Live Out Love

We will be having a benefit concert along with the Sale Family on May 19.  Here's the flyer!

Be Still..

Today was one of those days that I could have done without.  I've just been an emotional mess.  My patience has been limited, tears were on the verge, and I just felt like putting on my sweats and crawling into bed.  My job can be very demanding and there were times throughout the day that I just felt like going home.  Our adoption is held up again financially and I just want to see some movement.  But I sit here. Still.  Eerily still..

This evening I opened up my devotional Jesus Calling and this is what I found.  "Thank me for the conditions that are requiring you to be still.  Do not spoil these quiet hours by wishing them away, waiting impatiently to be active again.  Quietness and trust enhance your awareness of My presence with you.  My strength and power show themselves most effective in weakness." - Sarah Young

Wow.  God really knows my heart.  I could not have needed to hear this more today!  I know in adoption there are a lot of moments that require us to be still.  If you are having one of those moments, I pray this verse helps you along the way. 

   My grace is enough; it's all you need.
   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. 2 Corinthians 12:9 MSG

Blessings,
Tara

Mustard Seed

I've recently been asking myself, "Is your faith as small as a mustard seed?" Such a tiny thing, but when it comes to faith it can seem gigantic.  I must admit, I am a bit of a control freak.  I like things to go according to plan, on time.  You would think I would know better.  God has done a good job of telling me where I can take my plans.. I have learned that His plans are far greater than mine, it's this timing thing I have a problem with.  bib

I recently joined a women's Bible study.  We are reading the book One in a Million by Priscilla Shirer.  Funny God.  Real funny.  Just when I need a swift kick about being impatient you give me this book.  For those of you who haven't read it, go buy it!  It is a great study about the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promiseland.  I will admit, when it comes to Bible reading I prefer the New Testament.  But I am thoroughly enjoying this study.  So here's how it goes.  God delivers the Israelites from Egypt.  He parts the Red Sea and they wonder the desert for 40 years until they become spiritually mature.    Time after time God provided for them.  Time after time they doubted Him.  Talk about failing a test. 

I have been forced to look at our adoption journey as our journey through the wilderness.  Right now we are walking through the desert and its hot.  There's no water in sight.  And I'm thirsty! Man am I thirsty.  I just need a small drink, just a sip.  Then we come across this Marah, nothing but a mirage.  Looks like water, but tastes like beer(yuck).  I can't drink that stuff.  And just when we are about to give up, God brings us a miracle.  Ok, we aren't to that miracle moment yet, but man I know it's coming.  It's just around the corner and I feel it coming.  And I know when it happens, it will undoubtedly be God.  It may come in the form of a much needed zero interest loan, it may be a generous donation, it might even be a very successful fundraiser.  Heck, I would just settle for that job promotion I am up for.  I know I can't pick what it is, but I know God is faithful. I just pray he doesn't make us walk this for 40 years! I'm learning I swear!

The burden God gave Eric and I for orphans was so strong.  We felt it come on strong over a year ago.  We have questioned many times whether we were doing the right thing.  But each time we knew that God would not burden us if he didn't want us to move.  We have run into many roadblocks, and I began to ask, "How are we suppose to support a passion regarding our purpose and keep a sense of enthusiasm about our journey when morale is low?  He answered that.  He has brought people into our life that support us and love us, and we've never met them face to face.  He has given me this Bible study, and he has called us to lead our own small group at church. 

I hope that if you're reading this and you're walking through the wilderness of adoption that you just wait, wait for that miracle to happen.  It's coming!  It's just around the corner!  Have faith, even if it is as small as a mustard seed.

Tara

It's time for my Soapbox..

Faithful.  That is my goal, to be steadfast and faithful.  I knew that when we started our journey it would not come easy.  Why?  Just because God gave us a burden and we obeyed didn't mean Satan wouldn't attack us.  And oh has he attacked us.  I have had close friends and family accuse me of baby buying, of neglecting my son because we have to leave him behind in the US for almost two weeks.  I have been attacked as a mother, as a Christian, as a provider.  I have been told that if we don't have the money to adopt we should just have kids of our own.. I have second guessed myself and God.  I have prayed.  I have meditated.. I have felt like giving up.  And after all of this I realize the more my life becomes conformed to His, the more I receive what he received.  It's easy for us to forget that the world hated Him.  But I love Him.  I adore Him and I will obey him.  Jesus said, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  I have found it friends.  And I can tell you that the most atrocious things have been said to me by people who claim to be Christians.  I feel like the Bible is very clear about how we are to care for the orphan and widow.

James 1:27

²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Jeremiah 22:3

³ This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Isaiah 1:17

¹⁷ Learn to do right; seek justice.
   Defend the oppressed.^[a]
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
   plead the case of the widow.

John 14:15-21

    ¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[a] in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

 

These are just a few passages that I have found.  There are over 20 verses in the Bible that I have found that tell us how to treat the oppressed, poor, desolate, and orphaned.  In none of my reading did Jesus say, "Only the barren shall take care of the fatherless."  I didn't find a place where God told us we would meet every need.  In fact I truly believe the attitude of "I can't do it all so I won't do anything" is straight from Satan.  (I wonder how many emails I will get about this statement.)

