Hello There!
God is still at work and stirring hearts for adoption, foster parenting and orphan care at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church. If you have or are currently fostering, adopting or orphan advocates, interested in learning about new ministry opportunities or seeking support and making connections with others from CCBC...
Great news!
We're having a meeting and we want you to come! This Sunday, February 15 at 4pm in room B118 at Cottonwood
Creek Baptist Church! Sorry, there is no childcare available for this event.
Looking forward to seeing you there! For more information, email us
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” -Isaiah 1:17
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Your Adoption
November is known for National Adoption Month, Orphan Sunday and Thanksgiving. This is a great month to reflect on the words of hymn and Scripture that help to set an "attitude of gratitude".
Great Is Thy Faithfulness.
Chisolm & Runyan
Great is Thy faithfulness!...All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Great is Thy faithfulness,...There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not...
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
Great is His faithfulness!! Reflect on what God has done for you, salvation and forgiveness through His son Jesus and your adoption into His family. This November, celebrate your adoption into God's forever family and deepen your commitment to whatever He is calling you to do...gratefully.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness.
Chisolm & Runyan
Great is Thy faithfulness!...All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Great is Thy faithfulness,...There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not...
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
Great is His faithfulness!! Reflect on what God has done for you, salvation and forgiveness through His son Jesus and your adoption into His family. This November, celebrate your adoption into God's forever family and deepen your commitment to whatever He is calling you to do...gratefully.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Adopt Without Debt
Adoption funding can be a challenge and at times it can feel like it is impossible to fund an adoption of any kind. Great thing we serve a God that specializes in the impossible. God will lead and provide for you. Julie Gumm, trusted God and He led her and her family in an adoptive journey...without debt!
Come and learn some practical ways to fund your adoption from Julie Gumm, author of Adopt Without Debt. We will also have people from Embrace Texas, Abba's Children, Cottonwood Creek and Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University
Who: interested couples and singles register here
When: Saturday, October 13 from 9:00-11:30 AM
Where: room A 200-201 Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church 1015 State Hwy 121 Allen, TX 75013 map here
Want more info?
Come and learn some practical ways to fund your adoption from Julie Gumm, author of Adopt Without Debt. We will also have people from Embrace Texas, Abba's Children, Cottonwood Creek and Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University
Who: interested couples and singles register here
When: Saturday, October 13 from 9:00-11:30 AM
Where: room A 200-201 Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church 1015 State Hwy 121 Allen, TX 75013 map here
Want more info?
Monday, July 23, 2012
Beyond a Snap
Beyond a Snap
For a while we've blogged about Lifesong School in Zambia...and earlier this month God allowed me to spend some time with these incredible kiddos and staff. I was able to get to know the precious first grader that we sponsor and to meet some of her family too!
I went to Zambia initially to deliver sports equipment & underwear, learn, love on the kiddos, serve the amazing teachers and staff at Lifesong School, Shane & Mitzi McBride (fabulous missionaries) and sample the yummy strawberries from Lifesong Farms. On these and in countless other ways God did not disappoint. Oh yes, the berries are amazing!
I had the opportunity to learn from so many gifted and truly incredible people, who serve and minister far beyond the campus.
In each fist bump and hug I felt His desire to connect and to know me. Every giggle, song and cheer I heard God's delight.
When the older kids, especially the boys gave some of their lunch (a special lunch of chicken provided by First Baptist of McKinney) to the younger ones, it echoed God's message of provision and sacrifice. There were many moments when His confirmation and blessing were so precious and personal. His lavishness just overwhelmed.
In the compound, He allowed me to touch the hands and to look into the beautifully wrinkled face of love and strength...and to ask for His blessing.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Corban: Fully Devoted
Earlier today, I was pondering some recent events in my life. In the confluence of these events plus a sermon preached by our pastor, some devotional thoughts shared by another pastor, and a book I've been reading entitled "Through Gates of Splendor" somehow I recalled some teaching I'd heard on Mark 7:1-13. In this passage, Jesus is chastising the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Specifically, he is challenging a practice of the time in which a religious person might declare property or wealth "Corban", or set aside for God, solely for the purpose of avoiding having to spend it on something they wished to avoid--caring for their aged parents. They had taken an idea which sounded good--dedicating something to God's use--and were abusing it for personal gain. All along the way, they considered themselves religious and righteous.
