The Family of God

     I'm sitting at church now during our training dinner for all of our Life Group Leaders and other volunteers. As I looked out at the crowd I noticed something for the first time. I don't mean this in a rude manner, but the majority of our volunteers and our congregation is made up of upper middle class white men and women. The reason I think this though passed through my mind is because it doesn't nearly match up with the picture I read in Revelation this morning of "people from every tribe, nation, and tongue" joining together to worship our Lord at his second coming. Time and time again in the Old and New Testament we see God's heart for a diverse and multi-racial church. His great gospel that He has been proclaiming since the beginning of creation was put into place in order to join the diverse people of the world together under one banner. There is a reason He created white, black, and brown people. He loves diversity! How odd it must seem to Him to look upon our churches and see them divided by economic and racial factors.

     As we began the adoption process a few weeks ago I realized something. I am the last male "Gardner" alive that can pass on my family line. For generations, my family tree has been made up of southern white Americans. But there is a high probability that the Gardners of the future, the sprouting limbs and branches of our family tree, will be multi-racial and diverse. And I think that God rejoices in this. Israel was meant to be a blessing for all the nations of the earth, and that purpose is true of God's church today. And in a step of faith, Jenny and I are submitting our family, our very heritage, to His plan for His glory. Thousands of years from now, when I stand at the gates of heaven and welcome the generations that came from Jenny and I, I will be hugging and kissing black, brown, and tanned cheeks. And I think the angels will rejoice with me, in a small part, due to this diversity.

     Please continue to pray for me, Jenny, and little Reese and Rory as we step out on faith in order to accomplish something great for the Kingdom of God that we have neither the resources nor wisdom to accomplish on our own. I have a creeping suspicion that God is going to accomplish great things through this.