The Promised Land

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide:

"Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.

I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.

Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west.

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:1-9

God impressed a thought on me a few nights ago when I was reading, in Unashamed by Francine Rivers, about the Israelites' refusal to enter and claim the Promised Land. Their refusal resulted in them having to wander in the desert for forty years until a new generation rose up who would walk in obedience to God. Is it like that today with the same area of the world -- the Middle East?

God wants His people to go in and take the land, spiritually, for Christ. He has promised His miraculous power and presence to break down the walls of Islam, Judaism and other barriers. But how often, in the past, has God's people shrank back in fear of the people living in the land?

This time, the army God is raising up does not come in with swords of death but with the sword of the Spirit - the Word of God! He is raising up a generation of Christians from all over the world who are burdened for the Muslims, the Jews and the Middle East, who are not afraid, who will go in because they know God is on their side.

This time, the work will not be the external work of the Old Covenant (destruction/subjugation of the enemy) but the internal work of the New Covenant (construction of new hearts).

This new generation is made up mainly of Asians and Africans - a "generation who has been hardened by desert living, a generation who has been in the presence of Power from their birth," (Rivers).

Good advice for Christians entering the "Promised Land" of the Middle East: "You're young and on fire...but you must be coolheaded and wise as a serpent. Do not stroll into the (area) like a conqueror. Keep your head down. Seek out an establishment that will know the mind of the people." That is just what many Christians are doing as they enter the Middle East with the Gospel. God has set apart many who know Him...although often secretly (like Rahab of old). These "Rahab's" are waiting for Christians to come and tell them more about Jesus (Isa).

May we remember God's Promised Land and its people and pray for their salvation and that God will send even more workers into this harvest field!

Prayer is...

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.  James 5:16

Prayer is...

an act of faith. Faith even the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, but many of us prefer the less spectacular and safer results that come from operating in our own strength. In a godless universe, the idea of prayer for the evangelization of the world is beyond absurd. Do we really believe that our prayers to an invisible God can and will change the hard hearts of tyrants, break down oppressive social and religious systems, and deliver fullness of life to those who suffer in abject hopelessness? If you believe the answer is yes...you should be praying. 

an act of obedience. Our Lord instructs us to pray: as His servants, this should be the end of the matter! God commands His anointed ones to "Ask of Me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance" (Ps. 2:8).  Psalm 2 echoes through the life of Jesus, in the book of Acts (4:24-31) and in Revelation (2:26-27). Israel's last great judge, Samuel, tells his people, "Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you" (1 Sam. 12:23). The apostle Paul instructs churches he planted to "pray without ceasing" and to "pray at all times" (1 Thess. 5:17 and Eph. 6:18). Praying for the nations can have significant personal consequences as well - for countless missionaries their first step on the path toward Christian service began with prayer and resulted in their obedient response to God calling them to be answers to their own prayers.

an act of worship. The imitation and adoration of Christ must necessarily include prayer, for His own life exemplified prayer. What is more, when we pray, we are recognizing the sovereignty of God as well as acknowledging our own helplessness. We put Him back on the throne of our own lives and of the world. Psalms 67 and 96 are resounding examples of the intricately bound nature of prayer, worship and mission. 

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah

that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly
 and guide the nations of the earth. Selah

May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.

God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. Psalm 67

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it 

cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. 

He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth. Psalm 96

an act of warfare. When we seek to rescue unreached peoples and lost souls from the grip of the evil one, we must expect violent opposition in the heavenlies. The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, but they must be stormed; they will not open of their own accord. It is no accident that the passage about the armor of God in Ephesians 6 ends with the exhortation to be "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication," (Eph. 6:18). Warfare has casualties, but we are not mere collateral damage. God is in control, yet at times He allows His people the honor of suffering the consequences of this war. 

