I Spy...Story Time!

That's right the Emergent Reader Story Time is back from spring break. And boy did we kick story time off with a hit. I-Spy bottles! We used recycled plastic tennis ball bottles, a big bag of
white rice, and an array of fun trinkets and you have your very own I-Spy game.

Poor Gerald has broken his trunk, but wait until you hear the story of how he broke his trunk. Elephant & Piggie are back for another go around in,
I Broke My Trunk! By Mo Willems.

Duck has kisses to give, but the question is does poodle want to be on the receiving end? Will duck and poodle work things out? To find out the answers to these questions read Stop Kissing Me! By Ethan Long.

You won't be able to guess all the modes of transportation one very bold lady is willing to use to reach a star. The rhyming in There Was a Bold Lady Who Wanted a Star By Charise Mericle Harper will leave you smiling.

A group of cats want to share some of their secrets, but first you're going to have to meow or purr to prove you're a cat. Jef Czekahj's book Cat Secrets will put your kitty skills to the test.

Have you ever read a picture book about a bird and a gorilla being best friends? Sarah Adams' book Gary and Ray is filled with beautiful illustrations of just such a friendship. Gary the gorilla and Ray the bird are best friends, but will someone join them? Enjoy!

Join me every Tuesday through May 17th for books, crafts, and snacks!
Story time is always at 10:00 a.m. in the Carnegie Room. For kids ages 4-6.

-Carol

Paperilicous!

We have been in experimental mode over at Emergent Reader Story Time. On my search for crafts, we have been using a range of materials for craft making: a first for me was making paper sculptures out of strips of paper, tape, and cardboard for a base. The kids really got into making their sculptures and so did the adults!


Will Alfred ever love his nose? Alfred is a French bulldog that is having issues with his nose, but there just might be an answer to his dog gone nose problem. Read Alfred's Nose By Vivienne Flesher for doggy fun.

Join the fun every Tuesday morning at ten o'clock at the McMinnville Public Library. Creative minded, book loving preschoolers always welcomed!

-Carol

God is everything that is good...

God is everything that is good, and right, and true.
He is Love, and is all that love is.
He is holy.
He is wholeness.
His heart is deliverance and restoration.
He is committed to the unchangeable character of his purposes.
These attributes stand alone. Even if there were no evidence around us of these things, this is who God is.

And among other things I’m sure, this is what He says to His Beloved, to our achy places, our unknowns, our concerns, and our questions:
I am your Maker-Creator. I set you in motion, and have plans for you that you cannot even begin to ask for or imagine, according to the purposes in my heart.
When it seems in your circumstance that you cannot find the evidence of this reality, let your belief and trust rise up in the face of who I am.
Let my character be what you hold all things up to, “knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
And hope does not put you to shame (it does not disappoint),
Because my love has been poured into your heart through the Holy Spirit who has been given to you.”
I have sealed you with a guarantee and a guide into your inheritance!
“You who have fled for refuge have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before you. You have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on your behalf…”
“For I who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ have shone in your hearts to give the light of the knowledge of my glory in the face of Jesus Christ.”

In his face, there is no other reality.
He is the only reality for you.
In his eyes, there is assurance.
There is hope.
In him, there is the tangible promise that I am committed to your good and my glory, and that I will absolutely go to whatever lengths necessary to see this through for you and in you.
In my Son, is your identity. For you have exchanged your life for his. As you surrender to this, I show you who you really are in him.
In Christ, is your new reality. For you have exchanged the false reality for a new one, for riches beyond measure. You are now a part of that reality, that family, that Kingdom.
Seek Me and seek my Kingdom above all, and all else will be added; still yourselves in the midst of your circumstance and give room for yourselves to know me there and to acknowledge my presence… this is where perspective and alignment come and give way to the discovery of what I am doing and will do.
I love you.
I am for you.
Press into me, and believe me for this.
I am here.
And I am intricately involved…

Father, I pray that we would be still. Stir up our belief and trust in you, that our communion with you, would give way to the alignment that You are taking us from grace to grace, glory to glory… that we may know You and walk with You into the good gifts and the promises that You have. And that this assurance, this reality would draw others into You.
May we give thanks in all things. God, we love You back…

Kara Leigh Prichard
Birthmother Counselor

A calling like his

He knew his calling. He KNEW his Savior. He fought the GOOD fight.

Galatians 2:7-8
"On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews."

Romans 15:20
"It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation."

Paul knew his place in the Body of Christ and he walked boldly with great passion and deep humility toward his mission to take the gospel to the Gentiles.I look around me in awe, as I see each part of the Body set apart for a specific purpose. Each one with their own gifts, convictions, and graces, but all united as one Body.

