[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fone-in-a-million":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fone-in-a-million-surround":65},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":12,"columnName":47,"date":48,"description":18,"extension":49,"image":50,"meta":51,"minRead":52,"navigation":53,"path":54,"postType":55,"publication":56,"publicationUrl":50,"seo":57,"stem":58,"topics":59,"__hash__":64},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fone-in-a-million.md","One in a Million",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11],"Psalms","Mark","Ephesians",{"type":13,"value":14,"toc":43},"minimark",[15,19,22,25,28,31,34,37,40],[16,17,18],"p",{},"She's one in a million—exactly like no one else I know. Whenever Mindy's home, our house is anything but quiet. We hear her thumping around in her room, bumping down the stairs two at a time, slamming the front door, and playing loudly with the dog.",[16,20,21],{},"She's filled our home with laughter and noise (mostly pleasant) since we brought her home for the first time, not from the hospital, but from Kennedy Airport in New York. She was four months old when we first held her in our arms—a healthy baby from Seoul, Korea, wrapped in a pink blanket with an unruly tuft of jet-black hair jutting from the top of her head.",[16,23,24],{},"A smiling airline escort handed her to my wife Candy, who cuddled her for awhile and then placed her into my arms for the first time. When I lifted her up for a closer look, her chubby face broke into a big grin. Her older brother and sister, 5-year-old Matt and 3-year-old Michelle, were born to us, not adopted, and they participated eagerly in this special occasion, oohing and ahhing over their new baby sister, as did a number of strangers who noticed our family's joy while walking through the airport.",[16,26,27],{},"That was 15 years ago. Today Matt and Michelle are in college, and Mindy's adoption seems so natural to our family that we hardly give it a thought. Yet once in awhile as I drive her to the high school she attends, I marvel at the way God works.",[16,29,30],{},"A \"blended family\"? Usually that phrase describes family units joined together after a death or divorce. I had never considered my own family \"blended.\" But in a sense, isn't every family \"blended\"? The Creator who knits children together in the womb (Psalm 139:15) endows each of us with unique personalities and abilities to be further refined through interaction with parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors. Even the church blends together a diverse family of people who share a common relationship with the Father (Mark 3:31-35).",[16,32,33],{},"Most of the time, though, everyday distractions keep us from seeing the big picture. Who has time to ponder the deeper meaning of parenthood when there are permission slips to sign, scraped knees to bandage, endless bills to pay, concerts and games to attend, homework to do, and sibling conflicts to resolve?",[16,35,36],{},"But once in awhile parents catch a glimpse of something grander. You stand next to a crib where your infant daughter lies sleeping, and a tear comes to your eye. Your heart overflows with joy at your son's baptism as he embraces your faith as his own. You watch wistfully at a graduation or a wedding as your no-longer-young child takes a very adult step. Such moments, however rare, remind us that parenthood is a sacred trust, a priceless stewardship, which makes imperfect moms and dads colaborers with a perfect God who dares to enlist our help in guiding his precious little ones.",[16,38,39],{},"Our pudgy pink bundle has grown tall and slim. Her hair, still jet-black, she keeps carefully brushed in place. Her brown skin makes mine look pale and dull by comparison. She excels in math; I struggle with it. She hates vegetables; I enjoy them. She likes pepperoni; it gives me heartburn. She enjoys shopping at the mall; I consider it torture. And for now, at least, she still thumps around the house louder than ever.",[16,41,42],{},"But Mindy is my daughter. And my love for her gives me a tiny glimpse of the deeper love of God who wants us \"to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will\" (Ephesians 1:5). One in a million? No. Come to think of it, every child is far more precious than that.",{"title":44,"searchDepth":45,"depth":45,"links":46},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","1998-10-18","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fone-in-a-million","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":18},"articles\u002Fone-in-a-million",[60,61,62,63],"Intergenerational Ministry","Biblical Theology","Christian Unity","Church Leadership","b3s22wOZiKw3e36njhfA7LW8eAz4C_p7h_LLusGsITw",[66,71],{"title":67,"path":68,"stem":69,"description":70,"children":-1},"O Little Town of 'Where I Am'","\u002Farticles\u002Fo-little-town-of-where-i-am","articles\u002Fo-little-town-of-where-i-am","My wife Candy works the night shift as a Registered Nurse in the mother-baby unit of a local hospital. We were disappointed to learn that one of her 12-hour shifts this week will start at 7:00 P.M. on Christmas Eve. But as our family adjusted plans to accommodate her schedule, we realized there was something fitting about this. After all, the angels announced Jesus' birth to shepherds working the night shift. Joseph and Mary adjusted their schedules and travel plans to meet the requirements of an imperial decree. And what more appropriate place to spend the night on Christmas Eve than a maternity ward surrounded by newborn babies?",{"title":72,"path":73,"stem":74,"description":75,"children":-1},"One Nation Underestimating God","\u002Farticles\u002Fone-nation-underestimating-god","articles\u002Fone-nation-underestimating-god","According to the Pledge of Allegiance, the United States of America is \"one nation under God.\" But do our daily actions show we really live under God's authority? Do we worship him in reverent fear? Do we trust and obey him, and depend daily on his protection and grace? Do we humble ourselves under God's mighty hand so that he will lift us up in due time (1 Peter 5:6)?"]