Compassion Bloggers to India

I have been actively involved in the ministry of Compassion International for many years and have seen countless children set free from the bonds of poverty as a result. In my years of sharing the ministry of Compassion I have met many a skeptic. Unfortunately there are enough "relief agencies" out there that are less than honorable with the money that has been generously entrusted to them. As a result skepticism often arises in people's minds when introduced to the ministry of Compassion International.

Aside from being very open with their financial information they do a great job of giving people a first hand look at their ministry in action. One of the many ways they effectively accomplish this are blogger tours. To date they have taken bloggers to Uganda and the Dominican Republic. On April 26 a team of five bloggers leave for Kolkata, India to experience first hand the abject poverty, and the difference Compassion is making in the lives of those living in it.

Following along with these bloggers to see what they see, and feel what they feel.

If you have not already, prayerfully consider sponsoring a child today. The relationship you will enjoy and the difference you will make will be greater than you can imagine. Click here to begin your ministry to a very special needy child.

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.' Matthew 25:40.

To Be Like Dad

I recently posted this picture of my son, mowing the lawn with me to my Twitter account. My accompanying tweet said, "Getting the lawn mowed. Nice to have a 'little help.'" Little did I know, such a simple picture would inspire my friend Greg to write the following blog post. It is so good, I share it here.

Consider My Servant

Recently, a friend of mine went out to mow his lawn. While he was mowing, his 4 year old son came out, with his toy lawn mower, to “help” him. My friend was so excited and proud and impressed that his son wanted to help, that he took a picture of it and posted it on Twitter.

It’s a very cute picture: there is the front of my friend’s lawn mower (I think it’s a John Deere). To the right of the mower is the freshly cut grass, to the left of the mower is the uncut grass, and right in front of it is his little boy pushing his toy lawn mower that looks almost like Dad’s.

Now, you know he’s not really helping…it’s a toy, it’s not really doing anything, but I wonder what was going through that little guy’s mind. I came up with five things he might be thinking:

1. I want to be with my Dad.

2. I want to be like my Dad.

3. I want to please my Dad.

4. I’m really helping him out.

5. I bet he’s proud of me.

(Knowing my friend like I do, and the fact that he posted the picture, I know number 5 is true.)

I thought of a similar story in Job 1:6-9:

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

(A side note: If God twittered this question it would look like this: Have U considered my servant Job, that thr is none lk him on the earth, a blameless & upright man, who fears God & turns away from evil?)

Just like my friend, God is proud of His people who do good, after all it’s what we were created for. (Ephesians 2:10)

The thing that struck me the most is the fact that, even though God is proud of me for doing good works, and even though I get all full of myself for “helping” my Heavenly Father, I sometimes wonder if I’m mowing the lawn with a toy lawn mower. And then I think, maybe that’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)

My motivation for doing good should be 1, 2, 3, and 5 on that little boy’s list:

1. I want to be with my Dad.

2. I want to be like my Dad.

3. I want to please my Dad.

5. I bet he’s proud of me.

If I convince myself that any of my good works are worth anything I’m kidding myself. (Isaiah 64:6) But I’m going to keep doing them, because I want to make my Daddy proud.


So good! May we all strive to be more and more like our Daddy.

Safety First?

How safe do you play it? Do you live life to the fullest or do you play it safe? Conventional wisdom says to play it safe. It tells us to get a good job, save lots of money, and retire comfortably. Is that really the life God invites us into?

These are questions I have wrestled with over the years. Which is more responsible, to store away so that I can eventually enjoy a comfortable retirement and hopefully leave something behind for my kids, or to live a life of faith and trust? A life that gives more than it saves. A life that is more concerned about the life to come than this present one.

In my current pursuit of what God has next for my family and me, I wrestle with these thoughts. Do I hold out for the "perfect job" that promises to provide all the things on our list of desires, or do I walk through the doors God is opening before us to serve Him right here, right now? The "perfect job" may or may not come. The one thing I am certain of, is the one who is perfect, promises to meet us where we are, and to provide for our every need. What He desires of us is faithfulness (Matthew 6:25-33).

God does not call us into a life of safety. He calls us into a radical lifestyle of trust and faith. It's not always a safe life, but it's an exciting life, and one that culminates in hearing the words, "Well done good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21). It is those very words that I hope to hear someday.

I hope this Francis Chan video challenges you as it does me.