The Root of Love

"Love has within it a redemptive power and that is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That's why Jesus says love your enemies because if you hate your enemies you have no way to redeem and transform your enemies. You will discover at the very root of love is the power of redemption."

Martin Luther King Jr

I was asked yesterday how I was doing.  I thought about it for a minute and realized I truly have been sad and surrendered to that feeling for months. You see I didn't support either candidate.  I didn't feel good about Hillary or Trump.  We didn't even decide what we would do until the week of the election. It became the year of the anti vote.  In other words so many people voted for a candidate not because they believed in them but because they feared the other candidate.  Fear should never be our motivation yet that was the position so many felt they were in.  For quite sometime my answer to politics has been, vote yes of course but the reality is the real change happens in our everyday lives.

God was so kind to remind me of that on election night.  I helped two different women while everyone else was busy watching results come in.  I helped one mamma find her voice regarding her birth.  Her voice that had been stolen by medical tyranny in the town I live in.  I helped another mamma as she found out the birth mother of her child had given birth again.  I went to bed woke up in the morning and headed to a meeting with many others to work on improving foster care.  You see in the end I am still responsible for what the LORD puts in front of me.  To make a difference in the people he puts on my path.  And from there that love will spread.  One mamma who has found her voice can now go on to encourage another mamma.  The other mamma will likely go on to support another foster/adoptive mamma.  And the group of people working on improving foster care...they all walked away with action items so that we can come back in two months and see some progress and positive change.

So maybe if your candidate won I suggest being respectful of those who are disappointed and sad or heartbroken.  I am not saying accept abuse but I am saying show them love and empathy let them be sad and listen to them with an open heart. You just might learn something.

Maybe your candidate lost.  Feel your hurt, but don't let it lead you to anger and bitterness.  Rioting and hurting innocent people does not help.  Look for ways to love.  Look for ways to LOVE those in need.

And maybe you are like me you didn't vote for either one. The answer is still the same LOVE.  You can never love too much you will never regret loving people.  You will  never regret bending down and lifting someone up.

And to all of us today another baby was born.  Someone died today.  There are still children starving across the globe.  There are orphans without families.  There are children being removed from abusive homes.  There are people struggling to pay their rent no matter how hard they work.  There is a woman who just experienced a miscarriage.  There is a child diagnosed with cancer.  A child was sold for sex over and over. The list goes on.

In my facebook memories today I found this update I wrote 2 years ago today "Jesus didn't try to "fix" the government. Instead he stepped into the mess and corruption and started helping people"

Let's be the change.  That is what Jesus did and it is what he called us to do.

This short sermon from Dr. Martin Luther King is so clearly Holy Spirit inspired and so important at all times.  The beginning quote was taken from this sermon.

And as always my heart is filled when I sing songs of worship to the LORD.

My challenge for you today is to find a way to be LOVE in this world because that is the only way we will drive out hate.

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

I read a couple statistics the other day in a book by the barna group and I was floored.  In fact I am still floored by what I read.

38% of practicing Christians seriously consider adoption
5% of practicing Christians adopted a child
31% of practicing Christians seriously consider becoming a foster parent
3% of practicing Christians became a foster parent
*Becoming home by: Jedd Medefind

So these people aren't just thinking oh that would be nice they are taking the time to really consider what that means but very few will actually follow through.  So that begs the question why?  What holds them back?  I actually asked a group of pastors this last week and the first answer I heard was fear.  And you know what he is right.  I know because I almost let fear take over.  Dustin and I knew the LORD was calling us into foster care but I was scared.  We stopped and started the process.  I had tons of reasons not to then Dustin had reasons.  We almost let fear win but I am so glad we didn't.

When I sit and think what if I had let fear win I am brought to my knees and filled with tears.  If I had let fear win we would be a totally different family.  Was foster care hard. Yes.  Is adoption simple and straight forward. Not at all.  But every bit of it is worth it.  All of the sacrifice all of the unknowns I would do them all over again.  The lessons I learned and continue to learn about love and life are worth so much.  And the blessings oh the blessings.  To watch these sweet children grow together and learn about life together.

SO today I challenge you to pray this.  LORD what am I letting fear keep me from?  LORD help me to step out in faith with courage to walk in the calling you have for my life.

National Adoption Month

It's that time of year when I try to pick up my blog and try to blog everyday.  I might be successful and I might not be but I will do my best.  This year I am going to try to tackle some new ideas this year.  If you have a subject surrounding foster care and adoption you would like me to tackle let me know and I will do my best.  I will even try to rope the hubby into writing a post this month.

So I will leave this post plain and simple I challenge everyone to pray this month.  Pray everyday for orphans.  For children who find themselves in foster care.  For parents who have had their children removed from their home.  For Judges.  For Social workers.  For foster parents.  For adoptive parents. For everyone else involved with children in the varying forms of care.  And as we should always do ask the LORD what he is calling you to do.

