There has been so much buzz this week about KONY2012, but regardless if you approve or not … they have their “cause” out there loud and crazy and in our faces about the atrocities that have happened to the invisible children in Northern Uganda. This post is NOT about debating causes or giving you my opinion on making KONY famous, but simply … how do you pick a cause?

Honestly, I didn’t spend any time, or effort, or money supporting causes until I heard about World Vision 13 years ago. Their cause is simple- Sponsor a child. I was intrigued that you could sponsor a child and support their education. As a teacher, that was a home run with my heart. It was exciting when my kids, Michael and Hannah received their first letters from our sponsors. Both children were from India and their photos brought them into our homes and on our refrigerators. It never crossed my mind to dream about visiting India and seeing with my own eyes where our sponsor children lived and went to school. I had no idea the impact going and doing something would do to my life … change my passions.

The three men in the KONY film went to Uganda, met the invisible children, and then used their gifts, talents, skills to passionately create their cause for the past 10 years. You and I can do the same thing. My best friend, Juju is digging a well in Chuko, Ethiopia Dig Deep. My blog friend, We Are THAT Family uses her passion, talents (THAT girl is crafty!) and love for Mercy House to make a difference in Kenya. MarytheKaytheBlog uses her blog and sense of humor to make a difference to other moms. My crazy friend, Caleb David challenges men to go and love big on his blog. Kara Vassar uses her new campaign, Future Hope to support the fatherless. Tom Davis shines a powerful spotlight on the atrocities of sex slavery on his website. What is your passion? What is your gift? What are your talents and skills?

External ^[a]religious worship [^[b]religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit (GO) and help (SUPPORT) and care (GIVE) for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world. (James 1:27 AMP)

SUPPORT:

God gave us each different passions, gifts, skills, and talents for different areas. There’s not one cause over the other that is better than the other, but God will put that “burden” in your heart for your cause. Pray. Pray. Pray. I encourage you today to start praying that God will show you the cause He wants you to support.

GIVE:

When you radically live the verse James 1:27 you will visit, help, and care like crazy. You want to share your time, and your effort, and your resources to the causes that make you passionate and challenged. There are so many worthy causes out there and we only have limited amount of resources available- educate, seek wisdom, and pray about what He wants you to give.

GO:

The visiting (going) is my favorite part of the verse. There is a place for short term mission trips and we are commanded in scripture to visit the orphans and widows in their time of need. The word “external” in James 1:27 is an outward act of love. You see it with your eyes, touch it with your hands, it’s our worship to God through service. Pray about where He wants you to go. ‘s photograph of the precious girl in Uganda, shows us what worship looks like in the face of a child who has nothing to lose, but everything to gain loving Jesus with all her heart.

My friend, will be traveling to Northern Uganda, near Gulu this summer to serve the rescued child soldiers with eXile international ministry … “to instill hope, healing, and love to AfricaпїЅs war-affected children and former child soldiers through art and expressive trauma therapy. The HOPE Initiative, into the wounded communities of Congo and East Africa. Given enough time and God’s power, our hope is to see Africa’s next generation as soldiers for peace rather than soldiers of war.”

SIMPLY LOVE & MAN UP PROJECTS:

My project this month partnering with Tom Davis’ Children’s HopeChest is a worthy cause you can be a part of to raise funds for an orphanage in Haiti and a safehouse in Moldova. Purchasing a shirt is the easy part, but this opportunity to Simply Love will allow you to serve, support, give, and go!! This cause will change YOUR life, too!

If you can’t go on a mission trip in 2012, I encourage you to donate to the cause for Haiti and Moldova, but if you WIN, give the trip away to a friend.