A Lesson I am Still Learning January 26, 2010

I was reading a new blog post at The Journey, Katie’s blog about her ministry in Uganda.  She has taken on so much in her short twenty years of life and she was made aware of a widow, very sick with AIDS, who needed someone to care for her and help with food and medicine.  She writes about her struggle to make the decision to ask the woman to come live with her.

This is Katie’s family – the fourteen children she is mother to.  I love this photo:

What I appreciated about her words was the fight that goes on in all of us.  Every day we are presented with choices.  Many times we talk ourselves out of doing something we think might be hard or inconvenience us. 

At the end of her post she came to the conclusion that what was really happening was that the Lord was working on her heart – the woman actually turned her down and did not want to move in.  But, in her wrestling with the decision she realized that God was asking her to be willing to obey even when it felt hard or inconvenient. 

She quoted from Matthew 25 where Jesus is talking about the judgment and separating the sheep from the goats – those who saw people in need and did something about it and those who either didn’t notice the needy or chose not to help.  Forgive my very succinct, condensed version! 

What hit me when I read it was that it isn’t our deeds that save us.  That is NEVER Jesus’ message.  We are saved by grace, through faith in the work of Christ – nothing in ourselves at all!  But, it is apparent by our works that we are saved or that we aren’t. 

I really want to be willing and open to obeying God in any task He would ask of me.  To do that I need to be ready.  How can I do that?  I need to be immersing myself in the Word of God daily.  That is the daily bread that is necessary in order to live the life God wants me to.  The more I understand Who God is and breathe His Word into every part of my life, the more my responses will be like Christ.  I need to die to myself – put aside what I think is so important and lay my life at the foot of the cross – a willing and humble servant.

The Christian life is a fight every day.  We are saved when God does the work of regeneration in our hearts and makes us into a new creation, but we are still plagued with the sin nature.  It is a battle and we have to take it seriously.  We must arm ourselves.  Again, the way we do that is with God’s Word. 

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

 Please do follow the link and read her entire post.  Katie is an inspiration and God is using her mightily.  And, look around you for the needy – those who may just need a kind word or a smile.  Be Jesus to those you come in contact with!

This Makes me SO Happy! January 23, 2010

I just read this post on God’s Littlest Angel’s blog about a group of 80 orphans leaving Haiti to meet their new parents in Miami.

This is hopefully the beginning of a mass exodus of the orphaned children of Haiti.

Keep praying!!

Doing Better! January 22, 2010

Just so you know!

Psalm 65:5-8

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
   O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
   and of the farthest seas;
the one who by his strength established the mountains,
   being girded with might;
who stills the roaring of the seas,
   the roaring of their waves,
   the tumult of the peoples,
so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

Not Sure What to Say January 20, 2010

I have been dealing with overall grumpiness for the last week and a half.  My girls have started to ask me when I will not be grumpy again.  They have even prayed for me to not be grumpy!  I think I better deal with this, huh? 🙂

My excuses for being grumpy are – in no particular order:

1) Hormones – do I really need to expound on this one?
2) Impatience waiting for over a month to hear that we have our “Article 5” which means that CARA can finally approve us and our adoption case will proceed to court – in other words, there would be an end in sight. 
3) Frustration at finding out that one stinking piece of paper and a photo did not get delivered to the Embassy in Delhi when it was asked for over a month ago so that our immigration approval would be official. (I was told this was taken care of and I really have no idea whose fault it is that it isn’t there.)
4) Heartache and concern as I watch the news of what is going on in Haiti.  The plight of all those orphans and the families that are waiting for them just reminds me all the more of our own wait.

None of these are good reasons to be in a foul mood – bad enough that my family is making comments about it.  What is my “real” problem?  What am I not doing that I should be?  Well, it might be that I am not leaning on the One I should be.  It is easy to do, isn’t it?  You start to get caught up in life’s issues and pretty soon you are just like Peter out on the water taking his eyes off Jesus and sinking!

So, what do I do?  I remind myself that the Lord is sovereign, He is almighty and in complete control of everything from the wind that blows outside to the decisions of governments.  God is my heavenly Father and He loves me.  That doesn’t mean that He gives me everything I want when I want it.  It means that He knows what is best for me.  I need to keep reminding myself of that.

