I Am Free

I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet Jay who appears in the video. He is an amazing individual. See his story here:

Then head over to Compassion and set a child free! Thank you.

Sewing Up That Curtain

Scripture records that at the time of Jesus' death the curtain in the Temple that separated the Holy of Holies (where God resides) from the rest of the Temple (and world) was torn in two from top to bottom.  The torn curtain signifies that the final sacrifice and atonement for sin has been made in Christ. Furthermore, it showed that the separation that existed between the Holy and the unholy is no longer there.  The torn curtain reveals that the incarnation - God being one with us and one among us - not only did not come to an end with Jesus on the cross but that the incarnation would now find its greatest fulfillment. From this point forward there would no longer be a divide between God and God's people. The torn curtain reveals that the separation of the sacred and and secular, the holy and the profane was no longer applicable. The holy would no longer be confined to the Holy of Holies in a Temple but would be in the world and accessible to all.

Unfortunately, it seems that we Christians are often so fearful of sinning and of sinners that we are constantly at work trying to sew together the curtain that is torn in two. We pray (or arrogantly assume) that as we mend the torn curtain that we are on the side of the Holy. It is as if we constantly strive to ignore the incarnational life that we are now called to live. We justify this action by saying that we are trying to be holy. Ignoring the fact that we are made holy in Christ by his grace. Instead of allowing the holy to come into the world we strive to do all we can to separate ourselves from all that is and all who are unholy. Think about the many ways we do this. We have christian music, christian TV and movies. We have christian resorts, travel tours and christian cruises. We even have our own sports leagues. In our attempts to by culturally relevant we still dress christian (go to Nashville and see how many times you can spot the culturally relevant worship leaders being hip in the coffee shops).

I realize that many will say that as christians we are to live separate from the world. That we are to be set apart. Indeed we are set apart by God and to God. However, God has chosen not be separate from the world. God has chosen to come into the world, to redeem that which had been lost, to restore a relationship that had been broken.

It seems that we often use the idea of being set apart to God as an excuse for placing barriers (like a big heavy, thick curtain) up between us and our neighbors. It is as if we say, "Lord thank you for allowing us into the Holy of Holies to be with you. Now close that thing back up before we become tainted by the outside world." In living this way we reveal that it is our desire is to once again place a separation between that which is clean and that which is unclean. We fail to recognize that what has separated the sacred from the secular has been torn away. The Kingdom is at hand. It is present. It is incarnate. God is with us. The curtain is torn and God has given us all access to the Holy of Holies. The curtain is torn and God has come out of the Holy of Holies to be with his people. The curtain is torn.

Grace.

Sometimes a Pastor Has Something Good To Say

Now, go here and start a relationship that will bless you and a bless a child.

SPONSOR A CHILD TODAY!

Creating Change

One of the reasons I am proud to be associated with Compassion International is because of their commitment to always work through local churches. After watching this video be sure to head on over to the Compassion site and sponsor a child whose life will be changed through the ministry of the local church.
Compassion's Commitment to the Church from Compassion International on Vimeo.

You will Fall in Love with this Child -- Guaranteed!

 I know it's been a while but I thought you just needed to see this. Oh, and when you are done watching it be sure to head over to Compassion and sponsor a child.


   

It's a lie...

I recently read this quote and just had to share. This is from Dr. Wess Stafford, former Compassion President:

 At its very core, poverty is a mindset that goes far beyond the tragic circumstances. 

It is the cruel,  destructive message that gets whispered into the ears of millions

 by the enemy Satan himself: "Give up! You don't matter. Nobody cares about you.

 Look around you: Things are terrible. Always have been, always will be. Think back.

 Your grandfather was a failure. Your parents couldn't protect or take care of you

. Now it's your turn. You, too, will fail. So just give up!"

Please don't allow this lie to continue to be told to these beautiful children who by no fault of their own find themselves in the grips of the destructive force of extreme poverty.  

PLEASE SPONSOR A CHILD TODAY!

These children no longer are listening to the lie that poverty tells them.  They are worthy. Someone does care for them.

What will it take?

Saying goodbye.

By now if you've been reading my blogs then you know that I'm trying desperately to get just 41 new sponsors for children through Compassion International. Yesterday, I tried to convince people to sponsor by pulling out the big gun - Scriptures. I've showed pictures of one of the children we sponsor that I met just a couple of weeks ago in Bangladesh. I've even offered to eat a bowl of broccoli if the goal of 41 new sponsors is reached and I HATE broccoli.

