Prayerfully Seeking God’s Direction

Today as I read about the issues with Amazon and an E-book my heart is heavy. Not so much at Amazon, but at the knee jerk reaction of people. While I don't even like the thought of the book and possible content. I do find it amazing that on Veterans Day, a day we remember the men and women who fought and died for our freedom, people are mad because they don't like the content of that freedom.

I heard a teaching not long ago about how the news media tells us what to think. I think this is an example. Has anyone personally talked to anyone at Amazon? I wonder how long and hard it would be to pull something "correctly" so that they aren't bombarded with lawsuits? Do they have a policy of what is "acceptable" to sell on Amazon? Where is the line? How does "Free Speech" work in this situation? How many people that are boycotting Amazon first sought God's direction? Every way of a man is right In his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts. Proverbs 21:2 Are we really seeking what God wants or joining in on a bandwagon that is driven by desires we don't understand. I have no problem boycotting anything that God convicts me to. I will support you boycotting anything God convicts you too. I may not agree but I respect your right as an American to make that choice. I think many of us which the Bible refers to as sheep are listening to the wrong voice. We are following the wrong Shepherd. Daily we are bombarded with the media. We listen to it on our radio, or TV, our internet and see it as we drive and shop. The media tells us who to like, who to vote for, who is good and who is bad, what to wear, what is OK. The media tells us we aren't smart enough to listen to a speech or seek answers from a business without them to "interpret " what was said. We have an Interpreter, a Helper, who is much more knowledgeable and wise than the media. "But the Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26 As we listen to the Holy Spirit and seek His direction then act we are obeying God. God called us to be set apart, a peculiar people. For thou [art] an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that [are] upon the earth. Deut 14:2

Please understand I am NOT for this book being available. I wish we didn't have adults who prey on children. I understand the cold truth of just how real this threat is. I just question the role of the media. I wonder what the chances of this whole incident being a ploy from someone either to hurt Amazon or exploit a problem with Amazon for some self gain.

A part of me wishes that the people who bought this eBook would be tagged and followed and prosecuted. Then I think of the countries where this tactic happens. I wouldn't want to live in those places. I AM proud to be an American! I am proud of our freedoms! Paul Harvey said many times, "Self government won't work without self discipline."

Please understand I am not saying don't boycott Amazon. Just make sure the right Helper has convicted you to.

Adoption thoughts

November is national adoption awareness month or something like that.   You will hear more this month about adoption than the other 11 combined probably.  It is setting the stage for people to feel compassion going into the Christmas season and maybe just maybe consider the kids that don't have forever homes for Christmas, or Thanksgiving.   To consider who these young adults call when they have aged out of the system with good news or for advice.  Sadly the answer so often is they have no one to call.  They share with peers.  They seek the advice of peers, who often have no more life skills knowledge than they do.  Sadly more often than not the cycle is repeated with their children.  They don't have the resources to help them parent.  They parent like the parents that abused and neglected them parented.  Their children are abused, neglected and dead.  Many of the girls will have children because they know that tiny baby created in their body will love them unconditionally.   We all know how much love tiny babies show.  

Adoption is tough.  It is not for the weak.  It is rewarding beyond words.  The pain and joy of children is magnified in adopted children.  Deeper pain, deeper joy as you see the hurt from their past rise up over and over and try to destroy them.  As we walk through these struggles some days it isn't pretty.  It is hard.  You wonder why you ever adopted.   You don't think you can be effective.  You don't think you heard God right when He said, "Adopt." 

Yesterday a friend sent me a link to another blog on adoptions.  I want to share that link here.  Read the commits also as this will give you even more insight in to the life of adoptive families http://www.studyinbrown.com/writing/2010/10/13/a-song-almost-heard.html I also want to borrow a line from her blog. 

Christ’s love leads us into places that no one else wants to go, where the stench and the mess and the heartache push out the well-dressed and the well-behaved.

But in this "stench and mess" is joy.   Joy of seeing children given a chance at life.  Joy in ways that only God understands.  Human words don't do justice to the Joy of adoption.   Joy at seeing children learn to care for children in ways they didn't know and would have never learned without adoption, without love. 

 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.           1 Corinthians 13;4-7

Some days I think a lot about 1 Corinthians 13;4-7.  Usually the focus is on verse 7.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.   I refuse to give up!   I do have moments I loose faith and wonder what, why, how, but my faith comes from Jesus and when I get my eyes back on Him and not on the situation I can again be hopeful and endure.  Will adopted children turn out the way you want them?  Probably not, but then will biological children turn out the way you want them?  Probably not.   No act of kindness is ever returned void.  No act of love is wasted.   We are sowers of seeds.  God is responsible for the rest.  My goal is to stand before God and be able to say, "Lord, I did the best I could." 

We have adopted 6 times.  We have a sibling group of 3 that have lived with us for almost 6 years.  We adopted a 16.5 yo girl from out of state.  When she turned 18 she went back to her bio family and that lifestyle.  We hear from her very little.  We adopted 11 months ago a sibling group of 2.   They have been "ours" since Aug.   Each adoption, each child is unique and brings it's own rewards and heart aches.  I have no regrets about any of our adoptions.  Each adoptions has brought joy and pain.  I can honestly say the joy far out weighs the pain.   Would we adopt again?   In a heart beat!   We just wait for God to bring the right child/children into our life.   Are all our other children "healed"?  Heavens NO!   They are an ongoing work of the Lord.  Some times I see much healing, some times I feel we are back to square one in an area or with a child or a behaviour.   Some behaviours that I thought we had over come cycle back and we have to re-deal. 

