Not Plan B!

I found this GREAT sermon by John Piper over at Missy's Blog - It's Almost Naptime.

Adoption: The Heart of the Gospel

In it, Piper describes 8 similarities between what God did in adoption and what happens in a Christian adoption today.

1. Adoption was (for God) and is (for us) costly. Gal. 4:4-5

2. Adoption did (for God) and does (for us) involve the legal status of the child. Gal. 4:4-6

3. Adoption was blessed and is blessed with God’s pouring out a Spirit of sonship. Gal. 4:6, Romans 8:15-16

4. Adoption was (for God) and is (for us) marked by moral transformation through the Spirit. Romans 8:14

5. Adoption brought us, and brings our children, the rights of being heirs of the Father. Gal. 4:6-7, Romans 8:16-17

6. Adoption was (for God) and is (for us) seriously planned. Eph. 1:4-6

7. Adoption was (for God) and often is now (for us) from very bad situations. Eph. 2:3

8. Adoption meant (for all Christans) and means (for Christian parents) that we suffer now and experience glory later. Romans 8:22-23

Friends, read this sermon... the WHOLE thing!

OH, AND GET YOURSELF IN ON OUR RAFFLE! :)

WE NEED YOU!!

We have TWO new things to share with you... and are excited for both!

First, we want to collect photos and notes from all of you that have walked this journey with us, in any way! Please, when you have a chance, email us a photo of your family with a short note, prayer, or verse! We're going to put these together into a collage to show our babies just how many people helped to bring them home! 

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THIS WILL LOOK LIKE! Can you imagine how incredible it will be for them to understand all the people that have been praying for them.... WOOHOOO!

Example:

Baby U - we are praying for you every day and are excited to bring you home!

Second, we're collecting some items to do a raffle on our blog to raise the remaining funds we need for our adoption.

1st item: DeLong's Casual Dining $20 gift card! This is a local fav, but for all of you out-of-towners, we'll have other items that you'll love! 

2nd Item: Kim over at 'Embracing the Least of These' donated a tshirt for us to raffle off! These t's are so cute and she can get sizes s-xl. 

So, to give everyone a chance to win, we are treating this like a raffle! Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. You can either send us a check in the mail (email us to get our address at ucherek1 AT hotmail DOT com) or donate through paypal on the right side of our blog. Once you click donate, scroll down until you see our names and photo on the Lifesong page to donate by debit/credit.
Post a comment on this blog posting so we know that you are purchasing tickets and which item you're bidding on.... winner will be drawn next Wednesday, June 23rd. 


To post a comment, click 'comments', type your info, enter your name/email address, click comment. You'll get a confirmation that your comment has been posted and should be able to see it immediately. 


THANK YOU SO MUCH... WE ARE SO HUMBLED TO BE ABLE TO WALK THIS JOURNEY WITH SUCH AMAZING FRIENDS! 

SOMETHING WORTH LOSING EVERYTHING FOR!

We just finished reading the first chapter of David Platt's new book 'Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream'.

And... it's kicking our butts!

I was going to try to sum it up in my own words, but decided the author was the author for a reason! :)

"This is the picture of Jesus in the gospel. He is something - someone - worth losing everything for. And if we walk away from the Jesus of the gospel, we walk away from eternal riches. The cost of nondiscipleship is profoundly greater for us than the cost of discipleship. For when we abandon the trinkets of this world and respond to the radical invitation of Jesus, we discover the infinite treasure of knowing and experiencing him." 

What am I willing to lose for the sake of Jesus? I want to be a part of the people who are risking it all!
Platt talks about 2 primary questions he asked himself before journeying further into this book -

"First, from the outset you need to commit to believe whatever Jesus says.... Then second, you need to commit to obey what you have heard. The gospel does not prompt you to mere reflection; the gospel requires a response. In the process of hearing Jesus, you are compelled to take an honest look at your life, your family, and your church and not just ask 'What is he saying?' but also ask, 'What shall I do?'"

Let me know how your reading is coming... we'd love to walk the journey of this book with you!