Our ministry has the opportunity to grow, to reach more souls — to shape our world. To do this, we need a strategy, which is where Chuck Boudreau comes in.

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Yesterday I shared with you how my life purpose came to me. It came only after I realized, on that camping trip of prayer and fasting, that God really didn’t need my accumulated education, skills or experiences. He only wanted me, specifically my love for Him.

Here is the rest of that story.

The very next day, one of my Wheaton professors told me about a job opportunity that seemed tailor-made for me and all of my seemingly unrelated life experiences. It was a position in service to the poor with a consortium of relief and development agencies in Haiti. And, you guessed it, Compassion was part of that group of agencies.

That was 35 years ago. Decades have passed, and I’ve never once regretted my decision to dedicate my life to the mission of Compassion. God has blessed this organization greatly over the years. He has blessed me, too.

But every once in a while I stop and realize that nothing has really changed. He still doesn’t need me to lead Compassion in order to bless the poor. He can do that all by Himself. He still wants only my love.

I’ve made it a habit to pause daily and ask myself,

“Do I really love Him today?”

I encourage all of us in this Compassion family do the same. Had I not discovered that truth — that what He wants from me is my love — I am convinced I never would have found my life’s purpose.

If you will love God with your whole heart and trust fully in Him, He will direct you. He wants to use your gifts and experiences to accomplish His perfect plan for your life. Where will loving God lead you?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that we can trust You with our lives. Thank You that when we commit to put Your kingdom first, all these other things, including our path in life, are added to us. May we live lives pleasing to You today.

Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.

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When I read stories from our field offices about people coming to know Christ as their Savior, I get really excited. Over the past few weeks stories about Eva, Anthony and Awa have really stood out to me.

What struck me about each of their stories were the actions of the Christian community serving them — actions that showed there is something truly different about this Jesus … something that is, in fact, life changing.

Our faith is important and so is prayer, but actions … well, actions speak volumes our words cannot. In James 2:14-16 (NASB) the apostle Paul says,

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”

Over the Christmas season I read Paper Angels by Jimmy Wayne and Travis Thrasher. It’s an inspiring novel about two families whose lives touch through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.

In case you do not know, the Angel Tree program is one where you choose a child in need and buy Christmas gifts for that child.

It’s a tangible way to help others less fortunate than you know they are loved and are not forgotten at Christmas time.

In the novel, Kevin struggles to keep his young family afloat with his ailing business.

And Thomas, well, Thomas is a teen living in poverty who is determined not to let his poverty get the best of him.

Both characters are fighting tough times, and through their actions God shows up and they each discover that, as bleak as life looks, it doesn’t have to stay that way.

As I read Paper Angels and reflected on Eva, Anthony and Awa, I saw the ugly thread of poverty’s lies woven throughout their personal stories.

Lies like You will die alone; Dreams aren’t for you; and Bullies always win, so don’t bother fighting.

Yet in Paper Angels, as in real life, it was the actions of those called to be the hands and feet of Jesus that brought light to the truth.

Truth that says You are not alone; Dreams do come true; and Bullies are broken people who need Jesus and have no power over you.

Christmas is over and, for many of us, our heightened awareness of the needs of others dulls over time. So I am challenging myself and you: What can we do in this new year to dispel the lies children in poverty live with 24/7?

You could sponsor a child – of course, I’m a huge supporter of that! But what about local programs like CASA or Big Brothers and Big Sisters? Or does your church or community have an outreach program for single parents?

I know life gets busy and overwhelming at times, but if we all just do a little bit, a whole lot of ground will be covered.

Any action you take on behalf of a child living in poverty says to that precious person, You are seen; You are loved; and most especially, You matter to Jesus.

In 2012, will you be the action that shows the love of Jesus to others? And if you need a little inspiration throughout the year, read Paper Angels. It’ll touch your heart and motivate you when you need it most.

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Jim Finwick, Vice President of Technology, spoke to employees during our June 15, 2011 chapel and exposed some plays in the Devil’s playbook, so we may effectively stand against the schemes of the devil.

Subscribe to the audio podcast of our chapel messages via iTunes.

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Around the globe there are many “little ones” who follow Christ, yet who are easily oppressed, powerless and defenseless. It is within our ability to care for them in tangible ways, extending simple offerings to meet needs and ease suffering. The promised reward for doing this is not an obligation, but a free gift from God for our obedience and service.

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” – Matthew 10:42, NIV

For the children we serve, the children you sponsor, what is the “cup of cold water” Jesus wants you to give?

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The father did not care about supporting his two children. So after Giovanna was born, her mother worked hard to support the children by herself. The family lived in a precarious house made of matting, cardboard and plastic. When her mother learned about Compassion, she registered her children.

But Giovanna’s father liked to drink alcohol. Whenever he was drunk his partner kicked him out of the house, and he would go to visit his wife only to have sex. He became aggressive if nobody opened the door. He did not care about the two scared children watching.

After some time Giovanna’s mother was expecting a third child. She decided to leave the house and go to some other place in order to stop the family violence and the sad consequences of her husband’s behavior. For example, two children at the child development center had the same last name as Giovanna; they were her half brothers.

