Saint Augustine of Hippo.

I'm really into history, and by extension, church history. I'm fascinated with many of the Early Church Fathers and the ideas they had and the things they said. I reflect on the words of Saint Augustine of Hippo:  

What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.

Why is this so hard for us to understand? I am convinced that if you were to venture to the near east and speak with any of our brothers or sisters over there that they would have a far tighter grasp on the weight of Augustine's words than those of us in the west and, primarily, America. I'm compelled to exhort Christians in the western hemisphere to consider Augustine's words and step outside of their comfort zones. As Christians, we're called to get our hands dirty by showing love to the least of these in physical, tangible ways.

There's a non-profit organization I've recently discovered with a fascinating story behind it's development (which I'll leave you to research and discover), suffice it to say that it's now a very prominent force in digging water wells around the world for villages in developing nations who need them. In spite of the fact that there are so many indifferent Christians here in the U.S., there are many of us that would love an opportunity to get behind something that helps the least of these (whether it's physically, financially or by some other means) but we don't even know where to start. Every night on the evening news we're bombarded with images and stories of human suffering but we're never informed of solutions that we can be a part of. Well, here's one.

Charity:Water. Their mission is simple: clean water is one of the most basic building blocks for a decent society to function and yet it is completely lacking in most developing nations today. I highly suggest you explore their website, read their mission statement and some of the statistics they have available as well as any of the video clips that they have posted on their site. This organization is compelling in many ways, an avenue for all of us to be a part of something that the Lord has called us to do. So check it out, and may this be the beginning of a new season in the body of Christ where we all unite in a faith that is self-sacrificing, not self-serving, where we look beyond our borders and see that the body of Christ exists outside of our country and may we be led to meet those that need Christ's redemptive, restoring and liberating love.

http://www.charitywater.org