2010 Goals Update: January

I thought it might be a good idea to share the progress on my 2010 goals every once in a while.  My friend Erin sets monthly goals and then reviews her progress at the end of each month.  Her system seems like a good method for keeping track of everything, and another bit of accountability doesn't hurt either.  For reference, you can see my goals (and the reasoning behind them) for the year here.

Become a faithful member of the 5 am club.  Getting there.  I usually get up between 5:15 and 5:45.  I had a rough first two weeks after New Year's, but I am becoming more consistent.  I'm hoping by the end of February, I'm up and at 'em between 5:00 and 5:15 every morning.

Memorize 52 verses.  I am taking a Saturday morning theology class with some ladies at my church; each week we have one or two verses (which pertain to the chapter we are studying that week) to memorize, and we have a few minutes during each class to break into groups and hold each other accountable.  Ah-mazing.  This month, I memorized Matthew 28:18-20, Genesis 1:26-27, and Colossians 3:18-19.  I'm now working on 2 Corinthians 7:1 for our class next Saturday.  We are also memorizing Scripture in my SWI class (see below).

Memorize (the first half) of the book of James.  It took some harping by my husband for me to get started, but we're working on chapter one right now.  I've got verses 1-4 pretty good, and will be working on verses 5-8 next.

Continue in the SWI program.  Just had our first class on Thursday!  I am excited to be back and with my girls again (but I miss you, Abby!); seriously we were so giddy when we saw each other on Thursday- I almost felt like I was back in high school or something.  I am also excited about new friendships forming- and deepening others.  And yes, I'm excited about learning from the class and instructor as well.  I love learning!  I am such a dork, aren't I?

Read through the Bible.  Isaac gave me a reading plan, and I've been pretty consistent with it.  I read in the morning before I go to work; I'm working my way through Genesis, finished Job and then moved onto the Psalms, and am also reading through Matthew.  It looks like by the end of February, I should be halfway through Exodus, a little over a third of the way through the Psalms, and about halfway through Acts.  This plan is kind of an odd one; after you finish Matthew, you skip the rest of the Gospels to go through Acts, and then go back to Mark.  I'm not sure how they determined the order of everything...

Continue to think through our family traditions. This isn't one of which I can really keep track.  However, we have started family worship night on Sundays.  I think this is definitely going to become a staple; it will be easy to tie in Lent and Advent celebrations through the years as well.  I'm mulling over some Lent and Easter ideas in my head.  I will definitely be revisiting the Easter chapter in Noel Piper's Treasuring God in Our Traditions in the near future.

Communicate with our family (and friends) more.  I've kept up the emailing, and I have called my grandparents every week.  I usually end up chatting to my grandmother for a while, but I also got to talk to Grampie on his birthday earlier in the month.  I treasure getting to talk to him because he's not much of a phone talker.  I've also spoken with other family members at random too.  I need to be more intentional about making contact with everyone though.  Isaac also tries to call his grandparents once a week.

Build up our emergency fund.  We haven't really added anything to our savings this month because we're focused on reducing debt over the next few months- see below about our car loan.

Make a huge dent in our car loan.  We made four extra payments this month- one at the beginning, two mid-month, and one that will post today!  Though the payoff information changes constantly, it's exciting to realize that we are getting closer to that zero balance.  It will take some time, but we are determined to do this sooner rather than later and are very excited about what that extra cash flow each month could mean for paying down student loans and building up our savings.

Cut our grocery bill.  I don't know if I did this or not, but I am definitely trying to be better about meal planning and only going to the grocery store twice a month (once for just about everything needed for the month and the other halfway through for milk, dairy, and produce supplies).  The next step is couponing, but I think my coupons will focus on toiletries, since I like meal planning once a month.

Develop a consistent and workable cleaning schedule. Well...I'm still working on that, but I did make huge strides in that I cleaned out our guest bedroom/office/craft area/library.  So...that one is still in process.

Read 30 books. I've finished five and am currently reading three others (plus some snippets of others for my two classes).  I'm trying to get a good mix of genres read throughout the year, and I think I've done a pretty good job of that thus far.

