Child Soldiers??? Huh

Our lives must matter!!!

Last night, Rachel and I saw a movie that was supposed to be taking place in Angola, Africa. The child soldiers, who are abducted from their families and brainwashed into this life of darkness and death were the center piece of this film. As the movie began by depicting scenes of real life situations that are happening, in contrast Rachel and I were sitting in our temperature controlled living room with all the comforts of the American life. I wondered to myself, 'how could I ever forget these facts of what's happening in our world?'

Every time I watch films like this I get absolutely rocked to the core of my Christianity but then the shock of it seems to easily slip away, as it's worn down by the lights and facade of the world around me. These were some of the questions that were racing through my mind:

Why don't we do more about this craziness in our world?

Is there anything we can do?

Is there any hope for change and if so what/Who is it?

How can we settle in our souls on doing nothing?

What if it was Luke that was taken, Bethany who was forced to shoot an AK47, my wife... any one of the teens in the youth ministry?

What would I do then?


What does the Bible have to say?

1 John 4:20 "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother who he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen."

James 1:27 "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of {our} God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, {and} to keep oneself unstained by the world."

Prayer: Lord help us to have broken hearts, bent knees and wet eyes in prayer. In our time alone with You may You change us into the men and women of God that You are so desperately desiring to us.

2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."