Right Now!
Mark has been a friend since college. He’s spent time in “full time” ministry on staff with churches. Now, he works as a builder, but still does full time ministry with his wife influencing young couples to follow Jesus.
He had called simply to share an affirmation about someone who has a low wage job that serves people, but which is not very respected by most folks. He was bragging on Roy and how amazing he thought it was that Roy could serve in this position for 23 years and still have such a good attitude toward people, many who treat him poorly, or at best, as invisible. Mark was praising Roy for his staying power and faithfulness.
As a minister, I don’t get a lot of calls bragging on someone for doing good things. It’s the unfortunate sign of our times that we focus so much energy on finding negative things and then repeating them to others. We seem to find those negative things more easily and hang on to them more tenaciously. But not Mark. I was thankful to have this good dose of blessing and encouragement in the middle of a busy day.
Then Mark went one step further: he asked to be the first person who prayed with me for my trip “right now” before I left for Uganda with Compassion International. Mark has been a youth minister and a young single adult minister: he knows how important it is for kids to come to know Jesus before they hit their twenties. The words of his intercession washed over me like a shower of grace. What a blessing.
I would love it if you would be in prayer about this upcoming trip as we try to find monthly sponsors for at least 500 children. For just a little more than a dollar a day, you can join in me supporting a child (we actually support two) and help them with the basic necessities of life and do this in the name of Jesus.
I covet your prayers, so if you would be willing to be a part of the prayer team for me while I’m on this trip, please follow this link and leave a response to the information there. Also, you want to read my companion article to this post on Heartlight, called “My Deliverer” from the Rich Mullins’ song. What are some other ways to help us be a deliverer for children in need so they can ultimately find the great Deliverer. Let me hear from you in the response are below!
You asked on Heartlight for ideas to help Jesus be the deliverer of the children. I would like to suggest that people consider adoption. We have just returned home from Ethiopia from picking up our 10 year old son. It was totally a God thing from the beginning. He provided the nudge and then provided the resources every step of the way. As you said, the key is being involved and not just doing nothing. May God bless you on your trip.
Gena Beam
21 Jan 08 at 5:11 am
Good morning, Phil. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, insights and experiences with us. You are very gifted and the sharing of your gift is a blessing for so many of us.
I am going to hurridly try to recreate this message. I wrote it once and hit “Submit Comment”, not realizing that I had to enter the Security Code. Yep, I lost it all!
Here goes, again . . .
I was prompted to respond to your message, “The Pincushion” but things were hectic around here and I didn’t. When I read today’s message, “The Deliverer”, I was prompted again and, when the Spirit has to prompt me twice about the same thing, it’s past time to get busy and shame on me!
As I read the Pincushion message and especially the verse, I was so moved that the Lord would send this message through you, just as Jim (my husband) and I were about to welcome our newst grandson into the family. Abraham James Beam was adopted by our eldest son, James and his wife, Gena, on January 1st of this year and the three of them were traveling home to Texas from Ethiopia, with a layover in Washington. As I read the message, Abraham (with the help of his dad) called from Washington to say “hi”. That is all he said as he speaks little English. Image sitting here reading that verse and message and picking up the phone to hear Abraham’s sweet voice. I cried.
Abraham is one of the lucky ones, his deliverer came. As you well know, there are thousands upon thousands whose deliverer never comes.
Abraham was found wandering the streets of Adis Ababa when he was a toddler and was taken to an orphanage where he has lived until James and Gena went for him just a few days ago. The orphanage estimates his age at eleven years.
Abraham came to us through the Texas-based organization, Forever Families. This group’s idea of supporting these children in Africa and other such places is to bring them into our homes through adoption, love them and introduce them to the true Deliverer.
I am so thankful for this organization. Had it not been for them, we never would have known our 17th grandchild and what a loss that would have been for us. Abraham is already a tremendous blessing for our family. He shows love, compassion and maturity far beyond his years. We are so thankful for the blessing of Abraham.
If you don’t know of this organization (just a few Christians who came together to help children of foreign countries) and would like some information about them, there is an article on pages 34, 35 and 36 of the November 3, 2007 edition of World magazine. If you cannot obtain a copy of the magazine or cannot access it on the Internet, I would be more than happy to send it to you.
I will be praying for you, those traveling with you, your pilot
and those whose lives you will touch as you travel to Africa.
God speed in all that you do in His service.
OK, here I go . . . gotta remember to put in the security code!!!
Connie Beam (Maypearl church of Christ)
Connie Beam
21 Jan 08 at 7:20 am
hello, phil. i want to share with you my up coming travel plans. i too sponsor a child with compassion. his name is mijail, he’s 11 yrs. old and he resides in bolivia, of which, by the grace of GOD and waiting on HIM, i will be visiting mijail in march of this year!!! i will keep you informed on the plans and the journey. may GOD keep you and bless you. you will be in my prayers. debbie
debbie carroll
21 Jan 08 at 9:19 am
Dear Phil,
I am also thinking of the Mothers & family members who feel they are too deep into sin that no-one would ever accept or love them because of their lifestyles & choices or what life has enforced on them.
They too need a Deliverer. They need to know that Jesus is there for them. He comes for the broken & lost.
I humbly would ask you to go to my web-site. If after prayer you see the cd that the Lord had me put together for the lost, broken & hurting could be of some help to the women, children & others the Lord has you run across that He is speaking to……….
I would be happy to send you some to take along if there would be room and they could possibly minister to some.
If this is not what the Lord directs you to do it is fine (just wanted to offer)……. know that I am continuing to pray for this outreach. May God bless you all as only He can!!!
To God be the glory!!!!
A sister in Christ,
Natalie K
Natalie K
21 Jan 08 at 12:32 pm
Hi Phil,
Thank you for your post “My Deliverer”. This has been my prayer in recent weeks for the people of Kenya, especially the women and children that have been affected by the violence there this month. It affects me personally since my daughter, son in law and 3 granddaughters are missionaries there. (They are safe.) I also have friends in Nairobi.
I’ve been posting on my blog about the plight of these people and how they need a deliverer. I have read and reread your post today thinking about how could I say what you have said. What I am going to do this evening is link to this post and ask those who read my blog to go to your sight and read it for themselves.
Thank you for your love and concern for all nations. May the Lord open your eyes anew on your trip. For me, I thought I understood poverty until my husband and I went to Kenya last year. Oh my, how our hearts and eyes were opened!
God bless you and your family while you are away.
Marsha
21 Jan 08 at 5:37 pm
Dear Phil,
I can’t add anything further to what my wife and my mom have already stated. I do want to lay an urgent message on the hearts of your readers. This summer, we will be helping again in the bringing of around 50 orphans from Ethiopia to the US for a 2-3 week stay.
We need families who are willing to consider either hosting to adopt or even hosting to advocate for these children. Most of them will be older (6-16 or so). Because of their age, most of them are unadoptable. My wife and I are empty nesters in our 50′s. One of our elders and his wife will return Sunday with their two newly adopted children. They are in their mid-50′s.
If anyone is interested, they can write us and we would be glad to answer any questions.
Thank you for you love for children and for wanting them to know Jesus. That is what matters more than anything else, isn’t it?!
May the Lord’s richest blessings and protection be upon you.
James Beam, Jr
23 Jan 08 at 8:44 am