Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Dry Souls, Muddy Wells, Living Water and Lent (Advocating for the Vulnerable #10)



A tray of dead radish sprouts, a science experiment abandoned on the back porch.

 Beautiful, healthy trees in a park.

 Big differences in many ways!

 The biggest difference is that one is dead and the others alive.

 The difference is water.

 Scientists tell us we can live without food for a long time.
But not water.

 It's easy to become seriously dehydrated, spiritually speaking.

 Parched souls.

 Many of the readers here at Watch the Shepherd have been wounded by churches, Christian organizations and man-made religious systems.

 Some Christian groups are like muddy wells, originally designed to nurture and refresh, but polluted now by pride and power. This water makes you choke and wretch. Better not to drink it at all.

 And so we stop drinking there. Our trust broken, maybe in more than one place, we even stop drinking at all. And we shrivel up.

 Instead, we need to go to Jesus and drink the living water of the Holy Spirit, clean and pure, straight from the source. Scripture tells us that he, the Messiah long foretold, grew up like a root out of dry ground. From his own experience, he knows our need. And he is ready to fill us.  Come.

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him... After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.  Isaiah 53:2

 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.  Isaiah 44:3

 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.  Psalm 1:2-3

 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Jeremiah 2:13

 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:17

 "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:38

 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:3

 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14
~*~*~

Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.

Traditionally, Christians throughout the centuries use the 40 days before Easter to examine themselves and set aside anything that is pulling them away from a deeper faith in Jesus.   Sometimes they give up something, like chocolate or video games.  It is not so much the giving up that renews us, but the turning back to the Lord with thirsty souls.

I want that.

But I want more, too.

Nish at The Deeper Story has written a post called 40 Days of Water.

During Lent, we can make a difference to those who have no clean physical water for their bodies.  Here's the big idea: drink nothing but water until Easter, and give the money you save on beverages (Starbucks, soda, wine, juice, etc.) to an organization like Blood:Water Mission that provides wells and clean water in Uganda.

25554-how-blood-water-mission-reached-1000-wells

You like that idea?  You better believe she does, too!

Blood-Water Mission


Listen, friends!  Let's make this large:

  • 3.4 million people around the world die each year from a lack of access to clean water. Nearly all of those deaths, about 99 percent, occur in the developing world.
  • Half of Africa’s population doesn’t have access to clean water.
  • Lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills children at a rate of a jumbo jet crashing every four hours.



Sobering, yes?

But we can make a difference.

The difference of life and death.

The difference of water.

Let's do this thing.


Drink up!
Virginia Knowles

Posted by at 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Abuse Thrives in a Culture of Shame and Silence (Advocating for the Vulnerable #9)

Dear friends,

I sit at my computer and I don't know quite what to say.

But this...

ABUSE THRIVES IN A CULTURE OF SHAME AND SILENCE.


Oh, there is more. I'll wing it as I go. My heart overflows with grief and indignation.

I read two things yesterday and today, which, when heaped atop everything else I've read and heard over the past several years, has put me into an increased state of holy disequilibrium.

One, the news of an amended lawsuit against the church organization, Sovereign Grace Ministries, of which I am a former longtime member. I have known about some of the charges for quite some time, and also read the original lawsuit brought by three victims last year. Now a total of eight victims in Maryland and Virginia made allegations of decades long sexual abuse and cover-up within the churches, some on church property and by church staff, and all involving shaming and silencing of the victims by pastors and other church leaders. According to the suit, families were ordered not to call the police, and pastors impeded police investigations while covering for the predators. Many of these cases happened in the church that was pastored at the time by C.J. Mahaney, the president of SGM, and the suit alleges that he and other SGM leaders were aware of the abuse and failed to deal with it appropriately. Apart from the lawsuit, there have been countless other accusations made about mishandling of domestic violence and child "discipline" abuse cases.  (Note on May 14, 2013: the lawsuit has been amended again and is absolutely sickening, with allegations of church leaders repeatedly molesting young children on church property.  You can read the newly amended lawsuit here.  I will warn you, this is GRAPHIC and you will be nauseated and/or triggered.  Most of the lawsuit has been dismissed because of the statute of limitations, but that does not mean the issues goes away.  Some of the perps have already served prison time, and more criminal cases are being investigated.  My most recent post, which contains over 20 links to articles related to the amended lawsuit is Sovereign Grace and Saving Face.) How could this happen?  How could these children, in a few of the cases, go for years without reporting the abuse?  How could parents be duped into not pressing charges for molestation crimes?  Unfortunately, this is not just a problem in SGM, but in a host of other religious organizations. It is the culture of shame and silence -- and women, especially young ones, are the most vulnerable to both sexual abuse and domestic violence.

