Have you ever lost something that was very valuable to you?
There’s nothing worse than the helpless feeling of knowing something exists, but not knowing exactly where to find it. A couple years ago, as Julie and I hurried off for a much needed weekend of rest and relaxation, we remembered to hide a very valuable piece of jewelry that had been given to her by a family member. Now jewelry boxes are great inventions and very useful for practical reasons, but in many ways they are also like billboards in your home pointing the way for unwelcome guests and weekend robbers. We quickly grabbed the necklace (still in it’s decorative box) and stuffed it in a pair of black shoes nestled quietly in the back of the closet, an unsuspecting place for an item of such value and beauty.
The whole plan fell apart, however, when several weeks later we decided to clean out the closet and give our unused clothing to a local charity. You know where this story is heading. Perhaps you’ve been there yourself. Yes, we gave the pair of black shoes away and the diamond necklace with them! After a full day of digging through musty bins of discarded clothing, I finally resolved that the necklace had been lost. But the feelings of regret are still there. It’s hard to accept the truth. In an effort to protect something valuable, we lost it. The inescapable reality is that it would have been safer to wear the jewelry than to hide it.
How often do we do this with our lives? God gives us something beautiful- a dream, a passion, a personality, a talent. Sometimes people recognize these special characteristics, but other times they lie dormant and undeveloped within the hidden confines of our own souls. God created you and me to be used, not hidden, and put on display for His divine glory and purpose. Sometimes it’s easy to justify our hiddenness. We want to protect ourselves from the discouragement of failure. I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Mark 8.35, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Being on display is risky. It’s dangerous. And at times it can even seem foolish! Playing it safe seems far more practical, yet we were created for so much more. So I invite you to embrace this life on display. Go ahead, I dare you, waste your life on Jesus. I promise, if you do, you won’t be disappointed.
-Chris
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” -Ephesians 2.10 (NLT)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
What We've Learned About Adoption
Last August, Julie and I embarked on a journey that has proven to be the greatest experience of our lives. We welcomed our first child, Carter, into our hearts and home through adoption.
Adoption is not easy. It is a process that can be tiring, emotionally draining and expensive. But as you can see by our smiles in this photo, the strain and stress of getting to this place quickly fades when the joy of adoption is fully realized.
Hot mom! We had fun going out when he was this little. People would comment on how GOOD Julie looked to have a newborn. She would just smile and say, "thanks."
Julie opened her heart so quickly. I entered this whole adoption thing with caution too much caution... probably because I wanted to protect her. I didn't want Julie to be hurt or disappointed in any way. As you can see in this picture, it didn't take long before I was 'full speed ahead!'
Some of our friends have asked us why we chose to adopt. I thought about that question for months before I really had an answer. I discovered that the real answer wasn't what it seemed to be at all.
We adopted for God's glory, not our own.
In his letter to the church in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul writes, "In love He predestined us for adoption 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 (Eph. 1:5-6)." God adopted us “to the praise of His glorious grace.” He didn’t need us to make Himself complete. He adopted us out of His abundant mercy. While our struggle with infertility may have opened our minds to adoption, it was the love and grace of God in Jesus that ultimately opened our hearts. When considering whether or not to adopt, the first questions to ask are not those of feasibility or affordability. Rather, we should be asking, “is glorifying and praising God my aim?”
We adopted a child in order to model for him and others the mercy and justice of God.
We chose to adopt Carter sight unseen. He didn’t have to pass a test or win our approval. He was welcomed instantly and freely without meeting any conditions. In adoption, we love because we have been loved. We are instructed to “care for orphans and widows in their troubles (James 1:27).” In doing this we demonstrate to the world and to the child the love, mercy and justice of God.
Our aim is not to take a child with little sense of worth and fill him with a great sense of worth. Rather our aim is to take a child who by nature makes himself the center of the universe and show him that he was made to put God at the center of the universe and get joy not from seeing his own tiny worth, but from knowing Christ who is of infinite worth. We adopt to lead a child to the everlasting joy of making much of the glory of the grace of God.
