Francis and Edith Schaeffer. Photo courtesy of Covenant Seminary's Francis Schaeffer Institute. Used with permission.

The irony of hearing the announcement of her passing Saturday is that I had just listened to a recording of one of Edith’s talks a few days earlier. It’s been years since I listened to a talk by either Edith or her husband Francis, with whom she co-founded L’Abri Fellowship.

Two points of wisdom that Edith shared came to mind almost immediately upon the news of her death. These are points that help me along the journey to work to end poverty globally.

How can we balance prayer and action?
It’s no secret that some of us easily move into prayer and others quickly move to action. I can easily go the activist route.

However, in listening to Edith’s talk called “Mary’s Part” just a few days ago, I started overcoming the Martha and Mary (Luke 10) either-or assumption. In her teaching, Edith pointed out to the fact that Mary did work, but she worked at the proper time—when, after sitting at Jesus’ feet, she was ready to work. Her whole life was not lived in contemplation, but rather Mary models the blending of prayer and action in balance.

What’s God’s job and what’s mine?
I have no idea how many books and sermons I have heard in my life, but there are a few tid-bits that have stuck. And one of those bits was from a message by Edith. She told of a time she was deeply, deeply struggling with divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

In her unrest, she went out to the nearby forest and lay on the ground.

At some point in her rumination, she looked up above her. She could see two tree trunks on either side. At the top of the trunks, the tree branches came together to make one single canopy. In that place, she began to rest about working out divine sovereignty and human responsibility. She said that somewhere up above, those branches came together and made a whole. Likewise, it is so with divine sovereignty and human responsibility. They come together in a mysterious way. And she found calm. When I struggle with this issue, my mind quickly goes to the two tree trunks and the think canopy of branches, and I can acknowledge mystery.

Learning from woman, learning from an artist
What you may be able to see from the above is something that I didn’t learn from Edith in an explicit way, but rather “by demonstration” (to use a term used commonly at L’Abri). She was very much a woman and also a deep theological thinker. Neither of those things out-did the other. Both were retained. She was also practical, attending to the needs of those who stayed with her and her husband in the early years of L’Abri.  And she was true to her artistic leanings in living out her faith. These are all things that hearten me as I consider living out my faith today.

What about you?

When you consider the issues of poverty globally, are you able to sit at Jesus’s feet until it is time to work?

Do you get stymied by the issues of divine sovereignty and human responsibility when you look at our world?

Finally, who do you look to as role models? And who do you think is looking to you as a role model—with your ups and downs and need for God’s mercy—to see you live your faith “by demonstration”?

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This Ethiopian boy contracted HIV through mother-to-child transmission. He sat listless while we visited.

The first time I vividly remember sitting with a child who was infected with HIV was in northern Ethiopia. The boy, who was about eight years old, had a glazed look in his eyes. He sat practically motionless while I visited with his mother and grandmother. The father had passed away.

Siblings were also present in the small home and, of course, I wondered if they were infected also. Thoughts just go in that direction in these circumstances.

The toddler was splashing his hands in a pot of liquid, which I later learned was a homemade alcohol brew. The family was very poor, and selling this brew was a means of income.

Both mom and grandma sat with me and described their situation. They explained that the older boy also was infected and was unable to play with his friends anymore. Other children would go out for games, and he sat idly by. He barely spoke a word. My heart ached for this family.

Since then I have been with other families facing the same devastation. Not only do moms get HIV, but the virus can be passed to the child during childbirth.

On Monday I noticed that HIV was trending on twitter. My first thought was that there was some kind of an awareness campaign going on. But, no…it was news! Good news! A toddler in Mississippi has been “functionally cured” of HIV. I quickly emailed 43 (yes 43) of my Food for the Hungry colleagues. My sweet coworker Wendy simply wrote back, “Praise God!”

These are the kind of breakthroughs we are waiting for!

In the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., shootings the phrase “the suffering of the innocents” was used time and again. It refers back to the historic moment when King Herod ordered all boy children to be killed at the time of Jesus birth. It was a massacre. So was Newtown. And in a slower and drawn out way so is HIV/AIDS as it is passed to children.

Yesterday I was reminded that 100-200 children in the U.S.are born HIV+ each year. That’s 100-200 too many. Shockingly, 1,000 children are born HIV+ per day in the developing world.

