Be Fruitful and Multiply

"As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."  Genesis 9:7

This is a verse that many of us are familiar with and often think about when we are “family planning”.  But have you ever thought about this verse as far as the Church is concerned?  As the body of Christ, are we obeying this command to be fruitful and multiply by church planting?

Scott and I have always had a heart for church planting and were very blessed to be in a church planting church (Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church in Tampa, Florida) during the first years of our spiritual growth.

After being there four years, though, God called us to Atlanta and we ended up in a very large, very well established church.  We had some wonderful experiences in this church, but have always felt a bit uneasy in the fact that they did not church plant. 

I remember going out with Shelly one evening for girl’s night out and really pouring my heart out to her about feeing the call to leave our big church and help a plant, but we just didn’t know where to go.  “Not us!” she said.  “We are so happy at church and couldn’t even think about leaving!”  Ha!  Famous last words!

About a month later, two wonderful youth pastors felt the call to leave this church home of ours and plant a church (after about two years of praying about it). And guess who was one of the first families to follow?  That’s right – Shelly and Dan!  In fact, they were now trying to convince US to jump on board with them (as if we needed much convincing!) 

So, last spring a group of folks joined together to form Village Church Vinings. And, praise God, this is the real deal!  Our two pastors really strive to create a Biblically based church. Their simple mission statement is "Gospel. Community. Mission."  And they truly live that.  They preach the Gospel that Christ died for each of us and our sins.  They encourage us to live in Biblical community - praying for one another, breaking bread together, carrying each other's burdens, rejoicing with one another.  And their heart is for missions - not just global, but taking the Gospel to our unchurched neighbor or family member.

Ever since Curt and Jonathan (our pastors) started praying for this opportunity, they prayed that God would give this church a spirit of adoption.  And they pray for it weekly.  There are 3 (soon to be 4) families that have adopted in our church. Isn't that cool?  Especially since it's such a small church!

Today, my precious family had the blessing to stand before our congregation and our pastors and "announce" our adoption.  This wasn't so we could show off or boast.  It was simply to let our brothers and sisters in Christ know what is going on so they can pray for us and support us in various ways.  Because that is what the Body of Christ is called to do!  

One of our pastors, Curt, asked us a few of questions and I wanted to share our responses:

-Why are you adopting?  

There are really two answers to this question.  

The practical answer is because there is a great need.  Did you know there are an estimated 163 million orphans in the world?  Uganda itself has an estimated 2.5 million orphans.  And only 62 children were adopted out of Uganda last year to the United States.

The heart answer is because we, ourselves, have been adopted and we are responding in obedience to the Gospel.   John 1:12-13 says, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."  Galatians 4:4-6 also states, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."  Finally, Ephesians 1:5-6 says, "In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." 

-What are your biggest fears/anxieties?  We are human and we have to admit that we do have fears and anxieties.  Right now, our littlest is still sleeping in the closet.  Where are we supposed to put more children?!  And, as any mama knows, kids are expensive!  And loud!  And rambunctious!  And then there is school - how in the world are we going to afford tuition??  But, as my precious six year old said in the car the other afternoon, "I'm just so excited about adopting!!!"  We are called not to worry, but to cast all of our anxieties upon the Lord.  He is sovereign.  He has all the details worked out.  

-What can we do as a church to support you?  First, pray.  As cliche as it sounds, it is what we need.  There is a very real Enemy who doesn't want children to be loved and in families.  We need to pray against him.  And we need prayer for encouragement, wisdom and to be in God's perfect will during this time.  We need prayer for the judges in Uganda, the social workers, for our children here in the states and our children in Uganda.  As my sweet husband put it, "When ever God puts us on your hearts, even if you are driving around in your car, please pray for us."  There are other very tangible ways also.  Adoptions are very expensive.  We are going to be doing some fun things to fundraise - there will be more on that to come! 

-What would you say to a family who is early in the process of considering adoption?

Our pastor, Curt, actually answered this one and I love how he said it.  He said something along the lines of, "God has called the Harty Family to adopt.  But that doesn't mean he has called you to adopt.  Maybe he has called you to foster.  Or to come along side and really invest in a family that is adopting or for other children that need support.  Remember, there is freedom in Christ.  So don't feel the pressure that this is something you HAVE to do."  I'd like to add something, though.  God has called each of us to do SOMETHING.  He has not blessed us so richly and abundantly so that we can spoil ourselves and our children.  He has commanded us to look after the widow and the orphan, the poor and the oppressed, those in prison and the hungry.  

I'd also like to add that if God has given you the slightest inkling to adopt, I would highly encourage you to pursue that and obey.  We always tell our children that there is blessing in obedience, but those outside God's blessing are unsafe. 