Today though I'm asking for your help. I'm asking what you would do to convince others to sponsor? I'm also asking what would you need in order for you to become a child sponsor? What would you like to know? What would it take to get you to change the life of a child in need?

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.  As always, let me encourage you to SPONSOR A CHILD and to please pass this along. Thank you and God bless.

Some People Need a Little Convincing...

I realize that in my efforts to find 41 new sponsors of children through Compassion International that there are some people who need just a little more convincing than others.  So with that thought in mind I turn to a greater authority on the issue than myself in order to inspire those of you who are still wondering why you should sponsor a child. 

 
Deuteronomy 10:18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 14:28-29 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.

Deuteronomy 15:11 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.

Joshua 1:14-15 ...You are to help your brothers until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you...

1 Samuel 2:7-8 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.

Nehemiah 9:27 ...But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

Psalm 9:18 But the needy will not always be forgotten,  nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

Psalm 12:5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD. "Then I will protect them from those who malign them."

Psalm 72:12-14 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.  He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Psalm 82:3-4 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 102:17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.

Psalm 140:12 I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

Proverbs 3:27-28 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" — when you now have it with you.

Proverbs 11:24-25 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 14:20-21 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.

Proverbs 14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Proverbs 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

Proverbs 22:9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

Proverbs 22:16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich — both come to poverty.

Proverbs 28:27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

Proverbs 31:8-9 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Proverbs 31:20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

Isaiah 1:17 Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Isaiah 25:4 You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.

Jeremiah 22:16 "He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.

Lamentations 4:4 Because of thirst the infant's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth; the children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them.

Ezekiel 16:49 "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Matthew 6:3-4 "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Matthew 25:34-40 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed."

Luke 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Acts 20:35 "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

1 Corinthians 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 8:2-4, 7 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.But just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us — see that you also excel in  this grace of giving.

James 1:27 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 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

James 2:15-17 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 

Now I suppose you could continue to argue all the reasons you have for not sponsoring a child but do you really want to do that? Go on now and SPONSOR A CHILD!  Please remember to drop me a line and let me know that you are not sponsoring a child AND please pass this along to others.  Thank you and God bless.

It's Simple Math Really...

Everyone knows that math is not my strong suit. However the math here is simple enough that I can even do it. The math is this: I have over 700 friends on Facebook that I have bombarded with my desire to have 41 new children sponsored through Compassion International by my 41st birthday this March 8th. Now that is 700 people who have been asked to sponsor. I have also asked 700 people to share my birthday request with their friends. Let's assume (and be very conservative) that each of those 700 have at least 200 of their own friends that are not mutual friends of mine. So if each of those 700 shared my birthday request with their friends that would be an additional 140000 people who would be contacted with the request to sponsor a child. So in total more than 140,700 people would know of the 41 for 41 campaign. This means that in order to reach 41 new sponsors less than 1% of the total number of potential people who will hear about this request need to actually respond by sponsoring a child.

Now to be honest, when I started this little campaign I really didn't think it would be possible. Now I'm thinking that the numbers don't lie. Honestly, with a potential audience of over 140,000 people the number 41 seems too small. Of course this is all contingent upon my friends passing this on to their friends.

So as always I'm simply asking that you SPONSOR A CHILD but this is a post to truly ask that you send this on to your friends. Please make sure that all your friends know about the 41 for 41. With your help we should easily reach 41 new sponsors which means 41 children whose lives will be forever changed.

Thank you for your help and God bless.

John with Munna, Munna's Grandmother, Munna's social worker and Timothy our interpreter.

Not fully home yet...

Well, it's been a while since I've added to this blog. So here is a brief update.

A few weeks ago I started a little campaign that I called 41 for 41. The intention is to get 41 new sponsors for children through Compassion International before my 41st birthday which is March 8th. I made a few post about this and then perhaps it looked like I just stopped, died, or simply stepped off the earth for awhile. Well, none of that is true. The fact is that I went on a trip to Bangladesh where I had the opportunity to meet, eat with, play soccer, play cricket,and to dance with some of the wonderful children who are not just surviving but are now living because they are sponsored through Compassion. I've been back home now for a while but have found it difficult to write (although I will be sharing more of this great trip later) because frankly I'm not fully home yet. Truth is part of me is still in Bangladesh. Part of me who had the chance to laugh, cry, and hug these wonderful children is still there but with the added pressure of not actually being there. There is the desire to be there and to protect them from the harsh realities of the world that they must live in.  Never the less, I'm here far away and detached. This is something that I'm still struggling to process.  All of this is further complicated by my desire to be fully home for my family here. We must never forget the present of being present.

