Just for Men!

I want to be like you, Dad!

 

 

Probably one of the greatest compliments our children can pay their father is when they announce, 

“I want to be like you, Dad!” 

Wow! Our hearts swell with pride and burst with joy as we take in this outstanding compliment.

We know as Dads we are not worthy of the compliment but it still feels really good – right? 

So enjoy it! Pack it in, tuck it away, live worthy of the compliment! 
 

But there is one Dad who is worthy!

There is one  Dad who never fails!

There is one Dad who always loves, who always provides, who always protects!

There is one Dad who is always there for his children!

That Dad deserves the kind of allegiance that announces to the world,  

“I want to be like you, Dad!” 

Let’s be honest with ourselves men,  there is only one Father who deserves such praise, respect and honor. He is the Heavenly Father, God himself.  When we declare him to be Lord, we pledge an allegiance that makes up truly disciples. We are in effect saying,  

“I want to be like you, Dad!" 

"Whatever you do Dad, I want to do too!”

With me so far?  Of course you are men!

So what would that look like for us to say, “I want to be like you, Dad”  when we apply those very words to the orphan?  God is the, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”  Psalm 68:5
 

God in effect declares, “don’t mess with my kids – these are my boys and my girls. You mess with them – you mess with me. I will take care of these children because they are mine.”

Follow me please in a bit of simple logic. 

If God is a “Father to the Fatherless”, and if I want to be like my Father in Heaven, then I am also to be a ________________________. Yep, you thought it!  Admit it!   Even if you didn't say it out loud!  A “Father to the Fatherless” is the correct answer.  

You - being like your dad - are to be a Father to the Fatherless! 

If you truly want to be a follower of Christ, and Christ did all He saw His Father doing, then we are to be Dads to those without dads. They become our kids as well and we become the hands and feet of God.


Ouch! I didn’t say this was going to be an easy post! My hope is it stops us in our tracks of denial of responsibility.

What is your Heavenly Father asking of you?  

We know women are far in front of us on this issue.  But it's time for men to begin rising up and sending a message that we are engaging in the orphan crisis.  

It's our time.  

It's our watch.  

We must send a loud message;  we will not let this go unnoticed on our watch of humanity.

If you have never done so will you decide to do something for a Fatherless child? 

Could you financially support those intending to adopt? 

Will you adopt a child in prayer?

Maybe you can make room for one more child?

One more child needs a man to call Dad….will you be a Father to one more Fatherless child?  

Go ahead announce to the world, 


“I want to be just like you, Dad!” 

"Just Do It"...   make your Heavenly Dad proud!

Leave A Radical Legacy,  Dwight

Dream Fulfilled - Just a Bit Differently

One of the ministries of International Voice of the Orphan is 

Elijah's Hope

{adopting an orphan in prayer}

Elijah's Hope was birthed because of the magnitude of mountains that were moved by Almighty God when a single woman, living in Chicago, at the prompting of her college-age daughter {who had moved for a season to volunteer in the orphanages of Uganda} began to pray for one little boy named Elijah 

living in an orphanage on the opposite side of the world.

This single mom, named Peggi prayed three specific things:

1.  God please heal Elijah. 

2. Bring Elijah a family 

{and as long as she was asking she decided to be specific}:

3.  Please let the family be a pastor's family.

And there is no doubt in our minds that it was the prayers of Peggi that God used to bring our Elijah into our forever family. 

Here is an email we received recently from a woman 

who adopted an orphan in prayer through

Elijah's Hope.

Her letter speaks volumes:

*****

Elijah's Hope is so good......and quick!
It is all done and I have my little guy.....so beautiful!

Wow, I typed that last sentence and the tears are flowing. For so long I have dreamed of adopting. Childhood was so hard, my escape was to dream of my big log home 

in a valley with the mountains standing guard behind it 

a bountiful garden 

and a yard full of happy healthy kids, 


many kids of all colors.

 That was my symbol of happiness and hope 
and my safe place to go when 

life was too hard.

