Saturday, February 2, 2013

Paper or Plastic

A paper bible you can feel the word in your hand and it is great. A plastic iPad, cell phone or other plastic electronic device, you might as well have a block of wood or a cold hard stone in your hand?  I think, paper is my answer.  I have been a reader of the bible now for 20 plus years and just started reading books of spiritual value in 2011.  I also enjoy reading the newspaper from time to time also.

Paper is my vote,  not that I am against technology. it is just the way it should be, paper over plastic every time.  Flipping pages to find that verse pastor just mentioned, referencing scriptures to those mentioned in the books I am reading.

I am often called Amish, not to make fun of , but comparing me to old ways.  We do not have cable tv either, my wife just started using oil lamps.  OMG you techno peeps might say.

Something about slowing down life and enjoying it.  Paper has a lot to cherish.  Try it one day, you may like it once again.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

10 years ago, 2 kings & a queen

For reasons we only know to be of God, our kids, our family is made up from adoption.  Summer of  2003 God spoke to Tammie, in turn she spoke to me about foster to adopt.  We started that journey into the unknown.  Square One for Youth was the agency, though at that time they had very little staff to train.  So much of our initial instruction came from Franklin County Children's Services in August of that year. 

I remember these much older ladies leading the class, they had been each with FCCS for probably close to 30 years each and they were a little rough around the edges.  The rougher of the two, stated, if you came here expecting babies, not going to happen.  We just knew we were called to this to add to our family.  We had to put in print the ages we wanted to focus on when fostering.  We said age birth to 10 years of age.  To cut the story short, we ended up with 5 new born babies in 5 years of fostering.  Nothing to due with man, but with what our God had planned.  Two of those are our boys today and our daughter came to us at age 2.  Yes we got close to several of the toddlers, even shed some tears along the way.

I think many times about my grandmother, she raised me, my brother and sister and way before we were born she was a house-mom.  I am sure there was more of a proper name, but I am not sure.  She worked at what use to be known as The Franklin Village,  OR Franklin County Children's Home off Frank Rd.
She worked there in the 1950's, I have several newspaper clips with her pictured with kids needing a home.
If she had been alive when we started our journey I am sure she would have been blessed by our efforts. 

A ministry called Precious Hearts started in June 2007 with the inspiration of one baby, his name was Daniel.  At our churches Easter drama we had just got a call to take another new born into our care. So we did, both very involved with the drama and how do we juggle this guy, surely not in the church child care, he was only days old.  Well, many a church folk came to help out while Tammie was being a stage manager while I drove the shuttle bus.  So many questions came out of that situation, who was this baby, where did he come from, how did you get him and so on.  With much prayer, church support and attending a Orphan Summit at Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster the ministry was birthed.

I am so glad Tammie heard that voice from the Lord, that I listened to her, that God has used us to touch lives of those little ones who came into our home.  I am so much thankful for our family, we started in 2003 as two, with a dog, then 3 kiddos blessed our lives forever.  We are now the grateful 5!

If you know of someone, maybe it is yourself who has been wanting to add to your family by the wonderful way of adoption and you have no wisdom of where to start.  Drop a note to Tammie and me at precioushearts@ymail.com and we will do our best to give you some wisdom and support for this journey.