Scrapbook.  Haven't touched a thing, but I did order pictures at least.  My friend is having a scrapbooking evening next weekend, so I'm hoping to get a few pages done.  Still, it's going to take a lot more than a scrapbook get-together every once in a while for me to get caught up.

Continue blogging.  Well, I'm posting now, so there you have it.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I am still shooting to purchase the vast majority of our Christmas presents with Swagbucks.  And yes, I still need your help (so sign up)!  I exchanged my Swagbucks I earned in December and January for $25.00 in Amazon gift cards, and I've almost got enough to get another $5.00 gift card.  Excellent.

How about you?  Are you making progress on your goals for the year?

Announcing My First Ever Giveaway

I am beyond excited to announce I am hosting my first ever giveaway on my blog!  I have been toying with this idea for some months, but I never could figure out just what I wanted to give away.  I think you will be pleased to know what I determined as the best possible giveaway item: a SpendYourself shirt.  

If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know how much I love this company- and the people behind it.  SpendYourself is a non-profit apparel company that seeks to bring hope to the hopeless and empower those who are oppressed by highlighting different social justice projects around the world; a t-shirt is designed for the project and sales of the shirt go directly to the project.  Not only does the money support the project, but each and every time you wear a SpendYourself shirt, you are telling their untold story; you are giving a voice to the voiceless.

SpendYourself has released shirts benefiting several projects.  They have raised over $6,000 since their inception last year!

I am giving one reader a SpendYourself shirt of their choice so that they, too, can give a voice to the voiceless.  To enter the giveaway:

1. Become a follower (nothing wrong in shameless self-promotion, folks, but if you are already a follower and leave a comment, I will give you two entries).
2. Leave a comment telling me which shirt you'd choose and why.
3. Write about the giveaway on your blog and include a link back to this post (two entries for this one, but you've got to give me the permalink to your post).

The drawing will be Saturday, February 13th, so hop on over to SpendYourself and check them out!

Buried Alive

Buried Alive recounts the experience of American contractor Roy Hallums while working in Iraq. In November of 2004, Hallums was in his office when a group of individuals burst into his office, bound and gagged him, and threw him into a car as they sped away from the compound of the company for which Hallums worked.                                                                                                     
Like hundreds of other foreigners working in Iraq and thousands of Iraqi citizens, he was kidnapped. Hallums continues to tell his story of being moved from safe house to safe house until he was finally placed in a small house literally in the middle of nowhere. At various points, other hostages were brought in to the safe house for keeping as well. Eventually, he and the other hostages were moved into a cellar-like room and were only allowed to come out once a day. The room was not tall enough to allow the hostages to stand; it lacked good ventilation, and the room was kept completely dark for most of the duration. Hallums and the other hostages were beaten as their kidnappers demanded to know details of their life so that they could determine how much ransom money to place on their hostages' heads.

Hallums was the last to leave the room beneath the ground, but no one paid his ransom. Special Forces rescued him nearly a year after his original abduction. At the time of the printing of the book, Hallums was the only hostage to have been rescued. Many others remain unaccounted for.

The book was well written and read very easily, but other than that I was disappointed. It was advertised as a story of faith; Hallums mentioned God maybe ten times in the book. It didn't seem to me that his faith played an integral role in surviving the experience; in fact when he was later giving advice to a pilot about what to do should she ever find herself captured, he didn't say anything about faith in our great and merciful God. This lack of discussion of the importance of faith left me wondering, "Why Thomas Nelson? Why not some other publisher?"

I also have concerns about the way in which he paints Iraq and many of the Iraqi people. At one point, he does paint with a broad stroke, explaining that many of the Muslims he knew were good, honest people whom he was proud to call friend. But that's where it stops. I cannot imagine what my feelings would be if I found myself in a similar situation, but we are called to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Hallums never discussed this command from our Messiah, and it leaves me wondering if it crossed his mind at all. Because most of the American public is fairly ignorant to what the Muslim faith is, we too often stereotype all followers of Islam as members of jihad. Books like this one concern me because they, even if inadvertently, can easily perpetuate this misunderstanding, fueling hatred of all Muslims. We must remember our great and sovereign God wants all people to come to know him, including Muslims.

