Worth Remembering

The meaning of Christmas took on an entirely new meaning for me two decades ago. It was in the very last row of a church where I raised my hand with all eyes closed and heads bowed. Years later, at the same church, I shared a story by Ruth Seamands (a missionary to India) for a special Christmas message. Perhaps you will agree that it is worth remembering.

It was Christmas Eve in Korea. An expectant mother walked through the snow to the home of a missionary friend where she knew she could find help. A short way down the road from the mission house was a deep gully spanned by a bridge. As the young woman stumbled forward, birth pains overcame her. She realized she could go no farther. She crawled under the bridge. There alone between the trestles she gave birth to a baby boy. She had nothing with her except the heavy padded clothes she was wearing. One by one she removed the pieces of her clothing and wrapped them around her tiny son around and around, like a cumbersome cocoon. Then, finding a discarded piece of burlap, she pulled it over herself, and lay exhausted beside her baby.

The next morning the missionary drove across the bridge in her Jeep to take a Christmas basket to a Korean family. On the way back, as she neared the bridge, the Jeep sputtered and ran out of gas. Getting out of the Jeep she started to walk across the bridge, and heard a faint cry beneath her. She crawled under the bridge to investigate. There she found the tiny baby, warm but hungry, and the young mother frozen to death. The missionary took the baby home and cared for him. As the boy grew, he often asked his adopted mother to tell him the story of how she had found him. On Christmas Day, on his 12^th birthday, he asked the missionary to take him to his mother's grave.

Once there he asked her to wait a distance away while he went to pray. The boy stood beside the grave with a bowed head, weeping. Then he began to disrobe. As the astonished missionary watched, the boy took off his warm clothing, piece by piece, and laid it on his mother's grave. Surely he won't take off all his clothing, the missionary thought. He'll freeze! But the boy stripped himself of everything, putting all his warm clothing on the grave. He knelt naked and shivering in the snow. As the missionary went to him to help him dress again, she heard him cry out to the mother he never knew:  "Were you colder than this for me, my mother?" And he wept bitterly.

When Christ came, he stripped himself of every royal garment and entered into our world of cold indifference. He clothed each of us with forgiveness, mercy and hope. And then He died of a broken heart. What broke His heart? Surely, it was the long history of men making slaves of other men. It was centuries of cruelty, hurt and suffering.  It was the cry of millions of orphans and the sight of starving children that He could hear and see in the years to come. He knew that we would forget Him. Not His name, or His message. Rather, we would forget that we are called to be different. Different like Him. 

Different like Him is giving, going and grieving for the least of these. To be honest, the way that we spend our time, talents and treasures looks like depraved indifference sometimes. Watch the video below. Then ask yourself  "what have I done to help the least of these?". The question is worth remembering as Christmas approaches. 

This video can be seen in a larger format on A Child's Hope Int'l .

Justice in the Morning

There are many things that I do not understand. I struggle to understand why bad things happen to good people. Or why good things happen to bad people.  Or equally perplexing, why so many Christians appear disconnected from biblical truth and action.

For most of us, we live in adequate if not very comfortable homes. We have ample food, clean water, clothing and “toys” of all kinds. We seldom think about where our next meal will come from or how we will get a cool glass of water. Being born in the right latitude and longitude has a lot to do with it. Yet for more than 40% of the world who were born in the “wrong” latitude and longitude, they do worry about food or even a drop of clean water.

Vulnerable children suffer the most when hungry and thirsty. It often leads to a slow and painful death.  And it is one of those perverse evil things that I cannot explain away with an easy answer.

Injustice will force some of these children to be sold into slavery, to beg and grovel on the streets, to dig into dumps looking for maggot laced scraps, to give away their sacred bodies for something to drink. Hunger, thirst , sexual trafficking, child slavery and child abandonment are all examples of injustice. And all for just being born at the wrong time or in the wrong latitude and longitude.

There is an Old Testament passage that is a stark reminder of the responsibility we (the Church) have to help correct injustice. Not once a year at Thanksgiving when the pangs of compassion stab us in the heart. Or when our church leaders happen to mention the needs of orphans and widows. From this verse it looks pretty clear that it is to be a daily event.

Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed...     Jeremiah 21:12

Orphans are robbed daily of a family that loves and protects them. Children in foster care are robbed daily of a stable, secure, risk free permanent home. Thirsty children are robbed daily of clean, life saving water. Hungry children are robbed daily of nutritious food that will help their small bodies grow. Young children are robbed daily of their innocence. HIV children are robbed daily of their health by a lack of medicine.

As a result, millions of children are robbed every day all over the world.  

We are called to administer justice. To help correct what is wrong. It should happen before our day gets filled up with other priorities. In case you are asking, I am guilty as charged.

Even so, have you heard a message at your church lately on administering justice on behalf of these children? As a deacon, elder, teacher, preacher, pastor have you ever led by example what your church is called to do?

A small minority of you have.

If the majority of us were brutally honest, we would say that we haven’t.

Each of us can change the life of an enslaved, trafficked, fatherless, orphan, hungry or thirsty child. For some of us, it will require a change in attitude. For others, a change in our spending habits. How many flat screen TVs do we really “need” in our homes? Or jeweled bracelets, rings or necklaces? Or shiny Escalades? We don't need those things, we want them. Vulnerable children need water, they need food. There is a difference.
Justice in the morning is not something that we think about that often. Should be though. The rest of the verse is pretty clear what will happen.

Do You Have H1N1?

The suffering in Haiti has taken on a new and tragic dimension with the earthquake today. The devastation may end the dream of an idyllic tourist spot for Americans.

A few years ago, tour guides were waiting with bony, undersized horses to carry investors to one of Haiti's most historic sites, the Citadel. They hoped that American money would recreate Haiti into the Caribbean's next vacation hotspot.

