A Prayer for Orphan Sunday

Dear Father,
On this Orphan Sunday, we join with Your people across our country and beyond to
pray for orphans.

We know that love for these precious children begins not with us, but with You.  You
pursued us when we were wayward and alone.  You adopted us as your children.  You
invite us to address you as Daddy and to live as Your sons and daughters.  Truly, we
love because You first loved us.

You tell us also that You are near to the downtrodden and destitute.  Your heart aches
for children that face the world alone.  You champion the cause of those who have no
one else to take their side.  And You call us to do the same.

So we pray that You would rouse us to share your heart.  We ask that You would stir
Your people to passion and vision and action on behalf of children that have no family.
We lift up to You the millions of children in the world who have lost their parents to
disease, to war, to addiction, to poverty, to abandonment.  As You promise to do, place
the lonely in families.  Be their defender, their provider, their hope and peace.  Help us
to do the same.

We pray also for the five hundred thousand children in our foster system in America.
So often, they are bounced from home to home, knowing little love, consistency or true
nurture.  Please be their love, their consistency, their nurture.  Help us to do the
same.

We confess that we have often lived with little regard for these precious lives.  Please
forgive us.  Lead us to take up their cause, not in guilt or obligation, but as a joyful
response to Your great love for us.

As we do, we pray that You would use our humble response to transform.  To
transform the lives of countless orphans both physically and spiritually.  To transform
us as we encounter You in them.  To transform Your Church as we lift our eyes
beyond our own comfort and self-focused religion to live out the painful beauty of the
Gospel.  And finally, to transform a watching world as it catches glimpses of Your love
made visible through the actions of Your people.

We commit all this to You, the One who is both our Father and a Father to the
fatherless, in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Taken from here.

Adoption Update

Over at the adoption blog, we've got an exciting update!

First Adoption Fundraiser: Chick-fil-A

For those of you in the Wilson area, I wanted let you know that we are having a fundraiser to help with our adoption costs at Chick-fil-A Thursday evening (June 7) from 5-8pm. Chick-fil-A is going to donate a small percentage of each purchase toward our adoption costs (both inside and drive-thru). So, you can "EAT MOR CHIKIN" and support our adoption at the same time.

Why We're Adopting a Son

Over at my family's adoption blog, I wrote about a few of the reasons we're adopting a son:

Since we started the adoption process, the question most often asked of us is something like this: "You already have 2 kids, why do you want to adopt another?"

Here are a few of the most compelling reasons:

1. We want to demonstrate the gospel of Jesus Christ in a visible way.

The doctrine of adoption is the heart of the Gospel. Our sin made us orphans and in Christ we have been adopted into the family of God. We have been given the ability to call God, "Abba." So, we want to demonstrate the same love and grace we have been shown in Christ.

2. We want to communicate our commitment to life.

We want to put our money where our mouth is when it comes to being pro-life. Being pro-life means being pro-adoption. If we encourage women to not abort their children, we must be the first in line to tell them we will care for them if they cannot.

3. We want to display God's compassion to the helpless.

The Bible is clear that one of the evidences of true faith is to care for the disadvantaged and poor and helpless of society (like orphans and widows - James 1:27). God is the Father of the fatherless. He is near to the brokenhearted. We have been called to be God's hands and feet and serve those who cannot care for themselves.

4. We want to express God's heart for the nations.

This is the main reason we have chosen international adoption. We want to think outside of our little world and look to the heart of God for all peoples. We want to expose ourselves to other cultures and express our desire to see the name of Jesus famous in every part of the world.

5. We want to look as much like the Kingdom of God as possible.

The Kingdom of God does not consist of only one skin color or hair type. The Kingdom of God consists of all races and tribes and languages. We want our family to be diverse. We cannot adopt a child from every nationality, but we can start with one.

6. I want to be an example of Biblical manhood.

As a man, I've been called to lead and to protect. Men look for ways to protect and provide for the needy. Real men move toward need not away from it. I cannot protect and provide for every orphan. But, I can demonstrate Biblical manhood by being a shield and refuge for one.

