It's the Last day of the Miracle of Adoption Christmas Campaign!!!

Hello all!

I just wanted to share with you an update on the Reece's Rainbow adoption agency's Miracle of Christmas Campaign that I have been sharing throughout the month! The goal for this campaign was to raise $1,000 for each of the little ones on the angel tree, to help their future families in the adoption process, and to raise awareness for their need for a home. You can learn more on Reece's Rainbow's site, but I wanted to share a special little boy with you one last time; Scott.

Scott is the little boy that I have been advocating for this year, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the help that you have been to this little one. We have raised over 600 dollars for his account, and that is truly amazing. THANK YOU for all the money, prayers, and shares that you have given for this little man!

Scott is about five years old now, and has many special needs... But the most important special need? He needs a family. 

And for a family to adopt him is going to mean adoption fees and for them to see his page, and we have the ability to help that happen! Scott is still under goal, as are many of the children this year, and he needs just over $360 more to get to goal, by midnight tonight. Would you consider helping one more time? A donation of a dollar, five, fifteen, twenty-seven... Whatever you could spare, it has the potential to change this little boy's life forever. And that is amazing! And every time you share Scott's page, it has the potential to change his life forever. So today, would you please consider doing that? Donate to his account, or tell someone about this campaign, or pray for Scott to get the funds and family he needs. We have less than 13 hours left to make a difference for Scott during this campaign! His account can be found here: https://reecesrainbow.org/104445/scott-2 . And thank you, so much, for your help! I appreciate each and every one of you!

And a happy New Year's Eve to everyone <3! 

Rejoicing in Hope,
Bri

A Penny Parcel ✽ Miracle of Adoption Christmas Campaign

A friend wrote me a few months ago and told me about a book she had just read that she thought I would love, which I put on my "to get sometime list"... and then received for my birthday, after Mama begged this list off of me, haha ;).

I hadn't picked it up yet, just because I don't start a book without the perfect atmosphere (#perfectinistprocrastinatorproblems), but last Monday I woke up a little earlier, and I knew that the rest of my week was going to be rather busy, so after catching up in my bible reading I decided to read the first chapter... and ended up reading a few ;). 

I'm not even half way through the book yet, but I am already admiring the unusually open style of this book in dealing with hard things. While a book about a little girl finding a family, it is NOT all sunshine and roses - especially when she finds her family. I'm eager to see where this book goes as I continue reading (and hopeful that one of my favorite characters so far might show up again, ha...). 

While I have been reading through this book, in little snatches of time (after I start the book, I don't have to wait for the perfect time, as long as the chapters are short ;) ), I have been finding myself thinking of the Miracle Of Adoption Christmas Campaign, held annually by Reece's Rainbow.

The truth is, a lot of the components of this story remind me of the blog posts that I read every year by families who have adopted through Reece's Rainbow's agency. Fear. Trauma. The inability to emotionally except love after how these children have felt hurt for so long. How hard it is for the parents to know what is right in their plans to enable their children to move on from the past's hurts of all kinds. Not all of the families have found it as difficult as others. Some families find the physical disabilities of their children more daunting than the emotional. Sometimes they bring their children home and are amazed by how much less they are dealing with then they were told they would be required to when committing to their child.

Yes, in many ways, these adoptions are different than the one described in "A Penny Parcel". Many times, it's nothing like what Ashley and her adopted family go through. But in other cases, in other ways, it's very similar. Emotional and hard.

But you know something else? Every year, as I read these blogs, I notice something else. All these blogging families who take part in the MACC after their own adoptions all agree on two things.

Yes, it's hard.

But it's worth it.

THEY are worth it. 

And no matter how hard it is, they encourage all those they can to get involved in helping these little ones to find their forever family, and to help grow their adoption funds, as fast as they can. So that no more pain and hurt and neglect/inability to get proper care causes them to suffer any more. 

