Free audio sermons: Get free audio sermons through this free Christan sermon podcast!

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Adopted Texas man, 71, meets biological sisters after submitting DNA kit

The Church of Christ at Creekwood is looking for a Youth Minister. Visit
http://www.creekwoodcc.org/youth-minister-position/ to find more information about this position.

Relationship

You and I were created for relationship. It's by design that when we're born into the world, we are
born into a family. If those familial relationships are severed or lost, other relationships are
sought to fill the void. Sometimes efforts are made to rediscover lost relationships with family
members.

Dennis Blackstone and his twin brother, Doug, were adopted in Dallas in 1951 at the age of three.
Sadly, Doug was killed in a car crash on February 13, 1979. Dennis, grieving the loss of his
brother, began to wonder about his biological family. Who were my parents? Do I have any other
siblings? He began to search for answers to these questions.

Blackstone discovered the names of his biological parents when a judge unsealed his adoption papers
in 2000. Did he have any other siblings? Blackstone submitted a sample of his DNA to 23andme, a
website that offers genetic testing services, hoping to discover any siblings lost to him.

Earlier this month, 23andme contacted Blackstone to inform him that they had found a first cousin.
This cousin revealed that Blackstone did indeed have a sibling - an older sister named Connie Rusk.

71-years-old Blackstone - with the help of his wife and support of his children and adoptive family
- found contact information for Rusk, age 74. He reached out to her, asking if they could meet.
Rusk, who lives only 40 miles from Blackstone, responded that she would be delighted to meet her
brother. On Sunday, February 17, 2019, Rusk and Blackstone - along with his wife, children, and
grandchildren - met in Grapevine, Texas. After 70 years of separation, it was a reunion filled with
tears of joy.

"My little brother finding me after 70 plus years is the most wonderful thing that could ever happen
to me," said Rusk.

During this same reunion, Blackstone also met his two-half sisters, who are from his biological
mother's second marriage. "[They] wouldn't let me go. They hugged and hugged and hugged," he said.
"I now have two other half sisters I didn't know existed in the world." *

You and I were created for relationship. We need that human connection, whether it's biological or
through adoption.

Even more fundamentally, you and I were created for a relationship with God. Sadly, our sins
separate us from Him (Isaiah 59:1-2). When we try to fill that "God-shaped void" in our lives with
relationships with other people and things, these relationships don't satisfy that deep, primary
need for relationship with God.

Here's the Good News: God is searching for us. He wants us to be united with Him in His family. He
went to great lengths to make that relationship possible. It cost the life of His Son Jesus, who
died on the cross for our sins so that we can have forgiveness and be reconciled to God (Ephesians
1:7).

If we will place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ
(Acts 2:38), then God will forgive us of our sins, add us to His family, and give us the gift of
eternal life (Acts 2:41, 47; Romans 6:23). God will continue to cleanse us of that sin that
separates as we continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

If YOU go searching for God (and that search will involve a study of His Word, the Bible), what you
will find is that He's been waiting for you. He's waiting for YOU to accept His offer of salvation
and reunion and eternal life.

Won't YOU accept His offer on His terms?

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" - 1
John 3:1

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Adopted Texas man, 71, meets biological sisters after submitting DNA
kit: 'I just lost it'" by Madeline Farber of Fox News, www.foxnews.com, 2/21/19.

HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net
TEXT version: subscribe-livingwater-text@lyris.dundee.net

Please visit our Web site http://www.creekwoodcc.org AND share a drink of Living Water with a
friend!

Searching For Truth??? Learn more about God and His will for your life!
Download Searching For Truth videos. They're FREE -- visit:
www.searchingfortruth.org

Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you:
http://www.churchzip.com/

If you received this transmission in error or want to leave Living Water just send a blank e-mail
to: unsubscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

How to be saved

Are you wondering how to be saved? Are you searching for information on how to be saved? Do you want to know what God requires you to do to be saved from your sins? Learn how to be saved from sin and have heaven you home by visiting http://www.abiblecommentary.com/newtestamentchristianity today! There is also a good discussion on how to be saved at http://www.commentaryonthebible.com/howtobesaved

Bible commentary search engine

On line Bible commentary

My Bible commentary books are now listed on openlibrary.org, a VERY useful web site! Check out this neat web site and my profile there at this link: http://openlibrary.org/people/abible

Commentary on the Bible listing

Yelp.com has helped me promote the "Bible commentary" products from www.abiblecommentary.com - my "yelp listing" is here: http://abiblecommentary.yelp.com

Flickr.com Bible commentary profile

I added my "Bible commentary" profile to flickr and it was EASY! Check it out at http://www.flickr.com/people/abiblecommentary/

Blogs from www.livejournal.com

Are you interested in blogging? If you are looking for a "free blog" that is EASY to use, check out www.livejournal.com. You can be up in running in just minutes - here is my first "Bible commentary" blog post: http://abible.livejournal.com/

Blog Archive