We know that adopting will almost certainly bring heartache and stress and suffering, just like adoption cost God the life of his Son. We are adopted “through Jesus Christ”—through his suffering. Many experience the agony of adoptions that don’t work out, cases of mental illness and profound physical disability or bizarre and inexplicable behavior. Of course this is not unique to adoption. It can happen—it does happen—with our biological children. The implication is this: we adopt with our eyes wide open. This WILL bring pain. And this may bring tragedy. We embrace it because we have a firm faith in the all-sufficiency of God’s future grace. The pain of adopting and rearing children is sure. It will come in one form or the other. Should that stop us from having children or adopting children? No. Because for every new day no matter how difficult, there is more true joy in walking with God through fire, than walking on beaches without him.
*Adapted from Predestined for Adoption to the Praise of His Glory by John Piper
Adoption is not easy. It is a process that can be tiring, emotionally draining and expensive. But as you can see by our smiles in this photo, the strain and stress of getting to this place quickly fades when the joy of adoption is fully realized.
Some of our friends have asked us why we chose to adopt. I thought about that question for months before I really had an answer. I discovered that the real answer wasn't what it seemed to be at all.
Why We Chose to Adopt:
We adopted for God's glory, not our own.
In his letter to the church in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul writes, "In love He predestined us for adoption 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 (Eph. 1:5-6)." God adopted us “to the praise of His glorious grace.” He didn’t need us to make Himself complete. He adopted us out of His abundant mercy. While our struggle with infertility may have opened our minds to adoption, it was the love and grace of God in Jesus that ultimately opened our hearts. When considering whether or not to adopt, the first questions to ask are not those of feasibility or affordability. Rather, we should be asking, “is glorifying and praising God my aim?”
We adopted a child in order to model for him and others the mercy and justice of God.
We chose to adopt Carter sight unseen. He didn’t have to pass a test or win our approval. He was welcomed instantly and freely without meeting any conditions. In adoption, we love because we have been loved. We are instructed to “care for orphans and widows in their troubles (James 1:27).” In doing this we demonstrate to the world and to the child the love, mercy and justice of God.
Our aim is not to take a child with little sense of worth and fill him with a great sense of worth. Rather our aim is to take a child who by nature makes himself the center of the universe and show him that he was made to put God at the center of the universe and get joy not from seeing his own tiny worth, but from knowing Christ who is of infinite worth. We adopt to lead a child to the everlasting joy of making much of the glory of the grace of God.
We know that adopting will almost certainly bring heartache and stress and suffering, just like adoption cost God the life of his Son. We are adopted “through Jesus Christ”—through his suffering. Many experience the agony of adoptions that don’t work out, cases of mental illness and profound physical disability or bizarre and inexplicable behavior. Of course this is not unique to adoption. It can happen—it does happen—with our biological children. The implication is this: we adopt with our eyes wide open. This WILL bring pain. And this may bring tragedy. We embrace it because we have a firm faith in the all-sufficiency of God’s future grace. The pain of adopting and rearing children is sure. It will come in one form or the other. Should that stop us from having children or adopting children? No. Because for every new day no matter how difficult, there is more true joy in walking with God through fire, than walking on beaches without him.
*Adapted from Predestined for Adoption to the Praise of His Glory by John Piper
Friday, February 12, 2010
Random Finds
Once a month a local antique store in my hometown has a warehouse estate sale. This month I was finally able to carve out some time to go. They had bought out several estates (one in West Palm Beach) which just sounded cool.
I'm pretty sure that's where this came from. It was made of steel and had 8 square compartments.
I first noticed it as anotheropponent shopper was checking it out. So I did what any shopper would do and acted uninterested- that is, until the woman put it down. Then I moved in for the kill.
