It is almost my favorite time of year again!  I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do!  Just one week from tomorrow we will be starting our "How to Be a Friend to Someone with a Disability" unit.

I am busy lining up amazing people to come share with my class about what it feels like to have a disability and the amazing things God is doing through their lives. 

Last week I gathered the parents of my students together to see glimpses of what their children will be learning and experiencing over the next month.  I also shared with the kids about the fundraiser to raise money to send to Joni Eareckson Tada's "Wheels For the World" project.  I hope you will join us as I journal the reactions of my students, as well as the reactions of those watching them over the next month.  As always, it will be an incredible adventure!

Stay tuned and watch the butterflies come out!  Every butterfly will represent $1 towards the gift of mobility.

HOPE

My heart aches tonight for three dear friends that are having to adapt to a life changing diagnosis.  All three of them have overcome huge obstacles in their lives, but the recent diagnosis seems unbearable.  I want to hold them and tell them everything will be work out, but the reality is their lives will be different than expected.

Whether you are dealing with cancer, aging, or developmental delays, know there is hope and God can do far more than you ever imagined or hoped for.  Take a minute to gain some perspective from two amazing people.

Joni Eareckson Tada Video
http://www.thedoctorstv.com/videolib/init/8636











and Nick Vujicic

How Nick Vujicic Triumphed Against All Odds - Video - @OWNTV ...
►►
www.oprah.com/.../How-Nick-Vujicic-Triumph..

Something to think about...

Well, it has been awhile since I last wrote.  I have missed writing on my blog, but I have been busy with some other writing projects.

I thought I might as well start off 2013 with a little controversy... it can be good for the soul.  I find it interesting and well, somewhat annoying that as humans we love to put each other in boxes.  And most of the time, if you are put in a box you are very unlikely to get out.

As a young woman I had a tendency to be rather emotional at times.  I am now 50 and still seem to have that box around me with certain people.  In the past, I have been a democrat and to the republicans, I always will be.  In the past I have also been a republican and you guessed it, to the democrats, I always will be.  As for myself, I have no idea what box I am in.

Over Christmas break, I have been thinking about a couple of things.  Recently, I have found myself temporarily disabled.  I hurt my knee and had a terrible time walking for a couple of weeks.  It sure made me appreciate my knees a lot more.  In certain situations, I can be incredibly hearing impaired and I appear to have the same type of hearing loss progression that my dad had (the future isn't hard to predict on that one).  Those challenges are temporary, but so often we put people with disabilities in a box they cannot escape.

Over the last couple of weeks I have spent time with friends walking through the progression of difficult disabilities such as:  Parkinson's, dementia, cancer, muscular dystrophy, learning disabilities, autism, heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes.  When I think of my dear friends, I would never want to put them in a box they can't escape.  They are strong, talented, compassionate, driven and memorable people (that happen to have a disability.)   

Here is my challenge:  Think of a friend and how you would describe your friend to someone.  What would be the first words out of your mouth?  I have been surprised at how often I hear the color of a person's skin or the status of their weight described first.  How would you want someone to describe you?  Would you mention a wheelchair first or the person sitting in it?  Just something to think about....

Am I Self-Centered or God-Centered?

      Sometimes in ministry the line can get blurry....are we serving in ministry on our own or because we are focused on God?  We desire to help people, extend love and grace to them, and welcome them into the church.  We can fall into a trap of feeling like it is the right thing to do, rather than have the same kind of unconditional love that Christ does.
     I think the true test for me is found in I Corinthians 13:4-7,


 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

These verses are a test as we serve in ministry.  When I go to serve on a Sunday morning, are all of these things true in my heart?

Do You Need to Put on the Brakes?

Experiencing God, by Henry and Richard Blackaby, Chapter 7...

     Bill and I prefer to not offer training to volunteers right off the bat.  Why?  Because training will be far more meaningful to a volunteer in special needs ministry once they realize how many questions they have and feel a need for direction and training. In a way, Blackaby used this tactic with their readers or at least that is how I took it.

     I had read six chapters of the book looking back over my life thinking I understood God, His will, and His work, but in Chapter 7, Blackaby puts on the brakes.  If we don't have an intimate relationship with God, none of that matters.  God has called me to love Him and know Him.

     I have felt this way in ministry a number of times.  I go full steam ahead thinking I know what God's will for me is, that He has prepared me for the assignment, and everything is a go.  Once I get started I then realize how much I don't know.  I realize how much I need God and I put on the brakes.  Have you ever started a project for God and then stopped and looked around to see where God is?  God is

always waiting for us to have a relationship with Him and not just a relationship, but an intimate relationship.