So, while we celebrate the victories on the path toward finding a cure for HIV, here are some things we are doing in FH to respond to and overcome this crisis:

• Prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs. With proper treatment for mother and child, a child’s chances of being born free of HIV can be exponentially increased. FH encourages women to both know their status (find out if they are infected with HIV) and take the proper measures to protect their unborn child, if they are pregnant.
• Help HIV+ kids and adults gain access to medications that protect their immune systems. With proper treatment, people who are infected with HIV can live healthy lives.
• Provide HIV+ kids with nutritional support. Children and all people being treated for HIV must pay careful attention to their diet. In some areas, FH is providing milk support to boost the diets of children living with HIV.
• Reducing stigma. Secrecy and denial make the HIV disease even more deadly. FH works to help infected people and their communities accept this disease as a reality to contend with and not ostracize those who have it. FH has been particularly focused on strengthening churches so they can deal with this crisis.

Visit this page if you want to support these efforts.

I’ll close with a quote from Etsegenet Hailu who leads FH’s HIV programs in Ethiopia. Upon learning of this week’s developments in the U.S., Etsegenent called the news exciting and said, “We hope that the recent achievement may help identify vaccine or cure for HIV in the near future. Until then, as FH, we need to continue with the fight against HIV/AIDS and provide comprehensive care and support for the most vulnerable.”

Amen.

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One half of one percent of the U.S. budget goes to help the world's most vulnerable children through worldwide.

In the meeting, the question was posed, “Is it possible that we are here so soon again?” Just two short months ago, the nation was riveted by the drama unfolding on Capitol Hill. The threat of automatic, across-the-board federal budget cuts loomed large in the collective conscience of America. And then, with the stroke of President Obama’s pen, it all seemed to go away. Except that it didn’t. We are set to go over the edge of the cliff again on March 1.

Unless Congress and the Obama Administration act in the next two weeks, automatic cuts to “discretionary” spending will immediately go into effect. If that happens, a blunt cleaver will fall on every discretionary program. This includes the already tiny amount of foreign assistance that we invest as a nation in helping the world’s poor in places like Ethiopia, Haiti and Bangladesh to become self-sufficient. Dollar for dollar, foreign aid that is targeted at the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people has the best return on investment for our federal funds.

Using less than one half of one percent of our national budget, the U.S. succeeds in savings millions of lives, transforming communities and creating hope for the dispossessed. All this has been shown to not only have a huge positive impact on the beneficiary nations, but also on the U.S. The fact is that foreign aid helps to reduce terrorism and keeps some nations from becoming “failed States.” It is a gift that not only helps others. It helps us, too.

These arguments seem good to us. Unfortunately, the arguments appear to fall short of the mark with a sizable part of America. Many in our country oppose Big Government, and they have some very sound arguments when it comes to reducing our federal deficit. Indeed, we do need to reduce our spending. But using a cleaver to indiscriminately chop everything is shortsighted and even, dare I say, lazy. By preserving the best small parts of our federal budget, we can continue to have a large impact beyond our shores.

At the conclusion of Wednesday’s meeting in the senator’s office, we realized that much of the support for cutting foreign assistance comes from states that just happen to have high percentages of confessing Christians. We also talked about the fact that these same states are filled with churches that are most likely highly invested in reaching the world’s poor through short- and long-term mission activities and support to faith-based relief and development organizations.

In effect, the right hand is giving while the left takes away. Could it be that the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing?

Could it be that if we sounded the clarion call, many concerned Christians would come to realize that there are parts of “little government” that help their churches better accomplish their mission to help the world’s poor?

As March 1 approaches, won’t you join us making the call heard?  You can do that by contacting your senator and representatives today to let them know that you care about saving the tiny amount of foreign assistance that is left in the U.S. budget. Your call just might be the one that keeps foreign assistance from going over the cliff!

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Sponsored children in Mozambique

My guest blogger, Jason Wellnitz, is the author of the book, River Way Home, a fiction novel inspired by his time visiting a Food for the Hungry community in Mozambique. This is blog three out of a series of three blogs, Wellnitz talks about how his experiences on the field helped to inspire his book. I hope you enjoy his novel, it’s a heart-warming story.

Jason Wellnitz blog:

There was confusion.

Halkeno, Lori, DeeGene and I had traveled from Gorangosa to Kaia, Mozambique, to meet our sponsored children as part of a short-term mission trip with Food for the Hungry in 2011. Our translator, Palmayra, was trying to find DeeGene’s sponsored child. He wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

We went from the school to a mud-and-thatched roof hut. There was a long discussion between Palmayra and the couple who lived there.

