A child dies of hunger related causes every four seconds. In the time it takes for Olympic sprinters to run the 100 meters, two more children have starved. In the time it takes for a 30 second commercial to persuade us to by a new phone, car or diet plan, seven children breathe their last breath. We could play this morbid game all day long.

When confronted with this data, it's easy to throw up our hands and say, "What possible difference can I make?" Sue and I were confronted with this question again recently. We decided to dig our hands into our pockets instead of throw them in the air, and we are now sponsoring a little Kenyan girl named Lavenda through Compassion, Int'l. We had sponsored a girl earlier in our marriage, but, as she became an adult, and our own family was growing, we did not continue with a new sponsorship until this winter. Lavendar is a beautiful seven year old who lives with her mom and five siblings in an area ravaged by the HIV AIDS pandemic.

Recently I saw some fliers for a local Christian music concert. Tickets were $25, but for $40, you could meet the stars after the show. For every eleven people paying to meet their Christian idols face to face, another child could be fed, educated, and recieve medical care through Compassion. Two 'legends' of Christian music are playing in Boston soon for $50 a seat. If 2000 people attend the concert, there are 200 children in third world countries who will NOT be sponsored with that money. For every family of four attending the Soulfest music festival in New Hampshire this summer, there's a child going unsponsored.

When i've made this point speaking in schools and churches, inevitably there is the person who speaks to me afterwards and says, "We sponsor a child AND go to Soulfest, too." My answer is, "you could always sponsor a second child and skip the concerts!"

What are we thinking when we are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money to show our adoration (worship?) for Christian celebrities, and let children starve? Some say it's not that simple. Others ask what difference can one family make... Ask that to Lavendar.

"They're only putting in a nickel,
And they want a dollar song.
They're only putting in a little,
To get rid of a lot that's wrong." -Melanie