Blog Action Day 2008

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the garbage pile in order to seat them among nobles… Psalm 113:7

Today is Blog Action Day 2008. Thousands of bloggers around the globe are focusing their attention on Poverty to raise awareness for the poor and downtrodden. The eradication of global poverty seems to be a gargantuan task, but there are little things that each of us can do to help out a little bit at a time.

“OK, OK,” you say, “hold up right there, dude. How can I (and heck, why should I) help with poverty when I’m on the verge myself? My stocks just crashed through the floor!” Well hang on there, cowboy; I’m about to tell ya.

I know that many of us are feeling the pressure of the economic downturn of the past couple of years. Gas is still (relatively) astronomically-priced, nobody can get a mortgage loan, and new jobs are seemingly a thing of the past. But believe me, God has blessed us tremendously and we have a responsibility to help those who are less fortunate. So, without any further ado, here are a couple of ways you and your friends can help combat poverty both in the United States and around the world:

• Become a mentor- Check out some place like Big Brother Big Sister of America. There are tons of underprivileged children in your city that just need someone to hang out with and teach them about life.

• Donate clothing- There are tons of places to donate all types of clothing. Check out Dress for Success or Nashville-based Soles4Souls.

• Join a relief organization- I’m sure your local church has a relief program that sends teams to help whenever disaster strikes across the country. If you are connected to a local church, check out organizations like the Peace Corps.

• Donate a micro loan- Check out organizations like Kiva that let you donate small amounts of money toward and entrepreneurial venture in a third-world country.

So there you go, tons of ways you can help fight poverty by doing something little. Don’t sit back and wait to do something. Go now and spread the love of Christ through your actions.

He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses. Proverbs 28:27 (NIV)