On the Go

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” – Acts 20:35

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

– Proverbs 19:17

This is Brinda’s journey via the Compassion Mobile Experience. Born in India, a place filled with poverty beyond what many of us know of. Brinda is now all grown up, but it was not too long ago that Brinda was a child like so many other children. A child born in poverty. Looking, searching and waiting innocently for Hope.

Hope eventually made it.

How I wonder what look befell Brinda’s face when Hope arrived. I wonder if like so many of us, Brinda was overcome with joy, sometimes doubting if Hope had actually arrived, jumping for joy and yet not wanting to jump so high just in case Hope decided to take off.

And no, Hope did not take off.

Hope stayed.

Brinda’s journey with Compassion International, reminds me of so many of our journeys.

Our lives before and with Christ.

This hope Brinda once searched for, the same hope we all search for and wait oh so eagerly for, is the very same hope that eventually made it to Brinda’s door, and blessed her beyond what she could ever dream or imagine.

Meaning, never give up on God.

He brings Hope, because He is Hope.

This Hope gave Brinda a second chance at life.

A beautiful life.

And if I were ever to doubt the presence of Hope in my life, my journey, then Brinda’s story is my ever constant reminder that Hope lives. That, Hope is alive and well in our hearts.

Brinda’s blessing of Hope is a “Fearless” kind of Hope.

This Hope brought through a man from New York, made it all the way to India to be a blessing to Brinda and her family. Not ever knowing truly how helpful he could be, this man answered a call for help, and in turn changed Brinda’s life forever.

Despite all the odds that might have faced him, He answered this call for help anyway.

“Fearless giving,” I call it.

What other words, I wonder “befits this generous act of kindness?” This action that goes beyond you and I, beyond the surface of our hearts and into the depths of hearts to bring hope and love.

This must be – Fearless giving.

Because when we make a decision to move beyond our space and into another’s space. To move beyond what feels comfortable and normal, to a space that feels uncomfortable and not normal, when we move into this unknown, unfamiliar space, we are in fact answering a call to boldness.

Moving into a Fearless, territory to bring hope.

Now that is divine purpose.

A fearless mover, is able to bring hope to one in need. Is able to move without wavering, and even when they waver, they move anyway.

Faith comes with fearless.

Fearless movers, move in Faith.

Faith in One much greater than us, much bigger than us.

And when I think of all the fearless givers and movers, like the fearless mover and giver that changed Brinda’s life. The Mother Teresa’s of our modern day world, I am reminded that we are all here for a greater purpose, and if ever I wanted to leave behind a legacy, then being a fearless giver is how I would want to be remembered. 

“A fearless giver. Fearless mover.”

One who never wastes a chance at giving. A chance at receiving from God and giving through Him.

I wonder where many of us would be if it were not for Fearless givers, like this man from New York who sponsored Brinda? If it were not for Christ who died on the cross for us, so that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

I wouldn’t want to know.

Are you a – Fearless giver?

There is no one as blessed as a fearless giver. One who thinks not of himself, but rather of another and their need. We are all capable of being fearless givers. Of creating a movement that gives beyond our comfort zone, and brings hope to another.

My sponsor child James and the many homeless men and women have taught me what it means to be a fearless giver.

What it means to trust anyway, even when you have no idea how you will make it the next month.

Fearless givers trusts anyway.

My daughter’s and I are getting ready to sponsor our second child from India. We know its a girl, because the Lord has stirred that in our hearts. We are not millionaires by the world standards, but we are in Christ. Giving back has brought into our lives more than we could ever give back. In stretching forth our hands to help, we have in turn received more than we gave.

That’s what fearless giving gives back.

More than you imagined, or envision.

Sometimes I am tempted to scale back and may be hold off on sponsoring and giving more, but thank God for this fearless spirit that stirs back this great desire to make better this world of ours. To give back anyway, no matter what.

The Lord also continues to remind me that I am not alone.

That I do not make this fearless journey on my own, and that He is in me working through me.

Meaning whatever it is that our sponsor son James needs, or our soon to be sponsor daughter needs, or the homeless men and women on the streets, the Lord will provide.

Remember, its all about – Fearless giving.

I have also learnt that fearless giving has no boundaries. It goes where He calls us to, and gives anyway.

Fearless giving and this fearless movement, is a movement much like Christ’s movement and call to us, to serve the needy and help the widows.

To be a fearless giver, is to be Jesus to the least of us.

Would you consider joining this crazy but fearless movement of givers? 

