River Trace Housing Community

May 7, 2017 marks the official beginning of our church plant at River Trace Housing Community—an apartment complex consisting of 440 units with approximately 1,600 people. Due to its nature, our church plant, River Trace Community Church, is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural evangelical church committed to sharing Jesus, strengthening believers, and serving its community. 

Since the beginning of our ministry, Living Hope Church as been a strong partner and encourager. The encouragement comes in many ways—sending teams from time to time to serve in different areas of ministry and support our endeavors financially. One specific area of support has been the Women’s Night Out—a monthly event that gathers women of all walks and cultures for time of fun, fellowship, and feeding of soul. 

In addition to our regular Thursday night Bible Study (07:00PM) and Sunday worship service (11:00AM), our activities include Children’s Bible Club (every Wednesday), Girls’ Club (every Friday), Recreational Ministry (opportunity to carry out gospel conversations with boys and girls while playing basketball on Thursdays afternoon), women’s Night Out (every 3rd Friday of each month), and Men’s Breakfast (4th Saturday of each month). We also have Clothes Closet and Food Pantry. All these services are ways of fulfilling our commitment to share Jesus, strengthen believers, and serve our community and you can be part of any of them. 

While the opportunity to engage many people with the gospel conversations is readily available, River Trace is quite transient community. We are always seeing people come in and go out. Those who hear the gospel seem to take on the role of missionaries rather quickly—they move to other areas as their jobs change or sometimes when they face challenges to maintain their stay. Meanwhile, we continue encouraging those who move to other parts of the state of Tennessee or other states to find a home church. In fact, we keep in touch with some of them to encourage them find a place where their faith can be nurtured. 

As it is true with any church plant, River Trace Community Church is not an exception. We need volunteers to help with the ministries mentioned above. This could mean taking a day in a month to come and help with children while the Women’s Night Out is going on, play basketball with teenagers and youth on Thursdays afternoon, join us on door to door evangelism, and sometimes serve at our block parties, which is a way to create opportunities to engage with people in our community. In addition to all the opportunities to serve, you can also choose to pray for us on a regular basis. This, we believe, is key to healthy development of our ministry. 

Left alone we can do something, but together we can do much more, and accomplish greater things. So, join us in sharing Jesus, strengthening believers, and serving our community. Interested to join us in any activity? Please give us a call or e-mail us at 901-608-1675 or rtchurch020117@gmail.com. 

- Isaias Uaene, Your Kingdom Partner in Church Planting. 

The Common

“ They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” - Acts 2:42 CSB

Our church is a group of misfits who desire to learn, fellowship, pray, and eat. Are we a perfect church? Absolutely not! In fact, we are a toddler church; which means we have a lot of learning and growing to do. We are falling over a lot, spilling things, and we will even whine about our circumstances from time to time. However, just like a toddler, we never allow anything to keep us down. We get up! We keep trying! We keep working! We are learning! We are gaining strength! We are most certainly growing!

Since September 2017, we have experienced:

• 30 baptisms

• 15 baby dedications

• “Common Love” (feeding the community) on Good Friday and Christmas

• 164 people are committed to our church as members

• An average of 107 for Sunday attendance

• An average of 82 viewers on Facebook live per Sunday

• The launch of our youth ministry this year with the first outing being a trip to the Civil Rights Museum

• Clothes giveaways

• Supporting efforts towards families through feeding and benevolence at our host school, Cherokee Elementary

• Feed Melrose High School Football team after their games

• Faithfully committed to raising up leaders and disciples through the Downline Institute with 1 graduate and 7 students currently enrolled.

We strongly believe that the goal of planting The COMMON was and still is to live out the call to man by pressing on the heart of individuals, to impact the lives of others; which leads to a sincere desire to change, to leave a true imprint of the Gospel always pointing others to Christ, and lastly to influence the creation of new images (identities) within the community with hopes that all members will become disciples of Jesus Christ and hold all things in COMMON!

“Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.” - Acts 2:44 CSB

- Broderick Connesero

LH Students

When I first visited Living Hope, I knew one whole person in the entire church. The youth group was smaller, but even then, I found that the teachings were amazing. My family kept coming back, and now we are full time attenders. Over just the past 3 or so years, I’ve watched the LH student ministry grow and grow, both in numbers and in fellowship with each other. I’ve met many wonderful people here, and made many friends out of other students and the leaders as well. 

