Adoption: It's an Amazing Demonstration of Love - with a powerful video

Adoption is something that I can remember having a negative opinion of as a child. It wasn't because it was learned in the home, but there was something else that seemed to cause it to have negativity attached to it. Maybe it was the fact that it appeared the parents "didn't want" the child.  Maybe there was a sense of pity associated with the situation. I cannot nail it down to any one specific situation.

As I became an adult I discovered something new, fresh, and exciting about adoption. For one, my wife and I went through some trying times as we were wanting to have a child. We had an opportunity for a "shotgun" approach to adopting a bi-racial baby. We were excited and pursued the opportunity. Bottom line is that it didn't work out.

Then, as I had been in ministry a few years, I noticed something about the idea of adoption that I had not realized before. I had been adopted. I had not been adopted by my parents, as they were my biological mom and dad. However, I had been adopted by God. It wasn't because I was not wanted. Rather, it was because I was wanted and loved.

He had adopted me with my tattered past. He had adopted me with my deformities and subpar abilities. He had adopted me when most people would not want me. He had adopted me with such imperfections that made me feel giddy inside. Why, because of His love for me.

The other part of it is that He will adopt you, if you haven't already been adopted into His family!

I came across this video by accident. I won't spoil it for you, but it is amazing the love that is shown by two people to these kids. As I thought it was pretty special, I cannot imagine what it must be like to have my God love me that much more. I cannot imagine the human side of what it would have been like to feel no sense of hope and then receive this blessing of being adopted. So thankful for my adoption!

Now it's your turn...What is your view of adoption after seeing this video or reading this article?

The Extra Degree: Living With Grace

Being different for some people is easy. Easy may not equal positive. Maybe you are not in the "in crowd" and that causes you to be different. Maybe you would be considered a member of the "in crowd" and that is what makes you different. For whatever reason that you are different, you are exactly that, different.

Technically speaking, we are all different. Something about us makes us different than others.

I hope we can learn to be different because of something positive. Spiritually speaking, I hope you can be different by being "yourself" but the yourself is still real with people and able to show them that you are "living with grace."

Sunday we talked about that last phrase. Some may have health issues and must learn to live with it, despite the lifestyle changes. As we learn to live with grace, there are going to be some lifestyle changes we must make. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Take of the Offer ~ Grace is offered to you. Grace that comes through Jesus. Are you willing to take of the offer? If not, why not? Don't need it? Don't deserve it? If that isn't your reason and you do take of the offer, are you willing to make the extra degree lifestyle change to be the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth.
• Reject It ~ Once we take of the offer (above) our old life will have a tendency to want to creep back in. Our body was made a certain way and we like the way it has been made. To be given a new organ, our body will have a tendency to reject it. In the way of a transplant, we will have to take anti-rejection drugs; with a spiritual transplant, we will do the same. In this case, we were comfortable with ungodliness and worldly passions. To rid ourselves of those and replace it with a transplanted life, our spiritual life will reject the new life. May we take the continual dosage of grace to show what our new life entails.
• Live Now ~ Sometimes a deadline simply means that one can put things off until they reach that critical point in which they cannot wait any longer. That behavior is usually defined as procrastination. I think there are a lot of Christians who are figuratively procrastinating to use their gifts/talents until a day they are "ready" or think they are ready. The peculiar thing is that we are created ready. We all have our talents and we must use those talents to share our faith with them. The time is now to use our gifts and to share the joy that we have through the grace that's been handed to us through the Son...live now!

Changes to one's lifestyle after having to live with a condition are generally not easy. So to change our lifestyle as we live with grace may not be that easy for you. But to cause yourself to live longer, we must make those changes. Speaking from the spiritual point of view, to "live longer" we must also make some lifestyle changes. "Just say 'No'" is for more than drugs and alcohol. It also applies how we live with grace and let the previous life know it is not going to rule over us.

The Father’s Grace

Parenthood, it can start at about any age from the teenage years and beyond. I had the unexpected surprise to be connected with a dad that came into that position at fifteen. This was way beyond when I was blessed to become a father. For me I was thirty-three before parenthood began.

