Joy in Adoption

One of the joys that comes with adoption is the excitement of the first time for so many things.  The first grapefruit, the first beach trip, the first boat ride, the first time using toothbrush, toothpaste or listerine, the first times are so much fun as a parent.  Remember when you had this little baby and it took its first step or ate its first cheerio. It make my heart sing!

God has known throughout our entire lives what we would do in response to His offer of adoption as children.  He has orchestrated every detail of our journey to draw us to Himself.  Now, I am not sure how I would respond if I were the one coming from another country to live with white people in America.....but I do know how hard it can be to recognize their hurts that lie within.  I do know the days of concern when the glimpses of their past peel through and they give you small snippets of their memory and then explain that they never ever thought they would share this.

It is during these days of building a relationship that I see and remember how little I responded to my Heavenly Father with love, respet and commitment.  You see, it is only after seeing the fatherless respond with unhindered love that I see clearly the gift I have received.  It is this side of life that I see His Love for me and my desire to please Him clearly.  It is for this reason, love for the Father who has given me everything I need, that I respond to this lost and dying world with the same love offered to me.  The motivation I need for reaching the world is found everyday inside the walls of our home.  Our lives with those from another culture drives me on to share the Good News of the Father who wants to adopt us all. We go so that all will know the love of the Father. We serve so that His ways are proclaimed to every orphan on the earth. We teach His word because it is truth and brings Hope to those who have no Hope and a Father to the fatherless.

Go and be His hands and His feet to the world  Go to the orphans with the message of HOPE that a Father wantes to be his forever!  As a former orphan - lets go and lead other orphans to the adoption place called eternity, so we can sit before the throne of this world's Creator and Priase Him forever!

Fight for your Marriage

Many of you know our story.  It was stressful to live, stressful to tell. But with great pain, there is an opportunity for great healing.  And with healing there is testimony.

Through the process of nearly losing my marriage, I learned to fight for it.

With my 18 year marriage dangling by a thread, both of us broken, angry, afraid, not communicating, and many other adjectives that would require more processing, I remember declaring that I would not give up easily. I threw out all my preconceived ideas about marriage counseling,  not having enough money in savings to afford “help” and I went to battle, not against my husband, but praying for him and for God to "change ME Lord".

The very fall of man, put husbands and wives at odds with each other. Marriage is not easy. At it’s best, it’s difficult. No bed of roses and the warm and fuzzy lasts a short period of time. But don’t be fooled:  Satan wants your marriage to fail. He is a vicious opponent without mercy. If you won’t fight for your marriage, he will.
I believe every marriage is worth fighting for and while some have Biblical reasons for divorce, I still believe God can rescue every marriage-
IF- there are two willing people and sadly, that’s often not the case.

But if you are married-whatever condition your marriage may be in today-you need to fight for it.

How to really fight: [there are so many ways you can do this, here's what has helped me]:

Ask hard questions-Is there intimacy in our marriage? Are there secrets? Are your expectations to high?  Are you following God's design for marriage-and fulfilling your part of the design?  Are you demanding? Does God come first and then your spouse or are your children given rank over your spouse? 

Prepare yourself for unexpected answers-don’t rule out counseling. It’s not just for broken marriages, it can truly make your marriage better, especially Christian Counselors.

Trust -Believe in your spouse. Choose to trust. It is earned but Satan will temp you to read between the lines of truth.

Pray-simply said, hardly done. Pray for your marriage and your mate. If you need some direction - Stormie O'Martian's Power of a Praying Wife / Power of a Praying Husband it absolute Great!

Eliminate distractions-turn off cable if it’s unhealthy, throw out edgy movies, only accept purity in your marriage.

Don’t condemn-this only causes strife.

Submit your marriage and your life to God. We have found the closer we are to God, the closer we are to each other.

Forgive-some things seem unforgivable. But in the end, we must forgive. (This doesn’t mean we have to continue to live in abusive, dangerous or unfaithful marriages), but grudges have to go.

Let your husband lead your home, submit to him on the big stuff. If you doubt him, pray that God will speak to him.

