feed my sheep

I love fountain Cokes.  And by love, I mean addicted to.  For me, there's nothing more decadent than ripping off the thin paper wrapper of a plastic non-biodegradable straw and shoving it into another non-biodegradable styrofoam cup and sipping a fizzy concoction of caffeinated goodness.

I crave it.  And, though I've only admitted this to a very few, I drink a Coke every day.  {picture me with my head held in shame}

No, I don't have a fountain Coke every day.  I keep individual bottles - not cans - in my garage refrigerator to feed my caffeine addiction.  I also consume copious amounts of agua.  Over 120 ounces a day, to be exact.  Another of my addictions.

Did you know at my local pizzeria by the slice (which has the -- wait for it -- BEST fountain Cokes with easy ice) a large Coke is, with tax, $2.17?  {shameful head nodding} 

Did you know a small box of Brita water filters is over $10 with tax?

This is K.

And she is the face of poverty.

K is our Compassion International sponsor child.  She lives in Burkina Faso.  Never heard of it?  Neither had I.  Oh, once I located it on the African map I vaguely remembered labeling it in geography class.  Burkina Faso is a country with no real claim to fame -- nothing to export, nothing going on agriculturally, nothing but a major infestation of AIDS, poverty, hunger, and despair.

Much like the rest of the world. 

K is holding the items she received from us for Christmas.  That enormous sack of rice, which she will happily give to her parents to feed their family, pales in comparison to the monstrous Lego set Bruiser received for his Christmas present.

I spend $2.17 on a fountain Coke without batting an eye.
     *of the 6 billion people on planet Earth, about 1.2 billion live on $.23 a day. (that's 23 cents)
     *half the world lives on less than $2 a day.

I spent $64 today at Target, coming away with nothing substantial.
     *the wealthiest 1 billion people average $70 a day.

If you make $35,000 annually, you are in the top 4%.
If you make $50,000 annually, the top 1%.

I spend $3.42 (before tax) for a half gallon of organic milk.  We consume at least 1 of these a day.
     *Someone dies of hunger every 16 seconds.
     *Last year 22 million people died of preventable diseases; 10 million were children.
     *27 million children and adults are trapped in slavery (sex slaves, labor slaves, child soliders, and child slaves) because of economic crisis.
     *More slaves exist today than ever before in human history.
     *More than 142 million children in the world have been orphaned or abandoned (equivalent to more than half the population of the US)

I started scanning the above photo, and writing this post, about 45 minutes ago.  (No, I don't type that slowly.  I just had a little girl to put nite-nite...and then clean up all the messes she'd made in the brief 10 minutes I had my head turned.)

In the last hour:
     *1,625 children were forced to the streets by the death or abuse of an adult
     *115 children became prostitutes
     *66 children under the age of 15 were infected with HIV

If these figures don't astonish you, something is wrong.
If these calculations don't make you feel ashamed for the grumbling you did today, you have become numb to humanity.
If you think this isn't your problem because it doesn't exist in your household, your area, your country....think again.

Jesus said in John 21:17, "Feed my sheep."

We've been taught, even thought ourselves, Jesus was speaking metaphorically.  Meaning, feed His sheep the bread of life.  I believe that.  I also believe Jesus meant to take care of the poor.  How many times did Jesus feed the people who had come to hear Him speak?

I am reading a new book that is somewhat similar to Radical, which I read and loved last year.  In Radical, and this book I'm reading now, it's one of the very few times I've held written words that were so similar to what was going on in my head it was spooky.  I've just started this new book and, although already life changing, I am hesitant to recommend it until I've finished it. 

Ok, so after all those staggering statistics, you might be asking yourself what YOU can do.  I certainly hope you are. 

If you are thinking globally, consider giving to REPUTABLE charities that provide clean drinking water.  Or sponsor a child.  Or give to worthy missionaries who feed spiritual and earthly needs.

If you are thinking locally, consider donating food.  Our local Salvation Army fed more this winter than they have in years...possibly ever.  Their pantry is DEPLETED.  My son has kids in his classroom, friends he shares books with, laughs with, plays with, who go home to no supper at night.  And we live in one of the wealthiest districts in town.  The second, I believe.

Please don't just warm a pew on Sunday morning.  Please think of what you can do.