{"id":301714,"date":"2008-11-20T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-11-20T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/responding-to-the-cry-of-the-orphan\/"},"modified":"2008-11-20T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2008-11-20T17:00:00","slug":"responding-to-the-cry-of-the-orphan","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/responding-to-the-cry-of-the-orphan\/","title":{"rendered":"Responding to the Cry of the Orphan"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is the Church doing anything to help the world\u2019s 143 million orphans?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2008-11-20.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"20.19M","filesize_raw":"21168488","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2818],"tags":[2712,4931,4911],"podcast_series":[7617],"cwp_profile":[8964],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-301714","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adoption-and-orphans","tag-adoption","tag-childless","tag-orphan","podcast_series-cry-of-the-orphan","cwp_profile-paul-pennington","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/301714\/responding-to-the-cry-of-the-orphan","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/301714\/responding-to-the-cry-of-the-orphan","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"plqfLR8hIx\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/responding-to-the-cry-of-the-orphan\/\">Responding to the Cry of the Orphan<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/responding-to-the-cry-of-the-orphan\/embed\/#?secret=plqfLR8hIx\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Responding to the Cry of the Orphan&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"plqfLR8hIx\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Is the Church doing anything to help the world\u2019s 143 million orphans?","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2008-11-20.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Lepine:<\/strong> James 1:27 says that \"pure and undefiled religion is visiting the widow and the orphan in their need.\" Pastor Bob Coy says we need to understand what the Bible has in mind when it talks about visiting orphans.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Lepine:<\/strong> Now, at first, I know the word \"visit,\" you know what it sounds like?\u00a0 \"Let's stop by and see orphans, Jesus asked us to stop and see some orphans.\u00a0 Okay, where are the orphans at?\u00a0 Oh, they're down the block and around the corner, a little further back, okay, there they are \u2013 'Hi, orphan boys; hi, orphan girls, we're visiting, bye-bye.'\u00a0 Okay, wash your hands, use the antiseptic, you saw the orphan kids, it's time to go.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNo!\u00a0 The word for \"visit\" \u2013 would you circle that?\u00a0 \"Inspect,\" \"select.\"\u00a0 Spend time, examine, spend some time with these kids, man!\u00a0 Visit their little hearts.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Lepine:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is FamilyLife Today for Thursday, November 20th.\u00a0 Our host is the president of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 Have we done what the Scriptures are asking us to do?\u00a0 Have we visited orphans in their need?\u00a0 We'll talk about that today.\u00a0 Stay tuned.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us on the Thursday edition.\u00a0 Our listeners have heard us regularly saying \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> On our soapboxes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Lepine:<\/strong> Does God want you to do something to help start an orphan ministry in your church, and I think some of them have said, \"Well, maybe.\u00a0 Maybe I could do that.\u00a0 I'm not sure what to do,\" and today we're going to let you hear how one church is addressing the orphan crisis in their community, and we're going to let you know about a resource that can help answer some of those questions for you, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> There is a gargantuan need in this world.\u00a0 It maybe the largest humanitarian need in the history of the world \u2013 143 million children who are orphans.\u00a0 How in the world do we address the needs of that many people?\u00a0 Well, you know what?\u00a0 The greatest organization on the planet is the local church.\u00a0 There are 400,000 churches in America.\u00a0 We are just looking for 10,000 of them, just 10,000.\u00a0 I'm not asking for all 400,000, Bob, I'm just looking for 10,000 of them \u2013 10,000 churches who are willing to step up on behalf of those who have no voice and help the orphans.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd you are going to hear a message today by Pastor Bob Coy, who, in 1985, moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with his wife to start Calvary Chapel, which is now one of the 10 largest churches in North America, and it's a great church.\u00a0 The Broward County authorities and police department, when they have a child who goes into the foster care system, they used to spend the night on the floor at the deputy sheriff's office.\u00a0 The children had no place to sleep.\u00a0 Now they go to Calvary Chapel, where they have a nice, warm, safe, cozy home for them, where they spend a couple of nights there before they're placed in a family, a family that has said, \"We would like to be foster care parents to children who are entering this system.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd it's a great statement to me of how one church can make a difference, and it occurred because of a single woman.\u00a0 You are about to hear this story \u2013 how a single woman stood up and said, \"We've got to do something.