Everyone has a place here. No matter what grade you are in, what problems you have, or how religious you are, you will always be welcomed and brought into a group. All of the lessons seem to be oriented specifically to students as an attempt at touching on all of the issues we have in our lives at this age. For me, personally, I adore all of the current leaders we have in the ministry; I feel like I’ve grown a lot in my relationship with God here, being taught by the likes of our Youth Pastor, Coleton Segars, and the middle school girls’ leader, Emma Stopher. From them I have learned a lot about God, and how to put my faith into practice living in the chaos of this life. I am definitely not the best example of a “good Christian” but I would like to say that I think I have become a better one ever since arriving here. 

The Living Hope student ministry offers classes on Sunday mornings, LHPM on Wednesday nights, and many outside activities for all students. They make sure to not only help us students cultivate our relationships with our Lord, but also our relationships with each other. I look forward to coming to church and seeing everyone here whenever I can! 

- Meredith Dai 

Rescued to Remember

As a church and as Christ followers, we have been challenged to improve our Biblical literacy. Many of us have embraced CBR-Community Bible Reading and we have not only read but journaled the attributes of God that we are discovering as we read through these daily passages.

In addition to CBR, many of the women at Living Hope have joined the 1 John and Judges studies. In 1 John, we learned of the lavish love of our Heavenly Father for us, His beloved children. As we are working through Judges, we are seeing that in spite of our “cycle of sin”, He still rescues and redeems us-because of His great love for us. In Judges, we see again and again, our need to be rescued and that we have been rescued to remember.

As we, LH Women, look toward our retreat in April, we come with much head knowledge, but that alone cannot change us. Our hearts must be changed also. We can no longer embrace those things that separate us from God. Our thoughts and motives must be examined and replaced.

In April, we will hear from women as they share their stories of how God took their brokenness and transformed their lives; how He used their past to mold them into who they are today and how they are using their “stories of the past” to bring Him glory. Their newly rescued and redeemed lives reflect the Hope of Christ-the hope that we can each have as we remember Him and all that He has done for us.

Bless the LORD,O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits,

Who forgives all your iniquity,

Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from the pit,

Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

Who satisfies you with good,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s! 

LH Men

There is a movement beginning to happen amongst the men of Living Hope. On the final Friday morning of each month, our men’s ministry has hosted a series of gatherings to connect, encourage, and equip men to make disciples at home and in the marketplace. We have heard from Christian leaders in the business world, like Hamp Holcomb and Travis Slater, about how men can integrate their faith and their work. A few weeks ago, we were challenged by former Alabama All-American Barrett Jones to spend our lives for that which matters – multiplying disciples amongst the nations. God has used each of these gatherings to stir up conversations about our calling to accept responsibility for the brokenness around us.

Additionally, I had the privilege of teaching our Men’s Retreat this year. We spent time unpacking the Great Commandment – to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength – and how we specifically do that as men. We did a deep dive into the challenges and obstacles we face in life, the difficult transition points in our maturity, and the enduring call to love God with our entire being through it all. I sensed the Lord used our time to identify some areas in each of our lives where he would like to apply the hope of the gospel and grow us by his Spirit. I saw men engaging in honest dialogue about their shortcomings, and I witnessed men encouraging one another to persevere through their trials. God always does a work when we walk in the light together in this way.

I long for a day when this current movement builds into a groundswell of men at Living Hope who move toward responsibility, not away from it. I believe that we are on the front end of this even now – the start of a season of spiritual renewal amongst our men. God has begun a work of community and mission in our men that, we pray, will soon bear fruit in our church. 

If you have yet to connect with LH Men, make an effort to attend our next event. We not only want to connect you to community, we want to help enlist you in our mission to take responsibility for the lostness and brokenness around us. This is how we make disciples at Living Hope, and we pray you will join us in this mission.

