Just wanted to say, "Thanks!"

While recently attending the 2011 Ligonier National Conference, Embraced by Grace adoption agency held a drawing for the book pictured below. Much to my delight, I received a voice msg. on my cell during the last day of the conf. informing me that MY name had been drawn!

A number of months ago friends at church had loaned me their copy and I've been enjoying it, but it's so nice to have my own copy to make notes and refer back too as needed!

"National Adoption Awareness" month ~ November

Visit "Adoption 3:16" this month and enter to win one of several books we'll be giving away during November.

Nina, our RRRD - "Resident Russian Relations Diplomat"

Nina with Ekaterina (14) who dreams of having a family.

Nina with a fellow-home schooler, a native Russian who did translating, and Anton (13) who "tries to be kind because God tells us to forgive and be kind."

Nina with Anton ~ if she could, she'd adopt a little brother! :-)

Currently, a group of 14 'older' Russian orphans are visiting our area through a 'host program'. We'd hoped to volunteer a good bit, but other obligations and responsibilities have prevented that to far. Nevertheless we MADE time to go last night and show the kids our support at their "Russian Culture Program". And, not surprisingly, Nina made some new friends, in spite of her fading Russian language skills--proof that a smile speaks volumes!

Read more of my thoughts on 'older' Russian orphans and this current hosting program HERE on my theology blog.

Counseling the Adopted Child

I haven't had time to read the whole article linked HERE, but because I/we subscribe to the CCEF (Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation) Biblical Counseling Journal and have a great degree of respect for CCEF I decided to go ahead and post this link.

Support and Encouragement for Adoptive Parents & Families

If you're considering adopting, in the process of adopting, or have already adopted 'older' children, please drop by our adoption support blog (co-authored with dear friends) for some Biblical encouragement and support!

Adoption 3:16

Or follow the 'feed' on my sidebar.

Our Adoption Interview Posted At "From Hope to Reality"

Dan Cruver, Director of Ministry Outreach for Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency, recently asked to interview us on the subject of our adoptions.

Dan posted the interview today at their blog--you can read it HERE.

To God be ALL the glory--He has been so faithful and gracious to our little family!

The Stigma of Being an Orphan

In case you're interested, I recently posted 'The Stigma of Being an Orphan, over at my theology blog.

Gaining a Biblical View on the Adopted Child's "Early Life" Experiences

Because we are adoptive parents of older foreign-born children, our theology has been put to the test in ways that most parents would never imagine, much less consider! :-)

Take for instance the fact that our children came to us already equipped with a "worldview" of their own--survival at any and all cost. Their worldview was shaped and molded much like yours and mine, but theirs had an interesting twist--how does one respond to relentlessly being sinned against by people who are supposed to love, protect and care for you?

Within the first two to three years of parenting our daughters, I came to understand that I had to remind myself that I/we were responsible for retraining sinful habits in our girls that were brought about by people OTHER than us! We often received the brunt of their anger and hurt that previously had been acted out toward people we never knew--and would likely never meet. Sin damages relationships, and our daughter's had experienced plenty of "damaged" relationships.

Recently, while preparing for my NANC exam, I read the following in the Christian Counselor's Manual by Jay Adams,

"'But,' someone contends, 'how can you hold a four-year-old responsible for the life style that he develops under the strong home influences of his childhood? For instance, doesn't extreme abuse by his parents disadvantage him for life?' Would not abuse cause a child so to deviate from normal living patterns that inevitably he would become abnormal? Part of the answer to the question of permanent effects of extreme child abuse doubtless lies in the physical (organic) abuses which so often affect later life. Much abuse also may occur in forms similar to the types of communist brainwashing that combine organic and psychological factors. Here too, where organic damage occurs, the effects may be lasting.

While recognizing that any discussion of childhood responsibility evokes an undue amount of emotion from some, first, nevertheless, we must be bold to assert the biblical fact that God does hold children responsible for sin from the very first day of their lives. 'By nature' (i.e., that corrupted deposit with which they were born) they are declared to be 'children of wrath' (Ephesians 2:3b). They are guilty in Adam (Romans 5). In addition, they express this sinful nature by living 'in the lusts of their flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind; (Ephesians 2:3a). The extent to which God holds a child responsible may be hard to measure, but the fact that He does so is certain. David said, 'Behold, in sinful state I was born and in sin did my mother conceive me' (Psalm 51:5, Berkeley). Elsewhere he wrote: 'The wicked are estranged from the womb; these who speak lies go astray from birth' (Psalm 58:3). The fact of infant mortality in a world in which God has declared, 'The wages of sin is death,' substantiates this doctrine of the moral culpability of infants before God. They are both held guilty for sin (because of Adam's sin--cf. Romans 3:23; ch. 5) and polluted by sin. Their corrupted nature expresses itself from birth (see passages above) in acts of actual transgression. So, there can be no doubt about it; God holds children responsible for their sin.

The question, therefore, is not whether the sinful life styles developed by children with sinful natures in response to sinful influences or even acts of abuse against them are wrong or not. They are. Sin is sin, whether the sinner is young or old. Nor is it a matter of whether they are responsible. Again, they are. The very fact that children are not considered to be morally neutral in the sight of God means that they may be held responsible for making whatever righteous responses that it is possible for a child to make at any given age. As unredeemed sinners, children will fail to respond as they should. For this they are accountable."

Now, having read that, please do NOT loose hope! God, as always, has made a way--even for the adoptive parent who is parenting a "challenging child"! Go HERE and read about Godly parenting.

Adoption and the Gospel ~ Transracial Adoptions

How does/should the gospel impact our view, actions, and response to adoption? Dan Cruver has posted an interview with J.B. Watkins addressing this issue focusing on transracial adoptions.

In our own church (small congregation of about 120) adoption has become a very vital part of the gospel, with a total of seventeen children adopted domestically, internationally, cross-culturally, and interracially--by only seven families in the past eight years--to God be the glory!

In our own experience, adopting cross-culturally (Russia) had/has many challenges but over time the visible differences (language, culture, habits, preferences) tend to fade or disappear. Not so with transracial adoptions--how should the Church respond AND support these families as they live out and share the gospel before the world?

Christians, orphans, and adoption

Back in April I wrote THIS regarding the Christian's spiritual adoption. Later in August, I was surprised and encouraged to receive a comment to that post from Dan Cruver, Ministry Outreach Coordinator for Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency

In Dan's comment, he said some things that I whole-heartedly agree with and hope more Christians will consider,

"...We are working hard to articulate the connection between spiritual and human adoption. We believe that the more people grow in their understanding of spiritual adoption the more they will consider extending the same kind of kindness to orphans (whether through adopting themselves, assisting others to adopt, or through mission trips to orphanages around the world)."

Since receiving his comment, I've regularly read his Carolina Hope blog and have been very encouraged by the thoughtful and challenging posts Dan offers on the topic of adoption--both spiritual and physical. I hope you'll take some time to read his blog, I'm fairly confident most Christians haven't thought this deeply or thoroughly on the matter of adoption.

Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency blog, "from hope to reality"

BTW, please understand that I'm NOT saying I believe every Christian couple is called or equipped to adopt children. What I am saying is God does call ALL Christians to care for orphans--in various ways at various levels!