Compassion and defining moments

There are those rare opportunities in life when God's timing is impeccable to receive a blessing and a "defining moment" to see the world through other people's eyes.

I received an email correspondence from my old Promise Keepers staffer and friend Greg Hogan back in Denver asking if I could wrangle a day or so out of my schedule to assist with the 2006 MOPS International Convention conference here in Nashville last week.

Greg in his 12+ years with Promise Keepers has worked Speaker Hospitality many times and he contracts out once each year to handle the same duties for MOPS' (Mothers of Preschoolers) annual convention (6,000 screaming moms - which is a cultural shock for a Promise Keepers guy!).

When I think about how thankful I am to be able to work from home with a great team of guys and have the flexibility to do activities that are meaningful, I said without hesitation, yes.

Last week, I did some airport runs in a new Chevy Suburban, which has got to be one of the biggest vehicles I have ever driven. Every time I pulled into the ten minute parking zone at the Nashville Airport, heads turn wondering whom that guy was driving that boss set of wheels. Somebody thought I was with the Titans and others gave me the "Get out of way, I can't see around you" look of disgust.

Despite the crazy construction on Briley Parkway, people still drive fast; I had a couple of near misses, but with a big vehicle people will move out of the way.



I was assigned to guest host Dr. Wesley K. Stafford who is the Chief Executive officer of Compassion International.

"Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. Today, Compassion helps more than 770,000 children in more than 20 countries."

My role was to simply get him from one place to another. There was the sound check at 8 am; onward to the Green Room, being on time to the platform, to the book signing and seminar location while navigating the expansiveness of Opryland Hotel. Wess as he insisted on being called, was probably one of the nicest and humble guys I have ever met. He was extremely relational and would stop and talk to any one who wanted to say hi.



In his talk, he shared his one simple belief: God's children are priceless resources. He spoke of his passion and Compassion's efforts to see the cycle of poverty broken for children everywhere. In a heartfelt interview format onstage, Wess shared with great transparency how he suffered years of abuse nearly fifty years ago at a young age of ten at a boarding school for the children of missionaries in a West African village. It was in this unspoken hell of abuse and darkness, that he no longer wanted to be labeled as "a tool of Satan" for exposing the wrongs of the faculty.

Wess shared to the degree that one can (and must), that the only way to get through the trauma of abuse was forgiveness. He was no longer going to be shackled to his abusers' actions whether they were seeking forgiveness or not while moving forward in his adult life. Speaking to the audience of 5000 women, Wess said to all abused women present to know that you don't deserve abuse, and you don't owe anyone anything. Abuse should be yielded to God's grace to a state of being protected and sanctified by His favor.

In that defining moment of a declaration of freedom, I was taken back by how many women in the audience needed to hear that as evidenced by the tears and later, standing ovation.

I'm honored and very humbled to have met Dr. Wess Stafford. What a heart for children.

Too Small to Ignore: Why Children's Are the Next Big Thing, written by Dr. Wess Stafford

Learn how to sponsor a child via Compassion.