{"id":304812,"date":"2017-12-19T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-19T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/god-shows-up\/"},"modified":"2017-12-19T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-12-19T17:00:00","slug":"god-shows-up","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/god-shows-up\/","title":{"rendered":"God Shows Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>guest: Katie Davis Majors | Series: Daring to Hope | Author Katie Davis Majors, a wife and mother of 14, talks about the realities of living and serving as a missionary in Uganda. Majors tells the story of Mack, the village alcoholic who put his trust in Jesus, and shares how her understanding of God has changed since she first stepped foot on Ugandan soil in 2006.Show Notes &#038; ResourcesAmazima Ministries &#8211; Helping to educate and empower the people of Uganda with God&#8217;s love.The Las Vegas Shootings: Asking the &#8216;Why?&#8217; Questions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author Katie Davis Majors, a wife and mother of 14, talks about the realities of living and serving as a missionary in Uganda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2017-12-19.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:27:41","filesize":"25.35M","filesize_raw":"26577233","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2818,2822,2821],"tags":[2712,4641,4126,4448,4475,6362,5416],"podcast_series":[8256],"cwp_profile":[9371],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-304812","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adoption-and-orphans","category-growing-in-your-faith","category-reaching-out","tag-adoption","tag-hardship","tag-ministry","tag-missionary","tag-orphans","tag-pain","tag-uganda","podcast_series-daring-to-hope","cwp_profile-katie-davis-majors","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/304812\/god-shows-up","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/304812\/god-shows-up","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"2gITtGcFbZ\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/god-shows-up\/\">God Shows Up<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/god-shows-up\/embed\/#?secret=2gITtGcFbZ\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;God Shows Up&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"2gITtGcFbZ\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Author Katie Davis Majors, a wife and mother of 14, talks about the realities of living and serving as a missionary in Uganda.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2017-12-19.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Katie Davis Majors says there are certain things that adoptive parents understand that bio parents just can\u2019t fully appreciate.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>What better way to clearly understand God\u2019s heart for us than to bring a child, who is not biologically related to you, into your home and call them your own and believe that they\u2019re your own? I now have adopted children and a biological child. I can say, with certainty, that my love for them is the <em>same<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Tuesday, December 19<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. There\u2019s a lot we can learn, as followers of Jesus, when we go near the orphan or those in need. We\u2019ll hear more about that today from Katie Davis Majors. Stay with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. I was coming back from a trip recently\u2014I was grousing about the poor condition of the airplane I was on. It was an older plane\u2014seats were kind of hard and, you know, I was cramped up. I went on Twitter<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> and I just\u2014[Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, you belly-ached on\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>\u2014to the whole world! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara: <\/strong>Oh! My goodness!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014belly-ached to the particular airline in question.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, really?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I called them out and said, \u201cIt\u2019s time to upgrade your planes.\u201d A friend of mine \u201ctweeted\u201d back at me and he said, \u201cYou need to fly to better destinations.\u201d I \u201ctweeted\u201d back to him\u2014I said, \u201cThere\u2019s no better destination than home.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Ooh!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>There you go!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes; \u201cBe it ever so humble, there\u2019s no place like home\u201d; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, I have to ask this; because she was snickering as you were telling that story. It\u2019s like you don\u2019t have any idea about the condition\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014what a bad airline is? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tKatie Davis Majors joins us on the broadcast. Katie lives in Uganda. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCan you tell us a story of a flight on an airplane in Uganda?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara: <\/strong>Or even a road, maybe. Driving a car down a road is probably just as bad.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, exactly.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Yes; the only time that I get in an airplane in Uganda would be to fly overseas, so then the airplane isn\u2019t terrible; but the condition of the roads is not great.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, I think there\u2019s no question that we\u2019re spoiled, here, in America with all of our services.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I think you\u2019re right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Katie is the author of a new book called <em>Daring to Hope: Finding God\u2019s Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful<\/em>. She is a mom to 14; a wife to 1, Benji, which is a great story in and of itself; and they\u2019ve had a little boy of their own named Noah. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is a book about, really, finding God through the interruptions of life, what we would call an interruption. Bob was interrupted by the seat in his airplane. You were interrupted, one day, by a guy, who was on your doorstep, by the name of Mack. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou generally have taken care of girls, but this was a guy who needed help.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Right; yes. Mack was brought to me from one of the communities that we work in, by a social worker on our staff. She had found him, and he had been severely burned. His leg\u2014you could almost see the bone, it had been burned so badly and so deeply. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I thought I knew Mack. He was the village alcoholic. He was the guy who was getting in my way on my way to Bible study\u2014he was the guy who was yelling profanities, and I would cover my children\u2019s ears. I had shrugged him off as an annoyance\u2014as <em>that<\/em> kind of person. So, when she showed up with him\u2014my sweet social worker, Christine\u2014I kind of shook my head at her; but he was badly hurt, so we proceeded to three different hospitals. We were told all three times that his leg would have to be amputated, because it was so badly injured. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe hospitals in Uganda, where we live, are pretty understaffed and <em>very<\/em> under-resourced. The doctor explained to me that his leg <em>did<\/em> have a chance if somebody could bandage it and dress it every single day; but he said, \u201cMy nursing staff here, with this many patients, we don\u2019t have enough gauze, we don\u2019t have strong enough antibiotics; we won\u2019t be able to do this every day. If you\u2019d like, I can show you how and you can do it at home.\u201d I said, \u201cOkay,\u201d which is funny to me now. You know, sometimes, you wonder, \u201cOkay; God, what?\u201d\u2014how did I\u2026\u201d \/ \u201cI did?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara: <\/strong>\u201cHow did that come out of my mouth?\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>I said, \u201cThat was fine\u201d; but I did. We\u2019ve been privileged, over the last many years, the house that we live in has a really simple guesthouse in the back\u2014it\u2019s really just a line of small rooms. So, we do have a place where it is safe to let other people live. They\u2019re not <em>inside<\/em> our home, and so\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes; that\u2019s one of my first thoughts: \u201cWhat\u2019s a guy like this going to do in a house with so many young ladies?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Right. So that\u2019s why I felt safe about the fact that we had some good separation between our house and the guest home; and I have people like social workers on my staff who are able to come and help out with this sort of thing. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut he stayed\u2014he wasn\u2019t actually allowed to come up to the main house\u2014so I would go back there on the porch of his room every day and dress his wound. Slowly, he began to sober up; and this really gentle, genuine side of him came out. He began to tell me his story of all the tragic things that happened in his life that had led him to this point. God really just gave me such a compassion for him. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe don\u2019t get to our brokenness just because\u2014you know, really terrible things had happened to him that had led him to this place. As I changed his wound each day for almost an entire year\u2014it was about ten months \/ maybe closer to eleven that I was changing that dressing. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEvery day, for about an hour, he would tell me little pieces of his story. I would share with him little pieces of the gospel and how I really believed that, not only was God going to make his leg whole, but God was going to make all of us <em>whole<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe had just endured some loss in our family\u2014we had lost a foster daughter that had lived with us for a long time. I really think, as I watched Mack\u2019s leg heal, that God was doing a lot of healing in my heart. As I testified to Mack who I had known Jesus to be, God was really having me say some of those things to remind myself of what I believed.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, how could you do that? I mean, seriously\u2014bring a total stranger in there? What was the motivation? What was the heart that caused you to care for that guy for 12 months?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>It wasn\u2019t\u2014I mean, it the first time we had had a stranger in dire need show up and need a place to stay. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor Mack, I think, I was looking for healing \/ I was looking for redemption. I had not seen a happy ending in my family\u2019s story recently as we had lost of our daughters to the foster care system. I wanted to believe that God would heal this wound, and I wanted to watch it happen. Through that, God did a lot of healing in my own life. He definitely healed Mack\u2019s leg. A year later, Mack was up walking around the yard, raking our leaves for us \/ taking out our trash, just like a dependable, fun uncle for the kids. He had gotten a job at a local dentist\u2014he\u2019s a dental assistant now.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd actually, my friend Benji\u2014who was just a friend, at the time, and was doing men\u2019s ministry in the area\u2014I had reached out to him and said: \u201cHey, I don\u2019t usually have guys around, but there\u2019s this man that\u2019s ended up living in our guest house. He needs a man to be discipling him. Would you be willing to come do that?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBenji began meeting with him multiple times a week for several hours, just studying the Word together. About a year-and-a-half after Mack had moved in with us, he put his trust in Jesus. He walked into my kitchen and he said, \u201cI believe that Jesus is the Son of God,\u201d and then he turned around and walked out. I stood in the kitchen and just cried, and yelled, and, I mean, was so excited.