an act of sacrifice. As noted above, our choice to stand in the gap can have heavy consequences. But beyond the spiritual price that intercessors often pay, the simple choice to pray usually happens at the exclusion of something else in our lives. Often that something else is frivolous, but at times prayer must come at the expense of important things, such as our own work, our sleep or our time with loved ones. Busyness is an especially modern affliction, yet even 500 years ago Martin Luther understood this principle: "I have so much business, I cannot get on without spending three hours in prayer." Jesus retreated from perfectly legitimate ministry activities to seek intimacy with the Father. How can we do less?

an act of labor. Prayer is hard work! Anyone who has persevered in early morning or late night hours, in all-night vigils, even in seemingly interminable midweek prayer meetings knows the difficulty of sustaining a life of prayer. It does not come naturally to us as creatures of flesh and blood. As stated by Oswald Chambers, "Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work."

an act of love. It is true that our love for unsaved family members, for non-Christian friends, for unreached peoples can drive us to prayer. But ultimately, prayer is the domain of God and it is impossible to be passionate about prayer if you are not already passionate for Him. Our engagement in faithful, overcoming intercession for the salvation of all peoples and the redemption of the world can be sustained only by a deep and unshakeable love for our Lord. After all, it is for His glory that we long to see the world changed through prayer. 

Taken from the book Operation World. 

The Beatitudes Lived Out Today (Part Two)

The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Matthew 5:3-12

The Beatitudes...familiar words spoken by Jesus to many during His "Sermon on the Mount." I was reading this a few days ago and was struck by how these Beatitudes are being lived out today, by Christians, all over the world. In the last post, I looked at the first four Beatitudes. You can read about them at Jesus' Beatitudes Lived Out Today Today, I would like to finish with the last few.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Mercy - compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence...to show mercy, to forgive someone when they do not deserve it. There are many examples of Christians showing mercy toward their enemies.

One that stands out in my mind is of a Christian man named Ron Carlson  He became known when he forgave the heinous murder of his sister, Deborah Carlson, by a woman named Karla Fay Tucker. Karla Fay Tucker became famous when she was executed in 1998 in Texas. Years before her execution, she had become a Christian in prison. Ron chose to forgive her. With that forgiveness, God showed him mercy by removing the bitterness and rage that accompanies unforgiveness. When I viewed the TV coverage of the days leading up to the execution, what stood out in my mind was the peace that showed on the face of Ron Carlson. This peace was in stark contrast to the anger, bitterness and rage that showed on the faces of the other victim's family members. When Christians show mercy and forgiveness, God will in turn forgive them.  

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

To be pure in heart - not to be tainted by this world but to be filled with faith and hope.

As a mother, I believe children exemplify this beatitude so well. They are freshly aware of God's presence in so many aspects of this life..from a tiny flower to a buzzing bee to a beautiful sunset. They are eager for His return and talk of going to Heaven to be with Him. Why is it that we hush them when they speak of going to Heaven? Isn't that what we are all to be longing for...to be in Heaven with our Lord? 

Children, pure in heart in many ways, see God daily. Maybe that is why Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.  Mark 10:15-16

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

We are all called to be peacemakers for we follow the "Prince of Peace." Two men who stand out in my mind as peacemakers are President Ronald Reagan and President Nelson Mandela. While I am fairly familiar with Reagan's past, I am not as familiar with Mandela's past. I do know that both men were sinners in need of God's grace and both men made mistakes. However, both men also strove for peace...Reagan for peace between America and Russia and Mandela for peace between black and white within South Africa. And God honored their desire and strivings for peace in mighty ways. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The persecuted church...my heart goes out to them. They exist in every part of the world and their faith is strong! They are the Christians meeting secretly in a Laotian home church, the widow mourning the loss of her husband to the Columbian FARC but still maintaining his ministry, the young Muslim girl standing for Christ in the face of family beatings...so many more. Voice of the Martyrs is just one organization who tells their story and helps them. 

The strength and growth of the church in these lands is primarily due to persecution: China, India, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Korea, Vietnam, Iran and Myanmar. There are many more. Praise God for His servants who literally carry His cross every day. 

