Category: Uncategorized

I’m legit.

A couple months ago, as I was talking to a friend about waiting for our adoption process to move forward, he asked if I had my passport yet.  He and I smiled together as I realized that even if we had all the money and a referral that day, I’d have to apply and wait for a passport before I could travel anyway.  My wife went on a missions trip to the Philippines back in 2011, so she’s fine.  But I’ve not crossed US Borders since traveling to Israel in 1998.

I needed a birth certificate to begin the process.  I filled out the necessary online forms, and paid a bit to have an official copy sent to me.  A few weeks later, I was ready – birth certificate in hand.

So I went to apply.  It was a frustrating trip.  I went to Walgreens to get my picture taken for my passport, and they told me I couldn’t wear a white dress shirt.  So I went to the back of the store, put a cheap giant blue shirt on over it, and was given the thumbs up.  Then I went downtown to the post office.  Walking past a sign that read, “Apply for your Passport Here”, I waited in line through much of lunch.  Arriving at the desk, I was informed they no longer process passports at that branch.  So I drove across town to another office.  I filled everything out, only to be told I couldn’t apply for a passport, because my birth certificate was not acceptable.

My birth certificate was not acceptable?

You see, I was officially adopted by my dad as he married my mom when I was a teenager.  Because my name changed, they had to re-issue my birth certificate, and so the date of my birth did not match the date my birth certificate was registered.  So I simply needed to prove I was adopted, and document the name change.  Easily done, right?

Except after a few days of waiting on the county I was born in to respond, they apologized – my records had sustained water damage in a flood a few years back.  They would do their best to rescue and recreate the documents I needed.  Several weeks later, I was notified the papers were in the mail.  Sure enough, they came and my application was sent in.

In the meantime, I’ve faced similar issues with the USCIS in the process of being approved.  I’ve had to re-apply to the county in Michigan, to get copies of BOTH name changes I went through growing up: 1st – when my parents divorced at age 11, and 2nd – when my mom remarried.  It’s a bit complicated.

But it’s so very worth it.

I don’t know her name yet.  I’ve not seen her picture.  We’ve gotten turned down for some grants.  I’m jumping through hoops here.  But slowly, one step at a time, we are bringing her home.  We are rescuing our daughter.  Our girls are praying for their sister, in new ways every day.  Last week our 4 year old prayed, “And God, please help the big animals to not eat her.”  Ah yes..we visited the Lions at the zoo last month.  Silly home-school field trip. 🙂

So much I don’t know.  But I do know – I love her.  Thankful for ways I’m able to act out that Love, even now…

And thankful that if the call came, and the money was there….I’m ready to go. 🙂

I recently heard George Barna speak on the impact of the Church, and the state of many of us as the “Body of Christ” in the US. He has interviewed over 15,000 people in regards to their faith, and has come up with some interesting results. This will be the first of a few posts, about his content and how it must impact our families.

It’s obvious that “core values” are changing. We don’t need the results of Barna’s extensive studies to show us that. But the numbers definitely reinforce the “feeling” we get by looking around at our world today. Things that used to matter, and could be assumed to be a “high priority”, are sliding down on the scale.

One of the ways this is seen, is in how we spend our time. The average adult spends about 11.7 hours a day consuming some sort of media. Our children are following close behind, at 10.8 hours a day. That speaks volumes already. Considering 24 hours in a day, and around 10 of those hours being used for sleep (for kids at least). That leaves 14 hours of awake. Take away the 10.8 hours an average child spends consuming media, and that leaves about 3 hours. 3 HOURS EACH DAY is all the average child spends not connected to some sort of media.

Sure, some of it’s great. It’s educational and devlopmental. I’m one of the first ones to recommend shows like Super Why, Sid the Science Kid, and imaginative greats like Yo Gabba Gabba. But it’s a bit like saying “Well shucks, Corn Syrup is just like sugar. It’s just as healthy.” True statement (I’m not a health expert, or wanting to debate that here.). But the problem lies in how often it occurs throughout our daily habits. Media is EVERYWHERE. Toddlers can operate iPads better than their grandparents, 8 year olds have cell phones, and the television…..does it have an off switch? That doesn’t even begin to address the internet or video games.

It’s easy to go from constructive commentary to venting on this one.

It’s a reminder that as a Christian, we and our families been transformed by God to exist in this world differently than those to travel through the wide gate. We are the voice that calls others to face to face conversation. We are the ones who value the discipline of silence. We are those with daily planners that contain “family-time” written IN INK, that doesn’t look like another movie night. (confession: we’ve done a lot of movie nights here.)

Indeed, “media” isn’t an evil itself.  Quite a bit of good can be accomplished both in the experiences they offer, and discussion of them.  But especially for those of us with younger children, we are setting patterns this week for the self-discipline our children will someday have.  To help them in setting boundaries, in a world where it’s becoming exceedingly rare to do so….can be a great way to set our children up with space for God and others in their lives…

So turn the _____ off at some point when you otherwise wouldn’t today.  Take a deep breath, and enjoy a new activity or conversation that almost never happened.  It’s a rich experience, for sure…

It was one of the highlights of my teenage Christian-rock-music loving years. My favorite band was coming to perform in a city only an hour and a half away, and a friend of mine and I were going to go. They would be performing twice, Friday night and Saturday afternoon, and we had tickets to attend both concerts! I remember Friday morning, arriving around 10am for the 6pm concert. We were almost first in line, and surrounded by lots of other fans.

The concert was everything we’d hoped for. Our seats were okay, and the music was awesome. This was a show they did before starting their tour, so they were trying out all sorts of new things, and asking the crowd for feedback.

We had made arrangements to stay (for free) at a pastors house nearby, because we’re cheap. But with blizzard conditions outside, we were taking our time. It was getting late, and we’d been told the band had already left, so we were just killing time on couches in the public lobby. We’d just about fallen asleep when the band came out from their devotional time.

They asked us what our plans were for that night, and in our stunned stupor, we told them we were just about to fall asleep there. They invited us to come back and have spaghetti with them, and so there we were, two high school guys eating pasta with a band we were probably a bit too excited about. But the awesomeness did not end there. When they found out we were coming to the show the next day, they asked if we’d help them out. They had family nearby, and some young relatives who’d never gotten to be in the front row, because it’s usually too crowded. They asked if we’d come in with them in the morning, and protect their family members so they could be down front….of course we quickly agreed!!

Sure enough, the next day we met up with them outside. As we got to the entrance where dozens of fans were already waiting anxiously, they told us to follow them. We were able to go where no one was allowed, backstage, and entering early into the place everything was going to happen in just a few hours. We heard the soundcheck, and experienced a bit of backstage life, simply because they provided us with the opportunity. It’s something I’ll never forget.

Now imagine someone opening the door to something a thousand times more incredible. Something so incredibly out of this world, that we have a hard time explaining it. A window shade was drawn back. A curtain was torn. A door was opened. A path was pioneered. A veil was lifted. Jesus has given us a connection to be sourced in the life of the Age to Come even today!

Hebrews 2:10 says, “It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

It definitely didn’t come the way the disciples were planning.  Still today, there are times when we wish God could reveal Himself as Lord more as a “Superman” type, and less of a “loving servant” type.  Nevertheless, we read in Hebrews that in Jesus Christ, we now have access to God, and His Life, as never before.

Do we live in response to that knowledge?  Will we follow the trail that has been blazed on our behalf?