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You know, Katie, I have a picture in my head of the gospel being proclaimed in\u2014I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s in Uganda, but in parts of Africa\u2014sadly, sometimes a shallow, consumeristic gospel, making promises and then shallow conversions that are momentary. It\u2019s like: \u201cWe\u2019ll try this witch doctor, because the last one wasn\u2019t so good.\u201d Talk a little bit about the ministry of the gospel that you\u2019re involved with and what you\u2019re trying to do to counteract what\u2019s going on in lots of places in Africa.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>You\u2019re absolutely right. We see a <em>lot<\/em> of that\u2014the shallow conversion\u2014everybody\u2019s looking for an answer; right?\u2014so: \u201cI might as well try this out. These people say that it can work.\u201d It\u2019s difficult, too, to be white in an African country and proclaiming the gospel; because you want people to come to the gospel for the gospel, not because of something that they think you might offer them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, you know, we\u2019ve seen two things in ministry that we are both very passionate about\u2014and that Amazima, as a whole, is very passionate about\u2014one is just relational ministry \/ one on one over a very long period of time, discipleship through studying Scripture together. Another is equipping locals. We have some ex-patriot staff, but we have mostly Ugandan staff. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe goal of the ex-patriot staff is <em>really<\/em> just to equip the Ugandan staff with good, deep theology and the true Word of God so that the Ugandan staff members can be the ones discipling, especially the children in our program. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAll of the families and children in our programs are assigned a mentor, who\u2019s a social worker; and they\u2019re all Ugandan. So, as an ex-patriot, we are really kind of behind the scenes, trying to encourage these Ugandan leaders to be the people sharing the gospel; because I feel like it\u2019s [better] received. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI say this a lot: \u201cYou can pour all the money, and all the resources, and build all the buildings and have all the projects; but in ten years in Uganda, the stories where I see <em>true<\/em> life change are people who have had a one-on-one relationship with someone who is pointing them to Christ. I think relational ministry is where it\u2019s at.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>What you\u2019re talking about\u2014I remember, a few years ago, reading the book, <em>When Helping Hurts<\/em>, which I know you\u2019ve read.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That\u2019s a part of the thesis. We have\u2014in this country, we have a desire to want to help; and yet, we can throw a lot of resources at stuff that\u2019s actually counter-productive.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Yes; and let\u2019s be serious\u2014helping feels good. You know, it\u2019s not just about the person I\u2019m helping; it fills me up as well. I believe that God intended it that way\u2014that giving would be joyful and that acts of mercy would be done cheerfully\u2014but I also think we need to walk with wisdom in that and how to best steward the gospel to a different people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Katie, I know you believe this; but one of the things Barbara and I have really attempted to champion is encouraging believers \/ followers of Christ to get involved in the foster care system of our nation. You\u2019ve been deeply involved in foster care; and to go back to what Bob said earlier\u2014if you want to help someone, there is a natural way, right now, because there are almost 500,000 children in America\u2014you don\u2019t have to go to Uganda to find one of them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Yes; yes; right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Many of them are going to age out of the system without a parent. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBarbara, we just had a delightful dinner with a man who has a passion for this as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara: <\/strong>We did. We had dinner a couple of weeks ago with a pastor whose name is Bishop Martin. He and his wife have adopted a number of young men and women out of the foster care system. He is <em>passionate<\/em> about us doing that, as a body of Christ, in America. In fact, our oldest daughter has been involved in fostering children for years, and they\u2019ve had\u2014I don\u2019t know how many\u201423\/25 children through their house, and two of them they ended up adopting.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt has really opened our eyes. We adopted too\u2014one of our six is adopted\u2014but we didn\u2019t do foster care. We have such a passion to see families welcome these children. The complaint that our daughter, Ashley, hears all the time\u2014and I hear it as well\u2014is: \u201cThat would be too hard, and it would hurt too much to give them up.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think this book that you\u2019ve written will really help address that, because I think we shy away because of the <em>pain<\/em> of entering into someone\u2019s life. But when we do back off from entering into someone\u2019s life\u2014whether it\u2019s a foster child or whether it\u2019s helping someone like you did [for] Mack\u2014we don\u2019t realize that we\u2019re cutting ourselves off from knowing God in a way that we would not apart from that experience. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI love it that you\u2019re doing foster care in Uganda, and bringing children into your home, and writing about it so that maybe more American families will address the need that\u2019s right under our noses in our own backyards; because there are so many children who need to be touched\u2014who need to be loved \/ who need to understand what a relationship is like. They\u2019ve been shuttled around for years, and it\u2019s a <em>ripe<\/em> opportunity that God has in front of us. I hope people will consider it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>I agree. What a tangible way to get involved, right where you are, in your own community. It\u2019s certainly as much of a need, here, in the States as it is in Uganda. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere are children hurting world-over, and so that\u2019s one of the things that I <em>really<\/em> always hope to encourage people in\u2014that you don\u2019t have to move to Uganda \/ you don\u2019t have to move anywhere\u2014there are people in need right in front of you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara: <\/strong>Exactly; right; but you do need to open your heart.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara: <\/strong>And that, I think, is what most people are afraid of\u2014is opening their heart\u2014because they know that there might be some pain involved. We\u2019re so pain-adverse and we\u2019re so addicted to comfort that it keeps us from opening our hearts and then, consequently, experiencing God in a way that we wouldn\u2019t have otherwise.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Katie, I\u2019ve said, for years, that: \u201cWhen you go near the orphan, you go near the heart of God.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>How have you experienced that personally?\u2014because you\u2019ve adopted 13 Ugandan young ladies.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Well, what better way to clearly understand God\u2019s heart for us than to bring a child, who is not biologically related to you, into your home and call them your own and believe that they\u2019re your own? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI now have adopted children and a biological child. I can say, with certainty, that my love for them is the <em>same<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBecause I know that to be true, I can believe God when He says that, through Jesus Christ, I am adopted as His son or daughter, just as Christ is His Son. I mean, really, it\u2019s unfathomable; isn\u2019t it?\u2014but I believe it\u2019s such a clear picture. I desire the <em>world<\/em> for my adopted daughters, and I believe that that\u2019s God\u2019s heart towards us\u2014this Father heart\u2014and I don\u2019t think I would be able to so clearly understand it had I not experienced the love that I have for my children.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Katie, you\u2019ve been in Uganda for a decade.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You left Nashville to go there as somebody who knew and loved Jesus. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHow is your understanding of what the gospel is different, today, than it was when you got on the plane and said, \u201cI\u2019m going to Uganda\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>It\u2019s very different. I think my faith, when I set out\u2014as an 18-year-old, with my suitcase full of construction paper, and crayons, and my heart that was going to <em>change the world <\/em>for the gospel of Christ\u2014you know, I think my faith was a bit na\u00efve. Definitely\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You think?\u2014at 18? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I just want to make sure our listeners heard what you just said.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>I\u2019m quite sure. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>A bit\u2014a bit na\u00efve.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>A bit! I mean, your parents had to let you go, for goodness sakes, at the age of 18, to Uganda.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>They did; yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>They had to wonder if you were a bit off at that point; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Right! Yes; I think I was very optimistic as well. I think I saw God\u2019s goodness to be when things turned out well, or when my prayers were answered, or when things were going my way\u2014then I would say, \u201cOh, see, God blessed us.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd I really\u2014I mean, I do believe that the greatest gift God gives us is Himself \/ salvation and eternal life with Him\u2014that\u2019s what He wants to give us. There\u2019s no material thing \/ there\u2019s no earthly blessing\u2014it\u2019s Him. I have seen that God has given me more and more of Himself even in the midst of unimaginable hardship.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>When you share the gospel today with people in Uganda, how is it different than when you shared the gospel a decade ago?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>I mean, I think I definitely am more quick to present the fact that belief in Jesus does not mean that things are going to go well; and belief in Jesus does not mean that your garden is going to grow or that you\u2019re not going to live in a dirt house anymore; but belief in Jesus means that you will have someone with you through those circumstances and that those circumstances will just be <em>so<\/em> temporary in light of eternity.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere is <em>nothing<\/em> here that we\u2019re putting our hope in. Belief in the gospel doesn\u2019t really mean that we have hope in this world now; it means that we have hope for eternity spent with God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And in the midst of life, you\u2019re going to have these messes that you\u2019re talking about\u2014that hurt \/ that disappoint\u2014because people will disappoint you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>But what you\u2019re saying and what you\u2019re reminding us of is that God shows up and He desires to be our refuge. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the things I found, as I was reading your book, was you were really counseling your own soul. As you stood there in your kitchen\u2014peeling mounds of potatoes, cleaning dishes, cleaning up after the girls\u2014but you were counseling your soul with the Psalms \/ with the Scripture so that you were responding the way God wanted you to respond, realizing He was there with you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Katie: <\/strong>I love the Psalms because they\u2019re so <em>honest<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think we\u2019re, sometimes, conditioned to think that we can\u2019t come to God and tell Him, \u201cI feel so disappointed,\u201d or \u201cI feel so angry\u201d; right? We think we\u2019re only supposed to say, \u201cOkay; I\u2019m upset with God, but let me find something that I can thank Him for or something good\u201d; but we see in the Psalms the psalmist cries out to God. He tells Him how he feels. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen I approached God in that way, I felt that God did not become angry with me back. You know, maybe when you approach a human with anger, you expect they\u2019re going to yell back at you; right? But God didn\u2019t feel angry. He understood what I felt \/ He already knew that I felt that way, and He was able to comfort me all the more when I was honest with Him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, as I was reading your book, I was reflecting back on a psalm\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tPsalm 43\u2014especially one verse that has been meaningful to me recently. Maybe it will be meaningful to a listener or two. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt reads, \u201cWhy are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?\u201d That\u2019s honesty, right there\u2014that\u2019s admitting where you are. It goes on to say, \u201cHope in God, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod desires to be our refuge. Sometimes, He has to knock the props out from under us, where we\u2019re looking for encouragement \/ where we\u2019re looking, as you talk about, Katie, in your book, <em>Daring to Hope<\/em>, where we\u2019re hoping for a good ending to the story, and we don\u2019t get that good ending. What God\u2019s doing is\u2014He\u2019s driving us to Himself. So, if you want to counsel your soul, take a look at all five verses of chapter 43 of the Psalms.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And I think for folks to read Katie\u2019s book and be reminded of the things she has learned, caring for adopting kids, living in Uganda\u2014I think there\u2019s a lot of encouragement \/ a lot of hope in this book. The book is called <em>Daring to Hope: Finding God\u2019s Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful<\/em>. We have copies of the book in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. You can order from us, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY. Again, our website\u2014FamilyLifeToday.com\u2014the phone number: 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was with one of our listeners, recently, who said, \u201cI know when <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> went on the air.\u201d He said, \u201cIt was 25 years ago; and the reason I know that is because that\u2019s when we started having children, right about the same time that <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> began as a radio broadcast.\u201d And he said, \u201cAll along the journey, I have leaned into you guys for counsel, for wisdom, for help, for advice on how we can raise our kids.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd he smiled and he said, \u201cAnd you know, they\u2019ve turned out okay.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs you know, Dennis, there\u2019s no guarantee that kids turn out okay, even when Mom and Dad do the best they know how to do; but it is encouraging to hear from moms and dads \/ from husbands and wives who tell us, repeatedly, that this program has made a difference in their understanding of marriage and family and in how they\u2019re living it out.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI wish those of you who support <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>\u2014both as Legacy Partners and those of you who will give an occasional donation to support this ministry\u2014I wish you could hear some of these testimonies that we get a chance to hear. These are the people you\u2019re supporting when you support this broadcast. You\u2019re helping to turn around legacies \/ you\u2019re helping to point families in new directions, and we\u2019re grateful for your partnership with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHere, at yearend, we have a unique opportunity for your giving to go farther. Our friend, Michelle Hill, is here again today with an update on FamilyLife\u2019s matching-gift fund. Hi, Michelle!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle: <\/strong>Hi Bob, yes I reported yesterday how the fund might be doubling? Well the matching fund is 4.3 million dollars! \u2026which is fantastic!\u00a0<strong><em>But<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0what has to happen next is up to our listeners, <strong>because without you, that 4.3 million dollar figure is just a number. <\/strong>\u00a0So\u2026please pray about <strong><em>your <\/em><\/strong>part in fulfilling the match\u2026 \u2018cause right now we\u2019re at seven hundred twenty nine thousand dollars, and that\u2019s quite a gap to fill in just a couple of weeks\u2026 <strong><em>so<\/em><\/strong> please keep praying, keep giving and to God be the glory!\u00a0\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And we\u2019ve tried to make it as easy as possible for you to make a yearend contribution to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. You can do it, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOr you can mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; and our zip code is 72223.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we want to find out how Katie Davis became Katie Davis Majors and hear about the young man who pursued her in Uganda and ultimately got her to say, \u201cYes,\u201d to his proposal. I hope you can tune in for that story.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2017 FamilyLife. 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