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As some of you know, I spent the last three years as an assistant professor of Bible and Theology. God gave me three great years teaching college students. I will most definitely miss the college setting. So what am I doing now that I'm no longer teaching? Well, God has provided me an amazing opportunity to serve in another area I'm very passionate about, namely, adoption. I am now the Ministry Outreach Coordinator for Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency, a liscensed agency that services both domestic and international adoptions. My responsibilities are (1) networking with pastors/churches, mission agencies, children’s homes, and other organizations to inform them of Carolina Hope’s established full-service adoption ministry; (2) speaking in churches, Bible study groups, and other venues to present adoption within the context of the larger story of redemption; and (3) writing content for Carolina Hope’s website and articles for publication. If you know of a ministry that might be interested in having me come to speak on orphan ministry in general and adoption in particular, please let me know.

Laura Beauvais-Godwin, the director of the agency, and her husband Ray, an adoption attorney, have written the book on adoption. It's the best resource on adoption out there.

Here's a blog article I wrote on what orphan ministry involves according to James 1:27 and the larger story of redemption: Orphans, Adoption, and Fuling, China (James 1:27)

My business e-mail: DanC (at) CarolinaHopeAdoption (dot) org

I will attend two things today. First, the pre-conference Band of Bloggers fellowship. Second, the opening evening of the Together for the Gospel conference. I've been looking forward to both of these events since I first heard of them. This week should be filled with great fellowship in the gospel.

If you want to see what bloggers are attending the Band of Bloggers Fellowship, go here.

We are back home with our children after 10 days in China (though we feel like we left some of our children behind in China). I'm still processing the mission trip which turned out to be 10 of the most rewarding days of my life. It was everything I had hoped for and more. I've enjoyed the privilege of leading 5 mission teams with between 25 to 35 members, but I must say that it was very nice change to be a member of a mission team without any of the responsibility that comes with leading one. This was the first time since 1987 that I was able just to be one of many team members on a mission trip. I benefitted significantly from being just “one of the guys.” It was great to do more listening than talking this time. So many kudos to AWAA for the opportunity to join this wonderful mission team!

Speaking of wonderful...I could not have been impressed more with people who comprised the Fuling team. There were 37 people from several different church backgrounds yet we all joined together under the common objective of care for orphans in their affliction (James 1:27). I was both immensely encouraged and rebuked by the sacrificial love that I witnessed my team members demonstrate not only to the children of Fuling, China but also to each other. Our team leaders, Gabe and Eileen (husband and wife), were strong examples of Christlike, gospel-centered service. So thank you Gabe and Eileen and Fuling team members for living out the beautiful gospel with each other and the orphans. Melissa, Hannah, and I could not have hoped for 34 better team members with whom to serve. Thank you for making much of Christ in the way you conducted yourselves those 10 days. Your walk was indeed worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27).

One of many grace-filled things God did had to do with the Fuling newspaper. Considering the fact that Fuling, China is a city with a population of 3 million, it’s bordering on remarkable that our mission team made the front page. The article describes our work with the Fuling orphans in simple yet very thoughtful and thankful terms. It is in the process of being translated. Once the translation is completed I’ll post it. But God was good to make known His tender care for the Fuling fatherless through our short time there. It will be interesting to see what God continues to do in that orphanage where God’s fingerprints can be seen all over the place. Our missionary God does indeed care for the fatherless no matter their country of origin.

Over the next few weeks I will be blogging about the trip. Most posts will include excerpts from my journal. But all posts will include pictures of the Fuling children. My goal is to give you an idea of the kind of thing God is doing in orphanages around the world that you have never heard of.

Check Desiring God's website in the next few days, you’ll see 40% off any and all audio and 25-40% off several Piper titles.

I thank God for the ministry that Dr. Clowney has had in my life through his teaching and writing ministry. "The great theme of his life, namely Christ's presence in the whole of Scripture and his present work in the church" has had a profound influence on my life and ministry. The following is from the web magazine of the PCA.

Edmund P. Clowney, 87, (July 30, 1917 – March 20, 2005) met his Lord face to face on Sunday, March 20. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Jean Wright Clowney; by his five children: David Clowney, Deborah Weininger, Paul Clowney, Rebecca Jones, and Anne Foreman; by twenty-one grandchildren; and by eleven great grandchildren.

Born in Philadelphia, Ed received his B.A. from Wheaton College in 1939, a Th. B. from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1942, a S.T.M from Yale University Divinity School in 1944, and a D.D. from Wheaton College in 1966. Ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he served as pastor of several churches from 1942 to 1946 and was then invited to become assistant professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in 1952. He became that institution's first president in 1966, and remained there until 1984, when he took a post as theologian-in-residence at Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In 1990 Ed and Jean moved to Escondido, California, where Ed was adjunct professor at Westminster Seminary California. In 2001, he took a full-time position as associate pastor at Christ the King Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Houston, Texas. After two years, he moved back to Charlottesville, where he once again became part-time theologian-in-residence at Trinity Presbyterian Church. He remained in this role until his death.

Ed was a compassionate counselor; a devoted servant of Jesus Christ, his Word, and his church; a peacemaker; and a true visionary. He dreamed for Christ's kingdom and was instrumental in the birth or furtherance of such ministries as the Reformed Theological Seminary in Aix-en-Provence, France; Westminster Seminary California; Trinity Church, Charlottesville; the Lausanne Conference; InterVarsity ministries, both in the United States and in England; and "The Westminster Ministerial Institute," an inner-city training program for pastors in Philadelphia, out of which the Lord developed the Center for Urban Theological Studies. He also had a life-long interest in children's Christian education materials.

Ed will be supremely remembered by many as a preacher, perhaps the most gifted proponent and practitioner of redemptive-historical preaching of this generation. He was unique in his ability to pick up the threads of redemptive history and to weave a rich expositional tapestry that brought Christ in all his perfections and glory before God's people so that they were drawn to love and worship the Redeemer.

His writing displays the great theme of his life, namely Christ's presence in the whole of Scripture and his present work in the church. His books include Preaching and Biblical Theology, Called to the Ministry, Christian Meditation, Doctrine of the Church, The Message of I Peter, The Unfolding Mystery, and Preaching Christ in all of Scripture. Some of these titles have been translated for the benefit of the worldwide church. His last book, How Christ Transforms the Ten Commandments, was accepted by his publisher only days before his death.

Ed left behind a legacy not only of written books and articles, but a great number of sermons and lectures, as well as magazine columns such as the humor column "Eutychus and His Pin" for Christianity Today and Bible studies for Tabletalk. His sense of humor and his love for people left a mark wherever he went. In the last week of his life, one attending nurse, laughing as she left his room, exclaimed, "What a sweet man!" Those who knew and loved him would agree. His tender-hearted encouragement and wisdom will be greatly missed, but his work will be established by his Master who has now welcomed him with those reassuring words: "Well-done, good and faithful servant, enter now into the joy of your Lord!"

The family has established a scholarship fund at Westminster Theological Seminary. Contributions in support of Dr. Clowney's continuing Kingdom legacy may be made to The Edmund Clowney Memorial Fund by mailing your check to Westminster Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 27009, Philadelphia, PA 19118 or online via credit card at https://www.gospelcom.net/wts/development/clowney-memorial.html.

Information on memorial services in Charlottesville, Virginia, and at Westminster Theological Seminary's Glenside, Pennsylvania campus will be posted at the Seminary's website at www.wts.edu as soon as the details become available. The family is creating a memorial website where remembrances may be posted by the public. A link will be posted shortly at www.wts.edu.