We are halfway through a series called "Wasted." We have been looking at a set of writings from the Bible known as the Minor Prophets. This past weekend, we looked at the book of Amos. I don't know many people who have actually read through Amos (or would even know where to find it), but I have found that it has so much to say to us in our world.

 As we talked about in the services this weekend, Amos' message is loaded with anger. But Amos' anger is not pointed toward people who are outside of the religious circles; it's directed toward the very people who considered themselves to be God's chosen. God is angry because this group of people--the Israelites--have been abusing and taking advantage of the poor and marginalized members of society. He even goes so far as to say, "Stop singing your worship songs and celebrating your festivals; you're making me sick." More than rituals and ceremonies, God wants us to care about the people in the world who are hurting. This is the message of Amos.

 As I was preparing for this message, I couldn't help but think of a little boy named Job. Job lives in a home for children without parents in Andhrapradesh, India. For the last seven years, Kim and I have been sponsoring Job. We have been able to maintain communication with him and keep up with how he is doing. Every time I hear from or about Job, I am reminded not only of how much God has blessed me where I am, but of how much responsibility I have to care for people who have less. I am reminded of how significant Amos' message is to me.

 If you have been looking for a way to begin serving or helping people who are less fortunate or marginalized, one quick way to do so is to go to our Compassion Works page on the FOTP website. Here are some other websites that you might be interested in:

 wateraid.org (Clean water and sanitation)

bread.org (Hunger and poverty)

 notforsalecampaign.org (Human Trafficking)

 one.org (AIDS)

 These websites are a great place to start if you're interested in learning more about helping people around the world.

 We still have two more weeks left in this series, and I can't wait to see what God will do. Join us for one of our five weekend services:

  4:45 pm Saturday