- Gib Gibson, Pastor of Teaching & Vision 

Why I Serve

When I was an overwhelmed, sleep-deprived mom of toddlers, I had an older mom tell me to “hang in there, because the days are long, but the years are short.” It seemed like crazy talk at the time, but now that I am that older mom of 18 and 15 year old daughters, I find myself repeating those same words, because I understand the truth behind them. My girls have been a part of Hope Park since they were 5 and 2. I can’t even imagine the countless volunteers that have poured into them over the years. After serving in the student ministry, my husband, Robert, and I were asked to move down and serve with the fifth graders in Grapple. It was the first year the fifth graders had their own class and they were excited. These are the “seniors” of elementary school. They think they know what’s up, but are still trying to figure out what it means to be a big kid. 

We are now in our third year serving in Grapple. Every year brings a different group of kids, each with a different dynamic, but all who are willing and eager to learn about Jesus. They come in as timid, somewhat quiet kids, and leave with a little more spirit and a lot more words. Some groups love candy, while others love to play hangman or Mr. Robert’s “ball game.” Some love to put on plays or read Scripture out loud. Every week with them is another chance to remind them how much God loves them and wants to know them. 

I once read a quote that says, “Ministry is not a job or a Sunday routine. It’s a privilege to be chosen and used by Jesus.” Getting back to that truth is what brings us back serving each year. The privilege of seeing our previous kids in the hallway and giving them a hug or a fist bump always makes me smile. They may not remember all the Bible stories they heard, but if they leave our class knowing that Jesus loves them and can take that truth with them into Middle and High School, then it has been worth it. Yes, those years are short, but having a ministry like Hope Park gives all the children of Living Hope a foundation of knowing the truth and love of Jesus. 

- Shannon Shearon 

Meisha Barnes

‘Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land, 

Taught my benighted soul to understand

That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too:

Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.

Some view our sable race with scornful eye,

“Their colour is a diabolic die.”

Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,

May be refin’d and join th’ angelic train.

~ Phillis Wheatley, 1753-1784, 

“On Being Brought from Africa to America”

---

Phillis Wheatley was an African slave who gained notoriety through her poems and her firm belief that black people could be artistic and intellectual. She was one of the pioneers who served as a catalyst for the growing antislavery movement. 

‘Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land…

While reading this specific poem, I was reminded of my own life. More specifically, I was reminded of my life in the church. Singing praises to God was something I was very familiar with, and I had grown comfortable in my position. As a result of this, my spiritual walk plateaued, and my desire to seek God waned greatly. This was the comfort of my Pagan land. It took my life falling completely apart for me to see God’s mercy bring me from that land. 

Some view our sable race with scornful eye…

As a black woman, Living Hope was very unfamiliar and uncomfortable initially. I was taught to be cautious and apprehensive, expecting the worst, so nothing could take me by surprise. I realize now that this was a shallow form of racism, and it’s often used against my race as well. I never took the time to consider that I was being taught to fight fire with fire, which is the exact opposite of what Christ teaches. Blatant racism still runs rampant today, arising from our deeply rooted sin of pride and fear. How can we truly love one another if we are looking at each other through these eyes?

Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain, May be refin’d and join th’ angelic train.

Wheatley speaks of the bible character Cain, who some say was cursed with black skin, using this to justify their racism. The imagery also brings to mind the sugar trade, in which “cane” was burned black as it was refined. My previous church culture was much different than the culture of Living Hope. Church often included loud wails of worship, and dancing of praise. This is common in a lot of black churches and has been viewed as uncivilized or unrefined, even. It is not my culture or my race that cause me to be unrefined, however, it is my sin. We are all in need of a savior. Wheatley reminds us that we all, black and white alike, can be refined through Christ. Who the Son sets free, is free indeed! I’m a child of God, YES I AM!!

Disaster Relief

A Paradise California resident woke up on Nov 8th to violent knocking on her front door. A frantic neighbor was yelling “You gotta get out!” The air was filled with smoke and neighbors were scrambling to leave. She gathered up family, pets and a few valuables for a quick evacuation. The explosion of propane tanks grew louder as the fire approached. Less than 10 minutes later, her house was gone. 

Category 4 Hurricane Michael made landfall on Mexico Beach, Florida, as the most powerful hurricane in recorded history to strike the Florida Panhandle. Packing sustained winds of 155 miles per hour and a storm surge of up to 14 feet, it devastated communities. Businesses damaged or destroyed by the hurricane shut down or cut staff to stay afloat. People lost homes, family members, and their jobs. Countless numbers became homeless with some forced to live in tents.  

