Day 62: Food in time of Flood

After floodwaters washed over her home in the Sindh district of southern Pakistan, Menaz and her family sought refuge in the Sukkur camp for flood victims where WFP is providing them with nutritionally enriched wheat to make bread, oil, and high-energy biscuits tailored to her children’s nutritional needs.

Read more about how Food Aid means fresh bread for Pakistani families by clicking here.

Day 62. Dollar 62. Eternal God, amid all the turmoil and changes of the world, your love is steadfast and your strength never fails. In this time of danger and trouble, be to us a sure guardian and rock of defense. Guide the leaders of all nations with your wisdom, comfort those in distress, and grant us courage and hope to face the future; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. (Additional Prayers, National Distress)

Day 61: Gift of Finest Wheat

You Satisfy the Hungry Heart
Music: Robert E. Kreutz
Click here to listen to the hymn being sung

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat,
Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.

As when the shepherd calls his sheep, they know and heed his voice;
So when You call Your family Lord, we follow and rejoice.

With joyful lips we sing to You, our praise and gratitude,
That You should count us worthy Lord, to share this heavenly food.

Is not the cup we bless and share the blood of Christ outpoured?
Do not one cup, one loaf, declare our oneness in the Lord?

The mystery of Your presence Lord, no mortal tongue can tell;
Whom all the world cannot contain comes in our hearts to dwell.

You give yourself to us, O Lord, then selfless let us be,
to serve each other in Your name in truth and charity.

Day 61. Dollar 61. Good and Gracious God, in the busyness of our days help us to not turn away from our neighbors in need. Grant us courage to stand with them, lift our voice join with theirs, and let our actions reflect the example we have in your Son, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Day 60: Please Be Seated

Luke 14:1, 7-14 1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. ... 7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

--

"If we make presumptions about who is allowed into the banquet, like those who can pay, then we automatically exclude others who might not be able to pay. Humble yourself - invite the poor, the lame, and the crippled. Invite those who are wondering if there is a seat for them. Ask those who don’t expect to be invited. Who isn’t here to hear the Good News of God’s love?

--

Don’t take the higher seat. Don’t presume you understand. We all are the lame, the crippled and the homeless. Those who humble themselves will be exalted. That’s the law. Here is the Gospel. This altar is not our altar. The table soon to be set with meal is not our table. It is Jesus’ table and Jesus is the host inviting all of us to the meal. We each have a place to sit - a place to eat!

--

And that is Good News. When we remember all the gifts of God why would we want to keep this treasure to ourselves? None of us, not one of us is worthy to receive God’s grace. And it is God’s grace we receive. We all are part of God’s Kingdom. Please be seated and let’s eat. Amen."

Pastor Ruth Ann Loughry, August 29, 2010
To read/listen to the entire sermon, click here.

Day 60. Dollar 60. O God, you resist those who are proud and give grace to those who are humble. Give us the humility of your Son, that we may embody the generosity of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Day 59: Gleaning, Gleaning

"What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
GLEANING with the everlasting arms..."

“I put in a lot of heavy hours, so some days I can hardly walk,” says Ann Evans, a retired Associate in Ministry who volunteers at Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. “But I forget about my pain when I see the excitement of the volunteers and the people [we] help.”

"What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
GLEANING with the everlasting arms."

Senior Gleaners of San Diego County (El Cajon, California) taps into the skills of volunteers, age 55 and over, who glean excess food that would otherwise be destroyed. The collected food— from area fields, grocery stores, and packing sheds— is then distributed to 45 food-distribution agencies in San Diego County. In 2006, 65 volunteers worked for 10,000 hours to collect and distribute nearly 500,000 pounds of food.

"Gleaning, Gleaning, safe and secure from all alarms..."

Through the ELCA domestic hunger grants program, your gifts to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal support Senior Gleaners in San Diego County and other hunger-fighting ministries and organizations in the United States. “Gleaners has no paid staff and is supported entirely by donations and grants, such as that provided by ELCA World Hunger,” said the Rev. M. Laurel Gray, president of Senior Gleaners of San Diego County.

