Yesterday I had a real live housewarming party! At one point there where actually 29 bodies of Christ in my living room and 4 wandered in later. Talk about feeling good, loved and cared for—I did!
Someone worked extremely hard to get it all set up and keep it stocked up and then cleaned up!
I really felt good about celebrating this “Forward Step” that has amazed some people, and at the party I received the following gifts (peoples presence was wonderful too):
A base with wheels for my laundry
Basket,
A spice rack,
$5.00 in ones,
Utensils,
Freshener,
Paper towels,
Dark chocolate bars,
Laundry basket,
$50.00 in quarters,
$20.00 bill,
8 cloth kitchen things,
Some white cheddar cheese nips
The day was awesome!
Monday, May 26, 2008
I am facing a huge dilemma. My son who lives with me has several cognitive disabilities. Now, there is only 1 that he focuses on the most and that is being bipolar. He does have another one that he at least knows contributes to his problems and that is that he is brain injured. Now he never mentions the fact that he was declared Educably Mentally Retarded.
He cannot take tests without help for reading and understanding the requested information, but he definitely wants to make a good place for himself in this world to make a very positive statement for others with bipolar that it can be done.
Most importantly, he absolutely hates Church and class or being around Christian people. Why? Because he has always been rejected by normal people in those places.
Look at yourselves and your Churches and see if the same thing is going on there too. I’m certain that it probably is. I know because I have lived all over this nation and I haven’t found one place that it isn’t. I’ve tried everywhere.
So what am I going to do now that I’m disabled too? Talk, that’s all I can do. And leave the rest up to God.
He cannot take tests without help for reading and understanding the requested information, but he definitely wants to make a good place for himself in this world to make a very positive statement for others with bipolar that it can be done.
Most importantly, he absolutely hates Church and class or being around Christian people. Why? Because he has always been rejected by normal people in those places.
Look at yourselves and your Churches and see if the same thing is going on there too. I’m certain that it probably is. I know because I have lived all over this nation and I haven’t found one place that it isn’t. I’ve tried everywhere.
So what am I going to do now that I’m disabled too? Talk, that’s all I can do. And leave the rest up to God.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Who is God?
No one has actually seen God, but EVERYONE has an opinion or thought about who He is and what He does. And people have some very strong opinions.
But let’s turn to God and ask Him. In God’s word (the Bible) God has placed Psalm 139 that explains God quite nicely from a human perspective. So let’s use that because if it wasn’t true then it wouldn’t be in His word. But it is so you know that it’s true.
What does Psalm 139 say?
First of all it asks God to investigate our lives and get all the facts firsthand. It explains that we are an open book to Him and that even from a distance He knows what we are thinking. He knows when we leave and when we get back. We’re NEVER out of His sight. He knows what we are going to say BEFORE we start the first sentence. He’s everywhere. He’s too wonderful to fully accept as a human! There’s nowhere we can go to avoid his Spirit and light and dark are the same to Him.
He knows us inside and out, unmade and made and every bone in our bodies because He sculpted each our mother’s wombs. We should thank Him because He is breathtaking. Our body and soul are wonderfully made by Him and Him alone.
He watched completely as we grew from conception to birth and He prepared all of the days of our lives before we lived even one.
His thoughts are so rare and beautiful that we’ll never comprehend them, more than the sands of the sea!
And the last thing that is that He asks God will investigate him and lead him in the way everlasting.
Now I think that is an awesome picture of who God is and what He does. So who knows and controls everything? The one who developed and planned and knows about everything---God.
No one has actually seen God, but EVERYONE has an opinion or thought about who He is and what He does. And people have some very strong opinions.
But let’s turn to God and ask Him. In God’s word (the Bible) God has placed Psalm 139 that explains God quite nicely from a human perspective. So let’s use that because if it wasn’t true then it wouldn’t be in His word. But it is so you know that it’s true.
What does Psalm 139 say?
First of all it asks God to investigate our lives and get all the facts firsthand. It explains that we are an open book to Him and that even from a distance He knows what we are thinking. He knows when we leave and when we get back. We’re NEVER out of His sight. He knows what we are going to say BEFORE we start the first sentence. He’s everywhere. He’s too wonderful to fully accept as a human! There’s nowhere we can go to avoid his Spirit and light and dark are the same to Him.
He knows us inside and out, unmade and made and every bone in our bodies because He sculpted each our mother’s wombs. We should thank Him because He is breathtaking. Our body and soul are wonderfully made by Him and Him alone.
He watched completely as we grew from conception to birth and He prepared all of the days of our lives before we lived even one.
His thoughts are so rare and beautiful that we’ll never comprehend them, more than the sands of the sea!
And the last thing that is that He asks God will investigate him and lead him in the way everlasting.
Now I think that is an awesome picture of who God is and what He does. So who knows and controls everything? The one who developed and planned and knows about everything---God.
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Love of God
I was washing dishes this morning and I was contemplating about the Love of God. And just within seconds I realized that His Love is huge! All from the creation of everything through the blessing of sending Jesus to bring mankind back to Him! And He just keeps going.