\u00a0 We've got to do something that's significant on behalf of orphans.\"\u00a0 And Pastor Coy \u2013 let me tell you something, Bob, I really like this guy.\u00a0 He is a good guy, and his heart is about the things of God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Lepine:<\/strong> And we're going to hear him explain how Calvary Chapel got on board and got with the county authorities as we listen to this message that comes from the 2008 Orphan Care Summit that took place at his church in Ft. Lauderdale back in May of this year.\u00a0 At the end of today's program, we'll let you know how you can get a copy of the book to help you start an orphan ministry in your local church.\u00a0 But let's go ahead and listen to Pastor Bob Coy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Coy:<\/strong>\u00a0 [from audiotape.] Yes, if you inspect you're going to select \u2013 why?\u00a0 \"I just can't leave you like this.\u00a0 I've got to do something.\u00a0 Boy, oh, boy, I just found a need.\u00a0 I'm a believer.\u00a0 I'm in the business of meeting needs.\"\u00a0 Spend some time, see what you can do.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you spend some time and see what you can do, and you begin to hear their stories, and you begin to sense their need.\u00a0 If you spend enough time with them, and you know what's going to happen \u2013 you're going to say, \"I have a concern here, I have a concern, a concern.\"\u00a0 Quakers call it a concern.\u00a0 I don't know if you know this, if you're familiar with the Quaker concern.\u00a0 It's that thing that happens in your heart when, in the course of our conversation together, where God suddenly takes this thing, and He puts it inside, and you go, \"Oh, oh, oh!\u00a0 I've got a concern, I've got a concern, I just got it!\"\u00a0 And you know what?\u00a0 This concern is so great you can't sleep at night, man.\u00a0 You are, in Kay's words, \"ruined,\" you are.\u00a0 \"Oh, no!\u00a0 I've got a concern.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me tell you what that concern will cause you to do.\u00a0 That concern will cause you to go to your senior pastor and say, \"Pastor Bob, I really care about orphan kids.\u00a0 I don't know if you know how bad it is here in South Florida, but you've got to pay attention.\"\u00a0 \"Oh, really?\u00a0 Oh, really?\u00a0 I've got to pay attention?\u00a0 What is this, a concern?\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd little Irene, as she approached me one Sunday afternoon \u2013 \"Pastor Bob, I don't know if you know this \u2013 I'm not sure if you are aware, but\" \u2013 is Irene in the room?\u00a0 Irene, stand up for a second, because I want everybody to see \u2013 now, now, please stand up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI mean, lovingly, he said, \"How tall are you?\"\u00a0 Four-eleven \u2013 and three-quarters, yes!\u00a0 And still growing!\u00a0 Yes!\u00a0 Ten years ago, Irene, right after service, \"Pastor Bob, Pastor Bob, you don't know, you don't know, and this is what's happening.\"\u00a0 And you know the parable about the woman who wants justice, and she goes to the wicked judge, but he finds that she wearies him?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDay and night, she cries out \u2013\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[applause] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tListen!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[applause] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou're not thinking \"What could I do?\u00a0 I am just a voice.\"\u00a0 Just a voice?\u00a0 So Irene approaches her pastor and says, \"Hey, Bob, I find I have a burden, I have a concern,\" and, quite honestly, in those days, I'm just kind of following the lead of the Lord saying, \"Okay, well, I guess we could do this, I guess we could do this.\"\u00a0 He so grips my heart, I share my burden before the board because we are about ready to do a Christian school.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI've had meetings with people in administration, and I'm thinking that this is probably which way God wants us to go.\u00a0 Now, understand, I'm pastoring a healthy church at the time, and I am reluctant to do a Christian school because I think we're doing church good, and if we do a Christian school, and it's bad, I'm not ready just for more responsibility and a bigger budget.\u00a0 But I've met with a handful of parents, I know there are some folks with educational skills in the body of Christ, and I think maybe this is it.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo we have one of these meetings.\u00a0 It's one of these preliminary \u2013 we're going to have a Christian school \u2013 pretty sure \u2013 come talk to us \u2013 and let me be as tactful as I can and not sincerely offend, but, I'll tell you, that night where we got together with all the parents \u2013 parent after parent after parent \u2013 \"Well, are you going to have a sports program?\u00a0 Tell me about your sports program.\u00a0 Now, what will the school lunch be?\u00a0 Now, we're hoping for some kind of diet that would be both nutritional, high in protein, carbohydrates \u2013 now, I'm wondering, when it comes to academics, you'll certainly be able to provide for\" \u2013 and I'm meeting all of these somewhat persnickety parents with high and great demands, and I finished the meeting, driving home, saying, \"No, I don't want to do it.\u00a0 I don't want to do this.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\"But I do want to do it, I do want to do it.\u00a0 No, I don't.\u00a0 Yes, I do.\u00a0 No, I don't want to.\"\u00a0 The next morning on the front porch, there is the morning newspaper, and I pick it up, and take a look at the front page, \"Broward County Foster Care\" \u2013 \"foster care, how many kids?\u00a0 Oh.\u00a0 How many kids \u2013 kids.