The cost of helping others

Over the weekend military action began to protect the people of Libya from Colonel Gadaffi and his supporters. A joint effort, sanctioned by the United Nations, aims to keep those who oppose the unelected leader safe.

It has been reported that 110 Cruise missiles were fired in the first wave of action. According to some accounts the cost of these cruise missiles is about $600,000 each. A simple piece of arithmetic (it needs to be simple for me) means that this action cost about $66 million for missile hardware alone.

Meanwhile on Friday night, the British charity Comic Relief held its main event. By the end of the evening it was believed to have raised £74.3 million. Two large figures, both related to the intention of helping others.

In other news, it’s Twitter’s fifth birthday. I use Twitter quite a lot to find out what is happening around the world. And it has been said that the uprising in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya itself wouldn’t have happened if not for Twitter and other social networks.

Back to WordLive and this week we’re still with Paul’s letter to the church at Rome. This week we hear that everyone, literally everyone, has in some way fallen short of God’s glory. And to be honest, we don’t need to look at the news to see that; we just need to take a look in the mirror.

Darren

Your kingdom come

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or you have better things to do with your life, you’ll know that the Oscars have just taken place. The red carpet and designer frocks were beamed worldwide as the Academy handed out their gold statuettes. The King’s Speech received the award for best film and its star Colin Firth the award for best actor.
In the real world (Oh, was that a little harsh?) the leader of Libya Muammar Gaddafi is still holding on despite increased pressure from the rest of the world.

And across the sea from England, a new Irish government is being formed after the country rejected the rule of the previous government following the financial crisis that hit them.

And in WordLive David, the king, is struggling with his kingdom and his children. From king’s speeches to revolutions, from ousted governments to family feuds, it seems that when we rely on our own strength, humanity messes things up.

Darren

Tumbling like a house of cards

A little over a week since the Egyptian people overthrew an unjust regime, a similar story unfolds on the streets of Libya. As I type this the world is unsure as to exactly what is going on and what is happening. There are rumours of defections, alliances falling and security force crackdowns.

At one point on the night of 21st February, a rumour that Colonel Gaddafi had fled the country led to crowds celebrating in the streets. But then his son appeared on state television, offering to talk to the protestors and warning of civil war.

Meanwhile there is still unrest in the kingdom of Bahrain. Once again the people want reform and are unhappy with the way the country is being ruled. After an initial military crackdown protestors are once again making their voices heard.

And these two countries are not the only ones in the Middle East that are having civil unrest. Yemen, Algeria and even Iran are all experiencing varying degrees of protest.

In WordLive this week we hear about Jesus’ compassion for those who are the outcasts and least in their society, and how these people respond to Jesus. As we look at events in the world, how should we respond?

Do we ask for a peaceful resolution? Of course! But should we also be calling for the oppressed to be set free and the widow, orphan and poor to be treated justly?

Prayer is not our only option.

Darren