Two Fathers and Learning to Be a Son

The Father's Day That Was

God in His holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows.
Psalm 68:5 (HCSB)

Father's Day.  Two days ago.  A day when fathers were celebrated.  A day many pastors and orphan care advocates used to point to God as our Heavenly Father.  

It was also a day when bitterness welled up in many who resent their fathers, many of whom really were not in their lives at all.  It was a day -- along with its reminders -- that couldn't pass quickly enough.

Not Me

Many people who advocate for a particular cause do so because of some type of negative experience or suffering that they don't want others to go through.  It's the principle of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: "Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.  He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 

Not me, though.  I advocate for the orphan because of what I do have in my life.  I do have a strong father who taught me right from wrong, taught me the value of simply being there, taught me how to walk on my own two feet.  Our view of God as our Heavenly Father begins with our view of our own fathers.  I can see why so many people that I talk to about God have such a hard time believing He is who He claims to be.  I, on the other hand, had a terrific head start.

Just hanging out on the back porch with with dad.

 Not a day goes by that I don't think of my dad.  Oftentimes, it's one of those sayings that is unique to him (or his father before him), including my all-time favorite, "You thought like Parker's dog."  (Ask me sometime; I'll explain it to you.)  

Sometimes, it's something he did or is in the process of doing, like when I'm working in my really small garden and thinking of his working in his much bigger garden.  

My favorite photo: 3 generations & a mess of fish!

Every once and a while, not nearly as often as I would like, I will just sit down on the couch and peacefully doze off, like my dad can do like a champ.  I think of him then, too.

Transferring What I've Learned

Not a day goes by that I don't think of my Heavenly Father, either.  Oftentimes, it's one of those sayings that is unique to Him, something in His Word or in a Scripture that I have heard so often that I know it by heart.  Something like James 1:17: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."  Or Psalm 67:7: "God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!" 

Welcome to one of my conversations with God -- always better when He does most of the speaking.

Sometimes, it's what He's doing or in the process of doing.  Like conforming me into the image of His Son.  Like allowing me to come alongside others while they do the same.  Like causing my heart to melt over 13 Haitian children and the ones who are spending their lives caring for them.

Sometimes, it's just in the quiet, peaceful moments that I get to spend with my Heavenly Father.  Moments when He doesn't have to say or do anything, just be there.

I'd say I got quite a head start knowing and loving God, my Heavenly Father, because of the example of my earthly father.  Thanks, Dad.  You have not only prepared me to be a father but a son to my Heavenly Father, as well.  As far as I'm concerned, every day is Father's Day.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Interviews With Ashton: That's a Wrap

Today, I will wrap up my interview with my daughter Ashton about her recent trip to Russia to minister to orphans there alongside Russian college students with a few random questions and answers that I didn't want you to miss:

A happy little boy -- at least for the moment.

On the Angry Little Boy from yesterday's post:
"I would have adopted that little boy in a heartbeat if I could."

On the type of kids that she was most often attracted to at the orphanages and transition homes:
"It was a little boy that was angry with the world -- every time.  I connected with them -- every time." 

What a cool playground

Nina's ukulele -- a big hit!

On the orphans in general:
"It was hard to see some of the hurt in their eyes." 

On the relationship between the caregivers and the orphans in their care:
"It wasn't personal between the kids and the workers at all.  For the ones (team members) who could talk to the kids, the kids would open up to them in a heartbeat."

On imagining what it's like to go through life when there is no one to listen:
"That's what was killing me; I wanted to listen, but I couldn't.  I hated that.  That was the worst part."  (Loretta and I gave Ashton a Russian language program for her graduation present.  She has said she wants to start learning Russian as soon as she can.  If you know her, ask her how that's going when you see her.)

On worship in the church where the team visited:
"It was the WAY they worshiped.  There was this one guy -- all he had was a tambourine.  If he had been the only one on stage, he could have led the whole congregation in worship.  He just worshiped, and he didn't care who was watching.  He was all-out, and he just had a tambourine.  He wasn't singing -- nothing -- he just had a tambourine.  The whole band was like that.  So when I looked out over the congregation, the whole congregation was worshiping.  That's a huge thing."

