I encourage you to go to the website givingwhatwecan.org and do a little reflecting. It's a site where you can enter your annual income, in American or Canadian dollars, Euro, Yen, or Pounds, and then click a button to find out how many of the world's people are richer than you, and how many are poorer. You'll find the widget at the bottom of the home page.

For example, my annual income of $36,000 per year places me in the top 16% of the world's richest. That information sure puts me on the edge of my seat when I hear "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation." And it puts me on the edge of my seat when I read the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Luke's "woes" don't say anything like, "woe to you who are rich and ungenerous"; they just say, "woe to you who are rich." As one of the world's top 16% richest people, that has to give me pause.