So I am home, but not fully home yet. Perhaps the remedy is found in extending my definition of home. One of the last things I said to Munna, our sponsored child, before we left was that he is family. So perhaps I will never by fully home or perhaps my home is in North Carolina, Florida, Ethiopia, and now Bangladesh. I'd like to encourage you to extend your heart and to extend your home. Extend your family to a child that is perhaps half way around the world. Extend your love to a child by sponsoring today. 

Finally, when you do sponsor a child will you please send me a message so I know how close we are to reaching the 41 for 41.  And would you be so kind to help share this with others as well. Thank you and God bless.

                                                       SPONSOR A CHILD HERE!

Family

 

41 Reasons...

As many of you know by now I'm trying to get 41 children sponsored through Compassion International for my 41st birthday which is March 8th. I thought it might be helpful if I were to give you 41 reasons to sponsor a child.  So, in no particular order here are 41 reasons to sponsor a child:

1. It gives you the chance to be a world missionary without ever leaving your home.
2. You can write to your child.
3. Your child will write to you.
4. It gives you the opportunity to explore a new culture.
5. It reminds you that the church is universal.
6. It is a reason to try new foods.
7. If you have children, it is a great way to introduce them to the issues that children around the world are facing.
8. It's my birthday and I have asked you to.
9. Compassion is Christ centered.
10. Compassion is child focused.
11. Compassion is church based.
12. Compassion is committed to integrity.
13. Compassion has received Charity Navigator's highest rating for over 10 years.
14. Compassion has a holistic approach to child sponsorship meeting the spiritual, physical, social, and      economic needs of the child.
15. It's biblical. "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18
16. Because more than 6 million children die each year from malnutrition.
17. There are 1.8 million diarrheal-related deaths per year among young children.
18. About 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation - roughly two-fifths of the world's population. 
19. Approximately 1.8 million children die each year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This is around 5,000 deaths a day.
20. About 1 million children each year are diagnosed with intestinal worms causing malnutrition due to the lack of sanitation. 
21. An estimated 130 million of the world's 15- to 24- year-olds cannot read or write.
22. One in six children 5 to 14 years old — about 16 percent of all children in this age group — is        involved in child labor in developing countries. 
23. After drug dealing, human trafficking (both sex trafficking and trafficking for forced labor) is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today, and it is the fastest growing.
24. Worldwide, there are nearly two million children in the commercial sex trade.
25. There are an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 children, women and men trafficked across international  borders annually. 
26. An estimated 20 million children worldwide have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict   and human rights violations.
27. Because Dr. Seuss reminds us that, "A person's a person, no matter how small."
28. Because of what you see in this video (it's long I know but what you really need to see starts at the 3:34 mark through the 10 minute mark - trust me you want to see this): http://vimeo.com/7072300.
29. For the chance to one day meet the child that you sponsor.
30. Because it may mean that you'll have to sacrifice - and that actually is a good thing.
31. Because if it was your child you'd be praying for someone who would provide the hope to your child that you are unable to do.
32. It is your chance to literally change the world.
33. I promised to eat a bowl of broccoli if I get 41 sponsored children by my birthday.
34. It will not only change the life of a child, it will change your life as well.
35. Because of the joy and excitement you will experience each time you get a letter from your child.
36. Because I've already written 35 other reasons!
37. Simply because it's the right thing to do.
38. Because not only will you be changing the life of the child but you will also be changing that child's family and impacting that child's community.
39. Did I mention that it is biblical? Isaiah 58:6-7 - "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"
40. Did I mention that I've agreed to eat a bowl of broccoli if I get 41 children sponsored? Did I mention   that I gag just at the smell of broccoli? 

              And reason number 41 that you should sponsor a child through Compassion is:

41. Because you can.

Now please go on over to Compassion and sponsor a child. Also, if you would please pass this on to encourage others to encourage them, that would be great. Finally, after you sponsor a child please message me and let me know so I can know how we are doing in reaching 41.  Thank you!

