As a dog returns to its vomit….. ….so a fool repeats his folly. I saw this verse on Twitter recently (Prov 26:11 for those who are playing along at home). At first, I laughed. Because, well, vomit is kinda funny. Unless it’s on your frisee rug. Or under the dinner table. Both places where we’ve experienced the special awesomeness of dog vomit in the last month, by the way. Then comes the image of the dog actually coming back to it. We’ve all seen that. The idea that a dog’s mouth is the cleanest place? Not buying that. I’ve seen […]

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School starts today. In less than an hour, they will both board a bus to the High School. Today, they embark on a new season of classes and homework, of football games, of friends and opportunities and choices. They seek independence, yet the glue is still drying between us as a family. For kids raised outside their family of origin, or in a family with significant trauma or dysfunction, it’s harder to grow the bonds of trust and to learn to rely on others. It’s harder for them to understand the balance of love and authority. It’s harder to grasp […]

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“There is not one example in the Bible of God calling someone to do something and then using debt as a tool to accomplish it.” – Dave Ramsey These words slammed Julie Gumm in 2007, just as she and her husband Mark embarked on a journey to adopt a sibling pair, aged six and eight from Ethiopia. The gazelle-intensity learned in Financial Peace University provided Julie and Mark the practical foundation for living debt-free and financial freedom to serve others. With these tools and faith in God’s provision, Julie and Mark committed to adopt their children without borrowing a penny. […]

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Last week, I attended an amazing conference presented by Jon Acuff, satirist and creator of StuffChristiansLike.net. Jon’s new project, “Quitter,” is the story of how he transformed his life of serial job-hopping (eight jobs in eight years) into his dream job as a best-selling author and speaker with the Dave Ramsey organization. But more than that, Jon shared practical steps to replicate that transformation for any dream. Just as one day was not enough to share all the lessons Jon has to offer, one blog post could never include all the takeaways (although other participants have provided wonderful recaps! ). […]

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Today, Masha turns seventeen. That’s with a one and a seven. Yeah, 17. Now before all of you leave a million comments saying “How can that be? Mark and Christine look barely thirty themselves,” or “Has it been that long?” or “Hmm, I think we’re out of coffee….,” let me say this: it really was just yesterday when we met Masha. At least it was just yesterday in “God Years.” Masha first stepped into our lives in the middle of a a hot August night, five years ago. Since that time, we’ve watched her grow from a tiny, scared, hurt […]

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