A Child's Point of View

I am enjoying my grandchildren so much.  They are six now.  I love this age because they have so much innocence and yet so much wisdom.  Next year I am looking forward to having more time to visit my J at school and volunteer if I can (I will have to brush up on my Spanish since he is in a dual language program!) I love how much he cares about people but he is so much more sensible than I am.  One of the things I love about J is he doesn't see color but he does see culture and he enjoys different cultures.  His mom and dad are doing such a great job of exposing him to a variety of cultures, languages, and economic situations.

C is one of my students this year which I am enjoying.  Tonight she told me that she sees Mrs. Boggess a lot but she really needs some Meme time.  She said Mrs. Boggess is the "best teacher ever" but Meme is fun to play with.  C asked me if she could give a speech tomorrow in class.  She said, "I have been thinking about something.  It is like this rock I have.  People aren't always beautiful on the outside but if you look on the inside you will see how beautiful they really are!"  Her parents are giving her such confidence and opportunities to express herself.  I am looking forward to her speech tomorrow and I hope the other students will want to give a speech as well.  I love giving them a voice.

I am amazed by how children "get it" so much better than adults do.  They don't have prejudice.  They don't put people in boxes.  No, unfortunately, we teach them how to do that.  I will miss teaching next year, I truly will.  I have had 165 students teach me so many lessons over the years that an adult never could.  

Tranquility

Since I lived half of my life in Colorado, I have always been a mountain girl.  The beauty of the Rockies is breathtaking and I could look at them for hours.  As a teenager I would drive up Turkey Creek Canyon whenever I needed to get "centered" with God.  The mountains ministered to me in ways that a person never could.  The mountains showed me the majesty of God.

Right now I am looking out my hotel window and enjoying the ocean.  I have only seen the ocean a handful of times and I am completely mesmerized by it.  It displays my understanding of God.  Everything was purposely created by God and it was good.  Everything God created has a cycle and an order.  The birds seem to know exactly where they are going and what they are doing and yes, all of their needs are met.

As the waves roll in I am once again "centered" and feel the tranquility God loves for us to enjoy.  There is such power in every wave that rolls in and I know those waves can render tremendous force should the ocean become angry.  God has a gentle and calming side but He also has a side that chastens and disciplines when it is needed.  Every movement of God has a plan and a purpose.

Forgiveness In The Midst of Suffering

In the "Beyond Suffering" course I am taking, I have been exposed to greater detail about the sufferings of those with disabilities during WW II.  It has been heart-breaking to learn that they were considered "worthless eaters" and were involuntarily sterilized and abused and killed.  It is hard for me to fathom the cruelty man can impart on others.

On my recent trip to Oregon, God divinely placed me next to two wonderful sisters on my flight.  I loved them instantly.  During our flight they shared their testimony with me.  Both of them, along with their parents and brothers and sisters, were in concentration camps during WWII.  My heart could not bear the stories they shared with me.  Even though this happened before I was born I feel an obligation to apologize to them for the pain and suffering they endured, simply because I am part of the human race that inflicted these atrocities.

Towards the end of our flight,  I asked one of the sisters how she worked through bitterness and anger and unforgiveness.  She said, "Oh I have to forgive because that is the only way I am free.  Jesus suffered so much more than we did.  I am very grateful."

My friend still suffers from nightmares at times and almost 70 years have gone by.  She has a beautiful heart though full of forgiveness for those that harmed her.  Her love for the Lord was very moving to me.  They both touched me in ways I will never forget.  

Thank you, Lord, for bringing them into my life.  May the sufferings they endured never happen again.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5New International Version (NIV)

Saying, "Yes!"

The last several days have been powerful for me.  Bill and I provided a 6 hour training on Saturday on disability ministry and I was able to partner with a very good friend today and share about ministering to the next generation with a group of pastors.

When I prepare for these talks, I am continually reminded of the incredible journey God has put me on.  Five years ago I would never have imagined God would have me speaking to groups of people about a topic I am so passionate about and all I had to do was say, "Yes."

When I was a little girl I remember wearing a coat to school every day.  I lived in Texas so it was rare that a coat was even needed.  I was painfully shy and struggled with my self-image so much that I hid behind my coat.  I felt more anonymous there.

My youth pastor often teases me that in Jr. High I would sit under the table and not talk to anyone and in high school, I finished up at school as fast as I could so I could get back to the comfort of home.

God has blessed my life in amazing ways since then... all because I said, "yes."  I said yes to Jesus, I said yes to ministry, I said yes to spending a summer at a convent, and 13 years ago, I said yes to doing WHATEVER God asked of me.

