Journey of Worship

When We Stop Striving, We Start Seeing It’s easy to live in survival mode, scanning every corner for the next solution. But when you stop striving and start seeking, your perspective shifts. Instead of asking,  “How will we afford this?” Ask,  “God, how are You going to show Yourself here?” That simple shift turns worry into worship. He’s not just providing things—He’s drawing you and your child(ren) closer to Himself. All the things are great, but breakthrough and the breaking off of generational strongholds will only come through recognizing Him.  Sometimes what your child may need most, is going through the very experiences that were extremely scary without God, with God- and you get to walk that with them because of your relationship with God.  Help your child to see that even .... God is there, and you can have peace, and you share that with them.  Keep your focus on Him: keep seeking Him, speak the life and promises He speaks over yourself and your childr...

   The Difference Between Source and Supply Our jobs, paychecks, and savings accounts are  supplies —but God alone is the  Source. We often confuse the two. We think,  If I could just make more money... get a better job... plan better... then I’d have peace.  But peace doesn’t come from more; it comes from  knowing Who provides the more. When you start to see God as the Provider, you can breathe again. Your life will stop being about chasing provision, and it will fall into alignment as you simply follow Him in obedience.  You may think you are going through a season of physical scarcity, that is what Satan wants you to believe:  You are instead going through a season of recognizing God as provider.  This is part of your sanctification and your kids':  that you all would come to trust God  In even greater ways than you ever have before!  The faster we submit to God's authority to guide and provide, the quicker HE can revea...

 God's provisions in adoption Chapter 2: Training to receive the provisions Have you ever tried to throw a ball to your toddler?  How about the child who has enrolled in baseball, football, or basketball and been faithfully going to practices for years?  We must train to receive. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:19 When your family grows, so do your needs. There are more mouths to feed, more clothes to buy, more appointments to schedule, more time to give. It’s easy to look at all that and feel stretched thin—financially, emotionally, and spiritually. But what if the stretching is the very place God wants to show Himself strong?  The very way that He wants to increase your faith?  You may be thinking you've reached your limit in all things, but have you felt this way before?  Take some time to reflect on times you thought you just couldn't answer the next..... were there times tha...

  Our Story of Provision How many ways has God provided for us?  When our heart has been open, and we were ready to get hurt because it is better for us to hurt and a child to know they are loved, and have a place in this world, we have seen His glory.  When we chose to focus in, He would remind us He was there and had more for us, but we wouldn't see so much of what He was doing for lack of focus.  When we've given like we had already received, He gave us more than we could have imagined. Although we can claim fostering for 7 years (off and on), our journey of caring for the orphan and underprivileged kid started with our independence 14 years before that.  If He's called you, explore different ways of answering that call.  Through the years, opportunities to be involved with orphaned or underprivileged kids has looked different: Teen ministry Children's ministry Big Brother Big Sister mentoring Mentoring programs Boys and Girls Club Crisis Pregnancy Cente...

Trusting God in Adoption Submitting what you feel you most have to control Finances can be one of the hardest areas to surrender because they touch every part of life, and seem to be what makes anything possible.  But God doesn’t separate the spiritual from the practical.  He is our provider, and He is the one who makes all things possible. He cares about how you manage the grocery list, clothing needs, and entertainment desires as much as how you pray. When you invite Him into your financial decisions, you invite peace, wisdom, and creativity.  Though you may recognize things you can give up, He will show you that what you give up allows for other blessings.  Maybe the activities that you were pouring money into were also sucking up a lot of family time, and slowing down allows for more bonding.  Maybe re-examining the grocery budget allows you to finally get your eating habits under control, and less processed snacks means your children are actually better beh...

 Trusting God in Adoption Chapter 1: Submitting to God First “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Matthew 6:33 When God calls a family to adopt, He is not only inviting a child into a home—He is inviting that home into deeper faith. Adoption is more than an act of love; it’s a surrender. It begins and continues with submission to the One who orchestrates family itself. Going in to adoption can start many ways.  Although I know I don't need to recount your journey to get here, I want to acknowledge that you've already been through a lot, and no matter which way this child came in to your home, there's likely been stress, prayers, tears, and financial choices that seemed overwhelming.   A choice to grow or start your family through private adoption, and being "matched" can be exciting and nerve-wracking as you wait for that call and figure out how to pay for the process.   Pursuing an adoption ...

 I'm starting a new book.  Going to have to wrap up the other: a book that will be written to women/wives and soon to be wives, to encourage them on their journey.  The new book may be what I'll put in the hands of adoptive families who come to "Our Village Hands" looking for relief and financial support for their growing family.  This could, of course, be an encouragement to anyone: before, during and after their adoption journey, which might include fostering or going through an adoption agency, or kinship care.   For me, this is sharing my journey of surrendering as a servant to surrendering to God's provisions.  As we were considering our 2nd adoption, shortly after finishing our first, when we found out his sister was born, our journey began to get rocky.  I cried out to God for help, asking "where does my help come from?" a whole lot.  Although I wanted to look to the left and right, He kept saying, "Your help comes from the Lord, look ...