Another Quote

The following quote is by Martin Burnham. They were his last words to the Rose Hill Bible Church where he spoke on May 23, 2001 – just days before his return to the Philippines and his capture – were printed on the funeral program:

*"I wasn't called to be a missionary; I wasn't called to the Philippines; I was just called to follow Christ; and that is what I'm doing."

It is my ambition to follow Christ; regardless.

*(I came across this quote over at John Piper's site; desiringgod.org)

God's Path

How I know God ordained this path for us.

#1 Christa: God placed her in my life so when I lost the referral, I had someone to talk to who understood, had walked this exact path, and clung to God though this process. Incidentally she also has three boys! (Losing a referral is an unusual thing and doesn’t happen frequently so this is truly Gods divine hand.)

#2 His presence: He has been exceptionally close and has sustained me in countless ways. His presence has been sweetly comforting and has given me a peace that truly passes my understanding.

#3 We had already discussed losing a referral long before we ever got a referral.

#4 Each morning I get up, the lessons, sermons, or chapters I read for my devotions has dealt with God’s sovereignty, His incredible love, or His compassion for us. Every morning He continually reminds me that He loves me and is near.

#5 Our next baby’s name will be Addison Hope: Addison after this baby we lost (Her name was Brooke Addison), and Hope because God has given me great hope even in sadness. Her name will be a testament to His faithfulness. To Him the glory.

#7 The Bible teaches this: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Sidenote: We truly thank you for your prayers. They mean so much to us. We are overwhelmed with your concern, and the fact that so many have decided to pray for us and Brooke. Little Brooke needs much prayer, so we thank for your continued prayers as well.

A Psalm

Psalm 143:8

Let me experience Your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in You. Reveal to me the way I should go because I long for You.

Broken

I’m so sad. I just feel engulfed by emptiness and inhabited by a lonely hallow. My baby isn’t mine. I’ll never hold her. How many times did I touch her face as I stared at her on my computer screen. I’ll never touch her. I’ll never hold her. Oh Please God place her in the arms of a family who will adore her and love her and pray over her; a family that will kiss her since I can’t. Show her Yourself and make her heart adore the God whose greatness is beyond my sorrow. To You be the glory.

Some Questions Answered

I’ve had quite a few questions about Brooke, so I thought I’d answer a couple of them here.

#1) Will she be adopted even though she has health problems?
-Yes, there is a program called “The Waiting child Program” that is strictly for parents who want to adopt children with various health issues. Some people wait up to a year to be matched with one of these children, so yes, I believe she will be adopted…hopefully very soon. (I explained this is an earlier post..so click here to read more)

#2) Why couldn’t your family adopt her?
When couples first apply to adopt, they are given a health checklist which basically is a list of health problems a child might have. You check any you would be open to and to what severity (mild moderate, serious). We checked quite a few, but none of the problems Brooke developed were ones we had agreed to. In addition to that, her problems were serious and were going to require extensive care. The agency felt she would be better matched with a family who had previously requested such needs and were better prepared to meet her medical needs. My head agrees, but my heart doesn’t.

How to pray for Brooke.
· Pray her condition doesn’t’ worsen and that she can have a relatively normal life.
· Pray she is placed with a Christian family who will nurture her physically and spiritually.
· Pray the doctors in Korea can find the source of her problems and treat them effectively.
· Pray that she comes to know Christ as her Savior.

Adoption Update

We found out today that we are not going to be able to proceed with our adoption due to the health problems Brooke has developed. In the span of a month, she has gone from seemingly healthy to having serious issues. It has been determined that she will be placed with a family who has requested her specific medical issues and has been approved to take on her various needs. We will be placed at the top of the list of people waiting to be matched with a baby. We greatly appreciate your prayers and although we are heartbroken we know God’s plan is always perfect and He is always good, even in our sorrow.

“The Lord Gives and the Lord takes away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

I Will Bless the Lord

Today we expect to get the rest of Brooke’s medical reports from Korea. Today is most likely when we will know if we can continue with her adoption. I’m dreading this day. This morning when I woke up to pray God gave me this Psalm. Here it is:

I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
-Pslam 32:1-4

I will bless Him regardless of how this day ends. I will bless Him in spite of tomorrow. I will continually bless the Lord.

He is Able

An evidence that our will has been broken is that we begin to thank God for that which once seemed so bitter, knowing that His will is good and that, in His time and in His way, He is able to make the most bitter waters sweet.

-Nancy Leigh DeMoss
A Place of Quiet Rest, Moody, 2000, p. 70.

Bring Me Anything that Brings You Glory

Update on Brooke

All adoptive parents receive regular medical updates on their children. We get one every month. Upon Brooke being referred to us, we received her entire file which included all of these medical check-ups. We had a doctor look at everything and she was deemed to be in great health by her American & Korean doctors. (Just FYI, Korea has health care which is on par with the US. They’re a very affluent, developed nation) This last Wednesday we received a new medical update, like always, but this time there were some noted problems that were newly discovered. She had an EEG and it was determined by the neurologist that she was having seizures. There was other information noted too, but for the sake of her privacy and the length of my post, I’ll spare you those details. At any rate, as various doctors reviewed her file, her prognosis became more and more uncertain. There are many risks and unknowns associated with her symptoms and right now there is no way of telling how all of this will affect her.