     In our busy lives of taking care of family, working to make a living, and serving in ministry, we often forget God.  I am embarrassed to say that even having time alone with God can be a "To Do" item on my list.  I love the following quote from, Experiencing God,

"It is never a chore to spend time with someone you love, although it can be tedious to spend time with a stranger."

Before I serve in ministry, I have to ask myself some questions,

• Do I truly love God? 
• Have I spent time with God lately?
• Do I truly know God as a loved one, rather than a stranger?

     A number of times I have jumped into ministry and then realized  I need training....God's training.  I can't possibly know God's will for my life and ministry if I don't know Him.  

• 
  

Hmmmm....Interesting Concept

     Hmmm.....interesting concept proposed in Experiencing God this week.  As Christians WE OFTEN CHOOSE our spiritual assignment or ministry based on our spiritual gift.  Blackaby proposes the concept that we should let God choose our spiritual assignment and then trust that the Holy Spirit will equip us with the spiritual gift we will need.

     In terms of special needs ministry, this excites me.  We have always drawn and invited people with the spiritual gift of mercy into the ministry.  How powerful would it be, however, to watch someone with very little mercy be transformed by serving in the ministry.  The Holy Spirit can do amazing things!  It would be such a testimony to the power of God.

     If you are looking for your next assignment, be open to WHATEVER God calls you to do.  The Holy Spirit will equip you.  If you are looking for more volunteers, be open to the variety of ways God will work in your ministry.  God is working in the lives of those the ministry serves, but He is also working in the lives and hearts of the volunteers.

How Much Do You Trust God?

     Unfortunately, I haven't been able to write for the last couple of weeks.  I have missed writing, because it sharpens me to have to think about what to write.  In order to teach anything, you first have to learn.  For the last couple of weeks, I have had to take a break from reading to do a little "lab work" or "hands on training."  It is funny.  Just when you get comfortable with what you do know, God shows you even more that you don't know.  God has taught me some invaluable things in the last couple of weeks, but it is also nice to be back to my beloved book.

     In Chapter 5 of Experiencing God, by Henry and Richard Blackaby, so many insights about Moses are shared.  The story of Moses is one of my favorites, because Moses was not necessarily articulate, polished, or smooth.  He simply loved God and was obedient to God.  God took care of the rest.  He was offered a job with tremendous outcome and impact and from a worldly perspective may have been the least likely to be chosen for the job.  The lesson to be learned, however, is that God can do and accomplish anything through a willing servant.  I love the following paragraph from Experiencing God:

"When God asks you to do something you cannot do, you will face a crisis of belief.  You'll have to decide what you really believe about God.  Can He and will He do what He has said He wants to do though you?  Can God do the seemingly impossible through your ordinary life?  How you respond to His invitation reveals what you truly believe about God, regardless of what you say."

When I read this it hit me, "It isn't about me at all.  It is not about my skills, education, experience, or anything about me personally.  It is about how much I trust God."

     Later in the same chapter, Blackaby says, "To move from your way of thinking or acting to God's way of thinking or acting will require fundamental adjustments.  You can't stay where you are and go with God at the same time."

     The first time I read this, it made me trust God enough to go serve in an area of ministry that I didn't know much about.  I had to trust God every step of the way. At the time I was in my 30's.  Now I am in my 50's and my tendency is to desire safety and security.  I am a little less adventurous, but I need to stay open to whatever God is calling me to do next, even if it makes me feel less secure.  I have to say I admire my cousin.  She and her family just sold it all in obedience to what they feel God has called them to do.  Their earthly security is gone.  I am sure they feel inadequate at times, but I also know them well enough to know they trust God with it.  I look forward to seeing what God has planned for them.

     In terms of special needs ministry, I guess what stands out to me the most is to serve with open hands.  You never know who God wants you to touch and you never know who is going to touch you in a way that changes you forever.  There are so many people that have changed my perspective on life, people, and God.  If I hadn't had my "crisis of belief" I would have missed out on so much.  

     I think we all would agree that we shouldn't go to an amusement park and stand outside the gates watching all of the fun.  We shouldn't go to a church and just stand outside the door while people are inside growing and sharing community.  We also should not stand before God without experiencing who He is.  Get to know God, believe in Him, walk with Him, and enjoy everything He has planned for you!