I no doubt have respect for him for surviving through this horrible ordeal; I would not wish it on anyone. However, if you want to read about a believer who was imprisoned multiple times, enduring beatings and torture, and remained focused on the love of Christ, I suggest reading Brother Yun's The Heavenly Man. That book is good for the soul.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Absent From Flesh

I love the music we sing at our church.  Not only are those who are leading the body gathered in worship through song incredibly musically talented and artistically gifted, but the choice of songs each week are simply amazing.  We don't sing a lot of 'fluff'.  We sing heady songs, rich with truth and life. 

The following is a video of one of my favorite songs we sing sometimes at Sojourn.  My husband found it and pointed it out to me when I kept humming 'Absent From Flesh' for a few days in a row.


Sojourn Music "Absent From Flesh" Live 06.05.09 from chuck heeke on Vimeo.

Big Truths for Young Hearts

Big Truths for Young Hearts is a phenomenal book by Dr. Bruce Ware, a professor at Southern (he is actually one of Isaac's professors this semester). The concept of the book was developed when Ware's daughters, both now adults, approached him about formally writing out the many theological discussions they had as a family. Ware made it a point to openly discuss doctrine and theology with his little girls as they grew throughout the years. As a result of his 'lessons', his children grew in the knowledge of the Lord and entered adulthood with a firm foundation of their spiritual heritage and faith. Would that every believer had the same experience!

The book is written in such a way as to appeal to more than one audience. Parents can use it as a guide to lead their children to discussions concerning key points of theology; individuals can read it to attain a basic theological education. I think many people are intimidated by the word "theology". It sounds so...serious and mature. But really, theology is simply the study of God (from the Greek theos meaning 'God' and logy meaning 'the study of' and no, I didn't pull that out of nowhere; I took Greek, kids!), and it is something we should make a priority to teach to our children. Far too often, parents provide abundantly for their children's physical, emotional, and intellectual needs, but neglect their spiritual needs. I pray that when Isaac and I are parents, we would take seriously our responsibility to teach our children about the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. I think this book will help provide a road map to lead our children to discuss the things of God; I plan on revisiting the book numerous times throughout the next several years for sure!

The book is divided into ten chapters, and each chapter has several sections within it which determine natural breaking points. At the end of each section, there are a few questions for further thought and discussion, as well as pertinent Scripture for memorization. I read a chapter a day; any more than that and you won't be able to fully absorb and process the material. If I were going through the book with a child, I would slow the pace down even more and work diligently at the memorization. Topics covered include creation, the Trinity, sin, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Church. Ware does an excellent job of presenting some common errors and misconceptions about basic doctrines as well.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you have children. Even if you don't have children, the theological foundations discussed in this book are irreplaceable for believers.

Let Me Introduce You...

...to my new obsession.

This was my birthday present from my brother, and it is amazing.  I bring it into work occasionally so a select few of my coworkers and I can lust over it.  Mmm...far and distant lands...

First They Killed My Father

I kid you not, I started this book approximately twenty-eight minutes after I finished Pascal Khoo Twe's From the Land of Green Ghosts. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers is on my reading list for this year, and since I was able to get it from the library very quickly, I decided to go ahead and begin reading it, even though my emotions were already tenuous at best after finishing one book about genocide. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to pick up Harry Potter instead, and my hands gravitated toward the book with the little refugee girl on the cover.

First They Killed My Father recounts the experience of Luong Ung, a refugee who lived through the Khmer Rouge takeover of Phnom Penh and its subsequent systematic killing of over two million Cambodians- almost a fourth of the country's entire population. Ung was one of seven children in an upper middle-class family; her father worked for the government as a high-ranking official, and the family led a relatively privileged life.

