What does Compassion look like?

I ask myself this question often: "What does Compassion look like?" What does it really mean for me to become a compassionate person who cares deeply about the world that I live in? Let's face it, life moves quick. It's easy for me to get consumed with my job, my marriage, my children, my success, my money, my interests, my dreams, my passions...my life. It's so easy to get caught up with the stuff that revolves around me. But what does it really look like to be a compassionate, other-oriented person?

Being compassionate takes time. Its takes time to leave my world and enter the lives of others. It takes time to find people who need hope and care and then enter their world. It take time to demonstrate love and care to others around me. One organization that shows compassion really well is Compassion. Compassion International (http://www.compassion.com/) is an organization focusing on child sponsorship in some of the world's poorest countries. For $38 a month a regular person (like me) can sponsor a child and give them food, clothing, shelter and a true hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Compassion's work in these countries is not only compassionate and caring but timely. Compassion meets the needs of some of the world's most vulnerable and hurting children. Compassion gives children opportunity and hope...all as a result of one person giving $38 a month. Compassion does a great job at giving children the basic human necessities, which it turn means HOPE. To me, this is worth it! Sponsorship is worth it!

This Sunday, my church is having a Compassion Sunday. We'll be highlighting the mission of Compassion and then giving people an opportunity for others to sponsor a child. As I was thinking about this Sunday, my mind goes to my own sponsored child, Minoungou who lives in Burkina Faso. Our family has sponsored Minoungou since 2006 and he's been a joy to watch develop and grow.

In the summer of 2006, I had the opportunity to visit Minoungou at his home in Burkina Faso. I visited him again in 2008 and will see him once again this next summer. I love visiting him. I remember that first visit in 2006 like it was yesterday. I was driven by a Compassion representative into Minoungou's village and eventually arrived at his home. His mother and little sister greeted us. They were each shy and apprehensive. The gifts (bubbles, crayons, bubble gum, clothing) helped "break the ice". It was surreal as I sat on a broken down chair and watched as Minoungou opened gifts, smiled and interacted with me (through our interpreter). This visit rocked my world and my life! I've never been the same. For the first time in my life, I saw with my own eyes what the power of child sponsorship can look like. I saw what a simple sacrifice on my behalf could do in a life like Minoungou's. I vowed to never forget what I saw and always be an advocate for children who need hope and ultimately sponsorship. This interaction with my family's sponsored child marked my life, and I never want to forget this interaction.

This all leads me back to my question, "What does Compassion look like?" It looks like Compassion. Being compassionate means going after ONE. Being compassionate means pursuing ONE. Being compassionate means rescuing ONE. It's all about the ONE. It's not about the masses...it's just about being an agent of love and grace towards the ONE.

Lord, continue to make me into a compassionate man.

The NEW idolatry

Idolatry has always existed. Humans have historically gravitated towards idols. We make them, allow them, erect them and then worship them. God forbid idolatry in Exodus 20 and the bible is laced with passages that warn people from putting anything or anyone (an idol) before the one, true God. Idolatry was never and never will be tolerated by the Eternal One, who calls Himself Jealous in Exodus 20:5.

Idolatry looks different now that it did in Old Testament times. In 1 Kings, God repeatedly told the people to forsake their idol Baal, and instead cling to the Lord. In Isaiah 47, the scriptures say, "I am, and there is none besides me". God has identified Him as the only one worthy of our worship and affection. Today, there are idols all around us. We don't call them idols but they are. Wikipedia says that an idol "is a man-made object that is worshiped in some way". Man makes it. Man likes it. Man worships it.

Technology can easily be an idol. Video games can be an idol. Facebook can be an idol. Tweeting can be an idol. Blogging can be an idol :). Cell phones can be an idol...that's right, cell phones can easily be an idol. It's amazing to see how fast our world is moving and its technological advances. A high school student can take a picture in a classroom in Warren, Ohio and upload that same pic and it can be seen by a total stranger on the opposite side of the world. I've seen how cell phones can be helpful for families in keeping in touch with each other. On the other hand, I've seen how cell phones can easily become an idol.