When we applied to adopt, we were admitted into the “Regular Korea Program” which means we were approved and agreed to adopt a healthy baby girl. There is an alternative program called the “Waiting Child Program” which is a program where couples are approved to adopt a child with certain health problems, some mild, moderate and others severe. (The parent choose what they are open to) Because we are not in the Waiting Child Program, we are not approved to adopt a child with major medical problems. Brooke could very possibly be facing some major health issues. If it is determined that she is, then we will not be permitted to adopt her. We are still awaiting more reports which we expect on Monday, but honestly, we don’t expect her prognosis to improve. We have had a couple doctors look at her file and they are all saying the same thing. (which is not good)

Please pray in the following ways:

1. Pray God is glorified and lifted up regardless of the outcome.
2. Pray for Brooke’s health.
3. Pray that Brooke is placed in a Christian home with parents who love her, even if its not with us.

We do love you all, but honestly, we don't want to explain this over an over as it is a painful subject. We kindly ask that you don't call and ask for more information, because right now we are struggling. Thank you so much for love and understanding. We deeply appreciate your prayers and support. It means more than you'll ever know.

Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Great quote

"God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain. but without stain."

-C.S. Lewis

A Slice of my Heart Today...

God is good all the time.

He is good when I’m sick; He is good when I’m well.
He is good when I’m scared; He is good when I’m comforted.
He is good when I’m sad; He is good when I’m happy
He is good when I’m confused; He is good when I understand.
He good when I struggle; He is good when its easy.
He is good in loss; He is good in gain
He is good regardless of my circumstances.

God is good all the time.

Jesus is Altogether Different

He chose a barn. We would have chosen for him the women’s center at the nearest hospital.
He chose obscurity. We would have chosen notoriety.
He prepared for ministry by being tempted and hungry. We choose vacation.
He picks clueless, proud, misguided fishermen and a tax collector. We use résumés.
He tells us the way to save our life is to lose it. We upsize everything.
Jesus lets a whore wash his feet with her hair. We would have kicked her out and laughed at her hair.
Jesus tells stories so some cannot understand. We tell stories so they can.
Jesus rejoices that the wise don’t get it. We fire pastors for such things.
Jesus forgives a traitor. We would have laughed when Rush Limbaugh parodied him.
Jesus promises a sword. We promise peace and happiness.
Jesus celebrates mustard-seed faith. We celebrate actors and rock stars.
Jesus went to where he would be rejected. We run towards acceptance.
Jesus offends people with weird statements to the point of them leaving him. We soften and smooth out the rough edges.
Jesus teaches hard doctrines to simple people. We ask them to say the ‘sinner’s prayer.’
Jesus attracted those who needed him and his message of forgiveness of sin. We attract those most likely to watch Fireproof.
Jesus makes strong wine. We forbid it.
Jesus asks us to choose our souls over gaining the whole world. We dream of bigger houses and nicer cars.
Jesus’ default was grace. Ours is law.
Jesus is in sync with what God is doing. We ask for people to get in sync with us.
Jesus ridiculed the religious leaders of the day. We give them deference.
Jesus emptied himself of his glory. We buy Coach purses.
Jesus says we are blessed when we are persecuted. We think we need a lawyer.
Jesus prepares us for a cross. We shoot for the primrose path.
Jesus tells us to lay up treasures in heaven. We buy storage space.
Jesus is not impressed by every profession of faith. We make big announcements about every one.
Jesus heals as he moves toward his own suffering. We move away from suffering while moving toward our own health.
Jesus let his friend die so we could see God’s glory. We glorify God only when someone is healed.
Jesus says it is good for him to go away and for us to have the Spirit. We, pastors think our congregation cannot survive without us.
Jesus prays that we would see his glory. We grumble when everyone does not see our value.
Jesus made himself nothing. Pastors want to be called “Dr.”
Jesus goes to the cross. We get practical.
Jesus died to justify sinners. We are dying to justify our sin.

Jesus is altogether different.

Written by Matt Redmond - Associate Pastor, Metro East

Jesus Intrudes on Our Space

I’m reading the book entitled, Your Jesus is Too Safe by Jared C. Wilson. It is a fabulous read and I highly recommend it. In it, Mr. Wilson reveals the Jesus the Bible really portrays, not the Jesus we see paraded around to fill church seats or sell books. Mr. Wilson also shows his readers that the reason the world doesn’t “get” Jesus is because we “have spent decades selling a Jesus cast in our own image” and ignored what the Bible actually says about him.

In one section He talks about Jesus the prophet. He reminds us that the role of the prophet was to intrude upon the lives of the hearers. He says, “This is what Jesus the prophet does. He inserts himself into our workaday lives, he invades our space and exposes our hearts. He tells us the ugly truth about ourselves, but not to shame or punish us, but to open us up, to provoke us and prompt us, to disarm our defenses and turn us –all of us, our whole selves-toward him."

Prayer Specifics

We went on a small trip over Labor Day weekend to visit family. While there we saw many cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends. We were so overwhelmed by everyone’s excitement and interest in Baby Brooke. We greatly appreciated all the people who stated they were already praying for her quick arrival home. Thank you SO much for that! We are moved by your love and concern! I did want to give those praying some very specific things to pray about:

1. Pray we get her “legals” from Holt Korea ASAP! (her “legals” are papers that prove she is an orphan, prove she was relinquished legally, prove she is healthy, etc…)

2. Once we get “legals” they are sent to immigration. Pray we get our i600 immigration form approved ASAP so she can get her Visa. (Immigration can be a huge mess…so please pray this goes smoothly!!)

3. There are many other smaller things to pray about, but these are the two major things looming right now that could slow down her arrival!

Thanks to all of you! We are so grateful of your support and love!