Why Missionaries to America?

by Joseph Parker

I was reading various blogs this morning and came across this article on the Republican debate the other night, written by Mark Silva for The Swamp.

What caught me most was not just the “interesting” take on the debate, but the very emotional, if not angry, comments that were generated as a result of this debate. Apparently we all have very strong opinions on this subject.

Putting politics aside though, this is a very important question, particularly in relation to why we need missionaries in America.

For KidTrek, we believe the Bible to be God’s ONLY inspired and revealed word, absolute and authoritative in ALL matters of life. The reason I place this here now is I feel we must disclose that this drives how we serve and act.

Our view of the authority, inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture drives our belief that everything we do must be God-centered, not man-centered/humanistic in nature.

That is, everything God does, as is shown in his Holy Word, is done to bring him glory and to exalt His name…not ours. Everything that happens to us and for us is for God’s ultimate glory…and how we interpret, and what we believe, the Bible to be directly effects how, and if, we will serve Him.

I hope that as you read our posts you get that from what we are writing. Our view of the Bible, who God is, and why he sent His son Jesus to be THE substitutionary atonement for our sins directly effects everything we are about and everything we will do.

I have copied and pasted some of the candidates thoughts on the Bible, but I AM NOT endorsing any candidate or particular party here; I am simply using this debate on the Bible, that is an obviously hot one in our country right now, to disclose our views and to hear your own.

Read them below and let us know what you think about the Bible.

We are open to discussion, debate and even disagreement; we just ask you please keep it clean…no need to bash someone (that goes for ALL sides).

Again, try to avoid the politics of this discussion, I am copying/pasting Silva’s take on the debate of what these men said only to start our own discussion here on this important topic.

When asked,

“Do you believe every word of this book? Specifically, this book that I am holding in my hand.

“Do you believe this book?’’

Giuliani said:

“OK,’’… “The reality is, I believe it, but I don’t believe it’s necessarily literally true in every single respect.

“I think there are parts of the Bible that are Interpretive,’’ he said. “I think there are parts of the Bible that are allegorical. I think there are parts of the Bible that are meant to be interpreted in a modern context.

“So, yes, I believe it,’’ he said. “I think it’s the great book ever written. I read it frequently. I read it very frequently when I’ve gone through the bigger crises in my life, and I find great wisdom in it, and it does define to a very large extent my faith.

“But I don’t believe every single thing in the literal sense of Jonah being in the belly of the whale, or, you know, there are some things in it that I think were put there as allegorical.’’

Romney said,

“I believe the Bible is the word of God, absolutely. And I try to live by it as well as I can, but I miss in a lot of ways,’’ said Romney. “But it’s a guide for my life and for hundreds of millions, billions of people around the world. I believe in the Bible.’’

Every word, moderator Anderson Cooper asked?

“You know — yes, I believe it’s the word of God, the Bible is the word of God,’’ Romney said. “The Bible is the word of God. I mean, I might interpret the word differently than you interpret the word, but I read the Bible, and I believe the Bible is the word of God. I don’t disagree with the Bible. I try to live by it.’’

Huckabee said,

Sure. I believe the Bible is exactly what it is. It’s the word of revelation to us from God himself. “And the fact is that when people ask do we believe all of it, you either believe it or you don’t believe it. But in the greater sense, I think what the question tried to make us feel like was that, well, if you believe the part that says “Go and pluck out your eye,” well, none of us believe that we ought to go pluck out our eye. That obviously is allegorical.

“But the Bible has some messages that nobody really can confuse and really not left up to interpretation. “Love your neighbor as yourself…

“As the only person here on the stage with a theology degree, there are parts of it I don’t fully comprehend and understand, because the Bible is a revelation of an infinite God, and no finite person is ever going to fully understand it. If they do, their god is too small.’’

I firmly believe our view of God and His word plays a direct role in how we handle “missions” and serving him in every context of our personal lives…working lives, etc…which in turn effects our ability to persevere verses burn out.