In April of 1975, Khmer Rouge soldiers entered the city and forced thousands of people to flee their homes and begin an arduous journey into the countryside. The Khmer Rouge ('Red Khmer' in French- Khmer is Cambodia's largest ethnic group) was a totalitarian regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975-1979. Its attempt at agricultural reform led to famine, and with its resolute stance on self-sufficiency in all aspects, thousands upon thousands of people suffered from starvation and treatable diseases during the Khmer Rouge reign. The regime would kill those individuals and families who were suspected of being capitalists, employees of the former democratic government, professionals (anyone with virtually any amount of education), and the ethnic and religious minorities. Though perhaps not one of the more famous cases of genocide, that which was committed by the Khmer Rouge was one of the most lethal regimes of the century; nearly one fourth of the country's population was murdered in the space of less than five years.

Because Ung's father had been a government official, the family fled Phnom Penh with others the day the Khmer Rouge took control of the city. The family relocated to live with their extended family, who lived in a small village, and the Khmer Rouge therefore saw them as 'unpolluted'. Eventually, Ung's family is forced to move from their family's village for fear others would realize they are from the city. Ung goes on to tell her harrowing story of survival, even in the midst of great pain and fear.

Despite the acknowledgement of the immense pain throughout the entire book, one of the hardest parts to read was one of the very last chapters, in which Ung is describing life in the refugee camp in Thailand. Here is a brief excerpt:

"Eldest brother!" I call, running up to him. "Did you also get dunked in the water by the Father?"
"Yes, he has made me a Christian." Meng chuckles with his friends.
"Why? I thought we were Buddhists."
"We are, but being a Christian will help us get sponsors faster. Many refugees are sponsored by church groups. Christians like to help other Christians."

Ouch. 'Christians like to help other Christians.' Does that punch you in the gut as it did to me? Yes, as Christians, we are to help our brothers and sisters. But I pray that no one would ever say of me that I refused to help someone because they are of a different faith; that is not love, friends! We are called to love our neighbor- not just those who sit beside us on the pew each week. I pray that the world would know we are Christians by our love- not just our love for other believers, but our love for all the nations.

Help Haiti: The New SpendYourself Shirt

Despite the devastation in Haiti, the outpouring of love by many is an incredible thing to witness.  It is nothing less than beautiful when we use our passions, God-given talents, and resources to come alongside our brothers and sisters- even if we have never met them- in order to pick up one another when we have been crushed.  The folks over at SpendYourself have been doing just that since their inception last year.  And they're back at it again.  For the past several weeks, the SpendYourself team has been working on developing a shirt to raise awareness of issues in Haiti, as well as to benefit Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, an agency dedicated to serving the people of Haiti.  Since the earthquake, the sense of urgency to release the shirt has (not surprisingly) grown tremendously.  For that reason, SpendYourself is now taking orders for their Haiti shirt, which features the word espere, the Creole word for hope.

If you'd like to order the Haiti shirt, please click here.  It will be available for shipping in a few weeks.   

With A Heavy Heart

It's amazing what it takes to remind us.

An unexpected tsunami wiping out entire villages, sweeping thousands out into the ocean.  A massive hurricane bearing down on a historic and vulnerable city.  A powerful earthquake in one of the poorest nations in the world, sending buildings crumbling down as thousands flee for safety while others are buried beneath the rubble.

Neighbors beating each other over the head with the butts of rifles because they practice different religions.  Children sold by their parents into a sex trade for pennies in exchange.  Families fleeing the only home they're ever known because those in power make it clear their 'kind' are not welcome anymore.

What do we learn from these tragic events?  That we can't always prevent them.  That, sometimes, we can't even prepare for them.  That we live in a desperately fallen world desperately in need of a holy Savior.

Life.  It's short, regardless of how many years we spend walking this earth.  In the days following the devastating earthquake which shook the small nation of Haiti, I find my heart heavy.  I am reminded of how utterly precious life is...and how short it can often be.  I am convicted of my comfortable life in a comfortable country while thousands in Haiti and millions around the world suffer each and every day.  It's not fair.  It's not just.

When reading my words, I know some may simply shrug their shoulders, commenting that "Life isn't always fair you know.  No one ever said it was."  I know that.  The natural ebb and flow of the 'haves' and 'have nots' doesn't necessarily bother me.  What bothers me is that so many times, the 'haves' simply don't care.  What bothers me is so many times, I simply don't care. 

