Pastor Claude Thomas Online Blog

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas

A four year old boy was at the doctor for a check up. As the doctor looked down his ears with the instrument he uses, he asked, “Do you think I will find Big Bird in here?” The boy was silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down his throat. He asked, “Do you think I will find the Cookie Monster down there?” Again, the boy said nothing.
Then, the doctor placed a stethoscope to his chest and said, “Do you think I will hear Barney in your heart?” The boy looked up and said, “Oh, No. Jesus is in my heart. Barney is on my underwear”.
That’s it! Jesus is in my heart regardless. He will never abandon me regardless of how I feel or what the circumstances are! That is what He said and I believe Him. That’s faith. And faith in Him gives me hope regardless of the circumstances.
When Fanny Crosby was six years old she was blinded by an instance of medical malpractice. She lived more than 90 years, and she was no stranger to hardship. During her life she wrote more than 8000 hymns.
One of them says…
All the Way my Savior leads me; What have I to ask beside
Can I doubt His tender mercy, Who through life has been my Guide?
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in Him to swell!
For I know what’re befall me, Jesus doeth all things well
For I know what’re befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.

By Pastor Claude Thomas
I awoke to my father’s voice as he gently shook me. “It’s time to go to the mountains, bud.” I got out of bed, pulled on my clothes, and prepared myself for the day. Over the roads in the misty morning, my brother and I traveled with dad to the mountains for a day of trout fishing. Dad taught me how to catch those trout. I watched as he cast that lure so gracefully in the ripple of the stream or in the eddy of the current and reeled the trout in with strong carpenter’s hands. I learned how to catch fish watching and listening to him.
My father birthed within me a distinct affinity and love for the mountains and the trout stream. He developed and nurtured that love through our frequent trips, and I learned the joy of fishing.
He left me a legacy that will last. However, the legacy is more than learning how to make my way along a trout stream. It is one of giving. He not only provided me the opportunity to discover the wonder of the mountains and trout fishing, he did more. He invested himself in me. His greatest legacy was that he gave.
My father’s influence on my life has inspired me to instill in my four sons an appreciation for the wonder of the mountains and the joy of fishing along with teaching them the lessons that my dad taught me so well. I have learned that legacies that last are those that are birthed out of love, inspired through commitment, and solidified in sacrificial giving.
What is it about a lasting legacy that is so appealing to us? The answer is that it implies that we are making a difference now in such a way that it will have lasting affects. With that in mind, I am convinced the idea of a lasting legacy motivates us to Christian giving for three reasons.
First, I am persuaded people want to make a significant difference in the lives of others now. When you give in the name of Jesus you are making a difference in the lives of others for time and eternity.
Second, I believe people need to know what they are doing is right. So, from time to time, teach a series of lessons on the Biblical basis for giving.
Third, I believe people want to follow the example of people they admire and love. When Christian leaders are givers in the name of Christ they set an example that will inspire others to give.
And finally, and most importantly, look to Jesus, our supreme example, a see how He gave Himself for us and made the difference in us. We point to Him as our example.
You and I are never more like Jesus than when we are giving. And the inspiring example is a legacy that lasts!

Author: Karl Augustine
All children are different and respond differently to divorce. Depending on the characteristics of the children - age, emotional maturity, happiness, resiliency to trauma - the easier or more difficult it will be for children to weather a divorce.

As a parent, you should know your children better than anyone…use your best judgment with your children during considering divorce. This “divorce and children” article is for parents who are certain that they would get a divorce if they didn’t have children and want to decide what to think about regarding the effects a divorce would have on their children.

This article on this web page does not suggest that divorce is the correct course of action for you and it in no way should be taken as a form of counseling to you. This article is merely to spark you to think logically and then make your own decision about divorce and your children.

As previously stated, every child is different and subsequently, every child responds to divorce in a different way.

If you think there’s a definitive answer about how divorce affects children, you are mistaken. There’s been hundreds of books written about this subject and a plethora of studies done regarding divorce and children, all citing differing opinions and using different statistical constraints and inputs. But, statistics can only go so far…if you know your children better than anyone else, you will know best how they’ll be affected by a divorce.

How divorce affects children and what you should do if you’re staying married solely because you have children is complicated issue.

Here’s some things you may want to consider if you’re a parent who is staying married just because you have children:

Children and divorce consideration 1: Make sure that you are, in fact, only staying married just because you have children. Often times people use the children as an excuse not to get a divorce because they aren’t really sure that they want a divorce or have some other fear regarding divorce. Those fears can be present due to finance, self-confidence, living arrangements, or other personal issues.

Before you really take the next steps in deciding whether or not to get a divorce because of your children, rank your reasons for divorce and make sure that you’re really certain you’d get a divorce if you didn’t have children.

Children and divorce consideration 2: Make sure ‘guilt’ isn’t the real reason that you aren’t getting a divorce.

The ‘guilt’ referenced above is the guilt brought on by thinking that your divorce will hurt your children. In and of itself, this feeling of guilt is a selfish one if you haven’t really examined carefully if a divorce will have an adverse effect on your children. If you aren’t getting divorced because of guilt in this regard, but you still have an unhappy marriage that is affecting your children, then you aren’t really staying married for them, you’re staying married for you because you feel guilty…this is selfish.

