I am constantly amazed by the youth of today!! I hear so much encouragement from our event and how God is using it to confirm misional callings on peoples lives, inspiring people to give and go, and it being a catalyst for change in peoples thinking and attitudes toward the poor and social action. One of the greatest joys of my travels is that I meet inspired young people and delight in hearing their stories of how they’ve taken up the call to speak for the voiceless and stand up for severe injustices all around the world. This past week I got to hang with a young girl who rocked my world with her passion and purpose for the heart of God. Now 10 years old, I interviewed her so I could tell her story, a story that will inspire even the hardest hearts to, as Mother Theresa once said, “do small things with great love”. Jordan Grosser – One of the world’s youngest poverty fighters!

It all began when she was 7 years old. Jordan Grosser, was at church one Sunday when they handed out a brochure from TEAR Fund called “The Worlds Most Useful Gift Catalog”. She took the leaflet home and was reading it one afternoon and realized that she could buy school supplies for a student in a developing nation for only $5, or she could send a student through school for an entire year for as little as $45. Jordan, a self confessed lover of school, was amazed at how cheap it was to give someone the same chance as she has at an education. “I loved stationary as a kid, I thought they’d be happy if I can supply them with theirs” said Jordan.

So she set out to do something about it. An idea came to her one afternoon that she could make and sell items to raise money for school supplies for kids around the world. She quickly re-arranged her bedroom and it became a factory. Working tirelessly to create ornately designed wrapping paper, which she sold to her friends and family for wrapping birthday presents, and made Japanese origami, paper ornaments, jewelry and beads, which she sold at school market stalls and at church. Her grandmother then donated some books to her cause, so she set up a bookstall at her church and began selling used books to the congregation. Items ranged from between 5c to $2 for the most expensive books. Jordan sold shells and prized rocks she collected at the beach to her friends when they came over to visit and play…. She used every opportunity to sell items to everyone she met.

After 4 months she had raised over $270, all of which she gave to TEAR Fund. That enabled 54 kids to receive school supplies for an entire year!! “All human beings should have the same rights! Education, shelter, it all comes back to the fact that we are all deserving of the same things… its wrong for people to be deprived of these basic rights” said Jordan.

Today, Jordan is 10 years old and continues to speak out against injustice and uses every opportunity to fight poverty. She recently finished the World Vision 8 hr famine (for children), helped raise money for a hospice ministry which operates in India and sponsors children through Compassion International, “I love reading the letters I receive from my sponsor kids, they always express their gratitude for sponsoring them. It makes me feel happy knowing I’ve been able to make a difference in someone else’s life.”

When I asked about how her friends at school responded to her newfound vision she responded, “A lot of fellow kids at school were really interested and encouraging… very supportive actually. Doing this is nothing compared to what people in poverty need to do, carrying heavy buckets of water for miles, it’s a heavy load! The least we can do is give a little. Pocket money, giving to TV telethons, every bit counts, every 5c adds up and soon makes $5 - which buys stationary.”

Recently, Jordan was involved in a class project in which they wrote a song about poverty and injustice and sent it to their local Member of Parliament, urging him to do everything within his power to help put an end to poverty. ”I want to help halve world poverty by 2015- If we all get motivated and help out… it could happen!”

What a legend!! A 10-year old who is changing the world! Doing what she can, “small things with great love” to impact those living in poverty around the world. She inspired me, and I hope her story inspires you! Ask yourself today, “What can I do to help raise awareness and resources for mission and social action work around the world?” Then go do it!!

Sunday September 7th - BENDIGO, VIC - AM service.

Friday September 26th - SYDNEY, NSW - Concert (With Matt Lucas)

Saturday September 27th - SYDNEY, NSW - Concert (With Matt Lucas)

Sunday September 28th - SYDNEY, NSW - AM Service

Sunday September 28th - SYDNEY, NSW - Concert (With Matt Lucas) - PM Service

Thanks to Threads for a stellar article - go give them some love by visiting their site!

As of June 15, 2008, the National Debt is $9.4 trillion. In 2006, the government spent $406 billion on interest payments. What would happen if we were not spending more money than we were bringing in? How much better could we spend $406 billion than simply making interest payments? Now think personally for a minute. The average household has somewhere between $7,000 and $10,000 worth of credit card debt. Which means on average, around $1,500 is spent annually on paying interest. This is not even counting the mortgage, school loans, or car loans. Why do we feel it so necessary to live a lifestyle that requires more money than we earn? It sounds like a dead end proposition to me!

Those who know much about me know that I’m frugal. I keep the AC set high during the summer and the heat set low during the winter. I do most of my shopping at the very upscale store called Goodwill. The deals you can find are amazing. But even there, I’m required to spend money, and generally speaking, I hate spending money. I don’t know why exactly, but I usually weigh each dollar I spend and determine if IT, whatever IT is, is worth my money. There’s nothing I hate more than throwing money away, which is what I consider paying interest. But, I have found myself in that position lately. After leaving one ministry position and relocating to Nashville to begin working on the Threads team, buying a new house and all that comes with starting over in a new city, I see that interest payment each month and I hate it. My wife and I have established a plan to get rid of that unwanted houseguest in a few months, but until then, I’m paying what Dave Ramsey calls “stupid tax.” Wouldn’t life be simpler if we didn’t have the pressure to live above our means? Where does that pressure come from, and why have we simply given in to it? How much more money could we use to help those in need if we were not sending so much to credit companies?

This week, let’s examine our use of money. How well do you use the resources God has given you? I desperately want to be a good steward of all He has given me. I don’t want to waste money when there are people hurting all around the world and a few dollars can literally save a life. Children die every day in third world nations due to the lack of $1 worth of medicine. Money can’t solve all the problems around the world, but it can certainly help with a bunch. Take inventory this week where your money goes. Keep a little notebook with you and write down every dollar you spend. Take a look at your budget and put each expenditure into similar categories. The old saying about seeing where a man’s heart is by looking at his checkbook is very true. Challenge your class to closely examine their spending habits this week. Let’s all look for ways we can tighten up and do more with what God has given us. The early church paints a beautiful picture of the church using all its resources to help each other. I want to be more like that! It is going to mean a few changes in my lifestyle. It’s going to cause me to go against the current consumerism of our culture. But ultimately I would much rather spend money showing someone God’s love for them than I would to hang another shirt in my closet.

Proverbs 23:4-5 definitely hit home this week. Chasing “financial richness” is like chasing an eagle into the sky. We’ll never have “enough” money to satisfy us, so let’s place our focus somewhere else! What are you doing in your life to spend money wisely? Share your thoughts on this lesson and our use of money as we all seek to honor God in every area of our lives, even the financial part.

Article originally posted at www.threadsmedia.com

We’re stoked to be able to bring this new concert home to Australia! Thanks to all those involved in the planning of the tour. Our partners, Compassion International, Koorong, Teen Missions and all the schools, conferences and churches we’ll be visiting.

See ya soon!