Spiral Of Colors by Jay Ballanger We've noticed with our daughter that anxiety drives a good bit of behavior. It is understandable considering what she grew up in before foster care & adoption. We are beginning to learn how to identify and address it. It is not always easy to do so and not every situation is clear-cut. Our counselor described it as a spiral. It circles around and the longer it is allowed to continue the bigger it gets. The goal is to stop the thinking (and therefore behavior) as soon as possible. This is not always easy.
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Yes, it was on this very day in 1998, that Jennifer and Jeff wed in holy matrimony. The beginning of a journey never gives away its future turns and paths. I truly never imagined we would be where we are or that we would have gotten here the way we did. But that is because God has a plan for us. He weaves our choices into that plan and this is a great mystery. An even greater mystery than marriage. One thing I have learned over and over is that God has an infinite sense of humor and an infinite sense of irony. Even more so, His great love and mercy. I am amazed and grateful for my bride, for she is mine and I am hers. I am thankful for the full house He has blessed us with in four children, especially the one that keeps bugging me while I try to write this!! Can't a guy get a little time to himself to blog?! Gotta go put some kids to bed and kiss my bride! We truly thought the adoption process was going to be a challenge, but it pales in comparison to the adjustment and challenge of new children living in the home. We knew going in, there would be behavior problems and challenges. We knew God was calling us to adopt. We read books and articles. We spoke with friends who adopted or were fostering. We prayed and thought about "worst-case scenarios" to prepare. But there is nothing like experience and some experiences cannot be prepared for...or can they? We are about to go from a family of three to a family of five! We are adopting. We are not allowed give a lot of detail at this point, but we have two coming to live with us soon. We hope they are living with us by Easter! Then we hope the adoption will be finalized by late summer or early fall, but we are not sure of timelines yet. If they are living with us by Easter, I think it is very fitting. Easter has lost its importance in American culture. Even many Christians have lost sight of Resurrection Sunday’s significance. Christmas is just more “fun” to celebrate and we tend to prefer babies over crosses and tombs. But the cross and tomb are so much more. That which is most worthy of celebration is around the corner, and we may not give it much thought until the Saturday night before, as we pick out our “Easter clothes” for church or pictures. A young guy we know, named Hunter, has gone Home this week after his battle with Battens disease. He was nine years old like Macayla. When we lose a child or witness the loss of a child, it brings up many questions and feelings. It is so hard to understand, but there is more to the story. Be sure of one thing, God did not create Battens disease! Battens disease is a mutation, which means it is a deviation from what was intended, from what was created. Battens disease, along with every other way to die came from one decision. The Bible gives us a picture of God creating everything, weaving together different parts of creation, and once it was all finished, God looked at all He made and said it was “very good.” That means perfect. That means no Battens disease, no death. Humans were part of that creation and in order for creation to be “very good” humans had to be able to experience God’s love. In oder for humans to truly experience God’s love, they had to be able to choose it. If love can’t be chosen, it is not truly love. But with choice comes the real possibility that selfishness, not love, will be chosen. I love this picture. I love looking at the details. The glass Coke bottle under the man’s chair. Two ashtrays with as many ashes on the floor around them as there is in them. The 1950‘s argyle socks. The little boy’s foot on the chair in front of him. Did it bother that teenager who seems to be keeping to himself? What is the girl on the front row showing to her friends on either side of her? The boy looking right at the camera. And all that Brylcream in the guys’ hair! I’m not sure what the event was; maybe a school event or play.
“Christlike.” It is an interesting term and often a confusing one. To be “Christ-like” depends entirely on our definition of Christ. If we define Christ according to our preferences, then our preferences will determine what it means to be Christlike.
If we define Christ according to what Scripture says (all of Scripture and not just the parts we prefer), then that will determine what it means to be Christlike. Often people question the validity of Christianity because of the way some Christians act. When Christians are hypocrites, people point to that as a reason to reject the validity of Christ. A hypocrite is one who acts in ways that contradict their stated beliefs. But, “If followers of Jesus contradict their beliefs with their actions, this undermines their integrity and not necessarily their stated beliefs.”1 For all those Trekies out there, no doubt you know what is going on in this picture. It is the Vulcan Mind Meld! For those who have a life, or just don’t care for Star Trek, the character named Mr. Spock is a Vulcan, not a human. Not only do Vulcans have pointy ears, but they have the ability to “mind meld” with others and read their thoughts. At times, I wish I had this ability so I could read my wife’s mind and apparently she wishes I had this ability as well! But then again... ...and I don’t think my wife would go for the pointy ears! A man walks into a store to buy a battery for his daughter’s ATV. He saw the price of the battery and began to complain, but he decided to buy it. Then he asked the salesman if he could get the batteries he would need for his two off-road motorcycles. Again, he complained about how expensive they were. Then he asked if the store sold tires that would fit his crew-cab, four-wheel drive pickup truck, which the store did. Again, the man complained about how much they cost. He complained about the cost of the twenty light bulbs he would need to replace just the ones in his kitchen, but he had to do it because his wife wouldn’t stop nagging him. This man spent almost an hour complaining of the cost of his blessings!
Is Christ an afterthought, or the heartbeat of our life?I have been studying the letter of Ephesians in the Bible and Paul’s address and opening statements makes us think about what it means to be “In Him” (i.e. in Christ). Paul repeatedly explains what believers are and have “in Him.” In Him we were chosen, that we should be holy and blameless (v.1:4). I can really drop the ball on the “holy and blameless” part! In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace (v.1:7). |
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