Thailand is full of coffee artists. Wherever you go for a cup of Joe, they try to outdo their coffee competitors with creative patterns and swirls of blended foam.

I hate to even stir in a spoonful of sugar for fear of ruining the coffee canvas. But since the coffee won’t stay hot forever, I choose to capture each creation digitally.

But my absolute favorite of all time is:

How on earth?

This post was originally published in Oct. 2008 on Michael’s personal blog, Build Your Walls! Guard Your Gates!

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The following are actual warning labels on products for children:

• Not intended for highway driving. — On a tricycle
• Do not use as ear plugs. — On a package of silly putty
• Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly. — On a child-sized Superman costume

Clearly, the average manufacturer does not underestimate the ability of a child to think and act outside the box — or a child’s belief that all things are possible.

It is this belief — the willingness of children to open their hearts and minds to all of the possibilities that God has put before them — that continually draws me toward ministry to young people.

This combination of joie de vivre and simple faith is what I hope to celebrate and encourage everyday of my life here on Earth.

Did you know that the average child smiles 400 times a day? The average adult only 15. What is it that we lose on our way to adulthood?

In our efforts to achieve success, to be taken seriously, to be “mature” — what is it that we give up along the way?

Try this experiment:

Walk up to a group of children and suggest the most impossible of ventures — digging to China via the backyard, for example.

Your suggestion will be met with squeals of delight and approval. There will be an immediate call for shovels. The endeavor will be undertaken without delay and with much enthusiasm and optimism.

You will hear children begging for a role in the project — sharing their abilities and what they can offer to the grand plan. You will hear how and why this idea really could work!

Now gather a group of adults. Propose an idea that will take them outside of their comfort zone — an overseas missions trip or even a volunteer opportunity in their own community.

I guarantee you will get a much different reaction. Be prepared to hear a litany of reasons as to why it can’t be done.

There will be a laundry list of prior commitments, an encyclopedia of flaws that render each person inadequate for the project. “I can’t do this because _______ (fill in the blank.)” A few will join you. Most will not.

Is it any wonder that Jesus said again and again that we must be like children?

I believe it is not merely because children are gentle — but because they are enthusiastic, bold and willing. It is that sparkling trifecta that I believe Christ hopes for in all of his followers.

One of my favorite Bible verses is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV). Who is more faithful to this message than a child?

I think of my own sponsored child who, in his very first letter at the age of seven, told me of his intention to be an artist.

This is a little boy in rural Africa who had never owned a box of crayons or a set of paints in his life. But what does that matter to a child who has faith? Each letter brings a new drawing more beautiful and elaborate than the last.

How many of us would have said, “I don’t have what it takes?” My Compassion child didn’t — he simply forged ahead with the knowledge that through Christ all things are possible.

So sponsors, pause for a moment and thank God for bringing you into a relationship with one of the true movers and shakers in our world — a child. Thank Him for introducing you to someone who will show you what it means to be joyful and optimistic, confident and faithful even in the most impossible of situations.

And while you are at it, offer a hand to one of these children who are so small, yet so bold.

• If you are a sponsor, write your children. Remind them that in their lifetime anything is possible. Tell them how you have learned from them — how they have inspired you.
• If you are not yet a sponsor, I encourage you to make that commitment today. I promise you will get more out of the experience than you could ever possibly give.

Thank you to everyone who sponsors and encourages a child in anyway. I know with certainty that the Lord is smiling down upon you! May we all be more like a child, each and every day of our life!

“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me …
Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
—Shel Silverstein

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Actually, the time I spend traveling for this job should tell you how demanding it really is. I travel on average about 120 days out of the year.

As I try to master the art of video blogs, I’m going to bring you “A Day On The Road With Spence.” I’m sure you all will be glued to your seats for this Spielberg-like master piece.

So what does this have to do with taking artists to the next level? Not a whole lot other than I needed some sort of intro for this blog. On to the post….

When an artist decides they want to work with Compassion, I know going into this relationship that they have a heart for children living in poverty.

For most of us, that seems like its a “given.” For some artists, though they have a heart for it, they’ve never really seen the kind of poverty we are talking about and dealing with on a daily basis.

So on Compassion’s Artist Relations team, we take these artists overseas to see our work first hand. It’s a great experience for them and one of my favorite parts is watching these artist “get it.”

Meaning, you actually see them being transformed by what they are experiencing as they meet these children and their families and by learning how the local church is involved in these children’s lives on every level.

It’s at this point that an artist’s passion for releasing children from poverty goes to the next level. It becomes a part of their everyday lives. Not just a part of their show.

Last spring, I took country artist Bryan White to Ecuador to meet his sponsored child. It was an awesome trip!

After we got home, Bryan called me and said, “Spence, I wish I could travel with Compassion to visit every child in the program. This has changed me forever.”

You know…he was right. He talks to everyone he knows about children in poverty and how sponsoring a child changes children’s lives forever.

I love Bryan’s attitude. It’s what taking things to the next level is all about.

For Michael W. Smith, he has been talking about Compassion for over 20 years now. He’s been to see our work 11 times — 10 to Ecuador to see his sponsored child and once to Kenya.

I took Michael to Kenya in January of 2007, and we shot this video below. What you see on this video was a small example of watching a man, Michael, who had been talking about Compassion for all these years become even more passionate about the work being done for kids all over the world and the urgency to bring hope to these children in need.

Until next time friends…

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