The MACC runs from November through December every year, and there are several ways we can help, no matter how "little" we feel we have to gives. Prayers, time, advocacy, and yes, money if possible. As we are about to head into November, can I ask that you would pray about whether you should help this ministry in some way this Christmas season? If you could help even one child this year? Could possibly help one precious little one like Scott this Christmas?

We never know how our little may be used by God to change the course of one of these lives <3!

Rejoicing in Hope,
Bri <3

Friends in the Gospel

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." -Proverbs 17:17

Friendships are something to be cherished - whether between family members or those outside of your immediate family, each person that you have a friendly relationship with has the potential to be one of the ways that the Lord enriches your life and prepares you for the work that He has for you. I don't know about you, but I find simple acts of friendship, not only from friends, but from family, and, even, at times, strangers, to be the moments that I most appreciate in life.

But what makes a friend? 

Friends usually have common ground between them. The more similarities that you have with someone, the more likely you are to get to know them more and have a mutual sympathy that builds up that relationship. Maybe it's your love of an underrated book or errily similar life goals, but you probably first talked about something that made you think, "wow, this is neat, I'd like to get to know them more!" before you actually became friends with this person. Sometimes the common ground may simply be your age, and that you feel like you can relate to the stage of life that the other is in. There are also many similarities, in tastes or situations, that can be shared between different age groups as well, and there is a lot to be gained in that difference in perspective that you each will be able to bring! But as a Christian, we have a common ground that "glues" us to other believers that others do not have. 

One of my favorite parts of the letters of Paul is the wonderful greetings he includes in each letter... greetings like, "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." -Philippians 1:3-5

"Because of your partnership in the gospel". I love the story of how God used Paul. I love the personality we get from his writings, inspired by God, but also very much a part of who he was himself. Paul was eager for the truth, was not afraid of holding unpopular opinions, was firm to hold all believers to the path of righteousness... but Paul had an abiding love for people. He preached to the unsaved because he cared for them; he shepherded the church because he loved them. He literally wrote letters to people he had never met before that demonstrated a deep love and concern for them. And in the age before the ability to converse together freely and get to know each other through texts and emails, what was it that made Paul love these people deeply? They were partners in the gospel. They were heirs to the kingdom together. They were all bonded with a common thread, a life changed by God through no work of their own. That was who they were - and it bonded them together whether they had met or not, because it bonded them together for eternity. 

And because they were living in, but not of, this world together, it gave them a unique sympathy and love for each other. It was the driving force behind their friendship, and it created a desire to "bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). By prayer. By exhortation. By example, rejoicing, weeping. By working together, serving together, serving each other, serving Christ. 

As Christians, we are not just privileged to uphold one another; we are commanded by scripture - "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25) God did not make mankind to be alone; He planned from the very beginning that we would work together and serve together, love each other and sympathize with each other. And even though, in our sinful nature, we may have friendships that are not in that perfect order of using our gifts to serve God together, we have never stopped needing each other to exceed in many areas of our lives. But when God brings our heart back to it's intended state of friendship with Him, it also brings to our earthly friendships a greater purpose and meaning, one unique and joyful, by our partnership in this gospel.

So, as we look forward to our day of worship on the morrow, let's also look forward to our ability to edify other members of the body of Christ who join us in this worship. We are partners, friends, in the gospel, and we can serve Christ far better together than we can apart. 

Rejoicing in Hope,

Bri ❤

Joyful Rest ✽ Restful Joy

"Joyful rest, restful joy".

To be honest, I'm not sure where the phrase came from; but it's been going through my head frequently over the past several weeks, since it first came to my mind. The more I think of it, the more I feel like it is the best short and simple description I can give of a lifestyle of rest. Simple, at least in it's wording. But, like most things that are worth any thing, once you dig deeper, it's not really simple; and that makes it all the more worth it.

Joy is often seen as happiness. Rest is often seen as sitting down after a long day. And, while those things may often go together, in reality, they are not connected. Happiness and the ability to slow down can depend on our circumstances, but joy and rest are actually a command from God; these are qualities that believers are supposed to be known by...

