Perhaps you’ve heard on the news or through social media that LeBron James is returning to Cleveland. (Hope that wasn’t a spoiler alert for anyone.)
I saw this video today on Facebook and it is a great combo of his return and Dumb & Dumber. Kudos whoever put it together.
In just over a week we will have our final hearing and our adoption will be complete. It is hard to believe that Max has been a part of our family for 6 months and we can’t imagine life without him with us.
In the short time he’s been with us, he’s made a remarkable impact on our family. Max has brought our family together in ways we didn’t anticipate. He has been accepted right away into the family by his siblings. They ask about him, buy stuff for him, make a special effort to see him and spend time with him (and us). He even his own hashtag on Twitter (#MaxMonday). God has used Max to make a difference in our family.
Max has been used to change us in ways we never would have imagined. Just over a week ago, we found out that Max’s birth father passed away unexpectedly. Due to some unique circumstances, Max’s birth father didn’t get the opportunity to meet his son. When we found out about his passing and the subsequent funeral arrangements, we felt like the right thing to do was attend the viewing. My wife and I felt it was important that his birth father’s relatives had the chance to meet him.
We certainly didn’t know what to expect when we arrived, but it was such a time of comfort and healing. The first person we saw was Max’s birth mother and she was grateful to see him. She carried him around and introduced him to other grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and even his great-grandfather. Max’s sweet disposition seemed to bring a sense of peace to the time of mourning.
Several family members and friends came up and thanked us for bringing him. We have been so grateful for Max being a part of our family that it seemed natural to share him with his biological family.
While we didn’t know the whole picture of what adoption would do for our family before we got Max, we never would have imagined this scene. I have to think that God is not done using Max’s story and life to tell His story of love and redemption. Our story is certainly not unique and we are thankful for what He is doing in our family and in the lives of others through adoption.
A hundred years ago, G.K. Chesterton wrote, “Every time a man knocks on a brothel door, he is really searching for God.” That summarizes well the premise of author Michael John Cusick in his book Surfing For God. The book is an honest and open look at a problem with which so many men face. Cusick shares from the perspective of one who has battled issues with pornography and sexual struggles and as one who now helps other in their own battles.
The author focuses on sexual struggle as a symptom of a man’s brokenness and not simply as an issue that stands on its own. Relating pornography to the quote above by Chesterton, Cusick digs into the heart of a man, identifying the brokenness and the lies the individual believes. One sentence from the book explains it well. In telling the story of man’s struggle, he described the man this way, “His soul was thirsty for God but absorbed by porn.” Cusick does a good job of handling a difficult topic with grace and truth, mercy and honesty.
Another quote from early in the book reflects his candor: “No matter how we may justify or rationalize it, in two decades of counseling, not one man has told me that pornography made him a better man, husband, father, employee, minister, or friend.”
One of the things I appreciated about the book was the author’s honesty regarding his own struggles and the struggles of other men he assists. He brings this difficult issue into the light and deals with a dark topic in an open and transparent way. He shares stories from his own life and relates similar experiences other men have faced.
Surfing for God is a good read not just for those who are struggling with pornography, but for leaders in a local church or other ministry. It gives keen insight to the root of this issue and how God can bring men out of it.
(I received a copy of this book from Booksneeze in exchange for my review)
Thoughts from a Hoosier Fan in the Buckeye Land 