Isaiah 43:1-7

¹But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
 when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
   and the flame shall not consume you.
³For I am the LORD your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
   Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
⁴Because you are precious in my eyes,
   and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
   peoples in exchange for your life.
⁵ Fear not, for I am with you;
   I will bring your offspring from the east,
   and from the west I will gather you.
⁶I will say to the north, Give up,
   and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
   and my daughters from the end of the earth,
⁷everyone who is called by my name,
   whom I created for my glory,
   whom I formed and made.”

Sons and Daughters January 18, 2010

I have stated many times that adoption is a beautiful picture of how God brings us into His family and makes us His child. 

I was introduced to Sovereign Grace Music about a year ago and ever since I have been blessed by the music they write and record.  One of their newest CDs is entitled Sons and Daughters, its theme is celebrating our adoption as God’s children through the atoning work of Christ.  Here are words from one of the songs on the CD:

YOU MADE US YOUR OWN

We were ruined in our sin
We were guilty and undone
When Your love reached down with sovereign hands
And beckoned us to come

You sought out the wanderers
Made the prodigals come home
With a lavish feast You welcomed us
For You made us Your own

You have loved us like You love Your Son
We are heirs with Christ, bought by His blood
Oh how great the love that we’ve been shown
We’re Your children now, You made us Your own

We are strangers to the world
But no strangers to Your throne
We draw near You now with confidence
For all our fears are gone

And when Christ our King returns
We’ll meet saints we’ve never known
And forever we will be amazed
That You made us Your own

You have loved us like You love Your Son
We are heirs with Christ, bought by His blood
Oh how great the love that we’ve been shown
We’re Your children now, You made us Your own

Music and words by Steve & Vikki Cook, and Bob Kauflin.
© 2009 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)/Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. From Sons & Daughters. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. North American administration by Integrity Music. International administration by CopyCare International.

Use the links in this email to go and check out the Sovereign Grace store.  They offer free chord sheets for many of the songs and you can listen to songs on many albums so you know what the music style is like.  What we enjoy about their music is that the lyrics are scripturally truthful and God honoring words with energetic and varied music styles.

Their everyday prices are low, but keep an eye out because they have sales now and again where you can get some great deals!  Enjoy!

Keep Praying (and giving) for Haiti January 16, 2010

I don’t know about you, but I can hardly think of anything besides the people of Haiti and those who are there trying to do all they can to help them.

Yes, there are many aid workers on the way to Haiti, but there are people who already live there – people who have lived and helped the people of Haiti for years.  People who have given of their lives and love to meet the needs of these poverty stricken people and in those loving acts have also testified of the love of the Father.

I read about another missionary family who ministers in Haiti today.  I found the link on Noel Piper’s blog for a ministry called Real Hope For Haiti Rescue Center.  They began their work in 1999 with a six year old girl who was a burn victim.  From their website:

We began with our first child, a severely burned 6 year old, that would have had to walk 6 hours each way to get dressing changes. We took her into our care to do daily dressing changes. Two week later we took another burn, and after two more weeks we had four children that were living with us full time.

After that they started to take in malnourished children who would stay with them until they were doing better.  You can see that this ministry is perfectly positioned to offer medical care to the people in this hard hit area.

If you are interested in learning more about this ministry or donating to their work in Haiti, please visit their website.  You can donate online through a link on the right hand side of their blog . They have a lot of photos of the devastation.  Please continue your prayers for these people who are precious in God’s eyes.

A Missionary Family in Haiti

I found a link to a blog of a missionary family  – the Livesays – in Haiti.  It is interesting to read their thoughts on the earthquake, sending their children back to the U.S. without them, and how things are in Haiti right now.

There are also links on the left to two organizations they work with.  You can look into those links and donate if you are interested.

God Loves Haiti January 14, 2010

I cringed yesterday when I heard a comment made by Pat Robertson saying that what happened in Haiti was God’s judgment on that country’s people for “making a pact with the devil”.  That was such an unfeeling and uncalled for comment. 

I was pleased today to read a very Biblical and compassionate response to the earthquake in Haiti in an article by Albert Mohler.  I have copied an excerpt below, but please do follow the link and read the whole article – it is worth it!

