaps simply giving to the poor is not always the best idea? On a similar subject, maybe we should rethink this idea of social security? I do not change soon though, for ideas like that don't get you elected.

It's all been said before, and better than I could...

?The Christian life is more than difficult; it is humanly impossible to live. Only Jesus Christ can live it through you as He dwells within you. The Christian life is not a person imitating Christ; rather, it is Christ imparting His life to and living His life through the person. The Christian life is not what you do for Him; it is what He does for and through you. He wants to think with your mind, express Himself through your emotions, and speak through your voice, through you may be unconscious of it.? ? Bill Bright

I think once we truly understand this concept that Bill presents to us, daily time with God will no longer be a struggle; for we will see that like breath is to life, prayer & scripture is to the believer. Any person saying he is saved by the blood of Christ and no longer needs to pray is like the idiot who says he is alive and therefore no longer needs to breath. We breathe so we stay alive, and the same is true of prayer and our spiritual lives. It wasn?t until I grasped this that my relationship with Christ really deepened, and I will confess that I still have to be reminded of it.

Innocence...

I watched a movie the other night called ''the end of innocence" with Michelle Pfeiffer & Daniel Day Lewis (I think he is a great actor by the way and yes, I do enjoy a good chick flick now and then). The movie was a PG romance genre, and to my delight had no sex in it whatsoever. No sexual jokes, and nothing that would prevent me from watching it w/ my parents. The movie itself did not threaten one?s innocence. On a side note, I recognize that the previous statement is a minimalist question. A better question to ask would be does this help me glorify or better my Walk with Christ. So many times I catch my self asking minimalist questions like I am trying to walk the fence or something. One?s faith is a lot stronger when they ask maximalist questions. Anyway, back to innocence. The word seems almost obsolete in Americans vocabulary today. I feel that I am so far from innocence. Is innocence important? In Matthew 10:16 Christ says to His Disciples, "I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as snakes but as innocent as doves.? Can innocence be regained? Philippians 2:13-15 " It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please him. Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be blameless and innocent. You will be God's children without any faults among people who are crooked and corrupt. You will shine like stars among them in the world " Isn't that Interesting? Not through our trying do we please Him, do we be innocent, do we obey him. It is God at work in us that enables such innocence, He has the power to give innocence back to us. It makes sense, for how can dead flesh (our old self) produce anything living or qualities that living beings share.? It cannot, and that is why we need the life of Christ within us to produce life. It is so simple yet I still keep trying to pray more and read more. Without his strength it just doesn?t happen. Allow me to encourage you today to ask God for Innocence. Such a quality will enable Christians to stand out amongst a world where innocence is considered a negative connotation, and then you may get more opportunities to ?give a reason for this hope that you have (in Christ)?.

what are the points at which satan temps us?

My lifestyle has changed this summer. I believe that we as believers have so much more responsibility than just hanging out with friends and socializing. We have such a greater calling on our lives. Our pleasure can not be the only answer to life, for pleasure is fleeting. Lenord Griffith in his book titled ?God?s time and ours? states that ?Satan Temps us at the point of our physical needs. Not that we might gratify them to excess, but that we may think of nothing else and gratify them at the expense of our usefulness in this world. Satan temps us at the point of our ambitions. Not that we might engage in positive evil, but simply except the fact of evil, learn to live with it, come to terms with it and maintain a discrete silence in the presence of it. Satan temps us at the point of our religion. Not that we might disbelieve in God, but that we might demand certainty, that kind of certainty that leaves nothing to faith, nothing to God Himself. These are the moral struggles that have reality for people such as we are. The subtle temptations to renounce our duty in favor of what is attractive, that insidious allurement to a kind of a half goodness which is the essence of everything bad. And which is more productive of suffering and hatred, war and misery in this world than all the desires of wicked and greedy people combined?. Isn?t that statement challenging? I love it!

Thoughts on other religions...