"Gleaning, Gleaning, Gleaning with the everlasting arms."

Learn more about ELCA domestic hunger grants here.
View a short PowerPoint about Senior Gleaners here.

Join Bethany Lutheran's own Glean Team on Saturday, September 11th, from 7:30 am - noon. Everyone needs to bring: water, gloves, hat, sturdy shoes and a snack. We'll meet in the West Parking lot. Sign up at the Hospitality Desk today!

Day 59. Dollar 59. "Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way - Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day..." Hunger Relief Day Community: thank you for gathering your grain and your hearts around a project that will assist our hungering friends here in Denver!

Day 58: Just Peachy

Peaches provide a good source of carotenes and flavonoids (antioxidants), potassium (electrolytes), and natural sugars. They also provide a healthy source of lycopene and lutein. Lutein gives the red, orange, and yellow colors to fruits and vegetables. These phytochemicals are especially beneficial in the prevention of heart disease, macular degeneration, and cancer. (Source: EveryNutrient)

Day 58. Dollar 58.
We give thanks for these nutrient-filled circles of orange-colored joy!

Day 57: All For One

Famine, grain, and fullness: food plays a major role in the book of Ruth. It begins ironically with famine in Bethlehem, which in Hebrew means "house of food." Each subsequent scene transition is marked by a mention of grain or food: Naomi hears the Lord has ended the famine; the harvests begin and continue; Ruth gleans; Boaz shares a meal with Ruth and sends grain home to Naomi; Ruth shares food and grain with Naomi.

This imagery helps us consider the movement of the entire book from famine to birth and fullness. Consider how and why life moves from emptiness to fullness, including the role of God and the loving behavior of ordinary people. (Source: Enter the Bible)

Day 57. Dollar 57. Just as the book of Ruth reflects the love of God for the whole world, we give thanks for the loving behavior of ordinary people willing to share food and grain with those in greatest need. Thank you all for being the ones who follow in the footsteps of the One who gave His all!

Day 56: To Whom it Belongs

Day 56. Dollar 56. "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs." -- Jesus (Matthew 10:14)

Day 55: Prescription Produce

The farm stand is becoming the new apothecary, dispensing apples — not to mention artichokes, asparagus and arugula — to fill a novel kind of prescription. Doctors at three health centers in Massachusetts have begun advising patients to eat “prescription produce” from local farmers’ markets, in an effort to fight obesity in children of low-income families. Now they will give coupons amounting to $1 a day for each member of a patient’s family to promote healthy meals. Click here to read the entire New York Times article.

Day 55. Dollar 55.

Directions: take one fruit/vegetable by mouth as needed

Caution: may cause need to repeat daily until all are fed

Common side effects: fullness in bellies, warmth in soul

Refills: unlimited

Day 54: Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus

Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus

Text: George Duffield, Jr.
Click here to sing along with this hymn!

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross;

Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss.

From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,

Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey;

Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day. 

Ye that are brave now serve Him against unnumbered foes; 

Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long;

This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song.

To those who vanquish evil a crown of life shall be;

They with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.

Day 54. Dollar 54. "...Till every foe is vanquished..." may we stand up to hunger! Like the woman from yesterday's Gospel lesson, we need to stand up strong and sing that victor's song together!

Day 53: Stand Up Straight

Jesus heals on the sabbath 


Luke 13:10-17 (NRSV)

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.

But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?"

When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

He laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
she stood up straight and began praising God.
stood up straight and began praising God.
up straight and began praising God.
straight and began praising God.
and began praising God.
began praising God.
praising God.
God.

Day 53. Dollar 53. The point of today’s story is to be aware of the daily miracles of healing, grace and love that happen each and every day right in front of our very eyes. We want to take the time to stand up straight and say “thank you” for all you've done for those crippled by hunger.

Day 52: Maybe

A unique look into how we might solve the

world's hunger and obesity problem together.

An article by Ellen Gustafson, CNN.

"Maybe we need to change the way we
value the food we eat,so that a "value meal"
is something we are proud to feed our children."

