Well, here I am, once again, beginning a new journey. It feels good, but somehow not quite complete. It is only in the beginning stages, literally hours, but still a little surreal.

I ended my time working as a teacher in the school system today. It was a decision that has been in process for several years now. When we decided that public school wasn’t working out too well for our son and we decided to homeschool him, I began thinking of changing my path as well. So, two years later, I am at that “jumping off” point. I know it is what I am to do, for myself and my family and most importantly, it is what the Holy Spirit has led me to do. The feelings that I am having at the moment are a little like I am walking away from my identity as a “teacher of children with special needs” and walking toward completely embracing my identity as a “follower of Christ”.

I think the natural feelings I am having right now are just that, “natural”. They will pass soon and the picture of who I am and who I am going to be will begin to look much clearer to me. My family needs me—all of me. And I need to be completely surrendered to my Father, who has many wonderful things planned for me and for my family.

There is freedom in following the leading of the Holy Spirit. There are also unknown experiences awaiting. I like that….I like knowing I can totally trust my Father with EVERYTHING in my life and know, have confidence and be assured in his love for me.

I already see things a little clearer by simply writing these words…

I was reading an article this evening that disturbed me. It is written about a church in PA that has created a Sunday school class specifically for special-needs children. At first glance, this doesn’t seem like a bad idea. In fact, you may see the idea as one that takes into consideration the needs of others. Give the child something they can do while mom and dad are able to worship without interruption. A few quotes from the article state:

“We have been finding that more and more families who have such a special child are not attending church because most churches do not have a program for them to attend”

Hmmm…

“Parents find themselves spending more time trying to redirect behavior,” “They are not really getting anything out of their weekly visit to church.”

To me this seems to be a problem of structure, not the child’s behavior. Why are we taking a child with special needs out of a situation that potentially would make us uncomfortable? And why did a whole different class need to be created for them? Were they not welcome in the typical Sunday School class? Why do parents of special needs children feel they cannot gather with believers?

Maybe the answers to these questions would be best left to the individual to decide. And honestly, this issue hits a bit close to home for me, as my child was asked to leave a Sunday School class because his behavior did not fit what was acceptable in the class. This left me feeling like the one place that I thought my child would be accepted was not a realistic desire on my part.

My thoughts are these: Give the child the love and compassion of Christ. Help him or her to feel accepted as a worthy member of the body of believers. If you have to change the structure, then do it. But don’t make the child feel that they are not welcome by separating them from their peers and the rest of the body. There is so much that a child with special needs can offer the church as a whole. They can encourage us to grow in ways that were not possible before. Don’t deny them or yourself the joy and the privilege of what God can do through them.

Read the article and let me know what you think……

Matthew 19:13-14

I have a special place in my heart for people with disabilities.

It all began as a child, having an uncle with Down’s Syndrome, and being able to experience, as a family, what it means to enjoy life with a person with a disability. My grandparents were told to put him in an institution and that he would not live past 30 years of age. They didn’t follow that advice. Currently, he is living very well in a group home at the age of 48.

I have worked with the special needs population in a variety of ways over the past 15 years: in an adult group home setting, in self contained classrooms as a teacher assistant and as a lead teacher. Now, currently I am working with children from birth to age 5 for the school system and for Easter Seals/United Cerebral Palsy.

So, you can probably see why this article touched me. Seeing the smiles on the children’s faces and the joy they brought to everyone around them is why I love working with children with disabilities. (Be sure to watch the video clip after reading the article).

I hope it blesses you as much as it did me.

I have been listening to some news reports that really leave me with a sadness in my heart. The subject is one that many women deal with daily as they support their husbands in their ministry to pastor a church.

The recent story about the pastor’s wife from Alabama that disappeared after a Living Proof conference in Louisiana is one that is sad and has me wondering if this is a real concern among pastor’s wives as a whole. Obviously, this story and the one in Tennessee are isolated events that should not lead us to point fingers at a wife’s calling to support her husband in this ministry, but I believe we should begin to look at the toll that this takes on the women, and the men that they support, as they put their lives out there for all to question.

