C.J. Mahaney on Adoption

A stirring, compelling message from CJ Mahaney on the Doctrine of Adoption.

Please download this and listen.

This is just plain cool.

You've got to read this article.

Here's an excerpt.

Then, around Christmas, a sister told Captain Southworth that Ala'a was getting too big. He would have to move to a government-run facility within a year.

"Best case scenario was that he would stare at a blank wall for the rest of his life," Captain Southworth said.

To this day, he recalls the moment when he resolved that that would not happen.

"I'll adopt him," he said.

Christmas and Adoption

The good folks over at Carolina Hope Adoption get it. They get the connection between the Gospel and Adoption.

They've written a blog entitled "Don't just celebrate Christmas, celebrate your adoption."

Here's a little excerpt:

If you think about it, what we celebrate during the Christmas season—God sending His Son to redeem us—was for the purpose of giving us adoption as sons. According to Paul, God the Father sent His eternal Son into the world so that we might receive the status of sons and eternally share in the Son’s communion with Him.

I think I might take it one minor step further, saying that all of this was ultimately for God's glory, not our own. But, I doubt that CHA would disagree.

Merry Christmas!

Third Day

Brad Avery (Guitarist for the band Third Day) and his family adopted a child from China this year (2007). Tricia and I went to their concert last night, and they played a song that he wrote about the "experience", called "Merry Christmas." It's on the Christmas Offerings CD. (You can get the CD with the link below. I'd highly recommend the CD anyway. They've written a new verse to "What Child is This." (Unfortunately, I don't have them right in front of me.)

Anyway. Check this stuff out.

The Brotherhood of Sons

Dr. Russell Moore from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has a phenomenal article, entitled The Brotherhood of Sons: What Some Rude Questions About Adoption Taught Me About the Gospel of Christ.  It's a good 15 minute commitment to read, but well worth it.  Here's an excerpt:

“They are now,” I replied. “Yes,” the lady snapped, “I know. But are they really brothers?” Clenching my jaw, I coolly responded, “Yes, now they are both our children so they are now really brothers.” The woman sighed, rolled her eyes, and said, “Well, you know what I mean.”

Of course, we did know what she meant. She meant did these two boys—born three weeks apart—share a common biological ancestry, a common bloodline, some common DNA. It struck me that this question betrayed what most of us tend to view as really important when it comes to sonship: traceable genetic material.

This is the reason people would also ask us, “So do you also have any children of your own?” And it is the reason newspaper obituaries will often refer to the deceased’s “adopted child,” as though this were the equivalent of a stepchild or a protégé, rather than a real offspring.

...

I suppose the root of my annoyance with the question “Are they brothers?” really lay here. It seemed that the good-intentioned conversationalists saw these children as somehow not quite part of our family, as though, if they were “really brothers,” then “at least they’ll have each other.” The same is true of other questions people asked us: “Have you ever seen their mother?” (“Why, yes, and you’ve seen her too. Have you met my wife Maria?”) or “Do you worry that their real parents will ever show up?”

Steven Curtis Chapman on The Gospel and Adoption

Steven Curtis Chapman: Adoption takes the Gospel and it makes it real in a profound way that nothing else does…I mean, every time one of the 3 girls run in the room it’s like there’s the Gospel again. There’s a little girl by no merit of her own, by nothing she could do, nothing she did to earn this, only by the miracle of adoption God placed her in our family. Now she has an inheritance, now she has a name, now she has a future, now she has hope where she didn’t have that before. I think my kids see that, I think they get it…It’s been so amazing to watch especially my sons…watching my boys, have little sisters, who not only are little sisters but are little sisters who they’ve seen go from helplessness…just to watch them relate to them, watch them be big brothers to these little sisters. I’ve watched them blossom and become so much better men as a result of it. It’s so cool to hear them talk about what their families are going to look like one day. “I want to have one from India, one from Africa, one from China”. They’re formulating these rainbow families, of all colors. It’s so exciting for me as a Dad…It’s opened their hearts and it’s opened their eyes to the Gospel, to the Big Story of God…all over the world and not just our little picture we get of it in our culture.

(HT: Rightnow.org)

The Doctrine of Adoption

Carolina Hope Adoption agency interviews Dr. Dave Garner on the Doctrine of Adoption (spiritually), and discusses it's implications on earthly adoption.

Enjoy!

From Adopted to Adoption

Justin Taylor has posted a particularly good article, From Adopted to Adoption.


At one point, he makes a striking claim that I have never thought about. That Jesus was adopted. Here's that excerpt.

Jesus Was Adopted

Have you ever stopped to think that Jesus Christ was himself adopted? Now we have to be careful — if we say that he was adopted by his eternal heavenly Father than we've expressed a heretical understanding! But at the same time, it's often easy to forget that Joseph was Jesus' earthly father — they had no biological connection but the relationship was very significant and real.

A very good read. Go ahead. Click that link.

Diagnostic Questions for People Considering Adoption/Foster Care

These questions are from an Adoption Ministry meeting our church had a few weeks ago.  They were very insightful and helpful.

1. How long have you been a Christian?
2. How would you describe your Spiritual health?
3. If you are married, how would you describe the health of your marriage?
4. What are your goals as a parent?
5. What were the circumstances that stirred your interest in Adoption or Foster Care?
6. If you are married, do you both feel the same level of interest?
7. Why do you want to adopt?
8. What makes this a good time to adopt?
9. Do you foresee any challenges in raising an adopted child?  If so, what?
10. How do you plan on financing the adoption?

100%

Several years ago, I was presented with a ministry opportunity in Montana as a Worship and Youth pastor. It was something right up my alley, and, quite frankly, something I really wanted to do. Over several months, as Tricia and I sought God's wisdom on the situation, I became more and more convinced that this would be the right move to make. We researched the town, the church, the state, and everything else we could think of. I was convinced. I asked Tricia what she thought, and she said "Well, I'm not 100% there, but if you think this is what God wants us to do, then let's go for it."

In the midst of this decision making process, we found ourselves in the Twin cities, visiting some friends. I ended up talking to the pastor of their church (who we had gotten to know) about this, and asked him for wisdom. It was at that moment that he gave me one of the most profound pieces of wisdom I'd ever heard.

"If your wife isn't 100% behind this, don't do it." Plain and simple. He told me that he's seen too many pastors' marriages broken because the husband pursued what "God wanted him to do" to the exclusion of his wife. In big decisions like that, God wants us to be in unity as a family. I think the bottom line question for me was this: Do I desire to be in ministry more than I desire unity with my wife?

It was a tough thing to have to withdraw from the process, but I learned something in the process. God has given my wife to me for my good, and for His glory. My most significant ministry opportunity and responsibility is with my wife. At that point in our marriage (5 years ago), I'm not sure that I knew how to care for her, and going into this ministry opportunity would have furthered my ignorance and sin in not caring for her.

But, this blog is about adoption. I think there are some valuable lessons to be learned here too. In a decision as significant as whether or not to adopt, it is vital that there is 100% unity between husband and wife. If the wife is 100% there, and the husband is only 75% there... wait. If the husband is 100% there and the wife is 99% there... wait. If you are the one who is 100% there, pray for your spouse. If you are the one who is 75% there, pray for your spouse who is 100% there. Pray for unity in whatever decision is to be made.

There is much more that could be said about this topic, and maybe I'll explore it a little more as time goes on. If you have any thoughts or comments, please let us know!