FredMcKinnon.Com

Dear Friends,

As you may know, I am a passionate advocate for Compassion International.  Compassion exists to release children from poverty in Jesus’ Name.  I’ve experienced the ministry of Compassion first-hand and we are also child-sponsors for Compassion.

I just received this URGENT request from our Advocate Relations Department.  Please see below.  EVERY PERSON WHO READS THIS BLOG (tweet, and Facebook note) can do this.  If you cannot afford a card, create one out of regular paper.

There are THOUSANDS of children who do not yet have a sponsor.  We’d love to see EVERY CHILD receive a Christmas card.

DEADLINE:  November 23 (only 5 postal days away – you should mail this within the next 2 days!).

We can collect letters and Christmas cards for children in our projects that have never received a letter!  Send them to:

Compassion International
Attn Candy Entingh
12290 Voyager Pkwy
Colorado Springs, CO  80921

BUT…they have to arrive at GMC by November 23rd, in order for them to get into the system and arrive for each child to receive them BY Christmas.

There are over 1,400 children in HAITI alone who don’t yet have a sponsor! Just write out a card or letter leaving out any attempt to address a particular child by name and let them know you are praying for them and thinking of them this Christmas.  Share your faith, share your words of love and encouragement – but be sure to share something!  It will take just a couple minutes to write out a quick card.

Finally, I hope that if you have not sponsored a child you would consider doing so this Christmas.  The cost is $38/month and it will change the life of a child forever.  I know all the skeptical questions that you have – I had them too.  That’s why I spent time in the field with Compassion and learned about them first hand.  It’s an amazing ministry.

1.  Please send a Christmas Card to the address above within the next 2 business days.
2.  Please visit the Compassion Site and consider sponsoring a child.  It will change their life … and yours too.
3.  Please “Tweet” or “ReTweet” this post to everyone on your list.  “Like” this post and share it on FaceBook.  Spread the word.  Let’s make a difference together.

For the Kingdom,
Fred

Hey Everybody,

Today is “Blog Action Day” – an annual event where bloggers from all over the world come together to discuss a specific topic to bring awareness about it.  For 2008, the topic is POVERTY.

As someone involved in full-time ministry, specifically in the area of corporate worship, I’d like to discuss how I believe that “worship” and “poverty” collide.

Far too often we associate “worship” with things such as music, singing, gathering to hear a sermon, or giving praise and adoration.  “Worship” has become something that we judge and rate … “wow, worship was great today”.  Now we have a huge culture of “worship music”, “worship artists”, “worship record labels”, etc.  The word “worship” seems to more of an adjective or noun that an active verb.  This grieves many of us.

In Romans 12:1, the NIV translation actually uses the word “worship” where other translations have used the word “service”.  See here:

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1, NIV, YouVersion.Com)

This verse really broadens my definition of worship.  By offering ourselves as a sacrifice, and living life in such a way that is transformed with a renewed mind, instead of conformed to the selfish ways of the world (as it goes on to discuss in v2), I’m offering up a spiritual act of service that is called “worship”.

Another passage of Scripture that I love to meditate on is from Isaiah.  He has just had a vision where he’s seen the throneroom of God.  Around the throne is worship.  His response is one of humlity, fear, and ultimately, service.  (who will go, send me).

5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5, NIV, YouVersion.Com)

Ultimately, I don’t think that it’s possible to have a genuine worship encounter with Almighty God without having a strong sense of action – to change, to serve, to become “less”.  This is the natural response to a revelation of God’s greatness.

This takes me to our crisis of poverty.  I’ll not write a long blog with statistics that demonstrate how much poverty is in the world.  I’ll not post pictures of all the starving children, poor homes, and contrasting mansions and fancy cars so many of us enjoy as luxuries.  I believe this is all made obvious to us every day, though we often refuse to see it.

What I will do is challenge you.  The overwhelming majority of people who read this blog are “Christians”.  You are involved in ministry, leading, or attending a place of faith and worship.  You “worship” once a week corporately, and hopefully you are celebrating the discipline of worship personally in your daily walk.

How has this changed you?   How can you encounter God, His love, His grace, His mercy, and not do something about the social injustic of poverty all around?

I’ll be even more bold.  If you, as a Christian, are not intentionally doing something (either financially or practically) to bless the poor and those in poverty on a consistent basis, I’d say that you’re in direct disobedience to God’s commandments, to His will, and you’re missing out on a huge blessing.  (yes, that’s strong).

Want an easy way to start?  Sponsor a child through Compassion International.  This is a decision that we made a while back as a family.  Our first child is Kelvin, and he’s in Tanzania.  This has been an incredible and practical way for us to do even a “small something”.  It’s been an enormous teaching opportunity for our children as well.  My children are quickly snapped back into reality when they get ungrateful about the things they have and we can remind them about our “adopted brother” in Tanzania and what he does NOT have.

Give food and clothing to your local food bank.  Whatever it is – make sure it actually COSTS YOU SOMETHING.  How special is the gift if you don’t have to sacrifice a little bit to make it happen?

This is a clarion call to fellow Christ-followers.  We are called to be Christ in this fallen world.  Poverty is real.  So is our faith.  So is His provision.  But He would rather use us … his church, rather than supernaturally raining “manna” from the sky.

Discussion Time.  Be honest.  Are you lacking in this area?  Share your convictions.  Are you making progress in this area?  Share your thoughts.

Ryan over at www.iamanoffering.com sent me an email a couple of days ago about “Blog Action Day“.  I’d never heard of it so I took some time this morning to check it out.

“Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.”.

It looks like the bloggers discussed the environment in 2007.  This year we’ll discuss poverty.  Be thinking about it.  What in the world does that have to do with this blog?  Well, I talk about worship a lot here.  God’s interested in poverty – He’s interested in seeing His Kingdom advanced here on the earth.  Shaun Groves recently wrote an excellent blog post on this subject of why we don’t hear about poverty and the Kingdom in our churches.

I feel like I should be a part of this.  I mean .. get the contrast here … This morning, I’m sitting here in my air-conditioned home, typing this blog on my MacBook Pro, with the kids playing and watching cartoons on a big, LCD HDTV.  Joy just bought a beautiful new piece of furniture for our living room.  On it we have some pictures, including “Kelvin” … an orphan from Tanzania who we’ve sponsored through Compassion International. Rebekah (my 4-year old) is now sitting at our kitchen table coloring a picture for young Kelvin.  She frequently goes by and says “Daddy, look at that little boy, he needs me”.  We are so blessed and are extremely wealthy when compared to the rest of the world.  What can we do?

Poverty is real.  So is God’s Kingdom.  He’s called us to be a part of it.  So, save the date.  On October 15, 2008, we’re going to discuss worship as a lifestyle as it applies to how we minister to those in poverty.

Check out this video below:

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Are you ready?
Fred