If you are a member of the church of Christ, and are in the process of adopting, read on for a potential source of funding: Sacred Selections.

The brainchild of Florida College alumni David and Dana Carozza, Sacred Selections was founded after feeling the need to “do more.” The Carozzas had previously disseminated information about adoption through their previous businesses. They estimate approximately 800 adoptions resulted from that small action.

They... more

Luke 24:2-6a (NIV)

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them… “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”

Why do my husband and I continue to provide a foster home for older children? We serve a risen savior who asks us to provide for orphans and widows in their distress. (James 1:27) Yes, we could... more

1 John 5:1-3 (NIV)

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.

How can we show our love for God? We can show our love for God by loving the children of God. What better way to love the children of God, then to provide a home for orphans. We can provide a home for orphans by providing temporary or permanent foster care or by adoption. There... more

After 14 years of parenting special needs children, I have finally been convinced to change my approach to parenting. I am unfortunately a bit on the stubborn side, or I would have changed sooner. Certainly my adopted children with special needs, specifically those fetal alcohol effect, would have appreciated it if I had changed sooner. Because I had already been parenting for 11 years when we began to foster children and adopt I thought I knew how to parent. My techniques worked well with children who had not been subjected to early trauma, drugs, or alcohol.

I am one... more

Many adopted children arrive to your family without previous church or religious experience. Because your family embraces Christianity, you would naturally want your newly adopted child to embrace Christianity. Unfortunately, as parents we cannot make our newly adopted child embrace faith. Certainly, we are able to take a young child to our church. We are able to instruct our newly adopted child in Christian principles. We can pray daily for our child’s salvation. Ultimately, the child must make the decision.

In the new testament of the Bible, Jesus used parables... more

We belong to a non-denominational church that believes that a person cannot lose their salvation, once saved. I understand there are backsliders who fall away from the church, repent, and return. There are also those whom we wonder if they were ever truly saved. Yes, they expressed salvation, as my teenage daughters did, and we were there when they made the decision. But, did all of my daughters truly mean it in their hearts, or was it an act, put on either for attention, or to fit in to the family? Were they the seeds that fell on shallow ground, which grew quickly and withered... more

What are your motives for adopting? In the last post, I shared excerpts from Kristin Swick Wong’s book, Carried Safely Home, in which she worked through whether she was adopting for altruistic or selfish reasons. She writes:

We adopted children because God commands that we care for the poor. And we adopted children because these two boys were grafted into our hearts, because we loved them and had to pursue them, because our family would not be complete without... more

“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

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