Rich Dixon invites us to think about welcome:

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One of our FREEDOM TOUR 2016 teammates spoke about Adoption.

Moïse (Mo-ḗes, which means “Moses”) was an amazing cyclist, and he’s married to my cousin, Rachel. In preparation, he invited us to read these verses.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Moïse told of growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His father, a Methodist bishop, imparted his profound faith to his children. He decided to send his oldest son to America for his university education.

His father knew no one in the U.S. He sent a young black man to a tiny college in small-town Texas. In faith, he prayed that the church in which he believed so strongly would adopt and guide his son.

And that’s exactly what happened. Dropped into an unfamiliar culture, Moïse was taken in by a church community who loved and cared for him. They didn’t see an outsider with an odd accent. They welcomed a homesick, lonely 17-year-old.

Just as his father prayed, Moïse was adopted.

You could see the tears as Moïse quietly told his story.

He asked us challenging questions. Here’s one to start.

How does this story shine a different sort of light on the notion of “adoption?”

Gotta be honest – things got kind of quiet. We knew what he was getting at.

Eventually, we had a great, open conversation in the way of teams that have been together a while. But I couldn’t help wondering.

What if Moïse dropped into my church today? Or yours?

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The photo shows Moïse generously pretending to enjoy following me down the road.

To be continued…