I'm willing to make this interesting...

So yesterday I launched a birthday wish campaign that I'm calling 41 for 41.  For my 41st birthday on March 8th I'm looking to get 41 children sponsored through Compassion International. Now I've decided to up the ante.  For everyone who knows me you also know that I absolutely despise broccoli but I will eat it for the kids!  That's right, if I can get 41 children sponsored before March 8th then I will eat, record, and upload a video of me eating a bowl of broccoli.  Now come on folks, that's pure entertainment.

So again I'm asking that you do 3 things:

1. Sponsor a child through Compassion!

2. Share this with everyone you know!

3. Message me that you have sponsored a child so I can keep track of the numbers (by the way, Compassion tracks these numbers too so no cheating here just to get me to eat broccoli).

Thank you and here's to eating some broccoli!

41 for 41

In just under 4 weeks I'll be turning 41. I'm not one for really celebrating my birthday in a big way. Usually just a simple dinner with my family is all I really want. However this year there is something that I really want but it will take quite a few people to make it happen. It will take you who are reading this to not only respond but to help in passing on the birthday request to your social circles as well.

For my birthday this year I want to see 41 children sponsored through Compassion International.  Compassion works to release children from extreme poverty in Jesus' name.  In just a few days I'll be traveling to Bangladesh to see first hand the work that Compassion does and how it is impacting the lives of children, their families, and their communities. I look forward to being able to share what I see and learn on this trip. However I don't need to be on the trip to tell you that I have been involved with Compassion for years. Compassion is Christ centered, child focused, church based, and committed to integrity. I know not only from the over 10 years of 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator but more importantly from the letters we have received from our own sponsored children that Compassion is a program that works.  That children who once had no hope now have hope and a future.

I'm turning 41 this year and I want to celebrate with 41 children who are now being sponsored through Compassion.  Please help me reach this birthday goal by doing these 3 simple things:

              1. Sponsor a Child using this link - Compassion!

        2. Pass this birthday wish on by posting on FB, 
            twitter, etc.

        3. Please either leave me a comment here, on FB, 
            or email me and let me know that you have 
            sponsored a child. 

Thank you for making this the best birthday yet not only for me but for 41 children around the world.

Just a Comparison

I thought I'd take just a moment to share a little side by side comparison of the life in the United States of America to life in Bangladesh.  Enjoy the facts and then head over the Compassion site to find a child whose life you can change forever.  

	Bangladesh	United States
Capital	Dhaka	Washington, D.C.
Population	156,050,883 (July 2010 estimate)	307,212,123 (July 2010 estimate)
Languages	Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English	English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)
Religions	Muslim 89.5%, Hindu 9.6%, other 0.9% (2004)	Christian 78.5% (Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%), Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
Literacy rate Definition: Age 15 and over can read and write.	Male: 54% Female: 41.4% (2001 Census)	Male: 99% Female: 99% (2003 estimate)
Percentage of population using improved drinking water sources	Urban: 85% Rural: 78% (2006 estimate)	Urban: 100% Rural: 94% (2006 estimate)
Percentage of population using adequate sanitation facilities	Urban: 48% Rural: 32% (2006 estimate)	Urban: 100% Rural: 99% (2006 estimate)
Climate	Tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)	Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the Great Plains west of the Mississippi River and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are warmed occasionally in January and February by chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Percentage of population urbanized	27% (2008 estimate)	82% (2008 estimate)
Life expectancy	Male: 57.57 years Female: 63.03 years (2010 estimate)	Male: 75.65 years Female: 80.69 years (2010 estimate)
Under-5 mortality rate	54/1,000 (2008 estimate)	8/1,000 (2008 estimate)
GDP per capita	$1,500 (2009 estimate)	$46,000 (2009 estimate)
Monetary unit	taka (BDT)	U.S. dollar (USD)
Number of people living with HIV/AIDS	12,000 (2007 estimate)	1.2 million (2007 estimate)
Percentage of population living below $1.25 a day	50% (1992-2007 study)	Data not available

Sources for facts: The World Factbook, 2010; The State of the World's Children, 2009

Life in Bangladesh

It won't be long now before I head off to Bangladesh with Compassion International.  Before I go I thought I'd share this little write up on life in Northeastern Bangladesh where the boy that we sponsor lives.  This information comes from Compassion:

Many of the people living in the villages of northeastern Bangladesh are from the Garo tribe. Known for their honesty and industrious spirit, most Garos earn a living by farming. Many of them work on larger farms as day laborers. However, despite their hard work, they earn only a meager wage, insufficient to provide for their children’s basic needs.

