One grain of rice or a billion dollars?

When I was at Mullai, a compound with a Christian school and church, I saw a little girl sitting on the ground, staring at me. Then she turned once more to her little pot of food and searched to see whether there might be one more grain of rice left. I had never before seen a child search for a last grain of rice.

Meanwhile, in this country there is much anxiety about the economy. We learned this morning that a multi-billionaire discovered he had been swindled out of a billion dollars he had invested for other people and so he killed himself. It is difficult to understand.

It keeps snowing and snowing. Tomorrow is Christmas Day and I am not certain my daughter's family will be able to get through the new snow that is supposed to fall tonight. It is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen but it is also very dangerous. Yesterday I was driving very slowly on a busy major street. Suddenly my car turned completely around on a patch of ice. Fortunately, all the traffic stopped while I turned the car the right direction. We grew up with winters like this and so I do know how to drive on snow and ice but strange things still happen.

There are shelters with beds for all the homeless people. But they must get up early in the morning and go to the daytime shelter in another place so that the beds and sleeping areas can be cleaned. Our church is one of a group of churches that has homeless families stay for a week at a time. We take turns bringing meals and eating with them.

I hope you will have a blessed Christmas. It turns out that the little girl with the empty pot of rice was much more blessed than the man who lost a billion dollars.

Snow falling on Douglas fir trees!

We have had 23 inches of snow in a 24 hour period. There is no record of this ever happening before. It is the most beautiful soft, white snow. Since we have no wind here on the north side of the city, the snow remains on the tree branches.

We are surrounded by Douglas fir trees. These trees do not bend at all. If the snow is too heavy, the branches simply break.

However, this soft, white snow is very dry. Out of all of this snow we will have gotten only one inch of rain.

It is the most beautiful sight but very sad that the snow will provide so little water.

Good news about Africa!

When we hear about Africa it always seems to be that such terrible things are happening. That certainly is true.

But out of the 53 nations on the African continent, only 6 make the news regularly because of the enormous challenges they face. The coverage those 6 get distorts our view of the entire continent.

The per capita income in the majority of African states is much higher than the per capita income in India.

The Future

Each year since 1985, the editors of THE FUTURIST have selected the most thought-provoking ideas and forecasts appearing in the magazine to go into our annual Outlook report. Over the years, Outlook has spotlighted the emergence of such epochal developments as the Internet, virtual reality, and the end of the Cold War.

Here are the editors' top 10 forecasts from Outlook 2008:

1. The world will have a billion millionaires by 2025. Globalization and technological innovation are driving this increased prosperity. But challenges to prosperity will also become more acute, such as water shortages that will affect two-thirds of world population by 2025. --James Canton, author of "The Extreme Future," reviewed in THE FUTURIST May-June 2007, p. 54

2. Fashion will go wired as technologies and tastes converge to revolutionize the textile industry. Researchers in smart fabrics and intelligent textiles (SFIT) are working with the fashion industry to bring us color-changing or perfume-emitting jeans, wristwatches that work as digital wallets, and running shoes like the Nike +iPod that watch where you're going (possibly allowing others to do the same). Powering these gizmos remains a key obstacle. But industry watchers estimate that a $400 million market for SFIT is already in place and predict that smart fabrics could revitalize the U.S. and European textile industry. --Patrick Tucker, "Smart Fashion," Sep-Oct 2007, p. 68

3. The threat of another cold war with China, Russia, or both could replace terrorism as the chief foreign-policy concern of the United States. Scenarios for what a war with China or Russia would look like make the clashes and wars in which the United States is now involved seem insignificant. The power of radical jihadists is trivial compared with Soviet missile capabilities, for instance. The focus of U.S. foreign policy should thus be on preventing an engagement among Great Powers. --Edward N. Luttwak, "Preserving Balance among the Great Powers," Nov-Dec 2006, p. 26

4. Counterfeiting of currency will proliferate, driving the move toward a cashless society. Sophisticated new optical scanning technologies could, in the next five years, be a boon for currency counterfeiters, so societies are increasingly putting aside their privacy fears about going cashless. Meanwhile, cashless technologies are improving, making them far easier and safer to use. --Allen H. Kupetz, "Our Cashless Future," May-June 2007, p. 37

5. The earth is on the verge of a significant extinction event. The twenty-first century could witness a biodiversity collapse 100 to 1,000 times greater than any previous extinction since the dawn of humanity, according to the World Resources Institute. Protecting biodiversity in a time of increased resource consumption, overpopulation, and environmental degradation will require continued sacrifice on the part of local, often impoverished communities. Experts contend that incorporating local communities' economic interests into conservation plans will be essential to species protection in the next century. --World Trends & Forecasts, Nov-Dec 2006, p. 6