\u00a0 These kids are sleeping in office buildings.\u00a0 They're \u2013 sleeping in office buildings?\u00a0 Wait a minute.\u00a0 You mean, I've got a handful of parents demanding special diets and sports programs, and there's a handful of kids in my own back yard that don't have a place to sleep?\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo I went back to the board.\u00a0 I said, \"Guys, I love the whole idea behind Christian education, but here is what I'm thinking.\u00a0 I don't think we can do that until we do this first.\"\u00a0 And you know what happened?\u00a0 I had that concern that Irene had and, albeit I was a bit emotional but, to a man, every one of those board members said, \"This is the Lord.\u00a0 We agree.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe determined to put the Christian school on hold and spend the same amount of energy, the same amount of effort, the same kind of resources on foster care.\u00a0 And in determining to do that, and sharing it with the congregation, this philanthropic family in the fellowship, hearing the burden of this pastor's heart flowing from this pint-size prophet \u2013 listen \u2013 they say, \"We would like to go ahead and buy Calvary Chapel a house for foster care.\"\u00a0 \"Oh, you would?\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo we find something that needs a little attention before the days of extreme makeovers.\u00a0 We enjoyed our first expression of seeing the body behave like a body because we had subcontractors come out of the woods and offer all of their services and so much more.\u00a0 We saw that home take on a new expression in the neighborhood just a stone's throw away from our building, and let me tell you something \u2013 they did such an outstanding job with that home, as they refurbished and remodeled, that home actually became a model home for the entire neighborhood.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut it wasn't going to be the only home.\u00a0 No, word caught on, and I showed a little video presentation of what we had done with that home; somebody else stepped up and says, \"I want to buy a home.\"\u00a0 Somebody else said, \"I want to buy a home,\" and because they're doing this home buy, we thought, as a church, we ought to buy some homes.\u00a0 Today, listen, we've got 19 homes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[applause] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd they all have the equivalent of a mom and dad, they all have respite care, they all have helpers, they all have team members.\u00a0 Not only that, as the word of foster care goes out to the body, we now have 80 foster care homes that are not the homes we own but homes of people in our fellowship that say, \"I want to be a foster care parent.\"\u00a0 But what's more than that \u2013 I realized, and Dennis said it well last night \u2013 that if we could put our logos and our egos at the foot of the cross, we could probably get a whole lot more done.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo I had to say, \"It doesn't have to be Calvary Chapel of Ft. Lauderdale.\u00a0 Come up with another name.\u00a0 For kids in South Florida, Project Teamwork for Kids, surrender this to another man, Rick Englert.\u00a0 He and his wife \u2013 how many years caring for kids?\u00a0 Surrender it to more \u2013 oh, the foundation stepped up.\u00a0 They got involved, surrender it to more, and now that it's pulled its identification away from a healthy church that sometimes has an appearance of takeover or merger, now this thing goes out all on its own and today \u2013 listen to this \u2013 187 churches have chapters of this thing called \"foster care\" and it all started again in the pint-size prophet \u2013 187 churches, right here in our own backyard.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[applause] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow listen to this\u2013 that thing I told you about, about them getting picked up at the house, and then they go to the police department then they end up sleeping on the floor.\u00a0 We then become instruments creating this place called \"Safe Place,\" and it is not only funded by, but it's staffed by our believers.\u00a0 So that when any kid gets picked up in Broward County, any kid, any time, day or night, the first place they go is Safe Place, where they will meet a brother or a sister in Christ.\u00a0 We will assess and love on them and care for them, and then more properly place them in a home that can really meet their need.\u00a0 That's an amazing thing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo what has been happening, year after year, for the last how many years, this year 1,400 children ministered to and cared for through this foster care outreach that started in that little pint-size prophet.\u00a0 And when you think in those terms, and you realize, \"Well, wait a second, Pastor Bob, you're talking about it gripping a heart; you're talking about it changing a life; and we are gloriously ruined\" \u2013 oh, yeah, yeah, yeah \u2013 and I would imagine there's a handful of those families here in this building tonight that have been gloriously ruined, and if you can find out and hear their stories about how hard it is and how difficult it is to care for these kids, now do you know what you're going to hear?\u00a0 Joy came into the home.\u00a0 Peace, a sense of satisfaction, an identity, a witness for Christ. You will hear that again and again and again and again. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy question for all of us \u2013 can we withstand what would be the equivalent \u2013 and I'll say this word tactfully \u2013 judgment of God if, in fact, we don't.\u00a0 But when you see Matthew, chapter 18, and understand \u2013 Matthew, chapter 18, in the first verse we read that at that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, \"Who, then, is the greatest in the Kingdom of God?