A person “at-risk” is in danger of being harmed physically, emotionally, financially or in other ways; all are taken advantage of by someone or some circumstance. Many are subjugated against their will to engage in forced sexual activity or slave labor. And, alarmingly, many are killed for their faith. The most vulnerable of these innocents – are children!

Children are one of God’s most precious gifts to us. They are close to the heart of the Father. “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 19:14). “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3). “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him . . . blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (Ps. 127: 3,5). Because of the Father’s special love for children, our enemy – Satan, has made the corruption and destruction of children a high priority.  Today hundreds of millions of children all over the world are “at-risk”, many of whom are victims of violence and violation. We have the awesome responsibility to provide care and sustenance and to protect them by bringing God’s light into many dark places. Who are these vulnerable children? Here are twelve categories (but it is not an exhaustive list):

• The Conceived – a gestating child, alive with a spirit/soul between conception and birth
• The Orphan—left alone by the death or abandonment of their parent(s)
• The Refugee (or IDPs)—forced to flee their home and country living in dangerous circumstances; internally displaced persons are in peril in their own country
• The Trafficked—innocents forced into hard labor, sexual exploitation or organ harvesting
• The Persecuted—restricted, injured or killed by communist or Islamic jihadist Judeo-Christian-hostile authorities; radical humanists, also subtly persecute children
• The Indoctrinated – taught anti-God, cultural Marxist-based critical theory, gender perversion, hate America and so much more – especially in many of our public schools
• The Enticed—gamers, excessive internet surfers, spiritually lost in the meta verse for untold hours daily; predators traverse these digital platforms more than we realize
• The Trapped—those suffering from physical or emotional abuse, gang and cartel members, all types of spiritual bondage, coerced or mutated before their age of reason and maturity
• The Resourced – loving, economically sufficient parent(s), with a child who has a terminal illness or acute medical / psychological condition, addictions, dysphoria and other struggles
• The Poor—with loving parent(s) doing their best, but are underemployed or homeless, living in a car or temporary shelter, born into multigenerational poverty or unjust, oppressive societies, and many other reasons
• The Chosen – The children of the lineage of Abraham, David, Jesus – in Israel and throughout the diaspora; Satan is the reason for rampant antisemitism
• The Apprentice – children of destiny, in every country and territory on earth, who are eager, bright and need opportunity, education, vocational training and spiritual guidance to thrive

Each of us has our own story and interesting life journey. Difficult circumstances challenged us, but we overcame them. This is the core concept of psychologist Carl Jung and immortalized through the writings of Henri Nouwen; having suffered ourselves, we become “wounded healers.”

It is within this framework that I was given a “large assignment” from the Father – the creation of The Caleb Fund for At-Risk Children. A reasonably complete chronology with a description and the purpose of this fund is found in Chapters 13-15 of my most recently published book (of 7) Awakened: Embracing Freedom in Times of Peril (McHenry Press, October 2024).  I encourage you to read it.