If you have an unbelieving husband, practice I Cor. 7.

Our marriage is not perfect and it never will be, but it’s real and it’s good and it will last.

Secret or NOT?

Desiring God Blog Post .... talked about a question that Rick and I have discussed many times over the past few years.....  To tell or NOT to tell....  To share or NOT to Share......

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 ESV)

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:3-4 ESV)

A friend recently posed these two verses to me and asked, “So when do you tell others about your good deeds and when do you not?”

It’s a good question.

I believe the contexts of these verses give us the clues. Jesus is addressing the two-sided coin of human pride.

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus is addressing our fear of man. The context is that we are blessed when reviled and persecuted (v.11). The good works Jesus has in mind here are the kind that the prophets did (v.12). They testified to God’s word openly. In other words, don't be ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16) or any acts of love that testify to it, even when the threat of persecution is present. 

In Matthew 6:3, Jesus is addressing our selfish ambition. The context is people (in this case, the rich) who were marketing their acts of charity to enhance their personal brand. In other words, they were seeking human admiration. That's not love of God or the poor. It's self-worship. 

So a rule of thumb in shining and hiding: good works we are tempted to hide for fear of man’s disapproval are likely ones we should let shine. Good works we are tempted to do publicly for man’s approval are likely ones to keep secret. Both kinds of good works encourage humility and kill pride.

The Gospel is for REAL!

Do We Really Believe What We're Saying? from The Church at Brook Hills on Vimeo.

With My Soul

The Light of God surrounds me.
The Love of God enfolds me.
The Power of God protects me.
The Presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is, and all is well'; with my soul.

Be Blessed, Be a Blessing!

When I say that 'I am a Christian', I am not shouting that 'I am clean living. I'm whispering 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!

Be Blessed, Be a Blessing.

Haiti

Several years ago, the Lord placed Haiti on my heart via a translator in Guatemala.  The earthquake there broke my heart as I watched daily the disaster taking place on this little island.  The numbers of orphans increased and many adoptions were stopped and many new ones started.

Donna and Butch Kendrick, my dear friends in Birmingham are in HAITI!  They were given the opportunity to go there with Compassion International to share Christ and give Hope to the people in this country.

Brenda Brown, our small group leader reports:     "Here are pictures of Donna & Butch as they minister in Haiti.  Let's continue to pray as the Lord uses them.  Both have had the joyous privilege of leading others to Christ.  Praise the Lord !!!!

Brenda

"Establish Your Word to Your servant,as that which produces reverence for You."   Psalm 119:38

Dresses to Africa!

The sweet ladies of the "Branches" small group at The Church at Brookhills have these dresses ready for the orphans in Africa!  Thank you for giving of your time and talents to help these little children.  They are beautiful!

"Super" Moon

Bigger, Brighter Moon Tonight! March 19, 2011

     Some have dubbed tonight's full moon a "super moon" because it will be bigger and brighter than usual.
     Our moon orbits around the earth, a trip that takes roughly a month to complete. This is, in fact, the origin of the length of a month.
     What some people may not realize is that the path it takes around the earth is not a perfect circle, but rather more like an oval. (The technical term is ellipse.) As such, there are times when it is closer to the earth.
     When perigee (that is, when the moon is at its closest monthly approach) coincides with the full moon phase (when the moon is at its brightest), the so-called super moon will appear to be bigger and brighter than normal. Such an event happens about every 18 years.
     But just how much bigger will it be? Compared to the average full moon, the super moon will be bigger by about the thickness of your fingernail. It will be brighter too, although, because our eyes are poor detectors we may not be able to tell unless the average moon is standing by for comparison.
     The moon illusion has fascinated mankind since ancient times.  Info By: Elizabeth Jeffrey

     A full moon is always a spectacular sight, one that we often take for granted. Fortunately, there are times when things align just right and grab our attention and remind us of the majestic light that our GOD created.

Genesis, Chapter 1:
¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Here are some shots my hubby took tonight - I am so reminded of our "Super God" while gazing at the "Super Moon".