It goes like this -- and I'm translating it into as plain language as I can without being snarky. In both this lawsuit and my extensive research on abuse of authority (especially gender-based) these are some of the pastoral sentiments I've heard about...
  • "We're all sinners. Yes, he might have hurt you, but think of how you have sinned. You have no right to complain." (I call this phenomena "psychological socialism" and I've written about it here.)
  • "You must have been asking for it. Were you dressing modestly enough, or were you causing him to stumble?"
  • "You are a woman. Women are easily deceived like Eve. Are you sure this really happened or were you fantasizing?"
  • "He said he was sorry. You need to meet with him face to face so he can apologize. Be reconciled with your brother in Christ!"
  • "He has apologized to you!  He's really sincere! Now you can forgive and forget! You must not gossip or slander him by telling anyone else about it. If you tarnish his reputation, he'll never be able to get on with his life, keep a job, continue his ministry, and provide for his wife and children."
  • "Yes, he molested you, but he is still your father. You need to respect and obey your father. See, the verse is right here..."
  • "Yes, he molested your daughter, but he is still your husband. You need to respect and submit to your husband. And make sure you give him sex more often so he won't be tempted by your daughter anymore. And you might want to lock her door at night. And while you're at it, you might want to lose some weight."'
  • "Yes, he pushed you around and hit you in the face and left bruises all over your kids, but he is still your husband. Just go home, pray for him, turn the other cheek, and look for better ways to keep your house cleaner and make your children obey immediately. A happy husband whose wife is loving him this way would never abuse her!"
  • "Counseling?  Sure, come right into my office. Oh, you mean from  professional counselors?  Don't bother. They'll only give you ungodly psychobabble and lead you astray."
  • "Call the police?  No way! Are you crazy? We don't need to bring another believer before the law. This is something the church should handle, not the worldly and godless secular government system. He just needs to see the light and repent. Jesus is enough."
  • "Oh, you don't want to tell anyone that anything has happened at this church! What sort of reputation will that give to our ministry -- and to God? We must protect our gospel witness!"  
  • "And you don't want anyone to know you are damaged goods, do you? You know how important virginity is to godly young men looking for wives!"
  • "You are a woman. A woman is not supposed to teach or have authority over men, but to quietly support and follow them. How dare you usurp my authority and question how I run my church [or this family]?"
  • "Your husband told you to tell a lie? Well, he was just asking you to be on the same page and agree with his perspective as the God-ordained leader of the home. You need to be united with your husband, not be subversive and self-willed. A house divided against itself will surely fall! Just go out there and say what he wants you to say. Then you can make a godly appeal to him privately so he can consider changing his mind. Stand by your man!"

I could keep going.

I really could.

But that is enough of that for now.

What we need now are real men who truly man up and put an end to this tragedy -- not men who will pull rank, make excuses, and cover each other's hindquarters.

And what we need now are strong and wise women who will stand up to this abuse, whether for themselves or for others, and not be passive in the face of injustice. (If you have been abused in any way and not been able to do enough about it for yourself, please don't take this statement as shaming. I know this is hard. But please don't let someone beat you down so much emotionally that you feel like you have to take it. Find a safe place for you and your children. Ask for help from someone who will truly understand and help you take action.) You might like to read my post Women's Voices Rising. 

