About six months ago, World Magazine did an entire issue on the concept of Calling. They had a wide variety of articles on people who have been called by God to certain vocations or to start a charitable foundation that helps a poor section of a community. Besides these kinds of pieces, they also did some on a Christian's calling to help those less fortunate.
The one that stood out to me the most was about the Rosenow family who were called by God to adopt 14 disabled children of various nationalities and ages. They lead a life that is very demanding financially, physically, and emotionally. The thing that stood out the most for me was how there was no way this family could have adopted this way of life unless the church community around them also felt called to support them in their lifestyle. To give you and idea, four churches have families that provide a meal a month which saves them $400 a month. Each of their adoptions were also paid for mostly by the Christian community that surrounds them.
This article really shifted my thinking about adoption. I always assumed that if a family is called to adopt it was their family business. Now I've come to realize that one of the ways for the Christian Church to practice "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless...to look after orphans..." (James 1:27) is to support families who are called to adopt. This means that not only should the adopting family sacrifice to provide a home for their orphan child, but the Christian community around them is also called to sacrifice their time, money, etc to help that family take care of their new child.
With all this in mind, a family in my Church, the Houser Family, came forward to announce they intended on adopting a little girl from the Ukraine. This family is called to bring an orphan into their family so now we need to help support them in it. She is four years old and in danger of being sent to a mental institution if she isn't adopted soon. They need your help. The family still has to raise about 20,000 dollars before they can get her. If you can donate Delta Skymiles, that will go a long way to reducing the costs of their travel. Also, they will be holding a yard sale on May 14th so if anyone in Huntsville has anything to donate, it would be much appreciated.
For information on how to help the Houser Family adopt their little girl please visit this website.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Good Friday
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
O sacred Head, now wounded with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns Thine only crown:
How pale Thou art with anguish, With sore abuse and scorn,
How does that visage languish, Which once was bright as morn!
What thou, my Lord, hast suffered Was all for sinners' gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression, But thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior: 'Tis I deserve thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, Assist me with Thy grace.
What language shall I borrow To thank thee, dearest Friend,
For this, Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never Outlive my love to Thee. Amen.
O sacred Head, now wounded with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns Thine only crown:
How pale Thou art with anguish, With sore abuse and scorn,
How does that visage languish, Which once was bright as morn!
What thou, my Lord, hast suffered Was all for sinners' gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression, But thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior: 'Tis I deserve thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, Assist me with Thy grace.
What language shall I borrow To thank thee, dearest Friend,
For this, Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never Outlive my love to Thee. Amen.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Things I like about having boys.
Here is a short list of things I'm enjoying about having boys right now.
1. Fresh flowers every day (today I have some small yellow flowers)
2. If it's pink I know it's mine
3. Discussions about Tornadoes
4. Turning every task into a competition (to avoid fighting and increase efficiency I have had to create a 2 year old bracket and 4 year old bracket so they both win)
5. Stuffed animals that double as tackling dummies
6. Giggling over words that sound similar to potty words but haven't crossed the line (ex: belly button)
7. A sandbox full of carefully built roads and buildings
8. Quick cuddles and quiet words of comfort when rough play gets out of hand.
9. Matching means wearing everything that's the same color.
10. Favorite bible stories - Crucifixion, Jesus calms the storm, Jonah getting eaten by a whale
1. Fresh flowers every day (today I have some small yellow flowers)
2. If it's pink I know it's mine
3. Discussions about Tornadoes
4. Turning every task into a competition (to avoid fighting and increase efficiency I have had to create a 2 year old bracket and 4 year old bracket so they both win)
5. Stuffed animals that double as tackling dummies
6. Giggling over words that sound similar to potty words but haven't crossed the line (ex: belly button)
7. A sandbox full of carefully built roads and buildings
8. Quick cuddles and quiet words of comfort when rough play gets out of hand.
9. Matching means wearing everything that's the same color.
10. Favorite bible stories - Crucifixion, Jesus calms the storm, Jonah getting eaten by a whale
Thursday, April 7, 2011
5 years ago...
Five years ago today was the last day I worked outside the home. I was 7 months pregnant with R. A lot has changed since then. Now I have two boys and one on the way. I have always wanted to stay at home with my kids because that's what my mom did. It was important to my parents that my mom stay home with us and because of this they sacrificed to make it happen. I understand that it's not possible for every mother to stay home with her kids, but I do think God has created all mothers to nurture and raise their children in a certain way and we are encouraged in our endeavors through His Word.
" But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." 1 Thess. 2:7-8
This verse is a great description of what Biblical motherhood is. It describes a mother who loves her child so much that she not only shares her faith, but her whole self. She allows her kids to see her for who she really is and lets them take part in her life. The beauty of this type of mothering is that the openness fosters a deep relationship that can withstand rough times. It also gives the child the opportunity to emulate the mother. Like Romans 8:30 exhorts believers, we, as mothers, are being "conformed to the likeness of His Son." If this is true then our children will also be like Jesus.
When we take care of our children with that kind of openness, we need to be bold. Jesus' mother, Mary, was a good example of a mother who has trust and confidence in God. She was told that she would be a mother before she was even married and her response was "Behold I am the servant of The Lord, let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). This is how we should be when it comes to our mothering. We should trust The Lord and have confidence that his plan for our children and us is perfect.