I am increasingly thankful to learn a little more each day of my place in the Body of Christ. To truly see and believe that I am part of one body, one Spirit, called to one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (…Ephesians 4:4-7)

Are you part of this glorious Body that is His? If so, are you being obedient to his purpose - walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called? (Ephesians 4:1)

Go boldly in the direction He is guiding you and gifting you towards. Be confident in this One Hope and give everything you have. You have the very power of God, the Holy Spirit, dwelling within you. Walk forward, He will make a way to fulfill His purpose, and you get to be part of this Glory. Thank you Jesus, our Savior.

Krisha Yanko
Development and Marketing Coordinator

What is on your mind today?

What thoughts fill your mind? If the word anxious comes to mind, you are not alone!
What is it exactly that gives growth to this awful feeling of anxiety? Is it simply our circumstances, or lack of control, or the presence of uncertainties? God tells us that it is because of our “little faith” (Matthew 6:30).
We all face attacks on our faith. David says “When I am afraid, I put my trust in thee” (Psalm 56:3). Notice he does not say “I never struggle with fear”. Even more, 1 Peter says “Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you”. Notice again that it does not say you will never feel any anxieties, but when you do, cast them on God.
For orphans we know that will soon be brought into a family, do we not desire for them to have steadfast peace and hope of soon being declared a son/daughter? Do we not wish to see these children rest in the fact that they are loved and being sought after? Indeed we do!
How much more does God desire for us to rest in His love and promises? He created us, and He demonstrated His love towards us while we were sinful, hopeless orphans, by giving up His Son for us so that we might be brought into His family! He has made a way for us to become His children and He has promised to come to us once more to finally bring us home.
Today I want to encourage myself and you to fight to rest. Our minds are a place of spiritual warfare and we are called to “fight the good fight of faith”. With the power of God’s Word and His very Spirit, we can defend against the attacks of unbelief.
In the story described in Mark 9:14-29, we see that the fight for faith is not just for the sake of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, but for the sake of others that God wants to make Himself known to. God wants to glorify Himself and expand His kingdom through us (such a wonderful thought!). He does these things through our good works-which are fueled by our faith in Him!
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” –Matthew 6:33

Lori Hereford
International Social Worker

Divine Plan

I am new to Lifeline. My name is Maegan Schwindling and I work in the Central Alabama area. I wanted to take a minute and share how I became involved with Lifeline and adoption. Several years ago before I even graduated high school, I was very involved at a church in Decatur, Alabama. I was discipled weekly by my youth minister’s wife, Melissa. One day, Melissa shared with me that she and Gabe would be traveling to the Ukraine to adopt a young boy. Initially, this idea was very foreign to me. Gabe and Melissa traveled several months later and came home with two boys, Steven and Thomas. Over the next several months after they returned home, it was so neat to see how the boys adapted and became apart of a forever family. After Gabe and Melissa adopted, my friend Paige decided to travel to China to adopt. Paige and Brandon adopted a young girl named Grace. Grace quickly became apart of our family. Her grandparents lived several hours away so my parents became like grandparents to her. She can still to this day get anything she wants from my mother . In both of these cases, these children were quiet, timid, withdrawn, and scared when they arrived in America. Yet, over the years God has allowed them to become their own little people and to develop true personalities. It is hard to believe that the little Grace who didn’t speak when we first met is the same person who did not stop talking at our recent dinner. God has divine plans for children all over the world. He knew that Steven, Thomas, and Grace would be exactly where they are…that was His plan from the beginning. God has called me to be apart of the process to help other children come home to the parents God has for them here in America. Recently, I was in church and a soloist sang “Orphans of God” this precious song always brings tears to my eyes as I think about the divine plan he has for each of our lives. The song states several times that “there are no orphans of God”. Nothing surprises Him, He knows when we will have pain, happiness, suffering, and joy. The number of orphans here in America and oversees can be overwhelming to comprehend. I have to think of Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you declared the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”. This verse is meant for every person that the Lord created, and it does not exclude orphans. God has a supernatural plan that we will never comprehend. We are simply called to have faith! God is using Lifeline in a supernatural way, and I pray that he will continue to allow us to be a catalyst to join orphans with forever families.

Maegan Schwindling
Central Alabama Case Worker

Prayers

I am constantly amazed at how God answers prayer, even though He gives us every assurance in His Word that He will answer prayers, according to His will. However, He is gracious enough to place a desire for His will on our hearts, so that we are praying for the very thing that He has planned.

The Lifeline staff witnesses this every day as the Lord brings answers to prayers. Prayers for the sick, the orphans, children in foster care, children experiencing a dissolved adoption, the childless couple.

We just celebrated the Lord’s gift of our new office building. After a long delay from the Lord, He brought us to the right place at the right time. He built into the location things that we could not have anticipated. One example is that the Mayor of the City of Hoover is the former DHR commissioner! He understands the needs of the children we care for and expressed his support of our ministry with his presence at our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at our Open House! So in retrospect, we thank the Lord for his delay in bringing about our new office building.

Lea Anne Parker
Senior Supervisor of Social Services