Day 4 of the $3.10
Poverty Challenge began by reviewing and refining my sermon for the inmates
and staff at Malindi Prison. The message is entitled Choose Your Tree as we
reflect on the opportunity Adam and Eve had to choose the tree of life
(obedience) or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (sin), and that
Joseph had in choosing his tree of life (obedience by avoiding Potiphar’s wife)
or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (by submitting to her wiles), and
the consequences that follow.
Apart from sermon preparation, I finalized the information
page for pastors interested in Surprised by Hope. We have several pastor-only
meetings coming soon and felt it would be useful to have some basic information
collected in one place that clearly defines who we are and what we do. I also
made some appointment bookings, communicated with potential facilitators, and
tried (and failed) to sleep because of that cough that kept me awake the last
two nights.
With regards to this Challenge, I reflected on the gift of
work. My mother is a marvelous home decorator. She knew how to create beauty in
our home and did so with small collections and special touches that brought out
color and texture. Thanks to all the knick-knacks that went into perfecting her
space, I always had the opportunity to work, for those many little trinkets
were great collectors of dust. Always eager to have the newest toy, even as a
child I understood well that I must work to earn what I wanted.
As I reflect on that gift—the gift of being able to work to
earn money whenever I wanted something—I realize how few people have that
choice. Even the most motivated men and women sometimes just don’t have any
work to do so they can have money for their basic needs let alone for the new
Grease record or the latest Barbie doll. Yes, the world is really like that.
Today I begin with the usual $2.20 and purchased a few
vegetables for dinner. Tomorrow I will need $2.00 for my transportation to and
from the prison and ought to save a bit today so that I can also eat tomorrow.
Expenses
Print 3 pages 0.09
Vegetables 0.85
SMS 0.11
I spent $1.15 and remain with $1.05 to save for prison
ministry.
Please pray for good sleep tonight. The cough combined with
the heat has really taken a toll on me. I want to be God’s best in ministry
tomorrow.