I hope you have enjoyed joining my dialogue with Ashton.  I have certainly enjoyed bringing you glimpses of one 18-year-old young lady's first first big step into James 1:27.  Into Proverbs 31:8 -- for the voiceless. 

Thanks for reading.  And thanks for over 10,000 page views over the last 13 months!

4theVoiceless,
Al

Previous conversations:
"To Russian With . . . Hesitation?"
"Interviews With Ashton: Russia Meets Father of the Bride"
"Interviews With Ashton: Graduation & I'm Going To Be a Millionaire"
"Interviews With Ashton: An Angry Little Boy"

Orphan Run Mississippi in Photos & Captions

Orphan Run Mississippi 5K and Fun Run

Hernando, Mississippi

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Race day preparation beginning before the break of dawn.

Registration table -- part of a large army of volunteers doing an outstanding job!

Nice walk-up crowd on a cool, beautiful morning

Michael Satcher -- orphan care champion, virtual runner, T-shirt model

233 runners plus about 100 others milling about before the race.  Other encouragers at different spots along the route.

Running for orphans and remembering others.

And . . . they're off!

The real winners on this day: Some of the world's 147+ million orphans

Amanda & Amy -- orphan care champions from Cordova

The Johnsons -- orphan care champions from Senatobia

Part of Team Colonial Hills -- 9 medal winners from CHC!

That's my boy! 2nd place in his age group!

Fitting finish to the day: EmilyFaith accepting a framed photo of one of the children's homes like this race will help fund.  Handprints of some of the actual orphans in Mabaale, Uganda, who will have a place to live because of her efforts.

On behalf of the orphans in Uganda, thank you to everyone who showed up Saturday to live out James 1:27 on a beautiful Hernando morning . . . and had a blast in the process!

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Postscript:  I blogged a couple of weeks ago about my running goal for the race, a new personal best.  Alas, that did not happen Saturday.  Maybe next year.  I did, however, finish third in my age group (out of I-don't-know-or-care-how many) for my first 5K medal!

Previous Orphan Run Mississippi Posts:

"And Suddenly...Orphan Run MS"
"Prepping to Run for Orphans"
"Orphan Run Mississippi: A Personal Best, Half a House, and You"
"Orphan Run Mississippi: The Essentials"

3 Tough Questions

As I wrote on the blog last week, I am previewing a copy of Johnny Carr's Orphan Justice, which is set to be released March 1.  In it, he tackles some very tough aspects of caring for orphans.

Using his book as a springboard, let me help get your brain stirring today with three tough questions about orphans.  Consider these first through the filter of your own family and then through the filter of your church.

Question #1

How would you respond to a child of a different race?  I know that many of you have already wrestled with this issue and that some of you have already adopted children of another race.  Many of you have children in your churches of a different race already.  Many more, especially here in the South, have not yet wrestled with the issue of race, continuing to propagate stereotypes (if not downright racism) without really considering why.  It is a issue that should be wrestled with, using the Word of God as a guide.  It has much to say about racism. Perhaps start with Luke 10:25-37 and a study of the intensity of the Jews' hatred for the Samaritans.

Question #2

How would you respond to an orphan with AIDS?  This disease carries a stigma within the Christian community because of its origins, so we have largely ignored that HIV/AIDS is the largest cause of orphans in the world.  Orphan Justice tells Carr's personal journey through this tough question.  Would you bring a child with HIV/AIDS into your family?  Would you celebrate a family in your church adopting such a child?  How would you teach your child to interact with that child?

Question #3

What if abortion were made illegal today?  Those of us who say that we value life would certainly celebrate.  But how far does that value of life really go?  If the women who would have aborted their babies -- even a small percentage of them -- still did not want their babies and gave them up for adoption, would you adopt one or more of them?  How would your church respond to that sudden need?