I am not the wife of a pastor, so I cannot presume to know what exactly takes place “behind the scenes”. However, I have talked with many pastor’s wives that indicate that this is not an easy road to walk. Listening to people criticize their husband, expecting to fill the duties of a pastor’s wife (nursery worker, organizer, pianist, greeter, supporter, etc.) but most of all the loneliness that is produced by trying to fulfill all these roles (you can’t be everything to everyone) could make anyone wonder “Is this really the way it’s supposed to be?”

What can we be doing differently? How can we support and encourage those that believe this is God’s calling on their lives? My husband and I do not take part in a traditional church setting (we are in fellowship with other believers, but we meet in each other’s homes), but I have many friends that are or used to be a pastor’s wife. I want to be able to encourage them and be a source of comfort (which I can do because I’m not in the system–many families that minister within the traditional church setting find it difficult to get close to others within that same system–but that’s a discussion for another post) If you are within that system, though, what can you do?

• Encourage each other
• Show love
• Seek peace
• Exude Joy
• Pray for one another
• Be transparent
• Be like Jesus

I don’t know the personal situations of the families that we hear of in the news, but I do believe it is a sad commentary for Christians to have a person hiding behind the persona of a pastor’s wife, but dying inside for a lack of true companionship, relationships and love.

May we have our eyes opened to the “person” behind that persona and reach out to them with the love that has been so freely granted to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Normally, I wouldn’t post this type of “rant” on this blog, but I need to vent just a wee bit. I read several blogs at HomeschoolBlogger.com and I came across a post this afternoon that produced feelings of confusion as to how this could happen in the state of NC. Since I do live in this state, I am very concerned as to where this is all leading.

The post brought attention to an article in the News & Observer stating that “the morning after pill will now be sold over the counter in NC”. This in itself is troublesome, the thought of it being so convenient for people to use this as a form of birth control is just mindboggling. But I think what was even more troublesome was the callous attitude toward human life of some of the women being interviewed in support of this action.

“We encourage people to keep [emergency contraception] on hand in case of mistakes,” said Paige Johnson, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, which operates in Chapel Hill and Durham. “When people understand how it works, it’s an ‘aha’ moment. This prevents pregnancy.”

Rebecca, a 24-year-old Raleigh woman who asked that her full name not be used, said she is grateful Plan B was available as a prescription drug a few years ago, when she and her boyfriend had to decide what to do after the condom broke. They went to Planned Parenthood for a prescription. Now it will be easier for women and their partners to have peace of mind if they have unprotected s*x, Rebecca said.
“It’s another preventive step you can take,” she said.

I’m sorry, but wouldn’t a “preventive step” be to abstain? Pregnancy is not a disease or medical condition that we have no control over. We do have a choice in the matter. If you are going to make that choice that coulld produce any doubt that you could become pregnant, then shouldn’t you be responsible for the outcome? Here is yet another reason for women and men to release their responsibility to choices they have made and place their trust in a pill.

What if it doesn’t work? What if the drug has not been researched fully? How could it actually harm the mother and fetus? Could it cause birth defects if it does not work as intended? If so, wouldn’t this produce a whole new set of issues?

This post is really not intended to be in opposition of abortion or birth control, although I do not support them either. My concern is that women are relying on a pill to provide them with the protection and security they believe they need. They are putting their bodies in harm’s way and are tossing aside a life as if it has no meaning. How can we place a creation so wonderful in our own hands?

It makes me sad to realize also that the attitude of our culture is leaning in the direction of taking less responsibilty for our actions. I am trying to raise my son to be responsible and yet the culture is screaming “less responsibility is better”. What do I do with that?

The other thing that troubles me about this attitude is the fact that my husband and I have been trying to conceive a child for the past 2+ years with no results and yet there are people that will toss aside an opportunity to conceive. This is a problem. How many women would love the opportunity to conceive a child and yet, other women are given the control to end a life before it even starts. This is a problem. How can we as a culture, promote or allow this type of behavior?
If I could say one thing to a woman who thinks that this is a good thing, I would say:

Trust God, He is your protector, He will lead you into relationships and choices that honor Him. I know, He did just that for me. There was a time when I would have not given this issue a second thought. God’s grace is there. He wants to offer it to you. It is free and comes with such freedom.

HT: Tami