I posted this video about a year ago, but it is on my heart again this morning.  Please watch it and consider not only the message, but also your response to this clip.



My heart is still heavy, but I am happy to report the children of Three Angels Orphanage, our Focus of the Month for September, are all uninjured.  Please consider giving to Three Angels during this time of recovery.  CNN's Impact Your World also has an excellent resource guide of what we can do to help Haiti and serve others.

From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey

I borrowed this book from my place of employment (there's a small bookshelf containing random books concerning refugees, international politics, etc in our director's office) a few months ago, but was only able to begin reading it a few weeks ago. I first became interested in this book quite a ways back when we were still living in Columbia and my agency at the time began resettling a large number of Burmese refugees. Isaac also shared my interest and read To the Golden Shore, a biography of the first missionary to Burma, Adoniram Judson. To the Golden Shore is on my reading list for 2010.

If you're not familiar with the history of Burma, also known as Myanmar to those individuals and countries who accept the current military junta government, you can read a very brief bit of background information here in a previous post also concerning our Burmese refugees.

From the Land of Green Ghosts is an autobiography of a Burmese man from the Padaung tribe. Pascal Khoo Twe writes with remarkable clarity and draws the reader into his world from his childhood in a tiny jungle village of Burma to his time studying English at university in the city of Mandalay to his flight into the wild jungles to his final escape from his country altogether. The book does not read as another horrific tale of human survival, although Twe does indeed include these aspects of his experience. Rather, he spends a great deal of time elaborating on his culture and how his childhood shaped his worldview in significant ways. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of about his specific ethnicity is the intermingling of their traditional beliefs and Catholicism, to which many converted once Italian missionaries reached Burma. Even though many Padaung now claim to be Catholic, they still participate in traditional ceremonies. Throughout the book, I kept thinking about how remarkably diverse the country of Burma is- not only in geography and topography, but in ethnicity, religion, and every other facet of life. What a beautiful land it must be.

Twe's story is similar to many other Burmese youth; he left his village in order to study university in one of the larger cities, Mandalay. While living there, he experienced education under the regime of General Ne Win, the leader of the military coup that toppled the democratic government in 1962. No discussion or debates permitted, instructors and tutors recited party doctrine for students to memorize. On more than one occasion, the government demonetized the currency, rendering the most, if not all, of the current bills and coins utterly worthless. The government then issued new bills, in different set amounts; because of this shift, Twe lost nearly all of his savings twice and was unable to continue paying for his education. He eventually found work at a Chinese restaurant as a waiter. It was there he met an English professor from Cambridge who would later affect the course of Twe's life.

During Twe's time in Mandalay, students all over the country began to demand change in the government, and tensions escalated. Twe eventually fled home and then into the jungle, joining with Karenni (a neighboring ethnic group) rebels fighting for a free Burma. At one point, a British journalist visited their camp, and Twe was able to send a letter to the English professor with the journalist serving as a courier. To his complete surprise, the English professor received the letter and responded, eventually forming a plan to rescue Twe from his current perilous situation in order to bring him to England to stay English at Cambridge University.

The book is beautifully written and heart-breakingly honest. As always when I read about individuals fleeing their homes because of persecution and seeking asylum in another country, I am reminded of my clients and what many of them have experienced. Though difficult, it is good to be reminded of the pain, suffering, and injustice in the world today. For if we are not reminded of it, will we remember? And if we are not reminded of it, will we heed our call to do justice and love another?

I Know Those Hands!

My friend Lauren moved out to California a couple of years ago to pursue her acting career.  She's done some voice-overs, background acting, and work in minor/independent films.  But the coolest thing about Lauren right now is her hands.

Because they are EVERYWHERE now...as in, on this Expedia commercial:



Pretty sweet, huh?

Grampie's Birthday

Today, my grandfather turned eighty years old. When I called him earlier to wish him a happy birthday, I asked him how he felt now that he was officially an octogenarian. His response: "I guess it only lasts for one day, you know." I immediately responded, "But Grampie, you'll be an octogenarian for more than just one day!" He quipped, "Well, I hope to be one for about ten or so years." Isn't he just too precious for words?!?!

