Last semester a group of us read Richard Stearns’ book The Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? The book describes Stearns’ journey from his role of CEO of Lenox China, a top-end maker of luxury china, to the CEO of World Vision, perhaps the best known Christian relief agency. The book was haunting, challenging, troubling, and inspiring. It made us think about the words in the title to the right of the colon—What Does God Expect of Us?

Stearns’ premise is simple. We have put a hole in the gospel by neglecting to care for others as Jesus did. In the parable of the sheep and goats found in Matthew 25, Jesus implies that we will be judged by the way we have ministered to others. By adopting a view of the gospel that focuses on heaven without a connection to hurting people on earth, we miss the point of Jesus’ message. For those with long roots at Bethel, David Moberg’s book INASMUCH (first published in 1968) conveyed the same message. Unfortunately, we have been slow in getting it!

One chapter in the book, “One Hundred Crashing Jetliners,” brings the current crisis in Haiti into a different perspective. In an average day, 26,500 children die of poverty related causes in the world. No doubt, many of them have been in Haiti even prior to the recent catastrophe. While we cannot determine the total number of lives lost in Haiti as a result of the earthquake, for the sake of making a point, let’s peg it at 265,000. Every 10 days, 265,000 children die of poverty related causes. Three times a month, the loss of life equivalent of the earthquake in Haiti happens. It’s stunning.

So, what are we called to do about Haiti and about the multiple Haiti’s that happen year-round?

In Matthew 19, Jesus has a conversation with a rich young man who probably followed the Bethel Covenant for Life Together better than most of us. At the end of the conversation Jesus told him, “You lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor.”

For me, my first response to Haiti has to be to identify the things in my life that I am holding on to more tightly than I am holding on to Jesus. This self examination is not comfortable and involves prayer and honest conversation with other believers! I think the guys in our group all have a deeper and more honest assessment of what God is calling us to do as a result of reading the book and journeying together.

Second, I have to ask myself about those near to me who are hurting. Am I looking through Jesus’ eyes at the part of the world in my neighborhood?

Third, I need to pay attention to the places in my heart that the Holy Spirit is prodding. While earthquake relief is immediate and vitally important, long-term focus may be more important. Should I be concerned with microloans to Christian businesses in the Kabira slum in Nairobi where 2.5 million people live? How do I prioritize rescuing girls from forced prostitution in the sexual tourism industry in parts of Asia? Katie, one of our physics grads, is doing water projects in Afghanistan. Should I support her work? If God has called me to be an educator, how does my giving reflect that priority?

Fourth, I have to remember that responding with money is only one way that God wants me to respond. Time may be more difficult to give than money – but sometimes it is needed more. Fifth, when I am prompted to give money, it should be done thoughtfully. It should empower people, not make them dependent. It should be channeled through organizations or individuals who have a track record of knowledgeable intervention and low operating expenses.

The world’s needs are overwhelming. We can’t do everything, but we can do something.

Wednesday I received an email from a Bethel student who recently returned from a Semester at Sea, one of our great study abroad opportunities. At first, it sounds like an extended cruise with lots of fun, but this semester had an important service-learning component to it. Laura’s email included a familiar story about an old man walking a beach littered with starfish that had been thrown out of the water by a storm. He encountered a young man picking them up and flinging them back into the water. The old man scoffed, “Why do you bother? You are not saving enough to make a difference?” The young man replied, “Made a difference to that one!”

I am encouraged by all the prayer and financial support for Haiti. But don’t let it stop there. The world is filled with people who need the good news about Jesus. It is often a “cup of cold water” that makes a conversation possible. Go and make a difference to someone today!