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Together for Adoption 2012

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If you haven't been to Together for Adoption, it's a great experience. We loved it, even though we haven't adopted a child. It fed our soul, showed us the love of our adopting God, while also revealing to us the need great need to encourage Christians to consider adopting. Here's info on the conference in Atlanta in September...

The primary objective of our September 14-15 national conference is to take Christians deeper into God’s story of Adoption to give hope and practical tools to walk with deep joy through “the sufferings of this present time” (Romans 8:18-23) for God’s glory and the good of orphans around the world. God’s work of adoption within the world is a story that encompasses all of human history, from its pre-temporal beginnings when God predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to the renewal of the heavens and the earth. From the Apostle Paul’s perspective, Adoption is the story that makes sense of the universe, that makes sense of our broken lives and gives the existence of all creation ultimate meaning.

[...]

Join us September 14-15 in Atlanta for Together for Adoption National Conference 2012. Over 1,000 people will gather together at Cross Pointe Church to explore God’s Story of Adoption for a Broken World.

Register now. Follow on Twitter.

Adopting a Corn Dog

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I met Jason Cornwell (@TheCornDog) at Together for Adoption. At first I just thought he was a dude with a car who would take us from the hotel to the conference and back. But we quickly became friends (he's a ton of fun) and we learned that Jason is coming on staff with T4A. His responsibilities include...

  • Directing Regional Conferences
  • Unpacking the Doctrine of Adoption in churches, college chapels, and high school assemblies
  • Writing and blogging
  • Networking

Come to find out, his only job isn't driving Molly and me around. He's kind of a big deal for T4A and I want to encourage my readers to learn about Jason, his ministry, and how you can support him and Together for Adoption. So please go read the T4A writeup on Jason and consider helping this great ministry, and my new friend.

T4A | Featured Bloggers - Everything

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Here's my best shot at creating one post with links to everything from Together for Adoption featured bloggers. Not every blogger wrote on everything or was present for every main session. I expect more posts are still coming with reflections on T4A in the days to come. I know I have some unfinished posts on some talks and a handful of other reflections to share. If you see things I've missed, let me know. FYI: I know other bloggers/twitterers said a lot at T4A, but I'm focusing on the "featured bloggers." If you want to put a link to other helpful posts in the comments from non-featured bloggers, that would be a great addition to the list.

Check out tweets still coming out from #t4aCon attenders and others RTing good quotes. Also go back in the Twitter accounts (listed below) for a ton of great quotes. That may be the best way to get direct quotes, while the posts often contain interaction on the quotes and topics.

BLOGGERS - Name [link to Twitter account] (abbreviation)

MAIN SESSIONS

Darrin Patrick | Session 1 - The Church & Social Justice

AA | JG | SM | Z | LN | DP | JR | BT

Tullian Tchividjian | Session 2 - Surprised by Adoption

AA | SM | Z | LN | DP | JR | BT

Dan Cruver | Session 3 - Adoption & The God Who Cares

MLA | AA | Z | LN | DP | BT

Bryan Loritts | Session 4 - The Church as the Theater of Transracial Adoption

AA | JG | Z | DP | JR

Jeff Vanderstelt | Session 5 - Gospel-Motivation for Missional Living

AA | JG | LN | DP | JR

Tim Chester | Session 6 - Relaxing in Trinitarian Love

AA | DP

PRE-CONFERENCE & BREAKOUTS

  • A Mom at Rest by Dr. Donna Thoennes || DB | JG | DP
  • Missional Church, Missional God, Missional Story by Tim Chester || AA: Sessions 1, 2, 3 | JR: Sessions 1, 2, 3
  • Attachment & Family Growth by Mark & Kristen Howerton || JG: Pt 1 | Pt 2
  • Gospel-Centered Parenting by Tim Chester || DP | BT
  • Trans-Racial Adoption by Vermon Pierre || DP 
  • Missional Living & Orphan Care by Jason Kovacs || JR
  • Grief In Infertility || MLA

MISC & POST-CONFERENCE

T4A | Songs

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Here are all the songs from Friday/Saturday in order. At least that's what worship leader Jimmy McNeal told me. I'm pretty sure he repeated "Let Your Kingdom Come" on Saturday, but since I can't remember exactly where, I'll leave it off. If someone knows, let me know and I'll fix the list. Hope you enjoyed the corporate singing as much as I did.

