World Hunger

The Photographers' Two Cents

My Two Cents
After going without food for a long time your kidneys will eventually stop working. The function of a kidney is to filter out all of the body’s toxic chemicals. Without it, the body poisons itself. Eventually the body becomes swollen with toxic chemicals, especially in the abdominal region. Even if you start eating again, the chances of a kidney starting up again are slim. Most of the time a transplant is needed. Though America has more than enough food to supplement the need in Africa, Americans do not have enough kidneys to give to the hungry in Africa.
Paul’s Two Cents
II Corinthians chapters 8 and 9
"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability...for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich...if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have...whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously...God loves a cheerful giver...this service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God..."
Humanitarians’ Two Cents
http://www.care.org (*91%) CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.
http://www.worldvision.org (*87%) World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty.
http://ncm.org (Nazarene Compassionate Ministries) (*80% or greater) Following the example of Jesus, we seek to educate, clothe, shelter, feed, heal, and ultimately empower those who suffer under oppression, injustice, violence, poverty, hunger, and disease. Because NCM exists in and through the Church, we are able to address spiritual concerns alongside physical needs. Our ministries are holistic – addressing the whole person – and sustainable – addressing immediate needs while securing a hopeful future for individuals and their communities.
*The percentage is the amount of donations that go to people in need
· More than 840 million people in the world are malnourished — 799 million of them live in the developing world.
· More than 153 million of the world's malnourished people are children under the age of 5.
· Six million children under the age of 5 die every year as a result of hunger.
· Malnutrition can severely affect a child's intellectual development. Malnourished children often have stunted growth and score significantly lower on math and language achievement tests than do well-nourished children.
· Lack of dietary diversity and essential minerals and vitamins also contributes to increased child and adult mortality. Vitamin A deficiency impairs the immune system, increasing the annual death toll from measles and other diseases by an estimated 1.3 million-2.5 million children.
· While every country in the world has the potential of growing enough food to feed itself, 54 nations currently do not produce enough food to feed their populations, nor can they afford to import the necessary commodities to make up the gap. Most of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the widespread hunger in a world of plenty results from grinding, deeply rooted poverty. In any given year, however, between 5 and 10 percent of the total can be traced to specific events: droughts or floods, armed conflict, political, social and economic disruptions.

Bike Fun

I got to put new brakes on my bike today. I enjoyed it quite thoroughly. The new set is a Bell Sports caliper design I got from the hardware store. They work quite well for a universal set that only cost me ten bucks. So far my bike has only cost me $35. Beat that wal-mart!

My Five Year Plan

God is clearing my life plans. All the things that I have set out for, He has shut the door to. And now He is saying, "Don't worry," and "Make no plans." He is wipping it clean, so that He can set His plans in place. Still one of my favorite quotes, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your five year plan." --Pastor Scott Estep

Stem Cell Implant News

Stem cell Implant News (there is also an article in The Toledo Blade, please read an article about it before reading my opinions)
If I was murdered and someone needed my kidneys, would it be wrong for that person to take one of my kidneys? Would it be condoning my murder? I would answer no for both questions. It would however be morally wrong for a person to murder me in order to get one of my kidneys.
That is not the case with Daniel and his parents. In today's blade article, doctors used stem cells from an aborted fetus to possibly help the boy recover from his disease. This is not the first time doctors have used stem cells from aborted fetuses in experimental research and surgeries.
Some Christians and probably people from other religions dispute the use of the stem cells and wish that government funding to such programs be cut. Don't get me wrong; I believe that abortion is morally wrong in nearly every single instance. However, if anyone believes it is morally wrong to participate in or condone such surgery, please listen to this point: If a fetus were killed in an induced abortion, then wouldn't his/her short little life be in vain? Wouldn’t it be denying him/her the last possible ounce of purpose it could possibly have? It's blood would still cry out from the grave, the pain of injustice would still throb in God's aching heart, and it would still have been wrong to kill the fetus. But, if he/she were looking on from heaven, what would they want? What would God want? Those are open-ended questions, but feel free to comment.

Deliverance

Last week Tracy asked us to pray for her because she was going to try to quite smoking again. As we were praying I felt led to tell her “as Jesus’ body was broken, so your sin is broken.” And I believed in her deliverance there. This Sunday in our time of prayer, after a while, I finally sensed God wanting to do something…and I had been praying for it too, radical stuff to happen. Chris asked us to pray for Macee, because she was sick. We laid hands on her. It was good. Then Tracy started praying for her addiction. God told me to lay hands on her so I did and prayed for her. Afterwards, she told me that I prayed for the right things, things I didn’t know about. I reaffirmed God’s message to her last week, and she said that the things I prayed set it in stone. God is good. I only hope that He will heal the unsaved next.