In Acts 5 we find Ananias and Sapphira, an example of hypocrisy in the church. This couple sold a field and set aside a portion of the proceeds to give to the church. But something was wrong. It seems that in fact they attempted to mislead the apostles and the church into believing they had greatly sacrificed in bringing the entire proceeds from the sale before the church when in fact it was only a portion. For lying to the Holy Spirit they paid with their lives. Being "religious" was important to them, but living lives for God's glory wasn't.
I don't really know what it was that triggered the recollection of this "Corban" passage, except that I have been reading and thinking a lot about what it means to be fully devoted to God. Not the false devotion the pharisees were practicing in Mark 7. So the Spirit must have brought it to mind
Through the complete devotion of five men to Christ, a tribe who had never heard the name of Jesus escaped a cycle of violence and death and saw many come to Christ. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian and Pete Fleming understood total devotion. So did their wives. Do we understand it today? Would we give up our lives for the sake of the gospel?
Hopefully we have not gone to the extent of lying to the Holy Spirit like Ananias and Sapphira, but are we completely unlike the Pharisees of Jesus' day? They had become very good at being religious. Give a little, serve a little, show up to church, maybe even venture out and attend a Bible study. A friend of mine recently shared with me how in his spiritual journey, he had been visiting a church hoping to find God but could tell something just wasn't right. He noticed the people of the church were always talking about what they could do for themselves, what they could build for themselves, yet weren't looking at how they could make an impact outside their four walls. He saw little to no evidence of anything but a focus on self. This didn't make sense, even to an unbeliever. Yes, the church is naturally full of imperfect Christians, of which I am one, but let's not use that as a weak excuse for a lack of self-examination.
What if we practiced "Corban" in the spirit of Romans 12? What if we the church declared our lives "Corban", set aside for God's purpose, and unlike the hypocrites of Jesus' day, we meant it and lived it? This is not a new idea, nor is it mine! In Romans 12:1 Paul beseeches believers to offer our bodies as living sacrifice, because of the mercy God has shown us, after having just explained a miracle. That as Gentiles, we are graciously grafted in to God's family, and that Israel's salvation is not forgotten either. He then spends the rest of chapter 12 describing practical ways in which we'll see fruit if we are living fully devoted to the Lord. How different and how powerful a force would the church be for the gospel of Christ if we lived this?
By no means can I say I've "arrived". That won't happen until I go to be with God in Christ. I am asking God to show me more of Himself and to help me yield everything to Him, even those things that all of us have in the flesh we don't want to allow Him control over. So it's not about what I do in my own strength or flesh. I am finding that a better understanding of who He is through a closer and closer walk with him -- both how much He loves and how just He is -- lead me to a natural worship response that has me wanting to entrust everything in my life to Him. And as I do, He is faithful.
So, what then? And what does this have to do with an Orphan Ministry blog? Well, as someone who cares about orphans I know just how much work there is to be done for the cause of Christ in ministry to orphans. Since God cares deeply for the brokenhearted he has called the church to uphold the cause of the widow, the orphan, and the alien. They need the hope the gospel provides. But the task is daunting. How can the church make an impact in the lives of 150 million orphans, many who are dying apart from Christ? Sometimes I need a reminder. The answer is found in God's word and starts simply with the Gospel. That out of a natural response to the outpouring of grace in our lives, we will respond and offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Then it's no-holds-barred. It's not up to us. We're God's vessels to do with as He pleases for His glory. Fully devoted.
In Acts 5 we find Ananias and Sapphira, an example of hypocrisy in the church. This couple sold a field and set aside a portion of the proceeds to give to the church. But something was wrong. It seems that in fact they attempted to mislead the apostles and the church into believing they had greatly sacrificed in bringing the entire proceeds from the sale before the church when in fact it was only a portion. For lying to the Holy Spirit they paid with their lives. Being "religious" was important to them, but living lives for God's glory wasn't.
I don't really know what it was that triggered the recollection of this "Corban" passage, except that I have been reading and thinking a lot about what it means to be fully devoted to God. Not the false devotion the pharisees were practicing in Mark 7. So the Spirit must have brought it to mind
Through the complete devotion of five men to Christ, a tribe who had never heard the name of Jesus escaped a cycle of violence and death and saw many come to Christ. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian and Pete Fleming understood total devotion. So did their wives. Do we understand it today? Would we give up our lives for the sake of the gospel?
