[UN Photo - Sudanese Women Carry Bag Of Rations]

When I feed the hungry they call me a saint
When I ask why so many people are poor they call me a communist
- Dom Helder Camara

World Hunger is a scandal. The earth produces enough food to feed all its inhabitants, yet hunger has reached chronic proportions across the world especially in Asia and Africa. Women are the primary producers of the food the world consume. Moreover, in Africa alone 80% of the food produced is produced by women.

The irony?  The Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) statistics show that more than 60% of the world’s chronically hungry people are women.

Poor Women Chronically Hungry
Its one thing to be chronically tired. The rapid-paced world we’ve created guarantees that we get little or no rest. Chronic fatigue seems to be a normal way of life for most of us. But how many of us know what it feels like to be chronically hungry? The world’s poorest women do. According to the latest World Food Programme report:

There are 1.02 billion undernourished people in the world today. That means one in nearly six people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life. Hunger and malnutrition are in fact the number one risk to the health worldwide — greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

To be chronically anything, is to be in that condition for an ongoing or lengthy period of time. Hunger having reached chronic proportions globally, has become like a disease on the face of the earth. Chronic hunger describes the state of ongoing daily, weekly, and more often than not months of undernourishment. These women consume far less than the required daily caloric intake necessary to keep them healthy and active.

In addition, hungry mothers give birth to hungry children. Malnourished children face great challenges including learning disabilities which in turn perpetuates socio-economic underdevelopment and the inability to free themselves from poverty. It is a vicious cycle…

[UN Photo/Martine Perret]
Women and Children Search Garbage Dump for Cans to Sell

Main Factors That Cause Hunger
The World Food Programme highlights the following factors as the main causes of hunger.

• Natural Disasters
  
• War
• Poor Environmental Practices
• Agricultural Infrastructure
• Poverty
  

All these factors are interconnected, one impact on the others. To address the causes of hunger, all the contributing factors must be tackled together. October 16, is observed worldwide as the World Food Day, and October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This entire month of October is dedicated to bringing the world’s attention to the ravages of hunger and poverty across the world, but especially in Africa and Asia.

Sometimes, the situation seems hopeless when we look at the extent of the challenges we face. I for one, tend not to think of it as though I’m alone but remember that no single person or nation can solve all the world’s problems. However, we can build on the efforts of others and together we can make a great difference. So what can we do?

[ UN Photo/Milton Grant]
Somali Women and Children Walk To A UN-supported Center For Food

Take Action:

Significant progress can be made if the heads of all nations, and us as people commit to implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Discuss them with your congregations to learn ways we can make a difference.

Get resources to educate your congregations about world hunger and poverty from organizations such as  Bread For The World and the Baptist World Alliance which observes Hunger Month annually in October.

If you have a Blog, then become a Blogger Against Hunger advocate and use your voice to promote awareness of the hunger and the global food crisis. Sign up by just clicking the banner below it will take you to the site.

This is just a start on the many things you can do. Do something. Feel free to share your resources with us as well.

Peace and Love,
Marvia

On International Day of Peace September 21, 2009 I joined with others across the world in my deep desire for a global culture of peace. This year, the United Nations issued a call for nations to disarm, under the focus we must disarm or wmd. It is believed that to disarm will be a significant gesture in creating the desired culture of peace is the leadership of world leaders.

As a servant of hope who inspires faith is some to believe that all things are possible when we trust God,  it might seem contradictory to some to hear me say peace the way we perceive it will not come anytime soon. And I’m not being original in those sentiments either. Jesus never offered his disciples any such consolation of ‘world peace’ the way they anticipated it. Yet, the way he taught them how we should live with our neighbours would bring about precisely that peace we yearn after.

The present culture of war and violence that characterizes life as we know it has been centuries in the making. None  of us alive know any other world, and a world of peace we can only imagine. We can speak of relatively safe and less violent times when we were children. Today’s youth and children have no such memories of ‘good old days’.

There is no shred of evidence to support exactly what a world at peace might look like, except what we hear about and believe to be possible. The wisdom of Prophets, Sages and Religious Leaders who receive(d) glimpses into Divine mystery, teach us that the present path of war and violence, hatred and hostility is a fool’s path. It’s present and its future breeds nothing but destruction.

[Photo courtesy of UN Photo/Jorge Aramburu - UN peacekeeper patrols Lebanon border]

Many peace initiatives have already been tried and proven. Some have failed, some are still being flogged, and we are thankful for every ounce of success. The call to disarm must go out to nations as well as individuals with high powered sophisticated nuclear weaponry for national defense, and small personal arms for protection.