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. May we remember these words of our Lord and Savior. The life of a Christian is not easy and it's not popular. We are called to love the unlovable, to do good to our enemies, to sell our possessions and give to the poor, to pray without ceasing, to put others before ourselves and to live so that others will want to follow our Lord Jesus. 

Holy Spirit, please help us to live out our Lord's Beatitudes each and every day!

The Beatitudes Lived Out Today

The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Matthew 5:3-12

The Beatitudes...familiar words spoken by Jesus to many during His "Sermon on the Mount." I was reading this a few days ago and was struck by how these Beatitudes are being lived out today, by Christians, all over the world. I'd like to take each Beatitude and give an example of what I mean.

To begin with, "Beatitude" means "blessed, a state of supreme happiness." Jesus was saying that those who fit these character descriptions would be happy, envied by others, spiritually prosperous, with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions. Jesus is not talking about being blessed the way many people use that term today. It's not about physical or monetary blessings but about spiritual and mental blessings...peace, joy, happiness, satisfaction. These are things that money can not purchase and can be found in abundance even in the most austere locations, for those who live according to the Lord's will.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

To be "poor in spirit" means to be humble, to rate yourself as insignificant (Amplified Bible).

I believe a good example of this Beatitude lived out is Auntie Katie...the young female missionary to Uganda I have shared about; see Katie from Uganda. Here is a young, beautiful girl from a well-off American family, leaving behind everything that this world calls a blessing. Her days are spent caring for  the 13 Ugandan girls she has adopted plus the countless number of people who come to her with great needs. From removing parasites to nursing a dying child to holding a young woman suffering from AIDS, Katie has humbled herself to serve those in need. And she is blessed! Just read her blog and you will see the incredible spiritual blessings the Lord gives to the humble.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Colombian guerrillas killed her husband for spreading the gospel but Luz is not defeated. Instead she is joyful in the Lord. This is one of many such testimonies...testimonies to how God can bring joy to believers amongst horrific situations. Jesus can bring joy from mourning!

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Meekness is a word that has lost it's true meaning over time. Today, many people think of meek people as being weak, ineffective, afraid. But that is not the original meaning of the word. Originally the word "meek" comes from the Greek word Praus which mean gentle strength. Jesus was meek as He was the God of the Universe and was able to do anything, but He was humble about it. He was completely confident in all His power, but He wasn't arrogant about it.

This type of meekness is often seen in Godly, Christian fathers. Men who are strong in so many ways, yet gentle with their children and their wives...loving them as Christ loved the Church. Men who follow in the footsteps of Christ will practice this type of meekness. Their gentle strength and humility will draw their family and others to Christ.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Gospel for Asia missionary Hirla and his family are committed to Christ, hungering after Him for themselves and those who have never heard His name in North India, a place where very few Christians live. He has opened his home to a house church, is a speaker for GFA radio, he and his wife meet their neighbors' physical needs, and they have five Bible college students living with them...all while raising five children.

I will continue with the rest of Jesus' Beatitudes and how they are lived on today in the next post. 

How To Respond To Evil

For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. Lamentations 3:33

"You have seen, O Lord, the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause!" Lamentations 3:59

Persecution of Christians, AIDS, orphans, abortion, sexual trafficking, cancer, genocide, terrorist attacks, divorce...the horrors and atrocities of this world seem to be without end. Where is the hope? Where is the justice? Where is the solution? Who do we blame? Who do we appeal to for help? Will good ever come? 

These are questions all of us ask regularly, especially when faced with the sadness and evil in this life. How we answer these questions makes a world of difference in what actions we will take and what mindset we will embrace. 

David of Bible times, after defeating Goliath, now faced an even greater foe...King Saul. Jealous of David, Saul pursued him for years, trying to kill him. When a priest sheltered David, Saul found out and had the priest, along with 84 other Jewish priests, slaughtered (1 Samuel 22:6-23). David discovered this and felt incredible horror. He must have asked himself these very questions.