Will you trust that the Lord will provide anyway? That as you rise to be a blessing to another, to answer a call for help, that the Lord will rise and direct your paths and bring whatever is needed to meet your needs.

Will you trust that and move anyway?

No matter what your circumstances look like, trust that He will provide anyway. For there is nothing I have found as fulfilling and enriching as fearless giving. Nothing as awesome as this giving that takes us out of our comfort zone into a world unknown.

This giving that gives back, there is nothing quite as beautiful, as pure as fearless giving.

Give anyway!!

If you are considering joining this amazing rewarding fearless movement of giving, consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International

Until next week, may your week be filled with fearless giving and fearless moving. May you witness God at His best doing a work in you as you move in giving.

Love: Christine

***Many thanks to Brinda for sharing her Compassion story through the Compassion Mobile Experience**

Most of you know I am a child advocate and sponsor a child through Compassion International. Well this week, we get to experience and travel with Compassion and three Compassion bloggers to Peru, as we try once again to bring awareness to the needs of children all over the world, plant a seed of hope and get sponsors for these amazing children.

Join me in this journey

Today I will share with you Kevin & Layla’s blog post. Hope you are blessed!!

COMPASSION IN PERU – DAY 1

There’s so much on my heart today. So much I want to tell you. I’m struggling to put Day 1 into words though, so maybe I’ll just start with something simple…

We’re in Lima, Peru with Compassion.

We’re learning about what they’re doing to release children, one-by-one, from poverty. We’re witnessing firsthand how they work holistically with individual children to address their spiritual, economic, social and physical needs, and how they give each and every one an opportunity to become a responsible and fulfilled Christian adult. We sponsor two children through Compassion, and we’re so grateful for the opportunity to see how everything works up close and personal like this.

Click here to continue reading………..

It’s not just one life that is changed when we reach out of our comfort zone to help one in need. It’s the life of a community, the life of a family, the life of Christ that we change when we step out in faith.

- Mothers with a Dream 4 Christ

Consider sponsoring a child today through Compassion International

Prayer Request: Pray for the Compassion team and the Compassion bloggers in Peru. That God’s unending favor may go with them. That they may experience the amazing love of God in this trip and above all that they will make a difference in the lives of the children they meet.

Tomorrow Compassion and I will journey into the musical world of Tyler Ward at his concert. Would you pray for God’s favor, God’s blessing and that we will plant seeds of hope, and get many children sponsored in the name of Jesus.

Love: Christine

I haven’t blogged in a while. My life has been crazy these past weeks, although I have often thought of blogging, I haven’t felt that crazy guilt for not blogging that I used to feel whenever I went a few days without blogging. My new thought process tells me, if you don’t feel like it, don’t do it, because if you do something when you don’t really feel like it, then you are only giving out less than half of what you are capable of giving, and am not going to do that.

I am happy to be here today. The Lord has been doing such amazing works in my life. There have been challenges, but nothing the Lord can’t see me through. Last week I attended the Tenth Ave North concert with Compassion International and it was AMAZING. Not only did they out perform themselves, but we also got to get lots of sponsors for children all over the world in need of help.

This was my first concert as a child Advocate with Compassion. I got to meet such amazing people who do what I do with Compassion, and more than that we got to be Jesus to the least of us.

Now, what more can I ask for?

This coming Sunday I get to do it all over again at Faith Bible Church, Ladera Ranch and I am praying for God’s amazing spirit to go ahead and do a work in every person present and that at the end of the services we will have sponsors for all the children we need sponsorship for on that day, and maybe much more.

God is awesome. Simply AWESOME

While all these wonderful blessings have been coming my way, my daughters and I have also been dealing with a neighbor’s child who has been bullying my daughters, and for the longest time we have let it go, but this past weekend, I got to express myself to her parents, and let them know that what their child has been doing is no longer welcomed.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely hate conflict. In my perfect world, I would get along with everyone, but that my dear Christine, is not the world we live in. What I learned is, there are moments, seasons when we need to let the world know what we really feel. Moments when we need to take a step of faith, take a stand for something  and believe that God who started this beautiful work in us, is faithful to complete it.

And yes He is that FAITHFUL

The neighbors and I are not speaking, and to be honest I am just fine with that. I will continue to do what I can the best way I know to be Christ like, but boy there are days when I need the spirit of the Lord like I have never before. I know that God sees our hearts and knows our desires, and if we continue to live a life worthy of God’s blessings, then I believe  in the end, good will win over evil.

What about you? How have you been doing?

Any challenges come your way lately? How have you handled those challenges?

