Jesus is Christmas!!!

Two more days & we will set the day aside to gather with family & friends & celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!!! My daughter made the cupcakes today for Jesus' birthday & we've been busy cooking & baking & preparing gifts to share with those we love. As I type this blog I sit in front of a stained glass nativity scene my parents gave us & the beauty of it helps keep my heart focused on what really matters this Christmas season. Of course I love to watch Christmas movies(Mickey's Christmas Carol especially), bake cookies(frosted cut outs), shop for others, attend family gatherings, etc... but in the quiet moments when the world slows down & God reminds my heart that even if I didn't have any of those previous things I mentioned Christmas would still be Christmas. Jesus is Christmas & since I have a personal relationship with Him, I have Christmas!!!

I was reading in a book called, "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan today & there was a section where he wrote about a family that went around on Christmas morning sharing hot pancakes & coffee with the homeless in their community, and how their three children look forward to this every year. Another section he shared one of my favorite verses: Matthew 25:40 "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." It's beautiful how those two sections go hand in hand together. So this Christmas season as we enjoy precious time with our loved ones & fill our stomach's with yummy food, may we be sensitive to remember that there are others in our community that may be less fortunate than we are. May we be willing to share a smile, give a blanket, serve a meal or open our home to "one of the least of these." In doing so I believe we're ultimately sharing Christmas(JESUS) with them.

Empowered to Connect training classes starting SOON!

We will be teaching a training from Empowered to Connect, called the connect course, starting January 5th, 2017. We will meet on Thursday evenings from 6:30-8:30pm at Bethel Baptist Church in Savannah. This training is open to foster, adoptive & kinship families. The training is a nine week course based on the work of the late Dr. Karyn Purvis & Empowered to Connect. We will meet together 2 hours each week & you will have approximately 2 hours of homework as well to complete each week. Believe us the time spent in and out of class is well worth it. This training has been life changing in our home. It helps us to better understand & serve our children that come from hard places. It has also been beneficial with our biological children as well. There is a cost involved & materials need to be ordered soon so please contact us if you're interested in attending the training. We would love to see you there!

Orphan Sunday-November 13th, 2016

Sunday, November 13th is Orphan Sunday. We encourage you to get involved with Orphan Sunday with your local church in some way. There is free printable materials on orphansunday.org you can download & print off to share with others. There is also a video you can play during your service. Bringing awareness about orphan care is very near & dear to the heart of God. James 1:27 says  "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." If orphan care is important to God, it should be important to us. Please take time on Sunday, November 13th to share with your church & others about Orphan Sunday & pray for the orphans around the world, including the ones in your own neighborhood. Everyone can get involved in some way. What will you do to reach out to the "least of these?" Feel free to contact us with any questions or ideas you have to get involved in orphan care. Also please feel free to share with us what your church is doing for orphan Sunday this year. Together, we can make a difference!!!

    

The GRACE Factor

The Grace Factor... This has been something the Lord has been shaping & molding my heart on more & more the older I get & the more time I spend with Him. In a world with so many rules, grace often gets overlooked. There's rules in society, in our homes, in our schools, in our churches, etc... and a lot of those rules are important, even necessary to keep everyone safe. There's also a lot of rules that we like to make up to have control or authority over someone else in a way that is not helpful, or necessary. A power struggle. A battle that may not be worth fighting but we fight it anyways because we're more concerned with winning every battle than winning the war. I speak from experience, not judgment. But if we put our focus on always winning every battle & not the heart of that person, we've failed them. The perfect example of Someone who does the "Grace Factor" right is God! It amazes me how He can create the entire world in less than a week(7th day rested), including the sun, moon, stars, oceans, humans, etc.. but yet He is interested in what goes on in my everyday life. He relentlessly pursues my heart, even when I reject Him. He looks at winning the war in my heart, over beating me down over every little battle I mess up on. His example to me has opened a door of grace for me to be able to show that same love to my children & any children that come to live in our home. To be honest I haven't always done the best at this when some of their behavior's went against what I thought they should look like. I too, am a work in progress. But more & more God beckons on the door of my heart to show grace. Even though there are still some rules that need to stay in place & be enforced, grace should still always come out on top. Even if my child is being unruly. Even if someone frustrates me. Even if I know what they're doing is wrong. Grace still always needs to come out on top. That doesn't mean there is no discipline or admonishment, but it does mean that while disciplining or admonishing we're looking at the heart of that person & are more concerned with their heart, over us winning the battle.

"Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin!"

(lyrics from the hymn "Grace Greater than Our Sin," by Julia H. Johnston)

Check out our NEW support group flyer!!!

Check out our NEW support group flyer & feel free to share with others that this may benefit and/or with your local church.

Support Group!!! CHANGE OF DATE

Sorry for any inconvenience but we need to change the original date that was set for our support group to foster, adoptive & kinship families. Due to scheduling conflicts the new date is now Tuesday, November 15th from 6:30-8:30pm(same time) at Bethel Baptist Church(same location). We will hold the meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, NOT the 3rd Thursday. Thank you for your cooperation & we apologize for any inconveniences this may cause you or your family. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, November 15th.

Foster, Adoption, & Kinship Care Support Group For Ashland & Surrounding Counties

We're excited to share with you that we will be leading a support group for family's that foster, adopt or have adopted or who provide kinship care. The ministry in reaching the hearts of kiddos that come from hard places can be a tremendous blessing, but it can also break our hearts in ways we didn't think were even possible. Having the support of others who are like minded can be so encouraging for you on your journey. Having people come along side of you who really get what you're doing & don't look at you like you're crazy! We invite you to join us on the 3rd Thursdays of each month from 6:30-8:30pm starting November 17th. We will be meeting at our home church, Bethel Baptist, in Savannah, Ohio. You do not need to be a Christian to attend but please know up front our meetings will be faith based. Our hope & strength comes from the Lord & we want to extend that grace to others. At this time childcare will not be provided. This will allow you an evening once a month to get out & not worry how the children are doing in the next room. You can focus on you & what you need to serve these precious children God has placed in your life. Please feel free to respond to this post with any questions or concerns or email us at frame@bethelchapel.com. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, November 17. Feel free to share this info with other families.