God is continuing to speak! Praise Him!

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?

Romans 8:31 - 32 (The Message)

I've had several people say things to us in the past few days, implying that we know our appointment date and are just not sharing it with anyone yet. No, not true! One of our facilitators did submit our paperwork to the SDA (Ukraine's adoption officials). But we don't know our travel dates yet. We are still waiting to find out when our appointment in Kyiv will be.

As I mentioned in a prior posts, facilitators are usually told to return in 10 - 14 days of submission to receive approval and the appointment date. It's now been 11 days since our submission. So we think we'll hear something this week, but of course there are no guarantees. And because many Ukrainian offices were closed for holidays on a few different days over the past couple of weeks, they might be a little backed up with paperwork. 

So we wait - anxiously, excitedly, and expectantly...

While we wait...

As we continue to wait for word on our appointment date, I thought I'd share with you some thoughts and scriptures I've been mulling over.  Hopefully they'll speak to you, too. But if nothing else, they'll be here as part of our journey, so that one day when this blog is turned into a book like we did with William's blog, our child(ren) can see how God was speaking to us and working to bring us together.

I won't bore you too much with my own personal dialogue and thoughts on what I've been reading, but will stick mainly to the passages and thoughts I came across. But those of you who know me well - or those of you experienced with & passionate about adoption - can probably guess how some of this is speaking to me right now.

Rick Warren posted several things on Twitter yesterday that really stood out to me. 

First I read this: Short-term delays & difficulties won't defeat you if your vision is long-term. Live in light of eternity. See 2 Cor.4:17-18
So I looked up this passage in The Message translation...

So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I then looked at some of his prior posts, including...

~ Ability means responsibility: "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,when it is IN YOUR POWER to act" Proverbs 3:27
~ The global purpose of God has always met resistance from the comfortable people of God. (a re-tweet from another pastor)
~ We often delay obedience by seeking advice. Just do it.

In studying Proverbs 3:27, I also came across James 2:16 (New International Reader's Version)

Suppose one of you says to them, "Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well." And you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done?

As we await our appointment, I've been praying that God would clearly speak to me - through things I hear, read, etc. I'm praising Him for reaching me in very real ways right now. And I'm waiting with an expectant heart on what (and who!) He has in store for us.

The Cross

(two posts in one day - be sure to read the one below this one)

And as I awoke this morning, I was also reminded that today is Good Friday.

The day we remember our Savior's death. He took all of our sins - all of MY sins - onto Himself on the cross. That includes my sin of selfishness, self-pity, fear, anxiety. He took them all upon Himself.

And He died.

He didn't use His power to get down off the cross. He didn't use it to take His physical pain away. He endured an agonizingly painful and humiliating death. He hung there, and He died.

He did this for love. He loved us so much that He died for us. And not just for us collectively - for each of us individually. He did this for me, and He did this for you.

This is how much God loved the world:

He gave his Son, his one and only Son.

And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was.

He came to help, to put the world right again.

Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it.

And why?

Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

John 3:16 - 18

What's even better is the story doesn't end at the cross.  He didn't stay on the cross, and He didn't remain in the tomb.

He endured so much for you and for me. His battle and suffering makes our adoption struggles seem so minor and trivial. But His battle reminds me that I have victory in Him.

And as we seek to raise the children HE chooses for us, we must continually enstill in them the truth of who He is. Who He was. Who He always has been and always will be. Circumstances may change, but God remains the same!

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am."
John 8: 58

This Sunday, we celebrate our risen Savior!  Death could not conquer the King!

Do you know for SURE where you will spend eternity? If you have questions, you can visit THIS SITE.

I'm also here, and if you have questions about this gift, or would like to learn more about what this all means, please email me here.

Honest

When I look back at posts on our blog, I realize that I don't often get really honest with you guys. But I will today. 

Yesterday was a low point for me. I was whiney, mopey, and feeling defeated. I got home from work to find out that the mail had already run, and once again, no paperwork. And I was so frustrated. When will it ever arrive?

Today, I still don't know where our paperwork is, or when it will arrive. But I woke up this morning and God spoke to me. He reminded me that once again, I'm not giving it over to Him. I'm trying to handle everything myself, on my time table.

My plan might not be His plan. Whatever happens, I should praise Him. It's easy to praise Him when things are going well and I feel like I've got things together.

But I need to praise Him always. When that paper doesn't come, I can praise Him that I have another day to prepare our home and our hearts. Another day to pray for our child. Another day to be an example of what it means to praise Him in all things. 

