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Gift a Goat : Because Christmas is Not Your Birthday #giftagoat

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My friend Matthew (JesusNeedsNewPR) is campaigning to spread the word for Give a Goat week. This week, before the black Friday & the holiday rush begins, start off your giving by giving a goat to a needy family.

From WorldVision:

Goats nourish hungry children and families with healthy milk, cheese, and yogurt. Goats also give a much-needed income boost by providing offspring and extra dairy products for sale at the market.

A healthy dairy goat can give up to 16 cups of milk a day. Goat milk is easier to digest than cow’s milk and is an excellent source of calcium, protein, and other essential nutrients that growing children need. Goats are practical animals — flourishing in harsh climates while producing valuable manure to fertilize crops and vegetable gardens.

From Matthew:

…a goat is affordable: Only $75. And for somebody who might not be able to afford to sponsor a child through World Vision, this is an affordable option to give and help a family in need this holiday season.

I’ve been on two trips with World Vision, to Uganda and Dominican Republic, and have witnessed firsthand the amazing benefits that one goat can make in the life of a family or community. While a goat might not seem like much to us, for many across the globe, a goat is one of the most cherished gifts they can receive. Because for them, one goat represents the opportunity for sustainability.

Still Not Convinced?

give to who was there, because they will continue to be there : desparate times in haiti

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received word the other day that one of my high school buddies was taking a team of doctors down to haiti for relief efforts. there was quite the bit of news coverages because, since our time in high school he's been able to wedge into the media market place. i saw another news article where a number of children who were up for adoption to american families were rushed to their pennsylvania homes with the political people showing smiling faces as if patting themselves on the back.

no slack on my friend & his medical team, they will do a lot of work and a lot of good work i am sure. but it had me wondering. slight slack to the political players who lord over visas and all these international adoptions.. it had me asking, "why now?"

UMCOR_blog_120x200 sure, there was an earthquake & it is devastating, but long before that, there was extreme poverty & suffering… where was the anderson cooper's & media police alarming us to the worlds ills? chasing tiger woods?

i share my thoughts to say this one thing. as you are compassioned to give to help with relief efforts, give to the people who were already there, because, they are most likely to be there long after everyone is gone.. and they will be dealing with the aftermath of not only a physical earthquake, but a systemic poverty.

this is why i am so pleased to say that i am a part of the united methodist church & its continued work under the UMCOR banner. they were there before the earthquake, sadly some died in the earthquake, and will be there long after the earthquake. i applaud & more with the folks at highland park umc who have kept a long standing clinic in haiti since the 70's, but lost one of their church members in the earthquake.

learn more about the stories happening in haiti, long after the news vans leave & continue to help those who will be there long after cameras turn off and go home.

visit: www.umc.org/haiti

a heretics advent : how do you give thanks

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A Heretics Advent from Gavin Richardson on Vimeo.

i read this little parable for our youth the first sunday of advent. we were coming off the thanksgiving holiday and it seemed poignant. i share with you to ask the same thing i asked of our teenagers. 'what are you doing to not live into this parable.

here's what i am encouraging you to check out.