The Bible As Our Family Album?

Have you ever thought about Abraham of the bible being related to you or Ruth? I mean ever REALLY thought about it. I kind of knew it but it didn't mean as much to me as say being related to my Grandma Mary that I have real memories with. But reading books like Adopted for Life by Russell Moore and now thinking about Scripture as Our Personal History-a section in Instructing a Child's Heart by Tedd & Margie Tripp...I'm starting to see it, love it and cherish it...

Russell Moore originally got me thinking when he was talking about how he was counseled NOT to change the name of the boys he was going to adopt because it'd give them identity issues and how he was counseled to be sure to give them their Russian History. He had a different idea (I think more biblical) he was going to change their names and give them the Moore family history-because that's what they were becoming-and he went on to say that not only were they going to hear the Moore family history but also the stories of the Bible-that of course he hoped he'd claim as their own. I love that.

Personally, I know the stories of my auntie Mags pulling out my uncle Henry's hair and how my great grandpa served chorizo and eggs to movie stars in L.A. I love knowing how my Grandpa Joe sold huaraches with his mom on Olvera St in L.A. but since Jesus saved and adopted me into HIS family I have another family history. A history that tells of a Creator and the sinful people he used to point to their need for a Savior, and how the long awaited Savior actually came to save the sinful people and make a way for them to be with the Father-my Father :) I love that. Isn't it sweet?!

Well let me leave you with some quotes from the book I'm currently reading on the same topic:

"God has revealed himself to us in the Scriptures, telling us who we are and why we were created. Scripture is our history. Creation, Fall, and Redemption are the context for understanding life. Our children cannot understand why they are in this world, how sin has affected them, and how redemption restores what sin has destroyed, apart from their spiritual history."

"Scripture is history that tells us about ourselves."

"Scripture is not only about God's people of old-it's about us and our children. The Bible is our family album."

Get a free book on Adoption

Are you considering adoption? Does someone you know and love want to adopt? Well if that is your case, then this will be a great resource and encouragement for you! Via Justin Taylor's blog I found out that the audio book Adopted for Life by Russell Moore will available for free the entire month of February! Go HERE to download it and follow the directions. I've mentioned Russell Moore, a couple of times. See here and here. If you do NOT have have this book, this is a great time to get it for free FREE! Did I mention it was free already? Sorry. I'm excited.

Millions Die, Saint Cries

Tomorrow is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Below are remarks from Mother Teresa to a U.S. President, first lady, members of congress and others who were prochoice. She gave this at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1994 and it is a timely speech to remember:

“I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill on another?...

Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.

Many people are very, very concerned with the children of India, with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about all the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions who are being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today-abortion which brings people to such blindness.

And for this I appeal in India and I appeal everywhere- “Let us bring the child back.” The child is God’s gift to the family. Each child is created in the special image and likeness of God for greater things-to love and to be loved. In this year of the family we must bring the child back to the center of our care and concern. This is the only way that our world can survive because our children are the only hope for the future….

Jesus said, “Anyone who receives a child in my name, receives me.” By adopting a child, these couples receive Jesus, but, by aborting a child, a couple refuses to receive Jesus.

Please don’t kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child. From our children’s home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3000 children from abortion. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents and have grown up so full of love and joy….

We can keep the joy of loving Jesus in our hearts, and share that joy with all we come in contact with. Let us make that one point-that no child will be unwanted, unloved, or killed and thrown away….

If we remember that God loves us, and that we can love others as He loves us, then America can become the sign of peace for the world. From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak-the unborn child-must got out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!”

*Originally found in Randy Alcorn’s ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments.

Note: Do I agree with everything she said? No, I only agree with everything Jesus says.  Her message is a strong & moving one though-“Save the children!” she pleads to the President and First Lady. THAT is a boldness and sincerity that I wrongly thought was only a “social issue” to debate in High School. I’ve been very wrong.

Adoption Waiting Lists in the United States?

Like I mentioned yesterday, Justin Taylor's blog is a great resource! He always has things on there that I seem to really care about! Yesterday he posted a possible misconception about "Adoption Waiting Lists in the United States?" From the post it would seem that if you aren't looking for the typical baby (that they mention) then the waiting list won't be so long. Very interesting...

Adopting a child of a different ethnicity than your own

My husband and I are interested in adoption. We don’t know when it will be or how but we do know that we see the gospel beautifully represented in adoption, and since we have been adopted into the family of God, we’d like to give that picture to our future family. We want to give that picture more specifically through transracial adoption. 

You may start to feel worried for either the child or for us. “Oh the complications!” you may think. Identity issues! Children teasing! etc., etc. We have our reasons for wanting to transracially adopt but are your reasons for NOT transracially adopting biblical? Below is a quote from Russell Moore’s book Adopted for Life. May his words stop our worldly hesitations about transracial adoption:

“…If you’re not sure you can love a child with a different skin color than yours, the first step for you has nothing to do with the adoption process. Repent, and open your heart to love.”

For most Christians, though, the issue of racial identity isn’t an obstacle. For many of you, instead, the concern is about family members and how they’ll react to a child of a different race. I’ve seen couples convulsing in tears on the couch in my office, asking how they can love their new child and honor their father and mother at the same time. I’ve seen family members of every race and every region of the country turn up their noses at the idea of a niece, nephew, or grandchild of another ethnicity, usually with some highly spiritual rhetoric about honoring father and mother or about ‘the best interest of the child’ or a thousand other reasons.