So that was the first thing I read, actually in many places. The lawsuit story has hit the AP news service, Washington Post, Louisville Courier-Journal (where SGM is now based), and of course the watchdog blogs www.sgmsurvivors.com and www.wartburgwatch.com and www.spiritualsoundingboard.com.  For a more updated list of news articles, see here: Listing of Articles Related to Amended Sovereign Grace Lawsuit

 See also:
~*~*~*~

The second thing I read is a little book I picked up from the clearance cart at Books-a-Million on Sunday night.  It must be a God thing.  I hadn't planned to go there, but I'd left my debit card in a copy machine at Staples next door the day before when we were making copies for a homeless outreach and fortunately some justice-minded person turned it in instead of stealing it. But I digress.  

The book is True Religion: Taking Pieces of Heaven to Places of Hell on Earth by Palmer Chinchen, a pastor, professor and missionary who grew up in Africa.  With all of the reading I've done on global justice in recent years, this book is right up my alley.  I've been in bed with the flu today, so I've managed to chunk through several chapters in between fetching pain reliever and peanut butter sandwiches for an equally sick child.  But I digress again.

Chinchen is making a case for getting out of our comfort zones and easy chairs, and going out into the big world outside the church walls to bring justice and mercy to the hurting and oppressed. He warns about cultures that are ripe for rape and gender-based violence. He speaks of the unspeakable places where children are stolen out of their beds (really, mats on dirt floors) and forced into terrorism or sex slavery. He mourns the children who have to trash pick the dumps to stay alive. He laments the ravages of malaria and other diseases when mosquito nets and clean water can be provided for a pittance if we care. You'd better believe his words have kindled a hotter fire in my bones.

I believe that God has given me a message and a vision for this season of life. Not the swirly spooky kind of vision in a deep gravelly voice and dancing angels.  The fire-in-my-bones kind that is called to speak up and speak out about injustice.  That kind which advocates for the vulnerable. That kind which says, "Stop! No more! You must not mistreat others!"  That kind which pauses to ask, "What can I do to help?"

To be honest, Chinchen has set his sights far beyond the suburban American life I inhabit. He writes about Cuba, Kenya, Malawi, and more far-flung poverty-stricken and/or oppressed countries around the globe. And it is Malawi that catches my eye. Always Malawi.  That has been my own "beyond" place for the past decade. That is where my extra money goes for Bibles and orphans. That is where I send care packages and Chichewa language tracts that I have produced for pastor Headson Makazinga. That is where my heart roams. That is where I have been repeatedly asked to come and but never yet gone. Some day, I say. Some day. Big dreams for a busy home schooling mom of 10. Big dreams are good.

Until then, I try to fan the flames of justice and mercy, right here and right now.

Until then, I speak and write and teach and give.  

Until then, I stand in between.

Until then, no shame and no silence.

For justice and mercy,

Virginia Knowles


Advocating for Vulnerable Series

Posted by at 7 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, January 11, 2013

Wisdom Through the Church?

"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I read these verses, Ephesians 3:10-11, in my quiet time the other day. Though I have read this passage so many times in my past 36 years of faith in Jesus, the words still struck me.

 You might think that the angelic hosts would be revealing God's truth to the church, and I'm sure they do in some ways. But the emphasis here is on how the church reveals God's wisdom to the angels. Wow. Let that sink in a moment.

 Many of you reading this blog (where one of the main topics is abuse of authority in churches) have been wounded by your experiences with local churches and organized religion. Maybe you are cynical about the value of church. Maybe you have even dropped out.  

So to you, like me, these verses come as a surprise, even a shock! But I remind myself of a few things. These are just my observations, not complex theological doctrines.

