Team Mainard to grow?

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him. ~ 1Peter 3:18-22

On February 18, 2007 we celebrated John Paul's baptism with our family and friends. Just last week we celebrated the second anniversary of this blessed gift.

We are so filled with joy over Christ's amazing act of love in giving us baptism... of making us all adopted son's and daughter's through the waters of this new-birth.

This Tuesday we begin a new adoption journey... we wanna make Team Mainard even more filled with joy and with love and feel wonderfully called to adopt again. As we begin this process again I am astounded at my response. I am excited!

Now reading that you may say... "Why would she be astounded by this"? ... Well, let me tell you why...

When we began this process the first time I was absolutely controlled by fear, I loved God, but I was far from learning how to trust in His love. In the past two years, he has moved in my life in such amazing ways... that have taught me to open up more and more of my life to His light. He has shone in so many dark corners, where fear ruled... and He has cast it out of my life. I still let it in, but in much smaller patches that he finds quickly... then gently takes my hand, and asks if I really want to go back to living that way. NO SIR REE BOB! I sure don't!

Today's second reading pierced straight to my heart... that Christ died to "bring us to God" to bring us to truth, and light, and freedom from fear... the fear that clung so deeply to my life that I didn't think it was possible to live without. I am amazed at the freedom, at the breathing, and the laughing, and the living, loving... life! I am beyond humbled by Christ's gift of bringing us to God and praise Him for drawing me ever more deeply into Our Father's perfect, awesome LOVE!

Please pray for us to be open to His wisdom, and to discern His plan for our family, for our children, and for our very lives. God is so amazingly good!