Tony and Lauren Dungy on Giving Families to America’s Orphans
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The Amazing Opportunity Coming in May
Why Justice and Mercy Flow from the Gospel
Homespun Advice on Older Child Adoption
December 26th, 2011 | by Jedd Medefind | Categories: Adoption | No Comments »
More and more families are embracing the joys and challenges of adopting older children. This journey can carry unparalleled blessings for both parent and child. It can also come with unparalleled challenges for the unprepared. At present, it seems the range of resources available to families desiring advice or support in this journey is still catching up to the need. Still, there are some excellent resources out there, many of them in the Alliance Resource Library—ranging from Dr. Karyn Purvis and Empowered to Connect to Jayne Schooler to the recent Hope for Orphans’ Institute.
One newly-released book on this topic fits in a category all its own. Fasten Your Sweet Belts: 10 Things You Need to Know about Older Child Adoption was written by Jodi Jackson Tucker and her daughter adopted from Uganda, Agnes Namatovu Tucker. This book isn’t a technical or philosophical treatise, nor does Tucker claim clinical expertise. What Tucker does do is communicate in clear, readable prose and pithy stories what she has experienced as mother: one who has walked the road of loving children who’ve come to her through birth, domestic adoption and international older-child adoption.
I’ve gotten to know Jodi well through her truly amazing volunteer leadership in Orphan Sunday efforts over recent years. My endorsement on the book jacket reflects what I’ve seen first hand…and also what readers will encounter in her enjoyable, insight-filled book:
“…Tucker is both wise and winsome, as vivacious as she is insightful. This book reflects all of that and more from a woman and her daughter who know intimately both the challenges and the beauty of adoption.” See the book on Amazon HERE.
Karyn Purvis and Empowered to Connect
January 13th, 2012 | by Jedd Medefind | Categories: Adoption, Foster Care | No Comments »
When my wife and I were going through the adoption process, getting our “Hague Hours” required watching a number of videos with Dr. Karyn Purvis. We didn’t know Karyn then, but immediately knew she was offering wisdom that’d prove vital in our adoption journey. That was certainly the case, even more than we knew, and it’s now a double pleasure to not only work with Karyn but also count her a much-valued friend. I’ve also come to believe that her work is more critical now than ever. As more and more families adopt children “from hard places” (as Karyn puts it), they need special insight and grace to nurture wounded souls toward wholeness.
Karyn will be teaching a variety of workshops at Summit VIII in May. But to draw upon her insights sooner, and at a particularly in-depth level, consider the Empowered to Connect Conferences. The next one will be in Dallas on February 17-18, 2012, at Irving Bible Church. This two-day conference features two days of insights and learning from Dr.Purvis. The conference is designed to help adoptive and foster parents, ministry leaders and professionals better understand how to connect with ‘children from hard places’ in order to help them heal and become all that God desires for them to be.
Registration for the Dallas ETC Conference is open and the “early bird” registration price end tomorrow! Visit www.etcconference.org for more details and to register online.
The Amazing Opportunity Coming in May
January 24th, 2012 | by Jedd Medefind | Categories: Adoption, Advocacy, Churches, Events, Foster Care, International Orphan Care | 3 Comments »
Registration for Summit VIII opened today. Amidst the dizzying pace of life, it suddenly struck me: this conference is going to be amazing. I can hardly wait.
Sure, the work of the Alliance is my day job. And I love it. But it is my night job, too—the things I think about when I’m “off.” How can the church come to look more like Jesus? Can ordinary people transform lives of destitute kids? How do parents and mentors and caregivers best connect with children coming from hard places?
So it’s not just my day job that elevates my heart rate for Summit VIII. It’s the way that these questions, and countless others that really matter, will be engaged in such deep and inspiring and substantive ways this May.
It’ll be seeing and learning with and from people I admire. Not just Francis Chan, Rick and Kay Warren, Dennis Rainey and Steven Curtis Chapman. Them too, of course. But also so many other speakers, presenters, and fellow attendees who may never be famous, but glow like a lightening strike, lit up with Jesus and a love for orphans. Foster parents. Indigenous church leaders from other countries. Mentors. Adoptive families large and small. Adoptees now living a vision for transforming the communities they came from. 30-year veterans of global orphan care and newcomers full of dreams and energy.
Just about every part of me–adoptive dad and mentor, follower of Jesus and guy who wants to learn more about “pure and faultless religion”—is so deeply challenged and nourished at Summit. I just pray I’ll be able to gift to others there at least of fraction of what I always receive.
As 2011 Ends, Three Amazing Affirmations of a Growing Movement
December 30th, 2011 | by Jedd Medefind | Categories: Adoption, Advocacy, Foster Care, International Orphan Care | No Comments »
Those of us who yearn to see Christians re-earn the title, “defenders of the fatherless” have much to cheer.
In July, Christianity Today described “the burgeoning orphan care movement.” And it is. From the remarkable growth of Summit to the global reach of Orphan Sunday, 2011 was another year of tremendous growth in the movement.