After a bit, we headed down a trail on foot, with our hands brushing the tall grass. We arrived at a cluster of huts. No one was there.

“He’s not here,” Halkeno told us. “The child is an orphan and is living in his uncle’s home. The uncle took the child back to Gorangosa, we fear, because he is not treating the child well and doesn’t want us to see.”

We all prayed for the child asking God to protect him.

I think of that child and wonder what his hope in the world could possibly be? I always come back to the same answer: the only hope that child has is the love of Jesus Christ and the love of His followers.

Inspired by my time in Mozambique, I wrote a short novel call the River Way Home. I’m donating the proceeds from the first 500 sales of the novel to support FH’s efforts in Mozambique.

Below, you can read an excerpt. If you like it, please consider buying it from amazon.com

to help support FH’s work to reach children in need.

Chapter 8: Divergence:

The drunk repeated the word, each time staring into a different adult’s face. “Halkeno… Halkeno… Halkeno.”

The adults eyes remained trained on the man. However, the children couldn’t help but steal glances at me. The man circled around the table toward me, his eyes intently trained on my face.

Harold stood to intercept him, and Sarah rushed to stand by my side. Harold’s hand on his chest, the man leaned forward and peered at me. I stared into his dark eyes, the liquor on his breath evident even at this distance. My chest tightened. We had only one mirror in our small house, over the bathroom sink. I recognized my chin line, my eyebrows, my cheekbones – images I usually only saw in that mirror – reflected in this man’s face. Was I seeing things or could this be the man whose sired me come back to life?

“Halkeno,” he breathed. After pausing he continued, “You are Halkeno… You are Halkeno. You are my only son. These people have a stolen you from me. Come with me now. Come with your father.”

At this, Brian stood up as well. Harold and Brian each grabbed an arm and forcefully guided the drunken man to the gate of the compound. They made a few attempts to convince the man he was mistaken, but he was agitated and talking rapidly in his native dialect, and they could no longer understand him, nor he they. They moved him further away from the compound and then drew the gates closed. They both stood watch until the man stumbled away.

Returning to our house, Brian and Harold found Sarah next to me on the couch in the living room trying to console me. I was beside myself. She cradled my head in her arms.

Brian left to join his family who had returned to their home.

“Do not let him take me. Do not let him take me. Do not let him take me,” I moaned as I wept.

Harold sat on the couch and wrapped his arms around us both.

“No one will ever take you from us, Halke. No one. That man was just a drunk.”

We sat like that for some time. Eventually I asked to be excused to go to my room and take a nap. In truth, I was not sleepy. I knelt by my bed, folded my hands, and prayed as I had never prayed before. I remained that way deep into the night.

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Here is part two of  series of three from my guest blogger, Jason Wellnitz, author of the book, “River Way Home.” His book was inspired by a trip to a Food for the Hungry community in Mozambique. In today’s blog, he talks about how his book was inspired from a profound question and also gives an excerpt from chapter 7.

Jason Wellnitz about his book:

As a young college student, my father faced the terrible task of burying his father. His father had a heart attack and all of the sudden, he was gone.

A few years later, my father had married my mother, and they had their first child: me.

In 2011, when I traveled to Mozambique on  a short-term mission trip to work with Food for the Hungry, I met a man named Halkeno, one of the leaders of the FH/Mozambique staff. He and I instantly connected. Over time, he told me his amazing life story, which also involved the loss of his father.

Someday, I hope Halkeno will let me write his true story. But until then,  inspired by both Halkeno and my own father’s stories, I wrote a short novel that explores the question:

“When we lose our fathers, do we ever find them again?”

In both my father and Halkeno’s case, the answer is a resounding: “Yes!”

They both responded to the trials in their lives by embracing a new Father, Jesus Christ. My life and the lives of many others, have benefited immensely by their decision to turn despair into hope through the love of Jesus.

My novel is called, ”River Way Home,” and I’m donating the proceeds from the first 500 sales of the book to FH’s efforts in Mozambique. Please see an excerpt below, and if it looks interesting to you, please consider purchasing it from amazon.com.

Excerpt from “River Way Home,” Chapter 7: Narrow Banks:

“Oh,” began Brian coyly, “you two may be interested in something at church tomorrow morning.” After some friendly cajoling, they got it out of Brian. “I know the leader of an orphanage here in Beira well. Every Sunday morning, they bring their orphans to the church we’ll be attending tomorrow. There may be some… options for you.”

