It's so common around here to see miracles happen every day right before our very eyes. Just today, a family called to tell us that they did not need the interest-free loan we offered them... since last week when we informed them, God provided for their entire $17,000 deficit! WOW!
As I thought about this family, I realized that it's so easy to overlook the magnificent miracles God is doing all around us each and every day...
Then God brought to mind two miracles I was able to view from the front-row seat just before Christmas. Two families from Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, KY that are in the process of adopting - one from Korea and one from the US – recently applied for financial assistance. Both of these families are dedicated to raising their children to know, love, and serve Christ. As we reviewed these applications, we were so impressed by their character and their commitment to the Lord. However, there were no funds available to help either of these families at the time.
Just a couple days after we informed both of these families of the situation, we were contacted by our good friends at Tapestry (Irving Bible Church). They were excited to share that God had blessed them through generous year-end donations from the Irving Bible Church congregation to the Tapestry Adoption Fund. They continued to share their heart, and as I listened I was struck by the unique way that they view the financial resources that have been entrusted to them. You see, they do not want to let money sit idle in the Tapestry Adoption Fund while children and families wait. The Tapestry Adoption Fund is focused on helping families at Irving Bible Church and in their local community meet the financial challenge of adoption. But they know very well that the money that has been given is in fact God’s money, and they want to see it put to use wherever the needs may be. Their exact words were “we believe that our goal should be to run out of money in our fund so that we can tell the stories of what God has done and allow even more people to give and be a part of what He is doing.”
The next words that spilled from their mouths amazed me. They explained that they want to help other qualified families in need, no matter where they live or what church they attend. They want to be part of what God is doing outside the walls of their church. They want to be part of the stories God is writing with the lives of His people across the country as they say “YES!” to what God is calling them to. You're starting to see the pieces come together, right?
Yes, Tapestry stepped outside themselves, outside their walls, to fund two families in need… two families that don't even live in the same state. Now you can see why 'looking beyond yourselves' is so fitting for this story.
Just this past year, as we saw more and more churches being led to help families in need regardless of where they attended church, we created the Outside the Walls Network. The network is a way for churches to band together and reach out to serve children and families through adoption financial assistance. To learn more about the Outside the Walls Network and how your church can join with other churches to help families meet the financial challenge of adoption and welcome their children home, click here.
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:33PM 
