Last week I wrote about trying to get a better understanding about those that are suffering from extreme poverty.  These are the people that live on $1/day.  So, on Thursday, Thanksgiving, the day when my grand mother and mother cook the most amazing food of the year, I decided to start my One Dollar Day Challenge. It was one of the hardest decisions to follow through on I’ve ever made. There were casseroles, pumpkin cheese cakes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and fried turkey.  I think some of my family thought I was weird, but I was able to get through it.

Here were my thoughts on the experience:

1. I have so much to be thankful for.

2. There are hundreds of millions of people that go to bed hungry like I did that don’t have the privilege of waking up the next morning with food to eat.

3. How in the world did Jesus go 40 days without food????!!!!

4. I sincerely believe that the Church can put an end to extreme poverty, but it will take sacrifice.

My loving, supportive, smoking hot wife

My parents

My brother and his family

My grandparents

My In-laws   (I really do)

My nieces and nephews

My health

Great friends

My church that wants to reach people

All those that support my dreams

That I have a house

A car that runs

Heat in the winter

AC in the summer

A warm coat

Running water

Gas below $4

My guitar(s)

My 19 inch TV

My MacBook

My cell phone that rings

My golf clubs, even if they are only used twice a year now

Getting to travel with my wife

My books

Graduating from Clemson

There’s always food in the kitchen

My wife loves Jesus

I get to do more of what I love to do now

Our country and our Freedom

The men and women in the military

Being able to start World Causes

Clemson Football (even this year is better than the alternative)

Great neighbors

Mexican cheese dip

Having multiple Bibles

Our Compassion children

I’m sure there are many others, but most of all, I am thankful that Jesus would die and save a sinner like me. That he would be so obedient to His Father that he suffered so I wouldn’t have to. Thank you Jesus for giving me a life worth living, for giving peace and a new vision for life.  Thank you!

I have seen extreme poverty first hand in Africa.  I have seen starving children, dying mothers and and freezing fathers.  As the saying goes, “I’ve been there, done that, and gotten the t-shirt.”  But if I’m honest with myself, I know that I don’t truly understand extreme poverty.  I don’t have a clue of what it would be like to live on $1 a day (the definition of extreme poverty is living on $1 a day).  I’ve seen it, but cannot comprehend it. I mean, my cell phone bill cost $3 a day.

You see, there are over 1 billion people today that live on less than $1 a day.  Let’s break that down a little further. That is $1 for food, shelter, clothing, education, and health care.  Notice that there are no budget lines for entertainment, vacations, savings, retirement, going out to eat, or Starbucks.  Its just crazy to me to think that people live on $1 a day.

So, I’m going to do an experiment starting this week.  I’m going to try and get a little closer to their reality.  I figured that it would be unrealistic to live on a dollar given things like my mortgage, cellphone bill and student loan payments.  I have to pay those. I don’t really have an option.  But I do have an option that will get me at least a little closer.  Food. Here’s the plan…

I’m going to take the One Dollar Challenge; I’m going to try to eat for $1 a few random days in the weeks to come. That’s one day, one dollar, all my food.  I’m going to do my regular routine of work, studying, hanging out with friends, calling on clients, working out, etc and document my experience.  To be sure I don’t pick a day when I’ve got nothing major going on, I’m going to draw the day out of a hat.

After I’ve finished my day, I’m going to calculate what I would have spent on food that day and give it to one of the 1 billion.  If I normally would have gone out for lunch, I’ll add that amount. If I am meeting a friend for coffee, I’ll add that $4 too.  My goal is to understand a little more what its like to be in their shoes. I hope it will make me more thankful for the many gifts that God has blessed me with.

Be on the look out for stories and updates. If you want to take the One Dollar Challenge with me, send me an email and  your story and I’ll post it here.

Well, its been a little while since I’ve posted.  I’ve have plenty of stuff to say and catch you up on. With so much going on, I’ve made too many excuses for not posting.  In light of that, there will be some really cool stuff later in the week that I can’t wait to share.

No more annoying commericals about what this person did, or didn’t do, or who they hired, or who they fired, or how bad they are, or how great they are.  Atleast for another 2 years that is.

We did see history last night. It is  yet to be determined if that is positive or negative. What excites me most however, is not the change of leadership, the change in philosophy, or the end of the annoying campaign ads.  What excites me most is our opportunity for the Church (with a big “C”) to stand up and be the church.

There are many excited about “the change” that will come.  There will be change, but we must remember that our hope is ultimately with our heavenly Father, not the Oval Office.  I think about when Jesus told his followers to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.  I know he was talking about taxes, but could we also apply that to our hope?  Could that be a reminder that while positive change may come from the government or the new president, our hope ultimately rests with God?

So we have an opportunity before us.  We can let “change” come from governement.  We can let them tackle the issues of poverty, sickness and oppression. We can let them do the work. OR.  Or we can go be the hands and feet of Jesus to a still hurting world. (notice that the people that were suffering yesterday are still suffering today?)  We can go be the Church and bring the much needed change to our country and to our world.

Can government play a role? Of course.  But they should not be the lead role. They should be the supporting cast.

One way to jump in is with the Free Chains campaign. Help us end child sex slavery.