When Gahndie was asked what he thought about Christianity, he responded, ?I like their Christ, but I don?t like their Christians. When I think of a Christian I see a mug of beer in one hand and a gunboat under their feet?. In context, Gahndie was referring to what he thought of the missionaries of his day in age. In all seriousness, this statement has certain implications that I want to draw out. One is the issue of drinking. I have friends of different faiths, and some of them (Hindus and Muslims in particular) refrain from drinking. Since I have been home, I have had no problem with a beer here or a glass of wine there (to put your fears at rest, it?s never in excess). The bible does not preache alcoholic abstinence as some in my past have lead me to believe, but it does preach against excess & impairment of the body (keep in mind that our Savior not only drank wine, but he made it as well, that was his first miracle.) In order to reach my friends though, perhaps abstinence is something I should consider (just as Paul became all things to all people so that they might be saved). Along a different religious thought, we are approaching Ramadan very soon. This is a muslim?s time of fasting and trying to be a better person (learn more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan) . I am considering joining the Muslim faith in this fast. I do not join to desire try to become a better person person, Only Christ through me makes that possible. Instead I join to share in their emphasis on the poor and hurting in our world. The fast lasts every day in September from sunup till sundown and is supposed to continually remind the person of the plight of the poor. I feel that this issue is something I could definitely continually be reminded of. Last thought, if you are witnessing to a Muslim or a Hindu, please remember that you are going to have to convince him that you love him for who he or she is and not for something your trying to manipulate him or her into. A lesson learned you could say. Rememberm, the only way to overcome others stigma is with genuine Christian Love.

My mom thinks Tom Cruise is the anti-Christ?

When did we stop caring about being stewards of the environment. It's like we want to please our selves and damn the cost. I was reading today that the biggest habitat for Manatee natural habitat (Florida). There are on average (last time anyone checked) around 600,000 sport utility boats along Florida?s coast. There are fewer than 1,800 manatee?s remaining around Florida?s cost. There are approximately 3,000 West Indian manatees left in the United States. Most manatee moralities are human-related. Most human-related manatee moralities occur from collisions with watercraft. Other causes of human-related manatee moralities include being crushed and/or drowned in canal locks and flood control structures; ingestion of fish hooks, litter and monofilament line; and entanglement in crab trap lines. Ultimately, however, loss of habitat is the most serious threat facing manatees today. This is just one creature that has suffered b/c of our ancestors. Check out http://www.savethemanatee.org/info.htm to find out what you can do. By the way, I think my mom thinks Tom Cruise is the anti-Christ. Not really, but she really doesn?t like that guy. Does any anybody else?s mom or wife feel this way?

The So Called Experts...

In 1965 the President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, made a pompous statement that "So here is the Great Society. It's the time- and it's going to be soon- when nobody in this country is poor." It's interesting than that an estimated 842,000 adults and children are homeless in a given week, with that number swelling to as many as 3.5 million over the course of a year (http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/facts/facts_question_2.asp). The president of the United States; Grover Cleveland, in 1905 stated that "Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote. The relative positions to be assumed by man and women in the working out of our civilization were assigned long ago by a higher intelligence than ours." It safe to say now that that's bogus. I am perplexed when individuals quote Genesis 3:16 to prove such a case. "To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." Last time I checked, the following was a curse of the fall, and not how we were intentionally supposed to live. The American industrialist and humanitarian in the 1900 stated that "To kill a man will be considers as disgusting (in the twentieth century) as we in this day consider it disgusting to eat one." Hmm, and yet the muder ratio in the United States is highest among all developed countries, around 5.5 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder), with rates in major cities sometimes over 50 per 100,000.

What are some other predictions the "experts" or higher ups" have made?
Harry M. Warner, who was president of Warner Brothers Pictures in 1927 said "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?"
The President of the United states in 1876 (Rutherford B. Hayes) commented after participating in a trial telephone conversation stated "That's an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?"
Richard M. Nixon in 1973 proposed that "By 1980 we will be self-sufficient and will not need to rely on foreign enemies...uh, energy."
Dr. Dionysus Lardner (1793-1859) was a professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at University College, London. When posed a question about the train, stated that "Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breath, would die of asphyxia."

Be careful when you trust what the "experts" or what people in authority positions state. There are many who would seek to disprove the scriptures statements, but History reveals that humanity is shown to be the fools. 2 Corinthians 3-5 state that "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. If the Lord is truth and there blinded by him, I would say they are blinded by truth. If that's the case, and many are just feeling around in the dark, then don't be supprised when they grab a theory and then declare it a sound one. Just as if I was in a pitch black room, I would begin feeling around for something to trust in. If I found something that seemed sturdy enough at a quick glance, I may end up trusting in that thing to support me. Sadly, for some it will be the end before there "stick breaks", and they will not know they were on the wrong side.