Garos typically live in houses made of bamboo, straw and mud. Those who are better off have houses with brick walls and tin roofs. As a rule, these simple houses lack electricity, running water and adequate sanitation facilities.

Unlike the majority of Bangladeshis, who are Muslims, most Garos practice Christianity, and in the northeastern region, Compassion partners primarily with local churches in Garo villages to minister to their children.

Garos typically build their homes with bamboo and straw. Some houses have mud-made walls with a roof of straw or plastic sheets. The houses are 7 by 14 feet in size, and usually house five or six people. Most homes have front yards where families keep their pet cows, chickens and ducks.

                                            Oh yea, now please go and SPONSOR A CHILD!

Also this week Natalie Grant left the Grammys early...

One in six children 5 to 14 years old — about 16 percent of all children in this age group — is involved in child labor in developing countries.

In the least developed countries, 30 percent of all children are engaged in child labor.

Worldwide, 126 million children work in hazardous conditions, often enduring beatings, humiliation and sexual violence by their employers.

An estimated 1.2 million children — both boys and girls — are trafficked each year into exploitative work in agriculture, mining, factories, armed conflict or commercial sex work.

The highest proportion of child laborers is in sub-Saharan Africa, where 26 percent of children (49 million) are involved in work.

Also this week Natalie Grant left the Grammys early - priorities.

Sponsor a Child Today

Reaching 400...

Today is the last day that the team from Compassion will be in Uganda blogging about their experience there.  I mentioned yesterday that it is our hope that during this time that 400 children will find their sponsors.  I urge you to go to this link and to sponsor a child today.  Below you'll see a video of 13 year old Pastor Amon giving thanks for the sponsors that have changed his life and the life of the more than 200 children at this Compassion Center.  Watch it and then SPONSOR A CHILD!  Thank you.

Ordinarily Spectacular

In my past couple of posts I've shared that there is currently a team of Compassion bloggers who are in Uganda visiting a Compassion Child Development Center and then blogging about their experiences.  One thing that I have not mentioned is that during their time there we have a goal of seeing that 400 children find sponsors.  I won't say much today because I really just want you to go this blog by Myquillyn Smith.  In it you'll see just how the ordinary act of compassion with integrity is so spectacular.  When you are done reading be sure to follow this link and SPONSOR A CHILD!

Thank you and God bless!

Calling on the Men...

As I wrote to you yesterday, right now there is a team of Compassion Bloggers in Uganda who are visiting a Compassion Child Development Center and are sharing their experiences each day.  I want to share with you one particular blog from today but before I do I want to tell you why I'm sharing this one.  In the blog you'll read a great story that conveys the need for men to be involved in the work of Compassion.  This is a concern that I have had for a couple of weeks now.  As you know I'll be traveling on my own Compassion trip soon going to Bangladesh. The team that I'll be traveling with is overwhelmingly made up of women.  I've noticed too that the team on the trip to Uganda is primarily women. Now I obviously don't won't to get into a big discussion on women and their role in ministry. Nor do I want to in anyway diminish the wonderful role that women have in sponsoring, working with, and changing the lives of children through Compassion. In fact, my experience with Compassion is that women are the backbone and the core of Compassion sponsors.  However as this blog by Brianne McKoy there is a special place and a special need for men to take an active role in providing hope and love to these wonderful children in need.  With that said please take a moment to read Brianne's blog and more importantly take a moment to find a child whose life you can change forever - Sponsor a Child Today.

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As most of you know I'll be traveling soon to Bangladesh with Compassion International where I'll get the chance to see first hand the work of Compassion.  Also, on the trip I'll get the chance to meet the young boy that my family sponsors. I cannot wait for this amazing opportunity. However, there is still a couple of weeks before I leave and in the mean time I wanted to let you know of another Compassion trip that is taking place right now in Uganda.  This trip is featuring Compassion bloggers who are blogging about their trip everyday.  It is a wonderful opportunity for you to hear first hand accounts of what Compassion is doing and how the lives of children in extreme poverty are being changed.  I encourage you to read their stories and then to sponsor a child.