And that is how it happened, my friend. It was a cool, bright Sunday morning. We orphans walked, holding hands, in a line to church as we did every Sunday. I was sitting on a woven grass mat on the concrete floor in the back of the church with the other twenty-seven orphans when three white people walked in. The ladies choir, sitting in front of the church, each wrapped in colorful cloth, was singing. Occasional ululations rose above the song, a tambourine the sole accompaniment. White people attending this church, one of the larger Baptist churches in town, was not unheard of, though it was rare enough to bear noticing. The twenty-eight orphans ranged in age from four months to seven years. Two assistants, sitting with their legs bent underneath them, each held an infant and had another wrapped tightly against their backs. The kind woman, leader of the orphanage, swayed with the music and accepted various children into her lap as available.

I was three. I don’t remember it but my parents described it to me many times over the years. Sometime after the third song had finished and everybody sat down I simply stood up from my mat, walked over to Sarah and put my arms up. Hesitating for a moment, glancing over to the leader of the orphanage who smiled and gave a slight nod, she picked me up and brought me to a cradle, tightly pressed against her chest. At which point I promptly fell asleep for the remainder of the service. And just like that, on their first full day in Mozambique, we were a family of three.

After the service Brian, Harold, and the leader of the orphanage huddled together near the back of the church while Sarah remained seated in the same chair cradling and rocking me, humming quietly. Brian and the woman had worked together in the past and she trusted him. Based on his word alone she allowed them to take the child. Harold remarked inwardly that the lack of structure and laws here was both freeing and terrifying. It would not be the last time he had this thought. The group of three walked over to where Sarah and the child sat. Harold said quietly “he can come with us” and put his left hand gently on her shoulder and his right hand gently on my head. Sarah gave Brian and the orphanage leader a look of pure, deepest gratitude.

“Really?”

“Really.”

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We reflect on the past year – our successes and failures – and maybe we feel like we can learn from the past, “get over” hang ups and start anew. We know the challenges of our world – not the least of which is vulnerable people living in extreme poverty – and we want to work for change.

Simultaneously we may be hanging on to hope by our finger nails.

Here are a couple of thoughts that I hope can bring encouragement as you enter this new year.

God believes in you

I will credit this “inspired” (wink) thought to listening to an album by Pierce Pettis. In a playful way, Pettis sings:

When you start to doubt that you exist
God believes in you
Confounded by the evidence
God believes in you

 When your light burns so dim
When your chances seem so slim
And you swear you don’t believe in him
God believes in you

New Year’s resolutions, while they can be really good, can also focus us on our own efforts to have more faith or discipline or resolve. In the midst of your resolve don’t forget that the Lord has already set His resolve on loving you, His child. Consider the below passage from the book of Galatians that is full of God’s resolve for His children:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:4-6

Broken hallelujahs

Wreath by Resito Pecson on display at the Missouri Botanical Garden, December 2012.

Maybe you enter this year with great resolve and visions of “triumph” are straight ahead. On the one hand, all I can say is, “go for it!” Ephesians 2:10 says: “For we are his [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Chances are that God has some good works for you to walk in this year, and this is what you were made for! So, more power to you, as you set out with resolve toward good works.

If you are not living in triumph, it may be helpful for you to remember that, as the songwriter Leonard Cohen says, “love is not a victory march, but a cold and broken hallelujah.”

On the way to success or victory, we all face our sin and unbelief. Yet because of God’s goodness in Jesus we still see fruit springing from our lives. If you ask anyone who has experienced what the world sees as success, chances are they don’t feel 100 percent triumphant. They know where they’ve failed. And they know what good things happened that, in a way, just don’t add up. They were touched by God’s grace. It is at that point that one can let out broken hallelujahs.

I trust that, if you are a reader of the Food for the Hungry blog, you want to make a difference in this world. You want to see good news reach the poor or vulnerable. So, my hope for you and for myself is that we can enter a new year knowing that God clings to us even as we respond by trusting His promises. And that when we see the fruit God brings through our good work, we can let out a broken hallelujah knowing this is what we were created to do.

The post Getting up your resolve?…it’s a new year already appeared first on Food for the Hungry Blog.

The exchange of gifts at Christmas is something special at any age. The pleasure of giving and receiving with those I know best and care about most never gets dull.

