AbolitionART

I just had to pass onto you a site to encourage you in your very own calling.  This site is put together by a few women in northern Indiana who are ordinary women, living lives and mothers, teachers, sisters, etc. but who have put their God-given talents into use to spread His love for others and help us all become more aware of those in desperate need. 

Please check this site out and see for yourself! I KNOW it will inspire and encourage you to begin  to pray about how God wants to use YOUR unique giftedness to share His Kingdom right here on earth, even today!

This is their dye4LIFE artQUILT (just one of many of their projects)-- read more about this unique expression of art and educational program here.

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A Passion Worth Sharing

For years, well-- ever since I can remember really -- I've always felt a strong desire to do something with / for / about, etc. children with no families.  When I was little, I pictured only dark-skinned orphans because in my little, unknowing mind, all orphans had beautiful brown skin.  Today, I know "orphans" are neither all children nor do they all have "beautiful brown skin."  Some orphans are young, some are older, some live in countries far away, and some-- well, some live in our very own neighborhoods.  I have four dearly loved children that I have birthed and much to the dismay of many I know, my husband and I (who also shared the "tug" towards something having to do with orphan care when we met and dated) still have that desire.  We don't know what it will lead to and we don't feel that we will be adopting tomorrow (so those of you who might be a bit breathless right now can breath easy=), but we do know several things that remain true of those who follow after Christ.

As true children of God:
1) We are ALL adopted-- adopted into God's family ( Romans 8:14-15)
2) We are ALL responsible to love others and demonstrate this love ( I John 4:11 ) and that will most likely be in some way that is an "inconvenience" to our personal life (I John 3:16).
3) We are ALL called to "do good, seek justice, correct oppression, defend the fatherless, plead for the widows" (Isaiah 1:17)

If you haven't ever considered the cause of the orphaned, I plead with you to take to heart these Scriptures from above (and there are many, many others).  Perhaps the following list of ideas and websites (which is just quick and small due to my own time tonight) will help spur you on to seeking out how God might want YOU to get involved.

1) Pray. If you haven't a concern for the fatherless and oppressed, seek the Lord and He will give you a concern for them; He wants you to care about the things He cares about-- and He deeply cares about injustice and those with out hope.
2) Read up! Search up! (That's not a word, I know!  That's why I love blogging so much-- really, grammar...English rules...who needs those, right?! I'm only kidding, Sis!;)
3) ACT!!!!  Do whatever it is that the Lord then leads you do to. 

Orphan Care:
I Care About Orphans -- Branch of Focus on the Family that deals specifically with orphan care.
Show Hope -- Organization founded by Christian music singer Steven Curtis Chapman helps teach about orphans & gives support to adoptive families. 

Human Trafficking:
International Justice Mission -- Organization of attorneys and other legal professionals dedicated to  rescuing victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression.
Not For Sale -- Organization dedicated to ending modern slavery
Aware to Care -- Blog dedicated to human trafficking education.  Written by another woman who is just doing her part to help end slavery and bring justice as the Lord requires.

Know Your (State's) Number: -- Visit your state and local government agency pages to find out more information about foster care and those awaiting adoption in your state.  I'll make it even easier for you, just click here to find out more!  (Please note, there are NO STATES in which the number of children available for adoption exceeds the number of churches in these states.  If only ONE FAMILY per church were to STEP OUT IN FAITH and adopt from within their own state, we could wipe out our country's foster care system!  Wouldn't that be AMAZING!?!  What could our countrymen say about the family of God then??)

Dear friends, go out and love -- get involved!

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An Awesome Example

I wanted to blog about a family that has been an incredible example to me of suffering a trial so unimaginable and yet leaning upon God in even their very difficult trial: meet Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth.  Yeah, yeah, I know you "know" them (just like I "know" them-- they're on my "people most wanted to meet in life before I pass" list=).  If you are not familiar with them, let me just give a small bio on them:  They met and fell in love in high school. (I've seen pics-- trust me as I say they are a great looking couple NOW, but even though very famous currently, they still have awful high school pics just like we all do!)  He went on to become this famous singer and have an amazingly beautiful wonderful family.  After they were "done" having their own biological children, through a maze of detail which only God can orchestrate, they began adopting and ended up with three beautiful adopted children from China.  They began an amazing organization (am I saying "amazing" too much?  Really, I can't say that enough in this case.) called Show Hope which helps in all avenues related to orphan care and adoption.  Together, SCC and Mary Beth had six children and were making and incredible impact on the entire world for Christ and growing His kingdom through helping to raise awareness of the desperate need for people to open their hearts to Christ -- AND to orphan care.  (All this with a minor "side" of being an highly sought-after and world-wide Christian music artist-- well, anyway, in my very humble opinion the music was just a "side" for a greater work.)

(This picture taken from the People magazine article http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20201819,00.html)

On May 21, 2008 the most unthinkable thing happened: a tragic accident took the life of their youngest girl Maria Sue.  Even writing this stops my breath and I can not even begin to imagine what that must have been like, and continues to be like day in and day out. Last fall my husband and I had the awesome privilege of seeing SCC and his wife in concert-- WOW, what realness, what vulnerability, what incredible FAITH!!!!  Though they have been struck by incredible sadness and tragedy, they have chosen to let God take it and do a work in them and they continue to walk this road the Lord has chosen for them and glorify God through it all. 

I walked away blessed by some music for sure-- but the greater work remains turning over and over and over again in my mind as just about not a week goes by when I ask myself: Do I have that kind of faith?  Faith that says "You are God.  You can be trusted NO MATTER WHAT You bring into my life."  What would I really do, what would I really say about God, should He choose to bring tragedy of this scale into MY life?  I mean, really, right now it's about all I can do to trust that He'll provide the money we need for our monthly bills!  No, instead SCC and Mary Beth have chosen to say "You are faithful." and even  "You are GOOD."  May God grant the Chapman family blessings upon blessings for being in the place like Job and choosing to remain faithful to Him when it would have been so easy to just turn their faces...

If you have any resources to purchase SCCs album released after the death of Maria Sue, PLEASE DO SO!  You will be so blessed when the trials of your own life can be viewed through the music that rests upon the Truth of Scripture and that gives us the ONLY True perspective that God is God and He remains in control of our lives and what He does in us is GOOD, all. the. time.  Below, you will find a few of the lyrics from two of the songs on the CD "Beauty Will Rise" (From Title Track "Beauty Will Rise" and "You are Faithful".

Out of these ashes... beauty will rise
and we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes... beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning...
in the morning, beauty will rise

Though I cannot have the answer
that I'm wanting to demand,
I'll remember You are God
and everything is in Your hand.
In Your hands you hold the sun, the moon,
the stars up in the sky,
for the sake of Love, You hung Your own Son
on the cross...to die...

You are faithful!
When you give and when You take away,
even then still Your name
is faithful!
You are faithful!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe You're faithful.

So faithful...

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