As Valentines is right around the corner…it got me thinking about LOVE. I love my kids to the core. Every single one of them. But it took me different amounts of time before I fell in love with them. There’s still one I’m courting. Let’s start with my biological kids. I was told before I had my first child that as soon as they set her in my arms…it would be love at first sight. I could not wait for...
Our family has experienced loss in the adoption process, and as such, I’d like to piggy back of Heather’s post. When our precious daughter died 3 months after arriving home from India, in addition to heart wrenching grief, I remember feeling lost. Our dreams are often altered. Sometimes God gives us a gentle nudge in a slightly different direction. Sometime the changes are bigger, our dreams are shattered,...
Sometimes God has another plan than the one we anticipated. That is what our family is learning – we could have learned this same thing with our biological children, and may still, but God is choosing to teach us this right now with one of our adopted daughters – that is why I want to share it here. We don’t know the journey God has us on but we know we can rely on Him to lead us. Everyday brings...
Chapter 7 – Receiving and Extending Forgiveness Summary “ . . . we live in a society where ethnic stereotypes abound, false images that are promoted in the media and through selective news reporting. These stereotypes then take root in our hearts and minds, and if we have personal experiences that reinforce them, they can profoundly distort our relationships.” (96) “In this chapter we will deal with sin, forgiveness, and how to overcome the pride, dominance, rage, and revenge that result from...
As part of my job, I travel on a regular basis to meet with customers and suppliers. As I whittle my hours away in the airport I am always tempted to pick up a book or magazine. More oft than naught, however, I come away frustrated. In addition to not being able to find magazines on the hobbies that I am interested in (such as mountain biking or fly fishing), the vast majority of...
As I sit here I am rocked to my core. Shocked. Astounded. A couple months ago I sent an email to a friend, a very close friend, that I hadn’t talked to in over a year. Yes, I know, that sounds odd. How could I let a year go by and not talk to a close friend? We’ve been friends since before either of us had kids…so…over 12 years. They moved away about 10 years...
I was thrilled to read that THIS month’s Katelyn’s Fund support meeting is on lifebooks. This is something I have dabbled with now since we brought our first daughter home almost 5 years ago now. I have never made a "true" lifebook though, but still want to! For Chloe I made two albums when we got home – one was of all of the little girls in our travel group – there were 11 adopted out of the same orphanage,...
Because we are Christians, the Christmas season (that is, from approximately Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day) is one in which our family is particularly focused on Jesus. Traditions my husband and I (both raised in believing families) experienced as children included attending Christmas Eve candlelight service, giving gifts in celebration of Christ’s birth, and gathering with family to rejoice not only in the gift of earthly life but also in the promise of life eternal through Christ. Our youngest son was...
Chapter 6 – Embracing Our True Selves Summary Every day we all – consciously or unconsciously – receive false messages that attempt to define us and tell us who we are. As these messages penetrate our heart, we develop a false self-identity that influences how we view others and ourselves. (74) God wants to replace those false words with the truth about who we are. We are...
Chapter 5 – How Worship Builds Bridges Summary In this chapter, the authors share a story about a “concert of prayer” event in downtown Chicago. More than 1,200 people gathered. Eleven different denominations were represented as well as various races, including African American, Caucasian, Latino, Native American, Asian, and many others. This group held two things in common: “a commitment to the lordship of Christ and a dedication to reach the city with the gospel.” (59)
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