But that specialness ramped up to a whole new level once I had kids old enough to understand it. There’s nothing quite like the wide eyes, squeals of delight and acrobatics that come with each package they unwrap. Even better, I get to witness how intensely they desire to please with the gifts they give.

Wise men giving

Then I think about the gift-giving that happened when Christ was born. Of course, His birth was the ultimate gift from God. But the wise men’s responsive giving was a thing of beauty too.

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matt. 2:10, NIV)

The wise men probably didn’t give the gifts to impress the child. They wouldn’t have believed the recipient, being so young, could understand the deep symbolism of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They were overjoyed because they knew who he was and they had found him! They got to honor him with gifts. What a privilege to “open their treasures” and present gifts to this special one who they believed was worthy.

The description of this moment of giving by the wise men is really brief, but it speaks volumes to me. There’s no hint of obligation or perfunctory habit here, not a trace of quibbling over the amount. Just a joyful, reverent sense that at such a moment, an offering is so right. A gift to honor Him is a pleasure.

My giving

If only my giving to God was always in that posture! I’m supposed to understand the worthiness of this King so much better than these pagan sages did. Yet, all too often my giving is tepid by comparison.

When I give to my church or to a ministry, it easily devolves into something less. It’s a habit I believe is important, an act of budgetary management. It’s a way I can help those in need (being careful that I don’t deplete my storehouse too much). It’s something God calls me to do, so I do it . . . These wise men jolt me back into realizing it’s supposed to be a joy-filled act of worship, a special time to honor the King.

Give to the King!

So this Christmas, get out the FH Gift Catalog and give those cute ducklings, a pack of Bibles, or a community well. Dig into your portfolio to find the right gift of stock at this year end. But most importantly – whatever kind of gift you land on, give it like a wise man. Be overjoyed as you worship the King!

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Where does this new knowledge come from? I am sure you are wondering where you can find such gems! (wink)

Well…first let me tell you what the sayings mean.

“The world is a handkerchief” means we are all connected, like the woven cloth of a hankie.

“A mosquito can’t bite you unless it gets close to your skin” means only people whom you have close relationships with can really hurt you.

My discoveries come from “shooting the breeze” with FH staff who are gathered from around the world in the Phoenix office this week. Here’s the official write up. The gathered staff are involved in a lot more than catching up with me, yet it’s still great to see co-workers face-to-face, who come from many contexts, and share the pursuit of serving the most vulnerable around the world.

I wanted to introduce some of these staff through photos (below) and at least share their names and positions within FH.

Quite a few staff and board members read portions of Scripture aloud this morning in chapel. They read verses that encourage and guide them in their work with FH. So, in between the photos (which are my very non-professional snapshots), you’ll see the verses they pointed us to.

I’ll close with another expression. These are people who really know where “the rubber hits the road” in working against global poverty. They have personally experienced and walked alongside people in very difficult contexts. They are people who ensure that the financial and other resources entrusted to FH are used in the most impactful way possible. And they are not giving up…and they don’t want you to give up either. Thanks for standing with them.

Yves Habumugisha, country director South Sudan , Maria McCulley, director government finance and Keith Wright, international president.

Shared by Keith Wright, international president: Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

Beth Allen, resource manager and Victor Cortez, regional director Latin America.

Shared by Victor Cortez, regional director Latin America: For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Revelation 3:17)

Anthony Koomson, deputy director Africa, Andrew Crawford, director gifts in kind and Ryan Brown, senior director responder operations

Shared by Anthony Koomson, deputy director Africa: You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

Three in foreground: Ryan Smedes, director food security and livelihoods, Oscar Montes, country director Bolivia and Peter Mogan, board member.

Shared by Gary Edmonds, board member: “…to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit…. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. (Isaiah 61:2-4)

Ben Hoogendoorn, president of Food for the Hungry Canada and Yves Habumugisha, country director South Sudan

Shared by Andy Barnes, regional director Asia. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:16-18)

Tina Bolding, chief human resources officer, Scott Aminov, country director Indonesia and Tim Danz, chairman Bangladesh executive office

Shared by Tina Bolding, global human resources officer: And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Karla Lipari, administrative assistant and Barbara Chapman, executive assistant.

Shared by Shep Owen, regional director Africa For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

David Evans, U.S. president, Marty Martin, chief operating officer and Ro Martin, spouse.