6. Water will be in the twenty-first century what oil was in the twentieth century. Global fresh water shortages and drought conditions are spreading in both the developed and developing world. In response, the dry state of California is building 13 desalination plants that could provide 10%-20% of the state's water in the next two decades. Desalination will become more mainstream by 2020. --William E. Halal, "Technology's Promise: Highlights from the TechCast Project," Nov-Dec, p. 44

7. World population by 2050 may grow larger than previously expected, due in part to healthier, longer-living people. Slower than expected declines of fertility in developing countries and increasing longevity in richer countries are contributing to a higher rate of population growth. As a result, the UN has increased its forecast for global population from 9.1 billion people by 2050 to 9.2 billion. --World Trends & Forecasts, Sep-Oct 2007, p. 10

8. The number of Africans imperiled by floods will grow 70-fold by 2080. The rapid urbanization taking place throughout much of Africa makes flooding particularly dangerous, altering the natural flow of water and cutting off escape routes. If global sea levels rise by the predicted 38 cm by 2080, the number of Africans affected by floods will grow from 1 million to 70 million. --World Trends & Forecasts, July-Aug 2007, p. 7

9. Rising prices for natural resources could lead to a full-scale rush to develop the Arctic. Not just oil and natural gas, but also the Arctic's supplies of nickel, copper, zinc, coal, freshwater, forests, and of course fish are highly coveted by the global economy. Whether the Arctic states tighten control over these commodities or find equitable and sustainable ways to share them will be a major political challenge in the decades ahead. --Lawson W. Brigham, "Thinking about the Arctic's Future: Scenarios for 2040," Sep-Oct 2007, p. 27

10. More decisions will be made by nonhuman entities. Electronically enabled teams in networks, robots with artificial intelligence, and other noncarbon life-forms will make financial, health, educational, and even political decisions for us. Reason: Technologies are increasing the complexity of our lives and human workers' competency is not keeping pace well enough to avoid disasters due to human error. --Arnold Brown, "'Not with a Bang': Civilization's Accelerating Challenge," Sep-Oct 2007, p. 38

Students in grades 7 and 8

The National Middle School Association highlighted this new report
from ACT with the observation that "students who are not on track for
college and career readiness by eighth grade are not likely to attain
that level of readiness by high school graduation."

As NMSA notes,the research developed by ACT (the college admissions testing
company) indicates that the level of academic achievement students
attain by eighth grade has a bigger impact on college and career
preparedness than any single factor examined, including courses
taken, grades earned in high school, or student testing behaviors.

"Armed with this knowledge," NMSA concludes, "we believe it has never
been more critical for our nation to focus on students in the middle
grades." Read the report, which NMSA and NASSP have described as
"astounding," by downloading the PDF at the link above.

A Christmas Story

BY SIERRA SHAE GIBS
Interlochen, MI USA

Manger Cat: A Christmas Story

Moonlight poured in through the window in the loft, bathing my fur in
shiny whiteness. The hay around me glowed, rustling as I stretched out
my legs.

I got up, the smell of mice spurring my hunger, and sniffed the air. My
mouth watered as I detected an abundance at the floor of the barn. I
hopped down the ladder-like stairs and trotted toward the large hay
pile.

Little scratching noises were coming from a newer-looking heap, the
seeds still clinging to the stalks - which would explain the abundance
of vermin. I caught sight of one and was about to leap but halted in my
tracks as I heard voices outside the barn. Reluctantly, I turned away
from my meal-to-be and peeked out the open door.

I'm very sorry," said the innkeeper, "but this is all I can offer." He
was talking to a desperate looking couple. The man had an anxious
wrinkle in his forehead, and his jaws were square and tight. A few wisps
of brown hair dangled around his face.

Do you have some blankets to spare?" asked the woman. The man wrapped
his arm more tightly around her shoulders. Her pale face was luminous
against her coal black hair which tumbled down her back in waves. She
was heavily pregnant.

Yes, I'll get some. But first, let me take your donkey. I'll be back in
a minute." He grabbed the lead rope from the man and lead the stead into
the barn through a stable door.

The couple trudged toward the barn door, and I pulled my head back in
and hid behind an empty wooden trough. They came inside and the man led
his wife to sit on the pile of new hay.

Are you alright?" he asked.