Remember an idol is something that we can't live without. An idol is something that we wake up thinking about...and go to bed having on our mind. People go to school with their phone, go to work with their phone, eat with their phone, go to bed with their phone, go out on dates with their phone...and often it seems unfathomable to some to actually live and function without that phone. When one becomes so dependent on a piece of technology, in this case a cell phone, a case could be made that it has become an idol in one's life.

I recently heard a high school student say that "they can't live without their phone". I don't know how to get around the fact that this is sin...this is idolatry. This student has determined that in their life that there time and what they do will be centered around this phone. The phone becomes the focus. The phone becomes the object one can't live without. This forces our fierce and loving God to be Jealous. The simple phone that was designed to be a tool is now an addiction, an obstacle and an idol that is preventing one from being dependent on God Himself.

Now, is it wrong to have a cell phone? Absolutely not. I have one and use it everyday. However, I know that I can function without my phone. I know that my life will go on without my phone. The world won't fall apart and my friends lives won't fall apart if I have to go without my phone for a period of time. Life will go on. The world will still function. However, there are people who are so addicted to their phone, that it has become an idol. Instead of using it as a tool and mastering the phone, the phone now masters them. They can't put it down. They can't function without texting. They have to have it. It's become an idol.

Lord, keep my heart soft. Keep me pliable so that I don't allow any idol to be present in my life...including my cell phone.

Never Thought I'd be a Money Lender

I love dreaming. I mean, I love trusting God to do big stuff...things that I can't really pull off on my own power. Two years ago, I started reading and studying micro-credit in third-world countries (you can see some of my previous posts). I was intrigued and then I became challenged. I became challenged and convinced that God wanted me to step out and do the very thing that I was reading about---lending money to some of the world's poorest people. I started to network with people who were involved in micro-lending and I started to ask questions. Through a friend, I was put in touch with a young man in Burkina Faso who desires to be involved in micro-lending. So, to make a long story short...here is what happened.

After 8 months of dialoguing with my new friend in Burkina Faso, writing up a job description and then drawing up loan guidelines, the time came to send the money. Make no mistake about it...a lot of thought, prayer and dialogue went into it (a lot of details)...but eventually I had to leap. I had to risk and trust God. So, a friend of mine and Mandy and I decided to invest some money and lend it to some poor people in Burkina Faso. We've invested our monies in a small village 28 miles outside the capital city of Ouagadougou. Twenty-nine different women received small loans of money to be put towards their small businesses. These loans will in turn empower these women and hopefully lift them out of poverty. They are given 9 months to re-pay the loans. If they re-pay the loans with a small interest rate attached, they will qualify for a second loan.

So, right now, the money that was sent is on the other side of the world in the hands of twenty-nine different women who I have never met. It's cool to see God do what I was unable to pull off on my own strength. I have so many limitations. God has no limitations. He's eternal and Creator of all. Trusting Him leaves me (and you) in good hands.

My prayer is that these monies would be used to lift many out of the grip of poverty and give them a hope. Here's another cool part. Every person who receives these monies will hear about this God who created them and loves them with an undying love. My friend (who is doing all the legwork for me) has been tasked with sharing the gospel of Jesus with these precious people. So, it's not just about lending them money, rather I want to see people place their faith in the Jesus who can change circumstances and one's eternal destiny.

More to come on my micro-lending venture. I'm excited. I love to talk about it and share how God is using these monies to help the poor and needy on the other side of the planet.
If this intrigues you, I'd love to share more with you. If you want to give, I invite you to prayerfully consider. It's exciting how a small amount of money can change the trajectory of one's life. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments. I'm all ears.
Stay tuned...more to come on micro-lending and how we can care for the poor in our world.