A village church in Malawi

It shows the wisdom of God that he is able to redeem such flawed human beings and cobble them together into something even more redemptive. Any dumb god could deal with perfect people. Any dumb parent could deal with perfect kids.  It takes a really wise God to know how to deal with us. He puts us together to shape us. And we learn from mistakes, ours and others, as we travel this rough pilgrimage side by side. We need each other. We spur each other on. We teach one another.

Perhaps we might also want to look at our definition of church in three ways? 

  1. We might think of a particular religious organization or congregation and all the damage it has done, but maybe it isn't a real Christian church. Maybe it's a cult that uses the Bible to enslave its members. In contrast, a healthy church equips and empowers its members in the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.
  2. The church is not just one congregation or denomination.  It's the whole thing, the universal church (all nations and generations) of which all Christian believers are a part. Not a single group can fully reflect the wisdom of God. Since I became a believer in 1976, I have been a member or regular attender of many kinds of churches: some Reformed and some Arminian, some that practice infant christening and some that do believers baptism, one tiny house church, one huge megachurch and lots of medium size, some exuberant and some mellow, some charismatic and some cessationist. In each church I saw flaws. In each I found a measure of grace and truth. I learned from each. I was stretched in my faith at each. I loved people at each. And yes, I am truly thankful for each one, warts and all (or scars and all, as the case may be). I have to say I am now a bit more fluid in where I can fit in, though I would say that I am generally Reformed, believers-baptism, and charismatic in my beliefs. Moderate doctrinal differences don't throw me too much as long as the leaders and the laity love the Lord, his word, and other people.
  3. Even a local church is not the equivalent to its pastor and other leaders. It is a whole congregation, a potluck with each one bringing something different to feed each other’s souls. (See On the Church: Potluck, Pedestals & Pr'arrows.)

A quick flip through my massive volume of A History of the Christian Church, written by Williston Walker in 1918, shows me that the church through the ages has gone through major change and conflict. And yet we're still here. Jesus is still working through and working in his Bride.

 This isn't a complex article. I'm just trying to get us to think and be thankful. I'd love to spur you on to read the entire book of Ephesians, which talks to much about God's wisdom for the church.

 You might also like to read something I wrote several years ago about why we still need the church: Why the Church?


Virginia Knowles
www.WatchTheShepherd.blogspot.com

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

King Jesus vs. Yertle the Turtle






"Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendor"
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,
all for love’s sake becamest poor;
thrones for a manger didst surrender,
sapphire paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor, 
all for love’s sake becamest poor.


Thou who art God beyond all praising,
all for love’s sake becamest man;
stooping so low, but sinners raising,
heav’nward by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
all for love’s sake becamest man.


Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Savior and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
make us what thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Savior and King, we worship thee.

Frank Houghton, 1894 - 1972


One of my favorite Christmas (and any time of the year hymns), about Jesus, who stooped so low - "thrones for a manger didst surrender" - out of such great compassion for us.  He didn't demand power, but instead relinquished it for a while so that he could be Emmanuel, "God With Us."

Contrast that to so many who want to lord it over others.  Like Dr. Seuss's Yertle the Turtle.

(If you can't see the video, click here: Yertle the Turtle)




On the far-away island of Sala-ma-Sond,
Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond.
A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat.
The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.
The turtles had everything turtles might need.
And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed.

They were… until Yertle, the king of them all,
Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small.
“I’m ruler”, said Yertle, “of all that I see.
But I don’t see enough. That’s the trouble with me.
With this stone for a throne, I look down on my pond
But I cannot look down on the places beyond.

This throne that I sit on is too, too low down.
It ought to be higher!” he said with a frown.
“If I could sit high, how much greater I’d be!
What a king! I’d be ruler of all that I see!”
So Yertle the Turtle King, lifted his hand
And Yertle, the Turtle King, gave a command.

