Comments on: Giving people the easy stuff. http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/ Musings by Jon Acuff Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:50:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Lark http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30802 Lark Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:13:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30802 Good reminder. I get email updates from a couple ministries about specific cases of persecuted Christians, accompanied by links that can be used to write them letters of encouragement or write to officials in their home country to help improve their treatment. It's such a small thing but I almost NEVER do it. I was recently convicted about it, too. <br/><br/>I was reading about a woman in China who was in prison on trumped charges and wasn't being allowed to see her dying husband of 50+ years and the thought suddenly came to me how I would feel if I was in that situation and fellow Christians with political safety failed to use their clout for me because it was a slight inconvenience. It was like a punch in the gut. <br/><br/>vw: hobblers (I am SO excited to finally get an actual, real word! I'm not even kidding.) Good reminder. I get email updates from a couple ministries about specific cases of persecuted Christians, accompanied by links that can be used to write them letters of encouragement or write to officials in their home country to help improve their treatment. It’s such a small thing but I almost NEVER do it. I was recently convicted about it, too.

I was reading about a woman in China who was in prison on trumped charges and wasn’t being allowed to see her dying husband of 50+ years and the thought suddenly came to me how I would feel if I was in that situation and fellow Christians with political safety failed to use their clout for me because it was a slight inconvenience. It was like a punch in the gut.

vw: hobblers (I am SO excited to finally get an actual, real word! I’m not even kidding.)

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30526 Anonymous Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:50:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30526 Let me clarify that prayer is FAR more powerful than any letter I could ever send and has always been a first resort not a last. It's just the guilt that comes and my broken heart for people who have so little and Americans who swim around in all their shiny excess of who I am surely the worst. Let me clarify that prayer is FAR more powerful than any letter I could ever send and has always been a first resort not a last. It’s just the guilt that comes and my broken heart for people who have so little and Americans who swim around in all their shiny excess of who I am surely the worst.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30525 Anonymous Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:44:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30525 The first child I sponsored nearly 8 years ago was named Yombikali from the Congo. He had these haunting eyes and the sweetest face and he sent me a letter once that said he loved helping pick yams from the garden his mother grew. And then, a year or so later after I had NEVER WRITTEN HIM, NOT EVEN ONCE, I got a letter from Compassion saying the missonaries had to leave the Congo region because it was too dangerous and they would send me a new Compassion child and to please continue to pray for Yombikali. Thud... like an arrow through my heart and now all I CAN give him are my prayers which I do more often than you might believe but less often than God would like to hear about him. I mean, what else can I do for that poor child who lives in a country so dangerous that even the missionaries are leaving! Talk about too little, too late. This has haunted me for years. I still have his photo.<br/><br/>Will you PRT with me for him now? Father in heaven, please bless this dear child in the Congo who is now a young man. Lord, I pray that he is well and safe and most of all, Father, I pray that he has found his way to You. And if he hasn't yet, please draw him to you and help him choose to give his life to Jesus and spend eternity with you.In Jesus's precious name, I pray, Amen. The first child I sponsored nearly 8 years ago was named Yombikali from the Congo. He had these haunting eyes and the sweetest face and he sent me a letter once that said he loved helping pick yams from the garden his mother grew. And then, a year or so later after I had NEVER WRITTEN HIM, NOT EVEN ONCE, I got a letter from Compassion saying the missonaries had to leave the Congo region because it was too dangerous and they would send me a new Compassion child and to please continue to pray for Yombikali. Thud… like an arrow through my heart and now all I CAN give him are my prayers which I do more often than you might believe but less often than God would like to hear about him. I mean, what else can I do for that poor child who lives in a country so dangerous that even the missionaries are leaving! Talk about too little, too late. This has haunted me for years. I still have his photo.

Will you PRT with me for him now? Father in heaven, please bless this dear child in the Congo who is now a young man. Lord, I pray that he is well and safe and most of all, Father, I pray that he has found his way to You. And if he hasn’t yet, please draw him to you and help him choose to give his life to Jesus and spend eternity with you.In Jesus’s precious name, I pray, Amen.

]]> By: SAW http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30418 SAW Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:09:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30418 Koffijah--<br/>I hear your heart and will not judge your character. I will, however, lovingly correct your misperception. The organization that my wife and I support has the following mission statement--"RELEASING children from poverty in Jesus' Name". Not--creating dependency on western checkbooks. Not even-- creating opportunities for children to hopefully be adopted and saved by moving to America.<br/><br/>Through holistic child development which includes medical, nutritional, socio-economical, educational, social and spiritual development---they are bring taught that they can break the generational and national curses on their family and nation. It IS my support that makes that possible. Furthermore, all of this takes place EXCLUSIVELY through the local church. My letters remind them that they are beautiful. My letters ask them and get them to think about what they want to be when they grow up. My letters let them know that when they look at the moon that there is someone half way across the world that is looking at the same moon who loves them, prays for them and believes in them. <br/>How do I know all of this? I have met them! I gave met their mothers and siblings! I have met their pastor! I have seen it with my eyes. We are not creating dependancy. We are simply giving them a chance. IN JESUS NAME.<br/><br/>So, for all those who believe the way you do. I have a challenge. Keep your money. BUT, request from the organization we support, to be given a child to correspond with. Then write and pray. Then watch how God changes their life and yours. Want more proof? GO. Go with me (Jon can put you in touch) Go with me to see my sponsored children and just how misinformed you were. In the meantime, I'll keep praying, writing and visiting--all the while seeking a GREATER dependance on God for myself and our sponsored children. <br/> <br/>SAW Koffijah–
I hear your heart and will not judge your character. I will, however, lovingly correct your misperception. The organization that my wife and I support has the following mission statement–”RELEASING children from poverty in Jesus’ Name”. Not–creating dependency on western checkbooks. Not even– creating opportunities for children to hopefully be adopted and saved by moving to America.