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord" Proverbs 19:17

It's Been 8 Months

I know...I know, it's been 8 months since I last blogged. I know some may have written me off, but for the faithful few that are stickin' by my side, I'm starting back to the blog world once again. Not only has it been 8 months since I last blogged, but it's been 8 months since we brought Levi home from Ethiopia. He's been such a joy, and our love for him continues to increase. He's adjusted well to our family and every day I look into his eyes and consider him a blessing. Although the adoption journey has not been easy (lots of waiting), God has been so good. When I look at him playing in our back yard, I immediately thank our Lord for bringing Levi into our lives. My heart is full!!!

Stay tuned...I'll be blogging more. Keep checking back for more thoughts on Culture / Spirituality and Social Justice.

My Dream...actually God's Dream!

Have you ever felt like you've moved ahead of God? Have you ever had a dream that you were so passionate about, that you forgot to include God in the dream? I know I have. So many times, I've pursued the dream, instead of the Dream Giver (God). God becomes Someone that is placed on a shelf instead of driving, moving and refining the dream (which He is an expert at).

Last year, I wrote on my blog about a dream that I had pertaining to helping the world's poorest people. I shared how I felt God had given me a dream to be an instrument of hope in the lives of the poor and hopeless in Africa. Through the means of micro-credit, God has led me (and developing a similar heart in others) to share a portion of our wealth to help bring hope and a sustainable income to some of the world's poorest people.

Micro-credit (or micro-finance) can help create a world in which the poor have fair access to economic opportunities and the hope to move beyond poverty. Most people in the poorest areas of our world are bright and intelligent but simply lack the access to adequate capital to pursue their dreams which will in turn create a sustainable income. So, instead of escaping the grip of poverty, they remain stuck in poverty due to a lack of capital. They simply need a chance. This is where micro-credit can help serve the poor.

I began to read on the work of micro-credit that is being pursued by evangelicals and other concerned people, and I realized that God was birthing something inside my heart. In 2006, God crushed me as I was exposed to the poor, malnourished and broken in Burkina Faso, Africa. I felt like their was an assignment that God had for me. I was crushed and I was slowly developing a love for the people of Africa and a desire to see God bring hope and solutions to the poorest of the poor. As I read and researched more on the work of micro-credit in an impoverished area, I realized that this was something that I could take part in. I had the dream (or should I say, God gave me the dream), but I knew nothing of the mechanics or the direction and steps that I needed to take.

I knew that this was way bigger than me and my feeble abilities. I prayed. Then, I started to seek out the advice from others who had worked in the micro-credit arena. The last thing I wanted to do was abandon the very God who birthed the dream in me. Instead, I've tried to yield myself and "the dream" to the Dream Giver. I don't want to get ahead of God, rather I want Him to lead, inspire and ultimately bring this dream to reality...and I think He's doing it.

Recently, I've been given some clarity on the direction of the dream. I've also been surrounded by people that have a desire to contribute to giving micro-credit and others that are willing to help in the structure of the organization. Things are coming together. God is building the dream. So, once again, here's the dream: I'd like to see people have the opportunity to contribute money that would be use to issue small loans in the amount of $25 - $250. These small loans would be used for business development, education and extreme medical circumstances. Loans will be given to those that are in the most need. Borrowers repay the loans over a period of time. To qualify for a second loan, the borrower must repay there first loan. An interest rate is given and if payments are made in a timely manner, the borrower will receive all of their interest back, once the principle has been paid off. This creates an incentive for the borrower to pay off their loan in an expedient manner. Screening will take place by someone that is godly, lives a life of integrity and has a heart for the poor. God has already led the way and allowed me to connect me with a young man in West Africa who has a heart for this ministry. I'm currently dialoging with him and refining parts of the vision and how it will potentially be fleshed out.
I gotta' tell ya...I'm really excited as to what God is doing. He's doing the building, the connecting, and the inspiring. He's filling in the blanks. God may very well kill this dream, and if He does, I trust Him fully, because it's His dream in the first place. I have a strong feeling though that God is developing something and calling people together to be a part of something that will help the poorest of the poor. This is what I want to be a part of. I want the justice of God to flow through me and others to those that are in desperate need. I want to see redemption come to those that need rescued...both physically and spiritually.
Stay tuned to my blog for more info. I'll be updating and sharing how this develops as God connects the dots. By the way, if this is something that you've connected with, and you desire to help the poor and hurting in Africa by providing micro-credit, please email me at parmitage@northmarchurch.com. Eventually, I envision a need to have numerous people helping in a variety of ways...so if God is moving you, let me know.
Thanks for allowing me to share God's dream...let's stay in touch!!!