The call to for disarmament is not gaining sufficient ground among the powerful world leaders. I believe it is because it is not a profitable option, and thus cannot gain sufficient popularity from those who now profit greatly from war and violence. I am no geo-political pundit but as I see it, religion, distrust and money are the three main reasons why nations will not disarm anytime soon.

Religion, Violence & War

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the three Abrahamic faiths share a history of war, violence and conquest interpreted as sanctioned by God oftentimes depicted as the most cruel warlord. Historic religious conflicts are kept alive in religious memories, rituals and traditions of synagogue, mosque, temple and church.

Religion seems to be more a matter of death, not life as seen in the violent clashes around the world. There is conflict within each religion, and there is conflict among communities of adherents of these religions. The race for arms to defend territories, and current wars being waged have strong religious links that seem only to be getting stronger.

Distrust From Historical Hurts
Our ancestors taught us not to trust each other, and with some good reasons too; and with some bad ones we can’t overcome. There is a reason why we are told not to trust strangers. They first came walking, riding horses or in ships and pretended to be friends from far away lands. Or they come pretending to trade with the locals, and end up stealing precious resources, kidnapping and or killing women and children.

Every single nation has a primal story that goes something like that. Soon we learn that the foreigner is the enemy. Generation after generation hate each other. The foreigner want what we have; and the foreigner always believes you are coming to take it back.  We bear arms to protect ourselves and those we love. Where there is no trust, no one will disarm.

Disarming, throwing down arms/weapons allows us to throw open our arms to embrace each other as sisters and brothers where we once considered the other our enemy. But this disarmament thing is a costly exercise.

Money And Profits We Stand To Lose

The billions of dollars spent on nuclear and other sophisticated weapons only promises psychological delusions of national security. Who cares about the loss of lives, when we believe that fighting wars is the way to protect lives? Who cares about the current threat to lives from the disposal of radio active wastes? Who cares about nations living under the threat of those weapons detonating by accident?

Nuclear weaponry rakes in mega-profits for a few powerful people. Many related industries benefit from the ‘trickle down’. To disarm will disrupt the world’s economies that have for centuries been built on war, violence, conquest and exploitation and the mentality of the survival of the fittest (fittest = ones with bigger guns/smarter war lords are the fittest to lead). Backed by religion, devoid of trust who is willing to lose profits and weapons?

Evil spares no resources to increase its power while peace earns no profit.
Listen to Michael Jackson’s cry in the Earth Song as it echoes the pain and anguish of the land and the world’s most disenfranchised by war and violence:

May Justice roll down like waters (Amos 5:24a)…and therein we’ll find peace,
Marvia

The Water That Gives Life
[Extract of World Water Day Sermon]
By Dr. Anthony G Reddie

Mark 1: vv 10: Jesus’ Baptism
Water is perhaps with air, the most elemental of entities in the world. Put simply, we cannot live without water. Water is essential to life. It is perhaps because of the basic elemental quality of water that many cultures and religions have placed particular importance on it as a way of representing the divine.

The importance of water as a metaphor or analogy for talking about the essential qualities of God become all the more pronounced when the context in which such conversations are located are those that are particularly arid or desert like in their appearance. So it was with the ancient land of Israel and Judea. The so-called Middle East as we have been taught to call it, is an area that is particularly arid, where rain fall is sporadic; making water a very precious commodity indeed.

Especially in this context, perhaps, it is no wonder that water took on a special importance as a way of highlighting the central importance of God as the provider of the very means of life and the continuing sustenance of that life.

In the early Church, when converts were being put through their paces, being trained to understand the Christian life (often called the Catechumen); the culmination of this process was Easter Sunday, the traditional end of Lent. In the service on Easter Sunday, converts would be baptized into the family of God, in the name Christ, echoing Jesus’ own baptism as recorded in Mark 1: 9-11.

Baptism involves water, which symbolizes the new life in Christ for the Christian believer.  The church does not believe that the water is to be literally understood as God nor is there any magic qualities in the water per se, but it does symbolizes an essential quality of God as both the giver life and the new resurrected life of hope in Jesus the Christ.

And yet for all its importance both as a natural, real resource for life or as symbol for God’s life-giving presence within creation, there is always a tendency to take water for granted; so much so, that it is only in its absence that we see the true potency of significance of it our lives – both individual and collective.

Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus challenging those who would, through their enforcement of unjust rules and structures, deny the free access to God that is the right of every human being, especially those who are poor and on the margins of society. Just as access to water must be given to all,  so too does God seek to restore all those who are denied access to God’s own self through the life changing presence of Jesus.

On this World Water Day when we remember the central importance of water as an elemental force in the world that is essential for life and well being, let us consider all those people who are denied access to safe, clean water. All those who cannot afford to buy water. All those who find their access to water rationed and controlled by those with the power to do so. Jesus’ baptism at the start of his ministry, with water, in the river Jordan, marked his commitment to an ongoing ministry, both within his initial life and in his continuing life that seeks to offer all people the full and abundant life (John 10:10) that is symbolized by water (baptism) – the new life in Christ, which is available to and for all people – free of charge and without restriction.

May all those who are denied access to water – an essential element for life, find not only the water they need, but God’s very self, who is often symbolized by water and is the creator of all things, including water.
Amen

These 10 Commandments for Bloggers caught my eye this morning. At first I thought it was a joke until I followed the link and read the story. It was real. Funny, but real.

A group within the UK based Evangelical Alliance came up with these 10 commandments to guide Bloggers. Though intended primarily for their community, they wanted to challenge Bloggers everywhere to be more socially responsible with their Blogging space.

Even if you are not big on Moses and the original 10 commandments in the Bible, you’ll find these interesting. Let me state up front that this is no way an endorsement of these commandments. Neither am I a member of the Evangelical Alliance. However I found this an interesting enough item to share. Plus some important reminders are there for all who Blog or are thinking about getting into Blogging.

I’ve listed them here and you may read the full story at the Evangelical Alliance’s website.

• 1. You shall not put your blog before your integrity.
• 2. You shall not make an idol of your blog.
• 3. You shall not misuse your screen name by using your anonymity to sin.
• 4. Remember the Sabbath day by taking one day off a week from your blog.
• 5. Honour your fellow-bloggers above yourselves and do not give undue significance to their mistakes.
• 6. You shall not murder someone else’s honour, reputation or feelings.
• 7. You shall not use the web to commit or permit adultery in your mind.
• 8. You shall not steal another person’s content.
• 9. You shall not give false testimony against your fellow-blogger.
• 10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s blog ranking. Be content with your own content.

I particularly love 1, 2, 4, 8 and 10.  Too funny, but really true. All who suffer from Blog envy and discontent over their neighbour’s content, Google PR and Alexa ranking should copy this and paste it on their wall.

Love it!
Marvia

The practice of Tithing has been the subject of much controversy in recent times.There are Christians who do not Tithe and for various reasons. Some do not understand the practice. Some understand but disagree with it. Some understand, agree but lack the discipline. Still others understand, agree, but make a lot of excuses not to give to the church.

So why then should Christians today maintain this practice?

The sole reason for the Church’s existence is fulfilling the Mission of God. There is no other reason why we are brought together. Congregations in various places use a variety of methods, which we call ministries, to give expression to their understanding of God’s Mission. In most cases these ministries require some kind of financial support for them to be implemented. The purpose of every ministry should be toward the transformation of lives and community.

It is on this that I premise the need for the continued financial support of the mission of God. Christian giving comes out of an understanding that all of our financial resources like everything else that we have, comes from God. It is a gift, not for hoarding, but for continued use in building up the Kingdom of God. When viewed like this, giving is not seen as a burden. You will give joyously because you know you are only managing what God has entrusted you with.

So here are the 5 Reasons I believe Christians should Tithe.

1. To advance, through financial support, the Mission of God The church needs financial resources to fund its mission. We who are members of the church must give this support, to the best of our ability.

2. To foster fellowship this is not readily obvious. But the church that has a lot of members giving financially and the burden isn’t only on a smaller group, enjoys much better fellowship. It is the freedom people experience when they know they are part of something. There is no guilt for not giving, or resentment for carrying all the weight.

3. To respond in obedience to God that you will give back to God (which is what you do when you contribute in church, contribute to various ministries, make donations to various organizations, help those who are in need and so on) what God has

4. Develop the discipline of self-denial and rise above selfishness, greed and sheer meanness or lack of generosity. The world has grown heavily skewed toward selfishness. Christians should struggle against becoming like this. When you give, you are becoming more and more unlike the world.

5. To experience personal blessings Don’t get hung up on this but it does give a heady feeling to know that what you have given has made a lasting difference in the life of someone else. So much so that that person whose life was touched is moved to glorify God (not you, God). It gives immeasurable satisfaction.

There is no rocket science in it, you don’t even need to read ‘the secret’ to get it. Just try it and you will see the profound difference it makes in your life to open your heart, purse or wallet and start giving to your church and its ministries.

