Update on the visit with the Social Worker

The meeting with the social worker (we will call him Mr. B) went well yesterday. As I had assumed, it was mostly just a meeting for him to get to know us. . . sort of a "who are these people who want to adopt 6 children out of the foster system all at once?" LOL!

Mr. B is a believer and totally has a heart for the children. Praise the Lord! We have seen so many *bad* things/parts/people within the foster system, that it is refreshing and wonderful to know that Mr. B is working on behalf of these children and making the decisions that will affect all of us!

We didn't really glean a lot of new information, but it was good to talk about some of the different issues and considerations with Mr. B. and I think he was able to hear our hearts and get a good idea of what our family is like. Hopefully this will really help him as he continues in the process of finding one or more permanent adoptive homes for these children.

We would love to know that you are praying for us and for these children. We truly desire God's best for them - a place where they can heal and find Him, a place where they can know they are loved, a safe place where they can be free from the adultness that life has thrown at them too early - whether that is our home or not. Thank you for partnering in prayer with us as we seek to glorify Him!

3, 6, 12, 24?

Yes, to those of you wondering, we are still slowly moving along in the process of adopting 6 more children! LOL! It still makes me laugh in wonder at how crazy it sounds when I say that!

This Wednesday we will be meeting with the children's social worker who will be making the final placement decisions eventually. We heard that he is a believer too and I have been very impressed as I have talked with him on the phone. He is also an adoptive parent and he seems to be very steady and reasonable. We pray that the Lord will give him great insight and clarity as he works through this process.

We are hoping that we will soon be able to have "the girls" (3 of the 6 children) come and visit with us soon for a few weeks. This would give us and them time to get to know one another and to see how some of the family dynamics might work out. . .

This adoption process is VERY different from our Liberian adoption experience. We know a lot more, but there are also more unknowns. . . if that can possibly make any sense at all? Crazy.

Jeff was joking that we like to just double the size of our family.

We went from 3 to 6 when we adopted the first time.

This time we will be going from 6 to 12.

What does that mean for next time? LOL!

A Jesus Manifesto

Jesus Christ was not a social activist nor a moral philosopher. To pitch him that way is to drain his glory and dilute his excellence. Justice apart from Christ is a dead thing. The only battering ram that can storm the gates of hell is not the cry of Justice, but the name of Jesus. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of Justice, Peace, Holiness, Righteousness. He is the sum of all spiritual things, the “strange attractor” of the cosmos. When Jesus becomes an abstraction, faith loses its reproductive power. Jesus did not come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live.

Wow! For more of this amazing manifesto from Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola, visit http://ajesusmanifesto.wordpress.com/

It is ALL about Jesus!

Thoughts on Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day, I would like to introduce my very first guest blogger:  my wonderful husband Jeff.  The following is a message he wrote to encourage and challenge the dads in our church.  I hope this encourages you. . . please pass along to any fathers you know!

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THOUGHTS ON FATHER'S DAY

Husband sitting on the side of the bed, feeling a bit awkward.
Wife walks out of bathroom with a pregnancy test.                                                             It's pink.
Husband calls doctor friend to check to see if pregnancy tests can read false positives.       They don't.
Husband, a bit overwhelmed, turns to his wife: "So what do we do now?"
Wife, calmly: "Pick a name."

Over ten years ago Father's Day took on a whole new meaning for me.  I was about ready to graduate from college, Jen had one semester to go, we were living in a "borrowed" apartment, I was a part-time youth pastor...and we saw the pink line.  I thought, "God, there is no way I am ready to be a father."  After some tears (of joy of course) and some conversation with Jen we both remembered that our baby was a gift from God and that He must think it was the fullness of time for us.

I recently heard a parent talk about their kids.  The gist of the conversation was:  When the kids are eighteen...they're out on their own.  I can hardly wait.  My heart was grieved.  Don't get me wrong, I know that this parent loves their boys, but I wonder why their words are colored with these sentiments.  And they are not the first, nor the last that I will hear speak like this about their kids.

I also find it interesting to see the actual parenting goals of fathers for their sons and daughters.  Too often it boils down to: get them out of high school without having them hooked on drugs or pregnant or in serious trouble with the law.  If they don't get drunk, don't have sex, and get pretty good grades...that's a plus!  Sometimes it's a bit more ambitious: getting scholarships to college for either sports or academics (so don't blow the opportunity with any of the above).  At least this is where many fathers wind up.

I think most dads start off in the same place though.  We have hopes, we have dreams, we have belief that our sons and daughters will do great things.  Sometimes even great things for God.  Where do we take the wrong off-ramp?  I think our hopes and dreams are infiltrated by the misplaced priorities and low expectations of our culture.  I also think God wants so much more for our children...and so should we.  The deepest desire of my heart is that my children would whole-heartedly follow Christ and care for and raise families that would do the same.  Their career choice...doesn't matter.  Their "success" in the eyes of the world...doesn't matter.  How they perform in the sporting arena...doesn't matter.  The amount of money they make...doesn't matter (in fact Scripture talks about the love of money doesn't it?).  What matters is Who their lives are focused on and how eternity looks because they chose to live for Christ.

Dads, I need to be honest here: our children, especially our sons, will take their cues on how they live and for Whom they live from us.  I don't say this to beat you up because I am among you.  I am not always as intentional as I should be...to laugh, to talk, to correct, to hug, to encourage.  Let's look at how we are shaping our children and take advantage of each day.  Just tonight I raced my boys on a retro BMX scooter down the hill by our house while they chased me on their bikes and topped it off with a pillow fight (with cries of "I surrender" still ringing in my ears).  Let's enjoy our kids, hold on to God's hopes and dreams for them, and shepherd them toward our most loving, great, and glorious Father.  Amen.

On the journey,
Pastor Jeff

I love summer

 
 O.K., this is it, I promise.  I just got a new camera and I'm loving actually having pictures to post!

A new understanding

 I now know why having hair extensions put in costs so much money. . . 

 

90 braids, 12 hours, 4 movies, 2 coffees, and a bag of chocolate later,

 I am happy to post a picture of Little Missy's first official extensions. . . 

Done entirely by her mama and "auntie becky!" 

Isn't she beautiful?!

Little Missy

I couldn't resist posting just a few more of these great pictures my wonderful husband took of our "Little Missy."