"Maybe we need to re-engage our smart, energetic youth

around the world to be farmers and find fresh, green

technologies that will feed the world more fresh greens."

Read more here!

Day 52. Dollar 52. Maybe these steps will help us break the cycle of hunger and poverty!

Day 51: A Rainbow Diet

A recent article by Kim Mueller in Competitor magazine caught our eye: A Rainbow Diet: The Importance of Phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are part of the chemical makeup of fruits and vegetables and can be found naturally in plants. The article provided a visual array of healthy food facts and choices. To read more about phytonutrients, click here.

Here are just some of the benefits mentioned in the article:

GREEN FOODS

• promotes eye health
• enhances arterial function
• Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, Green Beans, Soy Beans, Green Tea, Green Peppers

RED FOODS

• provides immune system support
• protects DNA integrity
• Cherries, Cranberries, Red Apples, Tomatoes, Pomegranates, Radishes, Raspberries

WHITE FOODS

• maintains healthy bones
• reduces inflammation
• Pears, Cauliflower, Garlic, White kidney beans, Horseradish, Mushrooms, Onions

PURPLE/BLUE FOODS

• boost cognitive health
• offers antioxidant protection
• Black currants, Eggplant, Plums, Beets, Blackberries, Blueberries, Grapes

YELLOW/ORANGE FOODS

• promotes eye health
• hydrates skin
• Corn, Pineapple, Lemons, Oranges, Pumpkin, Carrots, Cantaloupe, Sweet Potato, Papaya

Day 51. Dollar 51. We thank you, God, for the spectrum of blessings you have bestowed upon us. May we use these gifts to shower those around us in a rainbow of love and care.

More than Ten Thousand Pounds of Food

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!

Between additional food donations and the
food breakdown event, we delivered another
2,625 lbs to Metro CareRing this past week!

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!

This means we have officially passed the 10,000 lb mark!

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!

Our collection total as of Friday, August 20th is
10,304 pounds and counting!

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!

Imagine the number of pounds we will be able to
collect between now and October 10, 2010! AMEN!

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!

Day 50: Grant us Grace

Day 50. Dollar 50.
Marking the halfway point
on a journey toward wholeness.

Living with Christ and in the communion of saints,
we grow in faith, love and obedience to the will of God.

Let your light so shine before others that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

You took on the Hunger Relief Day challenge, letting people
know that fighting hunger was not a pipe dream after all.

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your
welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."

"In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body give for you, Do this for the remembrance of me."

You are playing a key role in helping end hunger right here in Denver!

We are called to act with justice, We are called to love tenderly,
We are called to serve one another, To walk humbly with God.

Day 50. Dollar 50. Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God. (Hebrews 12: 14-15)

God of Grace, you have given us minds to know you, hearts to love you, and voices to sing your praise. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may celebrate your glory and worship you in spirit and truth, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Day 49: Soil of our Soul

Day 49. Dollar 49. Thank you, Lord, for stirring up the soil of our soul, so that our hearts may be loosened and prepared for new growth by extending a helping hand to our neighbors in need. Amen.

Day 48: End Poverty by 2015

End poverty by 2015. This is the historic promise 189 world leaders made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed onto the Millennium Declaration and agreed to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are an eight-point road map with measurable targets and clear deadlines for improving the lives of the world's poorest people. World leaders have agreed to achieve the MDGs by 2015. (Source: End Poverty 2015: About the Campaign)

Absorb the 8 goals.

Read the latest news.

Listen to the featured voices.

Find out how to be part of the solution.

Visit EndPoverty2015 today!

Day 48. Dollar 48. You may not have an entire country under your command, but Hunger Community, you are absolutely recognized as world leaders by those struggling right here in Denver. Thank you for working so diligently toward Goal #1: Ending Hunger and Extreme Poverty. God bless!

Day 47: For All the Faithful Women

"For All the Faithful Women"

(ELW #419)

Text: Herman Stuempfle Jr.

Click here to listen to the hymn

We praise your name for Miriam, who sang triumphantly

While Pharaoh's vaunted army lay drowned beneath the sea.