I have not been a good example of that. But I want to be. I want to change that now.

My moping and pouting only bring me down, and possibly those around me as well. I should rejoice in all things. Praise God for the beautiful weather we have right now. Thank Him for the amazing husband and son I have, the beautiful home we live in, the abundance of all things that we enjoy.

I will praise God in all things.

Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship, praise him under the open skies;

Praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his magnificent greatness;

Praise with a blast on the trumpet, praise by strumming soft strings;

Praise him with castanets and dance, praise him with banjo and flute;

Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum, praise him with fiddles and mandolin.

Let every living, breathing creature praise God!

Hallelujah!

Psalm 150

God of this City

Do you ever have a song that just speaks to you, from out of nowhere? A song you've heard before, but maybe it's just that it fits your current season of life...

Well, here's one such song that has really been like that for me in the last few days.


And for another awesome song (and awesome video), check out Christine's post HERE.

The most important decision he'll ever make

I'm quick to blog about trivial things like vacations and food. But if I'm going to post about those little things, then I definitely want to post about this!

Just a few weeks ago, William accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. We've been praying for his salvation since before we met him. Just two years ago, he didn't speak English, and had never heard the name of Jesus!

This past Sunday, William followed his decision by making his public profession of faith through believer's baptism. We had about 40 friends and family with us at church that morning to celebrate his decision to follow Christ.

We rejoice that William is now our little brother in Christ!

While I'm Waiting, John Waller

If you have a few minutes, please listen to this song. I find it very appropriate for our adoption journey.

But isn't it also applicable to so many facets of life as we wait on God's direction, and as we await Christ's return?

A compelling quote

"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"
Adopted for Life (The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches)
Russell D. Moore

Click here to order this awesome book - it has been a major eye-opener for Zack and me!

Answered Prayers

If you follow many Ukrainian adoption blogs, then you've likely heard about THIS STORY. I'm guessing this man thought he was doing a wonderful thing for these girls. But what he was really doing was jeopardizing the future of international adoptions in Ukraine.

Thankfully, there is now a happy ending, at least as far as adoptive families are concerned. The girls have been returned to their guardian. I'm especially thankful for this news as there are 2 couples in particular I'm praying for right now that will be heading to Ukraine soon.

Please pray for the McEacherns as they leave in about a week - they have a blog HERE.

And pray for another couple I know - they live in North Georgia and they have their appointment at the beginning of October.

Pray that God will clearly reveal these parents' children to them at their first appointment, that their journeys will be safe and peaceful, that all paperwork will go smoothly, and that they will return home with their children safely and swiftly.

Praise the Lord - Part II

William was awesome as the Pilgrim Minister yesterday. He said his line 4 0r 5 times and did great every time. Here's a peek at the little actor...

We also had fun at his Thanksgiving Feast afterwards. We are very thankful for our little pilgrim!

A heart is a house for Jesus.

When I went to pick up William from kindergarten today, there was a new group of pictures on the wall. The paper had the words "A ____ is a house for _____." The kids are supposed to sound the words out and spell them and write them in. I am so proud of William. I think he is starting to understand.

God is BIG!

I know I said that we wouldn’t be writing much on this blog, and that is still true. But from time to time, I just have to share what we’re experiencing with our son.

William recently learned about Daniel and the lion’s den at school. We’ve been talking about it a lot, especially at bed time since he has 2 or 3 little stuffed lions in his room. He makes sure they are in the bed with him, and creates a den for them.

Last night he was busy getting everyone in place. He announced that he was Daniel, big brown bear was King Darius, and Adie was the angel that "close lion mouths". He then asked who could be God, and I told him he should leave that to God Himself. I explained (as I pointed upward) that God was looking down upon him all the time. He glanced up and looked puzzled. “God can’t see me” he said, pointing to the ceiling.

I told him that God is very, very big and can see everyone and everything at the same time. He watches us and keeps us safe. His eyes got big, and he said “God’s bigger than Daddy”? Oh, the things that this child says that melt my heart! “Yes, He’s much, much bigger than Daddy”. He couldn’t believe that was possible.

I know it can be hard to comprehend, but He is bigger… bigger, stronger, and better than anything or anyone we can ever imagine. Considering the corrupt and evil world that this precious boy will face as he grows up, I am eternally thankful for this fact!

Parent/Child Dedication 03/30/2008