Strange prayer requests?

To 21st century ears and sensibilities the words of this ancient prayer pull us up short.  The expressed desires of the unknown author startle us with a radical, counter cultural value set.  Possibly we've never needed to hear words like these as badly as we need to hear them today.  

Two things I ask of you, O Lord;

do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much

and disown you and say "Who is the Lord?"

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of

my God.  (Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV)

The words of the prayer originate from Agur, the son of Jakeh, about either of whom we know nothing beyond these words. 

Fairly amazing words, don't you think, especially when laid alongside the values, goals and aspirations of most of us. 

Everything about our culture, economy, education system and passions lead us in a completely different direction, often in exactly the opposite direction. 

I mean think about it. 

Do we long only for truth?  Do I guard my heart, mind and life from falsehood of every sort?  Or, do I embrace the latest "lie of the day" that often streams at me from a variety of media with the intensity of an open fire hose?  In a world of wild, maddening abundance of information, do I pursue the truth with unrelenting dedication, no matter how demanding, confusing or tiring?  Most important, does my spiritual life train my heart on such a quest?  Or, do I settle for something short of truth, something more akin to lies and falsehood? 

More personally, am I open, even eager to face the truth about myself? 

Ouch!

Can I be satisfied with "only my daily bread"?  Are my prayers filled with desires for life's very basic, even simple places and experiences?  "Just my daily bread, Lord, just my daily bread!"

Do I understand the danger of wealth?  Am I honest enough to admit and know well in advance of shifting fortune, that wealth possess the power to swamp my spiritual life completely?  Do I accept the fact that wealth often fills me with a very false sense of self-assured arrogance.  If my net worth puts me in charge of life, what's the notion of God about anyway? 

Can I identify at all with real poverty?  What would I do if my finances turned down so that I took my place alongside my buddies who live out on the mean streets?  Would my hunger and general despair drive me to steal in order to survive?  I know myself well enough to confess that in such an extremity I'm sure I'd be capable of acts and decisions that clearly would be dishonorable. 

The prayer of Agur elevates the basic, the simple, the middle ground.  The prayer links truth in life with a refreshing simplicity of values. 

In a world dominated by materialism and consumption, Agur hands me a prayer I need to learn to pray.  

Central Dallas Ministries' Thrift Store Gets Artsy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 8/12/2010

Central Dallas Ministries
511 N. Akard St., Suite 302
Dallas, Texas 75201
Contact: Stacy Olds (214) 823–8710

Central Dallas Ministries’ Thrift Store Gets Artsy

Framed Art Sale Starts Aug. 12

DALLAS – Already low Thrift Store prices on framed prints, oils and other mediums will be slashed another 50% during Central Dallas Ministries Thrift Store’s “Fabulous Framed Art Sale” starting this Thursday, August 12. Art now priced from $10 and up will be sold during this event for 50% of the marked price.

Located at 1213 North Washington at Live Oak in Dallas 75204, the Thrift Store is a few blocks west of Baylor University Medical Center, and minutes from Central Expressway.

The Thrift Store, now celebrating its second anniversary, stocks thousands of items of clothing, furniture, house wares and electronics, plus many vintage items. Many name brands are included, and each item is inspected before going on sale. Open Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m., the store provides a constantly updated selection of ready-to-use and ready-to-wear bargains.

Proceeds from the Thrift Store help fund Central Dallas Ministries’ programs. Founded in 1988, Central Dallas Ministries is one of the largest, most effective faith-based organizations in North Texas. We operate a network of services and programs focused on fighting poverty through hunger relief, health care, housing and hope. In 2009, we reached more than 43,000 individuals and families.

For details, contact Stacy Olds at (214) 823-8710 or solds@centraldallasministries.org.

How about a one state country. . .ready for density?

Talk about density and urban planning!

Since I'm not sure everyone can read the text, here's what it says from left to right across the page after this header line:

There are about 300,000,000 of us in the USA, spread out over 3,794,101 sq miles. . .

But let's say we all wanted to live in 1 sate together, comfortably.

Using the density of Brooklyn, NY as an example: at about 35,000 people to a square mile. . .

What state wold we all fit into?

In other words if we wanted to we could all move into and live in an area the size of New Hampshire; the 5th smallest US state (8,968 sq miles) with extra room for more parks. (because Brooklyn cold use more)

And if the area were square, it would be about 100 miles wide. You could ride a bike to the other side for the "country" in a day. Our "green belt" would be the rest of the USA. Not only would we all have access to mass transit and live in spaces with small footprints, the need for Air travel would be greatly reduced. You'd only fly when leaving the country. WE'D ALL BE NEIGHBORS.

What do you think? Any urban planners out there?

Help us with your "junk"!

In August, 2008, the Central Dallas Ministries Thrift store opened for business with three objectives:

(1) generate income to sustain CDM’s many programs,

(2) provide quality, low-cost merchandise to our neighbors, and

(3) create job opportunities for our neighbors.

Over the past 7 months we have begun to meet all three of these objectives.

Even at this early stage, the store is generating enough revenue to meet its operating expenses, while employing six of our neighbors and providing both low cost goods for sale and even free goods to neighbors in need (providing dishes for an empty kitchen or clothing for a family who has lost everything in a fire).

Our challenge these days is to continue to build up our donation stream so that we are able to recycle the goods that some families no longer need and provide them to our neighbors at low or no cost.

Furniture, household goods, toys, sporting goods, clothing – even cars, motorcycles and boats – are all resold to generate revenue that allows us to provide food in the pantry, medicine in the clinic and tutors for the children, to name just a few aspects of our efforts in the inner city.

If you have items you would like to donate you can drop off smaller items at the Thrift Store (located at the southeast corner of Washington and Live Oak near Baylor University Medical Center) or call us to pick up bigger items.

For a larger impact, please consider partnering with us to organize a donation drive at your church/work site or in your neighborhood. There are a myriad of ways this has been done and if you have the inclination we can fully support you in this effort.

To help, to ask questions, or just know more about this effort, please call Theresa Cissell at 214-823-8710 ext 151 or email us at donations@centraldallasministries.org.

If you have been involved, please post a report on your experience!

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