My wife and I are always talking about things we want to do, to accomplish. Being the youngest, we find it easy to measure our worth by how much we do. I remember many years of seeing an older sibling accomplish something and how one day I’d do the same or better. Somehow they kept doing things I also wanted to do, and I kept having to replace my unfinished goal with the next.

And while in the “busyness” of raising two beautiful little girls, managing a home and job, we find ourselves at odds with the desire to accomplish and finish things. Our greatest fear is to be known as people who don’t follow through.

A friend of mine told me he didn’t know of any couple that set more goals than me and my wife. That would almost be a complement except for the rest of the statement that didn’t come out, “and achieve those goals.”

So my wife and I have been talking a lot about how we need to learn to simply “be” who we are. Right now I’m not in a full time ministry, so we can afford to not be at every church function. I have a relatively easy work schedule, so I can usually be home with my wife and girls each night and weekend.

Do we want to do more? Of course, because God made us that way. We want to lead and help others accomplish great things for their savior. I want to be a full time pastor again and spend my time helping people in need. Emily wants to be part of a deeply theological discussion group with young women who are poised to be married or who are just starting their careers. But for now, we are trusting that God has more in store for us when the time is right.

So, what’s been going on? Not much – just staying busy raising little girls to love God, to do our best in the circle of friends around us, and do my best at work so I can continue to provide for my family. That seems to be enough for now!

http://www.joniandfriends.org/blog/loves-last-calling/

Today’s fun ended, however, when our eldest decided to be stubborn and disobey mommy and daddy. Now that she is 3, some of the previous means of discipline have lost their effectiveness, so we decided to remove a privilege. Because she wasn’t obedient, she would not be able to go to the pool.

While the house is quiet now (my wife and other daughter are happily at the pool), I’m reminded of how amazing our Father in heaven is. And, I wonder, how often he removes a privilege from us while he disciplines us.

I know in my own life, there have been many things that I didn’t quite get – much worse than a 3 year old. And, now, it makes me wonder what I’ve missed out on. What privilege did I not get to do while my father was shaping me and forming me into something better?

Discipline is hard – especially for parents in this world. But, our Father in heaven does it all the time with the best intentions and most amazing compassion. I hope my wife and I learn just a little bit of how he parents us in our daily parenting of our kids.

And, I’m going to spend a little more time today reflecting on the times that I, myself, disobeyed the Father and lost out on something – maybe I’ll also discover I actually learned some valuable lessons. And, I’ll pray that our daughter learns her lessons, too – without to many privileges lost.

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/finding_family/110623-adopting-siblings

Life before kids was simpler.  Now, we are faced with questions and challenges at every turn.  There are economic fears, parenting skills fears, even fears about whether or not the kids will wake up in the middle of the night and leave us exhausted in the morning.  Being a parent is the most draining and exhausting thing I’ve ever done.

But, before you say I’m a grinch, let me also share the other truth.  Our children are amazing, and we couldn’t imagine life without them.  I recently told my wife that in the midst of the craziness of life, even the times when my own trust in God is wavering, some of the truest moments are the times I look into my children’s faces and see their smiles.  Some of the most spiritual moments come when our little girls answer the question of “Who loves you?” with “Jesus loves me!”  (Of course, they also proceed to repeated sing the accompanying “Jesus Loves Me” song!)

I never expected life to be so hard and have so many twists and turns.  And, equally so, I never expected my little girls to be so important in keeping me grounded and trusting in my God!  Thank you, Lord, for bringing these little girls into our lives!

So let me declare right now, that I am thankful to God – the God of the Bible, the God of Israel, Yahweh, Jehovah, the Christ Jesus who is the Son of God and is God himself.

Why make such a public and loud statement? Paul says it well in Romans 1:16:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

I am very thankful for this good news – this gospel! And because of this hope, there are other things that I give thanks for today as well:

• My wonderful wife, Emily, who supports me with such unconditional love, it amazes me daily.
• My darling little girls, who clearly are little Rotens through and through!
• Family and friends that stand by you, encourage you and challenge you in so many ways.
• God’s provision through a job and manageable expenses.
• A city to live in that offers such variety, excursions and a healthy environment to raise our little girls.
• Technology – not only because it is fun (ipods, netflix on wii, imacs, android phones, and so much more), but because it allows us to communicate with people all around the world, sharing our lives with others.
• A passion for adoption – and a desire to share that passion with as many as will listen so that no little boy or girl will have to live life without the blessing of a caring and nurturing set of parents.
• And much more (things that you’re probably horrified that I forgot to list!)

