Thanks. I needed that.

On Saturday evening, we had dinner with old friends. We talked about God’s love and the difficulty sometimes of feeling the truth that we know in our heads.

Then on Sunday, we visited Sovereign Grace Fellowship in a southern suburb of Minneapolis. It’s one of our sister churches and a place we love to visit when we have a free Sunday.

Pastor Rick Gamache is in the midst of a series preaching through 1 Peter. But since this Sunday was communion, he felt led to take a detour and preach from Ephesians 1:4-5:

[H]e chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons, through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will . . .

Afterward, my husband said it was probably the best sermon he’s ever heard about God’s fatherhood and his adoption of us. For me, it was a direct message about God’s love when I heard Rick saying things like:

When we were adopted, God the judge put down his gavel. God the judge stood up and he stepped away from bench and he took off his judicial garb. He came to us and took us in his arms and he said to us,” my child, from now on call me Father, and he rejoiced over us with loud singing.”

The rest of the sermon was just as good.

Coincidence that Rick should change course and preach about God’s love? No way. God knew what I needed.

• Leave a Comment (0)  

Does the Gospel change a life?

Perfect love casts out fear. And that changes every practical daily activity.

• Leave a Comment (8)  

Pastors Conference

Tonight is the first session of the 2010 Desiring God Conference for Pastors.

This event has become a tradition in our household. My husband is and will be preparing his biography presentation (C.S. Lewis this year), and connecting with the speakers and ministering to pastors.

While his time is filled like that, the kids and I spend our time visiting with old friends, making new friends, and helping out as needed.

Please pray for the pastors:

• Safe traveling (snow predicted this afternoon and evening)
• Refreshment
• Meeting with God
• New, upbuilding friendships
• Encouragement
• A fresh spirit to know God

They are the ones who spend their lives ministering. May this be a time of their being ministered TO.

• Leave a Comment (2)  

I want to adopt. What next?

One of you commented about orphans in Haiti: “I just want to take at least one of those babies in my arms and into my house until order is restored, or even for the rest of their life.”

I can tell that many of you resonate with that desire to help, to be involved. You’ve written things like:

These kids have been through so much. I really hope red tape doesn’t get in the way of them starting over in new families quickly!
If there is ANYTHING we can do… We would love to share our family with these kids!

I would love to try to adopt one of these orphans. I am just not sure how complicated the process is.

We have been planning on adopting in a couple years, but would love to accelerate that process if we can help care for these kids, but where do we start?

My wife and I have been seriously considering adoption for some time, but we don’t really even know where to begin.

If you come across any information regarding the adoption of these children, I would be very grateful to be informed.

Here’s the best information I’ve found. Please follow all the links to get the full picture.

This comes via the Christian Alliance for Orphans. I recommend that you bookmark their site and subscribe to their blog to stay abreast of the news about orphans. They’re one of my main sources for this kind of information.

• Leave a Comment (1)