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against these there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30)

"Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is: and walk in it, and find rest for your souls..." (Jeremiah 6:16)

And I have found that these two things often feed each other. When I purposefully make the decision to trust that the Lord is working His perfect will in my life, and that He will use me for His glory; that the bends in the road can be used to serve Him just as well as the straight path I expected to travel; I find it exponentially easier to be content and joyful where He has me.

On the other hand, when I take the time to rejoice (which is a form of purposeful worship), no matter what my circumstances, then I find that I am instantly better able to look at my circumstances with a peaceful heart, rather than an anxious one.

Joyful rest, restful joy.

Trust, worship, obedience.

Because the one who died to save my soul can be counted on to know the best use of my life.

Because the one who saved me from my own life of sin, not because I was worthy, but because He is merciful, is worthy of honor.

Because a sinner made new, bought by the blood of the Lamb, has no way of paying back our Gracious Lord, and so out of our debt of thankfulness, we obey Him to show Him our love.

And He in turn uses our obedience to bring us closer to Him, and into a deeper Joy and Rest than we have ever known.

How kind He is!

Of Dragons and Novels

Let me start off by wishing Tori a very happy 17th birthday <3!!!

Since this is Tori's birthday, and Tori both loves Lord of the Rings, and is the main reason that I came to love Lord of the Rings (it's not that I didn't love the books... it's just that 56 page chapters are really hard to find time for when you refuse to read less than a chapter in a sitting), and because Tori is having us re-watch some of the movies with her because she's re-reading the books, and because we celebrated her birthday today with a dragon theme, and because there was a neat blog party that happened, thrown by The Edge of the Precipice, that I totally knew was coming and totally forgot about while it happened... I decided that this would be an appropriate post to share today, despite it's being too late to be a part of the blog party (if I read my own sister's blog regularly, I wouldn't have missed it... but one fun fact about Tori: she changes blog/addresses frequently, and it means that I AM NEVER SUBSCRIBED TO HER BLOGS, and it's a problem, hahaha). So, without further ado, some of my thoughts on Middle Earth...

1.  What's your favorite Middle-earth story/book? Confession... I have only read one book of the smaller stories. So, I'm not exactly an authority here. Next time I read the series, I want to start with the Silmarillion and go through completely in order, but it is safe to say that I don't see that happening until after Christmas. But thanks to Tori, I have quite a good working knowledge of the other works, because she used to explain to me frequently at night the story line of each new book she read (I managed to stay awake about 50% of the time). But I believe my favorite book will always be "The Return of the King". Faramir, Aragorn, and Samwise all get their (mostly) happy endings, and it's got the death of Theoden, which I do not appreciate at all, because I wanted him to have a happy ending too, but also I do, because it's one of the few book scenes that has ever made me actually cry tears. So most of my favorite characters are taken care of, anyway... Second would be "The Hobbit". Let's face it, the style is wonderfully humorous but careful not to be a real comedy given it's perilous setting.

2.  Do you have a favorite subplot? When the people of Rohan get brought into the story, I feel like everything gets even better. It doesn't hurt that they are known for their horses, the Rohan music is my favorite theme in the movies, and that I love how kind Theoden is to the hobbits in the books. I mean, I love Aragorn's story, and I love the way Sam does everything he does out of loyalty for others, but I often think of Rohan/Rohan people when I think of the parts of the story I like best. But this seems like a main theme to me, so I am not sure it counts as a subplot. I think the smaller subplot that I love the best is Boromir + Faramir, trying to serve their people and please their Father, and both having huge struggles through that... Faramir staying true, no matter what is thrown at him, and Boromir's repentance after he succumbs to his Father's path/the ring.

3.  What's your favorite theme in Tolkien's books?  (Can be in one specific story, or overall.) I love that throughout the darkest time Middle Earth has ever faced, they face the future with hope. They fight not for power, but for right; and it's often the small things that bring the biggest change. They refuse to give in to despair, but do just what has been give to them to do, so that other's may know joy.

