Monday, December 20, 2010

Steve Saint's Flying Car

My brother forwarded this video to me today. Steve Saint is the son of Nate Saint, missionary from Ecuador who's story of sacrifice is chronicled in the video "Beyond the Gates of Splendor". He is trying to develop this to help the people of Ecuador who adopted him after they killed his father. Pretty neat car!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Live from Colorado Springs

Join students and other orphan advocates across America for the Orphan Sunday weekend National Simulcast Concert

LIVE from Colorado Springs!

6:00 PM Pacific 7:00 PM Mountain 8:00 PM Central 9:00 PM Eastern

Worship with The Desperation Band, meet orphans around the globe, and hear
how students are showing the world God’s heart in service to orphans.

There are 3 ways to join this event:

1. LIVE ON THE WEB: Watch the webcast online on the Orphan Sunday website HERE!

2. LIVE BROADCAST: The NRB Network will broadcast the concert live on DirecTV’s channel 378 and SkyAngel, channel 126.

3. LIVE VIA SATELLITE: This medium is appropriate for larger audiences in venues with satellite viewing capability and larger screens. (Satellite information here.)

Also consider as part of your "LIVE!" event:
Offering a simple “orphan meal” of porridge or rice & salt
Leading discussion on God’s concern for the fatherless and our role in response
Picking a Heartwork project for your student group to adopt

Following your "LIVE!" event, consider leading discussion around the following questions:

1. What of God’s character is revealed in descriptions like “He defends the cause of the fatherless” (Dt. 10:18), or “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families” (Psalm 68)?

2. How are God’s heart and actions towards us mirrored when Christians care for orphans through adoption, foster care and care for orphans worldwide?

3. Why do you think James (1:27) describes care for orphans as a central part of “pure and faultless religion”?

4. What would be the impact if Christians consistently made God’s heart for orphans visible to the world?

5. In what ways might you consider acting upon these convictions?

www.orphansunday.org

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Ready for Together For Adoption Conference?

Jason Kovacs and Dan Cruver have been planning and working with dozens of volunteers and the Austin, Texas T4A Conference begins this Thursday! There are over 850 registered so far to attend and hear speakers like JD Greear, Matt Carter, Bryan Loritts, Karyn Purvis and many more!

It has been a busy few weeks leading up to this conference. On September 10-11, there were 350 who attended the Show Hope Empowered to Connect conference in Nashville, TN. Dr. Karyn Purvis and Michael and Amy Monroe, along with Dan and Terri Coley from Show Hope, are being used tremendously to encourage and equip many, many families. There were people from over 19 states in attendance! More conferences are planned and this will continue to provide families with information they need going into adoption instead of in emergency, post adoption mode.

Yesterday, I returned from a 4 day event in Lexington, Kentucky. Ashland Avenue Baptist Church had Russell Moore speak three nights - listen online Johnny Cash (mention of course), Van Halen, m&ms and the good Samaritan. I had the privilege to speak three times about ABBA Fund and other financial solutions for adoption. It is great to have the opportunity to inform families about interest free loans and how they maximize the increased, $13,170 per child, refundable tax credit! More here too.

One more thought. I was able to attend the Verge Conference in Austin in February and hear Francis Chan along with many other speakers. It was my first exposure to the missional community movement and I was challenged to think about the early church and daily living out my faith. Jedd Medefind posted an article yesterday that addresses many of the "living out my faith, orphan care and adoption" questions that I have been thinking about! God is using our orphan care and adoption experiences to demonstrate His love to the world and to draw us closer to Him. Read Jedd's article here

Hope to see you in Austin this weekend. Come early and hear Dr. Purvis if you can make the pre conference!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Angel Rutledge advocates for Liberia's orphans

Angel is a wonderful friend from Charlotte, NC and she is doing an amazing job advocating for the fatherless. Check out her family photo, it is beautiful!

Also, a couple of her recent posts are very encouraging for anyone involved in the adoption process. We all need to be reminded of the "vertical" (used with permission from Dan Cruver :) ) and theological reasons that we are involved in adoption and caring for orphans. Angel also provides a wonderful list of available resources for adoption and foster care. I think you'll be encouraged by her heart and passion.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Bethany reports adoption placements are up

A recent article in the Sacramento Bee reports that Bethany Christian Services had a record 10,567 adoption inquiries in the past 6 months.

The article attributes the increased inquiries to the Haiti earthquake, theological movements and also popular conferences, such as Catalyst, Together for Adoption, the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit and Adopting for Life.

Thankful for Bethany and Bill Blacquire's leadership as Bethany helps families adopt orphans from around the world and here in the United States.