However, soaring food costs in April 2008 led to violent street protests that killed many and injured hundreds. U.S. State Department travel warnings grew more serious. Tourism in Haiti seems like an odd dream in a place where 1 child in 5 will die from hunger, disease and the effects of severe malnutrition.

Haiti wants the tourism success of their island neighbor, the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic shares the same rocky island in the Atlantic and they bring in more than $3.5 billion in revenues and millions of visitors to sprawling resorts and designer golf courses every year. Do these tourists know (or care) that countless children on this island must eat parasite laced mud cookies to stop the pain of hunger?

Thousands of American Christians go to the Dominican Republic and splurge on food, drink and jewelry for themselves while children starve all over the island. Help me understand how that is possible?

How can we justify that level of indifference, and perhaps even greed? How can we spend so lavishly on ourselves so close to extreme human suffering?

Perhaps the problem is that we have been infected by an increasingly more complex strain of the H1N1 virus. As a result, our ability to see the world as Christ sees the world has been impaired. It is a vision problem that also affects our head, our heart and our hands.

The virus affects our ability to discern truth from fiction . We do not consider ourselves wealthy or rich and therefore excuse ourselves from having any responsibility to help others. The truth is this: American Christians are rich beyond measure compared to the world. Filthy rich. All we have to do is stop and think about what we do have and not what we do not have.

H1N1 is serious (H1N1 stands for Here and Now for Number 1). Rather than wait for our eternal reward, we want it here and now. Rather than use our head, heart and hands to help those with far less, we justify (this is why the disease is so diabolical) spending more on ourselves. We are trading our future inheritance on trinkets and cheap souvenirs of the better life.

But you rich people are in for trouble. You have already had an easy life! (Luke 6:24)

H1N1 not only inhibits Christians from living like Christ but it spreads and hurts others. It hurts the poor as we pass them by. And it infects the world as they learn that Christians are really not much that different than they are. So why should they become like us?

I want to be clear on this. Christians should go to the Dominican Republic. They should go to Haiti. They should go to Africa. They should go throughout the world. They should spend money to help local mission groups. They should invest in micro business enterprises that help the poor get a leg up. They should buy merchandise from a single mother there who is learning to sew. And they should stoop down and feed a child from their abundance.

Taking a cruise to the Dominican Republic? Going to Bermuda? Cancun or anyplace else? Before you go, get inoculated against H1N1. How?

Read the Gospels. Then swallow what the Book says and let the Truth come out the pores of your skin.

Want to know if the inoculation worked? Here is a simple test. See if you can walk by the large screen flat panel TVs at Costco and not stop or twitch with rationalizing that purchase. How long is the key.

In Case You Missed It

In case you missed it…

The U.S. budget deficit for 2009 is a record $1.42 trillion.

The deficit rose 212% in just one year and it will get worse if the insane healthcare albatross that is circling around Washington lands as the law of the land.

We now have a $12 trillion national debt and the interest on that debt is about $1 billion a day.

China lent the U.S. $1 trillion to help us pay our bills and they are concerned about our ability to pay it back.

As the reports get worse each day , I learned something.

I can control this mountain of debt about as much as I can control time itself.

In case you missed it...

• We didn’t create Time, we can only exist within it
• We can’t make more Time, because we are not the Creator
• We can’t control Time, we can only determine how to use it

The Apostle Paul offers good advice on Time when he said:

Act like people with good sense and not like fools. These are evil times, so make every minute count. Don't be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do. Ephesians 5:15-17

It's worth saying again:

• These are evil times, so make every minute count.
• Find out what the Lord wants you to do.

No doubt these are evil times that we live in. As such, the Church has a compelling mission to make every minute count AND to make every dollar count. On Sunday, were people asked if they were ready to meet the King? If not this week, was that message proclaimed last week? Is every dollar spent for Kingdom purposes? Or are there funds sitting in money bags waiting?

What does the Lord want you to do to redeem the time? To live out the Gospel in your relationship to others? To serve others sacrificially? Did you know

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you James 1:27

Seems like the Lord wants us to care for the least of these first and then work on shunning the evil things that can pollute our lives, second.

What does the Lord want you to do to care for the 143 million orphans in the world today?

If these orphans stood shoulder to shoulder, they would form a line of children that would go around the 7,600 mile perimeter of U.S. four times. Four times. Children without families in a line that is 30,000 miles long. As it says, find out what the Lord wants you to do.

In case you missed it, He is coming back.

The Cost of an Orange

This week (3) 40’ containers of Kids Against Hunger food finally made it to Matsapha, Swaziland. This represents over 840,000 high protein meals packed over many months by volunteers. The value of the food that went across the Atlantic was over $210,000. The shipping was another $30,000+. Sounds like a lot of food and a lot of money. But is it?

Let’s answer the first part of the question. The mission groups on the ground are feeding 2700 children each day at over 30 care points where orphans and children at risk gather for help. Adventure in Missions (AIM) and Children’s Hope Chest (CHC) do not have enough food for all of the care points they serve. They are turning children away that come for help. 800,000 meals is not very much after all, is it? It will be gone within months and less if they feed more children which they want to do.

Now let’s answer the second part of the question. 67% of the people of Swaziland live on about 45¢ a day – that 45¢ must pay for everything from food, to shelter, to clothes, to healthcare , etc. A few years ago, studies showed that nearly 40% of the population had HIV/AIDs. Because of HIV/AIDs, it is expected that the orphan population will exceed 10% of the total population. Many households are run by teenagers and pre-teens caring for younger siblings.

Orphans have no way to earn money. When parents die, children may be taken by relatives, neighbors and others who may have less than honorable motives. Girls are prized for many reasons. The boys may end up on the street or in a orphanage if one can be found. Young girls will trade their bodies for food. In one story which made their local news, a seven year old girl who was starving gave her body to an older man for one orange and one loaf of bread. Sexual oppression of children is horrific and sadly it happens all the time. Christ is the answer and the Church is the messenger - but does the Church know that?

