Thank-you

Ahhh, it is a new day.

Thanks to all of you who have chosen to enter into this journey of caring for children. I believe we are very close to the heart of God when we are engaged in caring for those who have no one to care for them. A heart that is pure but a heart that is also often broken.

Julie and I began the foster/adoption process as a result of God wrecking our heart over children in need. That has not changed. Our desire still remains to offer the love of Jesus specifically to a child/children who have been cast aside. For us it has come to mean more than sending a check to Compassion International each month (as vital as that is), more than even visiting the children we sponsor, it has become a commitment to open our home and to encourage others to open their homes in Jesus' name.

Early Jesus followers were known for their willingness to rescue children who had been thrown away by Roman society. To embrace those who were considered of no value. The challenge still exists in virtually every society today. How will those of us who are Jesus-followers respond?

We called our agent at the Christian Children's Home of Ohio yesterday. We thanked her for walking this path with us. A difficult journey. And we assured her that we were ready and willing to continue to care for kids who have no home.

Our prayer is that there will one day be a time when there are no discarded children but that all the children of the world are cared for and loved in Jesus' name.

Again, thank-you for joining us on this journey. By God's power at work within each of us . . . let's change the world one child at a time.

Don't like this journey too much

We received a call yesterday afternoon that Baby Elijah would be born last night. Very exciting. Lots of prayer.

Just received a call that he was born at 7 this morning--healthy. Thank-you God.

Birth mom has made the decision to keep him. Hmmmm.

Don't even know what to say.

Trust God. Believe all is for the best.

Don't like this journey too much.

Waiting

Baby Elijah was scheduled to be born on Good Friday.

We received a call around three that birth mom did go into the hospital for her c-section. Due to some complications I won't go into right now, the surgery did not take place.

We're waiting once again.

Please join us in praying for a healthy delivery.

God, it's hard to be patient, and yet I know you are in control. Please give birth mom a peace that comes straight from You. Send your angels around baby Elijah . . . help him to have a healthy birth. Place him where You want Him. May he grow into a man who is deeply in love with you.

Unplugged

I just returned from the "soft launch" of our new Unplugged Venue at the Portage Street Campus of RiverTree. The teams did an amazing job of transforming some second floor space into an area that looks and feels like you're walking into a Panera Bread Cafe.

This Easter Sunday Unplugged will be open to allow more people to worship and hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. We're able to seat 120+ people at round bistro tables in each service. The music will be accoustic and the message shown on several BIG HD tvs. The coffee bar in the corner will serve coffee from one of my favorite hangouts--Muggswigz. The entire environment is designed to facilitate relational connecting and interactive learning.

I LOVE being part of a church that is willing to take risks and do whatever it takes to bring more people into the presence of Jesus!

Wrestling

I've been wrestling for awhile with what exactly to talk about in our Easter services this weekend (Of course I'm going to talk about the truth of the resurrection). Time and time again I hear stories from people who are nearing the end of their life and they make the statement, "I've been going to church my whole life and I never really heard what it means to be a follower of Jesus," or, "I heard a lot about the church but I never really knew what it meant to be a Christian."

So I'm committed to presenting the Good News of Jesus Christ in the most precise and understandable way possible this weekend. I don't want one single person to be able to walk away and say, "I never knew . . .," "No one ever told me . . ."

But the question still remains, "In a society that has been saturated with 'Jesus stuff,' how do you scrape away all the junk to get to the heart of God?"

I'm praying for God simply to speak through me. For Greg Nettle to be out of the way. For Jesus to be present. For the Savior of the universe to invade our lives.

I have the opportunity this weekend to share the message that changes eternities. The responsibility is awesome. At times overwhelming. I'm taking it very seriously.

If you're a Jesus-follower you have the same opportunity with those you come in contact with. What would you say? What will you say?

Not in my house

I was talking to a friend about how glad I am that a black man is one of our leading Presidential candidates. Not necessarily because I believe in Obama's platform but because it's forcing us as a nation to deal with our bigotry that is still so alive and well. My friend told me that he was working alongside of another man who asked him if he thought our country was ready for a "colored" President . . .

Meanwhile, I'm waiting for a little black boy to be born on Good Friday. A little black boy who may very well become my son.

Someone very close to my family offered to take my daughter Tabitha to raise--so that she wouldn't be damaged by having a black brother. Damaged by having a black brother . . .

Alive and well. Bigotry. It's still so alive and well.

Not in my house.

"There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

Still lost in space.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have access to a gun. Yes, a gun. It's part of the survival kit stored aboard the Russian space capsule attached to the station. And everyone is equal--they all know where the gun is.

Just out of curiosity, who are these space cadets going to shoot to ensure their "survival?" I'm guessing that bullets won't do much good against alien invaders. Sooo, it must be to protect themselves from one another.

I personally wouldn't want to venture into the outer limits with people that I might need to shoot. But, then again, I did grow up watching Lost In Space, and we all know what happened with Dr. Smith.

The bottom line is this: You can take a human out of our atmosphere, but we're still broken, fallible, fallen . . . in need of a Savior.

Shoes

This past weekend at the end of all of our services (only on Sunday since we had to cancel our Saturday night services due to a blizzard) we gave people the opportunity to be a blessing to others. We wrapped up our "Unplugged" teaching series by talking about getting rid of our idols. We defined idols as anything that takes God's place in our heart.