My first marriage (24 years) wasn't easy, it became abusive. He could barely love his own kids and even admitted he wouldn't be able to love someone else's child. After being single for 6 years I met my husband and I was sure we'd adopt! It seems that maybe he only told me what I wanted to hear. I love my husband don't get me wrong, but the disappointment of not adopting is great. I'm trying to accept it and not be bitter, but that is difficult. It is really hard to be 53 and let go of a dream you've protected and carried inside for so long.

But......now I have my boy to pray for....his name is __omitted_ (if only I knew how to pronounce it, I'm certain he would laugh at my attempts) :) ...thank you! I may never be able to watch him play in my back yard, but I can pray for him where he is and be a part of his life through prayer.

Thank you so much, my heart is so full at this moment, sad and joyful at the same time.
You have truly given me a gift!
Praise God!


People often say, 'I can't adopt a child"...but everyone can pray!  Adopting an orphan in prayer is simple....
Please visit the site and spread the word -
Elijah's Hope

This & That

A peak into the life of Africa!

A picture is worth a 1,000 words... so how about a day of pics to give you the feel?

Alicia loved the kids - every time - every place!

Who will care?

Drying green - try it at home!

Deb was the one with the tears in her eyes! 

Every child &every circumstance just seemed to break her again!

For our feeding program with API - this lunch is the difference maker for the street children!

Half finished orphanage - so much need every where we went!

Read the eyes!  What do they say to you?

Love those girls!







The headwaters of the Nile..... remember Moses -pretty much an orphan - used by God to set the people of Israel free.  What might some of the above children do for the Kingdom of God?

Hungry

They were hungry, they had come a long way, 
and they would not be denied.  

Many of the leaders who came from Kenya, Southern Sudan, Burundi and the Congo had to come a number of days just to be at the Legacy Leadership Conference.  

They only had enough money to get to the site 
of the conference, but not enough to eat while they waited. 

 They were hungry.  

But not the way that first comes to mind.  

They were physically hungry after 4 days without food, 
but they told Apostle Richard Edima,  the host pastor, 
they did not care about eating if the could just have water.   

Unlike us Americans, they were not concerned 
about their physical appetites.  

{We had only prepared to feed them 
the two days of the conference!}

So they slept at the site - waiting ----  because they were hungry!

We obtained mats for them to sleep on!  

You see these men and women came, from many 

different areas of Eastern Uganda and other countries

 to be fed the word of God. 

They were hungry, they would not be denied.  

So we fed and fed and fed these wonderful leaders

 the word of God.

Apostle Richard interprets.  
They were interpreting in three languages as once!

Pastor Greg {part of our GO team} feeds the "fruit of the Spirit"!

Hungry for the word of God!

Hungry to have the Bible explained and taught!

Hungry for more of God!

Hungry to understand core values of biblical leadership!

Hungry to have hope!

And they responded! 

 Person after person.  

Men, women, young and old!  

With raised hands!   

With times of personal confession.  

 With great humility.  

Decision after decision to live a radical life for Christ.   

{Two came to receive Christ! If you know anything about me, you know I won't miss an opportunity, even at a Christian Leadership Conference to see that all know Jesus personally.}

They came hungry and they walked away spiritually fed.  

It was a very successful conference. 

Then it was time to say good-bye.

But as often happens...  the teacher became the student 

and the student became the teacher.  

There was a question that troubled me, 

that would not leave me, 

nor could it be ignored.

Am I hungry?  

Hungry enough for the things of God to 

walk great distances.  Hungry enough to sleep 

outside for days on poor bedding and without food?

The question was mostly rhetorical

 because the answer was completely obvious. 

NO!  

Not that hungry, not even close.

This teacher must become the student and learn to hunger and thirst even more after the things of God!

Join me and ask yourself the same question today.  

Are you hungry?   

Really, really hungry for the things of God?  

May this unsettle you like it has unsettled my soul 

and together

 may we hunger like the African leaders!

