I'm adopted

how about you?

 

 

Somewhere in time, when I was growing up, I thought I was adopted.  Seeing me with my family now, you may wonder how I could ever think such a thing.  Who knows, but I did.  I have thought about adoption, but it’s something I never did.  Lately, I have been noticing posts on Facebook by one of my nephews and his beautiful wife.  The have three small adorable children and they are considering adopting another child.  I want to cheer them on.       

When I was teaching, I had the pleasure of having several adopted children as students. One was a precious little girl that had come from Eastern Europe.  A few other kids had decided to tease her and they chose to do this before my class.  She and I worked out a way for her to avoid them and of course parents and officials were alerted. I shared with her my surprise that someone would think adoption was something to make fun of.  Adoption is wonderful.  She was chosen to be part of the family she was in.  She’ll never have to wonder if she was wanted, she knows she was.  Her family had to spend time and money just to include her. Could she be any more special?

If you really think about it, we are all adopted.  God created us, but we were not born into His family.

Ephesians 1:5 (NKJV) “having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

Galatians 4:5-7 (NKJV) “to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then and heir of God through Christ.”

What I don’t understand is why when given the opportunity to be adopted into God’s family, some people reject the opportunity. 

All of us who are Christians, are adopted.  We were redeemed because of the love of our adopted Father.

I’m glad God adopted me, how about you?

Third Day - Children Of God - Official Music Video from third-day on GodTube.

Thanksgiving

Or Giving Thanks

 

 

Somewhere in time, next Thursday, American celebrates Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving was declared a holiday by President Lincoln.  It was designed as a day to just stop what we normally do and give thanks.

The pilgrims the holiday was inspired by had a feast day.  They had come through a harsh winter.  Some had died, many had gone hungry.  Together with the Native Americans that preceded them to this land, they had a day to celebrate survival.  For the first time since landing in a new land, they had plenty of food to eat and they had shelters built for a place to live.  They were celebrating a better year than the one before.  They knew what many people today forget.  They knew to give thanks to God for He is the giver of all good things.

This November the radio station I listen to and a couple of friends on Facebook decided to spend November remembering something different to be thankful for each day.  When I heard about it, I thought, what a great idea.  It was a great idea, but I got busy and forgot.  Oh well, I guess it’s never too late to start.

Like the Pilgrims, I’m thankful for my health, for enough food to eat, for a home in which to live. 

I’m thankful for a job in a world where many people can’t find one.  I’m thankful for a car to take me back and forth to work.  It runs good and I don’t have to worry about it breaking down.  I’m thankful I work with nice people.  I’m thankful I’m able to work from home two days a week.  This leads me to being thankful there is a room in my house I can work out of. 

I’m thankful for family and friends.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Then I heard the words of a song which reminded me of what I am really most thankful for.  I’m thankful for Jesus.

 

This is amazing grace
This is unfailing love
That You would take my place
That You would bear my cross
You would lay down Your life
That I would be set free
Jesus, I sing for
All that You've done for me

 

 

Phil Wickham - This Is Amazing Grace (Official Music Video) from phil-wickham on GodTube.

Christmas

Well Almost

 

 

Somewhere in time, December 25^th, we celebrate Christmas.  I love Christmas. I love the decorations and I love the music, but the last I checked it was still November.  This year it seemed like we used fast forward to get to Christmas. One day, I was complaining about Halloween, like I normally do, and the next day the Christmas decorations are up in the store. 

Are we already shopping and buying for Christmas?

Black Friday made the news as stores are seeking to start black Friday, by actually opening on Thursday. If it we shop on Thursday, it defeats the whole idea of black “Friday.”  Should Thanksgiving remain a day to spend with family and celebrate things we are thankful for, or is it just another day to buy things?  I don’t think we need another day to buy things.

That said, this week, I want to encourage people to buy things early, before black Friday. I’m going to put in a plug for buying something – just to give it away.  Operation Christmas child every year sends shoe boxes full of items to children all over the world that would never get any type of Christmas.    

I love packing shoe boxes and I always try to put one together for a girl.  Since this is also the busy time at work for me, I don’t always have to go to the store and buy the items.  When that happens, I can build my box online.  If you are not a shopping person like me, there are other options. Instead of filling a box, you can also donate to cover the coast of delivery.  You can volunteer your time to help coordinate the collection and distribution of boxes. 

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/occ

Christmas isn’t about getting, unless you are a small child, it’s about giving. So this year, add a giving event.  

The collection week for the Christmas Boxes is November 18^th – 25^th, so let’s get busy.

Acts 20:35

New International Version (NIV)

³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

 

Toby Mac - Christmas This Year (Feat. Leigh Nash) - Operation Christmas Child Music Video from samaritanspurse on GodTube.

25 Years

Happy Anniversary

 

 

Somewhere in time, Sunday, November 10^th, it will be my twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.  Twenty-five years ago, I was a young Christian woman and I went to a great church, but it was small and there weren’t too many people my age to have fun with.  I shared this dilemma with a coworker and she told me I should go to the same church as her roommate.  They were always doing activities 

I went and met some nice young ladies like myself and we became friends.  One of my new friends invited me to a baseball game that Friday night.  It was a better idea than sitting home, so after work I went to the baseball game.  It was played in the local park by members of the singles group. I was talking to my friend, but out on the field, I saw the perfect man.  He had brown hair and brown eyes just like I like.  He also had the haircut that was so popular twenty-five years ago and I thought it was “cool”. 

I was very reserved, so talking to a new person was very hard, but my new friend didn’t have this problem. She invited him over and we met and I guess the rest is history.

In honor of my anniversary, I’m discussing marriage today.

^{Ephesians 5:31-33 (NIV)} “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^{[b] 32} This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband

Love and respect – who knew that was all it took to have a good marriage.  I can tell you from experience, that if you both love God first, this will help the other pieces fall into place. 

Happy Anniversary  

 

Steven Curtis Chapman - Love Take Me Over (Lyric Video) from steven-curtis-chapman on GodTube.

Praying for someone

Train up a child

 

 

Somewhere in time, this week, I was praying for people.  I do this when they come to mind or when I can’t sleep.  I have a list.  I start at the oldest and work my way down.  I always fall asleep before the end of the list. If It happens again, I try to pick up where I left off.  There are a few people who have been in my prayers for a few years.  For some reason, this brought this verse to my mind.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I’m not sure why I thought this, I’m not a parent.  I’ve never had the opportunity to train up a child. But, I thought this gives parents hope.  The years they spent pouring into their child wasn’t wasted.  God will cause it to bear fruit at some point in the future.

I then heard an interview with the lead singer of the band “Christafari”.  He spoke about how he strayed from God, but his parents never gave up. They continued to pray and one day, God got through to him.  I’m sure he can tell the story better than me, so I’m attaching the interview.

 

I then thought about those of us who are praying fervently for someone, but that person isn't our child.  I pray for my family, my former students and at times my co-worker.  The above verse doesn’t apply to me.    

Don’t give up hope.

James 5:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Our culture leads us to believe that everything happens quickly and sometimes things do.  When we pray for someone, we expect the answer to come soon if not immediately.  I can’t find any verses that say, prayers are answered fast.  It just says they are answered.  I want to encourage all of us who are praying for someone – don’t give up.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

 

Christafari - Hosanna from rivevideo on GodTube.