Form 1023 Part II...

Well a friend of a friend really came through for us.  Our Form 1023 is completed and ready to go because of Kelli.  Kelli is a lawyer at a major national law firm.  She has never met us but a friend of mine works with her.   Our mutual friend asked Kelli if she would help us with our 501©3 application (Form 1023).  She agreed and has spent hours reviewing our 60+ pages of application.  Now I don’t know about you but my experience has shown that a lawyer’s time is very valuable.  Our adoption lawyer charges $225 hour and she is worth every penny of it.  If Kelli makes anything near that she has given a significant donation to the work of The Restoration House without ever meeting Mandy and I.  This just reminds me that The Restoration House is more than Mandy and I, it is the work of God and God brings all kinds of people; with all kinds of gifts; for all kinds of reasons into His work.  Praise be to God.

He is Risen...

Today is ‘Resurrection Day’.  It is the day that commemorates and celebrates this risen Savior, Jesus.  The resurrection of Jesus has long been seen as the event that closed the gap between people and God forever, but we must remember that this day has to do with so much more that just us getting to heaven.  Jesus was about bring heaven to earth.  All throughout his life He demonstrated and made the way for the will of God to be realized on earth.  Remember his prayer, "Your will be done on earth as it is on heaven".  Can you imagine God’s will being fully done on earth?  That is the way it was always suppose to be.  The effect of the will of God on earth or anywhere is ‘shalom’.  A friend of mine, Mark Nelson, says that ‘shalom’ is defined as ‘the way things ought to be’.  This is our prayer for the women and children who come to The Restoration House, that they will see the resurrection of Jesus effecting every aspect of their lives.  That single event is the most powerful demonstration of God desire for shalom throughout the whole world.  May we be advocates for His will today and may we share the shalom of God by humbling ourselves in service to others.

Air Waves...

If you’ve ever had the experience of being on the radio you know it can be little anticlimactic.  On one hand its cool because your on the radio and your voice is traveling hundreds of miles over airwaves that you cannot see.  All this and your voice falls on who knows how many ears of people you will probably never meet.  Mandy and I were on Joy 62’s ‘Drive at Five’ earlier today.  They told us their listening audience is around 2,000 folks.  We spent 40 minutes sharing the history, vision, and mission of The Restoration House, and now we trust; we trust that the Spirit will takes those words and stir people to action.  We may never know what that 40 minutes will do in the life of The Restoration House, but we know God is faithful and he is always at work.