I just finished watching “Idol Gives Back”, the humanitarian outreach of the number 1 hit show, Amercian Idol. It’s a great show and weekly my wife, my kids, and even some of my grandkids get together and discuss who ‘we’ think should have left and who ‘we’ think really should have stayed. Tonight, Tim Urban left and if you ask my teenage granddaughter, Madison, she thought he should have gone weeks ago. My wife, Joni likes Aaron Kelly, my daughter Carol thinks Crystal Bowersox should win, and I think either Big Mike Lynche or Siobhan Magnus should win. It’s a fun, family, competitive show that encourages good singing and a lot of enthusiasm. We’ll see in just a few weeks just who the winner will be.
But tonight, a lot of others were the real winners. Tonight “Idol Gives Back” gave back over $15 million (according to Simon Cowell) to those in need around the world. Good causes too. Really helping people and their life situations. Annie Lenox, Sir Elton John, all of the Idol judges, Bill and Melissa Gates, and David Cook, Season 7 winner, all had heart-touching videos of people with real needs. I’m glad they do a program like this.
But I then I thought, “we should do a program” like this! The ‘we’ I thought of is us Christians. Americans are the most generous people in the world and American Christians are the most generous of all. I wonder how much we could raise for good causes?
Of course, I know of a ministry that is already in many of the same places that these other organizations are in- Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and twenty more! That’s the ministry of He Intends Victory (HIV). I started HIV in 1990 from 2 guys in the church I was pastor at who both shared with me they were HIV+. From there we’ve gone all over the world into 10 countries of Africa, Nepal, Pakistan, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, South America, and even Europe. As Elton John said, “Over 33 million people worldwide are now infected with HIV with almost 1.1 million in the USA alone!” This virus and it’s deadly effect on people has not gone away nor is it going to in the future. Just ask the 12 million kids orphaned by it.
Wouldn’t it be neat if Christian celebrities would go public for their support of a Christian organization dedicated to serving and helping those with HIV/AIDS? If you know any, let them know about us. We’d love for them to help us declare that “It’s Not Over”, this battle against AIDS. And wouldn’t it be wonderful if Christians from all over the world stood together to show the compassion of Jesus? And of course, wouldn’t it be cool to raise $ 15 million to actively reach out to those with HIV/AIDS and say, “Here, let us help you in the name of Jesus!”
I like “Idol Gives Back”. But I like “Christians Give Back” even better.
If you would like more information on the global organization, He Intends Victory including our book of testimonies of Christians living with HIV, call us toll-free at 1-714-247-4327. And if you’d like to contribute towards that $ 15 million from Christians for those with HIV, please go to our website at www.heintendsvictory.org and make a donation. Many will be glad you did. Oh yeah, and I still hope Siobhan wins!!