Foster Parenting - More Than A Home

Great Piece this week at the Pinelake Church blog about my good friends Howard and Stephanie Wilson and their adventures in foster parenting:

At 16 years old I found out I couldn’t have children, which wasn’t an easy thing to deal with. Then in 1993, when my husband and I were married, I learned he didn’t want children — another big blow to my desire to be a mom. But not long after, my husband and I decided to become foster parents.

Though I wasn't able to have children, God blessed me with more children than I ever could have imagined through foster care. We’ve fostered 19 children and have adopted two. I feel like it’s a calling to be a part of foster care and adoption, which can look different for everyone. We know it’s about helping others, but it also brings healing as we put our focus on these children and families and know we are helping.

"Our desire is to see these children learn that God’s love goes deeper than any person’s love ever could."They may feel abandoned but it’s important for them to know they have a heavenly Father who loves them and will always be there for them. We want them to know the number one relationship in life is the one with God.

Our oldest foster child just graduated from high school — the first in her family. Her life was changed, and she has a strong love for God and wants to adopt one day. You do get attached to the children you foster but that’s what that child needs. They need someone who loves them, someone who is stable and someone who will provide for them. When they leave your home, they often go back in to what they came out of, but you have to know that God has put you in their life for that season to care for them. You never know what that little bit of time, and the seeds you plant, will bring into their life.

—Howard and Stephanie Wilson, Pinelake Reservoir

Wake Up, All Ye Sleepers

I absolutely LOVE this song "Wake Up" by All Sons & Daughters. I'm getting very excited about them coming to Pinelake Church on July 31.  I most certainly will be there!

Verse 1:
We have seen the pain that shaped our hearts
And in our shame we’re still breathing
Cause we have seen the hope
Of Your healing
Rising from our souls
Is the feeling
We are drawing close
Your light is shining through

Chorus
So wake up
Wake up, wake up
All you sleepers
Stand up
Stand up, stand up
All you dreamers
Hands up
Hands up, hands up
All believers
Take up your cross
And carry it on

Verse 2
All that You reveal with light in us
Will come to life and start breathing
Cause we have seen the hope
Of Your healing
Rising from our souls
Is the feeling
We are drawing close
Your light is shining through

Chorus:
So wake up
Wake up, wake up
All you sleepers
Stand up
Stand up, stand up
All you dreamers
Hands up
Hands up, hands up
All belivers
Take up your cross
And carry it on

Bridge:
Here we stand our hearts are Yours
Not our will but Yours be done (x4)

Good Marriage Advice - From the Ones Who Know!

MARITAL ADVICE: Couples Video from Carl Barnhill on Vimeo.


This video was used as part of a message on marriage by Pastor Chip Henderson at Pinelake Church in Brandon, MS this past Sunday (8/26/12). It contains advice from three long-married couples about how to have a successful marriage. One of the couples is my parents, who have been married for 62 years. I think my Mom & Dad define a good marriage!

Don't let the world and the media tell you that divorce is inevitable. A life time marriage is more common than you think. It can be done!
 

Church Planting Churches

One of the greatest and most encouraging trends today is the growth of church planting networks. The Acts 29 Network is relatively well know.  Many denominations are active in church planting, including Southern Baptists and Vineyard. Another movement you may not have heard of is the Launch Network. Their vision is growing church planting churches!  What a concept!



OUTLIVE Update: June 26, 2011 from Carl Barnhill on Vimeo.

This Video is from Pinelake Church here in central Mississippi.  Pinelake is a church planting hub for Launch Network.


Mac Lake, the director of Launch, says the following:

At the LAUNCH Network we realized early on if we desire to have an exponential impact on church planting we can’t do it alone.  In fact, you may be surprised that we acknowledge we don’t actually plant churches.  Churches plant churches.  That’s why our primary focus is not the church planter but church planting churches.  We are a Leadership Development Network that helps churches in their efforts to build a local church planting network that inspires and equips church planters to lead strong.  Our strategy is to come along side churches bringing them processes, systems, models and curriculum that make’s their church planting efforts easier and more effective.  In addition, because we’re creating a national network of local LAUNCH Networks we can synergize their efforts, time, resources and best practices to make each other stronger and better.  We currently have LAUNCH Hubs in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Jackson, Birmingham and Winston-Salem 

 I'm excited about church planting as a way to bring more people into the kingdom and make disciples.  How about you?

An Awesome Testimony of Grace & Healing

This is an absolutely awesome testimony of grace, forgiveness and healing, which I was privileged to hear live last Sunday morning at Pinelake Church. Yes it is long (41.5 minutes) , but well worth the listening time.

Amy Martin shares her testimony about God's love and grace. Pregnant at sixteen, Amy and her boyfriend Mitch did what everyone said was best and had an abortion. Vowing to forget that it ever happened, they moved on with their life. They had another child, got married, went to college, started their careers and served at their church. From the outside everything looked great...

The Past and Grace from Pinelake Church on Vimeo.

Hat Tip: The Past and Grace on Vimeo: