DAILY DEATHS (from starvation)
25,000
TOTAL NUMBER AFFECTED IN WORLD
854,000,000
Here's the score. Let's start to bring this down. Let's end this now.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Watered Down Compassionate Ministries and Services
Do we have watered-down compassionate ministries in our churches?
Do we have watered-down compassionate services in our governments and civil societies?
I think we do. I know we do. I don't blame us for doing it, but I do want to bring this thought to our attention because we need to change. We need to change our attitudes and mindsets about compassionate ministries.
Picture this. You are in a hospital in the emergency room. There is only one doctor who is working. Anybody who comes in has to go to the doctor to receive help. A man comes in with a twisted ankle. He rolled it playing sports, and it is hurting pretty bad. The doctor begins to examine him when someone else comes in through the doors. This man has just been shot in the chest. He could barely drag himself into the emergency room. He is bleeding everywhere, and he is about to die. But the doctor doesn't help him at all. He barely glances over at the man before he continues working on the first man's ankle. The second man soon passes out on the floor due to loss of blood, but the doctor keeps right on working on that ankle. After an hour or so, the doctor is finished helping the man with his ankle. The man is very appreciative and thanks the doctor profusely. That nite the doctor goes home with a satisfied smile on his face because of the way that he helped that man's ankle.
WHAT?????? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? What a misguieded doctor, right??????????
Well, don't judge too much yet: that is how a lot of our compassionate ministries function.
I can barely understand how we can prioritize our time, resources, and effort on solving the almost inconsequential problems in our communities when there are literally millions of people dying around the world. But what I cannot understand at all is how we do this and walk away satisfied that we are actually accomplishing all that we need to! Isn't this just like that doctor?
We are watering down our compassionate ministries and services. We are kidding ourselves into thinking that we are accomplishing big social justice things when in reality we are only fixing an ankle. There are people dying in the world. There are people who will die tonite if we do not help them. There are gigantic problems that need gigantic answers or else millions of people will die. People are suffering and being abused all over the world. And yet we are getting excited about after-school tutoring in a local elementary school?
Seriously, I am not saying that anything is wrong with after-school tutoring in a local elementary school. I am not saying that the "ankle" isn't important. But I am saying this: We are kidding ourselves into thinking that we are accomplishing compassionate ministries when there are people who truly need our help that we are ignoring - and this is wrong.
We are watering down our compassionate ministries and celebrating pre-season victories like they are the superbowl. This is not right. This is not what we should be doing.
We need to change our mindset. Compassionate ministries and services should start with those who need the most help. We need to serve those who need help the most. We need to go to the very least and the very lost. We need to help those who cannot help themselves at all. This is true compassionate ministries.
And, yes, it is hard. And, yes, we will fail a lot. And, yes, there might not be much difference and much to clap about. But that is where we are needed. That is where we must go.
We need to change our mindset. We need to change our perspective. And then we need to saddle up and start accomplishing true compassionate ministries.
Do we have watered-down compassionate services in our governments and civil societies?
I think we do. I know we do. I don't blame us for doing it, but I do want to bring this thought to our attention because we need to change. We need to change our attitudes and mindsets about compassionate ministries.
Picture this. You are in a hospital in the emergency room. There is only one doctor who is working. Anybody who comes in has to go to the doctor to receive help. A man comes in with a twisted ankle. He rolled it playing sports, and it is hurting pretty bad. The doctor begins to examine him when someone else comes in through the doors. This man has just been shot in the chest. He could barely drag himself into the emergency room. He is bleeding everywhere, and he is about to die. But the doctor doesn't help him at all. He barely glances over at the man before he continues working on the first man's ankle. The second man soon passes out on the floor due to loss of blood, but the doctor keeps right on working on that ankle. After an hour or so, the doctor is finished helping the man with his ankle. The man is very appreciative and thanks the doctor profusely. That nite the doctor goes home with a satisfied smile on his face because of the way that he helped that man's ankle.
WHAT?????? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? What a misguieded doctor, right??????????
Well, don't judge too much yet: that is how a lot of our compassionate ministries function.
I can barely understand how we can prioritize our time, resources, and effort on solving the almost inconsequential problems in our communities when there are literally millions of people dying around the world. But what I cannot understand at all is how we do this and walk away satisfied that we are actually accomplishing all that we need to! Isn't this just like that doctor?
We are watering down our compassionate ministries and services. We are kidding ourselves into thinking that we are accomplishing big social justice things when in reality we are only fixing an ankle. There are people dying in the world. There are people who will die tonite if we do not help them. There are gigantic problems that need gigantic answers or else millions of people will die. People are suffering and being abused all over the world. And yet we are getting excited about after-school tutoring in a local elementary school?
Seriously, I am not saying that anything is wrong with after-school tutoring in a local elementary school. I am not saying that the "ankle" isn't important. But I am saying this: We are kidding ourselves into thinking that we are accomplishing compassionate ministries when there are people who truly need our help that we are ignoring - and this is wrong.
We are watering down our compassionate ministries and celebrating pre-season victories like they are the superbowl. This is not right. This is not what we should be doing.
We need to change our mindset. Compassionate ministries and services should start with those who need the most help. We need to serve those who need help the most. We need to go to the very least and the very lost. We need to help those who cannot help themselves at all. This is true compassionate ministries.