Wild Adventures

Many of you may have noticed my random Hawaii posts and countdowns.  What you may not know is that the trip is much more then just a getaway with Dustin.  This trip was actually birthed out of me being asked to teach at GO midwife during their doula week. Dustin and I will be on the north shore of Oahu for 3 nights and 4 days and then he will fly home and I will fly to Kona on the Big Island.

So now you are probably asking what the heck is Go midwife.  Well let me tell you.  GO midwife is an amazing organization that is training up women to serve women during childbirth in the United States and around the world.  The GO midwife school now has two locations one is in Kona on the YWAM base there and the other is in Homer Alaska on the YWAM base there.

Go Midwife

If you know me at all or have ever read my blog you know I have two major passions in life adoption and childbirth.  I am over the moon that the LORD would allow me to be a part of teaching these sweet women about being a doula.

I will try to write in the next few weeks leading up to my trip about the need for quality respectful care for women.  Please join me in praying for the women I will be training and what the LORD has for me as I delve back into the world of birth.  If you would also pray for me I would so appreciate it.

Prayer requests:
That I would be led by the holy spirit in all I say and do.
That I would have time between now and my trip to effectively prep and plan.
That the LORD would lead me in my planning on where to focus my attention.
That I would be at peace while I am away from my family as I know I will miss them.
Pray for protection from the attacks of the enemy.
And of course anything else you feel led to pray for.

Isaiah 40:31
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

When Choices Bring Unexpected Consequences

The other day I posted on Instagram and Facebook about isolation when families choose to foster and/or adopt.  I had a lot of friends reach out was so sweet and kind.  I truly have not experienced the degree of isolation so many I know have but as I tasted a little bit of it again this week I was reminded of it's sting.  I know I am the one who you will typically find with a smile on my face and I will almost always say I am good when I am asked "How are you?"  The truth is most of the time I am, but sometimes I'm not. We don't let our kids know about the rejection that has happened because of our choice to fost/adopt.  It's not their load to carry.  And in all honesty it's not one Dustin and I saw coming.

We knew people would question our choice.  It's out of the box, there is risk involved, and foster care and adoption are messy.  Of course we believe that is where God shines the brightest in the middle of messes.

When we took in one child we got questions. "Are you sure?"  "Why would you want to do this?" Or when we had hard days we heard "Well this is what you chose to do."  What we didn't know was that this would get worse a year later.  When we found out our sweet one would have twin siblings entering the world and we were asked to keep them together we said yes.  Did we think it would be hard?  Of course!  Twins are a whole different ball game and having 3 kids under two was an overwhelming thought.  But in-spite of the naysayers both family and friends questioning our choice we had an army of support. While people said "why would you ever do that?!" Others sang a louder chorus of "How can we help you?" Because of the loud chorus of support I often forgot about the naysayers that had been drowned out. Sometimes though a moment comes up where the unexpected consequence rears its ugly head.  When a party invite comes for everyone but your family.  When you are so obviously avoided. When your invites are always declined by the same few people. Its in those moments where you realize the consequence of your choice is a severed relationship.

So I guess that leaves the question, knowing what I know now would I do it all over again.  The answer is YES! As I sit in the living room watching the twins happily play cars together and their big brother cuddled on the couch with his dad I know beyond a shadow of a doubt they are worth it.Their safety, their security, their ability to grow up together it's all worth it. My heart grieves the loss over our choice to love but I can't change other people.

So maybe you are a family member or a friend of someone who is fostering or has adopted and your wondering how you can help.  Let me just say it's not that hard.  Just be there. Love them. Hold their hand while they cry.  Be the loud chorus saying "How can I help?" that drowns out the naysayers sting.

Like I always say we aren't all called to adopt but every single one of us can help.

What's your part?

   Last night I posted a blog post about how the church can inadvertently play into the sexual abuse narrative.  You can find that post here preparing-our-girls-to-be-abused-when.html .  What was said in this article has been swirling in my head for a good decade.  How do the words we use as the church and a society as a whole play right into the agenda of abusers?

   As parents to 3 beautiful daughters and 2 handsome boys Dustin and I decided we should really talk about how we will talk to our girls about modesty and their bodies.  Because how we approach it will not only effect them but it will effect our boys as well.

   Let's start with what we often hear in the church "Don't dress that way you don't want to make boys stumble."  Now I don't want my girls running around with their breasts hanging out and their butt barely covered, but I also don't ever want them to think that if someone assaults them it is their fault.  Women are sexually assaulted in parkas and short skirts at the same rate.  In fact most sexual assault are perpetrated by someone the woman already knows.  It wasn't the clothes she wore, or the party she went to.  What I can tell you is that's exactly what her abuser told her was the reason he had to assault her.  "you're too pretty"  you're too sexy"  "why did you wear that dress it made me want you.  You can't just leave me like this that would be teasing me."
   