The unique thing about each of us is that we had our own “turning point” of what I call the “curse of parenthood.” That “curse” is, in part, realizing how much a parent loves a child, in which, you didn’t realize how much my parents loved me because I didn’t appreciate it like I do now that I have a child.

Sunday, we looked at Luke 15:20b-24 as the first son comes home to be met and embraced by the father. This text displays the father showing grace to the first son. Similarly, this is a small parallel to God’s grace displayed to us. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week…

• Go to the Father ~ The son had greatly messed up. He took the blessings that the father had given him (inheritance) and blown it. I know that I am not pleased with our three-year old when he takes a new toy and seemingly ruins it. “Don’t you understand the value of taking care of it” I think. Of course he doesn’t, he’s only three. We are “three” at times and we all blow what is given to us. With our three-year old, I don’t love him any less in those times. When we do that with what God gives us, He’s still loves us and wants us to come to Him…let’s do that!
• Always in the View of the Father ~ The father in the parable saw the son a long way off. We are never out of view of the father. This is a humbling thought. However, it seems each of the times that God is referred to as a father it describes him as going over and beyond what we would expect. God is always looking for us to come to Him – whether we are in a state of “messing up” or just our daily fellowship with Him. He longs for our relationship to deepen. It is neat to think He’s always looking for us to “come home.”
• Dressed for Success ~ The first son came home with little hope. The father dispenses so much hope that he “dresses” the son for success. He gives him the best robe, a ring, and shoes. Receiving the robe was an honor. Why would/should a “squanderer” be honored? That was probably the question going through the first son’s mind. Regardless of the questions going through his mind, he was now given a position of success – all because of the father’s grace.

Grace is so mysterious. There are extremes of both – too conservative or liberal with its dispersion. Though I may not ever fully understand it, I can learn to fully appreciate it. May you enjoy the Father’s grace!

We're Champions!

If you were nearing the end of your life, you would have one thing on your radar...heaven.  So many things that happened in life would seem      meaningless.  You’d probably wonder why you became worked up over  certain things, which ended up being a waste of time.

At that time, you be thinking something like this...I’ve paid my dues, time after time.  You’ve done your sentence, but committed no crime.  Bad mistakes? Yeah, you’ve made a few.  You’ve had your share of sand kicked in your face, but you’ve come through.

Friends, we are champions.  Because of that we’ll keep on fighting, till the end.  We are the champions and there’s no time for losers.  Because, as Christians, we ARE the champions of the world.

For most of us when we get to the end, we know that life has been no bed of roses, or pleasure cruise.  Life is a challenge is for the whole human race, and at the end, my friends, we are not going to lose.  Why?

Because we are the champions.  We keep on fighting till the end.  We are the champions.  We ARE the champions.  There’s no time for losers.  Because we ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD.

The other day when I was driving to work this song, “We Are the Champions”, came on (most of you probably recognized where I was writing from).  I’ve heard it many times before but as I was listening to the lyrics I thought about how true it holds to the Christian life.  How much we need to be reminded that we are champions.  We’re going to make mistakes, both in our theological errors and in moral errors, but we can still look forward to heaven.  As the song "Grace Greater Than Our Sin" points out, we have a “grace that is greater than all our [errors]!“  Friends, take that to heart and glory in the fact that we are the champions!  

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Finding the Right Angle

Recently, I was working on making a dining room table. As I was creating it I was taking my time to "measure twice cut once". When I would get in a hurry then I paid the price. Part way through the project I checked how square the apron was to the top...it wasn't a right angle. It seemed that the work that I did to fasten it all down didn't create the right angle I wanted. This made me concerned about how the legs would look by the end. (If you ever come and see it, don't look too close)

To make sure that one would get a right angle, then there are lot of precautions to take into consideration. There are lots of tools and rules to follow in order to make sure that the angle is specifically 90-degrees. It doesn't take much, especially when human error is involved, to be off a few degrees. One can try and try and try, but there is still the chance that the project will be off...then what is one to do? All that work and not a perfect angle to show for it. It can drive some people crazy. Those that suffer with any part of obsessive compulsive disorder would be spinning in circles over something not correct.

