What do Jerry Maguire and James 1:27 have in common?

Blog post authored by Matt, Director of Advocacy, World Orphans

Typing this blog post I feel a bit like Jerry Maguire writing the mission statement, “The Things We Think and Do Not Say: The Future of Our Business.” Here’s hoping I don’t end up all alone holding a goldfish.

Question … How do you define your faith? No, I don’t want the “being sure of what you cannot see” line we are quick to throw around. I want tangibles. I want your answer to be able to go to class with you for show-n-tell.

Let me put it a different way. If faith without works is dead, and you and I believe our faith in Jesus is alive and well; then what do we point to for evidence?

Unfortunately, the tendency for most Christians is to first look at the following categories:

Church attendance.
What you drop in the offering plate.
Our frequency in studying the Bible.
Certain things you might abstain from (alcohol, certain types of entertainment, etc.)
Milestones in our spiritual journey (baptism, confirmation, etc.)

I admit it, I have been guilty of measuring myself by these standards for the majority of my life. As a result, I developed an unsatisfyingly-hollow “checklist” type of relationship with God. Did I read my Bible today? Check. Did I tithe this past Sunday? Check.

Sound familiar?

I Will Carry Your Name

Blog post by Heather E., Team Moldova 2011

Children have always been my heart.  Something about them captivates me.  Maybe it’s their innocence, or their goofy personalities, or maybe it’s how no matter what ethnicity, language, or region of the world they are in, they all laugh at the same things….or maybe I’m drawn to them because they allow me to embrace my inner child without judging me.

Either way, they have the ability to fill my heart with abundant joy.

Four years ago I was a freshman in college.  My life was going in a hundred different directions as I made new friends, maintained a scholarship, and took on a collegiate sport.  Through the chaos, the Lord began quietly pressing on my heart just “orphans.”  For a while I thought about them all the time.  I thought about how I could center my future career on them and how I would adopt and when I would make my way to a third world country to sweep up a handful to love on. 

Bible Camp Experiences Lead to Service in Moldova

Blog post by Tyler M., Team Moldova 2011

From being raised in a family that believes in Jesus Christ as their savior, service has been a very consistent part of my life.  In the Summer I attended several bible camps and programs as a camper, then as I got older I began to start serving as a staff member at these programs.  I served in a variety of ways, from working in the kitchen to being a camp counselor, but all these jobs had one thing in common: working with children. 

From Riches to Rags

Blog post by Michelle K., Team Moldova 2011

As I type up this blog, I do so on my own Dell lap top as my Smart Phone lays beside me and my iPod plays the $1.29 song I just bought on iTunes. I am surrounded by luxury. It is normal for me to drive along the roads of Jersey and see BMWs, mansions with fieldstone walls, and grocery stores filled to the brim with fresh produce and clean water. Surely, this must also be normal outside of New Jersey, and even outside of the United States, right? It seems as though David Platt’s “Radical” has been a page-turner for us Journey-117ers, including myself. Platt’s heart-penetrating words revealed that I am, without a doubt, living with my head in the clouds, far away from the world’s actual norm: poverty, homelessness, malnutrition, and disease.