P.S. If you want to check out some other reputable organizations who are offering micro-credit, check out www.opportunity.org or www.hopeinternational.com

Puttin' My Thanks On...52 Different Ways!

I have to tell you, I'm one thankful man. God is so good to me (and my family). I continue to be amazed at why God lavishes His love and affection on me as I continue to figure what it truly means to follow Him. As I stumble and fall and continue to strive to follow Him with my life, He extends so much love and blessings into my life. So, in light of Thanksgiving just passing us and really thinking through all that I have in Him and through Him, I've decided to make a list of 52 things that I'm thankful for. Here they are:
1. My Rescuer and Redeemer, Jesus Christ
2. Mandy Armitage (she gently shows me who #1 is)
3. My savings account
4. My back yard
5. My parents, Norm and Priscilla (they the bomb)
6. Meat
7. Ethiopia
8. North-Mar Church
9. My home
10. Logan, Landon and Levi (love spending time with those crazies)
11. A pair of shoes that I purchased from Target for $6.00
12. Our mini-van
13. John, Jeff and Kevin---my 3 friends who keep me accountable.
14. The book of Romans
15. Furniture in my house
16. Mandy's parents, Don and Betty
17. Chicken Wings (especially the garlic ones from Cleats)
18. Gulf Shores, Alabama
19. My small group
20. The men and women that I work with
21. United States
22. My Bible (that was recently re-bound)
23. My shed (or mini-barn)
24. The Junky Car Club (www.junkycarclub.com)
25. Missionaries
26. My family (bro, sis, their families, bro-in-law and sis-in law)
27. Canada (proud to be a Canadian citizen)
28. My fire pit in my back yard
29. The men and women who serve overseas
30. The students in my youth group (they make me laugh)
31. My farm
32. Minoungou (our sponsored child in Burkina Faso)
33. The Holy Spirit (real, powerful and ever so convincing)
34. Romans 8:28
35. Indoor Soccer
36. Trees that show God's creativity
37. Peamale bacon
38. Compassion International (www.compassion.com)
39. Internet
40. Computers
41. Amish people (they teach me that simple living is attainable)
42. College students that are preparing for full-time ministry (they have my prayers and admiration)
43. Subway $5 subs
44. Politicians (the ones that are actually honest)
45. Dangerous Wonder (a great book)
46. A Church that takes care of me and my family
47. Levi's birth mother (that she cared enough to give him over to an orphanage)
48. Hot Chocolate
49. Bon Jovi (the stuff from the 80's)
50. America's Funniest Home Videos
51. Vacations
52. Heaven

Choosing to Cheat Part 2

We live in such a me-centered world. Everything is about the individual. Instant gratification is at our fingertips. We want things "now", and rarely are we willing to wait. We have high-speed Internet, call ahead seating at certain chain restaurants, express check-out at grocery stores, instant texting and express oil changes. We even have the capability to pay all our bills and do all our banking with one single click. The self-centered world that we live in is saturated with me-thinking that wants little to do with waiting and patience...the very things that Jesus modeled and wants in the life of His followers. We'll cheat everything else, but we don't like to be cheated. No one will cheat the almighty "ME". No way.