Like Psalm 139 says: there’s nothing, absolutely nothing about each of us that He doesn’t know, yet he loves us!
So how could we complain about anything? With a God that loves us like that, eternity is ours!
I was washing dishes this morning and I was contemplating about the Love of God. And just within seconds I realized that His Love is huge! All from the creation of everything through the blessing of sending Jesus to bring mankind back to Him! And He just keeps going.
Like Psalm 139 says: there’s nothing, absolutely nothing about each of us that He doesn’t know, yet he loves us!
So how could we complain about anything? With a God that loves us like that, eternity is ours!
Monday, May 19, 2008
My 23 year old son, Daniel (or Danny) just moved with my wife from Virginia and took the second bedroom in my apartment to take care of me. Sounds great doesn’t it? It is truly a gift from God. But with every gift there is a responsibility. Like with salvation, faith is our responsibility. And with this one it’s no different. Now it’s not salvation but it is my work for God that He has given me to do.
Daniel has a few differences. First of all, we were probably best friends all of his life until my attack tragically separated us 7 years ago. He is bipolar and on medication. He is brain injured from being hit by a car. And finally he is Educably Mentally Retarded, and he knows it, and is ok with it.
And my responsibility with all of this is to relax, keep trying, pray, trust God and be satisfied with what God gives me rather than what I expect.
Daniel has a few differences. First of all, we were probably best friends all of his life until my attack tragically separated us 7 years ago. He is bipolar and on medication. He is brain injured from being hit by a car. And finally he is Educably Mentally Retarded, and he knows it, and is ok with it.
And my responsibility with all of this is to relax, keep trying, pray, trust God and be satisfied with what God gives me rather than what I expect.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Just as I am…
Probably many of you remember this song that was often sang in Churches. Well, unfortunately, even though we’re in the 21st century, this still isn’t often being done by Christians.
I just today attended a Disabilities Awareness Sunday at my Church. And people with various disabilities were doing EVERYTHING, just as they are. And I had to wonder: Why aren’t they doing this all the time? Why just on a Disabilities Awareness Sunday and then never again until next year?
What does that say about normal people? I think that says that normal people don’t easily accept people with disabilities, and that is a huge let down for me because everyone in my family is disabled!
Where do we go from here? The decision is clearly yours. But while you’re thinking about this OR blowing this aside, I am here to say that Christ truly gave his life for them too. And the love that we feel for and show each other should be coming from you too.
Probably many of you remember this song that was often sang in Churches. Well, unfortunately, even though we’re in the 21st century, this still isn’t often being done by Christians.
I just today attended a Disabilities Awareness Sunday at my Church. And people with various disabilities were doing EVERYTHING, just as they are. And I had to wonder: Why aren’t they doing this all the time? Why just on a Disabilities Awareness Sunday and then never again until next year?
What does that say about normal people? I think that says that normal people don’t easily accept people with disabilities, and that is a huge let down for me because everyone in my family is disabled!
Where do we go from here? The decision is clearly yours. But while you’re thinking about this OR blowing this aside, I am here to say that Christ truly gave his life for them too. And the love that we feel for and show each other should be coming from you too.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Debbie and Danny just left. The time of reunion was very relaxed and extremely helpful. In other words, it was all that I had hoped it would be.
What I saw was that there had been a great deal of personal love shown in my family; I saw it in Debbie and Danny, and I was pleased, not just in myself for doing it but mostly in God for keeping it a reality through all that has happened to me.
The thing that scares me the most in expecting Danny to take care of me! Now it’s very true that I have been successful at living on my own for a month. But there have been plenty of times when I only did something because there was no one else TO call and NOW there’ll be someone TO call. Do I think that I will? Yes. Do I think that he’ll always like it? No and neither do I, but I am handicapped and I can’t make everything start and end pretty.
Do I think that we’ll have some impressive times? You had better bank on it!
What I saw was that there had been a great deal of personal love shown in my family; I saw it in Debbie and Danny, and I was pleased, not just in myself for doing it but mostly in God for keeping it a reality through all that has happened to me.
The thing that scares me the most in expecting Danny to take care of me! Now it’s very true that I have been successful at living on my own for a month. But there have been plenty of times when I only did something because there was no one else TO call and NOW there’ll be someone TO call. Do I think that I will? Yes. Do I think that he’ll always like it? No and neither do I, but I am handicapped and I can’t make everything start and end pretty.
Do I think that we’ll have some impressive times? You had better bank on it!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
I just had to tell you this. I’ve been thinking a lot, and I’ve been thinking about my wife. She truly makes me happy! And here I am, a man who physically can not smile being very happy inside! I know that is a blessing from God.
We have both had our problems but we’re sol-mates meaning she will be my wife and I will be her husband for as long as we both shall live. And that’s the way that God want’s it. And I like that.
We have both had our problems but we’re sol-mates meaning she will be my wife and I will be her husband for as long as we both shall live. And that’s the way that God want’s it. And I like that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