 

Lastly, surround yourself with like-minded people who have a heart for adoption.  In today's technological age, you can connect with people all around the world!  I have met some of the sweetest, dearest people in the adoption community. through the blogosphere.  They have encouraged me so very much!  There is also a wonderful adoption community here in Atlanta.  Once a quarter, we gather and fellowship. Just a few weeks ago, we went to the African Family Fellowship night with about 70 other people.  It was a blast!!

Phew!  I've written more than I intended.  I pray your family had a blessed Resurrection Sunday.  My heart is so full of God's love!

Game On!

You've heard the phrase, "Game on!"  

It's a great phrase meaning, "Okay, we've talked about this, now let's do it!"  

And that is just what the Harty Family is saying.  

GAME ON!

We've talked about the orphan.
We've prayed for the orphan.  

We've supported the orphan.  

We've worshiped with the orphan. 

We've loved the orphan.  

Now, let's bring the orphan into our family.  

Yes, that's right...The Harty Family is adopting!!! 

 GAME ON!!

Now, we don't know exactly what all this is going to look like.  

But we know that the Lord has pricked our heart and we must proceed in obedience.  

With Passover being this past week and yesterday being Maundy Thursday (the day on which Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples - or rather, he celebrated his last Passover Feast), I've really been meditating on the Passover command the Lord gave the Israelites:

"This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand.  Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover." Exodus 12:11

You see, the LORD was preparing the Israelites for something big.  They really weren't sure what the LORD had in store for them, yet they knew they had to be ready for when the LORD called them.  

And that is exactly how we feel.  

We aren't sure what the LORD has in store for us.  

We just know we need to be ready for when the LORD calls us to our child(ren).  

We need to have cloak tucked in our belts, our sandals on our feet and our staff in our hand.  

In other words, we need to be paper ready for when He calls!

Jesus reiterates the idea of being ready when He calls in Luke 12:35-37a:

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds him watching when he comes."

We don't want to be merely hearers of the Word.  We want to do what it says.  

We believe  Psalm 68:6, that "God sets the lonely in families, 

he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."
I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in a sun-scorched land.

Passover

A couple of weeks ago, several dear friends and I went to a Messianic Seder.  Actually, it was more of an explanation from the Messianic Rabbi about the Seder, but it was absolutely fascinating!!!  (His name is Murray Tilles and his ministry is Light of Messiah.)

I've been waiting for weeks to be able to write about this experience, and I thought tonight would be the perfect time to do so!  Please forgive my choppy writing style to follow - there was so much information and my little thumbs were typing away as fast as they possibly could on my little iPhone!

By the way....Happy Passover, Y'all.  And Shalom.

Okay, I don't know the first thing about the Jewish culture, other than what I've read and studied in the Old Testament and what my dear Lord has taught me.  But I tend to think the Messianic Jews have it right...I mean, they still hold true to all the Jewish culture, but they are fully aware that the Messiah has walked this earth, was crucified on the cross, and rose again.  They understand that the ultimate sacrifice was made.  So, if you are one of my Jewish friends reading this, don't laugh at me.  I would, though, appreciate your comments and insights as to what I've misrepresented!

So, let me tell you about this awesome night of our Seder and how you can see Christ all through out the Seder meal...

Passover is one of the most important holidays of the Jewish religion. It's a time when the story of the exodus is retold and remembered.  Its significance  is weaved all throughout the early books of the Old Testament (The Pentateuch) and the LORD called his children to remember the exodus from Egypt all throughout the rest of the Old Testament; How He rescued his chosen people to be separated from the other cultures and to be dedicated to Him and Him alone.  And isn't this what Christ did for us as New Testament believers - He rescued his chosen people from sin and has called them to live a life dedicated to Him, separate from the world as we know it.

Don't forget that Jesus was a Jew.  Christianity didn't come about until after his death and resurrection.  Jesus celebrated the Passover each year (Matthew 26:17-19), but the most significant Passover meal he ate was his last.  What we celebrate as Maundy Thursday.  This is where we get the tradition of our LORD's supper - but more to come on that later.

The main idea that runs through the Passover meal is one of redemption.  God redeemed His people from slavery.  They were saved from death as a result of the slain lamb's blood on the door frame.  As Christians, we also are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

Passover is also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Leaven makes the dough in bread rise and puff up.  Leaven is also a symbol of sin.  We are called to be Christlike -  humble, not puffed up.  (Phil. 2:5-7).  Matzo is the unleavened bread used in the Passover meal.  One source of the Passover wrote: "Matzo symbolizes faith. In contrast to leavened bread, matzah is not enriched with oil, honey or other substances. It consists only of flour and water, and is not allowed to rise. Similarly, the only “ingredients” for faith are humility and submission to G‑d, which come from recognizing our “nothingness” when compared with the infinite wisdom of the Creator."