2 years ago South-central Louisiana was battered with unprecedented rainfall–some areas receiving more than 2 feet of rain. The storms killed several people and caused widespread damage. Very few residents had flood insurance–after all, they weren’t in a flood zone. Today there are STILL people in East Baton Rouge Parish who are living in FEMA trailers because they don’t have the ability to repair their homes. 

Natural disasters such as these are nothing short of tragic. Unless you are directly affected by a fire, or flood or hurricane/tornado, it is almost impossible to imagine the feeling of loss and hopelessness victims experience. One day you have a home, a bed, a dog, a family…and in the blink of an eye it is all gone. But, in the midst of tragedy GOD gives us the opportunity to share His love with those in need…to be his hands and feet to someone who is down and out. That is what a Disaster Response ministry is all about…being hope to the hopeless. I personally have never felt so close to my Lord as when I answer His call to show up at a disaster site to assist families who have experienced loss. It has been my experience that when I answer the call to be a blessing to someone in need, I am the one who is blessed.  

Do you feel called to minister to brothers and sisters who have been victims of natural disasters?  Would you like to be part of a team going out to show God’s love to those who feel hopeless?  If you would like to be contacted when we have a disaster relief opportunity, please contact Tee Meeks at teemeeks21@gmail.com.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10

We Go With Full Hearts

My mama taught me two words to always keep on my lips, thank you; especially when receiving a gift or words of affirmation, or acts of kindness. To be honest if we said thank you each and every time it was appropriate the last two weeks those two words would be the only ones we would have spoken! 

All that you’ve done for us as I move towards retirement overwhelms us. The gifts received, the cards written, the delicious food served, the words spoken, the times of laughter, tears, and prayers will always be remembered. And we can’t forget the hugs . . . how we cherished each and every hug!

We are so excited about the tangible reminders of our time at Living Hope. The painting from the kids of Hope Park, the cookbook signed by so many of you, the drawing of Memphis, the photo book and the scripture blanket all will give us many opportunities to share the Gospel by telling of a community that loves extravagantly because they, too, are loved by the Father of love.

When I, (Anita), came to Living Hope in August 2006 I came to serve and establish a children’s ministry at a new church start. I came because I felt God calling me to Living Hope. What I didn’t realize then, but clearly see now is that God called me to Living Hope not so much to shape the children’s ministry, but to shape me! As all of us together grew the children’s program, God grew me in His love, in His goodness, and in His faithfulness. And, God used YOU as part of His honing process in my life. I know more of Him because of each of you. Richard and I have often talked about how we are forever changed because of our time at LHC. You have become friends, co-laborers and family. 

Thank you. Those two words don’t seem to carry the weight we want to express for our gratitude and appreciation for all Living Hope has done for us not only in the past two weeks, but the previous 12 years. They aren’t weighty enough, but they are what we have to offer so we say again, Thank You. We love you and take you with us as we go. 

- Anita & Richard Sisk

Step into the Boat

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” - Psalm 133:1

 “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” - Hebrews 3:12-13

 Vulnerability, weakness ... risk. Why do I choose these words?

Why do we, as men, too often think if something or someone is broken, within or around us and those we love, that we can just find a manual or a YouTube video and fix it?

How hard is it to admit we are vulnerable? Do we fear we do not quite measure up to our own expectations ... or those of our family, our workplace ... our Lord? Do we lead our families, have a full prayer life, spend time in His word? How many of us can name one or two male friends to whom we can lay bare our souls? Do we even risk looking that deeply and insightfully?

I was convicted when I asked these difficult questions of myself during and after last year’s LH Men’s Retreat. I have yet to find a video on YouTube that will fix what is broken in me. I fall short, too often, of who and where I think I should be in this life. That’s where His rescuing grace and mercy arrive.

We’re often together in the same boat as the disciples were in a storm-tossed Galilee, as related in the Gospels. This life is oftentimes storm-tossed. They were anxious and imperiled, afraid and uncertain. Christ awoke from sleep, questioned them of their faith, and spoke calm to the raging waves. He is there for us today as He was for his disciples.

Reach out to your brother, take a risk and be vulnerable, admit your weakness. Trust. I did and began to share my brokenness and lostness with a buddy of mine. It wasn’t easy. He didn’t duck or judge. And our friendship since has truly deepened, becoming what it could not have been prior.

