It really is something special to find where you belong. To find a community of people that love and accept you and share your values. People that strive to live out these values together, building each other up and encouraging each other constantly. It’s a rare gift that not everyone receives, to find a body of believers that understand how the Bible calls us to live as a family.
Mike and I are extremely privileged to have found that at the Fellowship, and even more specifically in the 1:17 life group (well…now two life groups…). It’s glaringly obvious to me how God is powerfully at work in both our church and this adoption ministry. The growth in the lives of these people in the past year or so is so evident and the bond is strong. What started as a small seed of faith, a willingness from one couple to listen and respond to the Father’s call to care for the oppressed, has blossomed and grown like a weed.
In January our group multiplied into two groups in order to welcome new families and spread our message of love for the orphans. It was a bit painful, the idea of not meeting with everyone weekly, but it was a good thing. Both groups read the fantastic book Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, which I highly recommend. Last week our two 1:17 life groups recombined for a potluck supper. Then we were led in sharing the Lord’s Supper together, right there in my kitchen. Not something I ever would have predicted doing in my house, but it felt totally right, even reminiscent of the first church of believers breaking bread together as they figured out how to do the work Christ began.
On Saturday we gathered again at a local park for a picnic with all our kids…we have a lot of them. The families in this group love kids. We celebrated the birth of a brand new baby to one family and the homecoming of a precious daughter from China to another family. The guys played football, the gals talked adoption logistics, and the kids followed a family of baby ducks around for hours. Only about half of all the families in 1:17 could make it, but we took a big group photo of those that could.
On Sunday we saw a short video montage of some of the work our church has been doing for the past eighteen years. It was really encouraging to get a glimpse of how deep and wide the reach of the gospel can be through the faithful work of the Lord in a small group of disciples. Sometimes I think our church isn’t as impactful being in the midst of our super affluent community as it could be if we were working with poorer people, but that’s one of those lies the enemy would have us believe. The good news of God’s restoration is just as needed in the families of Cinco Ranch as it is anywhere in the world, and the resources he has provided our people with are being used not just here but in Indonesia, Mozambique, Guatemala, India, Brazil and beyond.
So yeah, I love Jesus but I love His church too. Don’t give up on the church…He certainly hasn’t.
Last week my grandfather gave me some bare root plants and tree saplings he received in the mail. Some he had requested months before from a nursery catalog. After planting two rose bushes in his yard he realized digging holes and planting is no longer a good activity for him at 92 years old. Another joy given up. 