Jimmy tells me he has an album coming next year. If I learn more, I'll let you know.

Friday Morning

"Your Great Name" - The People's Church
"From the Inside Out" - Hillsong
"You Alone Can Rescue" - Matt Redman
"How Great Thou Art" -hymn (Arron Ivey version)
"Let Your Kingdom Come" - Aaron Ivey

Friday Afternoon/Evening

"You Alone Can Rescue" - Matt Redman
"Hallelujah! What a Savior!" - hymn (Aaron Ivey band version)
"How Marvelous" - hymn

Saturday Morning

"The Wonderful Cross" - Chris Tomlin
"Your Great Name" - Hillsong
"Hallelujah! What a Savior!" - Aaron Ivey version

Saturday Afternoon/Evening

"How Marvelous"
"Hallelujah! What a Savior!" - Aaron Ivey version
"Forever Reign" - Hillsong
"How He Loves" - David Crowder version

Chicks 4 Orphans

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One of the exhibitors here at the Together for Adoption 2011 Conference that has caught my eye is Chicks 4 Orphans: Buy a Chick. Help an Orphan. My first question was, "Was this created by a college fraternaty?" I've heard a similar buzz among other conference-goers and even the speakers. It's a fun bit of viral marketing. It enticed my wife to seek out one of their t-shirts, and then they wanted me to wear one because they wanted guys to not be afraid to wear "Chicks 4 Orphans" shirts. I'm proud to be wearing one today and want to share this interesting and viral kind of ministry with you.

From the Chicks 4 Orphans Facebook page...

Chicks help orphans. You can help orphans too!

Chicks 4 Orphans is both a sustainable poultry farming business in Zambia and a fundraising campaign for Every Orphan’s Hope, a ministry dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus Christ with children left orphaned and vulnerable because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa.

What impact can Chicks 4 Orphans make? As you give and encourage others to give to Chicks 4 Orphans, you’re helping to create sustainable poultry farming projects that will help feed and care for orphans. Chicken farming also provides an income generating business to support the many other needs of these children, such as education, clothes, housing, healthcare and more. 

The goal is to create sustainable poultry farming businesses that employ villagers, sustain ministry operations and care for orphans in Zambia.

"LIKE" Chicks 4 Orphans on Facebook and take the 100 Chick Challenge. Follow on Twitter. We are excited to get home tomorrow and discuss this ministry with our kids, especially our daughter, Sarah. It's something you can do online, in your church, in a small group. It's a simple and beautiful way to help orphans. 

Chicks4Orphans Molly

T4A | Tullian Tchividjian - Session 2

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Tullian delievered a great message on Law & Gospel at Together for Adoption 2011 Conference. Rather than redo work others have done, I commend to you the notes of a new friend of mine, Aaron Armstrong (author of Awaiting a Savior). Here are a couple of my favorite quotes I took on Twitter from Tullian's talk...

"It's a lie that grace is dangerous and needs to be kept in check."

"It's silly that we have to put the word 'radical' before Grace, as if there's some other kind."

"There is nothing more radically unbalanced than grace."

I'm excited about Tullian's new book coming out October 31st, Jesus + Nothing = Everything. Order it now.

T4A | Friday Morning Song Set

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I very much enjoyed the song choice this morning, so I asked th worship leader, Jimmy McNeal, for the set list. Here you go...

"Your Great Name" - The People's Church
"From the Inside Out" - Hillsong
"You Alone Can Rescue" - Matt Redman
"How Great Thou Art" -hymn (Arron Ivey version)
"Let Your Kingdom Come" - Aaron Ivey

T4A | Darrin Patrick - Session 1

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Darrin's definition of the Gospel...

The gospel is the good news that the Eternal God entered our sinful world as the Eternal Son of God, Jesus, and lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father

(Jesus) died as a sacrifice in the place of sinners, rose triumphantly from death as a sign of sin’s defeat and the Father’s acceptance of his Son’s atoning sacrifice, establishing righteousness for those who had no righteousness of their own.  

Other quotes...

If you don't nail the gospel definition, social justice will distract you from the gospel.

