James 1:27

The religion which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of our God and Father is this: to take care of children who have no fathers and of widows who are in trouble, and to keep oneself untouched by the world.

James 1:27, Bible in Basic English

⁸Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁰Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:8-10, NIV

To Jehovah, it seems, there are but two types of action: love and sin. The religion He implores us to practice is one that showers love on everyone, but most especially those who are destitute, poor, broken down and discarded. This is something that should be approached through personal interaction, where presented to opportunity, and through support (financial, verbal, prayerful) when personal interaction is not possible.

Through that lens, our family decides on how we give. In the last couple of weeks I've sent out almost all of the planned monetary contributions for the year (from our first fruits, since this is the time of year I generally see a raise/bonus). I wanted to share with you, for your prayer and thought (but not in bosting), a few of the groups we have elected to support (besides individual missionaries we try to help).

Eastern European Missions	I've talked about Eastern European Missions (EEM) before. Interestingly, I later found a site that linked to that post, who found it disturbing that they were working with the Ukraine government (by invitation) to set up a Christian curriculum to be taught in public schools. Never mind that the Ukraine, as well as Russia, are desperately lost without a moral compass and begging to learn. These are the people you've read about, but may not have ever met, who for many years smuggled Bibles into eastern Europe and Russia; but now the door is wide open and many good things are happening.
Blood:Water Mission	I keep their banner in the top of my left sidebar for a reason. "One dollar. One man. One year" One dollar provides enough clean drinking water for one African for a year. So simple to change the course of a person's whole year.
Sunny Glen Children's Home	Helping children without a good home life is very important to us. We've visited here and continue to help in whatever ways we can. Visiting children's homes has been something Mrs. E and I have been involved in since college. Again, it is so easy to touch lives. Their website even lists the names of children who have upcoming birthdays, so you can send a card. Nice to know, sometimes, that someone you've never met cares enough to pray for you and send you birthday wishes.
March of Dimes	So, they're not a strictly Christian organization. We still give to them. I guess someone could start a group called "March of Shekels" that tries to raise money to research . . . But what would be the point of that, just to have a Christian label? If what they are doing is not in line with the will of God to love our neighbors, then I'm completely lost as to what Christianity is. Until you have seen a preemie baby, or a child afflicted with a birth defect, and seen the mixed agony and joy on their parents faces as they wait to see what their child's life will be, you may not understand the impact this organization has.
Northwest Assistance Ministries	I'm sure you've someplace like Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) in your area. Do you need food – they have it. Clothes – they have that, too. School supplies for the kids – they are here to help. They work individually with people and are partnered with many local congregations and associations. If there is a place like this in your area, help them out with cash or time. They take cars, too!

Tags: Eastern European Missions, Blood:Water Mission, Sunny Glen Children's Home, March of Dimes, Northwest Assistance Ministries, Charity, Giving, Love, Orphans