From Uganda, more hungry than yesterday, not as hungry as tomorrow!  dwight

Legacy Leadership Conference - Quick Update

Thank you all for praying for the Legacy Leadership Conference.  The conference has been amazing.  All of our team was struck by the power of their praise and worship.  They have so much more joy than you see in the typical American church.  Their joy is contagious.   And yes, I was dancing along with the rest of them.  God overlooks my lack of skill! :)


Couple of quick notes:


*  Some pastors from Kenya came 4 days early and slept outside just to attend the conference, with no food, only water.  (Their hunger for spiritual food exceeds their hunger for physical food!)
*  One pastor has been pastoring for 45 years and has never had the opportunity to be taught as we have been teaching.  (Thank you for giving him an opportunity!)
*  Leaders of pastors are many who are attending.  One pastor leads 60 churches, another 45, another 42.  And those are the ones I know about.   The multiplication of this ministry is astounding.  They believe it will easily touch 2000 to 3000 churches.
*  Started by warming them up to the fact that God has not only chosen them but anointed them for what God has called them to do!  (btw - same for you)
*  Was able to preach hard against sexual sin and had a time of confession and repentance.
*  Drove home the need for the church in Uganda and neighboring countries to take responsibility for the orphans and vulnerable children.
*  Hope to download some pics tonight so check back later!




This conference is more than we could have anticipated.  It will be according to Jesus exhortation in John 14 - that we bear much fruit in order that the Father is glorified.  Thank you for your investment of prayers and finances to make this happen. 


To God be the Glory Great Things He Has Done!   Dwight

The Night Before

It is the night before the Legacy Leadership Conference.


While sitting at the evening meal tonight a young couple came in just as I asked our team to sing with me, "Jesus Loves the Little Children".  I have never done this before, but given what we have been doing -  I thought it would be fitting as a prayer before our meal.


I saw the young lady smile then sit down at the table next to us.  No one else was in the dining area, but they were either European or American so I struck up a conversation a little while later.  I discovered he was a young pastor from California working in the nearby villages.  We had a great time discussing Uganda and it's spiritual needs.


Then just as I left...


Just as I left he said, "hey I should tell you something."  "Sure - of course," I responded, "what's up".  "Just so you know, this is a very dark area.  The Musl*ms are very radical and they think they own that park you are doing the Legacy Conference at.  Last year they threw acid in the face of a visiting pastor."  He did not want to cause fear but he did want me to be aware.  Thank you!  


So what should I do?  Do we walk in fear and intimidation?   What should the team do? Not go?   I shared with the team what was up.  We came back and prayed and then sang a song about the goodness of God.  Fear has no place when God walks in the room.  God is love and fear disappears the moment God walks in!!!  Like Joshua we will be courageous!


We as a team are prepared.  I personally am prepared.  But I am also responsible to get the word out! We will need your prayer support!  So between 12 midnight and 6 am Arizona time we could really use your prayer support.  Most of you will be in bed, so pray as you go to bed.... and if God should wake you up a few times take that as a cue to pray for us!  Sorry for the lack of sleep some of you may experience!


 We know and trust that greater is He that is in us than He who is in the world!




The orphan crisis in Uganda cannot be solved by outside influence.




We can and we do make a difference with what we are doing... but what if.....




But what if the Ugandan churches & their leadership were challenged and responded to take on this crisis.  We could make a huge difference.  Tomorrow, 1000 plus leaders will be challenged through the word of God to live for him and to make a difference in the lives of the 2,000,000 orphans of Uganda!


By the way, I stopped by the site on our way in to town and learned that some pastors from Kenya had been there for 4 days without food waiting to receive teaching.


 I am so very humbled and excited to see what God is up to. 


Thanks for being part of the IVO team through your prayers.  dwight


PS:  It costs about 7,000 to 10,000 to do a conference.  If you'd like to contribute to the Legacy Conference go to our web site, hit donate, choose Legacy leadership Conference. Every $10 sponsors a pastor/leader.    A 1,000 leaders probably each impact at least 50 people - so doing the math that's 50,000 people will be directly influenced by the Legacy Leadership Conference!  Now that's a great investment for the Kingdom!


PSS:  Linny usually edits.... but she is with Ruby - please pray for her - and I'm too tired to reread!