And the symbolism of the matzo itself is amazing - it shows the piercing of Christ's side (the holes), the bruising of his body (the brown spots), and the stripes he bore for our sins (the lines of holes) (Isaiah 53:5).   

The Passover Seder is highly symbolic.  As you arrive at the table, there is a special tray with areas for each symbol: parsley or lettuce (represent life), bitter herbs (reminds us that life can bear the root of bitterness), matzo, the shank bone (symbolizing that there are no more temple sacrifices for atonement because the temple has been destroyed), charose (represents the mud they had to make the bricks out of for Pharaoh - you eat this with the bitter herbs - even in the most bitter of circumstances, life can taste sweet given the promise of redemption), the onion (when eaten, reminds us of the tears our ancestors cried), and hard boiled eggs (symbolizing the destruction of the temple as you break the egg.  As you break it, you dip it into the salt water which symbolizes tears - this shows the sadness that there are no temple sacrifices anymore).  There are also other things on the table with symbolic purpose: candles, salt water, matzo and wine.  


There also is an order to the Seder meal (in fact, the word "seder" means order).  The meal cannot start until the woman of the house lights the candle and prays a blessing over the celebration.  

After the opening prayer, you drink the first glass of wine, the Kiddush.  This proclaims the holiness of the holiday.  (And you must drink the WHOLE glass before you proceed.  This is my kind of celebration!)

Then you eat the green vegatable (lettuce or parsley) dipped in salt-water.  This represents the tears throughout the times of slavery of the Jewish people.  

Then you break the matzo in two.  

This to me was the coolest part of the whole Seder.  There is a pouch of four squares sewn together producing three pouches.  There is a whole piece of matzo in each pouch (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  During this part, you take out the middle piece of matzo (God, the Son came to live on earth in flesh).  You break it in half (His body was broken).  You then take half of the broken matzo (known as the Afikoman), wrap it in a white napkin and hide it somewhere in the room (He was wrapped in linen and laid in a tomb). 

 The other half is laid aside to be eaten later.  


Then, you retell and remember the story of the Passover.  The youngest child comes forth and asks 4 questions:

1) Why is this night different than all other nights?  Because we remember how God with His mighty and outstretched arm redeemed his people from slavery and bondage from Pharaoh. Remember, redemption is the heart of Passover.

2) Why do we eat in a reclining position? Only the redeemed could recline at dinner in a middle eastern fashion.  Jesus and his disciples reclined at the last supper.  (Mark 14:18)

3) Why do we eat only unleavened bread?  Because the Israelites had to prepare their bread in haste as they had to be ready to flee the country of Egypt. (Ex. 12:15)

4) Why do we eat only bitter herbs? We remember the bitterness of slavery.

After this, the second cup of wine is poured, also known as the cup of plagues.  Instead of drinking the whole glass, you dip your finger and drop a bit of wine on a napkin as you pronounce each plague that came up on Egypt (blood, frogs, gnats, boils, etc.).  We pray because other people had to suffer so the Israelites could survive.  

You then say some more prayers (I totally couldn't understand what they were saying!), and go back to the uneaten half of the matzo (this is sometimes referred to as the bread of affliction).  You heap upon it the bitter herbs (usually freshly chopped horseradish!  ISH!).  But, before you eat that, you put charose on top of the horseradish.  Charose is made of chopped apple, walnuts, cinnamon, and sometimes dates.  This is to represent the mud the Israelites had to make the bricks out of for Pharaoh.  This combination shows that even though life can be bitter, the hope of redemption is sweet.  

After this step, you take a break from the ceremony and eat the Seder meal.  I thought it was interesting that they didn't serve lamb at the Seder.  It's more of a Thanksgiving feast.  The reason they do this is because there is no more slaughtered lambs to sacrifice since the temple was destroyed in 70 AD.  

Remember that half of the matzo that was hidden?  After the meal, the kids get up and go try to find it.  Who ever finds it is the "winner".   Though, they don't really win anything.  The Christian symbolism of this is cool, though.  It symbolizes that Christ rose on the third day and walked in flesh among his disciples.  

Then you say some more prayers and  drink the third cup, the cup of redemption.  When you drink this cup, you eat with it bits of matzo.  Think of this - this is the cup of REDEMPTION.  The body (bread) and blood (wine) that was shed for YOU.  

The last cup of wine is consumed as you recite Psalm 115-118, or songs of praise from Hallel.  

