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Hear the Cry - Entry #4 I was stunned by the recent news of a pedestrian death in Bakersfield. Usually, I am not stunned by death. Every day someone is killed, accidentally dies or is murdered in our news headlines. But, this death hit home. This was the death of a former foster youth. The Bible has many passages about spiritual warfare and many passages about the fatherless, the foster youth of our modern culture. What alarms me is when these two passages interconnect. It only ends in senseless statistical nightmares for foster youth. The devil is a real adversary and he is robbing foster youth of destiny, hope and love. Please help us in the fight for the lives of these youth. I know that some deaths cannot be avoided and that some people cannot be reached. But, really, how hard are we trying? Think about it! What other vulnerable and weak group is there in society in such need of assistance and support? Why does God choose the "fatherless" and the "orphan" as special people in need of special assistance whether you are Christian, Muslim or Jewish? It is simple ... they need us ... they need you! I am not trying
to recruit based off of a tragic death but I am using this
horrible loss of life to display the battle that is waged
against souls and life! We need your help. The
youth need your help. You can help. Please call Covenant to determine how you can help us
reach the foster youth of Kern County so we can avoid, to the
best of our ability, another loss of destiny, hope, love and
life.
Hear the Cry - Entry #2 I just finished speaking at a seminar in Ventura to encourage faith-based individuals and organizations to become involved in mentoring foster children. The seminar, "Fostering Hope", had been in the "works" for months. I was, and continue to be, excited to be a part of the embryonic stages of such a transformational ministry. As I prepared for the event a tragedy struck the area. A foster youth, Lawrence King, just 15 year old, was tragically killed in an on-campus shooting. (See the story here). This tragedy not only shook the community but had incredible impact on "Fostering Hope" that was held 10 days later. The seminar was held at Crossroads Community Church in Camarillo.
Months ago, Crossroads began an outreach to a local home for foster youth. Lawrence King was a recipient of the ministry. Lawrence was a recipient of the seeds of hope and love sown by Crossroads. Lawrence responded to the hope and love as soon became a regular at Crossroads events and outreaches. In fact, it is reported that he "gave his heart to Jesus Christ" the week before he was killed. That is the great news of this tragic story. Lawrence has left this world to meet Jesus face to face.
Here is the reality - this would be another senseless tragedy without Jesus. Jesus would not have met Lawrence without someone sowing the seed of hope and love through Jesus Christ. Now, and because of one person and one church, ministering in the love and hope of Jesus, a horrible tragedy is viewed as a glimmer of eternal hope. What made the difference? Someone sowed the seed of hope and love and God brought forth His amazing fruit. Sow the Seed and God Will Bring the Rain! "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the LORD." ~ Proverbs 21:31 ~ The Seed of Influence and the Fruit of Transformation As I shared on Saturday, the passage above was brought to my heart. My children and I had discussed Proverbs 21 earlier in the week and verse 31 jumped out at us. You see, it is our job to prepare. It is our job to work, to serve, to visit, to minister, to listen, to pray, to give, etc. It is God's job to bring deliverance. Nonetheless, we must prepare. That is sowing seed. In the analogy of the hard-working farmer it is our job to prepare the soil and plant the seed. It is God's job to keep the sun shining and bring the rain. Deliverance comes from the Lord! In the case of Lawrence King, it was someone's ministry to sow the seed of hope and love. It was God's job to water that seed into a confession of faith and a transformed life! We, the sowers of influence, sow the seed of hope and love. God, in turn, produces the fruit of transformation. Friend, it is time we as the Body of Christ went on attack. I am sick of the weeds of this world that are choking the lives of many. It is time we turned the tables and began, in earnest, to sow the seed of hope and love through our influence. It is time to prepare the "horse for war"! Remember, someone is watching you. Someone is waiting for you to speak into their lives. The enemy has not stopped his attack and nor should we. These are the days to prepare the "horse" for battle expecting God to show up and win the war!
____________________________________________ The hope for children is, and always has been, responsible, caring and compassionate adults. The system cannot help a child. People inside the system can. The foster children in our care need help and the community must respond to provide it. There are many sectors of influence that govern a dependent child’s or foster child’s life. There is the court system, the county system of care, the private system of care, mental health, education, faith, the biological family, the foster family, service providers, and a host of others. Taking just one child in our system of care I can count over 12 people directly involved in the child’s life. These are twelve people with great oversight but often marginal impact. Twelve people that can decide to invest in the child or push the paper that surrounds his/her life …Twelve people that can shape life. Children need advocates from all sectors of influence that can assist in their growth, success and navigation of a complicated system. These advocates must stand and become “champions for children”. We, as a society, and most importantly the children, need individuals that take on the responsibility of the child as if it were their child. I guess that is the real issue. Are we caring for the dependent kids in the system as if they were our own? I leave you with a quote to ponder and a challenge to accept. The Quote "Children are not soul-less, unguided creatures made for adults to manipulate like chattel. They are spirited beings, complete at every given moment and age. They have differentiated minds, specialized abilities and unique gifts that give testimony to themselves and their Creator. Children look to us for guidance. And they see us as symbols of love and hate, truth and deceit, selflessness and selfishness, and good and evil.....Children are not our subordinates. They are our co-conspirators - breathing the same pneuma as us and contributing to a world far beyond present comprehension. Ultimately, in our webs of relationships, it is the children who will write, rewrite, and edit our scripts of life." - Anthony Gregorc The Challenge: Get involved! Invest in the life of a foster child by becoming a foster parent, a CASA, a mentor, a friend, an advocate, a tutor, a coach, or in any way that speaks life into a child and assists them in development and fulfillment.
Speak up and Speak
out!
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