Adoption is Redemption - More Goodness

This just keeps getting better...

On the drive home that night, the Lord whispered in my ear, “This is Redemption. Derek, do you know how far I travelled to get you and bring you back? I had to be separated from my Son, in order to get you, just like you are separated from your children in order to get these boys. Do you know how expensive it was for Me to purchase you? It cost me everything. Do you know how broken, sick, damaged, twisted, dirty, smelly, and hopeless you were? And at the end of it all, you had nothing to give me or add to me. I did it for you. I emptied myself and became nothing so that you could have it all. This is redemption.

-Read the whole post by Derek Loux

Adoption is Redemption

I LOVE this little tidbit...

My friends, adoption is redemption. It’s costly, exhausting, expensive, and outrageous. Buying back lives costs so much. When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him. And when He redeems us, we can’t even really appreciate or comprehend it, just like Dimitri will never comprehend or fully appreciate what is about to happen to him … but … he will live in the fruit of it. As his Daddy, I will never expect him to understand all of this or even to thank me. I just want to watch him live in the benefits of my love and experience the joys of being an heir in my family. This is how our heavenly “Papa” feels towards us.

- Derek Loux

HT: (Z)

"I don't want my children to be happy"

A letter from a Mom to her toddler kids:

Recently we were told by people whom we love and respect why they oppose our plans to adopt. One of the reasons given was that we would not be able to pay for your college education.

It's true.

You all have college funds - college funds which recently took a terrible hit - but "they" say that by the time you're 18, college will cost anywhere between $200,000 to half a million dollars each. You might as well know now, we won't be covering that. I'm telling you now, babies.

The people said that the day would come when you would look at us with resentment because you had to apply for school loans while many of your friends got a free ride from their parents.

Maybe you will. Maybe you'll resent us. I really hope not. But maybe I should tell y'all now why your dad and I have decided to do what we are doing.

Read the whole thing

HT: Z

Creating a Culture of Adoption in the Church

Creating a Healthy Adoption Culture in Your Church from Tapestry on Vimeo.

Welcome Home Mary!!!!!!

Our friends, Mike and Jenny, have been pursuing adopting a baby from China for the past four years.  By God's grace, she is now theirs.  We rejoice with Mike and Jenny, and welcome Mary into our lives, our church, our family.  Our earnest prayer is that she would, through her earthly adoption, come to know the riches of the grace that God has for his children when he adopts us.

Tony Dungy on Adoption and being Pro-Life

Always Room for One More from Family First on Vimeo.

HT: Z

From Abortion to Adoption

HT: (The Resurgence)

Adopted (7) - C.J. Mahaney

This is humbling...

Reflect on this: God had a Son—a perfect Heir.

Which means that under the shadow of the ancient custom:

Your adoption was unnecessary.

My adoption was unnecessary.

Read this short post here.

T4A Live Stream

The "Together for Adoption" conference starts tonight, and they are livestreaming!

Check it out here.

Speakers include:
Dan Cruver
Scotty Smith
Scott Roley
Ed Stetzer
Michael Easley
Russell Moore

Three people from my church are attending the conference.  I'm looking forward to hearing from them about the conference and what God taught them.

HT: (Abba Fund)

Every Child is a Wanted Child

Greg Koukl:

Why is the life of an unwanted child ugly? What makes an unwanted child's life miserable? That's the question.

The initial answer is, "The unwanted child's life is not beautiful because she's not wanted." But it goes deeper than that, doesn't it? No child's life is miserable simply by the bare fact that she is unwanted. Being unwanted doesn't make her life miserable. In this case, it isn't a what which makes the child's life miserable (being unwanted), but rather a who that makes the child's life miserable (the people, the adults, the parents who don't want the child). You see, people are miserable not because of the conditions of their conception, but rather because of the way others treat them afterwards.

 Read the whole thing here.