As Israel marched to freedom, her chains of bondage gone,

So we may reach the kingdom your mighty arm has won.

To Hannah, praying childless, before the throne of grace,

You gave a son and called him to serve before your face.

Grant us her perseverance; Lord, teach us how to pray

And trust in your deliverance when darkness hides our way.

For Ruth, who left her homeland and ventured forth in faith,

Who pledged to serve and worship Naomi's God till death.

We praise you, God of Israel, and pray for hearts set free

To bind ourselves to others in love and loyalty.

We honor faithful Mary, fair maiden, full of grace.

She bore the Christ, our brother, who saved our human race.

May we, with her, surrender ourselves to your command

And lay upon your altar our gifts of heart and hand.

We sing of busy Martha, who toiled with pot and pan

While Mary sat in silence to hear the word again.

Christ, keep our hearts attentive to truth that you declare,

And strengthen us for service when work becomes our prayer.

Recall the outcast woman with whom our Lord conversed,

Christ gave her living water to quench her deepest thirst.

Like her, our hearts are yearning, Christ offers us his word,

Then may our lips be burning to witness to our Lord.

We praise the other Mary, who came at Easter dawn,

And near the tomb did tarry, but found her Lord was gone.

As joyfully she saw him in resurrection light,

May we by faith behold him, the day who ends all night.

Lord, hear our praise of Dorcas, who served the sick and poor.

Her hands were cups of kindness, her heart an open door.

Send us, O Christ, your body, where people cry in pain,

And touch them with compassion to make them whole again.

For Eunice and for Lois, we sing our thanks and praise.

Young Timothy they nurtured and led him in your ways.

Raise up in ev'ry household true teachers of your word

Whose lives will bear clear witness to Christ, our risen Lord.

Day 47. Dollar 47. We give thanks and praise for each faithful woman in our Hunger Relief Community - "For all the faithful women who served in days of old, to you shall thanks be given, to all their story told. They served with strength and gladness in tasks your wisdom gave. To you their lives bore witness, proclaimed your power to save."

Day 46: Mary's Song

Mary's Song

Luke 1: 46-55

And Mary said:

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

Day 46. Dollar 46.

Blessed be the soul that helps fill the hungry with good things. Amen.

Day 45: Free Rice

FreeRice.com is a website where users play various educational, multiple-choice games in order to fight world hunger. For every answer the user answers correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated. The donations are distributed by the United Nations's World Food Programme.

To play the game, click on the answer that you think is correct. If you get it right, FreeRice donates 10 grains of rice to help end hunger. You then move on to the next question.

You can play as long as you want and donate as much rice as you like. When you are finished, you do not have to do anything. Your donation has already been registered.

Day 45. Dollar 45. Bookmark this website today and fight world hunger with the click of your mouse!

Day 44: Eat. Pray. Love.

EAT. Tuna is an excellent source of protein, and while some vitamin and mineral losses occur during canned tuna processing, the protein nutritive values are not dramatically changed. Tuna is an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, protein, potassium, selenium, and vitamin B12. It's a very good source of niacin and phosphorus. The health benefits of tuna include blood pressure lowering, coronary heart disease prevention, and Alzheimer's disease prevention. (Source: Elements4Care)

PRAY. Almighty and most merciful God, we call to mind before you all whom it is easy to forget: those who are homeless, destitute, sick, isolated, and all who have no one to care for them. May we bring help and healing to those who are broken in body or spirit, that they may have comfort in sorrow, company in loneliness, and a place of safety and warmth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (ELW, Additional Prayers, the neglected)

LOVE. Day 44. Dollar 44. We thank you for your support and dedication over these 100 days - your actions are the living demonstration of your love.

Day 43: Our Souls Exalt

Lord, we greatly rejoice: our souls exalt in you. You cause the earth to bring forth food: we eat and are glad. And we beg you to cause righteousness to grow forth from the world that all peoples may live in strength and safety, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Share Your Bread, ELCA, page 13)

Day 43. Dollar 43.
We rejoice, Lord, for those committed to the strength and safety of others.