God also gives us many promises throughout scripture to encourage us in our calling.
"But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments" (Psalm 103:17-18). It is a blessing to know that God loves us so much that his love and righteousness will be passed on to our children.
"Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death." (Proverbs 19-18) What an encouraging verse! It helps us to put our discipline in perspective. We love our kids so we discipline.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " (1 John 1:9) This is a great promise to end on. We can stand confidently in our calling as mothers because God will be there when we make a mistake to forgive us and cleanse us!
" But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." 1 Thess. 2:7-8
This verse is a great description of what Biblical motherhood is. It describes a mother who loves her child so much that she not only shares her faith, but her whole self. She allows her kids to see her for who she really is and lets them take part in her life. The beauty of this type of mothering is that the openness fosters a deep relationship that can withstand rough times. It also gives the child the opportunity to emulate the mother. Like Romans 8:30 exhorts believers, we, as mothers, are being "conformed to the likeness of His Son." If this is true then our children will also be like Jesus.
When we take care of our children with that kind of openness, we need to be bold. Jesus' mother, Mary, was a good example of a mother who has trust and confidence in God. She was told that she would be a mother before she was even married and her response was "Behold I am the servant of The Lord, let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). This is how we should be when it comes to our mothering. We should trust The Lord and have confidence that his plan for our children and us is perfect.
God also gives us many promises throughout scripture to encourage us in our calling.
"But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments" (Psalm 103:17-18). It is a blessing to know that God loves us so much that his love and righteousness will be passed on to our children.
"Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death." (Proverbs 19-18) What an encouraging verse! It helps us to put our discipline in perspective. We love our kids so we discipline.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " (1 John 1:9) This is a great promise to end on. We can stand confidently in our calling as mothers because God will be there when we make a mistake to forgive us and cleanse us!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Harry Potter Revisited
One of my goals for this pregnancy was to read completely through the Harry Potter Series. I figured this is a good time to relive this adventure since I am at a place where I prefer comfortable familiarity to something new and different. Really I think the hormones cloud my mind and I can't think straight until way after the baby comes and I am done nursing. Either way, it was also a good time to read completely straight through all seven books. I had not done this before. I started reading the series when there were only four books so there were long periods of time between each successive book. I assumed that it would take me about 9 months to read them since I have kids now and I can't sit for hours a day lost in a book. It only took me about 5 months. So here I am with two and a half months to go (my husband says three but he's in denial) and I have read every last word. Let me tell you: it was even better the second time around. Here are some thoughts put in no particular order.
1. I loved how certain character traits are valued. Some of the big ones that come to mind are loyalty, courage, bravery...I could go on. In the end it is obvious that Harry beats Voldemort because he possesses these traits which his opponent lacks. Many of these traits lead to love, friendship, things like that which are also considered essential to success.
2. I was amazed at how well everything from beginning to end fit together. She has some chiasmic (that's a new word derived from chiasm ) elements to the books that make it even more amazing. What I mean is book one and seven are very similar as well as two and six, three and five, and then book four stands alone. So Harry faces Voldemort by himself in the first and seventh books. The second and sixth deal with horcruxes. Then the last pairing deals with side characters that have special meaning to the plot and shapes Harry's perspective on things. Book four has to obviously stand alone because it deals with Voldemort coming back.
3. I also have to admit that liked seeing all the little hints along the way that I missed the first time around. An example is the mention in book six of the tiara in the room of requirement. I know there were things in the earlier book, but it's too late right now to come up with them.
I'm starting to lose steam so I should probably go to bed (it is 11:20pm here). This whole reading has me excited for the last movie to come out in July.
1. I loved how certain character traits are valued. Some of the big ones that come to mind are loyalty, courage, bravery...I could go on. In the end it is obvious that Harry beats Voldemort because he possesses these traits which his opponent lacks. Many of these traits lead to love, friendship, things like that which are also considered essential to success.
2. I was amazed at how well everything from beginning to end fit together. She has some chiasmic (that's a new word derived from chiasm ) elements to the books that make it even more amazing. What I mean is book one and seven are very similar as well as two and six, three and five, and then book four stands alone. So Harry faces Voldemort by himself in the first and seventh books. The second and sixth deal with horcruxes. Then the last pairing deals with side characters that have special meaning to the plot and shapes Harry's perspective on things. Book four has to obviously stand alone because it deals with Voldemort coming back.
3. I also have to admit that liked seeing all the little hints along the way that I missed the first time around. An example is the mention in book six of the tiara in the room of requirement. I know there were things in the earlier book, but it's too late right now to come up with them.
I'm starting to lose steam so I should probably go to bed (it is 11:20pm here). This whole reading has me excited for the last movie to come out in July.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Scripture Memory Verse #3
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." Romans 8:39-30
This is one of the verses referenced by Chip Ingram in his book Effective Parenting in a Defective World. He uses as a goal for what we want to acheive in raising our kids. We want them to be "conformed to the likeness of His son."
This is one of the verses referenced by Chip Ingram in his book Effective Parenting in a Defective World. He uses as a goal for what we want to acheive in raising our kids. We want them to be "conformed to the likeness of His son."
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