He ordered nine turtles to swim to his stone
And, using these turtles, he built a new throne.
He made each turtle stand on another one’s back
And he piled them all up in a nine-turtle stack.
And then Yertle climbed up. He sat down on the pile.
What a wonderful view! He could see ‘most a mile!

“All mine!” Yertle cried. “Oh, the things I now rule!
I’m the king of a cow! And I’m the king of a mule!
I’m the king of a house! And, what’s more, beyond that
I’m the king of a blueberry bush and a cat!
I’m Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me!
For I am the ruler of all that I see!”

And all through the morning, he sat up there high
Saying over and over, “A great king am I!”
Until ‘long about noon. Then he heard a faint sigh.
“What’s that?” snapped the king,and he looked down the stack.
And he saw, at the bottom, a turtle named Mack.
Just a part of his throne. And this plain little turtle
Looked up and he said, “Beg your pardon, King Yertle.
I’ve pains in my back and my shoulders and knees.
How long must we stand here, Your Majesty, please?”

“SILENCE!” the King of the Turtles barked back.
“I’m king, and you’re only a turtle named Mack.”
“You stay in your place while I sit here and rule.
I’m the king of a cow! And I’m the king of a mule!
I’m the king of a house! And a bush! And a cat!
But that isn’t all. I’ll do better than that!
My throne shall be higher!” his royal voice thundered,
“So pile up more turtles! I want ’bout two hundred!”

“Turtles! More turtles!” he bellowed and brayed.
And the turtles ‘way down in the pond were afraid.
They trembled. They shook. But they came. They obeyed.
From all over the pond, they came swimming by dozens.
Whole families of turtles, with uncles and cousins.
And all of them stepped on the head of poor Mack.
One after another, they climbed up the stack.

Then Yertle the Turtle was perched up so high,
He could see forty miles from his throne in the sky!
“Hooray!” shouted Yertle. “I’m the king of the trees!
I’m king of the birds! And I’m king of the bees!
I’m king of the butterflies! King of the air!
Ah, me! What a throne! What a wonderful chair!
I’m Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me!
For I am the ruler of all that I see!”

Then again, from below, in the great heavy stack,
Came a groan from that plain little turtle named Mack.
“Your Majesty, please… I don’t like to complain,
But down here below, we are feeling great pain.
I know, up on top you are seeing great sights,
But down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights.
We turtles can’t stand it. Our shells will all crack!
Besides, we need food. We are starving!” groaned Mack.

“You hush up your mouth!” howled the mighty King Yertle.
“You’ve no right to talk to the world’s highest turtle.
I rule from the clouds! Over land! Over sea!
There’s nothing, no, NOTHING, that’s higher than me!”
But, while he was shouting, he saw with surprise
That the moon of the evening was starting to rise
Up over his head in the darkening skies.
“What’s THAT?” snorted Yertle. “Say, what IS that thing
That dares to be higher than Yertle the King?
I shall not allow it! I’ll go higher still!
I’ll build my throne higher! I can and I will!
I’ll call some more turtles. I’ll stack ‘em to heaven!
I need ’bout five thousand, six hundred and seven!”

But, as Yertle, the Turtle King, lifted his hand
And started to order and give the command,
That plain little turtle below in the stack,
That plain little turtle whose name was just Mack,
Decided he’d taken enough. And he had.
And that plain little lad got a bit mad.
And that plain little Mack did a plain little thing.
He burped!
And his burp shook the throne of the king!

And Yertle the Turtle, the king of the trees,
The king of the air and the birds and the bees,
The king of a house and a cow and a mule…
Well, that was the end of the Turtle King’s rule!
For Yertle, the King of all Sala-ma-Sond,
Fell off his high throne and fell Plunk! in the pond!
And today the great Yertle, that Marvelous he,
Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see.
And the turtles, of course… all the turtles are free
As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.

by Dr. Seuss


Many of us know too many people like Yertle the Turtle and not enough like Jesus.

 I'll take Jesus over Yertle the Turtle any day!