As you read this blog and I hope follow the link to the other blog I ask that you seek God in how you can help the child needing a forever home.  How can you help the adoptive family that is living a life not pretty and clean anymore.  How can you support a foster family that is dealing with the issues of hurt and abuse in children they know will only be with them a while.   I challenge YOU to step out of your comfort zone and help "the least of these."

Kids... or in this case GRAND kids....

The horse is 1 yo birthday present.  It is not OK for 3 yo to ride on, but 2 yo can.  He is really not trying to take it away from her, this time, but is giving hugs and kisses.

 She may not have been to excited about the kisses.

 Ham!  He was showing off for Granola!

 Such a handsome young man! 

More cousin kissing, or is that suppose to be kissing cousins? 

Music....

We started out on a rabbit trail.  Homeschoolers are good at that.  Some one ask a simple question.   Then we are off to find the answer.  The question this time was who wrote, "He is Alive!".  In finding the answer I found an artist I LOVE.  The answer is, Don Francisco.  He has some awesome music.  It is powerful.   Some of my favorites are: Morning Prayer , I Don't Care Where You've Been , Walking Wounded  Just to name a few.  I then discovered his wife and like some of hers.  The one that I loved was, We Will Ride ,but for me I needed a box of tissue for it! 

That brings me to a question for anyone that reads.  What are some other artist that's music is along these lines?  I like old classic country, western, more or less "folk" music.  Music that has a message and music that is more "country" than loud.  :)  

May your day be filled with rabbit trails of music on you-tube that I started as you clicked on the above links.  Share what you like with me!  Maybe I will find some more music I love.  I just hope it is cheap on Amazon!  

Interesting Article on adoption

As we have another day of testing God provides something interesting to read about adoption. I must say that some days this article has a lot of truth for our family.  I do "fake it 'till we make it" but along the journey the truth is some days you don't like your children very much.   I have walked this walk before so I am not stressing because some days I don't like much less love a child.  I know that with time, boundaries, structure and love God will change the child and everyone else to mesh us together.   I do want to point out how "mean" this mom had to be to help her daughter attach.   It is HARD always being the bad guy.  If your child needs painful procedures to help them grow up to be a "normal" adult you see that they get them.  Some times you even have to give them.  This is much the same. It is painful to be the bad guy day after day as you teach boundaries and structure.  It is exhausting listening to a child scream and yell at you because he isn't getting his way.   That said, I wouldn't trade my walk for anyone else's walk!   Some days I might consider trading kids :)   
http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=179

http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=731


Thoughts?  Commits?   All I ask is don't judge an adoptive family until you have walked a mile in their shoes.  May of them have issues that most people wouldn't even believe if you tried to tell them.  

“Family”

It was interesting this week as our family dynamics changed. MJ has started working part of the time helping older brothers. I think this is wonderful! He loves it. What happens is he is gone a lot. He worked Monday. Tuesday he got up early to work on school so he could go again. He left here about 7:30 with his brother. He came home from working Tuesday, last night (Thursday) about 9:15. So we were short MJ on Tue, Wed, and Thursday. By Thursday I had children walking around whining "I miss my MJy" It was funny. D11 was one of the loudest whiners. MN knew he was coming home last night and wouldn't go to bed until he got here so she could see him. Thursday in town it felt strange. I had 4 of mine plus grandson and kept looking around because I was "short".

I think he was more than a little tired last night. I didn't get much conversation out of him. No one had to suggest he shower. He came in turn the hot water heater down, dodged being mobbed by siblings that missed him and headed for the shower. He came down and said goodnight. Not only did they do the normal Tue. night run which got them sleeping about midnight and up again about 5. He got a free trip to New Mexico that afternoon. So he not only got to work he got to see the world. J who needs the army to see the world when you have brothers that have a trucking company. Since it wasn't planned that he would be gone so long he didn't take extra clothes. He is my "Mr. Clean". I did get some serious chuckles in at thinking how dirty he was getting. Did I mention he was riding/working in a bull rig? A bull rig for those that don't know the term is a livestock hauler. He was helping haul sheep and goats. These trailers have 4 decks, meaning they have 4 floors. There isn't enough room for a grown person to stand up in the sheep and goat decks, cows there is only 3 and you can stand up. You have to either crawl or walk very bent over to go in and push the stock out. It is a dirty job! The "flooring" leaks from above besides the stuff on the floor of the deck you are crawling in. See why he was so ready for a shower!

What I found so interesting is how our "adopted" family all were missing MJ so much. Both Ds kept talking about it along with MJ's bio siblings. There was no difference after 10 months of being "family" in who was missing MJ the most. I really think it was a tie between one adopted and bio sibling. Being a family really has nothing to do with "blood" and a lot to do with what you make of it. Isn't it cool we can all be family as we are adopted into the family of Christ and are adopted brothers and sisters of Jesus?
Ephesians 1:4-6 Just think, we have the same inheritance that Jesus does in the Kingdom. I think we miss the boat way too often. We put importance in the wrong things of life. We worry about "blood" instead of being thankful for THE Blood of Christ and how that allows us to draw near to God.

Just morning ramblings as I start my day. Hope everyone will spend some time today considering what is really important in life.

For Cowgrannie......

I couldn't resist!  She took such beautiful pictures today I had to share with you Tammy!