Read more here

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Why Every Christian Should Care for Orphans

A great post by Tom Davis this morning about Christianity Today's lead article by Dr. Russell Moore. Also mentioned is an article by Jedd Medefind and a list of top 5 books on orphan ministry. I'll echo Tom and say what a privilege it is to work along side men like Jedd Medefind and Russell Moore. Several great conferences coming up - September 10-11, 2010 in Nashville with Show Hope and Dr. Karyn Purvis, October 1-2 - Together For Adoption in Austin, TX and the Mid Atlantic Orphan Summit in Hershey, PA in November. Some great speakers lined up for these conferences including Dr. Karyn Purvis, Jedd, Tom and Dr. Moore!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Love for orphans Transforms

Christian Alliance for Orphans President Jedd Medefind recently wrote an article for Catalyst. He does a wonderful job explaining the transforming power of caring for orphans. Below is a segment that summarizes the article and shares the passion that drives many of us. Read the full article on catalystspace.com
Caring for orphans invites a journey of discipleship. “I see these kids changed,” explained a woman who helps Christians get involved with foster care, “But I think the parents are changed even more.” It’s true. Every family I know that’s opened themselves to parentless children has not gone unaltered. And though the road can be hard, even painful, virtually always it leads closer to Jesus. Expressed one adoptive mom recently, “People have said, ‘Oh, aren’t they lucky, you rescued them from whatever.’ And I think, Are you kidding? I’m the lucky one. I get to be their mom. And I get to be daily rescued from my selfishness, and my impatience, and things that are just as disease-ridden in my soul.”

Ultimately, here’s the result I see again and again: love for orphans transforms. It transforms children as they experience love and nurture they’ve come to live without. It transforms individual Christians, as we encounter Jesus deeply and personally in a destitute child. It transforms the broader community of believers as well, pulling us corporately beyond a religion of self-development to a costly-but-muscular faith. Finally, love for orphans transforms a watching world, as it sees—perhaps for the first time—the Gospel embodied.


HT: Nathan Millican

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Ethiopia and the orphan crisis

Orphans' Matchbox (the blog for the Christian Alliance for Orphans) mentioned a Washington Post article written by Johnny Carr from Bethany. There is a great need all over the world to engage the local church in caring for orphans. The model of connecting US churches with the indigenous church in Ethiopia is a great way to help. It's hard to imagine 800,000 AIDS orphans in the world. But this is 800,000 in only one country...

Photo of a little boy in Mekele, Tigray Region, Ethiopia when I was there in 2006.



HT: Christian Alliance for Orphans

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Created to Connect study guide is now available!

Karyn Purvis and Michael and Amy Monroe have been working long hours to finally release Created To Connect: A Christian’s Guide to The Connected Child. This free online resource is designed to help adoptive and foster parents better understand how to build strong and lasting connections with their children, and is ideal for use in small groups as well as individually or as a couple.


Learn more about Dr. Purvis and her amazing work at www.empoweredtoconnect.org - Dr. Purvis will be presenting in the Nashville, TN area September 10-11, 2010 and also speaking at Together For Adoption in Austin, TX, September 30 - October 2, 2010.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Adoption Tax Credit Article By John Hine and Laura Godwin

Laura Godwin from Nightlight Adoption sent me this article to post. See my previous post below for information on tonight's webinar if you would like to learn more. Please feel free to use the article below but please credit John and Laura. Also, please consult with your accountant for advice. This article is for informational purposes only as we continue to learn more about the new adoption tax credit.

Adoption Tax Credit

By John M. Hine, Esq. and Laura Beauvais-Godwin

Great news: The adoption tax credit has been extended for one more year, has increased, and you could get a tax refund!!!

The Adoption Tax Credit has been extended another year, and starting this year, it has increased to $13,170. So if you adopt this year or next, you can receive not only a tax credit of $13,170 but for the first time, the tax credit is refundable. Except for the increase in the amount of credit you receive and the fact that the tax credit is refundable, the previous rules remain essentially the same.

What this means to you, the adoptive families:

The adoption tax credit will not sunset on December 31, 2010, it has been extended to December 31, 2011.

You may apply up to $13,170 of your adoption expenses toward your federal taxes when you file your 2010 or 2011 taxes, depending up the year that your adoption was finalized.

If you do not receive the full $13,170 in tax credit, you may be getting money back from the IRS for your adoption expenses. Yes, money back. If your tax liability for the year of your adoption is less than the amount of credit you are applying for, the IRS will refund the portion of the unused credit. This means you could receive some or all of the balance as a refund on your federal taxes. The Earned Income Credit is an example of another refundable tax credit.

What if I adopt 2 children? Do I get double the tax credit/refund?

If you adopt two children, you could have a tax credit up to $26, 340 if your total expenses came to $26,340 or more. It is important to note that if your income is too high, you could be phased out of the tax credit. However if your income is low enough, and you paid $26,340 or more in adoption related expenses, you could get a tax credit and a refund. If you adopt three children, the credit/refund could be as high as $39.510, as long as your adoption-related expenses are that high.
This means that if you adopted two children and the adoption fees and expenses came to $30,000, and your federal tax liability was $7,000, you would receive the $7,000 as a credit against your liability; in addition, you could receive the remaining $19,340 back in a refund from the IRS even though you did not pay that in taxes.

Adoption Tax Credit Webinar Tonight!

Please join me this evening to learn more about the increased and extended adoption tax credit.

Please go to the link 15 minutes before the event.