Please, tell us what you think.

By Wanda Parker

I visited a different KidTrek Associate Center yesterday.

I’m still fighting back the tears from yesterday.  My heart is so heavy.  I want so bad to communicate to you the great need that is just within miles of where you live.  In Matthew 18 Jesus warns us about how we will be judged if we don’t care for the children.  Where is the Church?  Why isn’t the church more proactive?

I sat eating snack with a group of 5th and 6th graders when the Secondary Nurturer asked, “How was your Thanksgiving?”

“Horrible!” was the simple reply of one child.

“Horrible?  Why was it so horrible?”

“My aunt got in a big fight with another woman over a man.  They were hitting and pulling hair.  It was horrible.  I just wanted to get out of there.”

You had to hear her voice to get the total impact of this child’s pain. 

A macho 6th grade boy dressed in his low riding pants commented, “Roy, I’m going to visit my dad in Georgia. I wish I could live with my dad, but then if I lived with my dad I couldn’t come to the center. I don’t want to leave the center.”

I had to fight back the tears.  I felt the pain of these kids. 

Then there was another kid who sat across from me who never spoke - a 6th grader also.  My heart kept being tugged towards him.  I learned that the school is at the point of just passing him forward because they don’t know what else to do with him.  His parents don’t have the sophistication to know how to get him more help.  He has some type of brain damage but no one knows what it is nor how to help him.  The Secondary Nurturer is doing research and is fighting for him in the school district and beyond.  If you are reading this and can think of places they can go to get more help please let us know.  (The tears are coming as I write - what if this was my child?  What if this was your child?  You’d probably have the sophistication to fight for him, the education to know places to go, a support system to fight for him.)

These kids are the lucky ones - they have a Secondary Nurturer who is walking through life with them.  Someone to fight for them.  But what about all the kids who have NO ONE!

Are you a follower of Jesus Christ?  What are you doing about the Invisible Children of America?

I truly believe the Lord is going to ask you one day what you did. 

These kids don’t need “drive-by evangelism.”  They don’t need a drop-in after school center.  They don’t need only a tutoring center.  They don’t need a once a week Bible Club.

This is what they need:

• Long term quality relationship with a godly adult.
• An adult with the education and sophistication to fight for their real needs (as opposed to felt needs).
• An adult willing to get emotionally involved in their lives (Secondary Nurturers shed many a tear in the fight for these kids.)
• An adult committed to becoming a friend of the kids parents/primary nurturers.
• An adult committed to building a relationship with every Social Service Professional involved in the family’s life.
• An adult willing to work alongside of the child’s school teacher to make sure s/he is receiving the best education possible and is following through on all assignements - just like you would do for your own child.
• An adult willing to spend so much time in prayer for the child that s/he is giving up things s/he wants to do for her/himself because s/he is pouring into the life of the child.
• An adult who is fully committed to Jesus Christ.

Several years ago I was speaking at a conference of Inner City Workers in Philadelphia when a huge burden came over me.  I awoke in the middle of the night and I couldn’t get back to sleep.  I got up and took out my Bible and began reading, crying and calling out to God.  I wrote the following in my Bible that night, “Raise up an army of servants to work with the children in the cities.”

That was impossible!  Or is it?  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ also, do we not serve the God of the impossible? 

Now our Heavenly Father has given KidTrek the vision of putting missionaries into churches across America.  You may not be able to be a missionary but you can:

• pray that the Lord will raise up the missionaries and provide for their support,  
• give to support the missionaries,
• volunteer a couple of hours a week,
• spread the word - tell friends, family, everyone of the potential if we reach the children.

Where is the church? Together, you and I can make a difference in the lives of thousands of children across America. Will you join KidTrek in this “impossible” task? 

