Chinese Song Bird Painting

Adoption

author unknown

You first came to us in an envelope

With letters, forms and such,

Just two tiny little pictures

With nothing warm to touch.

You grew in our imagination

In our hearts and in our minds.

You brought us greater joy

Than we ever thought we'd find.

A phone call started labor pains

Which lasted 'til we met.

Strangers brought together-

A day we won't forget.

You bloomed as you were planted

In our hearts, our lives, our home.

Our child of chance, of plan, of will

You're now our very own.

Weekly Encouragement (11.6.2006)

 

Verse for the Week

 “Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”

Psalm 34:8

 

 Weekly Encouragement (10.23.2006)

 

Verse for the Week

“He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
       miracles that cannot be counted.”

           Job 9:10 (NIV)

 

Weekly Encouragement (10.9.2006)

 

Verse for the Week

“Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.”

Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

 

 

 

Weekly Encouragement (9.25.2006)

 

Verse for the Week

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face

trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing

of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must

 finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should

ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must

believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a

wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”                                                                                                                                                                                 --James 1: 2-6 (NIV)

Weekly Encouragement (9.18.2006)

 

Verse for the Week

"Don’t lose your courage or be afraid. Don’t panic or

be frightened, because the Lord your God goes with

you, to fight for you against your enemies and to save

you.”

                                                                        --Deuteronomy 20: 3-4 (NCV)

 

Verse for the Week   9/11/06

"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have

kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.  These things I

have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy

may be made full.”

                                                                        --John 15: 9-11 (NASB)

 

 

Weekly Encouragement (9.5.2006)

 

Verse for the Week

“It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished,

one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his

 disciples.”  And He said to them, "When you pray, say:
         'Father, hallowed be Your name.
         Your kingdom come.
    'Give us each day our daily bread.
    'And forgive us our sins,
         For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
         And lead us not into temptation.'"

                                                                        --Luke 11: 1-4 (NASB)

 

 

 Weekly Encouragement (8.28.2006)

 

Verse for the Week

“And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that

the boat was being  covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself

was asleep.  And they came to Him and woke Him, saying,

"Save us, Lord; we are perishing!"  He said to them, "Why are

 you afraid, you men of little faith?"  Then He got up and

rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. 

The men were amazed, and said, "What kind of a man is this,

that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

                                                             -Matthew 8: 24-27 (NASB)

 

 

 Weekly Encouragement (8.21.2006)

 

Verse for the Week

 “They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their

hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not

be completed."  But I prayed,  "Now strengthen my hands."”

                                                            --Nehemiah 6: 9 (NIV)

 

Weekly Encouragement (8.14.2006)

 

Verse for the Week

 “One thing I ask of the LORD,
       this is what I seek:
       that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
       all the days of my life,
       to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
       and to seek him in his temple.

 For in the day of trouble
       he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
       he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
       and set me high upon a rock.”                                   

                                     --Psalm 27: 4-5 (NIV)

 

Weekly Encouragement  8/7/06

 

Verse for the Week

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the

 Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the

Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance

It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”                                                                                           

                                                 --Colossians 3: 23-24 (NASB)

 

Weekly Encouragement  8/1/06

 

Verse for the Week

“He has made everything appropriate in its time He

 has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man

will not find out the work which God has

done from the beginning even to the end.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                   --Ecclesiastes 3: 11 (NASB)

 

Weekly Encouragement 7/17/06

 

Verse for the Week

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came

 to a village where a woman named Martha opened her

home to him.  She had a sister called Mary,  who sat at the

Lord's feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted

by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to

him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has

left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 

 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and

upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  

Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken

away from her."                                                                                                                        

--Luke 10: 38-42 (NIV)

 

Weekly Encouragement 7/10/06

 

Verse for the Week

    “Give ear to my words, O LORD,
         Consider my groaning.
    Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and

my God,
         For to You I pray.
    In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;
         In the morning I will order my prayer to You

 and eagerly watch.”                                                                         

                              --Psalm 5: 1-3 --                               

Weekly Encouragement   7/3/06

 

Verse for the Week

“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we

have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the

Savior of all men, especially of believers.”                                                                                        

 --1 Timothy 4: 10 (NASB)

 

Weekly Encouragement 6/26/06

 

Verse for the Week

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations,

knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and

perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope

 does not disappoint, because the love of God  has been

poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was

given to us . "      

 Romans 5:3-5

 

Weekly Encouragement 6/19/06

 

Verse for the Week

 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the

Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if

we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we

 know that he hears us—whatever we ask—

we know that we have what we asked of him.”  

    --1 John 5: 13-15 (NIV)

Weekly Encouragement 5/26/06

Verse for the Week

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose

confidence is in Him.  He will be like a tree planted by

 the water that sends its roots by the stream.  It does not

fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has

no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”                                                                                                                                                                   

Weekly Encouragement 5/8/06

Verse for the Week

"Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,

'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not

doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says

is going to happen, it will be granted him.  Therefore

I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask,

 believe that you have received them, and they will

be granted you.”

                                 --Mark 11: 23-24 (NASB)

Weekly Encouragement 5/1/2006

Verse for the Week

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and

courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed,

for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

                                             --Joshua 1: 9 (NASB)

Weekly Encouragement (4.17.2006)

Verse for the Week

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be

enlightened, so that you will know what is the

hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory

of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the

surpassing greatness of His power toward us who

believe. These are in accordance with the working

of the strength of His might which He brought

about in Christ, when He raised Him from the

dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly

 places, far above all rule and authority and power

and dominion, and every name that is named, not

only in this age but also in the one to come.”

                                                                        --Ephesians 1: 18-21 (NASB)