In my thinking, $240,000 for containers of food is a bargain. It will save some from starvation and it may save some young girls, created in the image of God, from trading themselves for an orange and a loaf of bread just so that they can stay alive.

Many of us believe that we are not actively involved in “oppressing” the poor or the orphan. After all, we care for them, don’t we? Do we? Do I? I really struggle with this. In reality, if I am not part of the solution, than I am part of the problem. If you are not part of the solution, than you my friend are part of the problem as well.

Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors him (Proverbs 14:31)

Begin today to be a part of the solution. Give sacrificially to the work of those in Swaziland (AIM and CHC). Give sacrificially to the work of Kids Against Hunger here so we can send more food quickly. But don't stop there. Take it to the next level.

Bring an orange or a loaf of bread to your elders, your deacons, your missions pastor or your benevolence committee. Tell them that a seven year old girl traded her young body for sex because she was hungry and this is what she got in return. A small amount of food and most likely HIV/AIDs.

Then ask if there are any church funds that have not been spent yet. Any funds at all. Worship funds, mission funds, building funds, vision goals funds, doesn’t matter. Ask them to spend it on saving lives now and not later. Ask them for their commitment to do more this year and in the church budget next year. And then pray with them that the Lord would multiply those funds.

Openhanded

Tim Keller recently published The Gospel and the Poor. On biblical history, it digs deeper than The Hole in Our Gospel (one of my favorite reads). A strong parallel between the two can be seen, however, as Keller stresses the biblical heritage of caring for the poor, the alien and the orphan.

He writes from Jonathan Edwards, ‘bear one another’s burdens’ means that we must not wait until a man is absolutely destitute before we help him. After all, we would not wait until we were destitute to help ourselves, and we must love our neighbor as ourselves. We must not limit our aid to those we know well, for we must receive strangers. We must not limit our aid to only the "deserving" poor, for Christ did not so limit his ministry.

He concludes - God has a special (but not exclusive) concern for the marginalized of the world, and the church must reflect that in the most practical ways. Anyone who has a surplus of goods with which they could help others, but who refuses to do so, calls into question one’s very understanding of and commitment to the gospel.

Interesting point. What is a surplus of goods? Would unspent missions budgets and capital campaigns described as vision funds qualify as a surplus of goods? Here's an idea: re-allocate a percentage of those savings to the orphan, the hungry and the poor. If that is not possible, then use the interest that the funds earn for the orphan, the hungry and the poor. Neither may be easy but I believe it would be the right thing to do.

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

We have two close friends and partners in ministry that need help TODAY. They need open hands that will bless them so that they can bless others - and that is all that they do - bless others sacrificially - their hands are always open. They have no reserve funds, capital campaigns, etc. They give it all away. They are on the verge of shutting down for lack of funds.

Mission Harvest America, run by missionaries Dewey & Clara Painter is about to close their doors for lack of funds. One of their core ministries is to ship containers of food, clothing, supplies and relief material all over the world. Will you open your hand and bless them?

Foundation Builders International, run by missionaries Jerry & Tracy Reiner, feed, clothe and serve the needy all over Ohio. They are trying to live on air with their children. Will you open your hand and bless them?

By the way, have you noticed that Deuteronomy 15:11 does not use the word "suggest"?

Are You Ready?

Life remains a struggle for survival in Southern Sudan. Twenty-one years of war, North against South, has left 2 million dead and another 4 million displaced. The mind cannot absorb such staggering dimensions of suffering. Of hunger. Of thirst. What did this mother feel as she carried her lifeless child who just starved to death?

We know of a gifted senior pastor in Conn. that has gone with people from his church to the Sudan, many times. They teach. They give. Over and over. Their rewards are piling up. They were ready when the call came from above.

That picture in the Sudan is repeated around the globe today. To be honest, that gets overwhelming for me sometimes. There are days when I feel like I am just running in place. Spending a lot of energy, time and effort trying to make a difference. But accomplishing little.

Perhaps prophetically, a local pastor has been saying that The King is Coming. Are You Ready To Meet the King? Sobering thought we all need to answer. Ironically, many church goers are convinced that they are ready. Are they really ready? Are you ready?

There is a passage in Luke 3 worth pondering. The Message paraphrase is pretty descriptive of the scene with John the Baptist telling it as it was (and as it is today):

When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded:… Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God's judgment? It's your life that must change…What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire."

The crowd asked him, "Then what are we supposed to do?" "If you have two coats, give one away," he said. "Do the same with your food."

That is troublesome. I struggle with what I have compared to how much I am giving away. I have not given away ½ of my coats nor ½ of my food. I am holding onto retirement funds and other stuff. I justify holding onto what I do have even though I have seen hungry children like the one in the photo. I must remember that the King is coming. When I see Him, I want to ready.

Good works does not earn salvation. Never did. Salvation comes from grace alone. But a lack of good works may be a sign that something is wrong. Limited good works by the saved will limit the rewards that are given to the saved.

Lives that are changed should demonstrate a new life in Christ. That is what John is saying. The evidence should be there.
Clearly. Selflessly. Frequently. Compassionately.

That evidence can be seen in those who go, those who give, those who are ready.

Are you going? Are you giving? Are you ready?

The Hole in Our Leadership

Billy Graham was asked once what he thought was the hardest thing for people to grasp about God.

"The most difficult thing for people to believe is the idea that God is good," he replied. When asked why, he answered: "Because people are in so much pain."

For all of the hurt that exists, how is it believable that God is good? How do Christians make the argument for God's goodness in the face of such pain? What are disciples of Christ called to do? The answer is to read the Book, the entire Book and do what it says. But that is where the problem begins.