To learn more of the KidTrek Mission go to www.kidtrek.org

Yes, for those of you who know me best, I’m still fighting the tears and emotions as the passion to reach the children overwhelms me.  I know it is a passion the Holy Spirit has placed within me.  May the Lord bless you as you ponder what the Lord’s will is for you to do in this battle to reach the Invisible Children of America.  No Child should be Left Behind because we were too caught up with the business of our own lives.

By  Wanda Parker

I was recently at a KidTrek Associate Afterschool Center and witnessed the following.

The kids were divided into two teams to do a study on the history of Thanksgiving.  Their assignment was to individually read the history and then the Center Director would alternate asking each team a question about what they had read.  The team was to work together to come up with one correct answer.  They could refer back to their papers to find the answer.  The 5th and 6th graders had three pages to read, the 2nd - 4th graders had one sheet to read.  The teams each had mixed ages.

I was amazed as the room became quiet and every kid was intent on reading and studying.

Then it was time to get into the game.  Javier, a sixth grader, got his team pulled together and they were excited to be ready for the second question.  Team A answered their question readily.  Now it was Javier’s team’s turn. He yelled out an answer - but it was incorrect.

Javier immediately shut down.  “This is a stupid game.  I don’t want to do this.  I won’t do this.”  He completely disengaged and went into his own world.  His only interaction from that point on was to make snide comments.

Javier was in control - in his own mind that is.

Javier is used to winning.  He is great at most games.  He is a macho kid.  He is academically capable - when he tries. He is likeable and the younger kids look up to him.  I’ve seen him go to the aid of a second grader with a bruised ego one moment and then in the next moment lash out at a fifth grader, for no apparent reason.  He is a kid full of anger and terrified of failure.

Javier has three main coping skills - he lashes out, at times physically; he shuts down and disengages; he verbally denies interest. 

Because Javier has had a Secondary Nurturer who is walking with he and his parents through life there have been huge changes in his behavior.  He isn’t as violent as he was a year ago.  Today if he hits someone he will come to Mr. Robert and say, “I hit so-and-so.”  That is huge - he is wanting to change that behavior.

The purpose of each coping skill is self-protection, it is his way to maintain control.  You can read it in his eyes, “If I pretend to not like this then it doesn’t matter what the outcome is.”  If he is allowed to continue in this faulty-reasoning he is going to end up becoming another sad statistic. 

His father used to be abusive. His father has very high expectations and we suspect is still verbally abusive when Javier doesn’t perform to expectations.  The father’s expectations are faulty. The father is respectful of the Secondary Nurturer and wants Robert in his son’s life, but he isn’t yet open to receive direction for himself in regard to parenting. The mother is open and does ask for direction.

My question to you the reader - do you have any suggestions for this Secondary Nurturer?  How can Javier be shown his faulty-reasoning?  How do the adults in his life set-up consequences in his life so that shutting down, being cynicle is more costly than going through the pain of not being the best?  Please brainstorm with us on this by leaving a comment below.

If you are new to our blog go to www.kidtrek.org to learn more of our mission.  You can read a description of a Secondary Nurturer at http://kidtrek.org/white/

by Joseph Parker

How many “after school programs” (whether secular or religious in nature) were open yesterday, on Thanksgiving day?

I know from past experience there may be one or two that did “activities” with families from their programs, but beyond that 99% were closed yesterday.

But how many of us invited these families into our very homes?

How do we say we desire for no child to be left behind, but then ignore them on a very important holiday?

As Christians…as the body of Christ…what are we doing for these “at-risk” families outside of our “programs?”

How often do we consider sacrificng our football game, peace and quiet in our homes, for walking with a family through life?

In Isaiah 58:6-12 the Lord God Almighty admonishes us that fasting from food is not the fasting he desires of us; the fasting he desires is that we sacrifice the everyday things we enjoy doing so that we may take care of the widow, the orphan and the poor.

I have attached a “cheesy” video from the Christian Band Stellar Kart; but the message behind their lyrics are powerful and a good reminder to Christians we need to stop relaxing and sitting back to wait for something to happen.