Ephesians 5:20 – “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Over the last number of years, the concept of “Life Coaching” has come to the forefront.  At one point, Christians called the action of sharing life and helping others see their true potential by a different name – “discipling.”  It’s not much different, if you really think about it.  The big difference is where is the value going to come from – either from the world or one’s self – or – from God and his word.

Emily and I have learned in recent years that our main desire is to help others – we want to see other people succeed and grow.  In relation to adoption, we want to see others consider adoption, and we want to see entire churches become passionate about the orphans of this world.  In a way, we want to bring people and churches along side of us on this quest to serve “the least of these.”

Adoption Coaching is a great way to describe that process.  For couples that are interested in learning more about adoption or need help along the way, we want to offer ourself and our experiences.  For churches looking to see how they can help with the orphans of this world or with women who simply need someone to help them in their time of crisis, we want to offer our time and talent – whether it be to teach a class, deliver a sermon on why adoption is integral to God’s kingdom, or whatever may be needed.  We want to help others consider adoption.

So, what do you think?  Is the idea of Adoption Coaching important?  Would you and others like you be interested in connecting with people that have some knowledge about the process of adoption?  Do you think your church would welcome us to talk with them about adoption?  Let us know by leaving a comment or using our Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Wednesday, Oct. 27-Oct. 31, AnchorSoul @ Faith Baptist Church, Youngsville, NC.
Faith Baptist Church holds an annual walk-through drama of over 100 cast members the week before Halloween.  This year, it is “The War of Realms” and is tagged, “A Haunted House Alternative Where Reality Is More Riveting Than Fantasy… ”  Why is GodSpotters part of the free event? One of the goals in this year’s drama is to raise awareness of opportunities for adoption and fostering.  We’ll be promoting domestic adoption, while other teams will present information on international adoption and fostering.  JOIN US!  Visit http://www.faithnc.org and click the AnchorSoul banner, or select AnchorSoul from the Engage menu.

Thursday, Oct. 28, Amazing Grace Adoptions Fundraising Banquet, Raleigh, NC.
We’ll be taking a break from AnchorSoul for one night to join with our friends at Amazing Grace Adoptions to not only raise awareness for adoption, but for the need for people to support local adoption agencies.  AGA is located in Raleigh, NC, but promotes adoption all over the world.  They serve both domestic and international adoption needs, and have a full staff of loving individuals.  The event starts at 6:30 and will be held at the Courtyard Raleigh-Crabtree Valley.

For more information on either of these events, just leave a comment – and we’ll get in touch!  You can also email us through our Contact Us page.

Why?  Well, it was partly because of the content.  A problem had arisen at work, and everyone thought I was dealing with it when I was actually not even aware of it.  But also partly because I worry too much about what other people think of me, so it bothered me that this reflected badly on me.

The mental tailspin, however, is really a different issue.  I often feel overwhelmed in life, and I counsel others who feel the same way.  But, when you get into that tailspin, it’s really hard to get yourself out.  This morning, as I was still struggling with it hours later driving to work, I knew I had to deal with it before getting in to the office.  So, I started praying and asking myself, “What advice would you give others?”

In a very GodSpotters manner (seeing God’s hand at work in our lives), the Mandisa song, “My Deliverer” came on the radio.  I cranked it up as I thought through how the answer to our overwhelmed moments is to remember our “deliverer.”

God, through his Son, provides so much for us.  I’ve seen firsthand how he delivers from the promise of eternal separation from God.  I’ve seen how he delivers from bad circumstances and situations.

Today was my day to remember that God delivers us from our current life issues – but sometimes not to a new situation, but to a new perspective.  God is my deliverer in times of struggle.  He knew what he was doing when he brought me to this new job.  He had a plan in mind for how he would use this job to grow me more into the image of Christ.  But, maybe more importantly, how he would use this job to glorify His name – meaning it’s not all about me, and perhaps it was more important for me to be here to be used for His kingdom in the lives of the others here at the office.

So, when you are overwhelmed, consider the song “My Deliverer.”  Consider how God truly does deliver us, no matter our need, when we trust him, lay our burdens before him, and simply worship him!

When you get time, read 2 Samuel 22 (here’s a portion):

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;  my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior…”