 Have faith ...  exhort one another ... dwell in unity …  

Step into the boat at the LH Men’s Retreat. Look to Him, and each other, for strength and calm.

- Scott Lageman

Women's Bible Study

We often use the end of one year and the beginning of the next as a time to reflect, and I find myself reflecting on one of my favorite things at Living Hope this last year! In the fall of 2018, over one-hundred women from Living Hope gathered in various locations and at various times throughout the Memphis metro area to dig into God’s word through a study of 1 John. At the end of our study, we had a dinner with all of the participants where each group presented a creative project to display what they’d learned during the study. Each group contained women of different ages and talents - and together we had such a camaraderie that came from us all studying the same thing. Being a “non-creative” person, it was inspiring to see the many ways God has gifted the women of LH. 

Some of the thoughts and reflections after the study from various women who participated include:

“To lead and be part of a group of women who studied the Bible together was one of my highlights from last semester. I loved the in depth preparation we had to do for the study, and the new insight into God’s Word that it brought; I was happy to see how the women participated, and how the Word convicted and brought about change in their thinking. I also enjoyed seeing the bond and relationships that formed between the women in the group.”

“Our small group came together as some friends and some strangers and came away bonded through the knowledge of the concept that Jesus loves us unconditionally. Because of this example of unconditional love, being honest about our weaknesses was not only easier but freeing.”

“Meeting together each week to study and discuss God’s Word together was the perfect opportunity to (finally) get to know other women at LH! Also, I was very pleased with how our ladies handled differences in opinion about Scripture when it came up. The ladies discussed politely and allowed one another to share their thoughts, but they did not let it hurt our fellowship and friendship. We were able to get right back on track with the lesson”

“I loved the connection knowing we were all studying the same thing and the friendships that came out of our group. I have continued to be convicted and encouraged from the things we studied and learned from 1 John!”

“Now I will see so many familiar faces at church!”

We are gearing up for a study through Judges starting the evening of January 15th with a large group kickoff! Again, there will be various groups at various times throughout the metro area and at LH:Piperton. We want to make it as easy as possible for every lady to be involved! I am very excited to see what the Lord has in store for us and hope many more LH women will join us!

Debbie Mills

Bryan Paul Jett

Susan Land

Meisha Barnes

Memphis Family Connection Center

Adoption is a beautiful thing, so much so that our salvation is described this way:

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.  - Galatians 4:4-7 (NIV)

We are not just saved, we are adopted as sons; this makes us heirs of God’s blessings today, tomorrow, and for eternity. Out of gratefulness for such undeserved favor, we who follow Christ seek to live our lives the way He taught us and exemplified for us – we do what He does. This desire has led many of us to foster or adopt children. In an ideal world, no child would need to be fostered or adopted, but our world is fallen, far from ideal. Every adoption starts with a tragedy and some degree of trauma. But a family is forged out of that fallen place. Even on strictly human terms, adoption is a redemptive act. We who call Jesus our Lord should take adoption seriously, whether we bring children into our families or support those who do. In so doing, we will experience the beauty of adoption first hand, but we will also come to learn that adoption is complicated. Consider the following:

A married couple adopted a child at birth 6 years ago, and the child has begun to exhibit emotional and behavioral problems at home and at school.

A single mom, recently divorced, is having difficulty with her teenage son as he struggles with the loss of his family the way he has always known it. 

An older married couple has recently gained custody of their grandchild, and their daughter, the child’s mother, is trying to maintain a relationship with them and her child.

A young adult adoptee with a wife and baby is starting to process his relationship with his birthparents at a deeper level.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals and families who have received counseling and support at Memphis Family Connection Center, located on the Harding Academy Cordova campus. The center officially opened its doors over two years ago and continues to add services and staff. Living Hope supports the center financially, and this support has allowed me to join the MFCC staff full time as of September 1. In addition to counseling, MFCC also offers psychological evaluation services, speech therapy, and occupational therapy (for children with sensory motor problems).  Parenting classes and in-home parent mentoring are also available. The center seeks to apply cutting-edge research on attachment and trauma to all of its operations, including relationships between staff members. For more information visit, www.memphisfamilycc.org or call 901-614-1902.

