Engage-Reality

Some of you know Marcus and I have been working on a ministry called Engage-Reality since last September. God has been giving us the vision piece by piece, so the website http://www.engage-reality.com/ has been our attempt in putting those pieces together. At the time God gave us this vision, we were working with groups of people that were often ignored, misunderstood, and oppressed (Marcus with the homeless and myself with survivors of sexual abuse.) We soon felt alone in our passion for these issues - we wanted people to understand the truth behind the stories and stereotypes of those struggling in these issues. Our hope with Engage-Reality is to spark an interest in others to find a group of people they can be passionate about, then educate themselves about the issues and motivate them to some type of action/service. We are in the process of redesigning the website, and possibly turning this into a non-profit, where we will focus on core issues, public awareness of the issues, and linking individuals with work already being done on the issue. Please check back with the site in a few weeks and keep us in your prayers as we seek the direction God has for us. Below is our latest post from Engage-Reality's Blog: http://www.engage-reality.blogspot.com/
And thanks to everyone for your prayers and sweet words about Seth and the adoption! We love you!!
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Why Should Christians Care About Social Injustice?

Poverty. Orphans. Degradation of women. Abuse of children. Homelessness. Unequal access to health care. In the last hundred years our society has shifted, from the church caring for the oppressed to government programs overseeing issues. Many may see this as a positive shift, and it is not a bad thing. The government does have the resources, funds, and research to address these issues. But something is gotten lost in the shift…people. When we view rape as an issue or poverty as just an issue something’s wrong. Behind the scary words, like sexual violence, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, there are people; people that are hurting, scared, isolated, and often hopeless.

I know that issues can be overwhelming. I have heard many people say “I don’t watch the evening news or read the paper anymore. It is too depressing.” But ask the same person what’s their favorite TV show? Don’t be surprised when you hear Law and Order or CSI! Is it okay for issues to be entertainment but not reality? But it is reality, “ripped from the headlines”, you couldn’t make up most of those plots. Caring about “issues” doesn’t make you right or left, red or blue, or “in the world”. Caring about “issues” makes you compassionate, even (dramatic pause)… Christ-like.

There are over 2,000 verses in scripture that relate to caring for the oppressed and the poor. 2,000! Do you think the God of all creation was trying to tell us something? Yes, something like, don’t forget each other while you are doing life. Jesus is the perfect example of what God expects from us. (No surprise right?) Jesus loved people, I mean really loved people. He didn’t care about social norms. Remember the Samaritan woman? Jews talking to Samaritans wasn’t going to happen, but a man talking to a woman in public was a disgrace. Jesus never put a stereotype on anyone nor did he have one size fits all way of healing. Instead he looked at crowds with compassion, took time to listen to stories, and touched people. Jesus was revolutionary in person and in love. He made history of 600 plus laws and gave his followers just two – to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and the second love your neighbor as yourself.

The kingdom of God is right now. We are in it, we are it. It isn’t just something that awaits us, but it is Good News that must be shared today with those that need hope and a future. The Good Samaritan saw one person, with one need he could meet. Maybe he left his house that morning with his day’s agenda in his planner and heard story after story of issues that were beyond his control, but he did not let that stop him from doing one simple thing. He simply crossed the street. He saw a man with an immediate need who wanted help, and then he did something about it. The Samaritan cleaned his wounds and carried him to a place that could meet needs beyond his ability. We are not meant to meet needs on our own. I think that is why many Christians find themselves overwhelmed or afraid to reach out. We are afraid we won’t know what to do or what the answer is. Yet, we are surrounded with resources, we just have to know them and be willing to learn how to help with a specific need.

God has not called us to be passive or timid. But he’s called us to boldly reach out with compassion to others and to look beyond an issue or a stereotype, and see a person. Yes, we must make ourselves aware of the issues, their prevalence and consequences. We can’t be effective if we are ignorant and we can’t help someone if we aren’t aware. So may we not see issues, may we see our neighbors.

I Dare You,
Christy

It's Offical...

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.
1 Samuel 1:27

A little over 4 months ago our lives changed forever. The word change seems too small for what really happened…transformed describes it better. One, seemingly normal, Thursday afternoon, 12 noon on March 20th to be exact, we received the phone call that all adopting parents wait not so patiently for. The voice of our case worker on the other end said, “Your son is ready for you.” I didn’t know if I should shout for joy or cry out of shock and happiness. I cried… and called Marcus, “Come home now…we have to go to Columbia…We have a boy.” It took several repeats of that statement and picking Seth up from the hospital for him to believe me. The transformation happened in 6 hours – notified at noon and held him in our arms by 6 pm! That is a day we will never forget.

Things are very different for parents who adopt verses those who can have biological children. For biological parents, you are never interviewed – questioned of everything in your past that could affect your ability to parent well or not, you home is never inspected, and once you hold your child in your arms, count all the fingers and toes, and look into their beautiful eyes, biological parents never have a lingering question of “What if something goes wrong? What if the biological father shows up?” So for us the next most important day after bringing Seth home from the hospital was his court date for finalization.

The day was full of anxiety, excitement and in the end, relief and peace. We didn’t expect any surprises. Our lawyer was as thorough as they come, prepared us for every question and possibility. But you can’t help but to question or think something will go wrong or be rescheduled, especially after our journey. But God knew what we needed and things absolutely could not have gone smoother. It was pretty special having family there to celebrate with afterwards too. And what an incredible anniversary present. Today we are official!