working poor...

If you give the the poor, your needs will be supplied! But a curse upon those who close their eyes to poverty--Proverbs 28:27

In our society homelessness is widely spoken about. On a global level, we are moved by gut-wrenching faces of emaciated children from third world countries. We stare surreptitiously from our car window at a bushy-faced man holding a sign willing to work for food.

What we may not see or be aware of are those Americans who try with all their might to make ends meet, yet come up short every month. The socio-economic label is working poor and they comprise 28 percent of American families. According to data collected by the US Bureau of Labor statistics 21 million children live in low-income working families who parents are categorized as making 200% of the national poverty level.

The report notes that working poor families "lack the earning necessary to meet their basic needs--a struggle exacerbated by soaring prices for food, gas, health, and education. About 60 percent of working families are forced to spend more than one-third of their income on housing, and nearly 40 percent lack health insurance for one or both parents.

The question remains, what are YOU doing about this? I'm not too sure it's the governments responsibility to feed my neighbor, but I am totally sure as a lover of Jesus Christ and a copy-cat of his ways, I am called to do so. While President Barak, bureaucrats, and bankers worry about tomorrow, I will help those in need today. Who do YOU know is in need? Who can YOU help? Will YOU help change the world one person at a time?

*Edit to post: If you would like to help blog commenter "ap" buy purchasing Christmas gifts, please email me at bianca@inthenameoflove.org. This may be your opportunity to help those in need!

ashes, God, and project runway...

I grew up poor which forced me to be resourceful. Sell lemonade in the winter, cut neighbors lawns so I could utilize their pool, and regift gifts at holidays (regifting is when you take something you already own and wrap it like it's new). As a poor kid I had to work miracles in my closet as well. I wanted to be the Diane Von Furstenburg of clothes from thrift stores, clearance racks, or bargain bins. It was tough! I tried looking fabulous, but it always ended up up fabuLESS. It’s tough to create miracles and I’m a firm believer that Jesus and the designers from Project Runway are the only ones who can do it successfully.

I’m not one for television, but there is a reality show where fashion designers are given junk and asked to create something fabulous (aka create a miracle). As a viewer, you look at the pile of scrap and think, There’s NO way anything good is going to come from that. But 60 minutes later a gown made of coffee filters takes my breath away, a dress made of strawberry baskets and twine looks like the cover of a fashion magazine, or a blazer made of rubber tires and safety belts makes me drool.

Yes, what they do is difficult and we laud them, applaud them, congratulate them. But what God does is impossible. See, He takes nothing and makes something. But not just something, He makes something beautiful! Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, and Michael Kors extol the artistry created, but who created the materials they used? Even more, who created beauty?

We are told in Isaiah 61 that God takes ashes and creates beauty (Is. 61:3). No matter how talented these designers are, they wouldn’t be able to take ash, remnants of nothing, and create something. They can do the difficult, but they can't do the impossible. Even if YOU feel like nothing more than ash, God can take you and create beauty. Why? Because this is the message of the gospel. God will restore the years gone (Joel 2:25) and make all things new (Revelation 21:5) because we are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Thanks to all the women who came out last night! I had a blast meeting new friends and being welcomed by old one :) Christina, thanks for being part of this blog! Evette, you win the TRAVEL award! Two hours and ten minutes is worth a shout out and some blog love :)