If Texas Were a Town
2006 December 3
From Larry James’s blog yesterday:
IF TEXAS WERE A TOWN WITH 100 CHILDREN:
44 would be Hispanic
40 would be White
13 would be Black
3 would be another race or ethnicity
49 would live in a low-income household (200% of federal poverty level)
–Of these, 23 would live in poverty (at federal poverty level)
–For 10, this poverty would be extreme (at 50% of federal poverty level)
21 would lack health insurance
25 would lack childhood immunizations
Something to meditate and prayer over in church tomorrow, don’t you think?
[Source: "The State of Texas Children 2006: Texas KIDS COUNT Annual Data Book," published by the Center for Public Policy Priorities. Visit them at www.cppp.org.]
That is enough to provoke some serious meditation and prayer!
I loved how Jerry brought all this to our attention today. Jesus is with those children, shouldn’t we be?
Great adaptation of similar stats I’d seen applied to 100 on a desert island or as if they were the only inhabitants of the earth. Still applies.
I agree about Jerry bringing these truthes to us this morning. And yes, Julie, we should be with them too.
I find it interesting that my comment makes only the fourth one on this issue, while the blog entry on instrumental music is up to 20 comments. It makes me wonder where are priorities are.
I trust that these statistics are correct for Texas — but I’m quite sure they’re close to true for my wife’s public classroom here in Abilene. The percentages, that is. Not quite 100 second graders in the class!
These stats ought to challenge us to the core of our souls: 23% of the children in Texas are in povery and 10% are living in extreme poverty.
I agree with you Mike. It might surprise some that similar stats apply to many of Texas senior citizens too.
I agree with you Tina, how odd that social justice is something that hardly draws any comments, but is something that Jesus talks about more than instrumental music.
Unfortunately, I think too many of us who are in the middle to upper class have developed a certain level of calloused feelings when it comes to those in poverty. Whether it involves coming in contact with a homeless person on the street or listening to someone describe an opportunity to help the poor in our town or around the world, we may feel bad for them, but do not feel that we can make a difference on our own. The reality is that we can make a difference and as Christ followers, we should not sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to do something. Mike – Thanks for sharing this information with us on your blog. It has challenged me and I am going to get off the sidelines and start making a difference.
142 comments on instruments
8 comments on Social Justice and Missions
Interesting
i know i’m way late on this, and probably no one will read this comment. But i want it said that if we’re playing the percentage game, we should recognize that people like cope and atchley are actually getting their percentages a lot closer to Jesus than most of the readers of this blog. i’m glad they’re acting as change agents to change us from sectarian infighters to cruciform servants of the poor.