These following songs were written during the process of adoption. I felt compelled to NOT publish them during that time as we needed to protect our daughter who was then ward of the state, and to guard from peering eyes. I will be talking more about the process and the experience this side of the finalization, hopefully to encourage others who are on that journey, as well as those who might not have otherwise considered it. Soli Deo Gloria!
James 1:27
New International Version (NIV)
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Friend of the Fatherless
(This is a call to a generation to step up to the challenge of becoming agents of redemption in the lives of children who have been thrown on the garbage heap of our culture. There but for the grace of God go we all.)
You were born in the fields of the fatherless
Cut down at the root and left there alone.
Jesus came as a friend to the fatherless
Picked you up and brought you home.
Life is hard in the fields of the fatherless
For its wounds cause the spirit to groan
Jesus comes as the friend to the fatherless
He knows the plans he has for His own
Now our friend, faithful friend of the fatherless
Walks the ground where so many seeds were sown
And the cut off the cast out the distressed
Are gathered up to be never disowned
So child come in from the fields of the fatherless
Enter in to be nurtured and known
You’ve been called and chosen for blessedness
For in this new work, God’s glory is shown.
June 24, 2011
Anthony Foster
You were born in the fields of the fatherless
Cut down at the root and left there alone.
Jesus came as a friend to the fatherless
Picked you up and brought you home.
Life is hard in the fields of the fatherless
For its wounds cause the spirit to groan
Jesus comes as the friend to the fatherless
He knows the plans he has for His own
Now our friend, faithful friend of the fatherless
Walks the ground where so many seeds were sown
And the cut off the cast out the distressed
Are gathered up to be never disowned
So child come in from the fields of the fatherless
Enter in to be nurtured and known
You’ve been called and chosen for blessedness
For in this new work, God’s glory is shown.
June 24, 2011
Anthony Foster
Abba
This was previously found on this blog last year, but is appropriate here, I think...
Now I know Abba’s tender arms
An embrace for a fatherless child
A nurturing place where I’m kept from harm
With my father I’m reconciled
Beloved children reconciled.
Crying out Abba Father
At the cross we lay our pain
You turn our loss into gain
We cry out for the souls of men
Crying out for your presence again
We need Your presence to live in
Forgiveness is given
Your power to use
Your wisdom to choose
We shall cry out
Cast away all doubt
Cast ourselves upon your grace
Abba Father, Abba Father
Let us see your face
Fill our hearts and fill this place
We need
Your strength to endure
Your love true and pure
Your interceding prayers
Your mercy and your care
We are crying out
Our prayer becomes a shout
We cast ourselves on you alone
Crying abba Father, Abba Father
Abba Father make your glory known
As we stand boldly before your throne
Now I know Abba’s tender arms
An embrace for a fatherless child
A nurturing place where I’m kept from harm
With my father I’m reconciled
Beloved children reconciled.
Crying out Abba Father
At the cross we lay our pain
You turn our loss into gain
We cry out for the souls of men
Crying out for your presence again
We need Your presence to live in
Forgiveness is given
Your power to use
Your wisdom to choose
We shall cry out
Cast away all doubt
Cast ourselves upon your grace
Abba Father, Abba Father
Let us see your face
Fill our hearts and fill this place
We need
Your strength to endure
Your love true and pure
Your interceding prayers
Your mercy and your care
We are crying out
Our prayer becomes a shout
We cast ourselves on you alone
Crying abba Father, Abba Father
Abba Father make your glory known
As we stand boldly before your throne
Grafted In
(This thought is the basis of our journey- the very clear teaching that we as believers are chosen and grafted into the life of the True VIne. Adoption is at the core of who we are.)
Romans 11:17-24
Grafted in to the root of an olive tree
Though once barren, its roots run deep
Chosen child, given a new identity
A new name that you will keep.
So the master gardener takes his time
And discerns which plants to choose
Our soil is rich and so he binds
Your branch until we fuse
By his cuts He exposes our secret place
With our bark stripped back to reveal
Our very core ready to embrace
Your wound till our union can heal
We are the stock, you are the scion
We are the root that you will rely on
And we will bear more beautiful fruit
As your partake of the life of our root.
And so like flames united thus
Our flames burn bright and true
The gardener will prune us
Till our life runs through you.
June 24, 2011
Anthony Foster
Romans 11:17-24
Grafted in to the root of an olive tree
Though once barren, its roots run deep
Chosen child, given a new identity
A new name that you will keep.
So the master gardener takes his time
And discerns which plants to choose
Our soil is rich and so he binds
Your branch until we fuse
By his cuts He exposes our secret place
With our bark stripped back to reveal
Our very core ready to embrace
Your wound till our union can heal
We are the stock, you are the scion
We are the root that you will rely on
And we will bear more beautiful fruit
As your partake of the life of our root.
And so like flames united thus
Our flames burn bright and true
The gardener will prune us
Till our life runs through you.
