I’ll be in the top 2.44% richest people in the world when I start working next year for NYCTF ($42,500 annual income).

$8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market.

$30 could buy you an ER DVD Boxset OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti.

$73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda.

$2400 could buy you a second generation High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village.

See how rich you are at globalrichlist.com.

Are wealthy Christians called to Relocation, Redistribution and Reconciliation? Do Christians follow Christ?

Global Rich List

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness

In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments and a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government-run program were in the orphanage. They relate the following story in their own words:

It was nearing the holiday season, 1994, time for our orphans to hear, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.

Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word. Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me. No colored paper was available in the city.

Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia, were used for the baby’s blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the United States.

The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy’s manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger.

Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously. For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately - until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, "And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn’t, because I didn’t have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift.

So I asked Jesus, "If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?" And Jesus told me, "If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me." "So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him—for always."

As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed.

The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him-FOR ALWAYS.  I’ve learned that it’s not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.

From Christian Stories

Two Babies in a Manger

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war [as a medic]. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said, "Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.

The young man held out his package. "I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.

The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I’ll give $10 for the painting."

Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won’t someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I’m sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets every thing!"

God gave his son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who’ll take the son?" Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

From Christian Stories
Contributed by Gods Work Ministry Inspirational and Encouragement E-Mail

Who’ll Take the Son

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Friday, March 2nd, 2007 was declared the winner in a competition to design the nation’s first hydrogen bomb in two decades, a major step in restarting production of nuclear weapons.

The Bush administration said the program would improve the U.S. stockpile’s reliability, security and safety and would allow for a reduction in the thousands of weapons held in reserve for a potential war.

Critics reacted sharply, saying the program sent the wrong international message when the U.S. was trying to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

Key members of Congress said the program was moving too fast.

From Livermore lab to build hydrogen bomb, Los Angelos Times

Would Jesus create a new hydrogen bomb? Would God create a new hydrogen bomb? Would Christians create a new hydrogen bomb?

Please leave me a comment.

New U.S. hydrogen bomb

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

Dema, a 26-day-old male Sumatran tiger cub, and Irma, a 5-month-old female orangutan, cuddle at the Taman Safari zoo in Cisarua, Indonesia. Two tiger cubs and two baby orangutans, all abandoned by their mothers, became close friends and playmates sharing a room in the zoo’s nursery.

CNN.com

A female monkey fondly cuddles a puppy at a shop in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, 9 May 2002. The pet monkey, bought from an animal trader, "adopted" the puppy and spends many happy hours hugging it. Hunting and selling of monkeys are prohibited under Bangladesh laws but they are seldom enforced.

Reuters photo credit Rafiqur Rahman

Animals "adopting" and caring for each other speaks much about the Kingdom of God. After realizing their abandonment, the baby tiger and orangutan saw past each others’ differences. We are all abandoned orphans. We have a hard time realizing this sometimes. That’s why God wants to adopt us.

"He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. For He foreordained us to be adopted as His own children through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:4-5 (Amplified Bible)

God does not abandon people; people abandon people. People abandon. God adopts.

As we grow older we notice more differences. Prejudice is something we learn. A child’s faith is a blank slate without prejudice. "Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it," Mark 10:15. This type of faith allows Hosea, the Prophet,  to marry Gomer, a prostitute, and have a child with her. It is easy to talk about reconciliation generally, but when people start marrying across different races, economic/social backgrounds and education levels, then the conversation becomes more tense. When reconciliation in the church becomes real, people in the church will be comfortable with their children marrying children of prostitutes, thieves and murderers.

People kill. God saves. Thinking you are better than someone else is the root of all conflict.

There is nothing wrong about eating from the Tree of Knowledge. It is wrong how Adam and Eve respond once they gain knowledge. New knowledge made them proud, causing them to blame each other for the "misdeed." Gaining knowledge without love brought/brings death into the world. God told them to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge, because God knew: Truth without love kills.

National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., January 8th, 2006

If Adam and Eve were the same gender, would they be ashamed of their nakedness? Could differences between their composition cause conflict? It may be tempting to say everyone is the same for the sake of unity. By overlooking differences, it would create a "Utopia" based on blind comfort and happiness. Struggle purifies. Our job is to recognize difference when necessary and overlook differences when needed. Love without truth lies.

The Bible is the Tree of Knowledge. The Pharisees who valued the Torah more than anything else were some of the most depraved people according to Jesus. When we study the Bible, we eat from the dangerous Tree of Knowledge. This creates "Christians" who know their Bible, but blame others for conflicts in the world, just like Adam and Eve did. Some may say, "This is a fallen world. That’s why there is sin, violence, lies and Satan in this world." This statement evades personal responsibility and blinds you of reality.

The Tree of Life, the source of love, is blocked with the flaming sword after Adam and Eve are unable to handle knowledge without becoming prideful.

Genesis 3:22-24
And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

God did not block the Tree of Life, as some people think: "The flaming sword is sheathed, but not before its blade was bloody with the blood of our Kinsman Redeemer, the second Adam," (http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/nl143.htm). Instead, humans block themselves from the Tree of Life. Knowledge brings pride. Pride creates a wall between us and love.

"The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:17

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

The flaming sword is the Bible. The Bible (the truth) separates people. Love brings people together. The person who overcomes differences by loving others gains eternal life (the paradise of God):

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7

These two passage advocate that love without truth lies, not violence or abandonment.