I'm not exactly sure what its original purpose was but I can only guess it was used to carry milk bottles (when they used to be glass). It was $20 and I knew exactly what its new use would be.
So I found these for .50 a piece.
I filled them with stuff like this.
And this was the result. Another great way to recycle and reuse! Now all those paperclips, rubber bands and other office supplies are at only an arm's reach when I'm at my desk.
I'm pretty sure that's where this came from. It was made of steel and had 8 square compartments.
I first noticed it as another
I'm not exactly sure what its original purpose was but I can only guess it was used to carry milk bottles (when they used to be glass). It was $20 and I knew exactly what its new use would be.
So I found these for .50 a piece.
I filled them with stuff like this.
And this was the result. Another great way to recycle and reuse! Now all those paperclips, rubber bands and other office supplies are at only an arm's reach when I'm at my desk.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Selling the House!
If you've ever bought or sold a home, then you know how trying it can be. Normal people loathe it. But for whatever reason, Julie and I are the rare exception to the rule... probably because we LOVE the challenge of taking something old and unwanted and restoring it to new life.
Five years ago (has it really been that long!) we bought an older home in an established neighborhood. It had been on the market forever because of its OFFENSIVELY yellow color. Julie calls it "highlighter" yellow. The price was right so we bought it. Within a week or two of closing, we had it painted. We remember neighbors pulling over, rolling down their windows, and applauding as they made their way home from work. One neighbor was a little upset though..."Now how will I give people directions to my house? I always just said to turn left past 'the ugly yellow house!'"
Five years ago (has it really been that long!) we bought an older home in an established neighborhood. It had been on the market forever because of its OFFENSIVELY yellow color. Julie calls it "highlighter" yellow. The price was right so we bought it. Within a week or two of closing, we had it painted. We remember neighbors pulling over, rolling down their windows, and applauding as they made their way home from work. One neighbor was a little upset though..."Now how will I give people directions to my house? I always just said to turn left past 'the ugly yellow house!'"
It's amazing what a little paint can do (and a little yard work). We chose a warmer much warmer grey/tan/taupe color, did away with the kelly green door, shutters and awnings and contrasted the taupe with black accents and a red door. Here was the result... drum roll please!!!
The inside was pretty dated as well. The house was built in 1972 and we bought it from the original owner, an eighty-something year old woman who took immaculate care of it. Oh yeah, we used Devoe Paint, color "stone grey" I think...
The living room before and after...
Kitchen... We painted the cabinets this color (Green Briar, Valspar paint) because Julie had an antique mixing bowl this color and thought it would be just perfect for kitchen cabinets. I was a little hesitant at first, but (as usual) she was right.
Den and Breakfast Area... We removed a large section of wall opening the two rooms into one which made the flow much better for entertaining.
Half Bath... We loved how this one turned out. The granite was a scrap piece from a local granite yard, and I did the faux technique on the walls by making 12" squares in opposite directions with bronze glaze (from the Home Depot). We found the sink and faucet greatly discounted on Overstock.com. Did I mention that we are BARGAIN SHOPPERS?
The Office... This room was the last one we renovated- mainly because we just used it for storage for the first 4 years! But when I changed jobs and began working from home, I needed a place to set up shop. Our total cost in this renovation was (give or take $250). We mixed paint we already had to get the wall color and used wood stain and floor varnish to paint over the 1970's floors. I bought the sofa for $50 after finding it on craigslist and painted the desk I found for $60 at a local thrift shop.
Renovating this old house reminds me that God can "make all things new" and bring beauty from the ashes of our lives. Julie and I know that our home is simply a place to live and it holds no eternal value. One day (probably soon) it, like everything else will be outdated and ugly again. Matthew 6:20 says, "Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal." Our friends are our greatest treasure. We enjoy restoring things only as a hobby.
In December we put our home on the market. Stay tuned... if we sell it we will find another ugly house in the same general area to fix up.
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