Through holistic child development which includes medical, nutritional, socio-economical, educational, social and spiritual development—they are bring taught that they can break the generational and national curses on their family and nation. It IS my support that makes that possible. Furthermore, all of this takes place EXCLUSIVELY through the local church. My letters remind them that they are beautiful. My letters ask them and get them to think about what they want to be when they grow up. My letters let them know that when they look at the moon that there is someone half way across the world that is looking at the same moon who loves them, prays for them and believes in them.
How do I know all of this? I have met them! I gave met their mothers and siblings! I have met their pastor! I have seen it with my eyes. We are not creating dependancy. We are simply giving them a chance. IN JESUS NAME.

So, for all those who believe the way you do. I have a challenge. Keep your money. BUT, request from the organization we support, to be given a child to correspond with. Then write and pray. Then watch how God changes their life and yours. Want more proof? GO. Go with me (Jon can put you in touch) Go with me to see my sponsored children and just how misinformed you were. In the meantime, I’ll keep praying, writing and visiting–all the while seeking a GREATER dependance on God for myself and our sponsored children.

SAW

]]> By: Tracy, mom2many http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30416 Tracy, mom2many Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:23:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30416 Well, crap. I don't read your blog for like 4 months, show up ONE DAY, and get convicted. Well, crap. I don’t read your blog for like 4 months, show up ONE DAY, and get convicted.

]]> By: Cindy LaJoy http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30339 Cindy LaJoy Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:54:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30339 Yea, writing our sponsored kids is hard, making time for them is hard, going to the store to purchase a gift then wrapping it and going back out to the post office to send it is hard. You wanna know what is harder?<br/><br/>Sponsoring them for 5 years, watching them grow up in photos all that time, feeling a niggle in your heart you try to ignore, meeting them half way around the world where the niggle becomes God yelling at you, and then waiting 2 years for the adoption process to be completed.<br/><br/>That's harder.<br/><br/>And still it doesn't feel like we have given even a 10th as much as He has given us. Yea, writing our sponsored kids is hard, making time for them is hard, going to the store to purchase a gift then wrapping it and going back out to the post office to send it is hard. You wanna know what is harder?

Sponsoring them for 5 years, watching them grow up in photos all that time, feeling a niggle in your heart you try to ignore, meeting them half way around the world where the niggle becomes God yelling at you, and then waiting 2 years for the adoption process to be completed.

That’s harder.

And still it doesn’t feel like we have given even a 10th as much as He has given us.

]]> By: Pam D http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30336 Pam D Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:08:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30336 Oh my word (as BooMama would say).. BooMama just put up this post:http://boomama.net/2009/02/13/one-year-ago/<br/> Read it.. to the end.. and you'll understand why I commented. Is Troy anywhere out there reading this blog? Cause if so.. I hope he's writing. Oh my word (as BooMama would say).. BooMama just put up this post:http://boomama.net/2009/02/13/one-year-ago/
Read it.. to the end.. and you’ll understand why I commented. Is Troy anywhere out there reading this blog? Cause if so.. I hope he’s writing.

]]> By: Jarrod Haggard http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30331 Jarrod Haggard Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:54:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30331 Jon,<br/>Thanks for the honesty, it means a lot, and I'm sure we all appreciate it greatly. Jon,
Thanks for the honesty, it means a lot, and I’m sure we all appreciate it greatly.

]]> By: JMom http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30324 JMom Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:19:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30324 God used this post in my life in a HUGE way. Too much to post in a comment. But, thank you! God used this post in my life in a HUGE way. Too much to post in a comment. But, thank you!

]]> By: janet http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/comment-page-2/#comment-30289 janet Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:11:00 +0000 http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2009/02/490-giving-people-the-easy-stuff/#comment-30289 i never write my compassion child either. every time i get a letter i think to myself. "wow. i am a horrible person." but i feel like too much of a heathen to write now! i know i should. i will. i even have; it just never makes it to the mailbox. i can even do it online now. i comment on blogs all the time. facebook the day away. spend 10 min. writing a note? hmm. can't seem to do it. i'm waiting for the lightening bolt to consume me. i never write my compassion child either. every time i get a letter i think to myself. “wow. i am a horrible person.” but i feel like too much of a heathen to write now! i know i should. i will. i even have; it just never makes it to the mailbox. i can even do it online now. i comment on blogs all the time. facebook the day away. spend 10 min. writing a note? hmm. can’t seem to do it. i’m waiting for the lightening bolt to consume me.

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