#write31days
Inspired By Psalm 139
Inspired by 1 Corinthians 10:31
Inspired by Matthew 5:8
Inspired by Romans 8:38
Inspired by Micah 6:8
Inspired By Psalm 34
Inspired By Psalm 126
Inspired by Psalm 63
It’s a special kind of joy to create scripture art. Choosing an image, selecting colors and fonts, while focusing on the meaning of the verse – it is a unique and glorious challenge. Every detail matters and any variation changes the message. This Psalm was written by David when he was in the desert. The […]
What I Learned From 31 Days
What I learned last month during the 31 day writing challenge: 1. Apparently, I love a challenge. This is actually a revelation because I’m not particularly competitive or athletic. The only sport I ever played was softball in 2nd grade and I spent every game in the outfield praying the ball would not come my […]
Let God Surprise You
Lists, Goals, Projects: Oh, how I love these things. Notebooks, Planners, Calendars: I’m all in. You, too? In ninth grade, I mapped out my entire high school curriculum just for fun. In college, I carefully plotted my classes so I could take extra hours each semester in subjects I loved. I knew what my senior […]
Take The Bull By The Horns
As they say in Texas, sometimes you need to take the bull by the horns. My dad lived there and he was known to do just that. When his only daughter wrote and illustrated a children’s book, my father sent a copy to the features columnist at the local paper, letting him know this was […]
Make Life Hard For Your Kid
A lovely woman, a mother of three once told me,”We would love to adopt, but I worry it would be really hard on our kids”. (This is one of those cliches people say about adoption. Yes, really). How sad I was to hear her say this. Oh, please make your kid’s life hard in some […]
Adoption And Ancestry.com
Several years ago, the genealogy bug bit and I joined Ancestry.com (or as my family lovingly calls it, Facebook for Dead People). It became a fun new hobby obsession. After combing through the family history I knew, I did research on the ancestors of my youngest son. He is adopted and knew nothing but the barest […]
Everything And Nothing At All
What does it mean to me that my son and I do not look alike, that we have ancestors from different continents? What does it mean that my son is a different race than I am? There are actually two answers to that question: It means everything and it means nothing at all. It means […]
An Adoption Manifesto
I believe in a very succinct philosophy of adoption. It is simply this: Everybody deserves to be somebody’s child. That’s it. Everyone should be someone’s son or daughter. A decades old running argument exists about who should adopt whom. Do you have to be married or can you be single? If so, single male or […]
Three Faiths, Three Views of Adoption
Adoption is part of our spiritual heritage as Christians. We are steeped in adoption culture, whether we are fully conscious of it or not. Our faith teaches Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, and since we are also His children, this makes all of us His adopted sons and daughters. We know we are […]
You Were Adopted
You know that classic Mean Kid Trick where the older sibling tells the younger one, usually in a fit of frustration, “Yeah, well, you know WHAT? There is something you don’t know, but I do! You are ADOPTED!” And the little kid runs off, sobbing to his mom, to find out if this new revelation […]
Angels 101
Angels are confusing. We love them, create beautiful images of them, and are comforted by knowing they are all around us. Who wouldn’t want a Guardian Angel to depend on? But who are Angels and what do they do besides fly around and look, well, angelic?There is a body of information in scripture. Here […]
Away In The Manger
This is a painting from a children’s book I wrote and illustrated called Joseph’s Heart: A Story of Adoption. It is titled Away in the Manger and is the most whimsical image from the book. Baby Jesus takes center stage as He lies in swaddling clothing, surrounded by a bird’s eye view of various creatures. They look […]
Mary, Full Of Grace
The first time Mary is mentioned in the Bible, an Angel appears. The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:26-27) Luke states that Joseph was […]
Saint Joseph, Super Hero
Su-per-he-ro (soo’per hlr’o) n., pl. roes. A heroic character with a selfless, pro-social mission; with superpowers- extraordinary abilities, advanced technology, or highly developed physical, mental, or mystical skills Was Joseph a Biblical Super Hero? A look at Joseph’s Story through 21st century eyes: Let’s do a quick recap, shall we? A nice Jewish […]
Here Is My Son
After Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary wait one month in Bethlehem before taking Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, the law requires after thirty days the new parents must travel to the Temple to consecrate their son to the Lord and make a sacrificial offering of two turtledoves. “Every […]
You Were Born In My Heart
So it came to be Mary and Joseph were married. As they were settling in to their new home, an order was given. All people had to return to the town of their birth to be registered and counted. This meant Mary and Joseph must journey a long distance. Joseph worried it was dangerous to […]
Joseph, Do Not Be Afraid
Have you ever heard anyone call their spouse “my better half”? There is a religious reason for that term. In Judaism, the belief is a soul is created by God and then cut in half and sent to earth. Two halves that must find each other and come together to create a whole. Our mission […]
Being A Just Man
What does the word just mean? It can be used as an adverb, as in “I’ll be there in just a minute” (meaning I’ll be there just before your clothes go out of style). Or Just Do It. (Great idea. But what is the “It” I should be doing?) The meaning of just is precisely or totally or completely. […]
The 1st Ever Joseph’s Heart Award
We are a culture obsessed with awards, aren’t we? Participation trophies, annual certificates of appreciation, engraved plaques for most improved scout team player, whatever. We just can’t get enough of them. So I’ve decided to create an award. I mean, why not? All you have to do is declare the award exists and make an […]
The Michael Reagan Syndrome
What? You’ve never heard of it? The Michael Reagan Syndrome is when a person who happens to be adopted is constantly referred to as the adopted son or daughter of ________. (Don’t bother googling it, it’s a made up term.) Michael Reagan is the oldest son of President Ronald Reagan with his first wife, Jane […]
What To Say To Adoptive Parents
Search the internet and you will find countless articles about what NOT to say to people who have adopted. (901,000 Google results last I checked) There exists a whole litany of dumb remarks that are commonly said about adoption. Unfortuately, most adoptive parents never forget these comments and the people who say them. You remember […]