Journey of Worship

 We have hope in Christ, and because God's original plan for us is redemption and reunification: relationship with Him.  Upon repentance and acknowledging God as our Savior, we can cuddle up in His lap, and we can choose to live His great plans for us.  This is for us, and our children. “The soul who sins is the one who will die… the child will not share the guilt of the parent.” (Ezekiel 18:20) “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” (John 8:36) In Christ, you and your children are free from repeating the patterns of the past, and don't have to continue experiencing the trauma it produced. Freedom must be claimed and walked out.  This is where God has called you to intercede for this child.  You must walk a new life with them, teach them new patterns of living that honor God.  This will take a lot of prayer and patience, but God said you can! Your children’s spiritual inheritance flows f...

I want to do a little deep dive into the fourth of the Ten commandments.  As we take on parenting of children we were not the procreators of, as we may sometimes (or often) feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of parenting, and as we muster up the energy to care for aging parents, it's something I've felt the need for clarity in.  The first two commandments are our response to the Lord, our Creator, and the importance of maintaining an awe and reverence of Him, which orders our lives.  The third command is a way of living that acknowledges Him as our provider- that though we must work, provision is not solely in our hands.  The fourth commandment, to honor our parents, is acknowledging them as our procreators, and human.  This command is the beginning of how we interact socially (commands 5-10), acknowledging God created all humans.   So let's dig a little into the original words and meanings for clarity: The Hebrew word for "honor" in Deuteronomy ...

The impact of "Trauma" is the impact of Sin, which causes deep-seeded fear.  When we handle things in a way that is out of alignment with the Word of God, it impacts others in deep and hurtful ways.  We may think it's not impacting anyone else, but our sin has a ripple affect.  We are quick to point out the wrong in others, and can probably easily point out why the biological parents of our adopted children fall short, but we all fall short.  When we come to that conclusion and confess, asking God for healing and ready to make changes in our own lives, we will be able to help our children as well. According to research compiled to be easily found in the National Institute of Health : "Increasingly, human studies are showing that stressful prenatal events such as intimate partner abuse, poverty, and food insecurity have enduring effects on the stress physiology of offspring, and that prenatal and early childhood stress can set the stage for lasting psychological and h...

Chapter 6: A NEW INHERITANCE Parents often ask: “How do I deal with the things in our family history, or their family history, that I don’t want my children to carry?” “I hear so many adopted children return to their biological parents, or even if they don’t they return to the patterns of their biological parents. " "Am I powerless to change generational cycles in my adopted child?"   "Am I raising a child only to lose them?” “How do I pray over my children’s identity?” “Is my child affected by generational patterns, even if I got them as a newborn?” “Do I have evil spirits in my home from all the kids we fostered?" "How do I get the peace of God in my home- again, or for the first time?” “Are there evil spirits in this child I adopted- in their blood line- that I will be constantly battling?" These are tender, serious questions that need to be answered, and we may even have opportunity to directly answer to our children; so we must be ready with bib...

  A New Name, a New Legacy, a New Inheritance When an adopted child receives a new name, a new legacy, and a new inheritance, something profound takes place. Their outward circumstances and perspective may not shift overnight, but their identity does over time— and identity shapes how they see the world.  As they realize they are fully accepted, and you want better for them.  That they are not condemned or sure to follow the cycles previously set before them, but are given new life, with a family to guide them.   The same is true for every child of God.  We often think of it as sanctification- we become more like God as we recognize who He is and what He's done for us.  O ur perspective changes direction as we see through new eyes the mission   and the intentions  He has for us.  As we let go of past perceptions, what we find out to be lies told by the enemy, and create new habits as we walk with the Lord and study His word, our...

I have a story, shared by a beautiful family of being "ready" I would like to share.    This family had gone out to eat at a nice little family restaurant in a new town, where there was a piano that the mother saw and heard customers go play.  After they finished their meal and went to pay, she asked if her son could play.  The lady at the counter said, "Why yes!" While behind her, another woman, apparently the manager or owner, said, "No, absolutley not!"  Confused by the change in reception to customers playing the piano, the lady at the counter repeated, "yes, he can play the piano, we let our customers play it."  Again, the woman behind the counter said adamantly, "no, he may not play the piano."   The mother, confused, a little flustered, and not wanting to cause a scene, said, "I'm sorry, it's not a big deal, we'll go on." After leaving the restaurant, and going on to an evening worship service, a strong feel...

Encouragement and closing When you shift your thoughts to recognize God's presence and power in your circumstances, His truths will transform your perspective, which in turn can change your reality.  Changing your perspective to change your circumstances acknowledges God's more powerful perspective: Your perspective is directive, meaning what you focus on -align yourself with- is what you receive. When you focus on God's truth over your circumstances, you are no longer powerless. You can ask God what He is teaching you and trust that His purpose will stand.  "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." (Proverbs 19:21)  By focusing on God's abundant nature, love, and provision, you align with His will, your transformation, leading you to His desire, which is good, pleasing and perfect. Let God's truth be your guide: When you focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praisewort...

Ready... My son is a Royal Ranger,  "an activity-based, small-group church ministry for boys and young men in grades K-12 with a mission to evangelize, equip and empower the next generation of Christlike men and lifelong servant leaders" (taken straight from their website, and found by experience to be very true).  "Royal Ranger ready for anything" is the motto of the Royal Rangers ministry, which means being prepared to "work, play, serve, worship, live, and obey God's Word", ready.  Somehow, in their discipling, they accomplish this, and I say that as I have seen the boys who latch on, really grow in these ways, becoming more responsive with respect, reflecting a readiness to grow in all aspects of life—spiritually, mentally, socially, and physically—and to follow God's direction.  I share that, because I am very impressed with how Royal Rangers has impacted my son, and infiltrated our family.  As a parent, you know it's better to be ready, ...

  Talents: Using What’s in Your Hands God placed unique skills, passions, and experiences within you for a reason. None of them are wasted—not your career background, your creative interests, or even your struggles.  I hope you can take some time to think about your journey, and thank God for even the hard times that brought you here.  And I hope that you can see how He's redeemed those hard times.   I'll take this opportunity to share my story.  It is multi-faceted, and there are so many areas that I can now look back and say, "God was working there," or, "He is now using that to bless and encourage others, but I'll take just the area of preparing me to be a foster and adoptive mom: I was in middle school and grinding through some difficult geometry homework in my bedroom when I heard my parents raising their voices, the dogs begin to bark in excitement, and accusations get slung back and forth.  Another fight!  I grabbed my younger brother and s...

  Time: The Currency of Love For adoptive families, time may be the hardest thing to manage. Every child needs attention, healing, and presence. The days can blur with appointments, schoolwork, and endless laundry. But the most meaningful investment you can make isn’t in stuff—it’s in moments. Time spent listening  builds security. Time spent praying together  builds faith. Time spent serving others as a family  builds perspective, and is a bonding experience. Time spent engaging  shows big and little people they have value. Time is not just a "love language" for some, it's a necessity for all.  (As all the love languages are important to learn how to express.) Even ten minutes of undistracted time with your child or spouse can be a seed that grows lifelong fruit.  They might be in a really "annoying" stage, but pouring into them in these moments might also help them through this stage more quickly.  Maybe what's making them annoying is how they'...