It brings me back to the book that I read a couple of years ago, "Choosing to Cheat" (which I've referred to in an earlier blog). When the most important collides with the less important, who or what wins? I work with high school students in my church and often times I find myself disturbed by the very things that students end up cheating. What's amazing is that there are some parents that aren't bothered by this "cheating". What I'm referring to is an ever increasing love for the things that really don't matter in the whole scheme of things and a lack of love for those things that will draw a student closer to the heart of God. Our high school sport culture is immersed in practice and winning so much that it has led to some students living unbalanced lives. Parents often urge their students to take a higher level of classes so that they can "pad" their resume...often times at the expense of their own students spiritual potential. Students become so busy and consumed with grades that they have very little time to give to God and fostering that relationship with Him. This is cheating.

Many students will spend hours upon hours at a field or on a court and have a hard time giving 2-3 hours a week to their local church. Now, I do believe in incarnating the gospel and believe that students can best live out the gospel of Jesus in their local school. However, the church plays a crucial role in developing, training and motivating students to take "the next step" spiritually. Without this crucial and essential training, students are often left with simply an activity-filled life instead of a life filled with purpose, meaning and opportunity.

I know of a family who will only let their children play one sport a year. Interesting...they may be on to something. Instead of cheating God and His Church, these parents have said, "we'll cheat sports so that Jesus can have a more active part in our kids lives". It's paying off too. Their children love God! I know that I've yet to parent a teenager, but even now as my oldest is seven years old, I find Mandy and I having to make some tough decisions. I refuse to allow sports cheat God and His mission for our children. Sports, school, and extracurricular activities will be cheated so that me and my family can do all that we can to love God and live congruent lives before Him.

Sound impossible? It's not, but its definitely difficult. I need the help of God and the help of other Christ-followers who think like this to encourage me and urge me to not cheat God and His activity in my life and my family's. I really want to live like this. I want my children to be involved in their school, their community and their neighborhood, but balance must be achieved. God must not be cheated. No idols will be erected in my house.

How about you. Are you balanced? Are you cheating God? Chew on it...

Choosing to Cheat

Several years ago, I read a great book by Andy Stanley entitled "Choosing to Cheat". It's a simple book that takes no more than two nights to read (that's if you're a slow reader like me) and looks at the issue of when family and work collide. This simple but yet profound book has implications for not only family and work, but can affect our church involvement, how we parent, involvement in our respective school, community involvement, and how much money we give away.

In a nutshell, the book says that when the opportunity comes and you're confronted with a decision to prioritize either family and work, let the family value win. Tomorrow I leave for retreat with a group of high school students. All week, I've been preparing for this retreat, because I desperately want it to be a time that is both encouraging and inspiring for those high school students that come. I've put a lot of physical and mental energy into the retreat and in other areas that are a part of my "job". I'm constantly watching how many hours I spend away from my home and at my work (or ministry). I don't want to cheat my family, rather I'd rather have a ticked off elder board than a ticked off kid because his daddy spends too much time at "the office" (fortunately, I serve at a church where the elders are adamant that my service to my family precedes my service to the church).



The implications have broader affect when I look at my finances. Mandy and I recently bought a couple couches for our family room because the current ones are worn out and falling to pieces (literally). We saved up, shopped around for deals and didn't spend the money until we really needed the couches. Due to this out of the ordinary expense, the temptation and opportunity came to cheat God with my finances. Before I could be tempted to hoard and keep my money, I ran over to my check book and made a check out (my tithe). I didn't want to cheat my Lord. The same resolve I had to not cheat my family of time and security, is the same resolve I want with my finances and every facet of my life. I want to serve my Lord regularly. I want to spend time with Him regularly. I want to give my money and time to Him regularly. I don't want to cheat my Lord. I'd rather cheat myself and keep the dilapidated furniture than cheat Jesus.

Choosing to Cheat has even wider implications. More on that later...stay tuned!