June 24, 2011
Anthony Foster
My Prayer
(I still tear up when I read what I wrote over 6 months ago, for it still rings even truer today.)
I pray the Lord will give you grace
To understand what’s taking place
I pray that you will come to show
The joys a child was meant to know.
I pray that you will learn to trust
These feeble, frail, children of dust
I pray that faith will fill your mind
And true security you’ll find.
I pray that you will choose to live
Up to the privilege God gives.
I pray that we might bless your heart
And you’ll know the peace that Christ imparts.
I pray that if you need to grieve
Release and comfort you’ll receive
That God will grant you perfect rest
And we will live to see you blessed.
But most of all I pray we’ll be
A healthy, happy family
A place of refuge on this earth
A home of hearts that know Christ’s worth.
For favor and blessing, forgiveness and grace
Love and acceptance and care
Discipline and a sheltering place
An inheritance for you to share
This is my prayer, this is my prayer!
Anthony Foster
June 14, 2011
I pray the Lord will give you grace
To understand what’s taking place
I pray that you will come to show
The joys a child was meant to know.
I pray that you will learn to trust
These feeble, frail, children of dust
I pray that faith will fill your mind
And true security you’ll find.
I pray that you will choose to live
Up to the privilege God gives.
I pray that we might bless your heart
And you’ll know the peace that Christ imparts.
I pray that if you need to grieve
Release and comfort you’ll receive
That God will grant you perfect rest
And we will live to see you blessed.
But most of all I pray we’ll be
A healthy, happy family
A place of refuge on this earth
A home of hearts that know Christ’s worth.
For favor and blessing, forgiveness and grace
Love and acceptance and care
Discipline and a sheltering place
An inheritance for you to share
This is my prayer, this is my prayer!
Anthony Foster
June 14, 2011
Chosen One
(It has always been our firm conviction that we would adopt out of abundance, not to fill a void. The paradox is that as true as that was, now that the branch is grafted and fused, there WOULD be a void without her. We have been changed by this process.)
The joy of one flesh and bone
Has been proven and prepared
A Great Love overflows our home
And we know it was meant to be shared.
You are our chosen one, our chosen one
So chosen child see what our Lord has done
He has blessed our happy family
By bringing you to us
And like every blessing we have known
You’ll become both a test and a trust.
I pray we will not fail you
I pray we will be strong
To courageously sing over you
Unconditional lovesongs
You’ll be free to be imperfect
And you’ll know you are beloved
And our Lord will meet your very need
When all we have is not enough.
You are our chosen one, our chosen one
So chosen child see what our Lord has done
He has blessed our happy family
By bringing you to us
And like every blessing we have known
You’ll become both a test and a trust.
Anthony Foster
June 14, 2011
The joy of one flesh and bone
Has been proven and prepared
A Great Love overflows our home
And we know it was meant to be shared.
You are our chosen one, our chosen one
So chosen child see what our Lord has done
He has blessed our happy family
By bringing you to us
And like every blessing we have known
You’ll become both a test and a trust.
I pray we will not fail you
I pray we will be strong
To courageously sing over you
Unconditional lovesongs
You’ll be free to be imperfect
And you’ll know you are beloved
And our Lord will meet your very need
When all we have is not enough.
You are our chosen one, our chosen one
So chosen child see what our Lord has done
He has blessed our happy family
By bringing you to us
And like every blessing we have known
You’ll become both a test and a trust.
Anthony Foster
June 14, 2011
Forever Family
(Theses posts can now be shared post-adoption)
We were given a vision to pursue
We’ve been searching now for so long.
We’ve walked away time and time again
When the prospects were all wrong
For God knew your needs and God knew our hearts
He planted the seeds that’s how true love starts
Now He’s brought us together and we’ll never be the same
He makes a forever family and Foster is our name.
The Lord gave a sense that it was right-
Sweet assurances of His plan;
Encouragement in little lovenotes
To remind us how this path began.
We prayed He’d make it obvious
When we sought you as our choice
So when we give our hearts to you
Your angels would rejoice.
Forever family
Forever Family
So we become all we can be
A Forever Family
Forever family
Forever Family
Dad and Mom and you make three
A Forever Family
Abba Father connects us
And calls us as His own
In His goodness He protects us
And we are never alone…
Anthony Foster
June 14, 2011
We were given a vision to pursue
We’ve been searching now for so long.
We’ve walked away time and time again
When the prospects were all wrong
For God knew your needs and God knew our hearts
He planted the seeds that’s how true love starts
Now He’s brought us together and we’ll never be the same
He makes a forever family and Foster is our name.
The Lord gave a sense that it was right-
Sweet assurances of His plan;
Encouragement in little lovenotes
To remind us how this path began.
We prayed He’d make it obvious
When we sought you as our choice
So when we give our hearts to you
Your angels would rejoice.