These are not easy questions, and they do not come with easy answers.  Consider that James 1:27 says, "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (emphasis added)

I choose to remember the condition God found me in: lost, guilty, bound for hell.  He rescued me from that.  I can do no less than to join Him in whatever he calls me to do to rescue others.  After all, when Jesus calls disciples to follow Him, he doesn't tell us where we are going, just what we will be doing.   “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!” (Matthew 4:19, HCSB)

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Two Ways to Live Out James 1:27

Looking for a place to live out James 1:27 in 2013?  Here's a brief look at what's going on with the 4theVoiceless orphan care ministry during the early part of the year.  More to come later!

PATH training coming to CHC

Interested in becoming a foster parent?  Harden House Adoption and Foster Care will be conducting PATH (Parents as Tender Healers) training at CHC Southaven on January 26 and February 2 (both Saturdays) from 9:00-5:00 in the Attic, upstairs in the main building.  Both weeks are required for the training.  For more information about foster care, check out the Harden House site.

We have had families travel to Corinth, Tupelo, and Jackson for this training in the past year, so we are pleased to make it available close to home for families in northwest Mississippi.

Haiti 2013

A team of seven people from CHC will be heading to Haiti March 15-22 to serve at the House of Abraham and other discipleship programs in and around Jacmel, Haiti.  The trip is more expensive during this time of year, so some of the members of our team would really appreciate your prayers for their provision.

Have a great Friday.  Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

4theVoiceless Photos: Top 12 in 12 (1-4)

4theVoiceless Photos: Top 12 in 12

Today: #1-4

Last week, we began a look back at the ministry of 4theVoiceless in 2012 through a series of my favorite photos of the year.  Today, we look at four of my favorites from 2012.

#9-12

#5-8

Click on the photos to read (or re-read) the stories.

# 4

Kards 4 Kids

Approximately 400 hand-made Christmas cards went out from CHC to kids in orphanages in Columbia, Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Jamaica, South Korea through the Kards 4 Kids effort of Orphanos Foundation.  Another 30 or so went to kids in Haiti and Star, Mississippi.

# 3

Flavors of Forever Families: A Collection of Recipes and Redemption Stories

In December of 2012, 4theVoiceless published the Flavors of Forever Families cookbook to help raise money for our adoption fund, a fund that will assist financially as families pursue adoption.  The book contains eight unique stories of adoption (along with close to 200 great recipes!).  Reviews on the book have been great, and we still have plenty; click on the link above or the graphic below to get your own copy!

Adoption Stories:

"Temporarily Todd"
"Growing Paynes"
"It All Happened So Fast"
"Found! God's Perfect Timing"
"Give Me Faith"
"The China Connection"

# 2

Lynleigh

Tony Pillstrom and I had just returned from the Together 4 Adoption conference in Atlanta in time for the CHC Hernando preview service.  We had spent the better part of two days learning to lead an adoption ministry in our church, and I captured this shot of Tony back home living it out.  Though not of the best quality (phone camera), this photo is my favorite of 2012.

# 1

Orphan Sunday 2012 -- Washing the Feet of Orphans in Haiti

My very favorite photo of 2012 is, in fact, one that wasn't taken.  The moment just seemed too holy to snap a photo or take a video.  I assure you that the scene is captured forever in my mind.  Read the story behind the towels and then click the photo to re-live my favorite moment from 2012.

2012 -- what a year.  And to think that it all began with a suggestion, a free book, a "chance" meeting, and a "Taco Bell Moment."  I go back to those moments often to realize just how big a work God has done through this ministry this year.  We have much to be thankful for as we reflect on how God has so richly supplied what He called us to do in the first place.

Thanks to everyone who has made James 1:27 ministry happen at Colonial Hills Church and beyond.  I can't wait to see what 2013 brings!

Thanks for reading, both today and all the other times you have visited the 4theVoiceless blog.  I am honored by your interest in what we have to say.

"Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed." Proverbs 31:8 (HCSB)

4theVoiceless,
Al

Adoption Stories: Give Me Faith

Two days away from the release of Flavors of Forever Families: A Collection of Recipes and Redemption Stories, we offer a taste (pun intended) of another adoption story.  This is Joel and Lisa Basinger's story (written from Joel's perspective) of how God brought a feminine touch to a boy-heavy family:

Give Me Faith

If I have been asked this once, I have been asked it a thousand times, “Why adoption?”  There isn't a simple answer to this question.  First of all, we don't have any issues with fertility.  Lisa has been interested in adoption for a while.  I on the other hand, thought we had a big enough family with three boys and couldn't see providing for another child.  God had other ideas for us! Almost two-and-a-half years ago, I decided to do an in-depth study of the book of James.  Little did I know, before I finished chapter one, I would go through a complete transformation.   James 1:27 states, "Pure and undefiled religion is this, to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from this world."  Wow, what a revelation!  it is clear that we, as Christians, are all adopted into Christ's family through His sacrifice on the cross and directed to care for the fatherless.  Does that mean that we are all called to adopt into our family?  No, but it is clear that we are called to care for orphans, just as we are called to make disciples of all nations.

So I don't think the question should be "Why adopt?"  I think it should be "Why not adopt?”  We explored international, foster care, and domestic adoption and went back and forth several times until God led us to an amazing adoption agency in Abilene, Texas.  During this time of exploration, God worked in Lisa's heart to have her explore different aspects of adoption: race, special needs, drug use of parent, and gender.  Through each of these, Lisa learned to trust God to be faithful to give us the child He wanted us to have.  We submitted the beginning of our paperwork in April of 2012 and attended the adoptive parent orientation in July.  We met some great couples that are still friends to this day.  We submitted all of our paperwork in September, and we were approved to be shown to potential birth mothers on October 15.  We were excited; several of the other families that we went to orientation with had already received babies, so we thought it would happen quickly.  We continued to  wait while we kept seeing friends get matched.  We started to get impatient; meanwhile, in February, God decided to move us from Mississippi to Texas.  Maybe He knew what he was doing...

Coming: The China Connection

Next week on the blog, the China connection.  The first time I ever heard the suggestion of an orphan care ministry at CHC was at small group one night in the home of a couple who had twice adopted from China.  Several of the stories in Flavors of Forever Families are of adoptions from China.  There seems to be a special kinship among families who have this experience in common, so next week on the blog will be China week, when we will bring you a sample of each of these stories. 

All of the adoption stories can be read in their entirety in Flavors of Forever Families -- even as you browse the rest of the book for some new favorite recipes.  Order your copy today or pick one up at either CHC Southaven or CHC Hernando this Sunday! 

Previous previews:
"Temporarily Todd"
"Growing Paynes"
"It All Happened So Fast"
"Found! God's Perfect Timing"

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Completed Project!

Happy Friday, everyone!

4theVoiceless has several major projects going on right now. 

We're still trying to raise funds for the House of Abraham in Jacmel, Haiti, through our Hope for Haiti campaign.  (Hope to see you tomorrow at the SHE ministry crafts fair at CHC Southaven between 9am and 5pm...) 

The adoption cookbook has been an overwhelming task this week and promises to continue to be through the weekend.  We have made significant progress, though, including settling on a name for the book:  Flavors of Forever Families: A Collection of Recipes and Redemption Stories.

Today, however, we pause to celebrate the completion of a project!  Last night, I turned in over 350 handmade Christmas cards that our church's small groups and families have made over the last few weeks as part of our participation in Orphanos' Kards 4 Kids project.  I would sum up the project like this: If the kids in orphanages in Korea, Jamaica, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, and Columbia have as much fun opening the cards as I have seen our people having making them, then this project will be an enormous success.

Thanks to everyone who spent time investing in these children that you will likely never meet.  Thank you for those who invested in your own children by involving them in this project with you.  Thank you for being James 1:27 in action.  Enjoy some photos from the project:








 

 Thanks for reading.  And for moving toward the orphan.

4theVoiceless,
Al