It’s important as Christians to seek the wisdom of God when challenges come our way, and not to react out of our own flesh, because we all know what the flesh is capable of.

I am also reminded of what it means to be patient. To wait on the Lord when things around you don’t seem that easy, and when life seems so very hard. Like the recent hurricane that touched and is still touching the lives of many in the United States and in other parts of the world. It’s moments like these that you are tempted to wonder where is our Lord, and yet if we look very carefully we will find Him even in the midst of such heartache.

Someone say He is AWESOME

My daughters and I recently donated to the the Red Cross (and you can too!!) to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. And as I type this message I am reminded that many are in such extreme need, and yet they are forced to have patience, because for many there is simply nothing they can do for themselves.

I believe that come what may, when we are patient with the Lord. When we seek to wait on Him, no matter how the situation might look like, in the end the Lord will honor His promises to us, and we will be rewarded for the faith we placed in our Lord.

Today, wherever you are, would you begin counting your blessings.

Would you stop and take a deep breathe, realize that you are alive today, and that means that the Lord is not finished with you yet, and that He is with you even when you think that He is so very far.

Would you stop and breathe.

Stop and smell the rain.

Stop and smile, shake your body, jump as high as you can and laugh as loud as you can

Feel the life in you, and know that you are here for a reason.

{click on the pause button on the top right of the blog to enjoy the music}

Love you all: Christine

have you ever felt guilty about enjoying the fullness of day, and the laughter’s that shower your heart on an early Saturday morning in a coffee shop not too far from the smells of poverty, and the seemingly ever growing cries of help?

when you order your panini, something you have longed to do with them because you promised them that you would have them up and early, and into a place that serves the best paninis, and their coffee tastes like it just came straight from heaven’s coffee shop.

their smiles and giggles catch your attention.

in the midst of an early Saturday morning. the birds are glowing and singing like they always do after gathering a harvest for their tummies. the skies as blue as blue gets on a somewhat hot summer day. the streets dead from the hustle and bustle of the week, and it feels like it’s just you and the world.

and before your thoughts finish what it started, you realize that it’s not just you and the world.

that the smells that come from north of you are smells of need, and the seemingly quiet Saturday afternoon, is not as quiet as you had thought, as cries of help see you before you see them, and in the midst of your morning rendezvous, you realize that need has voice, and need needs help.

breakfast is more filling than we had expected. the girls have moved on to playing cards, and games with their mouths that cause bursts of laughter to sprout from within.

I am enjoying the wisdom from Timothy Keller’s book → Generous Justice at the same time enjoying the giggles that come from not too far away from me.

the girls are truly having fun.

“they know how to bring heaven to earth.” I think.

perhaps if I took life with laughter, and giggled at the possibility of enjoying the fullness of life, and found joy in everything that surrounds me, i would find the innocence of being God like, of being child like.

i think.

yet that is so far from who I am. the calmness of day rarely seems to descend upon my heart. the cries of many are the ones that seem to so often make landing in my heart, and the moments of joy, of giggles and bursts of laughter are sometimes missed.

yet to be honest with you - i like it this way.

i like to laugh when in their presence. to giggle, scream and act naughty every now and then, and still hear their cries.

to remain connected to those in need to me is like – remaining connected with God.

Before you can give this neighbor-love, you need to receive it. Only if you see that you have been saved graciously by someone who owes you the opposite will you go out into the world looking to help absolutely anyone in need. Once we receive this ultimate, radical neighbor-love through Jesus, we can start to be the neighbors that the Bible calls us to be.

Page 77 → Generous Justice

i then thank God for my children, who bring this balance into my life.

who take me from sorrow of child in need, and into a place where innocence of child brings joys and laughter’s into anyone’s heart.

we all need a balance such a this in our lives.

find yours today.

enjoy it and cherish those moments when your world seems so perfect, even when a few steps away from you is a cry for help.

know that you can still enjoy life, and answer to the cries that seem to grow so very fast from all corners of the world.

perhaps I think that our happiness brings hope to those in need.

that when they see us come to serve them in happiness of heart, that they begin to find hope in a compassionate and loving smile.

that they too, like Jesus can find peace right where they are. even in the midst of it all.

that peace that surpasses all understanding. that peace that brings miracles, signs and wonders into our life. that very peace that fed five thousand hungry people with two loaves of bread, and five fishes. 

that peaces that says to us, not to worry about how our circumstances look like. instead to have faith in Him, because in Him nothing is impossible.

find yours today.

that balance that sees you through all kinds of days.

that balance that brings hope to those in need.

find yours and hold on to it. because someone else needs it.

 

love: christine