David's response is a model for all of us when faced with horror and tragedy. 

1) He placed blame where it should have been: on Saul and on evil. We need to remember this as well. "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5 God is not the author of evil and destruction...Satan is. But praise God, when Satan "intended to harm me...God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full," John 10:10

2) He reminded himself that God will repay evil. David wrote Psalm 52 about this very incident...the killing of the priests. In Psalm 52:5 he says: "Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living." Satan will not get away with destroying human life forever. There will be justice because "the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" Isaiah 30:18 

3) He placed his hope solely in God. "I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope," Psalm 52:9. God is still on His throne no matter what Satan does. Our only hope is in God. Not in government, not in ourselves, not in others, not in medicine or the military or money...only in God. 

4) He reminded himself that God is good!  "for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints," Psalm 52:9. No matter how bad things look, God is good. He is good all the time and He longs to be good to us. His love for us is immeasurable. We need to rest in that truth. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations, Psalm 100:5.

"In the face of unimaginable horror, we must cast our imaginations on Christ, our only hope. His Word will be our anchor when our faith is tossed like the waves," Beth Moore (Bible study author and leader). 

The Purpose of Life

The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."  John 12:25-28

At this particular time in His ministry, Jesus is predicting His suffering, His agony, His death. He knows what is to come and He is human. The humanity in Him shudders at the thought of His upcoming sacrifice and His soul is troubled. He clearly recognizes the two choices that lay before Him: “hate” His life and become a living sacrifice for all humanity or “love” His life and fail to glorify the Father and save the human race. This battle within Him troubles His soul.

Rarely in Scripture does it portray Jesus as having a heart that is troubled for Himself. Yet here, He is weighing the most important decision He will ever make...to go forward with the Father’s plan and suffer more than any man on earth has ever suffered or turn back in self-preservation. His prayers reveal the two options that He had, appeal to Father God to save Him or appeal to Father God for His name to be glorified. 

I believe that God would have answered either prayer. He would have saved Jesus from  the upcoming death if self-preservation had been Jesus’ choice. God would also cause His name to be glorified if that was the choice Jesus made. Praise God for all time that Jesus chose the second path...to glorify the Father and make a way for eternal relationship with Himself for the entire human race. 

These prayers of Jesus parallel the choices Jesus’ followers must make today. We can “love” our life, holding fast to any security, safety, and ease that it affords us...focused entirely on self-preservation. Or we can “hate” our lives, holding all that we have in open hands, trusting Father God to give and take as He deems best, focused on glorifying God above all else. And just as it was for Jesus, this choice can cause our hearts to be troubled. 

As His followers who desire to walk in obedience and be used by the Lord to bring others to Him, we must understand what Jesus said: “it was for this very reason I came to this hour.” Just like Jesus, there is a reason, a purpose, for each of us. God could have taken each of us to Heaven as soon as we accepted Jesus as our Savior, but He did not because each of us has a purpose on this earth. 

Our purpose is to glorify the Lord and point others to Him. We are His ambassadors, His representatives, His hands and feet to a lost and dying world. Our purpose is much greater than ourselves and our purpose requires that we lose ourselves in the bigger picture of God and His Kingdom plan. 

I can only speak for myself. I must make the same choice that Jesus made...to save my life for my sake or lose my life for His sake. This decision is not made once but time and again, day after day. And just like with Jesus, it will cause my heart to be troubled as my sinful, selfish human nature battles against the Holy Spirit’s guidance within me. 

As I choose to lose my life for His sake and continue to ask God to glorify His name with my life regardless of the short term outcome, the future becomes less clear. By not holding on to the “American Dream” lifestyle but instead, putting the future in His hands, uncertainty abounds. Where I will live, the relative safety and security of my life, what I will do with my time...all of this is uncertain. It is an adventure into unchartered territory. It brings to mind the words of a song, The Great Adventure, by one of my favorite singers, Steven Curtis Chapman: 

Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze

Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace

Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown

This is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure

We blaze a new trail into the glorious unknown when we follow the Lord. Life isn’t predictable, it isn’t safe, it isn’t easy, but it is so very glorious. And, after all, that is what we were created for and the only place we will find true beauty, happiness, joy and eternal peace...when we live out the purpose that God has for our lives. Jesus made that choice and with His help, we too can make it each and every day. 