Forever family
Forever Family
So we become all we can be
A Forever Family
Forever family
Forever Family
Dad and Mom and you make three
A Forever Family
Abba Father connects us
And calls us as His own
In His goodness He protects us
And we are never alone…
Anthony Foster
June 14, 2011
Blog? What's a blog?
Yes, this is an indication of how life has changed in the Foster abode. Facebook has dwindled to nothingness as well. It's also a function of the past year where we were not allowed to share the common occurances in our own household because our daughter was a ward of the state and we had no leeway in the matter. It will take some intentionality to get back to communicating appropriately! That being said,
Everything is fairly routine, as much as is possible with us. We didn't travel much for Christmas and that was a boon. We did make one trip to Owensboro to see friends who moved there recently (and pick up the University of Kentucky basketball tickets they provided.) It was ostensibly a trip for our daughter to reconnect with her former foster parents who will, we anticipate, continue to be friends of the family. The reunion went well at a local restaurant. It was especially good for our daughter to see her foster sis (the foster parents’ biological daughter) who is in college majoring in elementary education, and who has a very good relationship with our daughter. our daughter got to see some of her old friends at her old church the next day.
My mom is enjoying having a granddaughter at long last. We are still struggling with the Lord's will on whether to build near her, expand, or buy a new home. We are getting cramped where we are and have cut back and given away a lot. Being crsmped makes for great bonding opportunities, though!
Earnie had wisdom tooth surgery this week so daddy is pulling double duty till we can get her healed. She had a vein nicked and has a large hematoma that the doc thinks will give more trouble than the surgery. She has been laid up for a couple of days but at least the political news has been occupying her mind. Our daughter has been a big help- this is one of her gifts- she loves helping. If we can get her to see that the mundane chores are "helping" as well we will be on a roll.
Sadly, we cannot travel to our niece's funeral today. BK was our Down's Syndrome child, a real joy and blessing to us all. She died this week at age 54, far beyond what is the life expectancy for such children. She was loved and well cared for all her days, and loved the Lord so now she is whole and healthy with the Lord. Please lift her parents up in prayer.
I’d like to share the jist of a note we received in reply to a thank you we sent. This was from a worker at a SNAP event where few very children attended (their workers didn't come through) in March. We were at the point of giving up and walking away when she came up and started a conversation with us. She told us yesterday that the Lord should get the credit for the adoption because He whispered to her at that event that she should tell us specifically about our daughter, who at that time was not even in the system or available for adoption because of a recently failed adoption attempt.
We already knew where credit is due, but it's just another sweet note of affirmation. Though not required (grace never is), it is appreciated and counted as another blessing! It has been a confounding number of events and circumstances that only have a design to them if you look from heaven's perspective. Walking by faith and not by sight is absolutely mandatory.
Love to you,
Anthony
Everything is fairly routine, as much as is possible with us. We didn't travel much for Christmas and that was a boon. We did make one trip to Owensboro to see friends who moved there recently (and pick up the University of Kentucky basketball tickets they provided.) It was ostensibly a trip for our daughter to reconnect with her former foster parents who will, we anticipate, continue to be friends of the family. The reunion went well at a local restaurant. It was especially good for our daughter to see her foster sis (the foster parents’ biological daughter) who is in college majoring in elementary education, and who has a very good relationship with our daughter. our daughter got to see some of her old friends at her old church the next day.
My mom is enjoying having a granddaughter at long last. We are still struggling with the Lord's will on whether to build near her, expand, or buy a new home. We are getting cramped where we are and have cut back and given away a lot. Being crsmped makes for great bonding opportunities, though!
Earnie had wisdom tooth surgery this week so daddy is pulling double duty till we can get her healed. She had a vein nicked and has a large hematoma that the doc thinks will give more trouble than the surgery. She has been laid up for a couple of days but at least the political news has been occupying her mind. Our daughter has been a big help- this is one of her gifts- she loves helping. If we can get her to see that the mundane chores are "helping" as well we will be on a roll.
Sadly, we cannot travel to our niece's funeral today. BK was our Down's Syndrome child, a real joy and blessing to us all. She died this week at age 54, far beyond what is the life expectancy for such children. She was loved and well cared for all her days, and loved the Lord so now she is whole and healthy with the Lord. Please lift her parents up in prayer.
I’d like to share the jist of a note we received in reply to a thank you we sent. This was from a worker at a SNAP event where few very children attended (their workers didn't come through) in March. We were at the point of giving up and walking away when she came up and started a conversation with us. She told us yesterday that the Lord should get the credit for the adoption because He whispered to her at that event that she should tell us specifically about our daughter, who at that time was not even in the system or available for adoption because of a recently failed adoption attempt.
We already knew where credit is due, but it's just another sweet note of affirmation. Though not required (grace never is), it is appreciated and counted as another blessing! It has been a confounding number of events and circumstances that only have a design to them if you look from heaven's perspective. Walking by faith and not by sight is absolutely mandatory.
Love to you,
Anthony
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
