silver or gold

"then Peter said, "silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."' Acts 3:6. wow. a friend shared this with me this past week, a friend in zimbabwe, in the heart of sub-saharan africa, in the heart of the aids pandemic. what is god calling me to do? god has blessed me with so much, us with so much. i do have silver and gold. i have resources and connections. it is so easy to feel defeated (what difference will 1 person make), to get wrapped up in life here (with the "haves"), to get wrapped up in christmas. i believe god is calling each of his kids to be radically generous in a counter-cultural way - this doesn't mean going into debt to buy someone the best gift ever. this means sharing what you have with people who don't have, whether it is your time, your gifts, your money, your family.

i do not pretend to have the power to heal (nor will i and i don't think this is me talking with lack of faith), but i do have the power to make a difference with my resources, to start to take a stand against consumerism, and to encourage others to do the same. did you know there are 1 million aids orphans in Zimbabwe, that 1 in 5 people in that country are hiv+, that school for one of these kids costs $1/term and still families cannot afford to send their children? fight against complacency.