Hopefully we have not gone to the extent of lying to the Holy Spirit like Ananias and Sapphira, but are we completely unlike the Pharisees of Jesus' day? They had become very good at being religious. Give a little, serve a little, show up to church, maybe even venture out and attend a Bible study. A friend of mine recently shared with me how in his spiritual journey, he had been visiting a church hoping to find God but could tell something just wasn't right. He noticed the people of the church were always talking about what they could do for themselves, what they could build for themselves, yet weren't looking at how they could make an impact outside their four walls. He saw little to no evidence of anything but a focus on self. This didn't make sense, even to an unbeliever. Yes, the church is naturally full of imperfect Christians, of which I am one, but let's not use that as a weak excuse for a lack of self-examination.
What if we practiced "Corban" in the spirit of Romans 12? What if we the church declared our lives "Corban", set aside for God's purpose, and unlike the hypocrites of Jesus' day, we meant it and lived it? This is not a new idea, nor is it mine! In Romans 12:1 Paul beseeches believers to offer our bodies as living sacrifice, because of the mercy God has shown us, after having just explained a miracle. That as Gentiles, we are graciously grafted in to God's family, and that Israel's salvation is not forgotten either. He then spends the rest of chapter 12 describing practical ways in which we'll see fruit if we are living fully devoted to the Lord. How different and how powerful a force would the church be for the gospel of Christ if we lived this?
By no means can I say I've "arrived". That won't happen until I go to be with God in Christ. I am asking God to show me more of Himself and to help me yield everything to Him, even those things that all of us have in the flesh we don't want to allow Him control over. So it's not about what I do in my own strength or flesh. I am finding that a better understanding of who He is through a closer and closer walk with him -- both how much He loves and how just He is -- lead me to a natural worship response that has me wanting to entrust everything in my life to Him. And as I do, He is faithful.
So, what then? And what does this have to do with an Orphan Ministry blog? Well, as someone who cares about orphans I know just how much work there is to be done for the cause of Christ in ministry to orphans. Since God cares deeply for the brokenhearted he has called the church to uphold the cause of the widow, the orphan, and the alien. They need the hope the gospel provides. But the task is daunting. How can the church make an impact in the lives of 150 million orphans, many who are dying apart from Christ? Sometimes I need a reminder. The answer is found in God's word and starts simply with the Gospel. That out of a natural response to the outpouring of grace in our lives, we will respond and offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Then it's no-holds-barred. It's not up to us. We're God's vessels to do with as He pleases for His glory. Fully devoted.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Do Good on Good Friday for Zambia!
***Impact Zambia Update: 77 commitments with 1 day to go!
Will you consider impacting a life like Lyness?
Lyness is just ONE of the twenty-two 7th grade students at Lifesong Zambia. Like Lyness, each student has their own story, their own past, and their own hurts. Because of the opportunity to attend the Lifesong School, each student now has the chance to find HOPE as they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ while receiving a quality education from the Lifesong Staff.Will you consider impacting a life like Lyness?
They are receiving HOPE in a way that many of them have never experienced before. A hope that never dies.
 |
Grade 7 students |
Thankfully, in lieu of this expansion, a donor has generously offered to MATCH dollar-for-dollar the funds raised! The time to give is now!
We have 1 day left of the Impact Zambia 100 campaign. We are still praying for 41 commitments to supporting students like Lyness.
Will you consider joining Lifesong Zambia in changing lives for Christ?
To join Impact Zambia 100, email info@lifesongfororphans.org
"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'" Matthew 24:40
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Impact Zambia in Progress!
***Impact Zambia Update: 30 commitments...4 days to go. Needing 70 more Impacters!
Impact children like Bwalya Bwayla & have your gift MATCHED!!
As you saw in the video, Bwalya Bwalya became a double orphan because of HIV/Aids when he was only five years and now he, too, is HIV+. Thankfully, Bwalya Bwalya lives with his grandparents and is able to attend the Lifesong Zambia School. Despite his uncertain past, he has a hopeful future because of the presence of Christ in his life and the opportunity to receive an education.
We have launched an Impact Zambia 100 campaign that will help build a high school for Bwalya Bwayla and other children in similar life situations. We are nearly 1/3 of the way there and have only 4 days left.
We are looking for 100 people to make a monthly commitment of $20 for one year to help complete this building project.MATCHING GIFT OPPORTUNITY!
(that's right--gifts will be matched dollar-for-dollar thanks to a generous donor!)
Sixty-seven cents a day from 100 people for a year can make this vision a reality for children like Bwalya Bwalya.
4 days left 70 people to go...Will you join us?
To join Impact Zambia 100, email info@lifesongfororphans.org
To learn more about Impact Zambia 100, click here.
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