Read Isaiah 58:6-12 (click link above) and then watch the video.

If we truly desire to Leave No Child Behind, we need to “Activate;” step up and get involved in the life of “at-risk” families in more intentional ways than a mere “program” offers.

There is a world out there in need…what are YOU doing to get activated in the need to reach the widow, the orphan and the poor in your community?

This is the closest thing I could find to a song on giving Thanks to Jesus.

I hope and pray God blesses you and your family during this time of thanksgiving.

There is so much to thank Him for: despite the “hell” that we are confronted with in so many different shapes and sizes everyday…God is good!

Thank you Jesus for all you do for us!

by Joseph Parker

I think of this often.

What is, ultimately, our mission? And who’s mission is it?

The great commission tells us to GO, and MAKE disciples of all nations…btw, this includes America.

A disciple is a student, a learner, someone growing in something they desire to know or believe.

In this context, as Christians, we desire to make disciples of Jesus Christ, as we ourselves are. And this is what KidTrek is doing, through the Deuteronomy 6 commandment to walk with our kids through life.

WHY? Because JESUS is the source of our joy…our strength…our hope!

And our kids, growing up in America, must know this! They must grow into adults who are confident in the joy, peace, hope they have in Jesus.

To do this, we must be willing to sacrifice our leisure, our comforts and our luxuries in life.

We must be willing to GO!

How are you doing this in your community, your job, your school, your church?

I love this explanation of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ from Mark Driscoll…you will need a little over 9 minutes to watch the whole thing, but it is well worth it.

THIS is why America NEEDS missionaries!

by Joseph Parker

Have you thought about this before: what is the difference between good and great?

Have you read Jim Collins book, “Good to Great” yet? If not, I highly recommend it. While it was originally written to help businesses, he added a pamphlet to go alongside the book for those working in the social service fields after realizing most everyone reading his book was coming from that field.

An astounding comment he makes in the book is, “good is the enemy of great.”

Not because “good” is evil or bad, but because as humans we can tend to settle for good, simply because it is not bad.

Good limits us from stretching oursleves to seek greatness and excellence in all we do.

So then, what is “good?” What is “great?”

As a Christian, called to serve the “widow, the orphan and the poor”, here is my thought:

Good: No Child Left Behind

Great: Deuteronomy 6

As Christians, we are called to greatness; to do all we do with excellence (1 Corinthians 12: 31, 2 Corinthians 7:4, Phillipians 2:29; 4:8, 1 Timothy 3:13, Titus 3:8…and the list goes on).

While an argument can be made (and I am one of those that have done so) that NCLB is not perfect, there are a lot of GOOD things it is doing…but as Christians, is it enough for us to settle for this?

For all the “good” it may be doing, should we be settling for a system that is government centered and government funded?

Are we just settling for good?

Should we not be seeking ways in all we do that the local-church is the center of all that is happening in a community?

The Lord God Almighty has called us to do everything with greatness…with excellence!

Can we truly do this through funding, and government centered thinking, that limits us in our ability to truly be effective in reaching kids and their families with the gospel of Jesus Christ?

To truly reach America’s Invisible Children (i.e., those children so often forgotten and falling between the cracks), we must be willing to make the local-church the center of our communities, not the government agency; we must be willing to make sacrifices and live amongst and with these families for the long haul.

Greatness, for a Christian, is to follow the Lord’s way, not our limited way.

This will involve total and complete dependence on Jesus Christ. We CANNOT do it without Him.

Without Christ at the center and heart of our service we cannot achieve true greatness and excellence in reaching the results we desire to see.

P.S. Visit our post made a couple weeks ago, Invisible Children prt 2, to get a better idea of what I am talking about.

by Joseph Parker

Have you ever thought about the intangible message we communicate to our children?

You’ve heard it said before, it is not what we say, but what we do (or not do) that communicates the loudest.

