7106 - 10 Lords A-leaping. On a Monday? PSA

[scottobear]

I figured it was time to put my paypal donation button to some good use. If folks have any dribs and drabs kicking around in paypal (I imagine most people with a paypal account do. This is an extra easy way to send 'em someplace useful (and it should take other forms of payment, if desired.)

Click to make a donation to help tsunami victims.

It will be divided across Asha for Education, an extremely efficient spending org (98% to programs); usually focuses on education and long-term socioeconomic change, but responding to the disaster and AmeriCares, an extremely efficient (99% to programs) nonprofit specialized in international disasters.

If you prefer to go right to the source, check out a number of excellent Relief Organizations here.

There's also eBay's Tsunami Disaster Relief Page allows you to sell things on eBay and automatically donate 10-100% of the proceeds to one of eight charities.

Charity Navigator, AIP, and BBB all help to check up on accountability of charities.

1) A charity should spend at least 60% of its budget on program services.
2) Charities should spend no more than $35 to raise $100.

Contact your favorite charities to find out if they provide the specific types of aid that you would like to fund, e.g., emergency relief, health care, infrastructure development, education, etc.

(edit- I've just added this to my userinfo page, too, in case of journal "scroll off".

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I saw pigeons eating a discarded McDonald's hamburger patty recently. Something about pigeons eating meat is vaguely disturbing to me. I always picture them nibbling bread crumbs... somehow, I can picture them grabbing little wheat kernels more readily than taking down and eating a cow.

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Mel's Gramma Installed yesterday, but I still managed to steal a little time with her... going to hit lunch with her today, too. Yesterday, much time was spent watching COPS, Anger Management, researching more wholesalers on the net, and having general snugglage.

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unmonoed sleepy boy

Newton in B/W. I think his head looks like a baseball 1/2/05

Sleepy day, 1/2/05

fooling with colors, Newt sleeping in pink

Newt Helping me with his portraits. 1/2/05 (paint shop in bg)

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"Prosperity Gospel" is a curious teaching method... some churches teach that if you tithe 10% and have faith, you'll see *financial* reward as a result.

All of that "God wants to bless his children financially" stuff goes down the tubes when you start talking about believers who live in impoverished countries, or who live in persecution. Doesn't God wish to bless them just as much? Why aren't overseas missionaries living in penthouses? Why do Christians in third-world countries still lack clean drinking water? Shouldn't they be driving Cadillacs through the slums while their unsaved neighbors pick through garbage to find food?

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1 year ago - outing review, saw Val & Rhonnie, google specific search, Bollywhat, missing the big mob poll answerers

2 years ago - linky linky, one word,

3 years ago - rumors, comparing haunted house stories, smudge sticks (note to self, get more stuff to make more), defleshing (another news article gone...inspires me to put all my news articles behind lj-cuts for future ref) and naptime (naptime pix overwritten by other archive images)

4 years ago - dead phone, feeling love grow, Viet beer at the mall, lj & IM trouble

Comments

[rosin-dubh.livejournal.com]

Prosperity Gospel... that reminds me. Harrumph.

The last time I went to church was as a substitute in my mom's handbell choir. This was the church that I had grown up in, that I had found my faith in, and that I loved to attend services at all through high school (once I had a car of my own to get there whenever I wanted). The senior pastor had retired since I had left for school, and six years later - this is what I heard in the sermon:

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Now, what is meek? Meek is generally taken to mean poor. What about blessed? Blessed means happy. So - happy are the poor. I don't know about you, but I've never known anybody poor who's happy."

I nearly got up and walked out. The sheer greed that was emanating from the pulpit that day disgusted me to no end. Because typically, I see myself as being a happy, well-adjusted person. In debt up to my eyeballs and often choosing between paying bills and buying that little treat as something special to eat one evening a month. But this 'man of God' couldn't differentiate pocket-poor from faith-poor. I believe that I am faith-rich - while he, an ordained minister of the Methodist Church, and the members of his congregation, are faith-poor.

So. Yeah. I don't go to church anymore. I prefer to celebrate my faith on my own, and share what I can give - which are smiles to people who need them.

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

I guess Mother Theresa was a misrable, graceless person, because she was poor.

Smiles are an excellent thing to give... it costs little, and you can often see the positive results immediately.

Re: Cute Newt!

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I figured it'd been a while since I did any sleepy-newt pics. :)

It helped me to settle on Americares and Asha, too... I'm glad that there are watchdogs for charities out there to make the pickings easier. Good luck with your monthly efforts! don't forget, they're tax deductable, even if it's a nickel!