As people left our campuses we had boxes at the door. Everyone was invited to take their shoes off, drop them in the box, put on some plastic medical booties and leave. The shoes would then be given to a variety of local charities that cared for people on the margins of society.

Ummm, when we planned this, we weren't anticipating the 18" of snow that would fall and make the parking lot an absolute mess of salty, slushy snow.

As I stood at the door taking one of my favorite pairs of winter shoes off a lady actually walked back in after going out to her car. She said, to no-one in particular, "I love these shoes" (and they really were nice shoes). She smiled at me and threw them in the box.

As I walked to my SUV, in my socks and thin layer of plastic, I couldn't help but think of the words of the Lord to whom I have given my life, "I needed clothes, and you clothed me." (Matthew 25:36) Somehow, walking through cold snow so that I could give my shoes to Jesus seemed more like a privilege than an imposition.

Delay

Okay, this is one I hate to write. But, like it or not, you're sharing in this journey with us now.

We received a call late this afternoon that the c-section did not take place. I won't go into the details except to say that they are not health related and the birth mom has not changed her mind about the adoption. (Vague enough?)

The c-section has been rescheduled for 3/21.

Our official welcome into the roller coaster ride called adoption land.

Birth certificate

We received a phone call last evening from our adoption agency. A single question changed everything: What name would you like on the birth certificate?

Whoah. This is actually happening.

If all goes well and as anticipated . . . Elijah John Nettle will arrive in the Nettle home next Tuesday afternoon.

Surreal. Exciting. Fear. Stress. Exuberance. Unbelievable. God. Peace.

Closer

Julie and I received word yesterday afternoon that we are the only family being considered for the adoption of an infant to be born this Friday. The agency representing the birth mother loved the fact that my sister was adopted and has recently adopted from China. They also appreciated that we're part of a church that has a huge adoption ministry--lots of support.

Sooo, what once seemed like a long shot has quickly become a very real possibility. If all continues as things are heading, we will have a three day old little boy in our home next Tuesday! However, still several hurdles to overcome.

We're doing our best to remain very cautious . . . trying not to put our hearts out there too far. Our emotions are all over the place. Praying that God will do what is best for our family and for the life of this child.

I'm reminded of Psalm 139: You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

God knows. And I trust God.

The Holy Longing

I just finished reading Ronald Holheiser's, The Holy Longing (The search for a Christian Spirituality). Rolheiser is a Catholic theologian who offers amazing insight into our spiritual journey. He speaks profoundly about the purpose of prayer, our mandate to do good deeds and the nature of the church.

He makes the following observation: "A strange thing is happening in the Western world today. As the numbers of persons participating in our churches is dramatically decreasing, the numbers of persons interested in spirituality is proportionately increasing. We are witnessing a drastic decline in church life right in the midst of a spiritual renaissance. What is happening?"

You may have seen the study that was released last week about the decline in American church attendance--specifically in the Catholic Church. However, the study also revealed that non-denominational, Jesus-following churches are growing. I appreciate that Rolheiser is asking the right question.

In speaking about the incarnation of Jesus he writes: Many people believe that . . . "God came to earth physically and then, after thirty-three years, went back home. It uses the past tense for the incarnation and that is a dangerous under-understanding. The incarnation is still going on and it is just as real and as radical and as physical as when Jesus of Nazareth, in the flesh, walked the dirt roads of Palestine . . . The incarnation began with Jesus and it has never stopped."

I love his theology that the church continues to be the living, breathing body of Jesus Christ here on this earth.

Holy Longing is an important read.

Obituary

We incorporated an interesting exercise into our worship services at RiverTree this past weekend. We handed out a blank obituary to be thought through and filled out by every person attending. For themselves.

The deceased's name:

Date of birth:

The deceased's occupation:

The deceased's immediate family members and close friends:

Did the deceased follow and trust Jesus:

What kind of person was the deceased?

Who was impacted by the deceased's life?

As I reflected and filled in the blanks of my own obituary in each of four services, it began to have a more and more profound affect on me. I realized that some of the ways I wanted to be described at my death may not be true of the way I am living. So I began to ask myself, "How should I be living right now to ensure the truth of what I hope my life will represent?"

In other words, with the end in mind, I need to start working backwards to the present.

I'm going to spend some serious time this week examining my life in light of my obituary. What changes do I need to make? Have a meaningful conversation with my wife and some others to find out what they think my obituary would say right now. Talk with them about what I would want it to say and how to rearrange my life priorities to get there.

What do you hope people will say about you when you die? What do you hope God will say?

Child?

I have been torn about whether or not to write about this--it is very personal.

Julie and I received a call from the Christian Children's Home of Ohio last night. A young black lady is releasing her new born baby for adoption this coming week. She will actually give birth to a little boy this Friday via c-section.

We have decided to move forward with this possibility. We will know by Wednesday evening if we have been matched by the adoption agency she is using. If we are, the baby will be brought into our home on Monday, March 11th.

I can't begin to tell you the emotion that comes with this. Probably because, from the beginning of this journey, I have felt compelled to adopt a little black boy. The thought of this happening so quickly is absolutely amazing. Either way, Julie and I have a deep trust that God's plan will be accomplished.

I decided to write this because I want people to know at least a bit of the journey so many adoptive parents experience. If you are inclined to pray we simply ask you to pray that God's will be done.

If you are interested in caring for children through foster care or adoption, please check out www.borninourhearts.org.