Trying to find the right angle is how some people approach God. All they know is to follow the rules. Trying to do all the correct things so they can feel that they have done all they can do to make sure "in the end" they can stand before Him knowing they did the correct things. They may read their Bible so that they can feel good about themselves. They are a part of a church and go for the purpose of feeling good about themselves. They behave both, in church and society, in a way that makes sure they are doing right.

Just as it is a lot of effort to make sure my project's angles were square, it is a lot of effort to make sure that you achieve a right angle with God. But what would you do if you were off by any fraction of a degree? What would you do if you found out that an error you'd committed when you were 20 years old took you away from being at a right angle and caused you to lose out on any hope of heaven? You would have done anything to go back to that day and change it, right?

Don't misunderstand to think one should do things at the other end of the spectrum and be okay with God. God is just, which, to me, means that sometimes He must show "tough" love and will hold people accountable for what they've done or not done while they lived their life.

What I am getting at is that grace, which God has given mankind, is something that shouldn't make us worry if we are at a "right angle" with God, or not. We can be a few degrees off and still look good to God. One person once described grace as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense". The first letter of each of those words spells out grace.

That description is so true! We are able to be a few degrees off, because we are sinners. We are able to be right with God because of the grace that has been given to us through Christ paying the price.

I tried to make sure that my project had right angles. However, because it does not have every angle the way it is supposed to be that doesn't make it a total waste. Let us not get caught up in being too concerned if our life is filled with right angles, but rather understand that as a Christian, we can be a few degrees off and God will still give us the opportunity to be in heaven!

Enjoy life, even if you are a few degrees off of a right angle!

Fullness of Christ - King - Luke 23:2-3

Have you ever anticipated the arrival of someone or something and, upon arrival, you were disappointed? Be it a surprise that wasn't what you expected, a person you pictured differently, or a package that arrived broken. I've been there before in the case when I was expecting a package to give as a gift, and it came, at the nick of time, but wasn't what I expected. It was heartbreaking. I bought it without seeing the actual item and when it came...disappointment.

I wonder if people felt like that at all when Jesus came on the scene? They had anticipated the coming Messiah, royalty. They didn't get a "great" son of a well-known family. Instead, the people received a "carpenter's son". A blue-collared Savior was not what was expected. Disappointed, probably (at least by some). "This is it. I've been looking forward to a Messiah, and he is it?!" Not a very good welcome into the world, would you agree? Yesterday, we looked at Jesus as a King. Here are some applications to choose to use this week...

1. Jesus wasn't a disappointment, after all. We see only what we choose to see. See a forest or an adventure? A mountain or extra time to spend with God? May we recognize Him as the "ruler" that He is and submit to His authority, as "all authority" (Matthew 28:18) has been given to Him.
   
2. Jesus' Kingdom is not bound by earthly limits. Kingdoms bring about a sense of protection and security. Praise Him for setting up His Kingdom and giving us the chance to be a part of it!
   

Christ is the king of many things: truth, salvation, grace, peace, righteousness, glory, saints, the ages, kings, and is eternal. (Matthew 21:5; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 19:38; Hebrews 7:2, 1:8; Matthew 25:31-34; Revelation 19:16, 12)

May we appreciate Him all the more as He is, hopefully, the King of our lives, as well!

Seeing Jesus even "fuller" and letting Him rule...

Hope Central

Hope is an anticipation of an expected desire. We hope for lots of things: weather, grades, etc. However, it is difficult to have much hope in things, such as, weather because we are not in control. The pattern may be leaning toward a certain pattern, but that could change in a matter of hours. Sometimes, our hope in salvation tends to be more like that of the weather. We may be confident in the technology that helps aid in the forecast given by the weather person, but there is still that small bit of doubt that things may not turn out like he says. Have you ever treated God that way? The Bible gives "forecasts" throughout but we're still a bit skeptical or have a small bit of doubt that says, "What if...it isn't like that?"