Consider three great recent affirmations of this reality:
1. The 2011 ECFA Giving Report revealed that of 29 giving categories, three of the four categories seeing the largest increase in giving related to adoption and orphan care. While the 400 largest fundraising charities in America saw a mere .2% increase in giving in 2010, giving to Christian orphan care rose by 21%, adoption by 15% and child sponsorship by 24%.
2. The Washington Post this month provided a moving window into what it described as “An evangelical Protestant ‘orphan care’ movement.”
3. Adoption Today magazine in November featured an excellent article on Orphan Sunday. The introduction to the edition by editor Richard Fischer described: “Christian churches across the country have taken up, or in many cases, taken back orphan care as a tenet of their faith. Reconnecting with and answering the call to care for the widows and orphans in their midst, an enlightened wave of awareness to the needs of orphaned children throughout the world is the message of the day in churches all across America. It’s time to celebrate and give thanks!”
Yes, God is indeed rousing His people to again deserve the title, “defenders of the fatherless.”
As 2011 ends, let’s celebrate the past year and join in prayer that all we’ve seen thus far would continue to grow beyond what we could ask or imagine!
Tony and Lauren Dungy on Giving Families to America’s Orphans
December 28th, 2011 | by Jedd Medefind | Categories: Adoption, Advocacy, Foster Care | No Comments »
For me, Tony Dungy stands with John Wooden and a handful of others as the greatest coaches of all time. Great on the field. Great in life. And great in faith. So it was a special pleasure to see him and his wife, Lauren, talk about the need of waiting children in America and the special significance for Christians of adoption.
This video is just one piece of a broad campaign led by three great Alliance organizations—Bethany Christian Services, Lifesong for Orphans, and Lifeline Children’s Services. (See more HERE.) It will range from spotlighting orphan care and adoption before the 13,000 church leaders at the Catalyst Conference in 2011, to a special Orphan Sunday toolkit, to presenting at a half dozen conferences in 2012. This initiative isn’t just about create new interest in Bethany, Lifesong or Lifeline; it’s about growing the movement. I suspect that’s just what it will do!
Great Video and Story from Little Rock
December 22nd, 2011 | by Jedd Medefind | Categories: Adoption, Advocacy | 2 Comments »
“Defending the fatherless” takes on countless forms as Christians act in response to God’s call. Barbara Rainey recently shared with me the news story of a young couple from Little Rock who made a remarkable decision in this regard, giving the gift of family to a teen girl not much younger than they are. TV station KTHV tells the remarkable story HERE. Although the news report doesn’t mention it explicitly, it in inescapably clear from the home video that this incredible moment springs up from hearts that love Jesus Christ. You can also watch a home-made video of the “big moment” below. This video is of such an intimate moment that it almost takes your breath away; you feel almost embarrassed to watch. Yet ultimately, you know you’ve been invited in on a moment that the girl and the couple…and those who get to watch it…will never forget:
Why Justice and Mercy Flow from the Gospel
January 26th, 2012 | by Jedd Medefind | Categories: Adoption, Advocacy, Churches, Events, Foster Care, International Orphan Care | 1 Comment »
The theme for Summit VIII (May 3-4 at Saddleback Church) is Justice and Mercy Flow from the Gospel. But why is Gospel the fountainhead of justice and mercy? Why not just “goodwill” or “duty” or “idealism”?
On one level, because we’re all made in God’s image, every person holds a certain sense of justice and an impulse toward mercy. Despite our brokenness, we yet retain the Imago Dei deep within, reminding of what we were made for. This is something to celebrate, and Christians can make common cause with expressions of what theologians call “common grace” wherever it appears.
Yet our world is profoundly marred by sin. Each of us are, too. And when those two realities rub up against each other, even the most idealistic intentions break down. Enthusiasm ends up on the side of the road, smoking and twisted like a burned out wreck.
When a young man we’ve mentored turns to gang life. When we discover that a partner in orphan care has been siphoning off money for himself. When an adopted daughter rejects our love. When the need statistics are larger than our mind’s ability to grasp them. When a foster child steals from us.
In times like these, we find out what has been motivating us and whether it is enough to go the distance. If we’ve just been driven by guilt…or duty…or idealism, our good intentions will begin to implode. We’ll often walk away, disillusioned and bitter.
But no matter how great the world’s hurt, there is yet something bigger. If nourished by the Good News that pulses at the center of the universe, there will be more to the story.
For we serve the God who pursued us when we were destitute and alone. The God who rescues and adopts. The God who invites us to live as His sons and daughters. And no matter how great our sacrifice to love the destitute child, it is small compared to His sacrifice to love us in our destitution.
Indeed, we love … seek justice … show mercy… because He first did so for us.
[This blog post was first shared on the new Summit Website blog, designed to provide updates on the latest with plans, speakers and more for Summit VIII. Visit it HERE.]