“As I connect with Christian families impacted by disabilities, I’ve heard the same stories repeated over and over again. Stories of hurt and frustration over words spoken and looks given within the walls of our churches. Stories of the desire to be a part of a church family, but seeing hurdles that just seem too big to overcome.” Cortney Jenkins gives five tips to talk to your church about accessibility.
Moms: When Do We Get to Celebrate? Celebration for moms is scheduled in May; but I’m wondering when does it really happen? Cindi Ferrini writes about Mother’s Day and how to celebrate moms to kids with special needs.
Evana Sandusky writes about her experience receiving correction as a special needs mother, and explains why gentle correction may be more important than we think.
Joel Sheagren writes on the intersection of his 30-year career in film-making and his parenting journey, as he parents a son with FASD.
What DO you do when a child works harder to escape a room than he does work the puzzles at the table? How can you possibly know where the boundaries should be with a child who inherently has none? Where is the line between nurturing and structure? While there aren’t clear answers to these questions, there IS clear theology about our family’s place in the Body of Christ. Sherri Wirt writes a short devotional for special needs parents that feel they don’t fit at church.
I was brought back to the realization that families like mine have all the time. My friend really knows my family and our situation, but he just doesn’t know what family retreat means to us. How could I even begin to explain what really goes on there? I just relegated it to the usual experience of “he doesn’t get it,” but I really wish I could’ve had the “it’s not like that” speech with him.
It’s always easier to stay with what is familiar than to venture out into deep water when we’re already tired, when we feel like we’ve been fishing all night to no avail. Pull in the nets and go home, get a good night’s sleep, and do the same-old same-old tomorrow. But Jesus commands us to throw the nets back in, right here, right now. This is always the turning point: the present moment. Jesus knows what’s out there, waiting for us: abundance, over-flowing abundance.
