Encouragement

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and respect
~1 Peter 3:15

Multi-Generational Legacy

LOVED this quote:

A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man, however, learns from the mistakes of others.

Amen and AMEN!



P.S. If you don't have time to watch all of this, watch the second half. ;)

The Bridge

I Needed This Today

ANYWAY

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Be good anyway.

Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People need help but will attack you if you help them.
Help them anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

~ Kent Keith

Life is Precious

Even if you've already seen it, it's worth seeing again!

Receiving Our New Names

I just had to share this email I got from my friend, Jenny. She's mommy to 10 blessings: 5 biological and 5 adopted from Liberia. This precious note from one of her sons led to a spiritual revelation:

Solomon wrote Brad and I a note that read, "Dear Dad and Mom, God
never showed me this before, but I see that I am a new creation in
Christ and the old things are passed away. So from now on I have a
new name. I am calling myself Jedidiah and you can call me that
now. Love, Jedidiah. (I took the liberty of correcting the spelling
errors here, otherwise it may be indecipherable to those not familiar
with children's phonetic spelling)

I then thought about the new name we have been given in Christ when we were adopted in love. That name is "accepted and chosen." I was
doing the Beth Moore bible study on the fruit of the Spirit and
learned that in Isaiah 53:3 when it describes Christ as "rejected by
"men" part of that word "rejected" means "vacant." I remember when we first brought Adriana home from Liberiathat is the word that
described the look in her eyes: vacant. Abandoned, leaving an
empty space that longed to be filled. Even as a baby that spirit of
rejection was on her, and she was badly in need of the spirit of
adoption. She is now a laughing, smiling, much less fearful little
toddler who makes eye contact glory to GOD! Does that mean she (or
any of us) is 100% free of rejection and totally embraces what it
means to be chosen in love and adopted into the family of God?
Doubtful.

There is something of our old nature that tilts toward the negative
and finds it easier to dwell on the rejection of others rather than
embrace our new status as "chosen and accepted" in our Beloved
Jesus. But my prayer for all my children is that whatever rejection
they experience from others will only drive them closer to the
unfailing love of the Father, who sent His Son for them. Jesus
Christ knows what it is to be rejected by His own, but He was chosen
by God to reconcile us to Himself, to make us a chosen people where
before we were orphans and foreigners but now we are members of God's household with full rights as sons and daughters of the most High God.

“COME TO THE TABLE!”
From Psalm 128

“Come to the table, supper’s ready to eat.”
All the children come running to find their seat,
At the head of the table father takes his place
And with all gathered round he says the grace.

He’s planned to be home from his busy work,
From his place at the table he will not shirk,
He affirms his commitment to his family and wife
And his presence at the table diminishes strife.

Mother has taken time to prepare the meal,
Full of nutrition, not a pre-packaged deal,
She delights to cook for her growing brood,
She knows it’s a sacred task to prepare their food.

The table looks inviting – a clean tablecloth too,
The plates nicely set, perhaps a candle or two.
The children get involved and do their part
To make the table look creative and very smart.

What joy to be together at the end of the day,
To laugh, and communicate, and each have a say,
To share the day’s happenings with one another
And tell what they’ve learned to father and mother.

The plates are now empty, tummies full to the top!
Is it time to leave the table? No! Stop, stop!
We’ve fed only the body and the soul so far,
The best part’s to come and it’s not out of a jar.

It’s time for devotions; we must feed the spirit,
Of the blessing from this, there is no limit.
Father opens the Bible and to his family he reads
Sowing into their hearts God’s eternal seeds.

Now it’s time to pray, each one takes a turn,
They pray for needs as God’s will they discern,
They give thanks for blessings with a grateful heart
And develop a spirit of gratitude right from the start.

God’s blessing is on this family we know
As around the table their “olive plants” grow
God’s smile is upon them as they follow His way
And establish this principle for now and always.

Nancy Campbell

Logan's Call to Radio Station

"Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting."~ Author Unknown

You say, "If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied." You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.~Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."~Colossians 3:15

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thou that hast given so much to me,

Give one thing more--a grateful heart:

Not thankful when it pleaseth me,

As if thy blessings had spare days,

But such a heart whose pulse may be
Thy Praise.

~~George Herbert 1593-1633

I pray that you will be blessed this week with the greatest gift of all - thankfulness.

World On Fire

"To whom much is given, much is required."
Much is given to all of us.

For the Glory of God!

Nick Vujicic is a giant of a man, living his life to the glory of God. He is an inspiration to all of us who have no excuse.

Miracle Girl

I said earlier that many of the families who adopt from Liberia, adopt to save a life. Here is one precious girl whose destiny changed completely.
I was explaining to my kids last night about name changes. Elena had been talking about Saul's change on the way to Damascus. She retold the story and then asked why his name changed to Paul. I explained that in the Bible when a person's destiny changed, God changed their name. I told them that's why we changed Maya, Isaac, and Daniel's names.
This little girl's destiny and name changed as well. I had been following her story closely on the Acres of Hope yahoo group that I've been a part of since the beginning of our adoption journey. (Acres of Hope is the adoption agency we used.) Her name was Mama and she suffered from caustic ingestion. This is a common problem in Liberia. It comes from drinking lye, which is a colorless, odorless chemical that looks just like water. A thirsty Liberian child picks up a glass bottle for a drink and is permanently damaged. Lye burns and shrinks the esophagus, making it impossible to eat anything by mouth. Because Mama wasn't able to get the medical treatment she needed, she was starving. Now that she has been adopted by a loving family, her destiny has changed. She is now Ruby, a thriving, joyful young girl with a new lease on life.

Hidden Treasures

This video brought to you by Shaohannah Chapman, daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman.
Precious!

Duggar Team Up to 17 Now!

Jim and Michelle Duggar just added another girl to their family. They now have 17 children and aren't ready to quit yet. This sweet family has really embraced God's Word that "children are a blessing from the Lord." Here's the story:
Duggars Have Another

In case you aren't already familiar with this Arkansas family that has frequented the Discovery Channel, they have a flawless witness. Their kids are well-behaved, joyful Christians, they live debt-free, and they clearly enjoy their children.