God does judge the nations — all of them — and God will judge the nations. His judgment is perfect and his justice is sure. He rules over all the nations and his sovereign will is demonstrated in the rising and falling of nations and empires and peoples. Every molecule of matter obeys his command, and the earthquakes reveal his reign — as do the tides of relief and assistance flowing into Haiti right now.

A faithful Christian cannot accept the claim that God is a bystander in world events. The Bible clearly claims the sovereign rule of God over all his creation, all of the time. We have no right to claim that God was surprised by the earthquake in Haiti, or to allow that God could not have prevented it from happening.

God’s rule over creation involves both direct and indirect acts, but his rule is constant. The universe, even after the consequences of the Fall, still demonstrates the character of God in all its dimensions, objects, and occurrences. And yet, we have no right to claim that we know why a disaster like the earthquake in Haiti happened at just that place and at just that moment.

The arrogance of human presumption is a real and present danger. We can trace the effects of a drunk driver to a car accident, but we cannot trace the effects of voodoo to an earthquake — at least not so directly. Will God judge Haiti for its spiritual darkness? Of course. Is the judgment of God something we can claim to understand in this sense — in the present? No, we are not given that knowledge. Jesus himself warned his disciples against this kind of presumption.

Why did no earthquake shake Nazi Germany? Why did no tsunami swallow up the killing fields of Cambodia? Why did Hurricane Katrina destroy far more evangelical churches than casinos? Why do so many murderous dictators live to old age while many missionaries die young?

Does God hate Haiti? God hates sin, and will punish both individual sinners and nations. But that means that every individual and every nation will be found guilty when measured by the standard of God’s perfect righteousness. God does hate sin, but if God merely hated Haiti, there would be no missionaries there; there would be no aid streaming to the nation; there would be no rescue efforts — there would be no hope.

The earthquake in Haiti, like every other earthly disaster, reminds us that creation groans under the weight of sin and the judgment of God. This is true for every cell in our bodies, even as it is for the crust of the earth at every point on the globe. The entire cosmos awaits the revelation of the glory of the coming Lord. Creation cries out for the hope of the New Creation.

In other words, the earthquake reminds us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only real message of hope. The cross of Christ declares that Jesus loves Haiti — and the Haitian people are the objects of his love. Christ would have us show the Haitian nation his love, and share his Gospel. In the midst of this unspeakable tragedy, Christ would have us rush to aid the suffering people of Haiti, and rush to tell the Haitian people of his love, his cross, and salvation in his name alone.

Everything about the tragedy in Haiti points to our need for redemption. This tragedy may lead to a new openness to the Gospel among the Haitian people. That will be to the glory of God. In the meantime, Christ’s people must do everything we can to alleviate the suffering, bind up the wounded, and comfort the grieving. If Christ’s people are called to do this, how can we say that God hates Haiti?

If you have any doubts about this, take your Bible and turn to John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. That is God’s message to Haiti.

There are many relief agencies providing aid and supplies to the people of Haiti.  I have heard that Doctors Without Borders is an organization that has been working in Haiti and will continue to provide the much needed medical care the injured will need.

There is an orphanage called God’s Littlest Angels that operates near Port au Prince, Haiti.  They are not only caring for the children that were already living in their orphanage, but expect to be receiving more children through this disaster.

Please consider giving financially to one of these organizations or another one you have heard of.  These people need to know that there is someone out there who cares about them and wants to reach out and give them a hand.  Please also be in prayer for the men, women, and children of Haiti and those who are traveling there to offer aid.

Another circumstance to keep in prayer are families who are in the process of adopting children from Haiti and this disaster has interrupted the ability to get the cases through court.  There are even children whose famlies had completed court procedures, but just needed a passport to be issued by the Haitian government – which no longer really exists.  Pray that these children will be able to go to their adoptive families.

Making Sense of Suffering January 9, 2010

I got this in an email from Ligonier Ministries blog.  It deals with a topic that is never far from my thoughts and I found this to be encouraging and full of truth.  Enjoy.