4.  Do you have a favorite weapon from Middle-earth? I'm partial to the swords, just because they have backstories, and I am all for your possessions having sentimental value. Haha... yeah, I'm not a weapons-loving person at all.It has to have some other purpose as well, haha.
If it had said tool instead of weapon, the answer would have been Sam's rope and herbs ;).

5.  Would you like to be a hobbit? Let us think about this: Hobbits love food, are very social, but love home, but also love to do something new just often enough for you to wonder when it will happen next, love to garden, are short... don't ask if I'd like to be one. Just give me a Hobbit hole, because I already am one ;). 

6.  Do you have a favorite romance/couple? Aragorn and Arwen's romance is my favorite. They are so patient and so willing to lay aside their own happiness for those who need them. It's kind of a back story we don't know enough of in the actual book, but we learn more in the appendix (Mama actually went years thinking that that was all elaborated in the movie, haha), and I think it's sweet. But I kind of like elements from them all, haha :). Someone pointed out that one of the biggest theme's in Tolkien's romances is that they all go through a period of waiting before their romance is realized, and that was based off of his own relationship with his wife, and I thought that was a really neat take from that!

7.  What's your favorite Middle-earth creature?  (Can be "real" or "imaginary.") ??? I mean, by creature, do we mean... everything but the men? I don't want to think that hard, haha. My favorite animal is Bill the Pony. He deserves all the apples Sam was able to give him.

8.  What character do you look the most like? Ah, yes. If you were to ask my sister and her best friend, I am the spitting image of a random elf in the scene where the dwarves first arrive in Rivendale in AUJ, if I would just straighten my hair (the elf who first talks to them, and says Elrond isn't there just to turn around and see him coming). I don't find this very flattering, but... really, there isn't anyone better, because I don't look like anyone,  so, I guess you can laugh over that if you know who that is...

9.  Are there any books about Middle-earth or Professor Tolkien (but not written by him) you recommend? Ahem. I've never read any, haha. The closest I came to reading a book about Middle Earth that wasn't the books themselves was also written by Tolkien, but compiled by someone else, "The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien". Seriously, he reminds my sister and I of a gentleman from our VA choir, and he was really quite neat! 

10.  List up to ten of your favorite lines/quotations from the Middle-earth books and/or movies.
Sam's quote. Obviously. Who does not find that quote (you know the one) the best quote and the perfect theme explanation of the story? So I went with a few "lesser" ones, since it wasn't "top ten" quotes that were supposed to be listed ;). In no particular order, here are ten of my favorites that come to mind/I have previously saved. (But I am thinking of so many other parts that are too long to quote - most of them surrounding the people of Rohan. Or Sam.)

"Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."

"'I wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo.
'So do I,' said Gandalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.'"

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."

"Bilbo knelt on one knee filled with sorrow. 'Farewell, King under the mountain!' he said. 'This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your perils - that has been more than any Baggins deserves.'
'No!' said Thorin. 'There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!'
Then Bilbo turned away, and he went by himself, and sat alone wrapped in a blanket, and, whether you believe it or not, he wept until his eyes were red and his voice was hoarse. He was a kindly little soul."

"There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark."

"The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater."

 "Praise from the praise-worthy is beyond all rewards."

"Hold your ground, hold your ground. Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day. This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

“I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”

"I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them."

Whereas it was in Your Heart ✽ 1 Chronicles 6

(Quick note before I dive into this blog post... that picture of the metal heart? That's a picture of the metal workings on a canon at Jamestown. It always makes me laugh a little bit that we found that there!)

I have been continuing to read through the bible once again, and am currently in 2 Corinthians. I don't usually go through this slowly, but I have changed up how I go about my devotions once again, gong through the bible and doing bible studies at the same time, and so it's working out well for me to go at slower pace for my read-through. I like to try to read through the whole bible at least once every year :). I'm also doing chronological right now, which is neat :).

