Merry Christmas!

By Sara:

We want to wish you all a merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior!

And one of the outtake photos...
Caleb did not want to come into the house for the picture (he stays outside all the time) so we had to drag him inside.  And he also didn't like sitting there between us.  At one point he just gave up.

"Poor Economics" Book Review

By Sara:

Anthony and I recently read a really interesting book about poverty and poverty alleviation called "Poor Economics" by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo.  If you are interested in this topic (which you very well may be since you're reading our blog), we definitely want to recommend it to you.



Even though it is written by economists and sounds like it could be kind of boring, it is actually quite engaging and an easy read.  And not only is it a page-turner, it is also quite informative.  This book is based on a lot of in-depth research about specific people and projects in poor countries.  The authors look at surprising results from poverty alleviation efforts and try to investigate the reasons why some of these efforts work really well and others do not.  They ask questions like: why do really great projects sometimes totally fail?  or: why do poor people sometimes totally reject small, simple changes that would improve their lives?

I liked how they talked about positive and accessible solutions to various problems in the world because when we only focus on the problems, it can be really depressing and keeps us from having hope.  This book is hopeful and gives some concrete examples of how poverty alleviation has been/can be done well.

There were all kinds of fascinating stories and data about health, agriculture, microfinance, and more.  One random thing that I found especially interesting was when they talked about how a lot people in poor countries tend to have the sense that the most effective way to get medicine into their body is through the blood.  As a result, they prefer doctors/clinics that are willing to treat them through giving injections.  I had noticed in Uganda that people were getting injections or were "on drip" very frequently for all sorts of different maladies (whereas in the US, you'd be prescribed pills).  But I never understood why.  It makes much more sense knowing that lots of people perceive the blood as the best way to get treatment into your body quickly.

I also appreciated the emphasis on experimentation and seriously investigating the effects of your programs.  Sometimes organizations just assume that what they are doing is working or improving peoples' lives without actually looking closely at the results.  Like Anthony and I have mentioned before, this is the importance of "overhead costs" in development organizations.  It is important that NGOs can look into the work they are doing, keep accountable with the work on the ground, and check to see whether what they are doing is effective.

So, if you have the chance, we hope you'll go out and read this book!  If you do, we would love to hear your thoughts about it.

Fun Animal Things

By Sara:

Just for fun, here are some animal pictures for your enjoyment.  You may recall that I got some rabbits not too long ago.  I'm still waiting for babies, but I'm sure that's only a matter of time.

Caleb felt jealous that I was giving the rabbits so much attention, so I had to give him some love too.

I brought the rabbits home in a box and they refused to get out of it when I was trying to put them into their hutch, so I just put the box in with them.  Since then, they've enjoyed the box for so many different things.

Eventually, they chewed a hole through the back of the box (an escape route?) and enjoy staying in the box and just sticking their head through the hole to eat.

Finally, I feel very pleased with the accomplishment below.  I built a rabbit tractor so I can put the rabbits out in the grass sometimes.  I think I did a pretty good job and it definitely makes them happy.

And finally, who doesn't want to watch rabbits eating.

Christian Music Recommendations Part 3

By Anthony:

Here is part 3 of my Christian music recommendations.  This is the last post on this theme.  See my previous posts for explanation:
Christian Music Recommendations Part 1
Christian Music Recommendations Part 2

• Phillips, Craig & Dean - Revelation Song.
        
• Rachael Lampa - Day of Freedom.
    
• Rebecca St. James - Carry Me High.
    
• Relient K - For the Moments I Feel Faint.  I love the chorus that says, "Never underestimate my Jesus."
    
• Revival in Belfast - All for Jesus.  Live recording, one of my favorite albums of worship music.
    
• Rich Mullins - My Deliverer.
     
• Sacred Harp Singers - I'm Going Home.  Very unusual Southern Christian music but I love it.  If you listen to other songs, many sound the same.  But I really appreciate this hymn.  Note these lyrics - "Farewell vain world! I'm going home! My savior smiles and bids me come, And I don't care to stay here long!" I realize that this creation is good, though broken, and I look forward to this world being redeemed. I'm not an advocate of the type of Christianity that tries to flee away from the world and just sit around waiting for Heaven. There is work to be done, and we can take part in God's Kingdom work now in this world. That is such a privilege that I enjoy. But at the same time, it's still true what Paul says, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." This world, as it is, is not our home and we shouldn't get too comfortable in it. It's hard to wait and be patient, when I don't care to stay here long!
    
• Sara Groves - When the Saints.  I love the building momentum in the second half of the song.
    
• Sonic Flood - Holiness.  The lyrics are simple but they make for good heartfelt prayer.
    
• Susan Ashton - You Move Me.
    
• Take 6 - Amen.
    
• T-Bone - King of My Life.  This is one of my favorite songs to play at Easter time since the background singers keep saying - "He is Alive."
    
• Third Day - I've Always Loved You.  This song is a great comfort to me and I play it when I need to be reminded of God's great love.
    
• Tree63 - Blessed Be Your Name.  When Sara and I got engaged, and then married, this was our theme song.  I believe we played it at our wedding reception.  I'm really not sure why.  But we both liked it.  And after the wedding, as we faced difficulties in marriage (as we all do), this was a great song to have in our minds.  We praise God when it's easy and when it's hard, and God uses tough times to help us grow.
    
• Vineyard UK - Be the Centre.
    
• Yolanda Adams - Victory.  This could be one of my top five Christian songs.  It pumps me up, and fills me with joy in Christ.