The Little Boy and the Bird

“…I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings & corpses & anger & pain ... of starving or wounded children…” this in part is the suicide note of photojournalist Kevin Carter.  You most likely do not recognize the name Kevin Carter but you have most likely seen his most famous photograph.  It is a truly haunting picture of a little boy (mistakenly identified as a little girl) who has collapsed on his way to an aid station.  Behind the little boy is a waiting vulture.  The photograph won Carter a Pulitzer Prize.

We live in the most materialistic, selfish, and richest nation in the history of the world. Things that we take for granted, indeed, that we treat as a right are for most of the world and most of history items that only the richest of men or gods of myth could possess.  The wealth of our nation and culture has not left us unaffected as the church.  In fact, we are often times reflective of our culture not a witness to it. 

We will one day stand before God and give an account of our lives.  That accounting will include what we did with the resources that God entrusted to us. James, the Lord’s brother, tells us, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  James 1:27 

A Christian or congregation that lacks generosity, compassion and mercy is a Christian or congregation that can expect to not receive generosity, compassion and mercy.  The measure we use for others is the measure we can expect.  How can we live out the life of a disciple in our dealing with our money?  One of the best things that can happen in the life of a believer is to give sacrificially, even heroically, to a cause or ministry that will not benefit them.

Much of our giving to the church is ultimately self-serving.  We give for new buildings for our use, for new programs to meet our needs, to hire additional staff to minister to us.  Giving that is entirely selfless, that doesn’t come back to bless us, is truly sacrificial.  We need to challenge our people to give heroically, the kind of giving where the only benefit we receive is that we are set free from the slavery and idolatry of wealth.

We can help your congregation with a mission-specific, stewardship campaign that can have a profound impact on the missionaries you bless and on your people who are doing the blessing.  Call us about a “Faith Promise Mission Campaign” to change the world and our hearts.

Charlie Crowe

352-548-4837