Come one, come all to Crossroads Church on December 5th from 4-6 p.m. Our church is hosting a Christmas event, as well as a fundraiser for our adoption! Come enjoyed themed Christmas trees and hot chocolate at the trees of Christmas event.
Stay for the silent auction ending at 5:30 p.m. and featuring pottery, jewelry, decorative crosses, crafts, a muzzleloader, a deer stand, a night of babysitting, a Dallas Cowboys jersey, an Alabama memorabilia item, a family portrait, a fishing trip for 4 on the gulf with food and bait provided, a father/son or father/daughter hunting trip in Stateline, MS and much, much more.
Also attend the Cookie shop where you can purchase a tin and choose 12 cookies, brownies, bars or candies to fill it for $5. Purchase as many tins as you like. These come in handy for Christmas parties and gifts.
We look forward to seeing you there! Thanks to all of you who have donated items and baked goodies for this event!
"The Lord has done great things for us and we are very glad." Psalm 126:3
Adoption
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
God's Timing
I was reading Matthew chapter 2 in my devotions this morning. I love reading the story of the Christ-child, especially approaching Christmas. This time I was amazed at the precise way that everything in that chapter fulfilled a prophecy. God's timing was impeccable. He warned the wise men to return another way, in order to protect Jesus. He warned Joseph to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt to protect the Christ-child. Then, He told them to return, because Herod had died and it was now safe to do so. Each one of these things we would view as delays, had a specific purpose. Sometimes the purpose was to fulfill prophecy, "I called my son out of Egypt", and "He will be called a Nazarene." Sometimes simply for the protection and the good of this little family.
As we are waiting for our child to join our family, we have experienced several delays. Right now, we are waiting for the FBI fingerprinting results to come back so that our homestudy can be completed. We have been waiting on this for several weeks. I have found myself impatient for this to happen this week because our social worker is going on vacation the end of this week, and then there is Thanksgiving. We can't be matched with a child until this is completed. God reminded me today that His plan and His timing are perfect. He knows which child or children He has planned to bless our home with. We will be matched with that child or children in his perfect timing. I am going to do my best to sit back and trust Him and stop trying to get answers on my timetable. His is better than mine!
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." 2 Samuel 22:31-33
As we are waiting for our child to join our family, we have experienced several delays. Right now, we are waiting for the FBI fingerprinting results to come back so that our homestudy can be completed. We have been waiting on this for several weeks. I have found myself impatient for this to happen this week because our social worker is going on vacation the end of this week, and then there is Thanksgiving. We can't be matched with a child until this is completed. God reminded me today that His plan and His timing are perfect. He knows which child or children He has planned to bless our home with. We will be matched with that child or children in his perfect timing. I am going to do my best to sit back and trust Him and stop trying to get answers on my timetable. His is better than mine!
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." 2 Samuel 22:31-33
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
National Adoption Awareness Month
November is national adoption awareness month. Many people do not understand that Brian and I WANT to adopt. I recently went to the doctor for a physical for our adoption homestudy. She asked me if I had exhausted every effort to have children biologically. I tried to explain that I had not, but saw the need for adoption rather than in vitro. We could spend money and hope for a child. Or we can give a home to a child who is right now without a home. For us it is the very picture of what God, our Father does for us by welcoming us into His family. I did not do a very good job of explaining this to her. However, a friend referred me to an article on the KLOVE website. Russell Moore can articulate it better than I can.
"Adoption is not just about couples who want children -- or who want more children. Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself...I want to ask what it would mean if our churches and families were known as the people who adopt babies -- and toddlers, and children, and teenagers. What if we as Christians were known, once again, as the people who take in orphans and make of them beloved sons and daughters?...Not everyone is called to adopt. No one wants parents who adopt children out of the same sense of duty with which they may give to the building fund for the new church gymnasium. But all of us have a stake in the adoption issue, because Jesus does. He is the one who tells us His Father is also "Father of the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5). And, He is the one who insists on calling "the least of these" His "brothers" (Matthew 25:40) and who tells us that the first time we hear His voice, He will be asking us if we did the same." Russell D. Moore
I shared some of this quote on facebook and a friend of mine had this to say, "EVERYONE can have a part in adoption, even if they are not bringing a child into their own home. If only the church would be as strong of an advocate for adoption as it is against abortion - what good could be done in the name of Christ!" Matt Kinnell, adoptive father of adorable twins from Ethiopia
I completely agree with Matt. Just some food for thought in observance of National Adoption Awareness Month.
If you are interested in finding out more about what churches and individuals can do to support orphans and adoption, check out the following websites.
www.cryoftheorphan.org
www.hopefororphans.org (a ministry of Family Life)
www.icareaboutorphans.org (a ministry of Focus on the Family)
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"Adoption is not just about couples who want children -- or who want more children. Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself...I want to ask what it would mean if our churches and families were known as the people who adopt babies -- and toddlers, and children, and teenagers. What if we as Christians were known, once again, as the people who take in orphans and make of them beloved sons and daughters?...Not everyone is called to adopt. No one wants parents who adopt children out of the same sense of duty with which they may give to the building fund for the new church gymnasium. But all of us have a stake in the adoption issue, because Jesus does. He is the one who tells us His Father is also "Father of the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5). And, He is the one who insists on calling "the least of these" His "brothers" (Matthew 25:40) and who tells us that the first time we hear His voice, He will be asking us if we did the same." Russell D. Moore
I shared some of this quote on facebook and a friend of mine had this to say, "EVERYONE can have a part in adoption, even if they are not bringing a child into their own home. If only the church would be as strong of an advocate for adoption as it is against abortion - what good could be done in the name of Christ!" Matt Kinnell, adoptive father of adorable twins from Ethiopia
I completely agree with Matt. Just some food for thought in observance of National Adoption Awareness Month.
If you are interested in finding out more about what churches and individuals can do to support orphans and adoption, check out the following websites.
www.cryoftheorphan.org
www.hopefororphans.org (a ministry of Family Life)
www.icareaboutorphans.org (a ministry of Focus on the Family)
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
Sunday, November 1, 2009
We serve a faithful God!
I wanted to update you guys on the process! We are waiting for our background checks to be returned and Brian to get his TB test for our homestudy to be completed. We are REALLY close!
God has been talking to both Brian and I about trusting him to provide for our adoption and our daily needs. Our pastor has been sharing really relevant sermons about being desperate for God. Brian talked about how when we are really desperate, we have no hope to meet our needs without God stepping in. Brian even shared about this today in worship. Well, we agreed to ask God to meet our needs and....Today a wonderful couple gave us a check for $1,000 toward our adoption! God is so good and so are His people!
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
2 Corinthians 9:8
God has been talking to both Brian and I about trusting him to provide for our adoption and our daily needs. Our pastor has been sharing really relevant sermons about being desperate for God. Brian talked about how when we are really desperate, we have no hope to meet our needs without God stepping in. Brian even shared about this today in worship. Well, we agreed to ask God to meet our needs and....Today a wonderful couple gave us a check for $1,000 toward our adoption! God is so good and so are His people!
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
2 Corinthians 9:8
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