God is Radical

What? Who me? You must mean someone else, Lord. This was my reaction when God first stirred our hearts toward adoption. Actually, this was my reaction throughout the adoption process, and still is my reaction, periodically, as I parent our four children.

As most engaged couples do, Don and I discussed children before we were married. We were thirty years old and each had a son. I told Don that I had always wanted two children. He said the same. Two. (Although, I also thought I’d have girls, so I was shocked when I learned I was pregnant with JT. But, that’s a different story.) As our conversation developed, we decided to add one more to our ready-made family.

Kenneth was born two years after we were married. I settled into my role as a home school mom, and later, a pastor’s wife. By the time Kenneth was four, we were cruising along enjoying the rhythm of our lives. My older boys were fairly independent in their school work. And, Kenneth didn’t need round-the-clock attention. I loved our country home, church, and home school friends.

That’s where I was, mentally and physically, when God poked at my heart about adopting (see previous post). Maybe I was too complacent in my relationship with Him. Or maybe it isn’t about me at all. That’s a radical idea. But, isn’t our God a radical God? He calls us to make radical decisions - decisions that others can look at and say, “Only God could do that.” Isn’t that how we reflect His heart?

What radical decision has God asked of you?

For His Glory! Barb :-)

The Missouri Heart Gallery Project

The Mark Twain Museum will have a special exhibit from June 30 to July 5th. It is unique in that this exhibit will feature photos and stories about children in foster care. “Their interests are different, but these children all have one thing in common: they reside in foster homes and will never return to their biological parents. They – and more than 2,000 other children like them in Missouri – need ‘forever’ homes.”*

Mixed emotions flowed as I read about this event. My first thoughts and feelings were delight and excitement that the needs of these children are being recognized. Then, as I browsed the pictures, tears rolled down my checks. My heart breaks for God’s precious children who are without families. God has called us to care for widows and orphans. As Christians, we have stood against abortion and proclaimed that there are no unwanted children. Yet, there are thousands in Missouri alone. The Church has a huge task before her. We are not all called to adopt. But, we are all called to do something. I pray that God will use this event to find “forever homes” for these children.

Click here for photos and stories of these children: http://moheartgallery.org/Albumn/index1.htm


* http://www.marktwainmuseum.org/index.php/press-room/recent-press-releases

Cataclysm

“Cataclysm – Asia’s wall of water wreaks a disaster of biblical proportions . . .” read the January 15, 2005 issue of World magazine. “On December 26th, 2004,” the article continues:

. . . a 9.0-magnitude earthquake rumbled four miles beneath a Southeast Asian sea, waking a wall of water that within seven hours swept the Indian Ocean from Malaysia to Mombasa; swallowed coastal inhabitants by the tens of thousands, from lowly fishermen to luxury-class beach frolickers; raised the ocean’s table by nearly a foot as far away as San Diego, and – before it ended – caused the very Earth to wobble on its axis, to lose a fraction of a second and to force global positioning satellites into recalibration.*

“Some 230,000 people were killed and the livelihoods of millions were destroyed in over 10 countries.”**


You probably remember the tsunamis hitting Indonesia. Don and I cried and prayed and were convicted to give money as we watched the terror on the news.

The disaster rocked the world – literally. There was an outcry of help for the victims, and the next week, the same magazine reported that over 10,000 children were left orphans as a result of the loss of lives due to the tsunamis.*** That issue also featured an article about a family who had made adoption a way of life. The headline read “Adoption: How one ordinary couple with extraordinary compassion helped build an adoption-friendly church.”**** For the first time, God poked at a place in my heart I didn’t know existed. It was a small poke, but enough to get my attention.

I approached Don. “Hey,” I casually said, “wouldn’t it be neat if we could help out one of these children and adopt them into our home.”

Much to my surprise, he said, “Yeah, it would be.”

A passing thought chalked up to emotions for a group of children turned into one of our most adventurous undertakings.

Have you considered adopting? Are you an adoptive parent? What did God use to “poke” at that place in your heart?

For His Glory! Barb

*Belz, Mindy. “Cataclysm.” WORLD 15 January 2005: 20. Print.
**Shah, Anup. “Asian Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster.” Global Issues, Updated: 07 Jan. 2005. Accessed: 23 Jun. 2010. http://www.globalissues.org/article/523/asian-earthquake-and-tsunami-disaster
***Vincent, Lynn. “Tsunami’s second victims,” WORLD 22 January 2005: 24-25. Print.
****Olasky, Susan. “Leading by example,” WORLD 22 January 2005: 22-23. Print.

Happy Father’s Day

As we celebrate and honor fathers, we are compelled to give all praise and thanks to our heavenly Father. Because of Him we are able to cry out, “Abba Father!” (Rom 5:8)

We’ve titled our blog “The Father Heart of God” because adoption reflects God‘s heart and missional purposes in the world. The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) is not typically thought of as an adoption story; but, it clearly reveals the Father‘s heart for our adoption. A son walks away from his father‘s love, travels to a far off land, and lives as a Gentile. When he finally comes to his senses, he seeks to return to his father -- not as a son, but a slave. Upon returning, the son confesses his wrong and asks his father to make him as a slave. The Father not only receives him (salvation & justification), but reinstates him as a son (adoption). As Trevor Burke puts it ― “God does not only justify people and then leave them destitute with nowhere to go – he adopts them into the warmth and security of his household.”

What a great God we serve. Leave any praise you have for either your heavenly father or a special father in your life.

Don

“Daddy, I want to believe of Jesus.”

Our six-year-old adopted daughter woke us up New Year’s morning with these precious words. She had been home nine months. “Wow!” I thought, as my not-yet-healed heart lifted and tears rolled down my cheeks.

A lot of the “whys” were answered that morning. Why adopt? Why us? Why this particular girl? Why did the process take so long? Why the emotional turmoil? Why were there so many obstacles? . . . Why are there orphans?

We invite you along as we attempt to unravel the answers to these questions. Please join in the discussion. We hope you participate with your stories of struggles and joys—weeping and rejoicing.

We promise that we do not have all of the answers, but we cling to God’s word as we live the life God has called us to “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:6

For His Glory! Barb :-)