Book Review: Adopted for Life

This past Sunday, a friend from church loaned me a book, Adopted for Life:The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell D. Moore. I finished reading it by Tuesday evening. Two days. It was that good.  At times heart warming and others funny, Moore shares a wonderful, eye-opening, Biblical perspective on adoption!

 

Since I loved the book, I thought I would give a short summery/review.

• The first thing I loved about the book was that Moore shared from his personal experience. When Moore writes, you hear his heart and know he has walked this journey too! The heartwarming story of his two son's adoption from Russia was honest about both the joys and the struggles that come from adopting - no glamorizing the hard parts of adoption, but also sharing the rewards! (I was in tears more than once while reading this book.)

• Not only did Moore share the story of his two sons' adoption, but also Moore shares the story of how God adopted us into his family. I left this book with a new understanding of the Fatherhood of God and of His deep love for me - a former orphan adopted into God's family.

• Third, I love that Moore shows how adoption is intertwined with evangelism.

• I also loved how Moore expresses that adoption isn't for everyone, but orphan care of some sort is. Moore doesn't shove adoption down your throat, but he does help families evaluate how they fit into orphan care - whether it be emotional or financial support of orphans or adopting families, prayer, a church orphan or adoption ministry, or possibly adoption or foster care.

• This book was not a how-to adoption book, but it did give a brief overview of the types of adoption and some of the basic steps in adopting, as well as how to overcome some of the obstacles to adoption.

• I left this book  with a new appreciation for Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus and a picture of God, our adoptive Father.

• I love Moore's perspective on some of the hard questions of adoption, such as  what to do when one spouse wants to adopt and the other spouse isn't interested or is in opposition to adoption, how to answer a nosy stranger or aquiantance who asks "are they 'real' brothers?"or "Don't you want your own kids?". Moore also brought great perspective to special needs and transracial adoption.

I highly recommend reading Adopted for Life to anyone curious about adoption, with family or friends who are adopting, or who has been adopted!