Dependant Upon God

For truly, I say to you,

if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,

‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move,

and nothing will be impossible for you.”

 Matthew 17:20

It is our prayer to be completely dependant on God.

What does that mean?

In the same way that Jesus was dependent upon the Father, we now have to learn how to live dependent upon Jesus Christ. It is only as we surrender ourselves to Jesus and allow Him to live in and through us, that the work of God is accomplished in the world.

This is the way that God has chosen to work. There is no other way. In the same way that 2000 years ago God the Son walked upon this earth in His earthly body, today He walks upon this earth in us, in Christians. We are now the body of Christ here on earth. We are the vessel through which God's truth is poured out upon humanity.

 It is only as we learn to allow the Holy Spirit within us, to guide us into a dependent relationship with Jesus Christ, that our thinking begins to align with that of Gods. This is a process, a painful process at times, for we are stubborn and stupid, and we cling to that which we have always known and done.

(taken from Dr. Stephen D.)

Powerful life changing words!

As of last night, one mountain has been moved

and we were able to share our faith in the process.

 Praise God!

Our home is rented for the next two years

with the option to buy at the end!

In a sea of mountains, a few small ones

have been moved regarding

the adoption process.

It would be too lengthy to explain

but very thankful that

God is working in me

and through me.

If God is for us than who can be against us!!

God Can Move Mountains

I've struggled a lot the past few days.

It can be overwhelming to think about all the obstacles we have ahead of us.

Obstacles that only God can move.

I want to completely trust and rely on Him

not only through this adoption journey

but with my whole life.

Not an easy thing to do...

I want nothing more than

to stay in the center of God's will.

Right now,
nothing is going right...NOTHING!

We have no money.
We don't even know if Chad will have a job in a month.
We have been in negotiations with our current neighbors
about renting/buying our home and things are not looking good.
We found out today that we will not be able to send in our LOI
 until our home study is complete (6+ months)
and I don't know if our agency will let us hold his file that long.

So to make things clear we may be broke and jobless,
our renters are backing out, and we don't even know
if we are going to be able to pull this adoption off.

I want to have faith.
I want to completely trust Him.
I want to be dependant on Him.
I want His name to be glorified.

Lord, I lay this at the cross and put my trust in you.
A look back and a little chuckle... why do we get ourselves worked up so much?
Nothing is greater than His plan!
Chad was rehired, the renters signed a two year lease with us,
and God has provided the money needed thus far.
May I continue to come back to this page throughout this process as a reminder
that all things are in His hands.


“For whatsoever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” – Romans 15:4

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” – 1 John 5:14-15

“The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.” – Psalms 145:18-19

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

Will We Trust Him

Encouragement for the morning

Will We Trust Him?



Lord, I'm listening

Be still, and know I am God

I will be exaulted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 46:10

That is where we have been for some time now-
 being still.

Its not an easy place to be

but we have grown so much
in this moment of stillness.

I say moment because that is all our life on earth is compared to eternity.

We have used this time
to eliminate the distractions

in our lives
 in order to fully focus on Him.

As we grow in God's word

so does our desire for the orphans.

The Lord has blessed us
 with a daughter from China

 as well as an extended family-

her forever family.

We have learned that following Christ 

isn't easy

it doesn't always make sense

it doesn't always end
 the way you want it to

but

His name is always glorifed.

I waited paciently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1

The answer to my prayer.... an email received the very next morning...

Dear Mrs. Gray,

The child you inquired about last month is now available. The two families before you have decided they are not able to adopt at this time. Would you be interested in reviewing his file?

Sincerely,

The Adoption Agency

 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.

Psalm 40:8

The Fatherhood of God

What better day to celebrate adoption than on Father's Day?

                       

It is not the same video but it is similar to the one shown at church today.

Care for Children

The Fatherhood of God

by David Platt



"We care for orphans not because we are rescuers. We care for orphans because we are the rescued."

This message stayed with me all day.

Tonight Chad and I decided to take a long walk together.

We began to share with each other the desires of our heart.

We both feel such a strong desire to adopt...

but it just doesn't make sense right now...

it just doesn't make sense.

Laying it at the cross... 

  As I spent time in prayer that night, I asked God to please just make things clear for me... I never imagined just how clear things would be the next day....

His Love

I started this blog as a private blog for myself to journal as I spent time in prayer regarding the direction of our life. Wanting to surrender our lives to Him whole-hearted and seek His face and plant ourselves smack dab in the middle of His will. Knowing the desire to adopt again was still there, I asked Him to please take that desire from me if it wasn't His will. Little did I know, the same day I started this blog... we accepted a little boy in to our program... a little boy that God would soon lead us to adopt. The beginning of our red thread...

To those faithful in Christ:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.


For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Love,
Paul

(Ephesians 1)