Matt Smith is a psychologist, adoptive parent, and member of Living Hope.

The Butler Family

The Banker Family

Our foster story started almost two years ago. After we had our son, Benaiah, we felt the Lord put a desire of fostering to adopt on our hearts. We started the long process of learning how to be patient and content right where we were while the Lord worked in us and through us to prepare us to love those precious children of God. He wasn’t just shaping and molding our hearts, but our families and those close to us as well. We all needed the time to prepare to love them. It was difficult to lay our desires down and let the Lord lead because we wanted that precious baby or child right then. 

For a year we searched for the perfect organization for our family. We desired a Christian based organization that would provide us the support network that would rally around us and that also gave us the opportunity to love the parents of the children as well. We didn’t want to just focus on the kids because parents need to be built up and encouraged to be the best parents they can be. After the disappointments of not meeting the age requirements to the organization we found and the internal structure changes in another organization caused things to come to a halt. It took us being content where the Lord had us for the amazing door to open with our organization, Safe Families For Children. It moved SO FAST from there. We completed the application, background checks, fingerprinting, interview, and a home visit within two weeks and had our first baby 5 days after approval. 

Our precious Kyrie was 3 months when we started “hosting” him and our relationship with his mom and dad blossomed right along with our love for him. We struggled with understanding the “whys” behind things and with wanting to help with whatever resources we had that they did not. It took months with continuous learning to find our happy balance between loving them well and enabling unhealthy behaviors. It’s heart breaking, frustrating, emotionally taxing, but absolutely amazing and glorifying to God all in one. God worked on us, through us, and continues to do just that. We were not put in this place with this desire on our hearts to judge them or fix them. We are here to rally around them and love those kiddos with every inch of our beings showing God’s love, grace, and mercy. We do not want to be the quick fix; we want to be the permanent mark on a family we may never have met otherwise. We want to grieve with them and hope with them. 

We want to raise Benaiah and our future children with an understanding of what it means to live by faith regardless of the fears we encounter along the way. Francis Chan said it best, but to summarize: Our mission with the Lord doesn’t end or pause when you get married, have young kids, or after your kids grow older. It’s about going out into the harvest and being a worker. It’s about being vulnerable and allowing God to use you in unexpected ways to further His Kingdom. We want to be missionaries here in our city ready to be blown away by the Lord’s work with one “host” baby at a time.  

- Savannah Banker

The Edwards Family

The Murray Family

A superhero, or maybe it was Simba in The Lion King, once said, “I laugh in the face of danger.” To that, I say you have never met Child Protective Services. All joking aside, I do feel like God tells us “I laugh in the face of your plans.” One of the most important lessons among the multitude taught this year, were that our minute insignificant plans pale in comparison to God’s majestic ones. 

In May 2017, Ben and I became licensed resource parents. After years of battling the Lord, we begrudgingly caved to His call for us to foster a child. That’s about the time our world started spiraling out of our control. We entered foster care with our plan to foster only. The Lord laughed and within the first 30 seconds of meeting our son, changed our hearts to His plan for adoption.  Adoption is beautiful. It’s messy. It’s complicated. It’s a miracle.  It’s a clear depiction of the Lord’s love for us, his adopted children.

I fail to find adequate words to express how evident the Lord has been on this journey. Over the past summer, we faced a Goliath. CPS became like the terrified Israelites refusing to fight on our behalf.  We felt like we were abandoned and left paralyzed in fear-only we were never alone. The Lord faithfully moved mountain after mountain and defeated the giant on our son’s behalf. 

In the quiet hours of the night, as I rock my precious son to sleep, I am always reminded that in God’s perfect plan, she would be here loving him and raising him. Because of God’s redemptive plan though, I get to love him and raise him. What an undeserved honor. When our son was just a few weeks old, we hung a blanket over his crib with Isaiah 49:16 printed on it. Every night since, before I lay him down for the night, I whisper to him, “Rhodes, the Lord has you in the palm of His hand.”  Adoption is beautiful. It’s messy and yes, it’s complicated. But the Lord’s plan for it is perfect and good.  

We are anxiously anticipating December. After 16 months in foster care, our youngest will become our forever son!  

- Joanna Murray