Compassion For The Broken

By MAD21

We are all broken. Every single one of us. If we weren't, there'd have been no reason for Jesus to be born and die for us.

What does it mean to be broken? Well, do you suffer from: depression; excessive eating or spending; working too much; ignoring the needs of others; physical ailments; bad attitude; alcoholic/addict; the list could go on forever. The list also includes many things that would be considered politically incorrect to discuss in our society, but are very much on God's list of sins. We are all dealing with something. It's part of life.

But the big question is this: Is one sin worse than another? I know it's hard to not want to make one person's choice of sins worse than another, and I admit, it's hard for me, too. Very. My point here is not to debate whether murder is worse than gambling (I certainly know what my human mind would say). That is for God to determine, not me. What I want to talk about is compassion.

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A Moment That Could Change Your Life... And Someone Else's

By MAD21

Please take 15 minutes out of your day to watch this video. This is just one moment out of the Catalyst 2009 Conference for Compassion International. If you ever wondered if sponsoring children ever really makes a difference, listen to Jimmy Wambua's testimony. A man who was sponsored for 19 years by man named Mark.

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Seriously. As much as those of you who are reading this post struggle to make ends meet for your families, you are far better off than millions of people around the world. Consider the fact that you probably have a roof over your head, clothes to wear, food to eat, a computer to work on, and you've had an education. You have choices.

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Child Survival Program

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

Did you know that every day over 26,000 children under the age of five die from mainly preventable causes? This is a staggering figure. We are talking about causes that we take for granted. Things such as hygiene, dehydration, and malnutrition are things that we think nothing about. However in Third World countries these things are often fatal to children. Children get diarrhea and die from dehydration because they don't have access to fresh water or the parents do not understand what to do.

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"Every Child You Encounter Is A Divine Appointment"

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

"Every child you encounter is a divine appointment."
Wess Stafford, President, Compassion International

For those of you that do not know Dr. Wess Stafford is the CEO of Compassion International. I have not met the man but consider him one of my heroes. I look forward to meeting and hearing him speak in person when I attend the National Advocates Conference in Colorado next week. He is a humble man that is more comfortable sitting on the floor with some sponsored children rather than in a boardroom. His quote above I believe should be burned on our hearts.

Obviously as an Area Coordinator for Compassion I look at every child packet as an opportunity to change two lives. The first is obviously the child's. Sponsorship will give them a chance that they might not have had before. However a sponsor's life will also be changed as they begin to build that relationship. Those that know my testimony know how true this is. Sponsorship changes everyone involved. What more of a divine appointment could there be from God?

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Leaving A Legacy

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

Yesterday at Fork Christian Church we launched a new building campaign . We are starting an eight-week study in conjunction with this on the book of Nehemiah. Joe, our pastor, started the sermon by speaking of what we hope to leave as a legacy when we leave this world. All of us have a desire within us to be something or to do something for which we will be remembered. This is part of what God has placed in us. Rick Warren wrote a book about this called The Purpose Driven Life. All of us have a special calling and unless we tap into this we will really never feel complete. Joe mentioned that all great "calls" have birthed from a Holy Discontent. As Christians we often see something that ignites the fire within us.

Compassion International was started by Reverend Everett Swanson in 1952 as a result of one of these moments. Broken by the sight of Korean war orphans he knew that there was something more that he could do. He returned to the states and encouraged others to help fund orphanages and to make a difference. From that moment  on  Compassion was born. Now an international organization operating in 26 countries the fire has been fanned and grown.

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