Splagchnizomai: continued

When we were at the lake for our family reunion. Some of the kids were running around with bare feet. The adults kept telling them, "Boys there are stickers all over the place. I'd wear shoes if I were you."

Did they listen? No. Did they step in the stickers? Yes and they were the purple ones. If you know anything about stickers, you know the purple ones are the worst.

Yesterday I talked about having splagchnizomai or compassion.

Lifechurch.tv is doing a LifePack event.

Now I will explain the premise of a LifePack.

LifePacks - Showing God's love by gathering and sending supplies to meet material needs

For example, at the beginning of the school year. People will pick up a LifePack, fill it with school supplies and return it to the church. The church, and volunteers, will go out into the community and distribute them; usually to a near by apartment complex. Another time, we filled the packs with toiletry (can't spell that word) items for a facility that helped women.

Right now, the LifePacks mission is gathering shoes.

(Click on the image to go to their website. Below is information from their website.)

Shoes for Orphan Souls, a ministry of Buckner International, provides new shoes and socks to orphans and at-risk children in the United States and throughout the world. From conducting shoe drives to humanitarian aid trips, Shoes for Orphan Souls offers hands-on opportunities to individuals, groups and organizations that want to transform lives through social ministry. Since 1999, 1.6 mission pairs of new shoes and socks have been distributed to children in 55 countries.

This year LifeChurch.tv is partnering with Shoes for Orphan Souls in order to equip 20,000 orphans around the world with a new pair of athletic shoes. It's hard for some to imagine, but, everyday children across the globe go without a pair of shoes. Without having their feet properly protected, children can get infections, parasites, or life-threatening bacteria from contaminated dirt, rusty nails and glass. What can be such a simple everyday accessory for so many of us can really be a life-changing gift for a child in need.

If you click on the picture above, it will take you to their site so you can scope it out. There is a link to buy shoes RIGHT ON THE WEBSITE!! Doesn't get much easier than that. Lifechurch.tv also registered for shoes through Target and Wal-Mart. (They made it brainless for you!!)

But, one thing about showing compassion; it interrupts, it costs AND it changes lives. (Quoted from Craig's sermon, I'm not that wise.)

I talked at the beginning of this post about my nephews stepping in the sticker patches b/c they weren't wearing shoes.

The sad part, is they could just walk inside, grab a pair, and continue on their day. Kids ALL over the world step in the stickers because they don't have the option of going inside, putting on shoes, and continuing on with their day; stickerless, germless and illness free.

YOU have the opportunity to prevent stickers.

To buy shoes from Target, click here. To buy shoes from Wal-Mart, click here.

I checked the registries. Wal-Mart has shoes as low as $6.00!!!! That is skipping one coffee at Starbucks to put shoes on a child's feet!!! That's not eating out for lunch one day!!!

$6.00 will keep feet stickerless.

If that mental picture doesn't break your heart and make you feel 'moved to action' then I need to make this a little more rough on the heart strings.

Another quote from Craig. (This should bring it home.)

To say you care but not act, is to not care at all.

Did that do it? Please buy a pair. Let me know if you do.

Splagchnizomai

(This graphic is for the first time Craig did this series. Click on it to watch last weeks message. I recommend.)

(splangkh-nid'-zom-ahee); to have the bowels yearn, feel deep sympathy, to be moved to action.

This is the true definition of the word compassion.

Have you ever really pondered this word.

I've thought about it, but not using the definitions from the Hebrew word, splagchnizomai.

Craig is doing the series, Kaleo. (kal-eh'-o); to "call", bid, call (forth)

The title this week, "Called To Care"

What are you truly passionate about? I often think about that. There are things I love giving to, you know, certain organizations, but my bowels don't yearn. I have been moved to action and felt deep sympathy, but never a reactive bowel. I say that slightly jokingly, but with some seriousness.

Craig told a story.

On his way home from work, driving down a country road, in the middle of no where. There was a woman standing on the side of the intersection he was approaching. He thought, "I should stop, but I'm late for dinner. I should stop, but Amy is going to want me home now. I should stop, but ..."

He didn't stop. He says, "To this day I am haunted by the fact that I didn't stop."

As Christians, we are called to care!!

Craig goes on to tell the story in Luke 10:30-32. You know the man who was robbed and the preacher passed him by.

On my way out of church, I was going to grab some LifePacks (I'll explain those tomorrow and show you an opportunity to act.) to fill for children needing shoes, but I decided to wait until Matt and I got the kids out of LifeKids.

Once I got back downstairs, all of the LifePacks were gone!! I teared up. I felt like I just passed the old lady in the intersection. I said, "Oh, there will be some when I get back. Oh, I don't want to wait in line." I walked out of the sermon and did the EXACT SAME THING!! Can you believe it!? Satan got me before the doors opened!!

I should have known a sermon on 'being called to care,' would spur every one's little caring hearts.

Question: Was there a time you know you should have acted to help someone, but didn't?