Solomon just dedicated the temple in my reading, and says these words, which, coupled with some of the things that are shared in the passages leading up, really stood out to me this time, despite having read them many times before:

"But the Lord said to David my Father, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless, it is not you who shall build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name." -2 Chronicles 6:8&9

David had a desire that he would be able to provide the ark of the covenant a permanent resting place in Israel, and that they would have a house dedicated to the worship of their God, a way to show their respect and reverence for the one true God. This was a wonderful desire, and a thing that anyone would assume he was called to do, as it was on his heart; but God told him no.

David's reign had been to bring peace to the land of Israel, but because that endeavor had cost much in the way of war, God told David he was not to build the temple; he was to leave this to his son, who would come into a kingdom already secured in peace. But God does't tell David that he needs to forget that desire, in fact, He tells David, "you did well that it was in your heart". Just because it didn't fall to David to bring about this work, didn't mean it was a bad thing that he longed for it.

And so David didn't give up that longing to see the temple of the Lord build. He didn't disobey and build it anyway, and he knew he would never actually see the finished project. But he didn't huff and sit back because he couldn't be the one privileged to carry out the job. Instead, he still wanted to see to it that he did all he could do to make sure that his son was able to carry out this desire. He couldn't build the temple himself, but he could provide for his son all that he would need to build it after David was gone.

We read in 1 Chronicles 28 that David had put extensive work into drawing up the plans for the temple. David divided up the work between the Levites, David drew the plans for the building, David gathered up the materials needed, and David encouraged the people in the coming work. David may not have built the temple, but he enabled the Israelites to do so as far as he was able.

And that was just really beautiful to me, and it made me think, what desires are on our hearts? They may be noble, godly desires, but our circumstances may hold us back from accomplishing the work. Do we give up in despair? Do we try to pretend that the desire is not there? Do we maybe think that it's not fair that we can't do something that fills us with so much passion?

Our circumstances might be temporary, or the Lord might never change them. Are we holding onto the fact that someday it will be different and just gritting our teeth until things change? If they never change, will we have wasted our entire life waiting?

I know a wonderful woman who loves children, would love to bring up a family someday, and would love to foster. But her circumstances don't allow that right now. But she hasn't left that stop her; she works with children all the time, giving their families help in bringing them up, and frequently babysits for fostering and adoptive families for free as a ministry, enabling them to continue on with their good work refreshed and supported. Just like David, she may not be allowed to fulfill that desire directly, but she hasn't ignored it; instead, she expresses it through another channel, enabling others to do what she herself feels called to. Which in turn means she is also doing what she was called to do, it just looked differently than she expected at this time! I think it's something we all could learn from. Because sometimes, yes, we just aren't working hard enough (that's a whole other side to this, that I won't get into; if you know that you could do what you are called to do and won't, that's totally different!), but what do we do when it's truly impossible to do what we thought we were called to do? Might we be trying to accomplish the work in ways we weren't meant to?

So what about us? What are our heart desires that don't seem to be able to tangibly work out? How could we re-direct those good things into something useful? Who has the right circumstances for that work, but needs enabled or mentored or encouraged or supported in actually accomplishing it? Can we offer that to them, and follow the ministries the Lord has laid on our heart in a way that may feel less direct, but is just as needed? Because who knows, maybe that is just why it has been laid on our hearts!

Rejoicing in Hope,
Bri

A Challenge to Give Thanks

King's Blooming Rose ministries has announced that they will again be holding a challenge to write out seven things you are thankful for each day this November! I joined the challenge last year, and it was a wonderful ending to my day each night :)! They have a private group that you can join to share your praises with others, which I am probably going to join this year, or they offer the option of just journaling it each day, which is what I did last year.

To find out more of the guidelines and look into joining, you can go to http://kingsbloomingrose.com/challenges.html. There is so much to praise our Lord for, and this is a great way to start making that a habit :)!

Blessings in our Savior,

Bri :)