And, yes, it is hard. And, yes, we will fail a lot. And, yes, there might not be much difference and much to clap about. But that is where we are needed. That is where we must go.
We need to change our mindset. We need to change our perspective. And then we need to saddle up and start accomplishing true compassionate ministries.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Not Just an Agenda - Who We Are
It is very important for nonprofit and humanitarian agencies to have an agenda of ending these social problems in the world – malaria, unclean water, AIDS, etc. But the more I think about it, we need to not only have an end goal agenda – but end goal needs to be who we are.
We need to be so dedicated to ending these problems that it becomes who we are. It needs to our mindset, our attitude, our beginning point, and our end. We have to be so committed to seeing these problems obliterated that it is our only option and our only goal. It needs to sink inside of us. It needs to consume us. It needs to become more than just an organizational agenda – it needs to be who we are.
Why am I harping at this so much? I am making this sound like such a big deal because it is a big deal. The longer those with power and resources wait – the more those who need help struggle. There are people out there who literally cannot help themselves. They do not have any bootstraps by which to pull themselves up. They are living in such extreme poverty and facing such large issues that they cannot help themselves. They rely on the compassion and strength of others. It is our responsibility to help. But not only to help – we need to try to end these problems completely. And in order to do that, we need to have an end goal mindset and attitude that permeates everything we try to do.
Ending these problems needs to be more than just an agenda – it needs to be who we are.
We need to be so dedicated to ending these problems that it becomes who we are. It needs to our mindset, our attitude, our beginning point, and our end. We have to be so committed to seeing these problems obliterated that it is our only option and our only goal. It needs to sink inside of us. It needs to consume us. It needs to become more than just an organizational agenda – it needs to be who we are.
Why am I harping at this so much? I am making this sound like such a big deal because it is a big deal. The longer those with power and resources wait – the more those who need help struggle. There are people out there who literally cannot help themselves. They do not have any bootstraps by which to pull themselves up. They are living in such extreme poverty and facing such large issues that they cannot help themselves. They rely on the compassion and strength of others. It is our responsibility to help. But not only to help – we need to try to end these problems completely. And in order to do that, we need to have an end goal mindset and attitude that permeates everything we try to do.
Ending these problems needs to be more than just an agenda – it needs to be who we are.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Not Idealistic Anymore - Now It's Possible.
Too many times people will tell me (and many other young people), “You are being too idealist” or “That’s a good idea, but it’s too idealistic”. For the record, I really do understand what they mean. I understand what they are saying, and I appreciate it, too. I really do. I just greatly disagree with it. And here is why: It’s not idealistic if we have everything in place that we need to succeed – it’s simply ‘possible’.
I understand what is idealistic and what is not. If I were to say right now that we need to stop messing around and solve the AIDS crisis this year – that is probably idealistic. If young people were to go to Washington and picket the government to change every light in the world to one of those energy lights – that is probably idealistic. If I was trying to get everyone in the world to donate 20 hours a week to volunteering somewhere – that is probably idealistic. Why are these things idealistic? Because we don’t have the resources or capabilities to do it, because realistically nobody wants it to happen, and because it just doesn’t make full sense in real life.
But too often, people think that any big plan involving social justice is idealistic when it really isn’t. People are too quick to downplay ideas of ending some of the biggest problems in our world – unclean water, starvation, and malaria. They claim that these dreams are just too idealistic.
But I stalwartly deny this.
With all of my being I deny this.
These efforts are not idealistic. For something to be idealistic – that means that it is not even possible. It is a good thought, but it is not realistic because it is not possible. Either we don’t have the resources or the capabilities or it just doesn’t make sense in the real world – one of those things. But with many social justice issues in the world today, this is not the case. We have the ability to make water clean. We have malaria nets. We have enough food and money so that no one will starve. We have the resources, the capabilities, and the desire.
When we have all of these things – the resources, the capabilities, the money, the desire – then the solutions to these problems are no longer idealistic… they are possible.
They are possible.
I understand what is idealistic and what is not. If I were to say right now that we need to stop messing around and solve the AIDS crisis this year – that is probably idealistic. If young people were to go to Washington and picket the government to change every light in the world to one of those energy lights – that is probably idealistic. If I was trying to get everyone in the world to donate 20 hours a week to volunteering somewhere – that is probably idealistic. Why are these things idealistic? Because we don’t have the resources or capabilities to do it, because realistically nobody wants it to happen, and because it just doesn’t make full sense in real life.
But too often, people think that any big plan involving social justice is idealistic when it really isn’t. People are too quick to downplay ideas of ending some of the biggest problems in our world – unclean water, starvation, and malaria. They claim that these dreams are just too idealistic.
But I stalwartly deny this.
With all of my being I deny this.
These efforts are not idealistic. For something to be idealistic – that means that it is not even possible. It is a good thought, but it is not realistic because it is not possible. Either we don’t have the resources or the capabilities or it just doesn’t make sense in the real world – one of those things. But with many social justice issues in the world today, this is not the case. We have the ability to make water clean. We have malaria nets. We have enough food and money so that no one will starve. We have the resources, the capabilities, and the desire.
When we have all of these things – the resources, the capabilities, the money, the desire – then the solutions to these problems are no longer idealistic… they are possible.
They are possible.
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