Adopted: The Hands and Feet of Jesus

I remember when I knew that I was going to be a father. I was 27 years old, not married, and positive who my wife was to be--Rebecca. However, I wrestled with simultaneously becoming a husband and a father in the same breath. Rebecca had a 7-year old son, Seth, and I knew absolutely nothing about being a father. A friend asked me a profound question: are you defined as a child of God or as a father? 

Through the power of a Holy Spirit slap, I realized that I am defined as a child of God. God sent His son to rescue and adopt me into His family. And now, he calls me son. Immediately after saying that out loud, I knew that I was Seth's father even if he didn't know he was my son yet.  

The Bible teaches that God is a good father who pursues his children despite where they've been and what they've done. And if the church is called to mirror the love of Christ, what does this look like for the life of an orphan? 

The Call to Orphan Care

Let's fast forward to 3 years and some legal fees later. The legal process to adopt my son has been challenging and sanctifying because there's so much to know in order to provide a fair and smooth trial, but the constant reminder of God's pursuit is the fuel for our journey. For my family and I, we know this path is to satisfy our legal system and we will submit to that, but as for Chango and I, there's nothing that can separate me from my son. 

Part of God's identity is that he is a Father who pursues His children (Psalm 68:4-6) and is present in their lives. God, in His love, sent His son to die for our sins; reconciling us to the Father. In other words, because of the person and work of Jesus, we now have a relationship with the Father! As His children, we're called to reflect the same love that He has shown us so that others might come to know Him. 

There's a myth among Christians that caring for orphans is reserved only for the "elite." However, I wish to submit to you that not only is that myth unbiblical, but the call to care for orphans is a command from the Scriptures (James 1:27).  You and I know what it looks like to be rejected, broken, uncared for, unvalued, homeless, hurt, and in struggle. Yet, God in his grace, mercy, and love threw Himself into the chaos of our lives, rescuing us.

Earlier and in the same chapter, James writes to be doers of the Word not hearers only (James 1:22) and my observation is that the church equates pew attendance and Amen's to action. Church, we're deceiving ourselves if we consider hearing doing.

The question isn't whether or not you're called to participate in this restoration, but how you can get involved. 

The Gospel

In the great state of Texas there are over 30,000 kids in foster care. Over 40% of kids in Hidalgo county are in foster care and the need for families to come in and provide homes for these kids or temporary relief for foster parents (such as date nights) are increasing every year. 

The opportunity to become involved in orphan care is numerous as one can start by simply getting informed, becoming respite or babysitter certified, or taking the big step toward fostering and perhaps adopting a child. 

All of this is not meant to guilt you, but it is meant to challenge you. Our first evaluation must be that of the gospel and who God is and what He has done for us. We can only move forward if the gospel is the foundation of our walk--otherwise, we will move forward to satisfy a moral checklist. But the call of the believer is founded under the work of the Gospel in our lives, for we, church, are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a dying world. 

The question isn't whether or not you're called to participate in this restoration, but how you can get involved.

As we move into the new year, our goal at Logos Community Church is to start a new ministry where we engage in the restoration of the children in our cities. Our goal is to provide resources, help, and pathways for you to get involved. I would ask that you pray for us in the initial stages of this call and if you're considering foster care or adoption, please feel free to contact me. 

Recommended Reading: Adoption: What Joseph of Nazareth Can Teach Us About this Countercultural Choice and Adopted for Life by Russell Moore; ALL IN Orphan Care by Jason Johnson 

Adoption Fundraiser Recap!

This weekend was all sorts of crazy and excitement. On Saturday, we held our first fundraiser for a family (who's name should be implied, but cannot be said legally...yet) who is in the final stages of the adoption process for their son. And things got pretty intense! 

But before I jump into all of the details, I wish to start with one big honorable mention: our community group. 

FRIDAY COMMUNITY

Our community group was such an incredible help this past weekend! And as the cherry on top, friends from Denton, TX made the 8 hour drive down to McAllen to help support the fundraiser. While it's only been a day, simply looking back puts tears in my eyes because so many people came out to help and give up of their time and energy to put this fundraiser together.

Every person sacrificed their time to help load and unload furniture and appliances on Friday and we had several people hang out with us on Friday evening as we organized and priced everything out. I learned that pricing is a lot more trickier than I expected! At the end of the night on Friday, pizza was the greatest call in the entire world and we shared a table with laughs and exhaustion. To those of you who were there to help us organize, manage, and haul- THANK YOU! You did an amazing work and your support means the world. 

SATURDAY MADNESS

The fundraiser began at 7:00 a.m. and by 6:30 a.m. we had about 15 people outside waiting and several trucks parked, ready to be loaded. And let me say, there are some serious garage sale shoppers in the Valley! I saw people who were very intentional about the area they wanted to scope out first and rushed to it the minute the doors opened. I even saw a lady double hop on her way to the shoes! It was interesting to say the least. We learned that people came in waves and they had an agenda. After the 15 people cleared out their findings, things were pretty quiet for about 20 minutes. And then around 9:30 a.m. it picked up again and then quieted down. It gave us a chance to post on social media what we still had, new "deals" that we thought of, and reorganized our "departments." I felt like I was working at the mall all over again. 

We knew people would be looking for a bargain and some would talk it up! And they didn't disappoint. There was this odd line of thinking where my wife would process "we really need to sell this, but how badly do I want to get rid of it? Should I lower the price that much?" 

In short, it was great and such a learning experience. I managed all of the social media on the fundraiser and people came from all over with questions, negotiations, and quirks. But despite all of the bargaining and helping to load furniture, God was gracious and met our financial goal- even passing it for the day! It was wonderful, exhausting, and it has opened our heart in moving forward with an adoption ministry in the Fall. 

We have an incredible heart for adoption and many families lack information and resources. This fundraiser became a small catalyst for the beginning of something much larger. More details on that later on.

I write all of this after preaching two services, running on fumes, and after a long week so I apologize for the brevity, but please know to all of you who supported physically, financially, and prayerfully Thank You! As we move along, we will give you more details on how things pan out.

Have a great Sunday! 

THE Garage Sale!

I've mean to post this earlier in the week, but simply didn't get a chance. So, without further interruption, I'm stoked for this weekend! We're going to be having a Garage Sale at our church (Logos Community Church) this Saturday in an effort to raise funds for a family who's in the final steps of their adoption process! Legally, I can't post any names or where they're at in the process, but I'm sure you can use your creativity. 

In any case, we're really excited because it's going to be a pretty epic morning. We'll be selling everything from appliances to furniture, clothes and toys, and plenty more. We have already had several people approach us to donate items to sell and we've been extremely grateful. Additionally, we're organizing it in a way to help your shopping experience more convenient :) 

Here's the info for Saturday followed by a few things, should you feel led, that you can do to help: 

1. The Garage Sale: Saturday, July 23rd | 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Logos Community Church (2700 N. 10th St.)

2. Donations for the Sale: If you would like to donate items (clothes, furniture, etc.), you can drop them off at Logos Community Church on Friday (7/22) between the hours of 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. as we'll be setting up. 

3. Monetary Donations: if you would like to donate financially, then please email Marco (marco.logos@gmail.com) with any inquiries on monetary donations. 

4. SHARE: One of the biggest things that we've seen for this Garage Sale is people sharing it constantly on social media. Please help us spread the word by sharing this event on your personal social media outlets! Here's the FB Page: GARAGE SALE