February 12, 2007

• According to the Global Rich List, I’m the 885,757,221 richest person in the world. Now, that may not seem very impressive, except that that puts me in the top 14.76% of the global economy. See how you score at http://www.globalrichlist.com/

  I was watching a sermon on discipleship by Craig Greschel recently (from www.LifeChurch.tv), and he cited some interesting statistics.

  • 1.3 billion people in the world don’t have clean drinking water
  • $6 billion could provide basic education for everyone in the world
  • $6 billion is the approximate income of Starbucks annually
  • Half the world’s population lives on less than $2 per day
  • Water, basic health care, and nutrition for everyone alive would cost about $20 billion
  • The approximate amount of money spent on ice cream in the US every year is $20 billion

  About 29,000 people around the world die every day of starvation according to World Vision.

  My youth group at church is participating in a national event known as the 30 Hour Famine. We’re all going to fast for 30 hours to raise money for World Vision’s work overseas. The goal? Feed the hungry, and maybe learn what it’s like to go without food. If you’d like to make a contribution, message me or leave a comment and I’ll get you contact information. Oh, by the way, the government has stepped in and provided grants to World Vision, offering to quadruple the money raised by the 30 Hour Famine project. That means that if you donate $360, you won’t just be feeding one person — you’ll be feeding 4!

  Why am I doing this? Am I just trying to annoy people and make them feel guilty with statistics and stories? I hope that’s not what I accomplish. I’m not trying to pry your wallet from your fingers. I’m trying to show you a need where, if you feel led, you can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

  I guess I have more reason to care than some people. Most people around here don’t know a lot about me, but I grew up in a third world country. My family did ministry in areas where people’s houses were made from cardboard and scrap metal. We knew people whose children died of starvation and sickness. We worked in communities that were amazed at what God’s people were doing for them. Having seen what a little bit can do in a place where people have so little, I can’t help but want to do things like the 30 Hour Famine.

  If you don’t feel led to give, do something better. Pray. Starving children need spiritual food just as much if not more than physical food. It’s better to starve to death knowing God than to live in luxury and die hopeless. Pray for the people that don’t know Him — not just the starving physically, but all those who are starving spiritually, craving something that will give them satisfaction and hope.

  • 10:12 pm
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