resurrection

Telling The Easter Story Using Our Senses!

Telling The Easter Story Using Our Senses!

Easter is one of the most important times in the Christian calendar.But the big story of Easter can be difficult for some children and young people with special needs to understand. Children learn best when their senses are engaged. Here are some sensory ideas that can be used to tell the Easter story, and give us ways to share other complex biblical themes throughout the year.

Birthdays and Disabilities Are Like Cake and Ice Cream

Birthdays and Disabilities Are Like Cake and Ice Cream

Birthdays and disabilities are like cake and ice cream for my family. We can’t have one without the other. For many years I didn’t appreciate this truth. But now I do.

When Christmas Isn't Calm and Family Quilts are Torn

When Christmas Isn't Calm and Family Quilts are Torn

As I've been meditating on the stress in my own family this Christmas, an image of an old quilt rose up in my mind. It hit me how very quilt-like special needs families can be. We're patched together with several different colors and patterns, and our beautifully vibrant family quilts can get pretty messy, especially at Christmas-time.

Crying When God Gives What I Need and Not What I Want

Crying When God Gives What I Need and Not What I Want

I thought I'd hidden my tears. Until the woman to my left scooted a few inches away, and my husband gave my shoulder a squeeze. He knew what the woman did not. He knew the pastor had said something that touched the tender spot in my heart, the place where I long for the healthy father I never had.

Finding Light in the Darkness: Songs for the Weary, Grieving, and Hopeless

Finding Light in the Darkness: Songs for the Weary, Grieving, and Hopeless

I’m introducing a new series focused on hymns and singing: to walk through songs of worship that the hurting heart needs to sing, the aching soul needs to feel, and the cracked, dried lips need to utter. Some of these songs were new to me at the conference, and I'm so excited to introduce them to you, or remind you of their truths if you already know them.