Although her father thought that women should not attend school because it was a waste of money, Giovanna was smart enough to take advantage of all the opportunities she was receiving. She showed leadership at the child development center and at church and was a good student at school.

When she was 12 years old, she began to help as a teacher’s aide at the center. When she was older, she was appointed to take charge of the little children and also at Sunday School, besides being the development center’s secretary.

After finishing high school with high honors, Giovanna entered a government university to study education.

The five years of study were quite difficult. The university was located far from her home; it took two hours by bus to arrive there each day.

Therefore, she had to wake up at 4 a.m. and had to be at the bus stop at 4:30. Her mother used to go with her because it was dangerous to walk several blocks alone in the darkness.

Giovanna had no money to buy a meal at the university and sometimes she stayed without having anything to eat at the campus all day. She would get home at 10:30 p.m. with an empty stomach.

During the summer Giovanna practiced teaching at her child development center and earned some money to buy her school supplies. Although the money she received was just an offering, it seemed a great amount to her. Finally, she finished university with high honors.

Giovanna used her skills in education to prepare Compassion’s children’s curriculum for the child development centers. Now she is working as a Partnership Facilitator in the Compassion Peru office.

Her main duties are representing Compassion to the leaders and pastors of our church partners. She helps to ensure the development of the children and church partners in accordance with the program’s desired outcomes. Her long-term vision is to help young children from birth to 3 years old in the rural areas of Peru.

Giovanna has witnessed that because of the work Compassion does together with the church, children are helped not only in the spiritual aspect, but also in the intellectual area. From then on God develops the gifts that have been given to each child.

“When I was a teenager I was surprised to find out that there were also professionals who were Christians.” Giovanna says that all the Christians she had met up to that time were the center workers and church people who were laborers and just simple workers.

Compassion’s Partnership Facilitators were the first Christian professionals she ever met, and they were the ones who motivated her to continue going ahead.

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“Without exception, rich and poor have the same conviction that what they need is something that the market, money, the government or some other agency can offer them.”

I don’t remember how I stumbled across his post, but I do know it rocked me to the core. And it’s a pretty timely subject since Saturday is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

“The only way to remain with the poor is if we discover that we are the miserable ones. We remain with the poor when we recognize ourselves, even if well disguised, in him/her who is right before our eyes. When we can see our own misery and poverty in [the poor], when we realize our own needs and our desperate need to be saved and liberated, then and only then will we meet Jesus and live life according to His agenda.”

Pretty much every word I read resonated deeply within me. It was refreshing to hear a Christian talk in such a counter-cultural way about poverty.

“Jesus doesn’t have any good news for those who serve the poor. Jesus didn’t come to bring good news of the Kingdom to those who serve the poor; he brought Good News to the poor. He has nothing to say to other saviors who compete with him for the position of Messiah, or Redeemer.”

The thing that struck me most was the author’s humility. He speaks about his own journey with a transparency that gives credence to his words.

“Over the years I’ve discovered that the very position of serving the poor from a commitment to “liberate” them, has been filled with a sense of superiority.”

I have been racking my brain for days trying to come up with a way to get you interested enough to read the post. After many abandoned attempts, I decided to just take the direct route.

You should read the article, Why I Stopped Serving the Poor. I promise … it will be worth your time.

“I have given up on serving the poor. I’m going back to encountering the poor and finding myself in them.”

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I’m not sure how that started. Perhaps it’s because we were so poor and often didn’t have anything else to put between our two slices of Wonder Bread. It’s not very nourishing. But at the time, it was a wonderful snack.

And now, having grown up and had all sorts of meat-filled hoagies, clubs, burgers and Reubens — mayonnaise sandwiches don’t sound very appealing.

The early part of my spiritual journey was just like that mayonnaise sandwich. I had the bread, but not much to put in the middle.

My early walk with Christ was encapsulated in the only two things I really knew about Jesus:

1. He was born of a virgin, in a manger, under a bright star. Wise men came to see Him and brought Him gifts.
2. He was crucified for my sins. But after three days, He rose from the grave…proving His power over death, and thus granting us everlasting life.

But I knew very little about the middle of the sandwich. What happened between birth and death? What did Jesus do with His time here on earth?

We can grow so complacent in our spiritual journeys that we forget about the middle of the story. And frankly, part of that may be the fault of the Church.

Pastors — not all of them, but many — find it easy to talk about the bread. Sermons about how Jesus was born…and how He died for our sins are abundant. It’s an easy topic to give the body. But what about the middle?

Last year, a Barna poll found that more than 50 percent of church-goers in the US said they had not heard a single sermon about ministering to the poor over the past 12 months. Over 50 percent!

But so much of what Jesus did was ministering to those who were hungry, thirsty, hurting, sick, lame, blind…poor. Jesus spent the better part of His ministry addressing those needs. And He told us to do likewise.

Why isn’t the Church teaching about the middle?

Seems to me that ministering to the poor ought to be the most preached topic in the Church today…not one of the least.

If we truly want to be Christ-like, and we should, then let’s start teaching Christ’s message to the Church. Let’s start doing what Jesus did — and what He told us to do…serve the poor.

Anything less…is just a mayonnaise sandwich.

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