Daniel Ausbun
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God's Child (from Sherri)

4/26/2013

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This past week my youngest child of only 11 months has started holding his breath until his face turns blue and he almost passes out. This breath holding is triggered when he does not get his way. How is it possible that this precious child of mine has already developed such a strong will?! Surely he must have gotten this trait from his father. The real answer is that sin and selfishness enters our hearts at such an early age.

Just as my children rebel against my authority, God gently shows me that I also rebel against Him. We are Abba Father’s children, yet we drag our heels against His commands daily. “Love your neighbor as yourself” Mark 12:31. No problem. I gave my neighbor a cup of sugar yesterday. “Sell your possessions and give to the poor” Luke 12:33. I donated 5 bags of clothes to Goodwill last month. Surely this counts. Do we live radically for Christ like the Scriptures tell us to? I don’t.

I want God to “Create in me a pure heart” Psalm 51:10. I want God to change my desires, so that I am not self-serving but God serving. I want God to use my hands and feet for His purposes, not my own. I have a long way to go. The truth is our children can teach us a lot about obedience in our own lives.


www.ausbun.give5.us
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Birthdays (from Sherri)

4/12/2013

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36 years, that’s what God has given me here on this earth thus far. When you’re in your twenties you dread 30, when you’re in your thirties you joke about turning 40. Really though, I am so blessed to be alive and healthy here in the United States. In the U.S. we can expect to live 80.51 years. In Africa the median life expectancy is 45.9 years. This is astounding!

There is a question that has been haunting me for several weeks. Why? Why was I born into privilege? Why is there such poverty that I have never seen. But another good question is "What?" What am I doing to serve God with the time and resources He has given me?

Am I chasing things of this world?

“Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

Every time I go shopping God speaks this verse in my heart. Do I need more stuff that doesn’t matter? NO. What will make an eternal difference?

Wanting to do more for God, to be His hands and feet, to serve others are all reasons God has led Daniel and I to adopt. I can’t adopt all the orphans in the world, but God tells us to start with one.

We should take each opportunity God gives us to help others.

If you want to learn more about our adoption you can visit www.ausbun.give5.us
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More (from Sherri)

4/7/2013

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Until I began looking into adoption, I was blissfully unaware of others situations. I did not realize that infants are starving in China. In Africa, mother’s sell their bodies in prostitution just so that they can feed their children one meal a day. Often mother’s will feed their hungry children dirt so that their hunger subsides and they can sleep at night. The thought of defenseless children dying because of a lack of healthcare and food breaks my heart. God created these children and loves them just as much as He loves my family.

Here in America, we have so much food that our kitchens require pantries. I ask my children what they want for dinner because we have so many options. God has recently convicted me of my excess. I’ve been reading “7” by Jen Hatmaker and it’s helping me change my perspective. She says, “excess has impaired perspective in America; we are the richest people on earth, praying to get richer. We’re tangled in unmanageable debt while feeding the machine, because we feel entitled to more. What does it communicate when half the global population lives on less than $2 a day, and we can’t manage a fulfilling life on twenty-five thousand times that amount?”

I’m guilty. I’m a list maker. I make wish lists on Amazon. I make lists of projects I want to do around the house. I makes lists for Christmas time. My 5 year old daughter has recently started making lists because I make so many lists. Why can’t I be happy with what I have? Do I deserve wealth when others live in poverty?

I am praying that God will use my hands and feet to serve others. That He will show me opportunities where I can give more. God tells us, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40


www.ausbun.give5.us
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