Shared by Marty Martin, chief operating officer: And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. (Matthew 9:35)

Luis Noda, global executive officer field operations, Leena Samuel, senior program officer (disaster relief), Andrew Crawford, director gifts in kind and Tony Alonzo, system administrator

Shared by Luis Noda, global executive officer field operations: …because I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to help him. The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know. (Job 29:12-16)

 

The post “The World is a Handkerchief” and Other Sayings from a December Staff Gathering in Phoenix appeared first on Food for the Hungry Blog.

Haitian woman showing off a little joie de vivre.

Thanksgiving Day is coming.

And I’m going through a list of what I’m thankful for in my life. God has blessed me with a great job, home, friends, family and pets! I’ve got so much to be thankful for in my life.

Even so, now and again, I get the blues about my life.

I blame part of these blues on my American right of the pursuit of happiness. As an American, I believe its my right to go after what I want and to get it. And with that mentality, there comes the sadness of not getting what I want, when I want it.

Lucky for me, I’ve learned I have another option in regards to joy. It’s called joie de vivre or joy of life. It’s simply, being happy to be alive. There is no pursuit involved.

In 2010, I visited Food for the Hungry communities in Haiti. Most communities were still living in temporary shelters. Their schools had been destroyed. Towns were in shambles.

But the Haitians I saw would get up every morning, iron their cloths, get dressed and face the day with passion. It didn’t matter what they did, they had an inner joy inside them–whether they were rebuilding their home, sweeping a sidewalk shop or looking for work.

I learned from the Haitians that no matter how tough life gets, be thankful that you are alive. Because when you are alive, no matter where you start, you begin a journey to experience God’s love.

Yes. Life is unpredictable. It can be cruel and wonderful. But regardless of what it brings, when we give thanks to God for this day that He has made and ask Him to be with us through it, we are pleasing Him. We are most likely loving others. And just those two things, loving God and others, is much to be happy about. I’m thankful that God’s love exists. I’m thankful to be alive to experience it.

The post Getting ready for Thanksgiving Day appeared first on Food for the Hungry Blog.

The Prodigal Son by Hans Feibusch. Photo © Copyright Julian P Guffogg

I’ve spent the past two nights reading to my niece from Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones (with captivating illustrations by Jago). I am so glad to be reading her a book about God that says so much more than,“Don’t be a bad girl;” or “Be a good girl.”

While abstract concepts like sin can be really hard for kids to grasp without simple do this/don’t do that messages, this book goes a long way in explaining our predicament in a fallen world.

Lloyd-Jones shows how God created the world to be like our solar system. In the solar system, the sun is at the middle, and all the planets revolve around it.

With this idea, Lloyd-Jones shows how we put ourselves in the middle of the “solar system” of this world and expect it all to revolve around us, instead of honoring our Creator in His rightful place.

I’ve posted a couple of times before about how Food for the Hungry affirms that poverty, in its essence, is about broken relationships.

Another way to put it is: poverty is about how things get really messed up when each one of us sees ourselves as the center of all things. The “systems” of our world break: governments, corporations, schools and economies. Basically, we are out of line with the way God intended the orbit to happen. And mysteriously, this not only affects our human relationships, but the entire creation (we have earthquakes, crop failures, etc.).

"He Was Lost, He is Found," J. & R. Lamb Studios, designer, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

But, as Lloyd-Jones so beautifully states, God is always calling us back home. And home is where we are rightly relating to others and our Creator. All of this is possible through the death and resurrection of our rescuer, Jesus, who Himself, stayed in orbit perfectly. In another children’s book, Lloyd-Jones describes the love with which God has pursued us as His, “wonderful, Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.”

Simply put, in response to God’s great love, the mission of FH is to join our Creator in calling people back home—to a right relationship with God, each other and creation, all through Jesus.

If we are honest, we can see the orbit of our lives often looks like more of a zigzag, than a clean line. We honor God at the center, then we don’t, then we do, then we don’t. As we grow in Christlikeness, our hope is that we increasingly orbit the way we were meant to. Fortunately, Christ’s perfect orbiting record is now ours, as we place our faith in Him, regardless of the “course” of a particular day.

I’ll close this post by saying that God is calling all of us back home. The rich…the poor…and most of us who perceive ourselves as being somewhere in between. We all have the same path God is calling us to follow. And, when we orbit with Christ in the center and walk the path of Always and Forever love, we start to see poverty ended. That’s something to be thankful for.

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