Adoption is God's Heart - Katie from Uganda

Katie and her girls

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 

James 1:27

I have blogged about Katie from Uganda before. You can read about her at Katie in Uganda and More From Auntie Katie in Uganda. She is a young American woman whose heart has been impacted by God for the poor and orphans of Uganda. She has adopted 14 little girls and committed her life to sharing Christ and meeting the needs of the people in Uganda. 

Below is a blog from her website Amazima. I pray it will be a blessing to you. 

Teenagers and a lesson from Jacob.

I come to you humbly asking for prayer. Especially for my three oldest daughters, and for wisdom for me! All mommas know it: teenagers are hard. Three teenage girls are harder. Three teenage girls from different tribes and cultures and pasts trying to live together in one bedroom are harder still.

In an effort to be real, I want to tell you. Adoption is wonderful and beautiful and the greatest blessing I have ever experienced. Adoption is also HARD and painful. Adoption of older children is a beautiful picture of redemption. It is the GOSPEL in my living room. And some times, it just stinks.

As a parent, it stinks to not know when your daughter took her first steps or what her first word was or what she looked like in Kindergarten. It stinks not to know where she slept and whose shoulder she cried on and what the scar on her eyebrow is from. It stinks to know that for ten years of her precious life you were NOT the shoulder she cried on or the Mommy she hugged.

As a child, it stinks to remember your biological parents’ death, no matter how much you love your new Mom. It stinks to have your mom be a different color than you because, inevitably, people are going to ask why. It stinks that your Mom wasn’t there for all the times you had no dinner and all the times you were sick and all the times you needed help with your homework. It stinks when you have to make up your birthday. It skinks when you can’t understand the concept of being a family forever because your first family wasn’t forever.

And every single day, it is worth it. Because ADOPTION IS GOD’S HEART. He sets the lonely in families. Adoption is the reason that I can come before God’s throne and beg Him for mercy, because He predestined me to be adopted as His child through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

My family, adopting these children, it is not optional. It is not my good deed for the day, it is not what I am doing to “help these poor kids out.” I adopt because God commands me to care for the orphans and the widows in their distress. I adopt because to whom much has been given, much will be demanded. I adopt because whoever finds his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for HIS sake will find it.

Some days, my friends, it is not easy. Today, it is not easy. The HURT in my daughters’ hearts is big and real and as their mother, I want to fix it and know that I CAN’T. So I lay it at the feet of my Father and rejoice to know that if we are children, then we are heirs - of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings - in order that we may also share in His glory. And I call out to the Holy Spirit knowing that He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for us.

A sweet friend pointed me yesterday to Genesis Chapter 33. Esau and Jacob are meeting for the first time in a long time. As Jacob approaches Esau, with his many children following close behind, Esau asks, “ And who are these with you?”

Jacob’s reply: “These are the children that the Lord saw fit to bless me with.”

We get all the questions. “Why do you do it?” “Why so many?” “How in the world…” “Why these specific girls?” “Why the number 14?” “Do you think it's ok to adopt as a single Mother? Don’t they need a father too?” “Do you think they will have issues since you are not the same race?” We also get the compliments. “I don’t know how you do it!” “Good job!” “You must be so responsible!” “Your girls must be so well behaved.” We get crazy stares and huge smiles and every look in between.

Adoption is beautiful. Adoption is hard. Adoption is the Gospel of Christ and the promise of God’s love and redemption lived out in our lives. So I ask for your prayers. Prayers for understanding and peace and trust and the power of God that is more than all I can ask or imagine. And to the questions and the comments and the compliments, this is my reply: “These are the children that the Lord saw fit to bless me with.”