Children and divorce consideration 3: Once you’ve clearly defined that you are in fact, not getting a divorce solely because you have children, examine why you think divorce will adversely affect your children.

Remember, divorce can have a negative effect on children initially, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that a divorce will be a negative influence on your children forever. Decide whether or not your children have the resiliency, the intelligence, the emotional health, and the support they’d need to mitigate the adverse effects that a divorce would have on them. Will they be happy after the initial shock of the divorce is worked through?

Children and divorce consideration 4: Once you’ve really defined what you believe to be negative effects on your children due to divorce, think about what your children’s life will be like in the immediate and distant future if you do actually go through with the divorce.

Ask yourself, “Can I create and maintain a healthy environment for my children if I do get a divorce?”

One thing that is a critical factor in this decision is the feasibility of you and your spouse getting a divorce amicably. If you and your spouse can go through a divorce amicably, and you both can agree to always put your children’s welfare above your own, you will be one step ahead.

Again, make sure you are certain a divorce is necessary to create the right type of environment for your children. Assure that there is absolutely no way you can rekindle your marriage.

Usually, divorce represents the first real trauma of a child’s life. Keep this in mind when your making your divorce decision. Divorce is a serious step and nothing should be done until your’re certain that divorce is the best course of action. Getting a divorce without making sure that divorce is the right thing is selfish on your part and is the wrong thing to do to your children… after all, they deserve your best effort!

One thing should remain constant…that you and your spouse will always be there for your children, no matter what.

Author: Amanda Fain
So you have decided that you want to adopt a child but how do you go about it? What is going to happen between your decision to adopt a child and eventually actually receiving the child? In this article we are going to look at the adoption process and how you can go about adopting a child.

The first thing to consider once you have decided to adopt a child is what type of adoption you want to go for. Do you want a domestic adoption (adopting a child in your home country) or an international adoption? Do you want to work through a private adoption agency, a public agency or work independently? Take some time to consider your various options and determine what is going to work for you. For the rest of this article however we are going to focus on domestic adoptions through an agency.

Once you have decided on a domestic adoption through an agency the next step will be to contact a few agencies in your area. If they have orientation nights then go to these and get to know the agencies. The orientation nights and visits or calls to the adoption agencies should be able to further inform you about the adoption process and where you will feel most comfortable. Once you have got to know them then decide which one you want to work with.

Once you have decided on the agency you are going to work with you will need to fill in an application form and probably pay a fee to join. After this there will be a number of interviews with social workers or counselors, a home study to check whether your home is suitable for the child and also to help you prepare for a new child in the home, as well as a number of other checks including medical checks and criminal record checks. Although the adoption process is quite involved and can take up quite some time this process is important to ensure the best for you, the adopted child and to ensure the birthparents, if any, that their child is being raised in a safe, loving home.

A number of different factors will determine how long you need to wait for a child including the race of the child, whether you have chosen international or domestic adoption and the age of the child you want to adopt. You should speak to the adoption agency you are working with to find out roughly how long the adoption process will take and how long you can expect to wait for a child.

The legal processes involved also vary depending on your home country, and whether you are going for domestic or international adoption. When you are speaking to your adoption agency find out from them what is going to be required in terms of legal processes, visits to court, etc.

In conclusion, the adoption process can be a fairly lengthy process, although the exact length of it will depend on a number of factors. The first thing involved is to decide what type of adoption you want to go for and then to choose an adoption agency which provides these services. Once you have given your application and fee to an adoption agency you will start the process of interviews, home studies, and checks. Legal requirements will also vary depending on your home country as well as the type of adoption you are going for and you should discuss these with your adoption agency.

Author: Analeese Burnabaker
Are you hoping to expand your family by adding a child or children to your home? If so, then you are probably busy considering all of your options for becoming a parent. Of course, there is the option of having your own biological children, which most people go for, but then there is also the option of adoption.

Quite honestly, I had never seriously considered the option of adoption until quite recently. I have been married for many years and have had no problems getting pregnant, and I always just assumed that adoption was only for people who had trouble having biological children of their own. I am so grateful that my perspective was expanded recently by a friend.

I guess it was ignorance that led me to believe that adoption was only a backup plan for couples who were trying to have a family. Perhaps because I didn’t know anyone who had gone through an adoption for a child simply because they felt like they wanted to. That is, until I met my friend Kate.

Kate and her husband have been married for several years. They are able, as far as they know, to parent biological children, yet they have decided instead to go with adoption for building their family. As Kate told me this over coffee one day, I couldn’t help but stop her and ask why. Why would she and Mike go through the somtimes awful process of adoption when they could get pregnant on their own? And why, more importantly, would they put themselves through all of the emotional trauma that comes with adoption when they could just have their own kids?

Kate laughed and then began to explain the process that she and Mike went through in deciding on adoption. She explained to me that they simply have become overwhelmed with the amount of need in the world and they have determined that adoption is one small but significant way that they can contribute to making the world a better place. Kate and Mike believe that everyone has a role to play in making the world better, and for them, they are committed to adoption. They are committed to taking children into their homes that might otherwise bounce from home to home in the foster care system and never actually be adopted.

If you are looking for a way to do something great for a child, for your family, and for the world, consider adoption. Of course, it is a much more complex issue than I can discuss here. Do some research, talk with your spouse and anyone you know that has gone through the adoption process.