None of this is meant to say that every Christian is supposed to adopt a child. But, it does point to the fact that every Christian should do what they can to support adoption and orphan care.

Orphanology

Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care is a great book. And it came to me (as an early birthday gift) at just the right time. Honestly, the "process" of my family's adoption is wearing on me. I'm a guy who likes things "wrapped up." I have trouble focusing when too many things are "unfinished." But, God is teaching me through this adoption to rest and trust.
This book has been a massive encouragement to me over the past few days. It is reminding me again that this is what God has called my family to and this is very close to His heart. I'm grateful for the authors' emphasis on our adoption by God as the motivation to adopt and care for children who are fatherless. All Christians are commanded to care for the fatherless (James 1:27). It's one of the clearest ways we reflect God's character. And, I'm grateful for the practical and specific application provided in this book. The personal stories alone have moved me in the core of my being more than once.
So, whether you are planning to adopt or not, if you want to follow Christ, this is a book worth reading. Whatever your circumstance in life, this book will help you discover how you can care for the 147 million orphans in the world today.

Adoption Need: Notary

I've posted our need for a Notary to help us with our adoption over at our adoption blog. Please read what we need and see if you or someone you know can help us.

Large Love: Why We Are Adopting A Child

Over at our adoption blog, I've posted a few of the reasons we are pursuing adoption as a family (and a great Piper clip).

Our Adoption Blog

Faithful readers of my blog,
I'm excited to announce that my wife and I have started the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia.  I'd love to have you follow us and support us on this journey.  I'm sure I'll be posting some updates here but the main place to stay updated will be at our Adoption Blog.  Please bookmark or subscribe to that blog to stay in the loop.

I thank God for you.

Orphans as evidence that the world is not as its supposed to be

My wife and I are planning to adopt a child from Ethiopia. Here's why:

Adopted for Life

I really enjoyed reading Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell Moore. It is a good book that is worth reading. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Dr. Moore does a great job of exalting our adoption in Christ as the foundation of our adopting kids. Spiritual adoption is the ground and motivation for physical adoption. He says, "The gospel of Jesus Christ means our families and churches ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans close to home and around the world."

2. It is filled with personal stories of Dr. Moore's adoption of his two boys from Russia.

3. It is filled with practical help for those who are considering adoption. Basically, Dr. Moore brings up all the important questions that we need to ask before adopting, such as: Domestic or international? Open or closed? Boy or girl? Newborn or older child? One child or siblings? Does race matter? Healthy or special needs child?

He also talks about many of the most important practical issues: home studies, agencies, lawyers, finances, etc.

4. I really appreciated the book's emphasis on creating a culture of adoption in the local church. It takes a church to adopt a child.

If you are considering adoption, you need to read this book. If you are not considering adoption, you need to read this book.

Adoption

Here is some of what I said about adoption in application to James 1:27 Sunday. James says we are to visit orphans and widows. Adoption is certainly the most important way to care for orphans.

CJ Manhaney has a post today about adoption.

Let me say a word about adoption. There are about 135 million orphans worldwide today. In the US alone there are around 150,000 children waiting right now to be adopted. Friends, adoption is not just for couples who cannot have children. Adopting children is one of the most clear ways we can care for the weak and helpless.

What do orphans need? They don’t ultimately need an orphanage or a foster home. They don’t just need a few meals a day. They need a mom and a dad. They need someone who will raise them to be a man or women who treasures Christ.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the whole world became a spiritual orphanage. We were all fatherless, weak and helpless. And the Father sent His only Son to rescue orphans. The Father sent His Son to deliver you from being fatherless. He adopted you into His own family.

And those who have been rescued by Jesus are those who are now called to rescue others who are weak and helpless.

Parents, consider adopting a child and how that would communicate the gospel to the watching world. And, those of you who are beyond parenting age, encourage your children to adopt and be ready to financially support those who are pursuing adoption.

One of my prayers for Christ Baptist is that in 30 years, our church will be full of kids who have been rescued from fatherlessness. May God be pleased to create a culture of rescuing in our church, for His glory. True Christians care for the weak and helpless.