Struck by the stark warning.

"I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strays, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice."

- Ezekiel 34:16

Not exactly comforting words for those who currently have a tight grip on power. God is clearly taking the side of those who the powerful endeavor to keep in their place.

So what was Ezekiel talking about?Ezekiel was a prophet who saw the future of the Israelites. He saw the rebuilding of the temple. A sign that they had regained God's favor. There was a catch, a hurdle to overcome. That vision was for a just future based on love, and those who subverted that love would pay the consequences.

In sum, the book of Ezekiel describes God's promise that the people of Israel will maintain their covenant with God when they are purified and receive a "new heart" … Marvin Sweeney (1998)

What's going on? It's seems pretty clear. If the people of Israel wanted to continue to be in God's favor, they needed to make changes. They needed to become fair and just in their dealings with others. They would have to display inclusiveness and generosity. There could no longer be divisiveness, an us against against the other mentality.

For believers today, the commandments go beyond saying I will pray for you. If believers leave it there, they're not listening to what God is telling them. 

Micah 6:8 NLT

No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

NLT: New Living Translation

Those are imperative statements. If you see someone in need, and do nothing, are you ignoring God's imperatives?

Three Things

 Get Together

This Song Elicits Three Things for Me

First:  I heard a Trumpian from Iowa tell people like me, "We couldn't possibly be  Christian because we're too liberal." Yeah, well, I think people who put up barriers couldn't possibly be Christian because they are too willing to exclude when we're supposed to love everyone, no exceptions. But then I think I'm being too harsh by excluding them.

Second: We are so much more effective when we are working together. There can be common ground if we are united in the commandment that we love our neighbor. Together we can find solutions that lifts people up and freely offers them the dignity they deserve.

Third: We need to change our opinions about the poor. They have not brought this on themselves. Blaming the poor vilifies them and justifies hard heartedness. By doing so, we've created an us vs them mentality. 

Getting Beyond Charity

It is the unfair distribution of wealth and holding back our gifts that results in a world that is now more divided than ever. Almost a billion people go hungry every night. 16,000 children die from hunger related causes every day. 37 million Americans rely on foodbanks and soup kitchens. We can find solutions that transform and last. Our efforts need to go beyond charity to mutual aid. In mutual-aid systems, people work cooperatively to meet the needs of everyone in the community. It’s different from charity, which features a one-way relationship between an organization and recipients, and often responds to the effects of inequality but not its causes. Mutual aid is an act of solidarity that builds sustained networks between neighbors. As prison abolitionist Mariame Kaba explained to the New Yorker: “It’s not community service — you’re not doing service for service’s sake. You’re trying to address real material needs.” -Amanda Arnold/ The Cut.com

Am I a hippy? I never thought so, but if that is what you want to call me, I'm okay with that. I am inspired by verses like this, ”And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16 NIV)  It shows the importance of serving and helping others, especially vulnerable people who do not have enough to eat.

 

Disturbing Statistics / Reasons for Hope

Looking for something to cover? 

Suffering from, nothing ever happens around here? What happens over there, affects us here. You will never run out of news to cover or topics to talk about. Statistics from sources like Pew, the United Nations and others offer a wealth of information and starting points.

89.4M

The worldwide number of people displaced because of conflict, violence or disasters in 2020, a record high.

According to Pew Research:

Europe and Asia have the most international migrants. 

While the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations affiliated group, recorded more than 1,200 deaths of migrants in the Western Hemisphere in 2021, it tracked 728 migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it the "the deadliest land crossing in the world."

25%

A quarter of U.S. parents say there have been times in the past year when they could not afford to buy food their family needed or to pay their rent or mortgage. Among low-income parents, these shares rise to 52%. (Pew)

NASA says, Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal." Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that Earth's climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels.

Pew found, Income inequality in the U.S has increased since 1980 and is greater than in peer countries. Income inequality may be measured in a number of ways, but no matter the measure, economic inequality in the U.S. is seen to be on the rise.

52% The share of Black Americans who say that racism in U.S. laws is a bigger problem for Black people in the country than racism by individuals; 23% of U.S. adults overall say this. (Pew) Americans give public health officials mixed ratings for the job they’ve done communicating with the public about the COVID-19 pandemic. Many U.S. adults feel public health officials were unprepared for the outbreak, but many also say officials’ ability to respond was hurt by interference from elected officials. (Pew) Need some help finding topics? It's only a click away if you know where to look. All of these stats and the issues they represent are an opportunity to bring people together. The solutions require input and thoughts from a broad spectrum of ideologies. We have the opportunity to bring people together.

 

Going to Bed Hungry

 

Tucker Tangeman

It is getting worse

2022: a year of unprecedented hunger
As many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared - from 135 million to 345 million - since 2019. A total of 49 million people in 49 countries are teetering on the edge of famine.

https://www.wfp.org › global-hung...

A global food crisis | World Food Programme

What Causes Hunger?

Inequity.
Poverty.
Conflict.
Climate Change.
Disasters & Emergencies.

How much does it cost to end world hunger?

How much money could help end world hunger? Oxfam says current estimates suggest that as of this year, we need wealthy donor governments to invest around $37 billion every year until 2030 to tackle both extreme and chronic hunger.

Concern Worldwide US came up with nine world hunger solutions to get us to 2030.

1. Embrace Climate Smart Agriculture
2. Respond to the Refugee Crisis
3. Advocate for Gender Equality
4. Reduce Food Waste
5. Invest is Disaster Risk Reduction
6. Support Hygiene and Sanitation
7. Control Infestations and Crop Infections
8. Enhance Crops with Biofortification
9. Improving Food Storage Systems


Mahatma Gandhi, on feeding the hungry
“There's enough on this planet for everyone's needs but not for everyone's greed.” “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” What is this? “Poverty is the worst form of violence.”

This is America

If we really are one nation under God, then this should ring true.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.

Where did we go wrong?

Using The Public Radio Business Model

After the Fact Funding

Actually, it's a business model that has been used by non-profits, including religious groups, for decades...even centuries.  Giving hinges on, "Does the content or the outcomes match the values and lifestyles of a targeted audience?" 

There used to be this public radio fund drive pitch that asked, what if other businesses came to you after you used their product and services and asked if you would be willing pay whatever you feel the service was worth. Our answer was that pitch would not work in the business world, but somehow it worked for public radio.  Here's that pitch put toward the greater good.

This Store Lets You Pay What You Can For Groceries That Would Otherwise Be Tossed

It’s saving perfectly good food from going to waste

The food and Agricultural organization of the United Nations estimates that 33% of food produced for human consumption in the world gets lost or wasted. That's about 1.3 billion tons a year. Per capita waste is at its worst in Europe and North America.

SAVE FOOD: Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction

KSTX Focus On Hunger

This is a great example of how community service programming can have a meaningful impact on the community. Texas Public Radio continues the Town Hall series with a solutions-based conversation on hunger issues affecting the surrounding community.

KSTX is building bridges between itself and the community. Through efforts like this the station is becoming a key player as a cultural institution in San Antonio. KSTX is playing a larger role. It is not afraid to step outside its walls and to reach beyond its website. Check out the KSTX webpage devoted to this subject and the links they provide to inform the conversation around this issue.