The problem is not the Bible. There is no problem in the Old Testament, the New Testament or any of the Gospels. But there is a big problem in church leadership. Perhaps unknowingly, leaders have been teaching from a "special" Bible - one with key passages missing. The holes in the Bible (missing passages) are where the text taught on justice, compassion, the poor, the orphan and the marginalized. If you cutout (avoid) those passages, the Church remains unaware and they will respond accordingly (in ignorant bliss). But ignorant bliss is not the charter of the Church!

The world outside the Church is waiting. Christ is waiting. Where are the followers of Jesus Christ in the midst of perhaps the greatest humanitarian crises of our time? Has the Church been led by pastors of passion or expert expositors of everything but the holes in our Gospel? Have our leaders told and taught their Church that:

• Africa burns with HIV and AIDs
• The orphans of the world could stretch around the United States over 4 times
• Thousands of children die from hunger and thirst daily
• We have more US churches than foster care kids - and these kids do not have homes

Our leaders should have. Some have. Many haven’t. As such, I believe that there are holes in our leadership within the Church. Author Richard Stearns in his book The Hole in Our Gospel levies an indictment upon the leadership of the Church with the sound of a angry judge’s gavel. Surely the Church should have been caring for these “orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). The pulpits across America should have flamed with exhortations to rush to the front lines of compassion. Shouldn’t they be flaming today? Shouldn’t countless churches be reaching out to care for children in such desperate need? How could the great tragedy of these children at risk get drowned out by choruses of praise music in hundreds of thousands of churches across our country without one word being said? How could we be spending more on worship, building expansion and church growth strategies than we do for 40% of the world who live on less than $2 a day? We have because of holes in our leadership.

When was the last time the person at the podium opened up the pocketbook of the church and poured out the dollars and said this is not for us but for them? When did they warn you of the consequences of walking away from the poor here, there and around the world?

Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. (Proverbs 21:13)

Here is a suggestion. Buy The Hole in Our Gospel for your pastors and elders. Ask them to read it, to perhaps teach from it in the pulpit and then to respond to the great needs described in the book. If they chose not to, then it may be necessary for you and others to do something that will save your church. Change the leadership. If they chose to repair the holes, to fill in the texts and teach the whole Gospel, then thank God. You just saved your church! Better than that, your church will become the Body of Christ that it was intended to be. Watch the following and see

Too Difficult To Understand

There are many things that we do not understand. And life is too short to try and figure all of them out. There are times when we must look at the evidence and then do the right thing - even when we don't fully understand it.

But that is not what happens. Our human nature has a way of making things more complicated than they need to be. There was a time when I needed to have all of my questions about Christianity answered with bullet proof scientific answers. I had to have all of my questions about the Bible answered (i.e. who really wrote it, intelligent people do not believe it - do they, how can anyone really trust a book that is full of errors, who said that God wrote it, etc.). Today, I read what the Book says, accept it as truth even when I do not completely understand it! To be honest, life is better that way. Look what Moses wrote:

This commandment that I'm commanding you today isn't too much for you, it's not out of your reach. It's not on a high mountain - you don't have to get mountaineers to climb the peak and bring it down to your level and explain it before you can live it. And it's not across the ocean - you don't have to send sailors out to get it, bring it back and then explain it before you can live it. No. The word is right here and now - as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it!
(Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

Every Child's Hope Weekend was a watershed event for the City of Cincinnati. Great national speakers, informative breakout sessions and a large group of agencies and groups involved with foster care concerns were there. The weekend was all about the fatherless and the orphans in our cities. They live near and around the Church but sadly, the Church does not see them.

But the children, the orphan, the fatherless and the vulnerable children see the Church. But what do they see? Indifference? Grace? Mercy? Compassion? Christ? You decide:

• In Ohio, there are 4,000 children in foster care who need forever homes. There are 16,000 churches in Ohio. If 25% of the churches took just one child, all of the children would have homes.
  
• There are 143 million orphans in the world, and over 2 billion professed Christians. If 8% of the Christians looked after one orphan, all of the orphans would be cared for.

The numbers speak for themselves, the Church is not involved. Dennis Rainey (of FamilyLife) said this a few years ago:

The orphan does not need the Church.
The Church needs the orphan.

The Church needs the orphan so that the heart of the Church stays tender, compassionate and Christ like. Without the orphan, the heart of the Church can become like shoe leather, tough and impervious to injustice and suffering. Perhaps that is why the Apostle James, wrote this advice for us:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27)

We don't need mountaineers to climb the peak and bring this verse down to our level to explain it. It's very clear. Not everyone in the Church is called to foster care or adoption. But all of the Church is called to care for the orphans in their distress. For some, this is Too Difficult to Understand. Is it?

When was the last time, you heard a message at your church on adoption, on foster care or caring for the 143 million orphans? Not a bulletin blurb but a sermon with passion. How much of the missions or operating budget is given to the fatherless?

Given the evidence at hand, not recently and not much.

The Church may be the only Christ a dying and hurting world of orphans will ever see. That's not too difficult to understand. Best advice for the Church - as Moses said, read the Word of God and just do it! Be the Church that Christ intended.

When Love Takes You In

Several years ago a young girl by the name of Sofi was born in Siberia, a bitterly cold and desolate area of Russia. A difficult place to be a child but Sofi’s life was going to be even rougher than most. She was an orphan and most likely would remain in that orphanage until age 15. Then suddenly at the age of 2 she was adopted, sight unseen, by Laurie Collis a single mother in Scottsdale, Arizona.

At home in the U.S., Sofi adjusted to her new life and was doing well. So well in fact, that she entered an essay contest and out of 10,000 applicants, she won! As a result, she came to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the lift off of the Mars Rover.

While there she was asked to read an excerpt from her winning essay. Here is part of it: "I used to live in an orphanage. It was dark and cold and lonely. At night, I looked up at the sparkly sky and felt better. I dreamed I could fly there. In America, I can make all my dreams come true. Thank you for giving me the ’Spirit’ and the ’Opportunity’."