\"\u00a0 Remember the argument!\u00a0 The argument amongst the disciples of who is the greatest, who is the greatest, who is greatest, who is the greatest?\u00a0 Each one hoping that whatever they were doing, whatever they're saying, whatever their service involvement was, that that was bringing them closer and closer to the top rung \u2013 Jesus calls a little child, sets him in the midst \u2013 verse 2 \u2013 and said, \"As surely I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will, by no means, enter the Kingdom of Heaven; therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child, is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven \u2013 and now watch this verse \u2013 for whoever receives.\u00a0 And Doug said it well \u2013 one little child like this, in my name, receives me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt doesn't say a dozen, it doesn't say 24, he says, \"If you receive one of these little ones,\" let me tell you who it is you're receiving \u2013 one?\u00a0 You mean only one?\u00a0 All I have to do is impact one, and if I impact that one, I'm doing the will of the Lord?\u00a0 Because we come back to the text, and we see it here, verse 6, \"whoever causes one of these little ones to believe in me, to sin, it would be better for him if the millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I don't know about you, but the word \"better\" typically implies advantage, benefit, or privilege.\u00a0 You know, if you want this car, you can have the better car.\u00a0 The better car?\u00a0 That is a better car?\u00a0 You can either have this house or have the better house.\u00a0 Oh, that's a better house.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know what would be better?\u00a0 What would be better?\u00a0 If you took a millstone \u2013 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is actually \u2013 oh, it's better, it's better \u2013 take a millstone, hang it around your neck \u2013 okay, is it tight?\u00a0 Is it on there?\u00a0 Okay, now jump into the ocean and die.\u00a0 That's better, that's actually better.\u00a0 Better?\u00a0 I don't think you use the word \"better\" for that!\u00a0 Oh, no, no, no.\u00a0 You do use the word \"better\" if you're God, and you see the abuse going on in the home.\u00a0 Let me tell you what would be better for you \u2013 if you caused one of these little ones to sin.\u00a0 Now, how in the world would you cause a little one to sin?\u00a0 Well, don't behave like the arms of Christ.\u00a0 Don't behave like the heart of Christ, just leave him alone and let the world put him through its meatgrinder and, trust me, they'll come out twice the sinner they went in.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob, you're trying to lay this guilt trip.\u00a0 Well, maybe, just a little bit.\u00a0 I'm good at that.\u00a0 I do that on a weekly basis, the tapes are available in the bookstore, yeah.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGuilt is good every once in a while, but we call it \"conviction.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou see, if we're open to the spirit, all I have to do is say, \"Hey, do you guys know how important this mandate is, and do you understand it's our reasonable mission?\"\u00a0 And then, naturally, in the body of Christ, if you, in fact, are a pastor, they are going to hear the heart of that and say, \"You know what?\u00a0 The pastor preached something, and the Holy Spirit of the living God told me exactly what to do.\"\u00a0 And if you're a plumber, and you end up doing some plumbing for these foster homes; if you're a roofer, and you end up making sure that there's no leaks on the top side of that house; if you're a respite care worker, and all you do is say, \"I could babysit. I'm a grandma.\u00a0 I can't have anybody in my condo, they don't allow kids under the age of 12, but I certainly could babysit.\u00a0 I'm a good babysitter, and I'm a grandma.\u00a0 My kids, they're up North and I'm here down South.\u00a0 I could do something.\"\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou see, my burden, my prayer, my hope has been that everyone would do something that matches the mandate that recognizes the mission.\u00a0 Because with this position, honestly, we can unify the body of Christ.\u00a0 The 187 churches has everything to do with me saying to pastors through our team, \"We could do this together.\"\u00a0 And I don't know of anything that more unifies the body of Christ than kids who we know the Lord loves and has the desire to change the lives of.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[musical transition] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Lepine:<\/strong> You heard that message back when Bob gave it at the Orphan Care Summit, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Lepine:<\/strong> But you were just grinning now like you were back then.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I just like the guy.\u00a0 He is on target, and you know what?\u00a0 Most importantly, it's not just words.\u00a0 He's been doing it for a decade and 187 other churches joined with him.\u00a0 It doesn't get any better than that.\u00a0 That's the way it's supposed to look.\u00a0 That's why we had the Orphan Care Summit at his church, because we wanted to model what it looks like when churches band together around something that's on the heart of God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd so I have two questions for every listener.\u00a0 Number one, what does God want you to do about this?\u00a0 Does He want you to start an orphan's care ministry in your church?\u00a0 And I don't believe everybody is being called to do this, okay?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Lepine:<\/strong> But a lot of people are.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I think some are, that's right.