Adoption Funds

Sunday, November 7, 2010

163 Million Too Many

"External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world."  James 1: 27 (Amplified Bible)



It is ALWAYS the right thing to do--

to visit

to help

to care

for orphans and widows in their affliction and need.

It is ALWAYS the right thing!  You don't have to question or wonder or doubt or hesitate.  It is NEVER the wrong thing to do to reach out to the orphans and widows in this world!  It is NEVER a waste of your time.  It is NEVER a waste of your resources.  God will NEVER wish you were doing something else. 


Today is Orphan Sunday.  There are an estimated 163 million orphans in the world today!  Such a mind boggling number!  But, there are approximately 2.2 BILLION Christians in the world today.  I firmly believe that we are the answer to the crisis.  I believe that if you have a personal relationship with God that your question should be "How do you want me to help orphans and widows?" not "Do you want me to help orphans and widows?"  Because you can be assured that He wants you to help.  The only real question is how.  Here are 10 ways that you can reach out :

Pray for them

Speak up / Advocate for them
 
Provide for their needs

Support those who support them

Protect them from harm

 Visit them where they are

Give sacrificially to them

Encourage them to press on (Mentor, Tutor)

Adopt them into your family

Mobilize your church for them

Pick one.  Any one.  Or 2, or 3, or all 10.  I double dog dare you to try all 10!  Your life will never be the same! 

"He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."  Matthew 10:39

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Goers and Senders -- We Need Each Other

So, as Christians I believe that we all have a job to do.  I do not believe that God saved your soul just for you to be a bench warmer.  I believe that each one of us should be busy about the Father's business.  However, we are not cookie-cutter clones of each other.  Going about God's business often looks different for each of us.  But, God celebrates differences, and He uses our uniqueness for a purpose.


"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.  A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other."  1 Corinthians 12: 4-7 (NLT)


God makes us different, and gives us different jobs on purpose so that we can help each other.  You see God packed the very thing I need in your giftings and talents and resources.  He made us to interconnect.  He made us to need each other.  So, although He may call me to go and do, He does not give me everything that I need to get there and get it done.  Because this is not a solo performance--it is a choir.  It is not a one man band--it is an orchestra.  In order to accomplish my God-given mission I need you.


Case in point: Nehemiah

Nehemiah was heartbroken about the news from back home.  His hometown was in shambles.  Everything was in utter disrepair, and they had no protection because the wall had been destroyed.  Nehemiah prayed, and prayed, and prayed, but it just wasn't enough.  The wall had to be rebuilt.  He had the passion, and felt the call.  He was stirred to action, and was ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work.  Just one problem:  he had the heart, but not the means.  His pockets were empty.  But, Nehemiah was not dissuaded by his lack of funds.  Because he knew someone that did have them. 

Enter the King.  You see Nehemiah worked for the king--the man with the means.  Nehemiah prayed for favor.  "Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” (Nehemiah 1:11)  Then one day the door of opportunity opened: the king noticed Nehemiah's heavy heart, and not only did he ask him what was wrong, he asked him how he, the King, could help Nehemiah, his servant!  It was the opportunity Nehemiah had prayed for.  And yet Nehemiah was terrified--it is NOT easy to ask people for money.  But, Nehemiah DID ask and the King DID give.
 
You see they both had a part to play in order to accomplish the task.  Nehemiah was the Goer and the King was the Sender.  It took them both to accomplish the rebuilding of the wall.  Just like in the case of Nehemiah and the King I believe that God still hooks the Goers up with the Senders.  He hitches those with the passion together with those that have the means.


I have had the pleasure of making a new friend, Christie.  She is a Goer.  God has given her a passion for the children of Africa.  She will be moving there shortly to start her newly appointed job of being the headmaster of a school in the Bugabo Village in Uganda.  She has the passion, and has accepted the call.  Her desire is to provide the 220 students under her care a uniform, a pair of shoes, school supplies, a meal during school each day, and any medical/dental visits needed for this school year.  In order to do that she needs $100 per student--$22,000 total.  She currently has 17 of the 220 students sponsored.

Christie needs Senders. 

She needs those that God has appointed with the means to step forward and donate.  Because although God called her to go, He did not give her everything she needed.  Why?  Because He gave it to YOU.  Because God designed us to interconnect.  He designed us to need each other.  Just like it took Nehemiah and the King to rebuild the wall, it will take Christie and her Senders to bless the students in Bugabo Village.

You can find all the details of how to get involved here.  Being a Sender is important, just as important as being the Goer.  One is not more important that the other--just different.  So say yes.  Say yes to God's call to be a Sender, and when you do come back here and tell me.  I want to give you something to commemorate you answering the call of the Sender.  The first 75 sponsors who come back and comment on this post will receive this lapel pin from me (it is a 1" pin of Africa with a heart over Uganda).  Make sure to leave your e-mail address when commenting so that I can contact you regarding your mailing information.  Thank you for answering the call--it takes each of us doing our part to accomplish the work that God has laid before us.  He made us that way on purpose.  He made us to need each other.