   As a family we have decided to be more concerned with our daughters hearts.  To raise them to know that they are beautiful inside and out.  That their outward beauty is a reflection of their heart.  Because if we raise young ladies and young men to be concerned about their character the rest will follow.  If we raise them to view themselves as beloved sons and daughters of the LORD they will know where their worth lies.  And if they know where their worth lies they will treat others with the same respect, love, and dignity.

Now I would like to change our focus and look at our society at large.  This isn't just happening in the church it is happening everywhere.  I remember hearing some of the defense arguments recently for a rape case at a boarding school.  They said things like "well she sent him sexy messages" or "she texted and said she wanted to have sex the other day".  That reminds me of an awesome video about consent that can be seen here :

   Now on the subject of consent I would like to talk about how the world of women's health is also playing a role in the narrative of consent.  I was a practicing doula for about 5 years and now I am an inactive doula who is still involved in the world of birth.  There was something I began to notice time and time again at births.  The doctor or nurse would come in and say I am going to check you now.  Now if you don't know what "checking" someone is it is a cervical dilation check.  In other words they stick their hand inside of you to see if your cervix is dilated.  While well intentioned we just provided further training to accept physical touch without being asked for permission. When we know that a conservative estimate puts us at 1 in 4 women being sexually assaulted it is insane that we don't ask women may I check you and wait for a response.  

   I hope the picture is becoming clear that our society as a whole has been unknowingly supporting abusers narratives and demeaning women.  As the Church representing Christ we should be leading the way in changing this narrative and changing the way we speak to and about women.

Let's make a conscious effort to not feed the lies of the enemy and to speak truth into this world through our words and our actions.

Closing out 2015: The year of change

    The end of 2015 marks the end of our first year in Santa Barbara. We left the town where we had spent 9 years of our marriage.  The town where all 5 of our children were born.  We faced great heart aches and some of our biggest Joys.  We packed everything up and pulled away with tears streaming down our face to the place where we believed the LORD was calling us.Just like all change it was hard and yet it was good.
   
     One change that happened when we moved was that we stopped homeschooling and enrolled the girls in public school.  This was a huge change that we were so unsure if we were makeing the right decision but after lots of prayer we felt like it was the right call.  And the LORD is faithful as the girls have been stretched and grown in a big public school full of amazing teachers and administrators.  I also learned not to put the LORD into a box he calls us all to do different things at different times.  School had become a religous idol and I needed to let it go.  Infact I learned to let go of a lot of things this year.  Freedom is a beautiful thing!

Here are some mini updates on what everyone has been up to this last year.

     Ellie is now in 4th grade and learning so much, including violin at school! She is also doing chourus, musical theatere, art, and sailing.  So many of her activities take place at school either during school hours or directly after school which is such a blessing.  She is growing into a strong sweet girl who is always wanting to learn more about the LORD and caring for others.  Her sweet sensitive heart blesses me always.

     Madyson is in 1st grade and she absolutley loves school.  Madyson is doing art, piano, and ballet.  She is loving ballet especially and just moved up a level.  Madyson has vibrant spirit and loves to learn how and why things work.  She also is always wanting to learn more about the LORD and was blessed with a bible of her own this summer that she loves to take to church with her.  Her adventerous spirit that sees no limits to what can be done reminds me to never stop dreaming.

    Our sweet Trevor is 4 and really is a big boy now.  He attends preschool 3 days a week and though he still talks about his friends and teachers in Santa Cruz he really loves his new school.  Its hard to believe that in 9 short months he will be at school with the girls in transitional kindergarten!  He is full of energy and a cuddle bug all at the same time and I wouldn't have it any other way!

 
       Our little Luke is 2 years old and growing up so fast. Luke has enjoyed having a preschool routine this year and enjoys his friends and teachers there.  He has the sweetest most gentle spirit and I love to watch him blossom and grow.

   
       Ava bean as she is affectionatly called is also 2.  She has a personality that wins over the masses.  Her Sunday school teachers comment on the fact that she makes jokes and she knows she is funny.  Ava is also enjoying preschool and has taken up ballet with her big sister.  She is a sweet and sensitive spitfire who will likely take over the world when she grows up.

   

Dustin's job changed of course as well as mine.  And though there are always challenges to new jobs we have both settled in well and are enjoying the ways our jobs are stretching and growing us. As hard as our move has been with adjustments and finding our way here God is faithful and He has been with us every step of the way. He has quietly whispered I have you right where I want you, just put one foot in front of the other.

I have grown in so many ways over the last year.  The LORD has brought healing to wounds I didn't even know I had.  I feel so much more confident in my faith and grounded in His love.  I am looking forward to 2016 and all the ways we will see the LORD move and how our children will grow.