Christmas is a time of giving.  We are careful to select just the right gift for our family and friends.  They may or may not be expensive gifts, for giving is a means of showing our love, our thoughtfulness, and that we care for the other person.

At church we prepare food boxes for those less fortunate.  We may give poinsettias, fruit baskets, and/or gift cards to widows and widowers, and shop for clothes and toys for children.

At Christmas time we want to celebrate together.  We give of ourselves as we open our homes and hearts to those we love.   It is only December 12^th and I have already been a part of 6 Christmas parties.  It was a time of food, fellowship, and sharing with one another, that may or may not have included Christmas gifts.

For Kentucky Baptists this Christmas included the giving of Christmas Backpacks filled with food, toys, clothing items, school supplies, hygiene items, and possibly a Bible or Bible story book.  Partnering with Kentucky Woman’s Missionary Union and Appalachian Regional Ministry, Kentucky Baptist Churches exceeded their goal of 5000, by filling nearly 8000 backpacks.  Southern Baptists as a whole filled nearly 72,000 backpacks, with an estimated 20,000 of those given to children in Kentucky.  Along with each backpack, a gospel presentation was shared.

I had the privilege of participating in the distribution of these backpacks in at least three locations.  What a joy to see the smiles on the children’s faces as they were given a Christmas backpack.  A BIG thank you to all who filled these backpacks.

Today I felt a lot like Santa as I picked up and delivered large black plastic bags filled with stuffed animals from the Richmond LifeWay Store, that were donated by the customers that shop there.  Thanks to Store Manager J.B. Hall for his partnership in eastern Kentucky ministries year-round.

Homemade quilts, throws, witnessing dolls, winter coats, shoes, scarves and gloves, are just a few of the items that came from individuals and churches to share with families at this special time of year.

Yes, Christmas is a time of giving, and I have been blessed to see the generosity of people these past few weeks.  But, let’s not forget that we give because He gave.  God gave us the special gift of His Son that first Christmas.  Along with our giving, let’s not forget to give the message of Hope that He came to bring.  Won’t you share that message this Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!

What a ride the last year has been for my family.  After nearly 4 ½ years of waiting for our daughter from Ethiopia, my wife and I brought her home this time last year to be with her forever family.  By God’s grace the transition has gone very well.  In fact, her personality has blossomed over the last year, as she has become a very outgoing three-year-old.  Let’s just say, she knows how to work the camera!

As I look back over the year, God has taught me much about Himself through our adoption journey.  I am amazed by God’s love for us.  The first night that my daughter was with my wife and me in Ethiopia, my wife sang “Jesus Loves Me” to her as a way to sooth her to sleep.  Every night since then, my wife or I have sung this same song to her at bedtime.  She now won’t let us lay her down for bed without singing it!  We want her to know that God’s love for her is so deep and wide and high (Eph 3:17-18) that there is no place she can go where His love is not there.  We want her to know that God loves her so much that He sent Jesus to die in her place, if she will simply believe (John 3:16).  We want her to know that the love of God is not something she earns or even deserves; it is a gift from Him (Eph 2:8-9).

Closely related to God’s love for us is His (relentless) pursuit of us.  Because Jesus loves us, this I know, He takes great pains to pursue us and bring us to Himself.  As I reflect on the long journey of bringing our daughter home to her forever family, I remember days when it seemed like there was no end in sight.  No communication.  No updates. No pictures. No progress in the process.  Just when my wife and I would feel completely defeated, God would often send us a ray of sunshine in the form of a conversation, update, picture, or word of encouragement.  All we knew was that God had called us to be her parents and we would do whatever it took to bring her home.  Oh, how much more does God do this for us!  At any and all costs Jesus relentless pursues us in order to bring us into His forever family (1 John 4:10).

While I have learned more about God’s love and His pursuit of us during this journey, I have also been encouraged that He is at work for our good and His glory.  During those dark days of doubt and frustration, I can look back and see that God was working “all things for good” (Romans 8:28).  We reminded ourselves often of God’s intentional care for our lives and that He was working behind the scenes, especially when we could not see it.  All of this waiting and hoping is meant to produce trust in God, to cause us to run to God.  Much like the father asking Jesus to heal his son, we reply to Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

God has been so good to our family, but what’s even more amazing is God is good even if the past year did not go as it has.  Yet, in His kindness He has been gracious to allow this past year to be one filled with joy (yes, challenges too).  I don’t know what the next year holds, but I am grateful I know who holds the next year!