37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25:37-40)

Tom Davis believes these words. I don't mean he has a high view of Scripture; I mean he thinks Jesus means business. He thinks Jesus means his followers really should do something about the poor. He not only assents to what Jesus says, he thinks we ought to practice what Jesus says.

There have been some huge shifts among evangelicals when it comes to justice issues like AIDS and orphans. There is much yet to be done. What are you seeing out there? What is happening at your local level? (I don't mind you mentioning your ministry, etc, but avoid more than one link.)

I quote Tom: "I believe when you strip Christianity down to its basics, this is what it means: to feed, clothe, and treat the fatherless as members of one's own family."

Tom talks about his ministry, Children's HopeChest, in two of his books and I commend both (or either) if you need a stimulus package to increase your compassion. One is called Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds and the other is called Fields of the Fatherless: Discover the Joy of Compassionate Living . It probably doesn't matter which one you read (or buy); either one will do the job. A wake-up call about the ravaging and savaging impacts of AIDS in the world and upon children. Millions of children are orphans today because of AIDS, and Tom Davis is dedicated to awakening compassion. His heart beats (and bleeds) for orphans in this world. A powerful authentic testimony.

It comes down, doesn't it, to whether or not we will not only assent to but also practice the red letters of Jesus.