Happy Birthday, Grampie!  I love you so very much!

A Confederacy of Dunces and The Time Traveler's Wife

I read both of these books back in November and December, and I'm just now getting around to writing reviews about them. I definitely learned my lesson because I can't remember half of things I wanted to mention about these two drastically different novels. Let that be a lesson to me, I suppose.

My friend Emily lent A Confederacy of Dunces to me, raving about how wonderful it was. She promised me I would laugh out loud at several points in the book and even confessed it just might be her favorite book. Truthfully, I didn't enjoy it that much (sorry, Em). I can definitely appreciate the John Kennedy Toole's writing and story-telling ability, but I think maybe I just picked up the book at the wrong time for me to fully appreciate it...if that even makes sense.

However, Toole crafts an excellent cast of characters and skillfully interweaves their seemingly different and unattached lives. He focuses a great deal of Ignatius, a pompous and overly-educated man who still lives with his mother in New Orleans. Ignatius is the type of individual who, when seeing a movie at the theater, exclaims loudly for all to hear, "I cannot believe I am watching this display of our baseless society! What are we coming to?" Yeah, you all know the type. He derives pleasure and joy from lambasting others' mistakes and problems, yet he is extremely defensive of his own shortcomings; nothing is ever his fault and everyone else is always in the wrong somehow, however miniscule it may be. I think my issue with the novel came because I know too many people like Ignatius- that is, people who complain about "what our world is coming to" and yet never lift a finger to make a positive impact at any point.

Still, the book is very well-written and is rather enjoyable. The characters are very well-developed and the writing itself is superb. And, Emily was right- I did laugh out loud at several points. But in all honesty, I have to agree with Ignatius when he poked fun at Mark Twain... I'm not a big fan of Mr. Twain either, Ignatius.

I also borrowed The Time Traveler's Wife from Emily so as to avoid remaining on the library's waiting list for eons. I haven't seen the movie, but I heard good things about the book, so I figure I'd give it a shot. Time travel is not a new concept in literature, but Audrey Niffenegger's take is interesting. The story follows Henry and Clare, a couple who experience life a little differently than most people. Clare lives her life chronologically, but Henry is a time traveler. He doesn't get to chose where or when he goes; his traveling is more or less forced upon him. At some point in this travels through time, he begins to visit his wife Clare when she is a child and becomes Clare's secret childhood friend. I'm not going to lie- it's a little odd to be reading about a grown man who is talking to his wife...when she is a child. Weird, weird, weird. But for some reason, the story line really works. The novel reads quickly, and the reader doesn't want to put the book down. I think the book could generate some very interesting discussions in a book club. One major caveat: it is very graphic at times- as in, I found myself blushing at various points. I heard, however, the movie is much tamer; I'd like to see it and compare the two, just for kicks.

Another 'Goal' for Twenty Ten

I recently posted my major goals for this year, but I've got a few more up my sleeve.  I'm tempted to simply make a 52 is 2010 like Jess did, but I'm concerned about my obsession with list-making as of late.  And I'm not too sure I could determine fifty-two seriously un-lame things to do in 2010- unlike Jessica's list, which pretty much kicks butt.  Perhaps I'll take this year to prepare my 52 in 2011 list...

At any rate, one of my other goals is to buy all of our Christmas presents this year with Swagbucks.  There will of course be a few presents that we will simply not be able to purchase using Swagbucks (as in special crafts and donations to non-profits), but for just about everything else, I'm going to trade in my Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards (because really, what can't you purchase on Amazon?) to buy the presents for our nieces and nephews and whoever's names we draw for 'Christmas Carnage Chaos'.

If you're not sure what Swagbucks is, here's the skinny: Swagbucks is simply a search engine; instead of using Google, Yahoo!, or Bing, use Swagbucks- you get similar results, but you also will randomly win these beautiful little gems called...you guessed it, Swagbucks.  You can trade in your Swagbucks for prizes, including gift cards!  I think selecting the Amazon giftcards is probably one of the absolute best ways to go.  In addition to using Swagbucks as your search engine, you can also earn Swagbucks by going through the website before you shop online at some specific sites, by trading in your old cell phones and other electronics, and by referring friends to the program.  And oh yes, Swagbucks is absolutely free.  No gimmicks.  Just the opportunity to earn giftcards for something you're already doing on a daily basis anyway.