When my dad and hero died 13 years ago, I told God I would do whatever He wanted me to do.  As Mark Batterson says in his book, I was "All In," even if it meant public speaking.  At that time I was terrified to have to stand and speak about anything for more than a couple of minutes and now, well, I can speak for several hours and it not even phase me.

I share this because if I had never said yes, I would still be "under the table," hiding and embarrassed.  If I had never said yes, I would have missed out on a whole community of amazing people.  God keeps hinting that He is going to ask something of me that is way out of my comfort zone and He knows it.  To be honest I am quite afraid of saying yes to that one but now more than ever, I know that God has me and will always go ahead of me.

I am pretty amazed by the journey God has put me on and from my perspective, it has been pretty miraculous and definitely an adventure.  My question for you is, What is God asking of you?  What do you need to say "Yes!" to? I love Mark Patterson's quote, "And you are only one decision away from a totally different life." If you say yes to God, I promise you, it will be amazing.

20 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,  Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

Say yes to God, my friend, and then let me know what happened!

Are We Irresistible?

Bill and I recently spent a weekend at the "Irresistible Church Texas Disability Ministry Summit," sponsored by Joni and Friends.  It is hard to put into words how meaningful it was to me.

I wish the universal church was like this summit.  I met truly amazing people there.  They were passionate, compassionate, and so incredibly gracious.  There were a variety of people there with a variety of disabilities and I loved how authentic and humble they were.  

We all have challenges, every single one of us.  So often in our churches we try to hide the challenges and try to appear as though we have it all together.  When I was at the summit I felt like I could completely be myself.  I know I am not perfect and had no reason to pretend to be.  

While I was there I met a young man that is legally blind.  It brought tears to his eyes as he shared his passion to serve the special needs community.  Within seconds, you no longer saw his disability, you just saw his passion.  I met a young lady that shared how much she loves kids.  Due to her cerebral palsy she acknowledged that she wouldn't be able to chase kids around but she said, "I know I can share Jesus with them!"

I came home with a new sense of purpose and a deeper commitment to embrace who people are, their abilities and their disabilities.  It is kind of funny.  One of my good friends asked me if I like people with disabilities better.  I said, "Well, yes, in a way.  I find people with disabilities very refreshing.  They are authentic people."  When I say that I don't mean to single people out or separate them.  I just love the openness and honesty that often comes with a disability.

May the universal church become irresistible as we love and embrace people of all abilities.

Simple, Yet Intricate

As I have shared before, I am taking the Beyond Suffering course offered by the Christian Institute on Disability.  I am only on my second week out of 16 and I can tell it will be life-altering.

I have been involved in disability ministry, in one way or another, for 22 years.  I have been exposed to a great deal of information over the years.  I have experienced a variety of new situations and I have been blessed by knowing some amazing people, but what I am humbled by, is how much I don't know.

At this point in time it is absolutely overwhelming to me and even discouraging in a sense, that one can never be an expert on a group of people. Every new person you encounter is going to be different, there is always more to learn, and on a daily basis, another way for each of us to be humbled.

The beauty of this course is that it levels the playing field.  The more I learn about disability ministry, the more I embrace the truths we all have in common:

• We are ALL made in the image of God.
• We are ALL sinners in need of grace and forgiveness.
• We ALL have gifts that can impact the world.
• We ALL may need an accommodation for that gift to shine.
• We ALL have weaknesses or challenges that can be used to show God's power.

      It is really that simple! And it is really that intricate!

One of my homework assignments is to get to know someone new that has a disability.  I am really looking forward to it!  

Exciting Events

Dear Friends,

I am excited to share about two exciting events in September and October.  A good friend shared with me that "America's Disability Rights Museum on Wheels" will be in Austin from September 28th - October 1st.  The "Museum on Wheels" travels all over the United States so it will be a while before it will be in Austin again.  I encourage you to tour the museum and take your children.  You can learn more information by visiting their website:  http://www.disabilityrightsonwheels.org.

In addition, Bill and I will be presenting a 6-hour training course on disability ministry.  We would love to have you join us!  Please make reservations by contacting us on our blog, website (www.gracewithoutmargins.com) or through e-mail:  theboggi@aim.com.

Grace Without Margins Disability Training

October 17
Bethany United Methodist Church, 10010 Anderson Mill Road
Austin, TX 78750 United States + Google Map

Bill and Deana Boggess will provide a “Grace Without Margins Disability Ministry Training” at Bethany United Methodist Church on Saturday, October 17th. The cost will be $35 to cover training, materials, and lunch. You will find more information about the content on our training page on our website www.gracewithoutmargins.com. Please contact us if you are interested in learning how to welcome and assimilate the special needs community into the life of your church. What a blessing it will be!

Thank you for supporting disability ministry!

Deana