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[Sore Thumbs] The Haves & Have Nots Edition

Every week I link to resources and sites that stand out and which are worth pointing people to, hence the name sore thumbs, “it stood out like a sore thumb”.

Simon Pettit on Remembering the Poor (mp3)

At the Brighton Leadership conference in 1998, Simon Pettit preached ‘Remember the Poor’, a sermon that has since shaped the way that Newfrontiers churches think about Social Action. “Whether it’s the church in Africa, or in Harrow, we need to get an understanding that when we care for the needy, when we preach good news to the poor, when we seek to develop the God-given creativity of poor people, when we equip people with the skills they need so they can make godly choices for themselves and for their families, when we promote enterprise with financial help; those aren’t just the work of aid agencies or the government, that’s part of the apostolic calling of the church of Jesus Christ.” (Listen or download the the Talk)

Farming God’s Way in Zimbabwe

“Zimbabwe is a nation in crisis. Poverty is rife, chronic malnutrition is widespread and aid agencies are warning that 5 million people, almost half the population, face starvation by early next year… It’s a bleak picture, yet in the midst of this humanitarian catastrophe the church in Zimbabwe is declaring hope and truth. Churches have united to run a campaign to ‘Feed the Nation’ through Farming God’s Way, a method of farming developed within the Newfrontiers churches that results in yields which are typically 10 times higher than conventional farming methods.” (Find out more about Farming God’s Way or Give to the Zimbabwe Crisis Appeal via Newfrontiers)

African Innovation

“AfriGadget is a website dedicated to showcasing African ingenuity. A team of bloggers and readers contribute their pictures, videos and stories from around the continent. The stories of innovation are inspiring. It is a testament to Africans bending the little they have to their will, using creativity to overcome life’s challenges.”
Living in African I can remember playing Lego with some of the local lads and marveling at what they would create it topped anything I could do. Likewise the AfriGadget site is full of wonderfull African innovation. (discover some great African ingenuity)

The Poor, Homeless & the Economic Wobble

Homeless in Sydney - Photo by Yewenyi

Catching the train home from Newcastle to the heart of Northumberland I felt challenged after reading Isaiah  41 to buy The Big Issue magazine. Actually I haven’t ever purchased one before. When I have had the opportunity to read the magazine, I haven’t been particularly impressed by the content found in them.

However this Christmas issue featured seasonal thoughts from Big Issue vendors and proved to be very insightful not only into their own lives but those who are in a more comfortable position. What struck me was that the vendors hold hopes and goals that are similar to those living in better conditions. There is much in common, children, education, holidays. I think it is very easy to believe that you can’t identify with those more weathered by rough life than you.

As those who follow Jesus we are called to remember the poor. He isn’t just asking us to give a fast food prayer, actually rather God is pretty vocal and even holds giant promises regarding the poor that we as his followers are called to be involved in meeting. It’s amazing we know a God who can not only meet the scarcity of our basic needs but bring amazing fulfillment to our spiritual poverty. It’s all for his amazing Glory that he can do something out of nothing. I really believe we are going to see some amazing God stories come out of this economic wobble.

17 “The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the LORD will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.

19 I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set pines in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,

20 so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
(Isaiah 41:17-20)

Can I convince you to purchase The Big Issue magazine this December? It will not only help the homless but I think it will challenge you to begin thinking about how we can further help the various poor in this economic wobble. There will be various casulties, more homelessness is just the tip of the iceburg…