In the aftermath of a tragedy like the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, we have questions and want to see these types of things stopped. Governor Rick Scott of Florida went as far as to promise, to “do everything he can to make sure this never happens again.” So what can we do; what should we do; and what is our response to situations like this from a Christian worldview?

These discussions of trauma and attachment can, at times, leave a parent feeling paralyzed in how to respond to misbehavior for fear they will cause further damage and trauma...As we provide discipline, (training that corrects, molds, and encourages moral character) rather than punishment (which can be punitive and create fear in a child), we help that child find the secure foundation they need.

One of the great aspects of our Defender podcast is the ability for you to hear directly from our staff about updates or changes going on in their areas of ministry. If you are a family who is interested in international adoption, we have gathered five podcasts that will give you information and allow you to hear from several of our program directors.

Stacie and Daniel Jackson have adopted twice from China. Both of their two daughters were 8 years old when they came home with their forever family. Both girls had lived a journey of significant medical needs, but the support they received from their new family led the Jacksons to experience God’s miraculous work in multiple ways.

Although we need honesty about the challenges and joys of adoption, we also need a healthy understanding of boundaries. In this day and age when pictures and words live forever on the Internet, we need some questions and guiding principles that will help us decide what we should say or how we could say it better.

It’s easy to read “153 million orphans worldwide” and pass right over it. But the reality is, that’s 153 million individual orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) that could grow up without ever hearing the gospel. That’s an epidemic. An epidemic that no one human tactic can heal. As believers, we know God calls us to care for the orphan (James 1:27). But, what are some tangible ways to do that?

the ultimate value of human life can be found in the gospel. God the Son became a man and fulfilled the work of redemption, and the price that was paid in Jesus establishes the proper worth of people. We treasure each other not so much because of our inherent merit but because of the unfathomable worth of Jesus. At Lifeline Children’s Services, we come alongside the Body of Christ to strive to protect the unborn and to care for and shepherd the already born in ways that extend the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Kevin and Ansley began pursuing adoption through Lifeline’s India program and were soon matched with a little boy named Sahil. As the Gwyns neared their adoption date, our Lifeline team learned that Sahil had become dangerously ill. He was in the hospital, fighting for his life. Armed with this unexpected and tragic news, the Gwyns knew they must fight for his life.

The plight of women in Pakistan is bleak. Mothers often find themselves in grinding poverty and abusive relationships, with no social standing to change their lives. Seven-year-old Anjli’s mother was one of these women. Abused by her husband and feeling no hope for the future, this precious mother took her own life. More tragically, upon returning from playing with a friend, Anjli was the one who found her mother on the floor of their small one-room home.

Why should we advocate for the sanctity of life? Because, like in Texas, all lives COUNT to our God. To not stand up and not speak up, at best, means that we are ashamed of the gospel. At the worst, it means we do not know the gospel. We must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Ultimately we are a life that Christ has valued all the way to the cross.

My husband, Jacob, and I recently had the privilege to travel with Lifeline’s international orphan care ministry, (un)adopted, to the community of Busega, Uganda, in Africa. While there we had the opportunity to stay with local people, help build lasting relationships, and point the locals to Christ while working alongside the local church, King Jesus Church, and Pastor Raphael. One of the beautiful outreach opportunities we had was to help deliver water filters to people in need.

The holidays can be such a whirlwind of GREAT BIG emotions for adoptive families. If you are waiting for your child to come home, it can be a time tinged with sadness and a feeling of incompleteness. For families newly home, it can be the time you’ve been looking forward to, for what seemed like ages, but also incredibly overwhelming as you try to navigate the new waters around you.

Colombia Kids Camp brought a taste of being seen and also served as a reminder to me—I long for more. I long for every one of these kids to know the unchanging, steady love of the Father and a family. It matters.  For me to be a part of kids camp meant that I would in some small way say that I see these kids and I will never forget . . . for each one of their hearts and mine.  Join me in hoping and remembering! 

For orphan ministry to be effective, it has to be connected to the overall mission and vision of the church. In elevating prayer, we acknowledge our helplessness and utter dependence upon God. Prayer is something tangible. It is communion with the Most High God. It is the most important work.

With all the possible ways that we can respond to caring for orphans, we have to narrow the focus. Many times, pastors do not outright oppose orphan care as much they marginalize it by their lack of enthusiasm or weak support.

There is no way that an individual local church can really be engaged in local and global orphan care at a high level without help. One of the reasons that churches struggle to engage people in orphan care is the mistaken impression that if you aren’t going to adopt you can’t do orphan care, and often, we subtly reinforce it.

If we are going to call families to jump in and engage the orphan care crisis by adopting and fostering, we have to be ready to support them through our church communities. We need to celebrate the good things that happen in orphan care through the church with the church.

Today’s post begins the series entitled “10 Things That Will Kill Your Church’s Orphan Ministry.” This series is born out of several years of consulting with and observing many churches across America develop orphan care ministries. Over time, I have noticed some common mistakes that cause these ministries to struggle and even fail. Over the next few weeks, I want to share those observations with you in an effort to help and to stir a discussion about the good things being done to minister well in orphan care.

Recently, we remembered the 16th anniversary of September 11, 2001. For those of us who were living on that day, we can all remember where we were as two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, and the two towers subsequently collapsed. As a nation and as a people, we felt helpless. This year seems

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of