Leonard Ravenhill, the fiery British evangelist, was known for boiling profound thoughts into a few bite sized words. A friend of both A.W. Tozer and pioneering musician Keith Green, Ravenhill managed to speak the message of God in the vernacular of the people. He said more in ten words than some say in a thousand.

Our friend, Lou Engle, is fond of quoting Leonard Ravenhill as saying…

“The opportunity of a lifetime must be siezed in the lifetime of the opportunity.”

Eight years ago this week, we were faced with the opportunity of a lifetime.  Within eight hours of finishing a home study that would legally allow us to adopt, I received an unexpected phone call from a stranger asking if we knew anyone who would consider adopting his sister-in-law’s newborn twin girls.

I won’t retell the story here, because I have many times, but in a whirlwind of phone calls, emails, spur of the moment plane ticket purchases and a nearly-all-night drive, 24 hours later we met Anna and Mercy.  A few hours after that, we walked out of the hospital with our new twin girls.

Some thought we were crazy.  Some no doubt thought we were unwise.  Those people are mostly silent nowdays, because our twins will be eight tomorrow, and to see them is to realize beauty in a way that is rare in life.

We saw the opportunity of a lifetime and we took it.  

Could we have said no?  Absolutely.  Would anyone have thought poorly of us?  Absolutely not.

This decision wasn’t about comfort or the thoughts of others, though.  It was about God cracking open a window and asking if we wanted to duck out of the Normal Room for a few minutes.  We dove.  He caught us.  It’s all still in the process of working out but we have never regretted taking the dive.

It’s interesting to me that we are in another ‘double season’ of adoption.  No, not us this time.  Others.  Many, many others.

Zoe’s House Adoptions has been awarded a matching grant.  Every dollar given between now and the end of the month – fifteen days from today – will be doubled up to $25,000.   Non profits and churches exist for decades without ever getting this chance.   It truly is the opportunity of a lifetime.

We dove at our opportunity.  If our lives have had an impact on your – if you’ve been encouraged by our heart for adoption – will you dive at this one?  Please consider giving big – whatever big means for you – knowing that God is doubling your sacrifice for the sake of families.

Donate to Zoe’s House Here.

Thank you.