Sunday, February 23, 2014

Lip Service



Lip service doesn't count.
We can say that something is important, but what do we do?
Among the hardest things to do, we find:
  • homework
  • honey-do list things
  • helping others


It's true.  So many things demand our attention, and it gets worse as the years go by.  Our families are fully engaged with school and birthdays, science fair projects and sports and shopping ... well, you know. We're really busy!

Precious, amazing children in Kenya.  The elders from
their community are hoping we'll be able to lend a hand
getting some school projects started.  About $4K over
two or three years will equip and staff their facility.
Then there are other important issues like families that are struggling, children in a famine region, or kids who can't go to school because their family can't afford it.  Those are distant concerns that we see and affirm but we just can't get around to them. Fortunately, they're less important than the stuff we have to deal with every day.  At least that's what we tell ourselves.  

'The tyranny of the urgent', it's been called, and we're more stressed and less productive as it piles up. Years pass, overly filled with busy-ness, some worthwhile, some not.

What if we sat down with our kids and took the time to work through real-life things?  Did you know that it costs about $45 a semester to keep a kid in school in Kenya?  For the price of an X-Box, you could put some kids in school for a year or so.  That includes a mid-day meal, usually, and it may be the only meal the kids get sometimes. You and your children could be world changers for those kids and their families.

Children learn more from intimate involvement in such things than from years of words. A great heart isn't formed by talking.


If lip service is the best we can manage, it doesn't count. No peace, no joy, no help at all.  A little time and effort invested, however, is great fun, and it pays back more than we'll ever give.  If you like, we'll introduce you!