A Must Read: A Letter to My Step-Daughter @DaytonMomsBlog

I’m a little late in sharing this (it was published last Friday), but it is still worth a read. My wife has another post on the Dayton Moms Blog and it gives a little peek into our journey of being a blended family.

Before we added to our family through adoption, we took on the challenge of blending a family of three boys and one girl spaced out from elementary school through a new high school graduate. Like most families, this was new territory for us and we faced a few challenges. Cheryl writes about that in her post.

I joked with her that her post makes me sound smarter than I really am, but I loved her honesty in this particular paragraph:

He told me to be patient and that was so hard. I wanted an instant family, I wanted you to just fit right into our family with my kids, and that was so selfish of me. Being patient was hard, but oh the wonderful things I was able to see and observe in that time. I watched you grow and mature from a distance.

Take a few minutes to read the letter on the Dayton Moms Blog.  Hopefully it will be an encouragement to you or allow you to encourage someone else facing a similar journey.

Adopted For Life

Some good friends of ours who have adopted recommended this book, so my wife and I snagged the Nook book. It was well worth it. Adopted For Life was written to those who have adopted, to those who are considering adoption, to those who know someone who had adopted and even to those who aren’t thinking about adoption, but should be.

That last category – those who aren’t thinking about adoption, but should be – is one of the main points of the book. The author, Russell Moore, contends that adoption is a picture of what God does for us through Jesus. God takes people who are not part of His family, but brings them in as sons and daughters. Even though we don’t belong to Him because of our sin and rebellion, God gives us a new name as His children. Adoption in this life reflects what God has done for us.

The author and his wife have adopted two Russian boys into their family after a struggle with infertility. They have also welcomed two biological children into their home and he writes about that experience and the questions that they receive as a result of the unique make up of their family.

Moore covers a variety of issues that relate to adoption. He speaks to those who have struggled with infertility and to those who have biological children. He talks about the paperwork involved, offers advice on finding an adoption agency and speaks to the cost of adoption. He also provides insights to some of the unique struggles adoptive parents and adopted children face.

It is clear through this writing that Moore encourages to the church at large to be involved in adoption, whether through encouraging adoptive families, providing funds and challenging individuals to consider becoming adoptive parents. Adopted For Life is a good read and presents a compelling picture of it looks like to adopt.

New Book “Unstoppable” Nick Vujicic

A lot of people have heard the name Nick Vujicic.  I’ve seen people post videos of his inspiring story.  He has spoken in schools and churches around the country.  His new book Unstoppable is set to be released in a just a couple of weeks.  Below is a video that gives some idea of what the book is about.  You can even read an excerpt of the first chapter by clicking here.

I received my preview copy in the mail this week and look forward to reading it soon.  Check back here in a few weeks and you can read my review of it.

There is a link on the excerpt page where you can pre-order your own copy of Unstoppable.

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

I first read Batterson’s In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day several years ago and then had the opportunity to review it for the Blogging for Books program.  Batterson has become one of my favorite authors and I have had the opportunity to read and review Primal, Soul Print and just recently received The Circle Maker.

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is based on the story of Benaiah, one of King David and Solomon’s soldiers, who defeated a lion along with some other remarkable achievements.  Batterson uses Benaiah’s story as a spring-board to talk about how we face opportunities.

Mixing in Biblical references and stories from his own life and the lives of others he knows, Batterson provides seven principles to help Christ followers when confronted with new challenges.  He offers some good insights and make some nice parallels between Benaiah’s (and other Biblical characters) experiences and how we respond to the lions we face.

Chapter 4 on “The Art of Reframing” and chapter 6 called “Playing It Safe is Risky” provided some good challenges to me as I read it.  Overall, it is an excellent book and applies to all Christ followers because, even though our lions might be different, we still need help in facing them.

One nice feature of this book was the summary at the end of each chapter.  There were several bullet points that hit the highlights from the chapter.  It would provide a good launching pad for discussion.

This is definitely a good read and one you should check out.

(I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my review).