"When God does exceptional things..." Blackaby

    I have been sharing excerpts from the book, Experiencing God, by Henry and Richard Blackaby.  This book has influenced me in ministry and in my understanding of God greatly.  

     Sixteen years ago God told us to serve in special needs ministry, but we felt incredibly inadequate.  Chapter 4 made a lasting impression on me, however.  It says, 

     "When God does exceptional things through unexceptional people, then others recognize that only God could have done it.  If you feel weak, limited, and ordinary, take heart!  You are the best material through which God can work!

     Having skills, education, training, and experience can certainly be valuable, but the danger lies in the fact that we may rely on those things rather than God.  When are hands are empty, we are much more likely to rely on God.  Answer God's calling on your life and then trust God to equip you and use His power to do amazing things. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,   to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.                Ephesians 3:19-21

     

Experiencing God, Chapter 3

     Chapter 3 of Experiencing God gets down to the basics.  Nothing we do for God will really matter if we aren't in a close relationship with Him.  Sometimes it is easy to get side tracked by serving God and we forget to love God.  Just as we shouldn't spend all of our time doing things for our kids without taking the time to be with them, enjoy them, listen to them, and tell them we love them, we shouldn't do that to God either.  Blackaby says, "God is far more interested in a love relationship with you than He is in what you do for Him.  His desire is for you to love Him."
         At the same time, God doesn't just have a "Honey Do" list for you, He wants a relationship with you.  "The Lord doesn't send us off like an errand boy.  He intends to accompany us on the journey."
     In our society it is easy to get wrapped in a plan.  I have prepared "a plan" for so many areas of my life and ministry has been one of those.  We have education and information at our fingertips.  We have all kinds of goal setting tools at our fingertips.  I love the quote from Blackaby, "If God were to give you a specific plan for your life, you would likely put your focus on the plan rather than on Him.  God does not want your life to depend on a plan or an income or a person or anything else.  He wants you to trust Him."
     As Bill and I have served in ministry we have learned to not expect an extensive plan.  God wants us to trust Him and walk the road with Him.  He will tell us what we need to know when we need to know it. 

Be Ready to Believe God and to Trust Him Completely

     In the second chapter of Experiencing God, Blackaby gives us all the confidence we need.  Blackaby says, "Once you've heard God speak, you don't need to continue waiting to seek other alternatives.  You need to proceed with confidence based on what God said."

     If you feel that God has laid it on your heart to begin serving those with special needs in your faith community, stop questioning and go for it!  God will equip you with everything you need.  Blackaby also says, "Whenever God directs you, you will never have to question His will.  He knows what He is going to do."

     I love God!  He has a way of continuing to nudge us until we start doing what He is asking us to do.    Half the battle is listening to God and then telling Him you are willing to do what He asked.  After that, "You must believe He will enable and equip you to do everything He asks you to do.  Don't second-guess Him.  Simply take Him at His word.  Turn to Him for the power, insight, skill, and resources required."  If you have a child in your church with special needs and you are serving them, you have a special needs ministry.  If you trust God He will enable and equip you to do what He has asked, then you will be well on your road to building a ministry.

     Blackaby concludes the second chapter with the following, "The fact is, either we believe God is all-powerful or we don't.  When you declare it's impossible for you to do what God told you to do, you show your doubts about how powerful God really is.  It is one thing to believe in God's power, it is quite another to live your life in obedient response to an all-powerful God."

     Over the last 16 years Bill and I have had to learn a lot.  We have made mistakes and I am sure we have been in God's way at times.  However, God has also provided the power, insight, skill and resources we have needed along the way.  Answer whatever calling God has laid on your heart and then see what happens.  I am so incredibly grateful for the ways God has included us in His plan and let us have front row seats!

     

What Is God Asking You To Do?

I am currently rereading one of my favorite books that has had the most impact on my life, besides the Bible.  It is Experiencing God, by Henry and Richard Blackaby.  The first time I read it, it helped me to look back over my life and see what God had prepared for me to do.  This time, I am reading it in light of what He has prepared for me to do...special needs ministry.

In the preface it says, "From that point on I no longer attempted to set the agenda for my life.  My only goal was to do God's will, whatever that might be."  Later is says, "I also discovered that every time God told me to do something - no matter how difficult it might appear - He always enabled me to accomplish what He asked."  When my father died ten years ago I promised God then that I would do whatever He asked me to do.  He has had me do some interesting things over the last ten years, but I have to say it has been an incredible experience and yes, He has always enabled me to accomplish what He asked.  

I know some of you that follow my blog are afraid of starting a special needs ministry for a variety of reasons.  Maybe you feel unequipped or too busy or afraid.  My husband and I were too, but we have changed so much from this experience.  It is such a blessing to follow God in His will!

In the Introduction, Blackaby shares, "As you relate to Him, God will invite you to join in His activity where He is already at work.  When you obey what God tells you, He will accomplish through you things only He can do.  As the Lord works in and through your life, you will come to know Him ever more closely."

If you are reading my blog, you probably have some connection to someone with a disability.  In light of ministry and the special needs community,

• What has God prepared you to do?
• What is God asking you to do?
• How do you think God will equip you?

For Bill and I... God has given us training experience here in Austin.  He is asking us to reach out to cities in other states that are desiring training.  God has not given us the whole plan, but He is giving us direction on a daily basis.  He is equipping us by reminding us that we need to look to Him and trust Him on a daily basis.  Every experience He gives us equips us for the next step.

Training Summary

It has been a great weekend doing what we love to do!  Yesterday we held a five hour training on special needs ministry.  We had three different churches represented, along with an unexpected blessing of a Rabbi from a local Jewish faith community.  It is so encouraging to have people come together to ask questions, share ideas, and obtain tools and skills to serve those in our community with special needs.  It is also a blessing to be able to talk about something I am so passionate about.

Today we met with buddies and families in our church home to talk about the role of the buddy in the classroom, what it is, and what it isn't.  As people introduced themselves I was impressed by how the diversity of the buddies has grown and changed.  We have had an increased number of youth serving, as well as trained medical professionals.  Having the youth serve is exciting because they are truly the ones that can help change the culture of a church.  They are the ones that can most affect change concerning the perceptions the youth have of peers with special needs.  We challenged the buddies and the families they are serving to get together over the next month to get to know each other and share ideas on how to make the church experience more meaningful for the children in the ministry.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting some resources I hope will be helpful:

• Information for families to share with their buddies
• Information for buddies to share with their families
• Resources and links for families with a recent diagnosis
• Camp locations and financial resources

If you have other ideas and needs that you would like to see posted on this blog, please let us know!

What Is The Reasonable Accommodation?

     I have so many wonderful memories of my dad.  He was a pastor when I was a young child, and later served as the Deputy Director for Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  When I was a senior in high school I would walk down to the bus stop every once and awhile to greet my dad and walk home with him.  One day I went to meet dad (it makes me smile to even think about it). He got off the bus with a doll in his arms.  He said, "I bought this for you today.  I wanted you to have an African American doll."  I was 18 at the time, but it sure touched me that he bought it for me.  Dad cared about how I viewed the world and he wanted to make sure that I had a love for all of God's people.

     As we would walk home, we would talk about our day, but on more than one occasion, he would tell me a story about someone that had been discriminated against in the employment arena due to a disability.  He would share a scenario and then turn and ask me, "What would the reasonable accommodation be to give them a job?"  At the time I could never think of a solution, but Dad always had one.  

     Dad was always very discrete, but would share hypothetical situations with me to see if I could come up with a solution.  I remember one story he shared with me, because it left a big impression on me.  He shared a story about a young man that applied for a clerk typist job and was denied an interview because he didn't have any arms.  I couldn't figure out how he could do the job.  Dad said, "All they needed to do was put the typewriter on the floor.  He could type 60 words a minute with his toes!"

     Several years later, after college, I rode the bus downtown with Dad to my job.  We would talk all the way there and all the way back.  He always challenged and broadened my thinking.  I am grateful  those conversations have stayed with me.  Now when I look at my students, I think about what the reasonable accommodation would be for them.  Quite frankly, I am comfortable with the "unreasonable accommodations" as well if they help people get what they need to be successful.

     Have you ever considered that you may have held someone back because you didn't think a little longer to find an accommodation that would work for them?  Have you ever thought about accommodations that have been made for you in order for you to be successful?

     

Dear God, help me to think bigger than the way I do things.  Help me to dream bigger for those around me?  Help me to see my own challenges in a way that can bring glory to you.