HourChallenge

I’ve been surprised and encouraged by the responses to this blog so far. Most of the comments have been offline, phone calls, conversations, personal emails, etc. Some have been stunned by the information presented so far (as I was when I began my journey over a year ago). Others have been compelled to act in some way and have asked for suggestions to get started.

Well, I mentioned some key 1st steps in a previous post but thought I’d expand the discussion now by putting up a series of short, action oriented articles. This post, the first in the series, is about getting informed. This is probably the most important action step you will take in the beginning – it was for me. For most of us, knowledge will fuel the concern, compassion and ultimately the motivation necessary to begin acting.

For many years I had a nagging intuition that God really did care deeply for the poor and that He wanted me to act in some way. I’d read countless scripture references in the Bible referring to the poor, money, and seeking justice in the world (unfortunately I’d hear few sermons on the topic). But where are the poor and how can I help them? This thought came to my rescue on many an occasion. As a now informed person, it no longer does. Instead, with the poor clearly in mind I am now asking myself, what can be done and how can I help? Why are so many poor? What does God think about the situation and many other admittedly disturbing questions.

Even the most casual quest for information will find the poor out. So, here are some suggestions to get started by (pause) getting informed.

1. Read a book about extreme poverty. I recommend the following, although there are many other good books that could be substituted:

The Bible
There are several thousand verses in the Bible on the poor and God’s response to injustice. It is the second most prominent theme in the Hebrew Scriptures. One of every sixteen verses in the New Testament is about the poor or is on the subject of money. You might try reading portions of scripture with this topic in mind – say one or all of the gospels, the prophetic books or the Pentateuch.

What Can One Person Do? Faith to Heal a Broken World by Sabina Alkire

Beyond Guilt by George Johnson

The End of Poverty by Jeffery Sachs

Rich Christians in an age of Hunger by Ron Sider

Justice, Mercy and Humility: Integral Mission and the Poor by Tim Chester

Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren

All of the above are highly recommended.

2. Start a book study
A book study is a great way to learn with the added benefit that you draw others in as well. It creates the potential to bring together a core group of individuals providing encouragement, accountability and inspiration!

3. Learn about a specific topic and take action.
Specializing can allow you to build confidence very quickly and provide opportunities to make a significant difference immediately. Some topic suggestions are: human sex trafficking, the millennium development goals, debt forgiveness or learn about a specific country. God has put Liberia on my heart and I plan to focus much of my energy there.

4. Set up google alerts and read a new article daily on the subject.

5. Travel to a foreign country in need to learn more. (I say this cautiously. I don’t plan to go to Liberia anytime soon. Mostly because it is so expensive and I feel that any money spent should go to support programs already going there rather than on my curiosity to see it first hand. I plan to blog about this side topic in the future.)

So to sum up, Study is a foundational activity. It is critical to any meaningful, long-term, effort to end poverty. Please comment if you have other ideas you think would be good to add to this “get informed” list.