Am I Worth Being Heard?
Children ask this question ALL THE TIME. Am I worth being heard? You may not actually hear that question, but it will be on display throughout the day, every day. Let me explain. My office is located in the lower level of our home. That works out well most of the time. Short commute. […]
Open Concept
The other night, I was watching one of my favorite shows on HGTV. It’s called Property Brothers. In this show, twin brothers (one a general contractor, the other a real estate agent) work together to help people find their dream home. In the process, they are usually renovating some part of the current or new […]
Preparing to Fail
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin How long should an astronaut prepare for a mission to space? Or how long should an Olympic athlete train to win the gold medal? What about child birth? Or a half marathon? The SAT? A job interview? And, the list goes on…. If you […]
re·sist·ance – noun 1. the act or power of resisting, opposing, or withstanding. Does this picture represent you? When you look at the meaning of resistance, do you think about someone at work? Or your relationship? Something inside of you that longs to do something else? How about exercise? Resistance can have negative consequences. But, it can also bear great fruit. You have a great opportunity […]
The Upshot
Upshot – The final result; the outcome. When working with a church as to what “long term, strategic orphan care” looks like, it is important to define the final result, the win, the upshot. What are we aiming for? Upshot is just another term for “result” – A result is the final consequence of a sequence of actions or […]
Hearing Impaired
My 2 1/2 year old son was born with a cleft palate and a connective tissue disorder called Pierre Robin syndrome. Because of the palate issue, he has to have ear tubes. The ear tubes allow his ear to drain which, in turn, enable him to hear without feeling like he’s under water. Hearing is […]
A widow named Mary
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Do you believe ALL of James 1:27? It was early in my marriage when this passage first came to life for me. A good friend of […]
Ukraine Without Orphans Movement
This is a man I greatly admire. I had the privilege of meeting with him at Starbucks last year as he was passing through the U.S. Sergey Demedovich is a pastor, adoptive father and orphan advocate from Ukraine. He helped start a movement called “Ukraine Without Orphans” which has spread into Russia and is […]
Five Ways to Ensure the Orphan Crisis will NEVER be solved by the church.
1. Focus on building more orphanages and less on getting children into forever families. 2. Avoid the following books of the Bible: James, Exodus, Isaiah, Job, Psalm, Matthew, Acts, John, Jeremiah, Esther, Deuteronomy, Hosea, Malachi, 1 Timothy, Lamentations, Proverbs, 2 Kings, Judges, Numbers, Ezekiel, and Genesis. 3. Pray for orphans without families around the […]
One Giant Leap in Russia
FINALLY! This is a GREAT sign for the orphans of Russia. Sometimes you have to look beyond what seems like “bad news” to find some really good news. A couple of weeks ago, Russia shut down inter-country adoptions from the United States. But, there has been an interesting message resonating from the leaders of the […]