Do share your stories with us on this controversial subject.

Make a change,
Marvia

You are salt of the earth…
(Matthew 5:13; Mark 9:49; Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34)

Two weeks ago I heard a preacher made the comment that Christians are ‘salt of the earth but that we were different kinds of salt’. For some reason the way the statement came across, set me thinking up this lighthearted view of the metaphor of salt in the Bible.

So there is salt and there is salt. I never even knew there were so many different kinds of salts until I started writing this post. Biblical scholars have long concluded that there is no mystery to the texts mentioned above. Salt is not just being used for its capacity to change taste, but moreso for its ability to serve as a preservative.

But what if we take this metaphor a bit further to look at different kinds of salt, and apply the types to Christian character. What type of salt would you be?

The Different Types Of Salt

Salts That Preserve
Sodium Nitrate or Chile Saltpeter is salt used as a preservative. It helps keeps things the way they are and prevent early decomposition. Sure we want some of that, just not too much.

Some Christians are like the Sodium Nitrate of the church. They preserve the traditions. When too many are around though not even the Holy Spirit is allowed to change anything! Nevertheless, we need them to keep out some of the corrupting influence of all kinds of new ideas that are not held up to the scrutiny of sound theological reflection.

Salts That Purge
Epsom Salt and Glauber Salts These are purgatives and are used for cleansing for the removal of toxic waste from the body. If used incorrectly they can lead to serious dehydration.

Christians are not strangers to the effective power of cleansing. Some of us have to act like this and purge the body of Christ of the bad feelings, the ill-will, the poisonous and toxic emotions and thoughts that we hold against our sisters and brothers in the body of Christ.

Salts That Soothe
Bath Salts which include the same Epsom slat mentioned previously are used to soothe, and calm and again to remove toxins from the body. When you soak in these salts they make you feel so relaxed.

Some Christians are like this. They have the gift of hospitality that cause you to relax in their presence. You feel so tranquil that you could simply fall asleep.

These are the gentle souls in church who know how to soothe. When feathers are ruffled and feelings hurt, they are the ones who encourage others not to walk out or give up a position but to forgive and try again.

Salts For Taste
Table Salt What a variety of table salts that are out there. Table salts are used to add flavour to the food. However, too much of can cause said food to be inedible. Too much of it sends up your blood pressure and too little makes the food tastes awful (at least once you get accustomed to the taste).

You need to have the right balance.

These are the Christians who add flavour to every event. They know how to turn a program into something special. We couldn’t do it without them. Sometimes they go overboard and manage to turn worship into a circus. Yet, without their touch, you do see why everyone is falling asleep don’t you?

Sea Salt is also used as Table salt and this too adds flavour without being such a threat to one’s blood pressure. I came across a site that lists 15 kinds of sea salts! There is even Smoked Sea Salt, Kosher salt, and the list goes on!

All sea salts are promoted as being more beneficial without the artificial additives used in the refining process. These are lauded as the genuine thing, some even organic. We get a hint of the kind of purity that Christians strive after. No artificial additives….

There are so many other kinds of salts that could make this list go on forever. However, I think you got the picture.

So join the fun and share what kind of salt you think you are or want to be?

Marvia

A progressive church is sometimes narrowly conceived of as the radically modernized and modernizing church. There is pressure to adopt new trends without question or deep theological reflection. Large congregations and mega-churches in cities and rural town centers have to grapple with this challenge everyday. But just how far should the church go in adopting new trends?

That is the question regarding the growing trend in the US of tithing with credit cards. This issue raises some moral questions that so far has not receiving the kind of attention it should. It would appear that supporters within the church, pastors included, are so enthralled with ‘convenience,’ they have forgotten about moral values in giving .

Keeping Up With The Plastic Generation
The pundits forecast that passing the offering bag or plate will soon be a thing of the past. Societal trends show this to be a fair statement. Most persons do not carry cash anymore. So it makes sense for churches to offer persons the facility to make donations via an electronic banking solution or with a check.

Some churches are already using an ATM-like machine called a Giving Kiosk. It is the brainchild of a pastor. Rev. Marty Baker designed and installed the first giving kiosk in his church’s lobby 3 years ago. He soon turned the idea into his own profit-making company called Secure Give. At the end of 2007, there are reports of over 40 giving centers in churches across the US.

These kiosks grace the lobby of churches such as the Lutherans, Baptists, Covenant Community. Obviously the idea is catching on, and not just among the ‘newer’ type of churches. This innovative breakthrough is an excellent idea. It offers an ebanking solution to church members where persons are able to donate their tithes and offerings from their debit or credit card.