There is a fifth cup of wine, though it is left untouched for the prophet Elijah.  Since the Jewish people believe Elijah will precede the Messiah, they often leave an untouched cup of wine, sometimes an empty seat and often a door ajar in hopes the Messiah will return.

Though, we already know that the Messiah has come.  He has walked among his people in flesh.  He faced judgement of unfathomable manners.  He died an unfair death.  He rose on the third day.  He is seated at the Father's right hand.  He will come again in triumphal glory to bring His own home.

Come, Lord Jesus! 

Mazel Tov and Happy Easter!

My Cup Overfloweth...

You know that feeling of total exhaustion you get after the completion of a huge project, but the filling of joy in your heart at the same time?  That's me tonight.  


The "official" National Cupcake Kids sale is done.  


And how'd it turn out, you ask?


Well, first of all, it's no longer a National sale, it's an International sale!  We had sales in Indonesia, two in Singapore and two in Canada.  


My God is big!


Next...well, let me tell you a little story.  I went to the twin's school picnic this evening and saw a girlfriend of mine who held a sale here in Atlanta.  I walked up to her and gave her a big hug (I'm a HUGE hugger!)  And this precious friend started to weep from pure joy over her sale today.  Yup - that's it in a nut shell!  


My God is so sweet!


Before I went to the picnic, my dear and crazy friend, Shelly, called me bubbling over with awe as to how many folks wanted to be involved in The Cupcake Kids and SixtyFeet.  Yes, we did a specific ask to some friends, but most of the folks who did a sale this weekend did it out of obedience to God.  Wow.  Talk about humbling! We had about 120 sales across the nation and in 4 countries!!  We are continually humbled that God would use us to do His work.  


My God is mighty!


This weekend was a spiritual high for me.  It is so awesome and inspiring to see God's people mobilize  for a specific purpose.  Each one of you that supported The Cupcake Kids and SixtyFeet in one way or another has blessed us!!!  And I think I can be so bold in saying you were blessed today, too.  And just think of those precious children in Uganda.  They will surely be blessed!


My God is a god of blessings!


Oh, by the way, we have some uber-precious friends in Uganda right now who are preparing to have a cupcake party with the kids at "M".  Can you imagine anything so sweet????!!!!


Let me leave you with this....no matter if your sale raised $13 or $3,000....In God's economy each penny is precious and will be used for His will and His glory.  I love this quote from Hudson Taylor, "We have twenty-five cents...and all the promises of God!"  


My God is a promise maker, and a promise keeper!!

Just In Case You Can't Come By......

I've had several friends say that they won't be able to come by to support the Cupcake Kids tomorrow for one reason or another....soccer, wedding, hair appointment...

And then I've had friends say, thanks, but no thanks.  

Weight Watchers wouldn't approve.

And then there's my brother who is in Singapore this week (though that's 

really a lame excuse because we have 2 sales in Singapore!!)

What ever the reason you can't buy a cupcake tomorrow, don't worry.  

We have a solution for that!

VIRTUAL CUPCAKES!!!

Click on the yummy cupcake below and make a donation to SixtyFeet!

By donating $5, you'll feed 10 children a healthy meal.
By donating $7, you'll provide school fees for one child for a month.
By donating $25, you'll provide 5 children with a Bible.
By donating $75, you'll provide 10 children with blankets.
By donating $200, you'll be providing basic medical care to 30 children.
By donating $250, you'll be providing 10 mattresses.
By donating $550, you'll be providing 5 children a new bed.
By donating $4,200, you'll be providing salary for a year for a new Ugandan staff member.

By donating, you'll be providing hope and love.

Sweet Treat

Getting ready for tomorrow's big Cupcake Kids sale here in Atlanta.

Though I'd just share some of the cute things the girls and I have been working  on...

But, I must say... this one is my pride and my joy.  My heart.

As my husband loves to say, "I'd rather be in Uganda!"

...sweet dreams!

Holy Cow!

Oh, hi!  

Remember me? 

Sorry I haven't been around in a while...

I've been up to my eyeballs in cupcakes.  

Literally.

But, the girls and I are having a tremendously wonderful time!

Today the Cupcake Kids were invited to host a cupcake sale at 

Chick-fil-a headquarters here in Atlanta.

Needless to say the kids and the cupcakes were a huge hit.  We completely sold out!

Some people were buying cupcakes by the dozen!

They raised over $1,500!!!!  Holy cow!

We also sold t’shirts and Ugandan Magazine Necklaces.

Most importantly, we shared the mission of SixtyFeet with the folks at Chick-fil-A.

Thank you so much to everyone in the marketing department at Chick-fil-A

for hosting us.  SixtyFeet and the children are eternally grateful for your support.

Not that we needed any more incentive to eat at Chick-Fil-A! 

 I’m just sayin’…