 

My hope is that someone comes across this post and realizes that it doesn't matter if others believe in what we're doing.  It doesn't matter if people think we won't succeed.  What matters is that God put us on this path and He will continue to carry us through it until we are successful.  This life requires more of Him and less of me.  

 

David Platt said it best, " Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.  They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.  It's easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms.  But once you do, everything changes."

 

Tara

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month

In honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month I thought I'd post a blog about where you can get more information about Human Trafficking and how you can make a difference.

Not for sale creates tools that engage business, government, and grassroots in order to incubate and grow social enterprises to benefit enslaved and vulnerable communities.

 Rapha House  is a public benefit 501©3 nonprofit committed to ending the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. Founded in 2003, Rapha House continues to rescue and rehabilitate children, while bringing them to lasting freedom. Love • Rescue • Heal is more than a slogan to us. It’s a way of life at Rapha House

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems - police, courts and laws - effectively protect the poor.


Polaris Project  is a leading organization in the United States combating all forms of human trafficking and serving both U.S. citizens and foreign national victims, including men, women, and children.

Please take some time to look into these organizations and pray about how you can make a difference. 

If we are the body..

I've been considering this post for a while now.  I know it won't be popular with a lot of people.  But I've come to realize that many things that aren't popular with this world are popular with Jesus.  I can't tell you the number of times lately I've heard foreign missionaries cry out for help.  Churches are taking away funds, sending less people. They are being the hands and feet of Jesus. With the current economic woes, many large and small US churches have resorted to the "save our own" mentality. Since when is it ok for Christians to say where you live depends on if you live? These men, women, and their children are spreading the gospel.  They are working with people who are the least of these, places most of us would never dream of living. And the truth of the matter is that the poorest of our poor is rich to those in Third world countries.  Our poor and desolate have access to homeless shelters and places with warm food and running water. They have shoes. How many times do you see this in America?

 Jesus didn't say, "Go, make disciples of all Americans."    Don't get me wrong.  I love the US.  I am proud to live in a nation like ours.  But churches and Christians need to step up and start living up to what they preach.  I am sure there are other areas in church budgets that can be cut and trimmed that would allow more giving.  I am sure there are more areas in our own budgets that can be trimmed to sponsor a child, sponsor a pair of shoes, help build a medical clinic.  The question is, will you do it?

I read an article in People magazine yesterday.  A Jewish celebrity was interviewed.  Before we go further let me just say I have nothing against the Jewish faith, or any other faith for that matter.  I just don't agree.  This celebrity said her family celebrated Hanukkah but she didn’t want to rob her children of Christmas and Santa.  Most people wouldn’t have a problem with this statement.  Many people, some of my family included, go out and spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on items that will end up in next summer’s garage sale.  Materialism in this country has reached a peak, and we are using a holiday that celebrates our Lord’s birth to do it.  I can tell you one thing.  Santa comes to our house each year.  My son doesn’t know much about this Santa character. Because a fictional character is all he is. But he does know about Jesus.  He asks to read about Jesus most nights.  And for that I am thankful.  Christmas in our house will be slim this year.  I spent less than $100 on my son.  And he will never care. Our present is knowing Christmas next year will be with a sweet smiling Mocha princess from the Congo that will make us a family of 4. 


I encourage you to visit my sweet friend Christie Magera’s website  http://www.ekuboministries.org/ and see what she and her family are doing for the Lord.  Can you spare $10 this year? Maybe even $20 or $50.  Please know it is going to an amazing cause.  Sometimes I feel like no matter where I go in this world I don’t fit in.  Our church isn’t missional enough, our family doesn’t understand our values, and the world doesn’t understand where we stand.  That’s because this is our temporary home.  We were made for so much more.  What will you do to take a stand?

I find You when I fall Apart.

I have to say that this whole adoption experience has been very humbling.  I am a giver.  I give of myself, my time, and my money.  I'm not a materialistic person.  I put others needs before my own.  Being on the receiving end of advice and money is something that I am not used to.  I feel very much out of my comfort zone.  A sweet friend of mine recently donated $500 to our adoption.  They are not financially wealthy.  They are wealthy with love of Christ.  It took everything in me to say, "Oh no, that is a kind gesture but it is way too much money."  God had to sit me down and say, "You asked, I provided." 

Finances haven't been the only humbling experience.  I am learning more and more each day that this is not about what I want.  A few days ago I received a phone call from our sweet case worker at LBB.  I could tell by her voice something was wrong.  I had been dreading the phone call from her because I knew the money just wasn't going to be ready.  She told me that after getting more information about the sweet little girl, our Zola, that they would be unable to place her in our family because she needs to be the youngest child.  God had been preparing me for this moment.   God said to me, "Stop pushing.  Your Zola is waiting for you.  Be Patient.  It is My time.  My Plan."  We are on the top of a waiting list and more children have just arrived. It is our hope to accept a waiting child.  I know it will only be a matter of time until we see our sweet girl's face.  And I know when that happens that God will open doors that I didn't even know existed.  Until then we will enjoy our last Christmas as a family of 3. 

~Tara~

Psalm 46:10- Be Still, and know that I am God.