You can make a difference to poverty

I want to explain how my family and I know we are challenging poverty every single day.

We are making a difference in the life of one girl in Ethiopia, called Etsubdink Tsegaye.

She is 9 now and I have been sponsoring her for the last 4 years through the work of Compassion UK.

Compassion provide health-care, education and resources and a knowledge of the love of God through church projects all over the world.

I write to her every now and again - and she writes back keeping us updated with the things that are taking place in her life. Photos I have received over time have shown how she has grown and my family are really blessed to hear about how she is doing at school and the various cultural celebrations that take place.

If you have always wanted to do more, to make an impact and save someone from the bondage of poverty I can recommend going to their website.

I know we are all worried at the moment about the world's economic climate - but where Etsubdink and the thousands of children waiting for sponsorship live there are no opportunties for work, facilities for welfare, healthcare or even the security we enjoy - it is all relative.

Go to Compassion's website now and make that impact today - deliver a child from the chains poverty and help them become nation changers.

You too can help to change the world one child at a time.

Do you cheat?

I thought it was interesting that, in the last Wired blog I read those who had a propensity to cheat did not when they took a test after they read the Ten Commandments.

It's a really fascinating post. It seems to suggest that when we consider moral standards or scripture we tend to behave more according to our innate inner understanding of what is right or wrong.

When we move away from contemplating moral standards we have a greater temptation to cheat or act for our own selfish gain - that we seem more removed from living according to our own moral compass.

The bible contains themes where God reminds the Israelites in the desert that He is the one who brought them out of Egypt - or phrases like "when your children ask you tell them it was because..." - or "as a memorial to" - or "...do this in remembrance of me." - seems like he knew the fragility of the human condition...

Perhaps this is why some Spirit-filled followers of Jesus (I'm not talking about self-righteous bible-bashers who are quick to spout scripture verses but rather those who humbly but firmly walk out their convictions) get so up the noses of some (not all I hasten to add) non-followers, even someone refusing to follow the norm and doing something different can cause dirision.

The Wired Blog asks the question: "So the issue is, how in society we can get people to contemplate morality more when it matters?"

Any thoughts?