Little Steps

all i know is that injustice can be overwhelming at times,

but i have to remember that He is bigger than injustice

i have to remember that stepping out in fatih..in action...

is the only thing that we can do.

a little step at a time

Plant a Tree

I love thee quotes from Bonair Daydreams cards!
Just wish they were Bible verses.

The meaning of life is to plant a tree, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

Nothing is hidden and everything is seen by my Lord!

Gratitude dances through the open windows of our hearts.

One kind word can warm three winter months.

St. Patricks Day

March - What you don’t know about St. Patrick

Leprechauns, four leaf clovers, and donning something green… that’s the traditional St. Patrick's Day celebration style and thoughts. Learning the true story behind St. Patrick’s Day was not quite what I expected. St. Patrick was not a fictional leprechaun, nor did he wear a little green hat or chase pots of gold at the end of rainbows. That may not come as a huge surprise, but did you know St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish? The historical story of Patrick may not be widely known, but it is extraordinary, and he poured his life out for God’s purposes changing the course of Ireland’s history.


In the 5th century, Patrick was born into a Christian family on the island of modern day Britain. However, his personal faith in Christ didn’t mature until his teens and only through extremely difficult circumstances. At age 15, Irish raiders kidnapped him and forced him into slavery in Ireland. The Celtic people of Ireland were well known as savage, animistic people. Yet it was in this spiritual atmosphere that Jesus Christ became the Lord of Patrick’s life. For six years, Patrick tended sheep for his master and spent hours on the Irish hillsides with God. One day, Patrick sensed a voice telling him that a ship was waiting to take him home. Remarkably, he escaped toward the coast and boarded a ship that sailed to his homeland.
Back home and a free man, Patrick joined the clergy and spent years in a monastery. In what some compare to the Apostle Paul’s “Macedonian call”, Patrick recorded having the following vision:

I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: "The Voice of the Irish". As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea—and they cried out, as with one voice: "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us." 1

God called Patrick to return to Ireland and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Celts. Patrick was convinced of his calling, but spent many years studying in preparation. He was in his forties when he stepped back onto the soil where he lived in captivity as a young man.

The Celts were stubbornly resistant to the gospel, and Patrick was not well received at first. Being familiar with the culture, Patrick became as “Celtic” as possible without contradicting his devotion to Christ. As Paul was all things to all men, Patrick became Celtic to win the Celts, yet still faced death threats and kidnapping. Patrick himself said, “If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me.” As Patrick labored for God, the truth of the gospel slowly penetrated hardened hearts, and the seeds of the church took root across Ireland.

This St. Patrick’s Day let us take time to remember the sacrifice and suffering of Patrick, the power God displayed through one surrendered life, and billions who still have yet to hear the good news. Patrick was a simple man used for extraordinary work. What can God do with your surrendered life?


For more info on St. Patrick, check out these resources:

Tucker, Ruth. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biological History of Christian Missions. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan,1983.

Bercot, David W. Let Me Die in Ireland, The True Story of Patrick. Tyler, Texas: Scroll Publishing, 1999.

1 De Paor, Liam. Saint Patrick’s World: The Christian Culture of Ireland’s Apostolic Age. Dublin: Four Courts, 1993.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

America’s love affair with Dr. Seuss is not going anywhere. I mean, who can match the cleverness found in his writing?

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

 -- Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You'll Go!)

"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!"

My Many Colored Days. Each page portrays a vibrant water color painting in a different color and uses it to simplistically describe a common human emotion.

Kids and adults alike can relate to the description of these days:

Gray Day… Everything is gray.

I watch.  

But nothing moves today

Then comes a Yellow Day.

I am a busy, buzzy bee.

Today, was one of those days swirling with color for me just as Seuss describes,

Then comes a Mixed-Up Day.

And wham!

I don’t know who or what I am

Who knows what colors tomorrow will bring?

The Bottom Line:

It’s Dr. Seuss. Can you really go wrong with a book that gets the complexities of life – some days are gray and some days are pink. Need we really say more? Volumes and volumes have been written to say what Seuss said magically in a child’s picture book.