Dr. Derek Thomas, excerpt from “The Invisible Hand: 2004 Seattle Conference:”

You find yourself in trouble, and you go to the book of Job to get answers and help, right? And what do you get when you go to the book of Job? This is what you get: “You must learn to submit to Me.” That’s what God says. “I love you. I love you with all my heart. There is no questioning of My love for you in Jesus Christ. My covenant promises are yea and amen in Jesus Christ. Having begun a good work, I will complete it unto the day of Jesus Christ, but I have never promised you that you will have life without pain. I have never promised you that you will never experience trial or suffering. I have never promised to you that terrible things won’t happen to you or to your children. I’ve never done that.” And you see, my friends, we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” or “Make me a servant, Lord,” or “Sanctify me, Lord.” Do you understand that in order to bring that about this is what it may mean? Be careful what you pray for. Do you want to be holy? Do you want to be one of the holiest people in all the world? Be careful if you pray that prayer, because it may mean that God may send you through the fires of trial to remove the dross so that from out of the crucible may emerge something that’s pure and something that’s lovely, and something that’s attractive.

Some of you are saying as you endeavor to integrate the providence of God into your own lives or tragedies that things will never be the same again, and in a sense they won’t because every moment is unique. There is a sense in which nothing will ever be the same again. We live in a world that changes. But you know, God can do the most astonishing things, things you never dreamt about, things at the moment that you cannot see. At the moment you’re saying, “I don’t understand what God is doing in my life.” And that is true. And if you don’t understand it, I’m not going to understand it either. But you know my friends, it’s not important that you understand it.  What’s important is that He understands it. God’s ways are past finding out. God’s ways are incomprehensible.

There may well be things that God has done in our lives and the intricacies of providence that will take you a million years to try and figure out, and you still won’t understand it. And it’ll be ok because you will say every moment of your existence, it is for the glory of God. It is for the glory of God. And that’s my purpose here; to live for the glory of God no matter what happens. 

God did some wonderful things for Job, and at the end he had ten children. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? They weren’t the same children. He would visit those graves, I’m sure for the rest of his life. You notice some of the names he gives in Job 42:14. They are delightful Hebrew names. They’re full of joy. They’re full of happiness. They’re full of well-being. You know what that’s saying? It’s saying God brought Job through all of this. Yes, God did that. Not by giving to him the knowledge that he was asking for. No, but teaching him how to be a good disciple and teaching him to trust God. That’s the issue, isn’t it, when it comes to the providence of God and our relationship to evil and pain and suffering? Do you trust Him? Do you trust the Lord when he takes away your child? Do you trust the Lord when you discover your spouse has been unfaithful to you? Do you trust the Lord when a dear, dear friend lets you down? Do you trust the Lord when you lose your job? Do you trust the Lord when the word cancer is uttered? That’s the issue. That’s what it means at the end of the day. Will you be My disciple?

A Little of This, A Little of That

I read this great article on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood’s website called Don’t You Already Have Kids?  Adding to Your Existing Family Through Adoption. 

I loved reading this family’s heart about adoption and I think you will enjoy it too.

Kevin and I have been going through some DVDs that we are required to watch for adoption education through our agency.  There is some really good information, but we are also required to answer a bunch of questions on what we listened to and that is taking me a lot of time!  I have felt like I was listening to a lot of information we have already either read or lived and it was kind of annoying me.

However, one thing it has done for me is given me the ability to look back at all the issues we have come up against since the girls have come home and how they have been resolved or are being resolved.  It is great to see how the Lord has worked in our lives and in the girls’ hearts.  The girls just seem to blossom and grow every day.  It is a joy to watch.  He is faithful!

There is this sense of “been there, done that” in some respects to adopting again.  We will be going back to the same country, and of course, this isn’t our first time bringing home an adopted child.  But, with experience we also know more what the possibilities are and we will undoubtedly face issues with Levi that we didn’t face with the girls.  Just another opportunity to trust in the Lord and look for His wisdom to lead us!

Please continue praying.  Although we have received immigration approval, the piece of paper that needs to be delivered to the U.S. Embassy to declare this has not been received yet.  Until this happens, CARA cannot give us approval and the case cannot go to court.  We were assured by our agency, though, that just because CARA cannot issue our NOC (No Objection Certificate) and send us on to court, they said it is likely that they have gone through our paperwork and it won’t take long once they get the immigration paperwork they need.

So, we continue to pray and hope and try to be patient.  We know God knows best, but waiting is never easy.