One Giant Leap in Russia
FINALLY! This is a GREAT sign for the orphans of Russia. Sometimes you have to look beyond what seems like “bad news” to find some really good news. A couple of weeks ago, Russia shut down inter-country adoptions from the United States. But, there has been an interesting message resonating from the leaders of the […]
Are you Pity, Sympathy, or Empathy?
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/aigle_dore/ A friend of mine, Pastor Rich George, shared this short story with me this weekend in Buffalo, NY after I had just finished talking with the church staff about suffering and the church’s response to suffering. I want to pass it along to you. I think it has a LOT to do with […]
Putting an end to the gut-wrenching stories orphanage directors tell
photo by apdk’s photostream on flicker The white-haired orphanage director stood before our group and began to tell us the story of one of the little girls in the orphanage. He recalled how she was dropped off at the doorstep of the orphanage at a young age with a note saying something like, “please take […]
Arouse the Lion!
Here kitty kitty: If someone happened to startle this sleeping lioness, do you think she would react? I think she would be pretty mad. She would likely take swift action. Let me ask you this- what if she had little lion cubs? Do you think that lioness would “up her response” and wake up the male lion sleeping just yards away? That makes me […]
The Case for Change
I think we can all agree that the orphan system is broken. And, churches are moderately involved at best. If the church can’t help orphans, God help the church. Several years ago, when my wife and I lived in Argentina, we had the opportunity to travel across the country to the Patagonian region of Bariloche. […]
Effective Faith Based Partnerships
Working together.That is the heart of Patch Our Planet. We want to help end the orphan crisis and not just work on it. To do that, we have to work together in the public, private and faith sectors. This is what Pastor Rick Warren calls the “3 legged stool” that provides stability. Each partner brings […]
A Father’s Perspective
‘Tis the season for fathers. But, where did they all go? And, whose footsteps are these children going to follow? Tonight, about 40 percent of American children will go to sleep in homes in which their fathers do not live. Unfortunately, in our country, many fathers have chosen to fulfill their own personal desires over the sacrifice of […]