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
   " ‘a man against his father,
      a daughter against her mother,
   a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—[Micah 7:6]
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." Luke 18:29-30 (Mark 10:29-30)

Truth without love kills our relationship with God and people. Love is more important than truth. Killing is worse than lieing. Truth and love are both necessary, because both the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life are present in the garden. God says that eating from the Tree of Knowledge, "the man has now become like one of us." The perfection God teaches comes from discarding knowledge that puffed us with pride and embracing God’s love for all people (e.g. orphans, widows, murders, prostitutes, thieves) by humbling ourselves before these people.

"External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world." James 1:27 (Amplified Bible)

P.S. If Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Life, rather than the Tree of Knowlege, first, then they would be far better off, since killing is worse than lieing. God said that, "you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." God does not have any prohibitions against eating from the Tree of Life. The serpant is crafty to lead Adam and Eve away from the Tree of Life, and toward the Tree of Knowlege.

Peaceable Kingdom: Abandonment, Adoption and Relationships

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

Dema, a 26-day-old male Sumatran tiger cub, and Irma, a 5-month-old female orangutan, cuddle at the Taman Safari zoo in Cisarua, Indonesia. Two tiger cubs and two baby orangutans, all abandoned by their mothers, became close friends and playmates sharing a room in the zoo’s nursery.

CNN.com

A female monkey fondly cuddles a puppy at a shop in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, 9 May 2002. The pet monkey, bought from an animal trader, "adopted" the puppy and spends many happy hours hugging it. Hunting and selling of monkeys are prohibited under Bangladesh laws but they are seldom enforced.

Reuters photo credit Rafiqur Rahman

Animals "adopting" and caring for each other speaks much about the Kingdom of God. After realizing their abandonment, the baby tiger and orangutan saw past each others’ differences. We are all abandoned orphans. We have a hard time realizing this sometimes. That’s why God wants to adopt us.

"He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. For He foreordained us to be adopted as His own children through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:4-5 (Amplified Bible)

God does not abandon people; people abandon people. People abandon. God adopts.

As we grow older we notice more differences. Prejudice is something we learn. A child’s faith is a blank slate without prejudice. "Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it," Mark 10:15. This type of faith allows Hosea, the Prophet,  to marry Gomer, a prostitute, and have a child with her. It is easy to talk about reconciliation generally, but when people start marrying across different races, economic/social backgrounds and education levels, then the conversation becomes more tense. When reconciliation in the church becomes real, people in the church will be comfortable with their children marrying children of prostitutes, thieves and murderers.

People kill. God saves. Thinking you are better than someone else is the root of all conflict.

There is nothing wrong about eating from the Tree of Knowledge. It is wrong how Adam and Eve respond once they gain knowledge. New knowledge made them proud, causing them to blame each other for the "misdeed." Gaining knowledge without love brought/brings death into the world. God told them to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge, because God knew: Truth without love kills.

National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., January 8th, 2006

If Adam and Eve were the same gender, would they be ashamed of their nakedness? Could differences between their composition cause conflict? It may be tempting to say everyone is the same for the sake of unity. By overlooking differences, it would create a "Utopia" based on blind comfort and happiness. Struggle purifies. Our job is to recognize difference when necessary and overlook differences when needed. Love without truth lies.

The Bible is the Tree of Knowledge. The Pharisees who valued the Torah more than anything else were some of the most depraved people according to Jesus. When we study the Bible, we eat from the dangerous Tree of Knowledge. This creates "Christians" who know their Bible, but blame others for conflicts in the world, just like Adam and Eve did. Some may say, "This is a fallen world. That’s why there is sin, violence, lies and Satan in this world." This statement evades personal responsibility and blinds you of reality.

The Tree of Life, the source of love, is blocked with the flaming sword after Adam and Eve are unable to handle knowledge without becoming prideful.

Genesis 3:22-24
And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

God did not block the Tree of Life, as some people think: "The flaming sword is sheathed, but not before its blade was bloody with the blood of our Kinsman Redeemer, the second Adam," (http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/nl143.htm). Instead, humans block themselves from the Tree of Life. Knowledge brings pride. Pride creates a wall between us and love.

"The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:17

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

The flaming sword is the Bible. The Bible (the truth) separates people. Love brings people together. The person who overcomes differences by loving others gains eternal life (the paradise of God):

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7

These two passage advocates that love without truth lies, not violence or abandonment.

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
   " ‘a man against his father,
      a daughter against her mother,
   a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—[Micah 7:6]
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." Luke 18:29-30 (Mark 10:29-30)

Truth without love kills our relationship with God and people. Love is more important than truth. Killing is worse than lieing. Truth and love are both necessary, because both the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life are present in the garden. God says that eating from the Tree of Knowledge, "the man has now become like one of us." The perfection God teaches comes from discarding knowledge that puffed us with pride and embracing God’s love for all people (e.g. orphans, widows, murders, prostitutes, thieves) by humbling ourselves before these people.

"External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world." James 1:27 (Amplified Bible)

P.S. If Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Life, rather than the Tree of Knowlege, first, then they would be far better off, since killing is worse than lieing. God said that, "you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." God does not have any prohibitions against eating from the Tree of Life. The serpant is crafty to lead Adam and Eve away from the Tree of Life, and toward the Tree of Knowlege.

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize