Don't Mess With the Shoes!

I know this is going to step on a few toes but I just wanted to share this as something to consider.  A quick search online and a little math reveals that between shoes, hair, and cosmetics the average woman will spend around $112 a month.  Now sure hair, makeup, and shoes are important but just consider that for less than half of that amount ($38 a month) the life of a child can be rescued from the grips of extreme poverty.

Just something to think about...

       While you're thinking head on over to Compassion to see the children you give hope to.

My Life Was Changed

Now that you have seen the video go to Sponsor a Child and see the children whose lives you can change.

What do I say?

When faced with the task of trying to get others to sponsor a child through Compassion International the task can seem rather daunting.  After all, you are asking people to do something that they are not generally inclined to do - part with their money.  More specifically you are asking them to part with their money for what may seem to be no return.  At the end of this transaction you want be handed a plastic bag full of stuff for you to take home and watch, listen to, wear, or eat.  The most tangible item that you will receive are letters from your child. 

So then when it comes to asking people to sponsor a child the question becomes, what exactly do I say that will convince someone to, at the very least, look at the children who need sponsored? This is then followed by more questions:  Do I appeal to your desire to help one less fortunate?  Do I try the ol' guilt trip?  Perhaps I should offer stories of the lives that have been changed by sponsorship?  Do I speak about Compassion's integrity and their consistently high ranking as a charitable organization?  Do I begin to quote the many scriptures that speak to helping the poor?  Do I talk about the change it will make in your life as you form a relationship with your child and watch them grow?  Maybe I should talk about the opportunity sponsorship gives for you to teach your children the values of caring for others, sacrifice, and of sharing Christ?  Maybe I need to speak to all of these issues.  But right now all I can really think to do is to beg for you to change the life of a child in poverty and to plead with you to at least go and take a look at some of the children in need.

Please go to Sponsor a Child and read about the children who need your help.  Take time to pray for them and allow for God to direct your heart to sponsor one of these precious children.

Thank you and God bless.
- John

Help a Child

The What and Why of Sponsorship

In my last post I explained that Compassion International has declared the month of September to be "Blog Month!"  During this time Compassion is seeking to have over 3000 children sponsored.  This begs the question of just what is sponsorship?

From Compassion's website the following information can be found:

"The hallmark of Compassion's work is one-to-one child sponsorship. A sponsor is someone who has made the decision to personally invest in the life of a child in need. Through sponsorship, children are able to participate in a church-based program that offers life-changing benefits that range from educational opportunities to health care.

The children Compassion serves receive, among other things: the opportunity to hear the gospel and learn about Jesus; regular Christian training; educational opportunities and help; health care, hygiene training and supplementary food if necessary; a caring and safe Christian environment to grow in self-confidence and social skills; personal attention, guidance and love."

However, if you ask me what sponsorship is I'd have to say that it is hope.  A child in the grips of extreme poverty is inside an ever turning cycle of struggling to survive with little to no hope of anything ever changing.  When a child is sponsored that child and the child's family is given hope that the child has a future with choices.  A future in which one can go from merely surviving day to day to thriving.  Most importantly they now have hope in that God is at work and that He is working through His Church.

The question now is will you be willing to give a child HOPE?

Click on Sponsor a Child to sponsor a child today.

Compassion Blog Month!

As I write this it is now exactly 50 minutes away from September 1st.  Normally this wouldn't be that big of a deal but this year it is a little different.  This year Compassion International has designated September as Blog Month.  Throughout the month they have asked bloggers to help spread the word about the work of Compassion International and most importantly to work at getting a record of 3,108 children sponsored this month.

So this month I'll be regularly writing about child sponsorship and how you can change the life of a child (as well as that child's family, village, perhaps country, and yourself).  But for now I would just like to invite you to click on the Compassion badge on the right of this blog to learn more about Compassion.  Also, if you have a blog of your own you can join in on Blog Month by going to the following link: Compassion Bloggers.  Just to make it a little more exciting for you, everyone who blogs for Compassion is also entered to win some great prizes and giveaways.  Honestly though, blogging to release "children from poverty in Jesus' name" is all the reward you need.

Use Your Voice to Save the Adoption Tax Credit

I'd like to encourage you to watch this short video about the Adoption Tax Credit and then to ask you to act on behalf of not only the families who wish to adopt but also on behalf of the over 140 million orphans who need a home.

I know that from a personal perspective if it had not been for the adoption tax credit it would have been very unlikely that we would have been able to adopt.  Please use this video and the information provide at http://adoptiontaxcredit.org/ to contact your Representatives/Senators and to ask them to support this very important tax credit.

Thank you.

Ready to Suffer?

This is a tremendous opportunity to share the Gospel to unreached people groups.

Grace's Story

Please take the time to watch this and consider supporting the work of International Justice Mission (IJM). Thank you.

What is CSP? from Compassion International on Vimeo.

Taking a Stand Against Racist Churches

So it has been quite a long time since my last post but somethings just have to be addressed.  I do hesitate to write about this because I admittedly don't know all the facts.  However, if what this article says is true about a church refusing to allow a couple to marry in their building because the couple is black then something must be done.

Now I said that I don't have all of the facts and one fact that I don't have is whether this is a Southern Baptist (Great Commission) church.  However, they are listed on the Mississippi Baptist Convention website and the Executive Director of the Mississippi Baptist Convention, Rev. Jim Futral is quoted in the article as saying, "It's not reflective of the spirit of the Lord and Mississippi Baptists."  So believing that this is a SBC church I would like to address this issue as a SBC church member and pastor.

This is one of those great occasions where the whole idea of autonomy of the local church has to be addressed.  We as Southern Baptist cannot, nor should we, stand by and allow a church to so blatantly stand in the grips of the egregious sin of racism.  The article states that the church is now "holding internal meetings to decide out how it should respond to future wedding requests by black couples."  Well, that is just wonderful.  Meanwhile, the Mississippi Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention should be holding their own meetings to rebuke this church, seek repentance and if that does not take place then to move to remove this church from SBC fellowship.

How can we as a convention who just loudly proclaimed to the world a new era in SBC life with the election of Fred Luter to being the first black president of our convention allow for such things to stand.  Rev. Jim Frutal's words that this is not reflective of Baptist were surely right but I pray they there is some action behind those words.  I pray that we as Southern Baptist will not hide behind the cloak of local autonomy to allow this church to go undisciplined.