Peter tells us (I Peter 1:13) that we are to set our hope fully (perfectly) on the grace given to us through Jesus Christ. No room for any doubt. Get on board at Hope Central and enjoy the ride; fee supplied by grace. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

1. We are blessed and cursed with a memory. The blessing - all the good things. The curse - all the bad things. You enjoy remembering the good things that you've experienced. But you don't enjoy the bad things. The problem is, they're both memories. Though you will most likely never forget the things you've done in the past that are "wrong", if you are struggling with the concept that God has forgiven them (but you haven't forgiven yourself) ask God to help you. Ask Him to help you appreciate how God wipes that away from the record book, appreciate the present, and look forward to being used by God in the future!
   
2. Feel like just one of the more than 6 billion on this earth? Feel like if someone opened a paper and saw your picture in the obituary section there wouldn't be much of a response? To God, you're not just a number. He cares for each person He created. May this reminder help you lift your head up and smile. May it put an extra skip in your step. Go out and enjoy your life in Christ!
3. What did you hope to be when you were asked as a child? Fireman, ballerina, teacher, doctor, mommy, daddy, etc. We all have hopes. What are your hopes to "become" when you "grow up in Christ"? What are you expecting yourself to be like? How are you making the effort to get there? If you're "there" was it what you thought or do you need to go back to "school" to become more of what you'd hoped? Are the fruit of the Spirit growing on your branches or have you withered already? We can be "older" but not "grown up". May God bless you with continued opportunities to grow in Him.
   

The Hope Central may be big and crowded, but your train is still waiting on you. You don't need to worry about a departure time, just being one in the crowd, or not being able to pay. At Hope Central, Jesus has already paid the price and your ticket is stamped with "GRACE" on it. An easy way to remember that is "God's Riches At Christ's Expense" (Something I picked up from another source year's ago).

Enjoying the ride...

Frazzled or Focused?

Been so busy that it caused your mind to be frazzled instead of focused? Ironically, I was there on Sunday. It is funny how things can sometimes work out like that. It was a lesson for me, one I need often. How about you, can you relate?

The times that you were "frazzled" was it because of something you could have prevented? Late for something; could you have left earlier? Weak faith; could you have asked someone for help or to pray for you? Behind on a project; could you have started sooner? Job stress; could you have given it to God? Marriage problems; could you have talked it out? It seems that for just about every "frazzle" moment, there was a point prior that you could have done something to prevent or, at least, lessen the effect it had on your focus. Sunday, we looked at I Peter 1:13 and the phrase "sober minded". See if you've been getting a little "tipsy" with any of these situations...

1. Taking the "drink" of self-righteousness can cause us to become very intoxicated. We become like the Pharisees and cannot see the error in our ways. If it is pointed out by others, we become defensive, much like a drunkard. "I'm not drunk" the drunkard says as he staggers about. The same goes for the those who like to point out the sins/errors and will not acknowledge their own. If you are prone to "put down" before you "praise", you may want to think about sobering up.
   
2. Shooting up with sulk, lately? Felt like everyone's been against you? Doesn't someone "owe" you? Surely if someone doesn't see things your way, they've got to be wrong. Sulking allows Satan to be invited in to your mind. You start thinking that life would be better "if...". You may become short with others. Sometimes taking things out on others when the real problem is what you are "shooting up" with. If you have been shooting up lately, you may want to think about sobering up.
   
3. Been taking too many whiffs of uncertainty to cause you to wobble in your faith? Has it caused you to lose your focus from seeking Him first? Have you kept your composure when someone wronged you? Have you told someone something about the "good news" or been too afraid? Have you had doubts about any part of your faith? Have you been "working" to make sure your salvation is secure instead of appreciating grace? If you have been inhaling these uncertainties, then you are likely wobbling. If you're faith is not giving you a steady step, you may want to think about getting some "fresh" air and sobering up.
   

We operate much better on a clear mind; resulting in better decision making abilities. We must make decisions all the time, regarding our spiritual walk. What do you need to do to sober up or stay sober? I hope any state of "drunkenness" you are/have been experiencing will not keep you from being/becoming "sober". God needs you to be clear headed to be able to have a firm faith and resist the temptations to "drink" that may come our way!

Striving to stay focused...