Today, years after landing on Mars, little robots named Spirit and Opportunity have been exploring opposite sides of that distant world. By now you have figured out that the contest Sofi entered and won was to name these two Martian vehicles. But what you don’t know is that "Spirit" and "Opportunity" are not just the names of the Mars rovers. They are also the two attitudes she said she discovered in her new home in America.

Like Sofi, orphaned and abandoned children around the world today are often the most helpless and hopeless of all people. Sadly, they are also (all too frequently) the most oppressed and abused as well. With all of this sadness it would be easy to think that God just doesn’t care but He does – and He will judge those who hurt them as well as those who chose not to help, who chose to walk away, who ignore the cries for help. You see, God is the only judge that matters on the Supreme Court and He has a huge heart for the least of these. Thousands of years ago, this truth was written:

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling (Psalm 68:5)

The Bible has a lot to say about orphans, and about the fatherless. Why does the Bible mention orphans and the fatherless so often? I believe it is because God values them and He wants us to value them as well. Although some try to find a way out, there is not much wiggle room in this passage written by the Apostle James:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

I am convinced friends that with God’s help, each of us can change the world and leave it better than when we found it. Some may be called to adopt from Siberia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti or elsewhere. And some can be involved right here with children in our communities without moms and dads. There are thousands of children in foster care who need families, who need to know that the Father loves them and that they are valued for who they are – life created in His image. They will not know that truth unless we become like Jesus to these children.

Many that I speak with say that becoming a foster care parent is not for them. That’s ok BUT we need to know that there is more than one way to "look after" (the verb that the Apostle James used) these children. If our heart is aligned with Jesus, He will show us how to help. We need to remember that He took the first step. It was His love that took us into His arms when we were still orphans of God.

That’s a beautiful thing when loves takes you in, isn’t it? Every Child's Hope is to have a home. Next weekend - you can find out how. See http://www.everychildshope.info/ for more information.

Caution: Cardboard Children Ahead

One year ago this month, life-size cardboard cutouts of children started appearing on the National Mall in Washington, DC at the rate of 850 a day. Why? To illustrate just how many kids are entering foster care on a daily basis.

The exhibit, Forgotten Children -- Foster Children Take a Stand, was intended to raise public awareness of the struggles of an estimated 513,000 foster kids nationwide, many of whom were removed from their original homes because of suspected abuse or neglect.

A study done by the Dave Thomas Foundation, identified the fact that 48 million Americans have considered foster care. Most Americans however, have misperceptions about the process and the children who are eligible for adoption. These misperceptions include the following:

• 67 % of people considering adoption from foster care are concerned that biological parents can return to claim the children. Truth is that once the court finalizes the legal termination of parental rights, the parents can never return to claim the child.
• 46 % mistakenly believe foster care adoption is expensive. Truth is that there is very little cost to adopt from foster care, with financial support when necessary.
• 45 % believe children in foster care are juvenile delinquents. Truth is that the vast majority of children entered the system through no fault of their own, as victims of neglect, abandonment and/or abuse.

The problems of foster children in this country are largely invisible because most people don't see these children. But the Lord sees them and knows them by name.

Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest." Luke 9:48

The greater Cincinnati area has a large population of Bible believing churches that come alive on Sunday. During the week many of them are involved in making our communities a better place to live. Wouldn’t it be incredible if these churches began to “see” these foster care children as the Lord sees them? Wouldn’t it be incredible if these churches left the 99 and went to find the 1 that was lost?

There are 22 churches in Cincinnati now that have become part of this miracle, they are the Coalition of Care churches. They can be found at www.achildshopeintl.org/CoalitionPartners.html

It will take more than these 22 churches to solve the foster care problem in the greater Cincinnati area but it is a start – a good start.

Is your church involved? It can be. Speak to your church leadership about the Coalition of Care and share with them the love of the Father for these special children. Encourage them to share the message of Every Child's Hope Weekend which will happen on May 29-31, 2009. Check it out at www.everychildshope.info

Every Child's Hope.... is to have a home. Is there room in yours?

The Spectator

Do you see the spectator in this picture? Probably not. The spectator is holding the camera. In 1993, Kevin Carter made a life changing trip as a photographer to Sudan. The story tells of him hearing the sounds of whimpering child outside of a local village. He followed the sounds to an emaciated toddler, a little girl stopping to rest as she tried to get to a feeding center nearby. There was another figure in this scene, the vulture waiting for the little girl to die.

At this point in the story, it is unclear what happened next. Some say that Carter simply turned and walked away. Others say that he chased the vulture away. What we do know to be true is that the little girl remained there in the dirt, without help and without food. The photographer was just another spectator who could have helped but did not - he passed the girl by. As did a religious leader and a “Godly” person in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. Like Carter, these people had important work to do and this unfortunate distraction was not in their vision statement, agenda nor in their budget plans.

Carter sold the photo to the New York Times where it appeared in March 1993. A year later, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in May 1994.

Three months later, in July 1994 Carter drove to an area where he used to play as a child, and took his own life at the age of 33. The note he left behind tells of nightmares he could not forget.

Today, in full view of the world, there are 30,000 children who die daily from hunger and the effects of extreme malnutrition. 30,000 children who are weak, starving and alone. As with the vulture in this picture, death awaits them.

There are many “Churches” like Carter who are spectators to the suffering of the innocent, seeing and then passing by. Even when told of the need, they make intentional choices:

• To do church as normal - busy within the church but seldom outside the church with those who need help
• To offer great exposition on suffering, with deep theological treatises - but never getting down in the dirt
• To withhold help offering wise retorts instead - i.e. didn't Jesus say we would always have the poor with us?
• To spend the offering on important things - but seldom sacrificing for the poor, the oppressed and the hungry

Although Luke 10 does not state why the “Church” walked by the suffering man, it could be that any of the above choices would have applied back then as they do today.

Thankfully, there are many vibrant and caring churches around the world that are living out the Gospel. Sadly though, there are far too many Churches that are nothing more than Spectator Churches – seeing the suffering of the innocent and walking away from their biblical responsibility.

Like Kevin Carter, a Spectator Church may win an award or two for wonderful worship programs, great seminars, a new book or a fantastic web site. Like Kevin Carter, they will not last. The Churches that will last Cry for the Children.

What is a Restavec?

Some of you have helped provide food to the malnourished children of Haiti through our Kids Against Hunger program. In case you are wondering, we are not done! Even though the recession has hurt us, the work must continue even during these hard economic times – and Lord willing, we will!

There is a large group of Haitian children that you may not be aware of. Children called restavecs.

If you are a restavec:

• You are one of 300,000 Haitian child slaves.
• You are from an isolated, rural area of Haiti where there are no schools, no electricity, no running water and no future.
• You now live in the city with a family who is not your own - not adopted, not as a foster child, but as their servant.
• You are between the ages of 5 and 15.
• You are three times more likely to be a girl than a boy.
• You get up before dawn, to serve your master, his wife and children and go to bed only after your work is done.
• You empty bedpans, prepare meals, haul water from the well, clean inside and outside the house, and do laundry.
• You don't get paid for any of these activities.
• You rarely get to see your family. You might not even remember where they live.
• You rarely, if ever, go to school.
• You do not get enough to eat especially for someone who works hard all day.
• You are subject to physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
• You are a child slave.

A local group trying to help these “restavec” children will be stopping by the "Factory" next Saturday to see how we can help them. They need food for the families that are releasing their children as restavecs (a French word which means to "stay with"). These families want their children but cannot feed them. In many cases, they believe that their children will be better cared for by others. They do not know that they will become child slaves. Now you do.

The poverty that paralyzes Haiti today was not always there. That island was once free, idyllic and safe for children to live, grow and to have families of their own. But slavery changed all that. We must remember though that a time is coming when the Great Emancipator will come back. Until then, He has commanded us to go, He has empowered us to serve and He has blessed us with the resources needed to set the captives free.

Paul once wrote (Galatians 4:13)
My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything that you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love

Right now, children in Haiti and ALL OVER THE WORLD are being sold into slavery. They have no choice. We do. So here comes the question:

Is your freedom working to serve others?

A Child's Hope International exists because the children are waiting – will you help us? Visit the website at http://www.achi.us/ to find out how. We need your help. Donate if you can, email us on the web site or leave comments here on this blog to encourage the team involved with this work.

The Elephant in the Room

"So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound… But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.

Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."

(Martin Luther King Jr. - Excerpts from his Letter from the Birmingham Jail April 16, 1963)

This martyr spoke about the elephant that nobody wanted to admit was there. Back then, it was the elephant of black injustice in America. For the most part, the Church ignored that the elephant was there even though it was huge and could not be avoided.

Just last week I returned from Haiti, a small Caribbean island just south of Cuba. Ravished by years of poverty, the toll upon the women and children there is tragic. Reports by CBN, claim that one in five children die from hunger causes. Can you imagine your children so hungry that you offer to give them to strangers - not because you don't love them - but so that they will live? That happened to us on Saturday night. A peasant woman handed us her son Job, just 6 weeks old, because she had no food for him.

One out of four children in developing countries is underweight. 350 to 400 million are chronically hungry. 40% of the people of the world live on less than $2 a day. One child dies (dead) every six seconds from hunger related causes. Thankfully, the Church is helping to correct this modern day injustice – defined so clearly in the Bible. But read this carefully: the American Church, with the wealthiest Christians in all of history, gives less than 2% to assist the poor worldwide.

Friends, there is an elephant in the room of the Church and sadly, many are choosing to ignore it. I have heard some leaders shrug and say that is not their fault that so many are poor in the world today. Some church leaders believe that the elephant will go away on its own. Others say that the government must care for the elephant. Still others say that it is the mission of the church across the street to care for the elephant. The elephant is like a prophet of old telling us what we do not want to hear. The elephant trumpets loudly that God says WE are guilty if we allow people to remain deprived when we have the means to help them. Why are there over 2,000 passages in the Bible dealing with poverty and injustice? Are we to cut those passages out and ignore them? Some do because it is easier to deny that the elephant exists than to do something about it.

Friends, we cannot continue to spend more on hiring staff, more on building plans and more on worship venues until we address the needs of the poor. Martin Luther King, Jr was correct in his jail house writing from 1963. Now nearly 50 years later, what MLK wrote is still true: We must re-capture the sacrificial spirit of the early Church or be dismissed as a country club for the elite.

We all need to ask our leaders about the elephant we see in the Church. Ask for and examine the church budgets. Churches need to pay staff and they need to expand - but how much and to what extent? Ask these questions in the context of all tithes and offerings that are given:

• How much is spent on salaries, benefits, expenses for the staff?
• How much is spent on worship expenses and activities? Or on a planned new Sanctuary?
• How much is spent every year on correcting known injustice in the world (AIDs, the plight of the 143 million orphans, the slave trade of children, etc)?
• How much does the church sacrifice, really sacrifice to feed the 10 million children who will starve to death this year?
• Who is getting the largest piece of the missions budget?

I encourage you to read The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. Ask your leaders to do the same. If the elephant is still not acknowledged, then you have a decision to make. Stay or find a church where the whole Bible is preached and not the one with the holes in it.

Words Matter

No one is perfect. It happens to the best of us sometimes. We have practiced what we are going to say many times, the audience is packed in, the cameras are ready and then it happens ~ we stumble through something very important. This has happened to me and it is embarrassing! At the Inauguration Ceremony on January 20, 2009, President Obama and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts had such a moment. With Senator Obama's left hand on the Bible and the entire world listening, Justice Roberts said,

"I Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear..."

Before he could finish the sentence, Senator Obama interrupted him and began repeating the line. Roberts paused and Obama then repeated the entire first line. Minor mistake and clearly human in nature.

This error was followed by a misquoting of the oath initiated by Justice Roberts and repeated by Senator Obama. From there onward, the oath was administered correctly.

The fact that the oath was misquoted raised doubt and discomfort in the minds of White House lawyers. Our U.S. Constitution specifies the exact words to be used in the oath. When the words were misspoken, the oath was compromised. Unless something was done to rectify this mistake, it was quite possible that someone, somewhere, somehow could legally wrestle the office away from President Obama. All because the words matter.

Fortunately and wisely, President Obama and Justice Roberts did the oath-taking ceremony properly the next day. Although many media commentators and American citizens missed the seriousness of the decision, the legal pundits did not. They had a grave sense that there would be a day of reckoning unless action was taken. They had to make it right. They knew that words matter.

As embarrassing as it may have been, taking the time to do it right was the right decision because the U.S. Constitution is binding law for all Americans. Similarly, the Bible is binding law for all mankind and especially for those who swear allegiance to Christ and carry His flag in our hearts, our homes and our churches.

God's commands are to be taken seriously, His words matter. Just like with the Inaugural Day oath that was re-done to get it right, we are given second chances to get it right. Just like with the Inaugural Day oath, there are risks we assume when we chose to ignore what the law says.

There are 143 million orphans in the world today, 500, 000 children in foster care within the United States. We took an oath of allegiance when we claimed Christ as Lord. And His heart for the orphan, the poor and the oppressed is clear. His words matter.

Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Psalm 82:3

Not all are called to adopt but ALL are called to help, to look after and to care for the orphan. In doing so, we get to see the heart of God. Be careful though, it may change your life. Watch and see!

Pilgrims with Purpose

Something miraculous happens at the instant a person surrenders to the Hound of Heaven. They become what I like to call Pilgrims with Purpose ~ citizens of heaven on the way home ~ and they are outfitted for the journey in a special way. Even though their destination may be secure, each pilgrim has a mission ~ a special purpose ~ to fulfill on their journey.

As we begin our way home, we are given personal provisions to use and we all get them in different measure. We are given an array of travel vouchers called time, talents and treasures. Add to those, special vouchers of tenderness.

I want to let you in on something important regarding these time, talent, treasure and tenderness vouchers.

• The goal is not to keep them!
• The goal is to use them for Kingdom purposes.

Ever get a voucher from an airline? If not used, they expire and are worthless. In a similar way, far too many pilgrims will arrive at end of their journey with all of their travel vouchers still in hand and they are worthless then.

When we arrive, the receipts for what we did in His name will have more value to us there than the vouchers ever did here. The vouchers are worthless when we arrive but those receipts are priceless! We don't necessarily get to see those receipts we acquire on the journey - but I am confident that He has each one of them secured in our account.

The Apostle Peter knew that we can easily become more like a citizen of the world and less like a pilgrim on sacred journey. If we forget that the journey will end, we can easily spend our time, talents, treasures and tenderness on trinkets offered on the roadsides of life. For that reason, Peter wrote these words:

… remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth (1 Peter 1:17)

Pilgrims with Purpose are called to an uncommon mission.

• We are not to be divided but unified
• We are not to be me-focused but they-focused
• We are not to harbor grudges, but to drain our hearts of bitterness
• We are not to withhold giving to others but to share with others generously
• We are not to love only when others love us first, but we are to love much!

To be honest, if we lived that way, really lived like Pilgrims with Purpose, using our vouchers purposely there would be no room in our churches on Sunday. People would be coming from everywhere to be refreshed and restored. Standing room only. Generous offerings. Numerous salvations. Frequent baptisms. Plentiful Servants.

It has been said that the new apologetic of our faith is not intellectual sophistication BUT justice. Compassion and justice are the platforms that healthy churches will stand on to share the love of Christ in our communities and the world. It is great to see this happening and it is in many places. That's the Church!

Are you a pilgrim with purpose? Click on the play button and see -

Known the World Over

At this time of the year around the globe there is one name that frequently appears in newspapers, on billboards, in TV ads and letters. An immortal man whose story has been told to people in every land throughout the generations. Many believe that we can learn much about the purpose of life by seeing what he did while on this earth. Many look forward to his coming. And many do not. Some believe that he is just a myth fabricated by the church. Some fear him and many adore him. Known by many names, who is this immortal man?

On this eve of Christmas, I share with you this story credited to Max Lucado from The Angels were Silent.
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Some call him Sinterklaas. Others call him Papa Noel. He’s been known as Hoteiosho, Sonnerklaas, Father Christmas, Jelly Belly, and to most English speakers, Santa Claus. His original name was Nicholas, which means victorious. He was born in 280 A.D. in what is now Turkey. He was an orphan at age nine when his parents died of a plague. Though many would think Santa majored in toy-making and minored in marketing, actually the original Nicholas studied Greek philosophy and Christian doctrine.

He was honored by the Roman Catholic church by being named Bishop of Myra in the early fourth century. He held the post until his death on December 6, 343. History recognized him as a saint, but in the third century he was a bit of a troublemaker. He was twice jailed, once by the Emperor Diocletian for religious reasons, the other for slugging a fellow bishop during a fiery debate. (So much for finding out who is naughty and nice.)

Old Nick never married. But that’s not to say he wasn’t a romantic. He was best known for the kindness he showed to a poor neighbor who was unable to support his three daughters or provide the customary dowry so they could attract husbands. Old Saint Nicholas slipped up to the house by night and dropped a handful of gold coins through the window so the eldest daughter could afford to get married. He repeated this act on two other nights for the other two daughters.

This story was the seed which, watered with years, became the Santa legend. It seems that every generation adorned it with another ornament until it sparkled more than a Christmas tree. The gift grew from a handful of coins to bags of coins. Instead of dropping them through the window, he dropped them down the chimney. And rather than land on the floor, the bags of coins landed in the girls’ stockings which were hanging on the hearth to dry. The centuries have been as good to Nicholas’s image as to his deeds. Not only have his acts been embellished, his wardrobe and personality have undergone transformations as well.
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Back then it was just a few coins in a stocking for a poor child. Today, Saint Nick is "responsible" for $50,000 cars with big red bows on the front lawn of American homes. (P.S. Not here! The largest gift I ever gave Wendy was a clothes dryer when we were first married - a mistake not repeated).

Santa Claus has clearly changed throughout the years. Not so with Jesus Christ. He remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Unlike Father Christmas who comes every year, Jesus is coming back only one more time .

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.
(1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Jesus is coming back! May He find each of us Worthy and Working when He comes.
Merry Christmas to All

(this video is awesome! From http://www.adventconspiracy.org/ )

Lines on the Left and the Right

The Christmas season is always a great study in human behavior. Lines everywhere. Clerks going back and forth telling people which lines to be in. Many times people ask me if they are in the right line. I have to think for a moment before I answer. You see, someday everything will stop, we will leave our packages behind and new lines will form on the left and on the right of the Christ of Christmas. What we do now, could etermine the line we will be in then.

In the last sermon recorded by the Matthew, Jesus describes the lines on that day, not as a parable (do not miss this point) but with the frankness of our favorite TV reality show. The lines will form before Him one person at a time. On that day, Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. Many of us do not like to hear that. After all, aren’t all “Christians”, the sheep? Aren't all "Christians" saved?

On what basis will He make his selection? The answer surprises many “believers” including church pastors. The test that Jesus will use is pretty simple, Jesus said. “I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

How do we get into the right line? What is the sign of the saved? Their deep and profound scholarship? Their willingness to tithe their income? Their elaborate mission strategies? Their role on a church board? Their skillful sermons laced with Hebrew and Greek words? Their attendance at large and growing church churches? Sorry, but the answer is not necessarily.

I love the way that Max Lucado describes the test:
The sign of the saved is their love for the least.

Max Lucadi says that those on the right hand of God will be those who gave hope to the helpless, food to the hungry, love to the fatherless, drink to the thirsty, warmth to the lonely, clothing to the naked, comfort to the sick, and friendship to the imprisoned, etc. Those "Christians" who did not - are on the left. I tend to agree with him.

Jesus lives in the lives of the forgotten. He has taken up residence in the ignored and the poor. If we want to see Jesus we must go among the lonely, the single mom doing life alone, the child in foster care, the broken and busted people of life and there we will see Him. If you want to see Jesus, then you must be willing to go where He is. And He is very much alive this day here and around the world.

Have you seen Jesus lately? If not, perhaps you are in the wrong line.

To be honest, once you are with the poor and forgotten, especially the children, the Christian life is given new meaning and purpose. Doing church as normal loses its significance. Sadly, many who will attend church this week, are in the wrong line and do not know it. This Christmas as we stop for just a day to recall His birth, remember the “inauguration” speech that Jesus gave in the temple in Luke 4:18-19

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me, the Anointed One, the Messiah, to preach the good news, the Gospel, to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed, those who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity. To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord, the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.

The sign of the saved is their love for the least. I believe that.

Merry Christmas.

Looking at Eternity Through a Keyhole

I have to admit that there have been many days of late when I am completely unsure of what is next for A Child's Hope International. Oh, I am convinced of the mission for orphans and vulnerable children. No problem there. The doubt comes from within. It is fear of the unknown.

When the fear comes, the mind goes into overdrive. The mind says that ... there is no way to care for the children of the world when you cannot take care of your own. How do we pay the mortgage? Or health insurance? Or get ready for the weddings of the girls in this home (4 left)? Or college? Retirement funds? House repairs? Car repairs? The list goes on.

Our family income has shrunk over 75% since we left Hope Church last May. That is a cold water reality and when you are cold, your knees shake. And when they shake, you are unable to run the race set before you.

Our 401k's have been slashed in 1/2. Our house has shrunk in value. We want to sell but we can’t. Somehow those things become larger than life. The losses can distort reality and blur the vision of what is really before us. As a result, it is easy to see eternity only through the narrow lens of a keyhole.

The reality is something that Dave Wilkinson mentioned in "A Life God Rewards" when he said that everything we do today, matters forever. Everything!

There is a direct link between what we do today and what we will experience after we die. Astoundingly, the majority of spiritual seekers around the world - including millions who follow Jesus Christ - seemed to have missed what He said. At times, I have been one of them because of fear:

• Our eternal destiny is the result of what we believe on earth
• Our eternal reward is the result of how we behave on earth

Amidst all of the losses and the doubts of tomorrow, the reality is that Wendy and I are blessed beyond measure. We still have something in savings for the future and we have a home. Even far more important is that our eternal destination is secure without any doubt!

Eternity is far greater than what I have seen through the keyhole of my own fear. May the Lord forgive me for my doubt, my fear and my hesitation to let go of all of what is on this side of the keyhole.

Today, God used a poignant video about Sam & Esther to refocus our vision on His children and I clearly heard His voice say “The children are waiting - where are you?" After you click the play button, let me know what you think at lebergeron@achildshopeintl.org

Sam and Esther's Story

The Perfect Christmas Gift

This Christmas season, please consider saving the life of a child with a very special gift - life saving food.

Instead of a present that you have to shop for when the person probably already has everything that they need, send them a card instead (with one of our very special replicas of a Kids Against Hunger box).

In the card, share with them you provided Kids Against Hunger food for 216 children in their name! Ask them to do the same for you and pass the blessing around. You can check out the details at http://www.nomorehunger.us/