Yes, I'm fine," she sighed, "just tired, that's all."

I perked up my ears as the sound of nibbling mice faded. I could hear
them scurry to the older hay piles not being used as a seat.
The man stroked the woman's bulging stomach gently. The woman looked up
at him with admiring green eyes. He kissed her cheek and whispered,
"Little Jesus is moving."

Joseph, help me up," the woman said. He pulled her up while supporting
her back, and the innkeeper spread the blankets over the pile of hay,
setting water and bread on a shelf nearby. Joseph laid her back down on
the makeshift bed.

The innkeeper said, "It's the least I can do," and left the barn. I decided these people were safe and stepped from behind the food trough.

"Look, Mary, a cat," Joseph said. Feeling welcome, I trotted over to him.
He stroked my head and I purred automatically. He picked me up with his
firm hands and cradled me like a child. Mary rubbed my belly and
scratched my chin, running her gentle fingers through my striped orange
fur. I wasn't used to this kind of attention, but it was strangely
satisfying.

"His fur is so soft!" Mary exclaimed. That surprised me a little. I mean,
sure, I knew how to keep myself tidy, but I wasn't expecting a
compliment. My purring became significantly louder and I pawed the air.

Then Mary smiled and said to Joseph, "Could you get me some water?"
Joseph set me down on the bed next to Mary's belly as he reached for the
pitcher and pulled out the ladle, full of fresh water. Mary drank
thirstily and was quickly asking for more.

Meanwhile, I rubbed my whiskers against her stomach. The baby inside put
his hand against my cheek and a peaceful feeling swelled up in my chest
as realization hit. This was the Holy Child. The Son of God. The reason
a certain star above the loft was shining so blindingly bright.
I licked the bump where his hand was pressed, through the cloth and
through the skin. I would get to witness the birth, the first few hours,
the prophesied coming of baby Jesus.

Brandon and Belonging

quoted from the Nov. 17 entry of the "Nurturing Faith" blog by Dan Beerens

As the workshop at Timothy Christian in Barrie, Ontario was breaking up, word came that Brandon’s body had been found. Brandon Crisp, a slight fifteen-year-old who had been missing since October 13, had left his home near Barrie, Ontario after his parents removed his Xbox privileges. Brandon’s favorite program was “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.” In this simulation, players act out missions as U.S. Marines or British SAS members.

Ironically, in our workshop that day, we had been considering the pressures of culture and the faith development of youth ages 9-18. We had focused some time in particular on trends of concern that are emerging around boys and factors related to school achievement and faith development. In the area of video games, the negative evidence around the use of violent video games is starting to mount – Sax (Boys Adrift) points to research indicating that playing violent video games are more destructive than watching violent media. The pattern is familiar: boys begin spending more and more time with the game, and less and less time doing the typical boy things – playing with friends, engaging in physical activities/sports, and playing online games for hours at a time. Social circles shrink as the addiction increases and the connections shift to online game players. A recent McLean’s article reported: “While he had few friends in Barrie, his Xbox had a list of 200 people whom he played “Call of Duty” with online. Judged too small to keep up in hockey, the shy but competitive teenager found respect and success in the video game world, where he played on “clans” or “online teams.”

A predominant theme in recent years among those who write about youth faith nurture is that of our youth experiencing abandonment by adults. Our kids seek to belong, to matter somewhere. Note that the online video world refers to kids belonging to “clans.” Brandon’s father commented in the police station: “When I took his Xbox away, I took away his identity.” Are we rooting our kids in the identity expressed in the Heidelburg Catechism Q & A 1 – “I am not my own but belong, in body and soul, in life and death, to my faithful savior Jesus Christ?” Where are our kids forming deep ties and finding their sense of belonging?

A brave child

Suvetha was born in a small village in South India in 1999. Uneducated parents who knew the importance of education admitted her to Mullai Wholesome Academy, a Christian school. She came to know the Lord through Scripture classes in school. She tasted the love of the Lord.

She was affected by asthma and other diseases when she was four. Sickness could not deter the passion that Suvetha had for Jesus. She was held by the love of the Lord and she wanted more of it.

This budding flower left the world at the age of 9 due to renal failure. What grief it was to her parents who had big dreams for their child! In the last minutes before her death, she said to her parents, "Why do you fear when I am not afraid?" She had the hope that Jesus who loves her so much was waiting to receive her in heaven. Pastor Prem confirms that her face was so angelic. There is joy amidst pain.

Please consider sponsoring a school in India or around the world.