\u00a0 The second question is \u2013 what's your part?\u00a0 I like the way he wraps it up \u2013 are you a plumber?\u00a0 Are you a babysitter?\u00a0 Can you help prepare some of these houses for these foster care kids who are going to need to go?\u00a0 Maybe you're a leader.\u00a0 Maybe you need to head this up and raise some money.\u00a0 Their budget down there is $3.2 million a year for foster care kids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen the world sees the Christian community, followers of Christ, caring for the least of these, orphans, when they see us doing that, you know what?\u00a0 There are arguments about why they shouldn't join us and why they shouldn't listen to our Gospel begin to melt.\u00a0 There is no attacking a Christian for caring for an orphan.\u00a0 We just need to do it.\u00a0 So the question is \u2013 what's God calling you to do?\u00a0 And if it's start an orphan care ministry, secondly, specifically, what are you going to do as a result?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob Lepine:<\/strong> And what can we do to help?\u00a0 I mean, that's part of the question.\u00a0 We've created resources here at FamilyLife that are designed to help those who are responding to the urging of the Spirit in their lives.\u00a0 We have a book that we've put together called \"Launching an Orphan Care Ministry in Your Church.\"\u00a0 It includes a DVD that can be shown to your church leadership, be shown to the whole church, if you'd like, as you begin the process of caring for orphans as a part of your church's ministry.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe also have a brochure we've created called \"Ten Ways Every Christian Can Care for the Orphan and the Waiting Child,\" to encourage individuals to think, \"How can we respond as individuals?\u00a0 How can our church get involved?\"\u00a0 We've put together a Homebuilders study for couples who are considering adoption, a way to get together with other couples and begin to think and pray about whether adoption is something God would have you do.\u00a0 And then we've also put together a one-day workshop for churches called \"If You Were Mine.\"\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is a DVD workshop, seven sessions on four DVDs designed to help answer the questions people have about the process of adoption.\u00a0 So if there are people in your church or in your community thinking about adoption, wanting answers, this workshop can provide those answers, and it's available now on DVD.\u00a0 All of the information about these resources can be found on our website, FamilyLife.com, and we hope you'll go there.\u00a0 When you get to the home page, look right.\u00a0 You'll see a box that says \"Today's Broadcast.\"\u00a0 If you click where it says \"Learn More,\" in that box it will take you to an area of the site where you'll find information about all of these resources, and you can order what you need from us online, or call 1-800-FLTODAY, 1-800-358-6329.\u00a0 That's 1-800-F-as-in-family, L-as-in-life, and then the word TODAY, and when you call, someone on our team can let you know how you can have the resources you need sent out to you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, we need to say a word of thanks to those of you who not only listen to this program but I know a number of you have called from time to time or have gone to our website and helped support the ministry of FamilyLife Today with a donation, and we do appreciate your partnership with us in this ministry and in helping us get the word out about the needs of orphans and how we can respond to these needs as individuals and as churches. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe do appreciate your financial support.\u00a0 If you are able to make a donation this week, we'd love to hear from you, and we have a thank you gift we'd like to send you.\u00a0 It's Barbara Rainey's brand-new book for Christmas.\u00a0 It's called \"When Christmas Came.\"\u00a0 It features Barbara's reflections on John 3:16, and eight new watercolors that Barbara has painted are weaved through the book as well.\u00a0 So it really is a beautiful book, a great resource for families at Christmastime, and it's our gift to you when you support the ministry of FamilyLife Today this week with a donation of any amount.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you're making your donation online at FamilyLife.com, be sure to type the word \"Christmas\" into the keycode box on the donation form.\u00a0 That way, we'll know to send you a copy of Barbara's book.\u00a0 Or call 1-800-FLTODAY, you can make your donation over the phone and just request a copy of Barbara's Christmas book.\u00a0 Again, it's called \"When Christmas Came,\" and this book is not in stores.\u00a0 It's only available from us here at FamilyLife this year.\u00a0 So if you'd like to get a copy, make a donation this week and request your copy, and we do appreciate your financial support.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, tomorrow we're going to hear how Dennis Rainey challenged a group of college students at Biola University earlier this year.\u00a0 He challenged them to make a difference by getting involved in the needs of orphans.\u00a0 And I hope you can join us tomorrow for that challenge. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We'll see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas \u2013 help for today; hope for tomorrow.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t_______________________________________________________________\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts for you. However, there is a cost to transcribe, create, and produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright \u00a9 FamilyLife. 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