The churches that use the machine have all reported an increase in their collection. That is a powerful drawing card. Every pastor should get one. But hold on! Before you run out to order one for your church, or pressure your Pastor or Stewardship committee to get one, answer this question.

When is it ok to get a loan to pay your tithe?

Borrowing To Give
I won’t into the controversy surrounding tithing now. I’ll mention though, that one of the reasons persons give for not tithing is debt and too many bills to pay. I fail to see the real benefit then in offering members the option to tithe with a credit card. I must be dumb or something. But isn’t that racking up debt on top of debt?

A Debit Card which is linked to a savings or checking account, presupposes the existence of funds in a bank account. So a debit card I can understand. But a credit facility means money you do not have but can get as a loan. And one on which you have to pay interest at that.

Should the church encourage their members to tithe money they do not have? And if we say no, then why do we accept that money?

Reap Rewards When You Borrow To Give
Some who use credit cards do not do so because they have no money. They do so for the benefits. They do not want to give their money but prefer instead to take advantage of the credit facility and pay back later.

But this pastor takes the cake….

One pastor claimed that his members who use their credit card do so happily. They (his members) receive the benefits of earning rewards and they love that especially the travel rewards. Something tells me this pastor has never preached on the story of Ananias and Saphira to his congregation.

I do agree that this bit of innovation is brilliant for the convenience it offers members who do not carry cash around. The credit card option needs to be revisited and given more careful thought. This issue runs deep. It speaks to an American way of life constructed on living on debt. Is this what Rev. Baker means when he says the church is responding in a way that is ‘relevant to the culture’?

That is like saying, accepting funds received on credit is relevant to the global culture of credit so just ‘get with it.’

What do you say?

Marvia

Stewardship Is More Than Tithing
Oftentimes though, we narrowly equate Christian Stewardship with tithing and giving in the church. We generally place most of our emphasis during our Stewardship drives on improving tithing, and financial commitment. We neglect such areas as self-care, care of others, time management, handling our personal material resources, and taking care of the environment.

Stewardship should be our joyous response to God’s self-giving. In God’s example of sacrificial giving, we learn how to give in return. Thus, a wholesome approach to Stewardship considers giving back to God. When we give up our lives wholly to God then we will not be stingy in our devotion to God, lagging in our commitment and tight-fisted with our financial and material resources. This is true for individuals as well as for the congregation on a whole.

The Individual As Steward
Members of a congregation as well as the pastor are expected to exercise faithful stewardship. Christians by virtue of their faithful stewardship, teach the world true generosity. Unfortunately, we are not in a good position today where that example is concerned. Lack of commitment to giving of the best we have to God is one of the major killers of a church’s ministry.

Giving of ourselves and resources to God, should be a joy to us. Instead, many see it as a burden to evade. Even pastors and church leaders are guilty of this. Recent stories in the media about financial accountability on the part of pastors have cast a bad light on sections of the church.

Moreover, our own lack of generosity, transparency and accountability silences us. We are no longer in a position to be critical of politicians and public officials who do not wish to be held accountable for use of public funds.

Our Stewardship Of The Environment
Some of us did not awake to the realities of what is happening in and to our environment until recent ‘noise’ in the media about Global Warming. Yet, not all Christians embrace the seriousness of our predicament concerning the environment. Nonetheless, globally many congregations have joined in to promote church and community awareness on environmental issues.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Vancouver assembly in 1983, led the way for the begging of global discussions among Christian communities on their unforgettable theme, “Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation”. I believe I became fully aware of the program about a decade later.

The core affirmation of the theme is that God is Creator of all life. To make that affirmation and show disrespect for, exploit or otherwise degrade non-human life forms on the earth is a denial of that which we affirm. It makes care of the environment, a necessity for all Christians. It is not optional.

Stewardship Education
There is still a lot more to learn and stewardship education should become an area of priority in the ministry of the church. The purpose of this educational ministry is to develop understanding and commitment to individual and corporate Stewardship.

Every year, old members – not new ones coming in, still say they don’t understand what Stewardship is all about. Is it that we are not teaching stewardship in our churches? Or is it that our members are only grasping at excuses not to be more committed to giving their all in service to God? Whatever the reason, only when we teach should we demand greater responsibility.

Anticipate our contribution to this Stewardship Education process. We will bring you informative articles and resources to aid in your personal and church stewardship development.

So please stay tuned for those updates.

Marvia