Few things are sadder than the death of a child. Thank God, Cheryl and I had the joy of raising our kids into adulthood. In fact, there hasn’t yet been a death of a child anywhere in our immediate family—again, thank God. (Though some have experienced the equal agony of miscarriages.) Every morning I get a lot of notices on my Blackberry. They come from a variety of sources. I ignore most of them, but today one of my regular Google Alerts caught my attention. It announced, “ A Worldwide Candle Lighting to Memorialize Children Gone Too Soon,” to take place Sunday, December 14. It’s sponsored by The Compassionate Friends. (I haven’t googled them yet, so if they turn out to be some bizarre death cult, please ignore the reference and deal with the principle at question!)

A Candle Lighting for children who have passed on–what a noble exercise! What a thoughtful, compassionate and healthy thing for our society to do. Children not only have the same innate value as every other human being, but there is something more to them. As my 79-year old father recently observed, everyone fusses over babies—even gushes over them—because they represent something of enormous value to us: our own perpetuity. They are the next generation, the continuation of the species, the fulfillment of God’s edict to Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”

And there’s still more to kids. Jesus Christ said, “Of such is the kingdom of Heaven.” Why would heaven be populated with “child-like” occupants? Because childhood has universally represented innocence. Except in the most unusual of circumstances, children are, at their core, good. (OK, I can hear my Evangelical, Fundamentalist—and especially Reformed–friends preparing a challenge to me based on original sin, the sinful nature and total depravity—but hold on just a moment longer before you launch it!)

I’m not speaking here of our theoretical status, vis-à-vis, God’s holiness and our sinfulness. Nor am I suggesting children are in no need of the Savior—they most certainly are—as are all humans. I’m talking about what they represent to us: Innocence, nievety, trust, dependence, and goodness. In children there is an absence of guile, cynicism and suspicion. Only in the most exceptional and unthinkable of situations is this not the case, and when it is, it is so much sadder.

Remember how Christ brought children to his lap to teach one of the greatest lessons on salvation. Unless we become like them, he admonished, we will never see Heaven. Children illustrate simple faith to us—and faith is the key to the salvation of our souls.

If everything with “The Compassionate Friends” turns out to what it appears to be, I’ll join in this Candle Lighting on December 14. But I’ll be lighting my candle for the most forgotten “children gone too soon,” those who never took their first breath—the aborted. Aborted children are twice lost: They are certainly gone too soon, but they are also rarely mourned. Most are unceremoniously discarded like so much trash. Their death certificates are anonymously inscribed, “Baby Doe,” or “no name,” or something worse, like “n/a.”

Almost never does anyone gather around a tiny casket or carry a teddy bear to their gravesides. Many of these lost children are bagged-up and tossed into dumpsters or incinerators. With the morning-after pill and RU486, children are more and more simply flushed away.

Oh, I’ll light a candle on December 14—for the precious cherubs taken by diseases; taken by accidents; taken by war; taken by starvation; taken by murder and taken by abortion. I will mourn their loss because it is as much ours as it is theirs.

To find out more about Worldwide Candle Lighting Sunday, go to www.compassionatefriends.org.

To watch my appearance on Larry King Live to reflect on the tragic shooting deaths of the Amish children in a Pennsylvania schoolhouse, click here.

To learn about our upcoming National Memorial for the Pre-born and their Mothers and Fathers—a sacred remembrance of children lost to abortion and a celebration of God’s gift of life, click here.

Summary of Day 2 of Creation: (Again, distinctly less spectacular than that Second Day of Creation so long ago) Still, what a day it was. Yesterday Kaitlin Mahoney and I interviewed hundreds of young and old here at what I call “the largest Christian refugee camp in North America.” We’ll webcast those interviews on National Pro-Life Radio (nplr.net) and later edit them for two compilation DVDs. One of those DVDs will have people answering the question, “What advice would you give to the two major presidential candidates?” My team will deliver copies of that DVD to Barack Obama and John McCain within the next couple of weeks.

Last night was memorable, as much for what didn’t happen as for what did. What did happen was a huge response to the evening message delivered by Ron Luce. He challenged kids on their lifestyles, then wound it up with a challenge to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Huge numbers responded, overwhelming the prayer tent. (BTW: The prayer ministry at Creation is being overseen by good friends and fellow church members Jacqueline and Tanie Guy.) What didn’t happen was the super-severe thunderstorm predicted by the National Weather Service. It threatened 60-mile per hour winds, hail and dangerously frequent lightening strikes. Just as the Newsboys were into half their set, the field was evacuated for safety reasons. I was all doom-and-gloom, having seen what a devastating storm can do at Creation. Kaitlin got it right–she prayed and asked God to keep the storm away. I thought she was being real “Pat Robertson” in praying away a storm, but I ended up the man of little faith. Kudos to Kaitin! PTL: We were spared the storm!

In addition to all the above, I met a lot of old friends at our booth yesterday. Nice to renew acquaintances, talk to many of our supporters and people who still remember my messages from years past. That always amazes me and keeps me very humble.

OK, today I help Harry Thomas with the morning communion service. He asked me to pronounce the blessing over bread and cup as Jesus did–in Hebrew–along with the historical and traditional Hebrew benediction God told Moses to use in blessing the people of Israel (Numbers 6:22-27). Given the current cultural climate in world, the continuing crisis in the Middle East and the growing concern for relations with Arabic peoples, I’ll also include a special blessing in that other great Semitic tongue–Arabi.

Back tonight with a Day 3 report!

Rob

The first day of Creation ended a little early for us. (Unlike that actual First Day!) My son, Matt, is here managing our booth in the Arts and Crafts pavilion. Kaitlin Mahoney is here, too. John Lofton and his son, Calvin, are staffing the National Pro-lIfe Radio side of things. (NPLR is the platform we’re using to webcast impromptu interviews with attendees. Watch for that tomorrow.)

Thousands of people are here. If you are, stop by our booth and talk to me on air about the things that really matter to you! For now, check out my video:

Creation: Day 1