Tag Archives: homeless

New Year, New Resolution

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It seems that people are always trying to come up with something new.  A new gadget. A new plan. A new way of doing something old. A new resolution.

A new resolution. This is the time of year where the whole world is coming up with resolutions. People who vow to themselves and to God and others that they are going to quit smoking, lose weight, be a better worker, to… do something new or improve in something old.

The last few months I’ve been going through my journals which cover the last 30 years, and I realized that in those last 30 years I have made many of the same resolutions over and over, only to have failed. Perhaps it’s failure all by itself.  Perhaps it’s forgetfulness, perhaps it’s poor discipline. In light of my discovery, I have decided to do the one thing that matters most. The one thing that may tie all the others in and help me to accomplish my 30 year goals. For, within those thirty year goals, there are great plans to lose weight, eat better, walk more, be a better wife, a better daughter, a better friend, be a better mother, be a better whatever. However, those great plans have been fruitless, yielding no significant evidence of success in the past.

The other day I gave much thought to New Year’s resolutions. The desire of my heart was to be part of the sharing of a meal alongside the homeless. To offer hope to the hopeless. To be part of a work that offers shelter, protection, love,  food, and care to the orphans. To befriend the elderly. To encourage the disheartened. That’s a lot of resolution for one year. However, it can all be accomplished if I do that one thing that matters most. To love Jesus with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind.

If I can do that, I will seeclearly the opportunities to aid the homeless, to offer hope and encouragement, and to care for children. I will see the elderly who are alone, I will recognize discouragement in another, and the opportunities will be endless to serve Him. This can only be accomplished by loving Jesus with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind. It is only through discipline and diligence and keeping my focus on Him alone that I will be successful.

I guess then, that is my resolution for 2011… simply – to love Jesus most.

A New Year, A New Decade

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Tomorrow is the end of another year
Followed by the beginning of a new year
A new sunrise
Old plans with new ideas
Old habits desiring new disciplines
Old dreams with new hopes

Tomorrow marks the end of another decade
Followed by the beginning of a new one
Ten years ahead of me
To change a habit
To change my community
To change the world

I have a vision
To see the orphans loved
Clothed, fed, and sheltered.
To see the homeless loved,
Clothed, fed, and sheltered.
To see the widows loved,
Protected, cared for.
To see the lonely befriended,
The hopeless hopeful,
The weary strengthened.

Can it be done?
I don’t know.
I do know I cannot do it alone.
But if I can encourage just one heart,
Offer food to just one who is hungry,
Give a coat to just one who is cold,
Give my time to be a friend to the friendless,
Offer hope to the hopeless,
and rest for the weary -
It can be done.
I will not have changed the world,
But I will have changed my life and
My heart will have been changed in the process.

Dogs and Orphans

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dogI’m not sure if it is a southern Oregon thing, a statewide thing or a nationwide thing, but there is a commercial that comes on frequently around here lately. The SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) sponsors it.

Let me say up front – I like animals. I grew up around animals. Dogs, cats, chickens, sheep, cows, a horse, guinea pigs and more. I bathed them, fed them, shoveled their messes. I petted them, hugged them, let them get up on my bed.

I like animals. It’s just that I like children more. Not just differently, but more. And what I don’t get is this…child

Why are we putting commercials of homeless animals all over the television screens across America and yet, I haven’t seen any commercials of orphans who yearn, dream and wish for a family – as these animals are depicted? How many children asked for a family this Christmas only to awake in the same group or foster home, orphanage and what seems as worse – on Christmas morning? Why are we not trying to find homes for these kids more fervently than for a mutt with an adorable face?

I don’t get it.

Making A Difference for the Fatherless

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Hero: a remarkedly brave man (or woman); superman; champion; conqueror; defeater (for our purposes we will state this as being Jesus Christ); somebody admired.

In this ongoing series, where I introduce to you someone I know or have met, for the sake of avoiding controversy, a ‘hero’ will fit the definition above and by common sense be nothing more than human, but an extraordinary one at that.

Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World
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As we sit in our warm, cozy structures we call home, there are thousands, millions who are sitting outside, trying to keep warm. I’ve heard it said and read accounts of some who choose a lifestyle of being a vagabond, you might say. However, I would bet for most who find themselves homeless, they would choose otherwise if given the opportunity.

A few months ago, I can’t remember how but, I came across a blog authored by a guy named Tom Davis. Tom is a guy who takes the call of James 1:27 seriously.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Just who is Tom Davis? Here is an excerpt, taken from his blog:

In 1997, a transformation of the heart took place in Tom’s life. It was a time of realizing what things mattered most to God.

It happened in Vladimir, Russia, among a group of Russian orphans. Tom, his wife, Emily, and theirTom-photo-BW-256x300 six-month old son, Hayden were leading a Christian camp for 140 kids. While walking in these “Fields of the Fatherless,” Tom understood how important ministering “to the least of these” is to our Father. Here were innocent children, who, because of tragic circumstances not caused by what they had done – were rejected, isolated and abandoned. He was compelled to do something!

As a pastor, Tom knew that the purpose of the church was to reveal God’s love to kids just like this. As a “Father to the fatherless” (Psalm 68:5), God’s heart and character is revealed through the love of His people. But in Russia, the love of God wasn’t being shown to children who desperately needed it – so he knew that he would spend the rest of his life being an advocate for orphaned children.

Tom is the President of CHILDREN’S HOPECHEST, a mission organization bringing God’s hope and love to orphans around the world. Their work is focused in the countries of Russia, Romania, and Ukraine. HopeChest helps churches and corporations around the U.S. Adopt an orphanage and make a real difference in the lives of orphans.

Oh hw I praise God for people like Tom Davis and his family. People not afraid to fight the good fight and travel roads that some cannot travel. People who take the call that God has given to each of us to look after orphans and widows. Perhaps you cannot literally travel a road that represents that road of care and concern. However, if you have the means to support their ministry and make it your ministry at heart, go here: A Way to Change A Life Before the End of the Year.

“Your gift supports programs that have rescued many girls from forced prostitution. These programs savedKatya, and may have saved her best friend Nadya… You can read more about Tom’s ministry here: Tom Davis’ Blog

If you’ve ever had a heart to change the world, this is a good place to start.