If you don't do justice in your neighborhood, don't do it in your city. 

Darrin makes four main point to help frame our discussion about the church’s role in social justice.

1. The church is called, first and foremost, to proclaim the gospel.

2. You must not use social justice to avoid the offense of the cross.

3. Churches should plant other churches.

The best thing you can do to encourage social justice is plant other churches.

4. The “institutional” church must equip individuals who will become the “organic” church. 

Together for Adoption | Main Sessions & Giveaway

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Molly and I are flying to Phoenix for the 2011 Together for Adoption Conference tomorrow morning, Lord-willing and the winds die down. I know many of you can't go but are interested in following along. So I encourage you to stick around for live-blogging here at Reformissionary. Follow me on Twitter for a lot of instant updates and pics and who knows what else. I also encourage you to follow other featured bloggers at T4A for a wide variety of experiences of and discussions about the conference. The official hashtag for all the stuff on Twitter is #t4aCon and official conference twitter account is @t4aCon.


You'll hear about a ton of different breakout sessions from different bloggers as well as these top-notch general sessions. You won't want to miss what these guys are saying...
Darrin Patrick: The Church and Social Justice
Tullian Tchividjian: Surprised by Adoption
Dan Cruver: Adoption and the God Who Gives
Bryan Loritts: The Church as the Theater of Transracial Adoption
Jeff Vanderstelt: Gospel-Motivation for Missional Living
Tim Chester: Relaxing in Trinitarian Love

GIVEAWAY

Ok, so for those of you who can't go, I'm doing another giveaway of 5 copies of Reclaiming Adoption: Missional Living Through the Rediscovery of Abba Father (edited & written in part by Dan Cruver). I love the book, and I want to get it in your hands. So, here's how you can enter for a chance at one of the copies. All three steps are required, and easy.
1. "LIKE" the T4A Facebook page.
2. TWEET (and/or post on Facebook wall), without the quote marks: " Win a FREE copy of Reclaiming Adoption! RT this & comment at Reformissionary to win: http://bit.ly/nW95S8 #t4aCon "
3. COMMENT BELOW (so I can verify you did steps 1 & 2). Include your full name and real email address (kept private) so I can contact the winners.

For fun, and since the World Series begins tonight, share your World Series winner in your comment. Texas Rangers or the St. Louis Cardinals? Also feel free to give your predictions on how many games it will take to win (sports SINthusiast Joe Thorn, just tell us your favorite color). I'm calling it for the Rangers in 5.
I will randomly choose 5 winners on Saturday, the last day of the Together for Adoption 2011 Conference. 

T4A: Pre-Conference with Tim Chester

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I've been very blessed by the ministry & writing of Tim Chester. I've read Total Church twice & I've reviewed the excellent Delighting in the Trinity. You should also check out his book From Creation to New Creation among others. At the Together for Adoption Conference Tim and Dan Cruver (author of Reclaiming Adoption) are delivering a pre-conference event called "Missional Church, Missional God, Missional Story." Here's more from the website...

Missional Church, Missional God, Missional Story

Tim Chester and Dan Cruver

Missional church is not simply the latest fad. It’s rooted in the trinitarian character of God and the story of the Bible. Explore the foundations for shaping life around gospel, community and mission along with practical application for church life and the implications for orphan care.

Registration: $75 Per Person

Learn more about this pre-conference event with Tim Chester.

Together for Adoption Conference | Early Bird

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148 Email from the T4A folks on how you can save by registering this week for the conference. I'll be there with my beautiful wife. Hope to see you there!

You can save $30 by registering for Together for Adoption's October 21-22 orphan care/adoption conference this week (read full-details here). You may now register for just $75 today, July 25th, through Saturday, July 30th. This limited-time discount is over $30 less than our current early bird special. Take advantage of this super early bird price and help us spread the word about it this week. This sale ends on Saturday, July 30th at 11:59pm. Check here for details and to register at this super early bird rate.

If you take advantage of this early bird special and would like to sign up for conference childcare or reserve a room at one of our partner hotels, you will need to do so at our regular online registration site. You may also register there for one of our two pre-conference events as well.

NOTE: If you are coming with a group from your church, this would be a perfect opportunity for your group's members to register.

We hope to see you in Phoenix this October 21-22nd.