The Face of Poverty In The US.

15 percent of Americans live in poverty, the highest of any industrialized nation in the world.

How can we say it is not our problem? Christians how can we say, "The Lord bless you." and not give a blanket, a couch, or a damn?

Record Number of Poor Americans

From Poverty Insights:

The Census Bureau opened its press briefing on the just-released 2010 income, poverty and health insurance data with a brief statement from the director. The director said the yearly figures show “how day-to-day people are faring under changing economic conditions.”

By almost every measure, the answer is not well at all. Between 2009 and 2010:

The poverty rate rose from 14.3% to 15.1%. The new rate is the highest since 1993.
The number of people in poverty increased by 2.6 million. The total number now — 46.2 million — is the largest in the 52 years Census has been publishing such figures.
The percent of people in deep poverty, i.e., with incomes at or below 50% of the applicable poverty threshold,* increased to a record-high 6.7%.

As in the past, poverty rates were considerably higher in some population groups than others. For example:

The child poverty rate increased to 22% — up from 18% in 2007.
The number of children in poverty increased by 950,000 to a 16.4 million.
Nearly 7.4 million of these children (9.9%) were in deep poverty.
The poverty rate for blacks was well over two-and-a-half times the rate for non-Hispanic whites — 27.4% as compared to 9.9%.
The deep poverty rate for blacks was more than three times higher — 13.5% as compared to 4.3%.
The poverty rate for Hispanics was 26.6% and the deep poverty rate 10.9%.
A reporter asked the Census Bureau experts whether they could explain why the poverty rate rose. The reporter was told that the Bureau produced statistics, not explanations. One factor suggested, however, was the growing number of people who had no — or virtually no — work during the entire year.

In 2010, 86.7 million people over the age of 16 worked less than one week — an increase of more than 3.4 million over 2009 and of more than 11.3 million over 2007. Not surprisingly, 23.9% of these potential workers lived below the poverty threshold.

It seems to me another arrow in the quiver of those of us who want Congress to pass the President’s jobs bill.

Yet the bill, as the President himself says, “can’t solve all our nation’s woes.” He’s referring, as White House communications indicate, to the dwindling economic security of the middle class.

The economic woes of low-income Americans pre-date the recession too. As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports, the poverty rate has been rising for most of this decade — in boom years as well as downturns.

We’ll need a comprehensive strategy — and a smart one — to do something about this. We’ll need a broad-based commitment. Things as they are, I’m not holding my breath.

Focus

I observed some human interactions this weekend that made me sad; people treating others to the point of breaking them down to tears, some intentional and some perhaps not. When we communicate we remember only 7% of spoken words, we recall 38% of the tone of voice used and the greatest impression is 55% of body language displayed! Remember that words can hurt as much as sticks and stones!

It is a good thing to be focused. And it is a bad thing to be so focused that you lose sight of what you are focused on and that everyone around becomes a blur. I believe that part of the enlightenment is the experience of the lessons in the journey. Allowing others to participate (and accepting that they will NOT do it the exact way you would AND may in fact achieve the desired results. And then maybe they won’t.), helping others grow and learn helps us grow and learn as well.

We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis. Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

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Happy Sunday

Now that worship has ended let the service begin. What a great way to be mindful of one of the reasons to gather in community; to be reminded that the lessons we should be learning-we should be sharing (and not with just each other on Sunday!) Happy Sunday…

We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis. Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org

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Disposable Items

I have been typing, texting and leaving messages for some friends whom I have not spent time with for some time. They had not responded to any of the communications AND I kept sending them. I knew that they were being received and read. I got an note from them confirming that. Sometimes our friends and family are in different places in life than we are. Don’t ever forget, give up or stop loving them.

Razors, plastic bags, diapers, cameras are all examples of disposable items. People and relationships are not disposable, well, at least they should not be. How many times has something happened between you and another person and either you or the other person “quit” the relationship? Regardless if it is a neighbor, family, friends, co-worker, or…

In the service industry there is a saying that “it takes years to win a customer and only seconds to lose one.” Unfortunately we are a society that values temporary relationships (get what you need/want, quick gratification, and often place little or no value on long standing commitment, loyalty and value in building and growing with one another.

Running or quitting will not solve the issue at hand. It may relieve you have having to “deal” with it AND it will happen again with different people. You must forge your way through the wall despite how difficult it is. The reward will be greater than you can ever imagine.

We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis. Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org

The First Time

TS Eliot wrote “We must not cease from exploration; the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.” Sometimes we can be somewhere over and over and then when we allow ourselves to breathe, see, hear, feel, taste… it IS like exploring it for the very first time. I can think of moments in my life like that too… Be Still And Know!

We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis. Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org

Come to the Edge!

A blind man had been waiting a while at a busy road for someone to offer to guide him across, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Excuse me," said the tapper, "I’m blind – would you mind guiding me across the road?"The first blind man took the arm of the second blind man, and they both crossed the road. The first blind man was the jazz pianist George Shearing. He is quoted (in Bartlett’s Anecdotes) as saying after the event, "What could I do? I took him across and it was the biggest thrill of my life."

There are times when we think we cannot do something and so do not stretch or take a risk. Being forced to stretch and take a risk can often help us to reduce our dependencies (on others, or our own personal safety mechanisms), and to discover new excitement and capabilities. There is a place in you where you have never been wounded, where there's a seamlessness in you, and where there is confidence and tranquility.

Come to the edge.

We might fall.

Come to the edge.

It’s too high!

COME TO THE EDGE!

And they came,

and he pushed,

and they flew…!

We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis. Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US!  

We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org