 How about you?

 Virginia Knowles
www.WatchTheShepherd.blogspot.com

 P.S. Thanks to Jessica Ivey, 4th-6th grade history teacher at the Providence Home Educators co-op, for mentioning Yertle in her discussion about true greatness in leadership.   As her classroom assistant, I was able to Google the story on my iPod and read it aloud to the class.  Perfect.
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , ,

Monday, December 3, 2012

What You Can Do to Make the Holiday Season a Little Merrier for Others (Advocating for the Vulnerable #8)




Dear friends,

I've been thinking lately, as so many of you have, about how many people are in survival mode at Christmastime.  And I'm not talking about how they have just crammed their schedules too busy or they are running around trying to buy all of their gifts in time.  I am talking about real survival mode.  As in: they don't have enough food to eat, decent clothes to wear, proper medical attention, maybe even a roof over their heads.  Or they might be struggling through chronic pain or handicaps - physical, emotional, and or spiritual.  They might be afflicted with mental illness.  They might just be lonely or anxious, or grieving the loss of loved ones.

Think through the people you know, or even those whom you don't know yet.  What are they going through right now?  

Where are they?  In a Third World country around the globe from you, on the streets downtown, in a decent enough home down the street from you, or, chances are, they might be living at your house.  This might be you.   

What can you do?  How can you help make the holiday season a little merrier for someone else?
  • Invite an international student or someone else who has no local family over for a holiday meal, even if it is not right on Christmas Day.   
  • Talk to a lonely friend.  A cup of tea?  A listening ear for sure.  Listen, don't lecture.
  • Watch what you say to people, especially among those whom you don't know really, really well.  You might make a critical comment about "other people's problems" (such as substance abuse, financial issues, family crisis, mental illness, etc.) not realizing that those in your presence are affected by it too.  You don't always know what someone is going through, and if you are throwing off negative vibes, you can be sure they won't be eager to tell you about it, unless it is to tell you off for being insensitive. :-(
  • Be extra sensitive and gracious to families with special needs children.  Read here: Making It Through the Holidays with Children Who Have Special Needs (at Karen Campell's That Mom blog)
  • Offer to watch friends' kids so the stressed out parents (especially a single mom) can go out for some alone time, a date with a hubby or friend, or a holiday party. 
  • Take a fancy casserole or a plate of Christmas cookies to a shut in.  
  • Sing Christmas carols at a nursing home.  
  • Write letters to your elderly relatives.  Add pictures that your kids have made.
  • Help an elderly or handicapped friend decorate for Christmas.  They can't always reach up high or lift boxes.  See Easy Christmas Decorating on a Dime.
  • Throw a Christmas craft party for neighbor kids.  Provide all of the supplies for projects for various ages and interests. Make sure you serve lots of yummy snacks!   And tell them about Jesus.  Yes, tell them about Jesus.
  • Go serve the Christmas meal at the homeless shelter.  
  • Donate non-perishable foods or gift cards to a food drive. 
  • Pick out gifts for a needy someone in your community. (Ask your pastor for the names of needy folks or worthy organizations.)  
  • Be a Secret Santa and drop a bag of goodies or presents off on a doorstep of someone you know.  
  • Harvest of Hope with Partners International - gift catalog of items you can order to be sent to impoverished people around the world. Piglets anyone?  Or how about medicine, or school supplies, or clean water, or therapy for a disabled child?  There are plenty of options to fit your budget and get your kids involved!
  • Buy the Christmas CD, It Happened One Night, a benefit for the work of International Justice Mission in bringing liberty to the oppressed around the world.  Why yes, you do want to listen to Sara Groves, Kari Jobe, Brandon Heath, David Crowder, Matt Maher, Laura Story, Mandisa and more... Beauty. Justice. What more could you ask for at Christmastime? Why don't you order a bunch and give them as pre-Christmas gifts?  I think they are only $5 right now! While you're at it, go over to the IJM web site and donate there, too!
It Happened One Night


You might also like to read: 
THIS IS CHRISTMAS!
(Go do it!)

