FW: A Place to Call Home

A Place to Call Home

Nine-year-old Jordan wants to be a police officer when he grows up.

"Why do you want to be a police officer?" asked Reporter Lacey Lett.

"Because they're fun and they protect people," he said.

But there's something that Jordan wants even more: a family.

Jordan has a brother, Braison. Braison has been adopted and Jordan does not
get to see him very often. Jordan is living in a group home; he has been in
the care of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) for six years.

Jordan longs for a family of his own.

"If you could go anywhere - anywhere in the whole wide world - where would
it be?" Lett asked.

"To an adoption party for a home," Jordan replied.

And if he were granted three wishes?

"To have a family, and family, family. Those are the only wishes I have,"
Jordan said.

"The reason it's important is because -- so I could have some people to talk
to anytime I need to," Jordan explained. "I hope one of y'all pick me."

After his interview was aired on KFOR, families from several different
states reached out to the news station, wanting to adopt him, according to
The Daily Mail. Lett reported that OKDHS has received thousands of online
inquiries and countless phone calls to their hotline with people wanting to
adopt Jordan.

There is Good News for everyone: there IS a place that everyone can call
home. There is a Father that wants to adopt every person who will accept
His invitation. His family is the church - "a place to call home," a people
to call family.

God wants YOU to be a part of His forever family.

The Father paid a great price in order to adopt you. Peter reminded some in
God's family of that great price: "For you know that it was not with
perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the
empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18-19
NIV).

God will save from sin, adopt into His family, and give eternal life to
those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from
their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans
10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ (Acts 2:38). Those who
accept His offer receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy
Spirit (Acts 2:38), and they are adopted (or "born again") into the family
of God.

The Apostle Paul wrote to some who accepted God's offer of adoption: "For
you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received
the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit
Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if
children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we
suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:15-17
NKJV).

Borrowing some words from Jordan, "I hope ALL of y'all accept God's offer!"

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "'I hope one of y'all pick me,' 9-year-old boy
desperately wants a place to call home" by Lacey Lett of KFOR, www.kfor.com,
and "Oklahoma boy gets 5,000 adoption inquiries in 12 hours after
heartbreaking interview in which he pleaded for a family" by Nick Givas,
www.foxnews.com.

When In Need

When In Need

Last Sunday night, Fresno (CA) police officers went to the home of Mayra
Varela in search of her brother, Gerardo Varela, who was a suspect in a
robbery committed the previous night. Gerardo was in the home and tried to
elude the police by setting fire to his sister's home. Gerardo was
apprehended, but the house was lost. That left Mayra and her three-year-old
child homeless.

Sgt. Stacie Szatmari was one of the police officers who responded to the
call. The plight of Mayra and her daughter touched her heart. She resolved
to try to help the small family. Szatmari reached out to the police
chaplaincy to get the family a room for the night. She also contacted the
Red Cross to secure more long term housing. Szatmari also collected
toiletries, clothes, and shoes for the family and delivered the supplies to
the family last week.

"It was like Christmas Day," Valera told KFSN-TV, an ABC affiliate. "She was
bringing Christmas gifts. Some stranger just said, 'Here's everything you
need for your family now.'"

When asked why she helped the Varela family, Szatmari responded, "That's the
way I was raised. If someone is in need, I need to help out." *

When we were in dire need, Someone came to our rescue.

Our greatest need is salvation from sin. Our sin puts us on the path to
eternal destruction in the fires of hell (Matthew 7:13-14).

But despite the fact that our sins are a direct affront to the God who
created us, God loves us so much that He made provision for our salvation
from sin. He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to our rescue. Jesus had to
give His life to pay the price of redemption for our sins. He died for us
so that we can be saved from sin and receive the gift of eternal life. "In
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust
in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7-9).

When "our house was burning to the ground," God sent Jesus to save us.
Jesus "gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age,
according to the will of our God and Father" (Galatians 1:4 NIV).

Won't YOU accept His offer of salvation and eternal life by trusting and
obeying Christ today?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "California cop brings summer 'Christmas' to
family left homeless by fire" by Julia Musto, www.foxnews.com, and "Fresno
police officer helps family that lost home in house fire" by Nathalie Granda
of KFSN Television, LLC - ABC30, www.abc30.com.