Topic: Funding an Adoption
Date and Time:April 8, 2010 7:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
Event number: 666 525 053
Event password: This event does not require a password.
Event address for attendees: https://nightlightevents.webex.com/nightlightevents/onstage/g.php?d=666525053&t=

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit VI

We are into April and Summit VI is coming up fast - April 29-30, 2010! Russell Moore shared about "creating an adoption culture in your church" at the conference last year. Here is a short segment of his message (used with permission from Convention Media Solutions). The entire message is available from Convention Media Solutions.

I look forward to seeing many of you at Summit VI!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Dr. Karyn Purvis on Family Life Today

A three day radio series beginning today as Dr. Purvis shares information about healing and caring for children from "hard places". Listen online here - Family Life Today explores the research and interventions of Dr. Karyn Purvis and her work at the TCU Institute of Child Development. Healthy touch, infant massage, sensory integration, brain development and attachment are topics covered and also available in her book "The Connected Child".
Very important and life changing information for every parent and for anyone involved in foster care and adoption.


Also visit www.empoweredtoconnect.org for more resources (video, audio and articles) by Dr. Karyn Purvis.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Casey is giving back and imploding Texas Stadium

This is an amazing story in the Dallas Morning News about Casey Rogers! He was formerly in foster care and has now been adopted into a Christian home.

I was on the phone with Becky Lloyd from Asheville, NC this afternoon as she is preparing for the Share His Hope orphan care and adoption conference March 19-20, 2010. She was sharing with me about the amazing foster care ministry of Russell Rogers. Becky then sent this story from today about Russell's son Casey!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Culture of Adoption in the Church

Dr. Karyn Purvis is encouraging and empowering the church to follow God's voice and call to create a culture of adoption. This is a powerful video with Dr. Purvis sharing from her heart. Please visit Empowered to Connect for more resources and don't miss Dr. Purvis in person March 12-13, 2010 in North Carolina at The Connected Child Conference.

Creating a Healthy Adoption Culture in Your Church from Tapestry on Vimeo.


HT: http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 1, 2010

Upcoming Conferences

There are many upcoming events that will encourage and educate in the areas of adoption and orphan care. ABBA Fund is excited to be presenting at these events and we hope to see you there!

March 6, 2010
Blaise Baptist Church, Mocksville, NC
Adoption and Foster Care Expo

March 12-13, 2010
Calvary West, Advance, NC (just west of Winston-Salem)
The Connected Child Conference - with Dr. Karyn Purvis



March 20,2010
Merrimon Avenue Baptist Church, Asheville, NC
Share His Hope 2010 - Orphan Care Conference

April 29-30, 2010
Grace Church, Minneapolis, MN
Summit VI - Christian Alliance For Orphans

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Hope International - Prayer and Help for Haiti

Many of us feel helpless on how to help in Haiti. We want to make sure any funds or other resources are really used to help the intended people. I wanted to post information from an organization that I know can be trusted and has ongoing operations already in Haiti. I received this email from Hope International (Peter Greer - author of "The Poor Will be Glad") earlier today:

Shortly before 5p.m. yesterday, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, dealing another blow to the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Information coming out of the country remains limited, but the reported epicenter of the earthquake is a highly populated area known to house many of Port-au-Prince’s poorest. The International Red Cross estimates that three million people have been affected by the earthquake one third of the island nation’s population.

HOPE International has been unable to get in touch with any of its staff members in Haiti, yet based on news reports, we have reason to believe they are likely safe. HOPE Haiti’s director, who was in the Dominican Republic on business at the time of the earthquake, will be attempting to travel back into Haiti this morning accompanied by staff from HOPE International’s central offices in Lancaster, PA and leadership from our field partner Esperanza International. We plead with you to pray for the people of Haiti and have compiled a list of prayer requests to help you get started. For those who would like to contribute financially, HOPE will work with our partner Esperanza International to identify the most effective way to impact the people of Haiti in the aftermath of this tragedy.


Pray for coordination and efficiency in the immediate recovery efforts. The first 72 hours following the earthquake are critical in searching for those who may be trapped in rubble, treating the injured, and preventing further loss of life.

Pray that damage to the airport in Port-au-Prince would be miraculously limited, enabling aid agencies to rush necessary emergency aid to the country.

Pray for the safety of people now living on the streets.

Pray for hope. A sense of despair can lead to rioting, looting, and further destruction.

Pray that those affected would work together and be filled with supernatural patience and compassion.

Pray for justice and equity in the distribution of relief. Pray that God would touch and soften the hearts of those who might seek to benefit from this crisis by hoarding necessary food and supplies.
Pray that communication will be restored so that Haitians may speak with relatives and friends in the Port-au-Prince area.

Pray for the families of our staff and clients who may live in the Port-au-Prince area.

Pray for the family of HOPE Haiti intern Obed Daphnis who were in Port-au-Prince at the time of the earthquake.

Pray for HOPE Haiti director David St. Hilaire as he attempts to travel back into the country today. Pray for safety in travel and for wisdom upon his return.
Pray that God would be revealing Himself to the people of Haiti even in the midst of this tragedy.

For those who would like to contribute financially, HOPE will work with our partner Esperanza International to identify the most effective way to impact the people of Haiti in the aftermath of this tragedy. You may contribute here.