Posted by at 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Gathering Gifts for the Poor (Advocating for the Vulnerable #7)


Dear friends,

 Welcome back to my Advocating for the Vulnerable series.  This time, let's talk about caring for the poor. This is a huge topic.  I'm only going to give you a tiny little sliver from my own recent and near future experience in collecting items to give to the disadvantaged. (You can read about past ministry projects here.)  A little here, a little there adds up.   We love to partner with other people and organizations who have great ideas.  Here are three: one with a global outreach to children, one to migrant worker families, and another to the downtown homeless.

 Operation Christmas Child

Ever year, our church's Sunday School kids love participating in the Operation Christmas Child program from Samaritan's Purse.  In the fall, the organizer, Debora Lisle, asks folks in the congregation to bring in small gifts such as toys, school and craft supplies, hygiene items, and other goodies for children living in impoverished regions of the world.  The kids then spend a lot of their class time for several weeks assembling and filling the bright red and green boxes.  I am astounded by how many boxes they do considering Lake Baldwin is a small church and on any given Sunday there are only 30-40 elementary age kids.  (The exact number of boxes this year is a secret to be revealed in church next month, but I can tell you it is in the hundreds.)  Then we have a party where we load them into cars and take them to the local drop-off point, Northland Church.  


This semi at Northland is already full!

 OK, that's pretty global.  They're estimating that this year will mark 100,000,000 gift boxes since 1993!  Please go check out the web site, Operation Christmas Child.  It's not too late to donate.  If you don't have time to fill a box yourself, you or your child can still have the fun of picking out the gifts online with their Build-a-Box program. 


DeNeef Village

 I don't know a lot about this, but I do know that my friend Allura Lightfoot at Metro Life Church has been taking a group out to the DeNeef Village migrant trailer camp in Apopka twice a month to serve the families there.  They are gathering Christmas gifts for the children, as well as gift baskets for the moms.  

 Lights on the RiverI asked the students in my home school co-op English class to bring in items for the mom's gift baskets, and we've been able to fill two so far.  To get them in the spirit, I brought in the picture book Lights on the River by Jane Resh Thomas, which is about the plight of impoverished migrant workers.  It's one of my favorite books, and I warned them that I would cry when I read it.  I think it made quite an impression on them. 

 I also asked Allura about putting together first aid bags for the families with bandages, individually packaged antibacterial wipes and other items.   She said that any family with kids would appreciate that! I'm scheming how to pull that off.  If you want to help out with that -- especially with supplies or money -- let me know.

 I'll try to write more about migrant workers in the future.  I'd even like to go visit DeNeef.  I'll bet you have migrant communities in your area, too.  Are any churches or organizations reaching out to them?

 Homeless in Downtown Orlando

 There are many fine organizations working with the homeless in Orlando and I applaud what they are doing.  But individual people can make a difference, too.  My daughter Julia Corbett has a heart for ministering to the homeless and those in crisis pregnancies. (Allura has been a wonderful mentor!)  Two years ago, Julia organized a clothing and blanket drive.  I was amazed at how much stuff showed up at Metro Life Church.  She also packaged up snack bags and put a Gospel of John in each one.  Her team loaded it all up, took it downtown, and started handing them out.  They were able to bless about 50 people.  I just found out that she and her husband are going to do it again in early January.  I think I might try to do some first aid bags for this project, too.  I don't know all of the details yet, but if you're interested, let me know!

 In the meantime, you can visit these web sites to learn about helping the homeless in Orlando.


I hope this inspires you to do something, big or small, with your family to bless the needy in your community and around the globe.

 You may also wish to read these posts:




Other posts in the Advocating for the Vulnerable Series



Do justice, love mercy!

Virginia Knowles
www.WatchTheShepherd.blogspot.com


Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)