A New Name and A Fresh Point of View

In different times and in different ways, our heavenly Father offers us a simple proposition: Follow me beyond what you can control, beyond where your own strength and competencies can take you, and beyond what is affirmed or risked by the crowd-and you will experience me and my power and my wisdom and my love.
Jesus beckons me to follow him to that place of weakness when I risk the vulnerability of a child so that I might know how strong my Father is and how much he loves me.
- From Just Courage by Gary A. Haugen

So many people, when they find out about our adoption plans, especially of a 14 year-old, can't help themselves. They have to tell us how crazy we are and how much this is going to change our lives. (like we didn't already know) I so appreciated Gary Haugen's talk because it affirmed in me that as Christians, WE ARE supposed to be the ones doing the crazy things that God is passionate about. One of his quotes was, "If God is passionate about getting it done, then He is also responsible forgetting it done. God simply asks us to give what we have.".

My confidence is great in these truths:
God is loves the world.
God is passionate about the poor, widows, orphans and those who cannot help themselves.
My passion and calling from God lines up with His in these areas.
Therefore, God will be responsible for getting it done.

I know it won't be easy, and sometimes it won't be fun. But how can we stand by and simply offer lip service to the things God has called us to do?

That being said, let me share a couple of pictures from my day yesterday. By the way, Demetree has informed me that he will be changing his name to Devin, so from this point forward I will be referring to him as Devin because I need the practice.

The GOV where Devin lives, held an Olympics and I was invited to attend. I am so excited because every visit gets more comfortable and he talks more openly with me. This also means every visit gets scarier because the reality of a teen aged boy is setting in and I realize how unequipped I may be!

He won all of the events that he was entered in and seemed very pleased that I was taking picture of everything. He said, "I guess you'll be posting these on the internet, huh?" He invited me to stay for the medals ceremony and was proud to pose with his medals.

My prayer for just some time to sit in the quiet and talk to him was graciously answered by God. He rambled on about shoes and cars and various other things, but we talked and he looked me in the eye and it was good - and scary!

But, as Gary Haugen says, "Jesus didn't die to make us safe, but to make us brave!"
God made us for adventure and it's just about to start!