What I’m surprised by is how many of these extended family members are deacons or women’s ministry directors or ushers or Sunday school teachers in their churches. They’re blissfully unaware, it seems, that what’s resting on them is the spirit of the antichrist. They seem not to comprehend that their own devotion to their flesh would disqualify non-Semitic folks like them from the promises of God. If Jesus agreed with them on adoption and race, they’d be in hell.”

Don’t get me wrong. There are real fears and hesitiations about adopting a child from a different ethnicity. All I am saying is we must use the gospel with our own adoption into the family of God to see if those fears are real barriers.

In November, there was a link posted of Q & A’s with Thibiti Anyabwile. He uses the gospel to talk about those fears and hesitations people may have about transracial adoption. If you’d like to check it out go here or here. 

Also another good article on Transracial adoption can be found here at www.toomanyaborted.com

When love takes you in...

In September, when I learned that this month was Adoption Awarness Month, I was so excited to learn about it-so I decided to make it a blogging project. I don’t know about you, but doing all this research has really gave me a lot to consider.

I think I can say that I do understand God’s adoption of us better. I think I can say along with C.J. Mahaney “I was adopted when I was 12.” There is such a beautiful picture of the gospel in that. Taking someone that is not our flesh, that may not even look like us, and taking them in, giving them a home and love and giving them the family name. Loving them as your own, because God loved us as his own.

I’ll leave this final post with a video by Steven Curtis Chapman. The official music video is really awesome too. Hope you’ve enjoyed the posts.

Is the Orphan my neighbor?

Russell Moore recently wrote for qideas.org on adoption. Here is an excerpt:

Orphans are unpredictable. Often we don’t know where they’ve come from, what kind of genetic maladies and urges lie dormant somewhere in those genes. For these reasons, fear has become an obstacle to addressing orphans. A leading theologian and adoption advocate says we must fill in the gap left by a contemporary Western consumer culture that extends even to the fatherless…

Read the rest here

What Piper says about Singles Adopting

What do you think about single people adopting?

If a single man or woman stumbles across a little kid in a third world country who has been thrown away, or whose mom and dad have been slaughtered, then, Yes! Take him, and care for him, and, if necessary, grow him up and be his dad or mom.

Yes, it's better to have one parent than no parents.

But, I've got to add this: I don't think that's the same as a single woman or a single dad in America having their career, reaching 35, discovering they're not going to get married, having a parental instinct, and just wanting to have more self-fulfillment.

Read all of Piper's comments here.

Book on Adoption: Heirs with Christ by Joel Beeke

I haven’t bought this book but it does have a good review by Justin Taylor.

Description according to monergism.com:

The Puritans have gotten bad press for their supposed lack of teaching on the doctrine of spiritual adoption. In Heirs with Christ, Joel R. Beeke dispels this caricature and shows that the Puritan era did more to advance the idea that every true Christian is God’s adopted child than any other age of church history. This little book lets the Puritans speak for themselves, showing how they recognized adoption’s far-reaching, transforming power and comfort for the children of God.

Here’s a trailer for the book:

 

Watch an interview with author here.

An Adoption Culture

There is so much I want to share with you guys about Russell Moore’s “Adopted for life.” However, since I haven’t the time right now I will leave with you an excerpt from the book that will hopefully leave you thinking about how adoption doesn’t just advance the cause of life in the adoptee-but beyond.

“An adoption culture in our churches advances the cause of life, even beyond the individual lives of the children adopted. Imagine if Christian churches were known as the places where unwanted babies become beloved children. If this were the case across the board around the world, sure, there would still be abortions, there would still be abusive homes. But wouldn’t we see more women willing to give their children life if they’d seen with their own eyes what an adoption culture looks like? And wouldn’t these mothers and fathers, who may themselves feel unwanted, be a bit more ready to hear our talk about a kingdom come where all are welcomed?”

Wow. An adoption culture-where it’s not just sweet that some couples adopt children and others just comment about how great it is-without their own consideration of it. An adoption culture-where every believer sees that God has adopted us with the payment of his son Jesus. After all, the first cannot without the latter. What a beautiful light that would shine in an Adoption Culture.

Book on Adoption: Adopted for Life by Russell Moore

Just recently I bought Adopted for Life by Russell Moore  I'm excited to dive into it. As I very much admire the things that Rusell Moore has to say I'm sure you will be hearing a quote or two during this month "National Adoption Awareness Month" (and until I finish it J )

Description according to monergism.com:

A stirring call to Christian families and churches to be a people who care for orphans, not just in word, but in deed.

The gospel of Jesus Christ—the good news that through Jesus we have been adopted as sons and daughters into God’s family—means that Christians ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans in North America and around the world.

Russell D. Moore does not shy away from this call in Adopted for Life, a popular-level, practical manifesto for Christians to adopt children and to help equip other Christian families to do the same. He shows that adoption is not just about couples who want children—or who want more children. It is about an entire culture within evangelicalism, a culture that sees adoption as part of the Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself.

Moore, who adopted two boys from Russia and has spoken widely on the subject, writes for couples considering adoption, families who have adopted children, and pastors who wish to encourage adoption.

Read the foreword & Chapter 1 here.