I have decided to Tithe 100% of the proceeds of this Book, and have partnered with the organization “Half A Million Kids”, a 501c3 charity who is actively making a difference for the over 500,000 kids that are in the Foster Care System in the United States. Many of these kids remain in the system and never find families or eventually age out of the system and become homeless and poor. My commitment is to donate all of the proceeds from this book in hopes of making a small difference for those Foster kids and adults who have been forced to deal with the unfortunate circumstances that life has dealt them. The Bible refers to Foster Kids as “The Fatherless” and group them with “the Widows”. They are people who have no families or relatives to count on for love and support during their lives and GOD wants us to take care of them. He wants us to not forget them and include them during our community celebrations and holidays. We are to invite them into our lives and through taking care of them, GOD promises to bless us.
I have included relevant scriptures below that inspire me and hopefully inspire you to make a difference and give back to these Kids and GOD’s Kingdom.
Thank you for your support.
To tithe or make a monetary contribution or donation of any kind, please go to:
www.halfamillionkids.org/tithing
We appreciate the love and support for these kids!
Tim Kelly
tithe | tīT͟H |
noun
one tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for the support of the Church and clergy.
• (in certain religious denominations) a tenth of an individual’s income pledged to the Church.
• [in singular] archaic a tenth of a specified thing: he hadn’t said a tithe of the prayers he knew.
verb [with object]
pay or give as a tithe: he tithes 10 percent of his income to the church.
• historical subject to a tax of one tenth of income or produce.
DERIVATIVES
tithable | ˈtīT͟Həb(ə)l | adjective
ORIGIN
Old English tēotha (adjective in the ordinal sense ‘tenth’, used in a specialized sense as a noun), tēothian (verb).
Let’s Get Them Home for Good!
Deuteronomy 14:22-29 (KJV) “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.”
RELEVANT SCRIPTURES
Psalms 82:3-6 (KJV) “Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”
Proverbs 31:8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”
Zechariah 7:9-10 (KJV) “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.”
Ephesians 1:4-6 (KJV) “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
Romans 8:15 “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
James 1.27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Deuteronomy 10:18 “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.”
Psalm 146:9 “The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked.”
Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphans, plead for the widow.”
Deuteronomy 27:19 “Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Lamentations 5:3 (KJV) “We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.”
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 (KJV) “He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 14:29 (KJV) “And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.”
Deuteronomy 16:11, 14 (KJV) “And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.”
Deuteronomy 24:19-21 (KJV) “When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.”
Deuteronomy 26:12-13 (KJV) “When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled; Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:”
Job 29:12-13, 16 (KJV) “Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.”
Psalms 10:14, 18 (KJV) “Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.”
Jeremiah 22:3 (KJV) “Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.”
Jeremiah 49:11 (KJV) “Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.”
Luke 6:27-38 (KJV) But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
We hope to return foster care back to its original purpose: a short-term safety net for kids awaiting reunification with their birth/legal families.
Half a Million Kids is a 501(c)3 organization. Our mission is to place every child eligible for adoption into a permanent, loving home.
There are nearly 500,000 children in The U.S. Foster Care System Due to neglect, abuse, and/or abandonment Through no fault of their own.
The US Government spends $5.3 BILLION annually, as of 2020 In 2016, the number was $4.4 billion Yet the numbers stay the same.
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
Foster children live in group homes or are shuffled home-to-home
Many move 10 or more times by age 12
Approx. 120,000 of these children are eligible for adoption, meaning the courts have terminated the parental rights
These kids are never going home. At 18, they will age out of the system
Our mission is to place every child eligible for adoption into a permanent, loving home. We will:
- Create mass awareness
- Bring this topic into our national dialogue
- Engage and mobilize the community
- Recruit more than enough loving families for every single child who is available for adoption
–⅔ of foster kids have siblings in foster care. 75% of all siblings in foster care are separated Source
-Average age of adopted children in 2019 in PA: 6.3 years. United States: 5.9 years. Source
-4,000 kids in foster care were runaways Source
-Foster children are diagnosed twice as often with PTSD than veterans. Source
-20% of kids in the US are on prescription meds. The foster population jumps to 80%
Family Structure (2019)
Married Couple: 68% | Unmarried couple: 3% | Single female: 26% | Single male: 3%
50% of kids that age out end up homeless, incarcerated, substance abuse, or gov dependent (Source: Congressional Coalition for Adoption Institute)
Abuse in Foster Care
A report completed by the New Jersey Office of Child Advocacy included a study that demonstrated the relationship of the perpetrator of abuse to the victim. Of the child cases studied, 37.4% of perpetrators were institution staff, 36.5% were foster parents, and 20% were relatives of the victim.
WHAT IF…YOU could be a part of eradicating something BIG?
WHAT IF…HALF A MILLION kids in The US could grow up in an incredible family instead of in a government system?
WHAT IF…there ARE enough families for all these kids?
WHAT IF…change was actually possible and you could be a part of creating a whole new way, a whole new life, a fresh start for these kids?
WHAT IF…you realized there are ways, big and small, for everyone to be involved in making this a reality for these kids?
WHAT IF…your role were as easy as making sure every single person you know is aware of this opportunity and they were inspired to share it with every single person they know? What if that was enough to eradicate the current problem?
WHAT IF… we began with every single person in The Philadelphia Region knowing there are 1600 kids in Philly and the surrounding suburbs who need to be a part of a family and we, together, guided by a cohesive clear plan, found permanent loving homes for all 1600 kids and our success together served as a national model for every community in The US to accomplish the same thing?
WHAT IF…There is a Team of people committed to Documenting the process for how we did this, together, to serve as a “How to Guide” for any community to take on.
WHAT IF…after hearing from you, seeing it in the press, seeing The Documentary Film, hearing The Anthem, seeing The Recruitment Campaign, people were inspired and motivated to take this on in their community and there was a Pilot Program that had succeeded in Philadelphia and the suburbs that serves as The National Model for how to handle this in any city or community?
WHAT IF…people who decided to tackle this in their city could easily get their hands on “The How to Guide”?
WHAT IF…this was happening in every city in The US?
WHAT IF…all this came true? What then would be possible?
WHAT IF…it really is possible to transform the lives of these kids, forever?
Acts 4:31-37
“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”