What did you do over the Fourth of July holiday weekend?

On Saturday, I watched a concert with 2 billion other people from around the world. That was the estimated number of people who either attended or watched the international Live 8 concerts.

For those who participated in the U.S., it was a very different experience from the usual fare of family picnics and fireworks.

For several hours on July 2, world-famous bands such as U2 and Green Day performed in cities around the world for one primary purpose -- to raise awareness of the economic and health crisis in Africa.

During the broadcast, Bono, the lead singer from U2, made a passionate plea for people to become involved. “We’re not asking for your money, we’re asking for your voice," he said.

The stated goal of the international event was to pressure the world’s richest countries (the G-8) to cancel the debt, increase economic and health assistance and improve trade justice for the world’s poorest countries.

In other words, it was about mercy. It was about the world's most fortunate showing compassion for the world’s least fortunate.

The concerts were designed to put a spotlight on the annual G-8 meeting taking place this week in Scotland.

The G-8 is comprised of the following economic powerhouses: United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.

So if it wasn’t about the money, what was it about?

The organizers of Live 8 were simply asking people to get involved by adding their name to an international petition via the Internet or cell phone that will be delivered to the G-8 conference.

To date, millions of people have signed on to tell their respective leaders to step up their country's economic aid to end this crisis.

Forgive me, but I can’t shake this idea that it’s "not about the money."

Whether it’s the money that our government allocates to the cause (currently less than 17 cents of every $100 of our nation's budget), or contributions individuals make to organizations like World Vision and Bread for the World, at the end of the day it has to be about the money.

I’m guessing the organizers of Live 8 are thinking: Get them involved and the financial participation will follow.

That might be true, but I want to help people think about their financial participation today -- not tomorrow.

If we wait until tomorrow to step up, it’s too easy to fall back into our normal routine of spending.

In last week’s column, I wrote that every day we make choices about what we do with our money -- choices that ultimately impact others in the world.

If 2 billion people have the economic means to tune in to the concert, it’s possible they also have the economic means to show mercy on those least fortunate.

Remember, it’s not how much money one makes, but to what purpose one spends -- and shares.

Live 8 is a unique opportunity for everyone to come together and ask the G-8 to make poverty history.

Sign the petition by visiting www.one.org. Click on the partners' link and you’ll find several excellent organizations for you to channel some of your share dollars.

Net Aid educates young people about global poverty and international development, and provides opportunities for them to take concrete actions that make a difference in the lives of the world's poor.

If you could do just one thing to contribute to the reduction of poverty around the world, what would it be?

For some, this might be signing a petition or making a contribution to an organization or cause. For others, it might be connecting to a group that organizes work projects in various countries around the world.

Rather than share one gotta-have-it-now stat, I thought it more appropriate to share these poignant stats from the Live 8 broadcast:

• 30,000 people die every day from extreme poverty and preventable diseases.
• 800 million people have too little to eat to meet their daily nutritional needs.
• Every three seconds a child dies of starvation, AIDS or poverty.
• One billion people in the world live on less than $1 a day.

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