The New iPhone 5 is Here!!!

"I love her so much, I don't need nobody else

Try to put her down but can't help myself."

(Trip Lee - iLove)

So Apple just released the new iPhone 5 the other day and just like every other Apple product, it's going to be awesome. I currently have never owned an iPhone, but I've been considering getting one here in the near future which I'm sure is going to transform my life. You can pre-order the new iPhone now online, and I'm sure there will be lines a mile long when it is first sold in stores. So before I say what I want to say next, I do want to be clear that iLove Apple products and will probably have an iPhone in the near future.

Now, that being said, I think moments like these need a dose of fresh perspective in regards to our extreme consumerism here in our culture. We are so quick to become discontent with what we have in hot pursuit of the next best thing. The iPhone 4s is old news and now we need the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 is going to cost $200-$400 based on which one you get. That doesn't seem too bad for such an awesome Apple product, but it got me thinking... what else could I do with $200?

Here's two things:

1. $200 will buy 1,000,000 gallons of safe water for 4 different children and their individual families. 900,000,000 people worldwide lack access to clean water and 4,000 children die every single day from water related diseases such as cholera and typhoid making unsafe water the 2nd biggest killer of children worldwide. Many more experience severe sickness from unsafe water.

2. $200 will buy 20 mosquito bed nets to protect children from the deadly spreading of malaria. A child dies from malaria every 30 seconds. 5 children will die from malaria before you finish reading this email.

Now, this is not intended to be a slap in the face or the cops crashing the party, but maybe it is a little. There is a lack of awareness and so this is a small attempt to raise some awareness, and I personally thought the timing was perfect. One more thing, a typical iPhone monthly plan cost anywhere from $80-$200.... what else could I do with $80 per month?

Here's one thing:

1. For $80 per month, I could sponsor 2 children through Compassion. This would provide:

a) Education - including school clothes, school supplies, and tutoring

b) Health - including teaching on hygiene and maintaining personal health as well as food

c) Church - including love and personal attention for each child, recreation and fun, Bible training and encouragement

So do you really need that new iPhone 5? Maybe. Should you buy the new iPhone 5? Sure. This is not meant to say iPhone's are bad because they are certainly not. In fact.. their awesome. This is just meant to raise your awareness and encourage you to not fall into the temptation of this constant covetous consumerism that surrounds us within this particular culture we live and operate in. There's a whole other world out there that we easily forget about and how we spend our money can impact that forgotten world more than any new App that we may download onto our latest accessory.

With Peace,

Terry