Have you found that,

“…everybody is busy with their own situation. Everybody’s lost in their own world…bottled up, hurried up, trying to make their own dream come true…They don’t understand…Everyones staring, busy with their own situation, no one understands what their neighbor’s going through.”

Watch this Sawyer Brown video and let me know what you think we should do.

I am sorry if you do not like Country music, do your best to get past the “twang” and listen to the lyrics.

I really think this is a powerful message to the Church; what are we doing to make a difference…and HOW will we do it?

Or are we all too busy with our own situation?

by Joseph Parker

As Christians…what should this mean to us?

For five years I worked in the academic world of No Child Left Behind in one of the largest after school programs in the country. I am, therefore, very familiar with the whole No Child Left Behind Pros and Cons conversation regarding ALL kids need for improved and sustained academics.

But I ask again, as Christians, what should this mean to us?

For me, No Child Left Behind is a term very similar to the one I use for “at-risk.”

Any child that does not know Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior is “at-risk” of being “Left Behind.”

As Christians, I believe “No Child Left Behind” should have a deeper meaning than simply assisting kids through their “academic career.” Our every goal should be toward bringing these kids to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

I do not mean that to sound “Christianeze” either.

I mean, to do this, we MUST reach their academic needs, but as Christians we must also be committed to reaching their spiritual, social, emotional and physical needs as well.

And is this possible through a Big Number Program that “works with” kids 4-5 day a week in an after school program?

Maybe…maybe not.

Based on the research, study and experiences I have had I would say by and large the majority of kids going through after school programs are not much better off as adults than those kids who had never been in a program…PARTICULARLY in the area of their relationship with Jesus Christ.

How do we realistically make a change in kids lives when I am ONE adult with FIFTY kids?

Okay, some of you are saying…I’m not working with 50 kids…I only have 15 or 20.

So I ask, realistically, how much real change through deep, intentional, long term relationships can you impart dividing your time between 15-20 kids?

We are humans, we only have so much time…so much energy…so much ability to reach kids through a sincere relationship.

I don’t know, you tell me…but that sounds like pretty staggering, if not impossible, odds to see the kind of results we hope to achieve.

Rather, why not seek to follow the very example our Lord Jesus gave us in how he discipled a small group of men…who, ironically, made a larger, longer impact on this world than anyone could have imagined.

To me, NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND means we need to build relationships with kids in such an intentional, long term manner they will grow to become Christ-changed, hope-filled productive adults… and who, in turn, will change their communities…their world.

KidTrek has a strategic plan to disciple small numbers of kids, while still reaching the masses through the local church; visit our website to learn more and then let us know what you think.

Read Deuteronomy 6 and Matthew 18 and then post a comment and let me know what you think…what are your experiences…how do you read this passage as far as God’s command for us to “walk with kids through life.”

by Joseph Parker

I see it all the time on blogs, websites, emails, etc:

“I see the need, but what can I possibly do?”

Did you read my post on Wednesday? Somehow I don’t think so.

KidTrek’s semi-monthly e-newsletter, The Walk, continually shares stories of what is happening with America’s Invisible Children. But more important, how Christian adults are stepping up to the plate and walking with them through life.

KidTrek is in the process of interviewing/screening and training/equipping adults to become missionaries who will walk with America’s Invisible Children through life.

You read the paper, watch the 6:00 news, walk down the street every day…you see the evidence of where America is heading.

What will YOU do about it?

We need to stop twiddling our thumbs, going to discussion groups where we debate about what we SHOULD do; we need to ACT!

I want to challenge you to ACT…to respond to the call to Join THE WALK God commands us to follow through on in Deuteronomy 6.

This is how you can get involved right now:

1. Prayer

2. Giving Generously to Project D67

3. Networking

4. Volunteering at a local KidTrek Associate Center near you.

5. Become a KidTrek Missionary.

STOP talking and start acting!

If not with KidTrek, then find a ministry/organization that aligns with your passion, your call, your interest…but stop talking and start acting!