Presents

The gap between rich and poor is widening, and I don't know that we in the West really care. I do not understand the people around me, they do not seem to care about the poor. They care for themselves and their families and friends, but not the poor. We spend a lot of money buying christmas and birthday presents for our (rich) family members and friends. Do we spend the equivalent or more to help impoverished people, the ones who really need it? Most of us don't, I think. If we don't, lets challenge ourselves to do this - at least for the rest of this year.
World Vision and Tearfund have 'presents' you can buy friends/family who don't need anything. These 'presents' are called 'Gifts for Life' and the gift (eg. goat, pig, school supplies, seeds) goes to a poor family. You get sent a card to give to your friend; saying what was bought on their behalf, with a picture of the gift.

May the things that break God's heart, break our hearts too

"May the things that break your heart (God) break our hearts too" (http://www.tearfund.org/).
That is my prayer for myself and our world. Because if that truly happens, then we will live in every way treating every other person as though they were ourselves. NO more poverty. No more injustice at the hands of humans. The end to poverty and injustice starts with us trying to truly empathise and understand. When everyone has real empathy, the end of poverty and injustice will be fact - because we will no longer be able to tolerate the existence of poverty.
Bono said: "We are the first generation that can look extreme and stupid poverty in the eye, look across the water to Africa and elsewhere and say this and mean it: we have the cash, we have the drugs, we have the science — but do we have the will? Do we have the will to make poverty history? Some say we can´t afford to. I say we can´t afford not to." (visit http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Magazines/Bulletin/Bull471/real_change_africa.html for the rest of his speech)