Basically, one of the easiest way to earn Swagbucks quickly is to refer friends to the website; once they sign up through your referral, for every Swagbuck they earn, you get one too!  All the way up to 100 Swagbucks.  Most of my Swagbucks have actually come from referrals, especially since I completely forgot to use the website as my search engine for a few months last fall.

So this is where you come in, faithful and fabulous reader.  I'm going to need some help from you if I'm going to reach my goal of purchasing all our Christmas gifts using Amazon gift cards earned through Swagbucks.  Sign up for the website, using my account as your referral, and start swagbucking!  I promise, it won't take long for you to set the same or a similar goal for Christmas 2010!

None Too Shabby, Friends

I know it wasn't the national championship and it was Cinncinati, but our performance in the Sugar Bowl was none too shabby.  I am quite sad now because we have to wait several months for the glorious beauty of college football to begin again next season. *Sigh*

Please note that all negative Florida/Meyer/Tebow remarks will be removed and the user punished severely.  And in case you're wondering, yes, I am rooting for Bama in the championship.  Why?  Because I dislike Texas intensely and we like to keep as many championships in the conference as possible.  C'mon SEC!

January's Focus: Adopting Couple Brian and Audra

You might have noticed that over the past few years, the issue of adoption has been making its way to the forefront of conversations and various forms of media.  It seems more and more churches and individual families are taking the call to provide for orphans quite seriously.  I think part of this increased awareness of adoption is due in part to Dr. Russell Moore's book Adopted for Life, which was published last spring and is on my reading list for this year.  Believers are now viewing adoption not just as an alternative for couples who can't become parents biologically, but as a mandate from our Father to care for the fatherless.  Families are adopting multiple children- through foster care, domestic adoption, and international adoption- not necessarily because they want to be someone's mom or dad, but because they feel called to obey the Lord in the endeavor. 

We have several friends who have adopted or are currently in the adoption process.  Each and every one of these families inspire me and encourage me to seriously consider in what way(s) the Lord would have us provide for orphans.  One such couple is my college friend Audra and her husband Brian.  They have now been married for over four years, do not have any biological children, and have been pursuing adoption for more than an entire year.  Their first inclination was to adopt internationally, most likely from Ethiopia, but since then have moved to domestic adoption and are currently pursuing adoption through the foster care system.  They recently completed their coursework (which demonstrates amazing dedication in and of itself- they had to give up multiple Saturdays to attend the courses) to become certified foster parents and are now waiting on a placement.  Brian and Audra want to foster a sibling group for six months, at which point they woulc be eligbile to file for adoption.

Audra recently shared with me how their process was going:

"It seems to be taking so long, but I know God is working on something huge...The hardest part right now is that there are so many red tapes and hoops to jump through when working with the state. They seem so desperate for families to be available for these children but they make it impossible for those families that are so willing. It's like we're standing here saying YES to something we know God has called us to but we keep hitting all these brick walls. Our biggest prayer request is that we would find favor with the state DCS, and they would help us bring children into our home. We also are in desperate need of patience to push through all the hoops. Going through this process we have seen the hold that Satan has for this kids in the system. Every time we hit a wall people ask us 'Don't you think this is God closing the door for you? Isn't this just too much?' Quite the contrary. We see what a hold Satan has and believe that with every wall we hit God confirms to us that if we don't fight for these kids they may never be fought for..."

I love how Audra explains that God is not closing doors, but that He is confirming "if we don't fight for these kids, they may never be fought for."  I pray that each of us would consider our role in fighting for these children.  You don't have to be wealthy to care for children who need a home, and adoption may not be the specific route to which our Father has called you, but I encourage you to prayfully consider what route He has chosen for you so that you might fulfill His direction to care for the orphans.

Brian and Audra also have a wonderful blog they have been keeping to chronicle their journey.  Check out A Step Along the Path and leave them some encouragement.