“In a perfect world, the ministry of adoption would cease to exist. All couples who chose to could bear a child, all people who bore children would be prepared to parent them, and all children would be love and nurtured by their biological families. Real life doesn’t always happen this way.”

Paula Freeman wrote those words in the Foreword to Kristin Swick Wong’s thoughtful book, Carried... more

Carried Safely Home reads like a prayer. In this beautifully-written book, Kristin Swick Wong interweaves her personal faith journey with her family’s journey to adopt two boys from Vietnam.

Much like the experience I have when reading the Bible, I glean new insights from Kristin’s book every time I re-read it. I began reading "Carried Safely Home" nearly a year ago.... more

This summer I was the guest on "Let's Talk Adoption," a Sacramento, California-based radio show. Host Mardie Caldwell and I discussed the topic, "How to Start an Adoption Support Network in Your Church."

I finally have the 30-minute show downloaded to my Web site. Simply click the link to listen to the show and request a free tip sheet via my Web site, www.laurachristianson.com.

In the previous post, I related a personal experience with “paying it forward.” I posed a question at the end of that post: How can we “pay it forward” to those who are adopting?

Here’s one example: Our church’s adoption ministry periodically offers a series of workshops for those who are considering adopting a child. Parents who have recently adopted volunteer to share their experiences with the newbies.

It’s heartwarming... more

This Sunday, July 23, I'll be the guest on Let's Talk Adoption, a radio show hosted by Mardie Caldwell. We’ll be discussing tips for starting an adoption ministry in your church or community.

You can listen to the show live from anywhere in the world at 3 p.m. Pacific time by clicking the "On Air" button at Let's Talk Adoption.

I was the guest last week (July 16) on the show, as well. During that segment, we talked about how to overcome your fears about adoption.

Both shows will be archived so you can listen to them any time. Most of the archived... more

At Bible Study Fellowship this week, we studied Genesis 46-48. Of particular interest to me was the story of Jacob (Israel) adopting his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

In Genesis 48:5, Jacob (who is 130 years old at the time) says to his son Joseph: “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.”

In other words, Jacob adopts Ephraim and Manasseh as his own children and creates each of them as patriarchs... more

He is risen!

A blessed Easter to everyone.

Today, in honor of our Lord’s death and resurrection, I’d like to reflect on our spiritual adoption. In the Bible, those who wished to atone for their sins did so through a sacrificial ritual. Worshipers shed the blood of a perfect sacrificial animal (often a lamb, goat, turtledove, bull or pigeon, depending on the person’s financial resources) and offered it to God as an expression of their penitence and devotion.

In the New Testament, when Jesus speaks of himself as the sacrificial lamb, he’s explaining... more