The Works of God

On Thursday Paul had a letter in his backpack from the Superintendent asking parents to contact legislators about public financing for Saint Paul schools.  The whole letter can be found here.

I had one of those moments of just shaking my head as I read these sentences:

We are required by law to provide special education services.  Freezing special education funding without reducing services amounts to an additional cut of $3 million.

This money will have to be made up from our general fund. The likely result of this cut will be increasing class sizes and the elimination of all day kindergarten.

Ok, where do we begin with what’s wrong with this?  I’ll just stick with two.

First, this is a false dilemma.  The Saint Paul Public School budget for the 2010-11 academic year is $623 million, and they began the year with a $59 million fund balance. They have numerous options for how money can be moved around, spent or not spent.  To assert that because their hands are tied in one area means they have only one option in another is simply not true.

Second, the superintendent is pitting the needs of students with disabilities against typically-developing students.  There was a reason why she chose those two groups of children. Read those above sentences from the superintendent again.  It could also read this way: if we could, we would take money away from children with disabilities and make sure we have programs for students who really deserve it.

Frankly, I don’t know if St. Paul Public Schools needs more money or not, if they spend too much money on special education or not, or need all day kindergarten or not.  So I’m not going to comment on the merits of what she was asking parents to do.

But these subtle statements about being handcuffed by laws governing special education just feed the cultural disdain for people with disabilities.  ‘They’ are expensive, less worthy than others, and interfering with our plans.

I hope for better from public officials, especially those working in institutions dedicated to serving children.

But, it is a reminder there is lasting hope only in the One who has regard for those who are considered lesser in this present age.  And he speaks a blessing on those who have regard for the weak:

Blessed is the one who considers the poor (or weak)! Psalm 41:1a

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On Tuesday Dianne and I concluded our talks on God’s goodness to us through disease and disability to the MOMS Group (Making Our Mothering Significant) at Bethlehem’s three campuses.

I learned a few things in this process.

1. I really, really appreciate my wife (ok, I didn’t learn that one – I already appreciated her!).  We’ve never done anything like this together and I enjoyed doing this with her.
2. It is good to remember what God has already done for us.  And very personally encouraging.
3. Dianne tells our story differently than I tell it, and it seems to land on people with a different kind of power and evidence of God’s goodness.  I liked that.
4. I love my church (ok, I knew that one as well.  But being at the north campus with those sisters in faith was just incredibly great!).
5. Disability really is foreign (and scary) to some people.  It used to be foreign to me, so that should be obvious.  But I forget that.
6. Christian hedonists don’t need to know much about disability to ‘get it’ that God is sovereign over disability.  That’s refreshing.
7. We must keep telling our stories about God’s goodness in disability, and point out how God talks about disability and his sovereignty in his Word.  This particular aspect of God’s sovereignty – that he is both sovereign and good in disability – is worth visiting over and over again.

Thank you, MOMS, for letting us be with you!

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I’ve been enjoying reading a new blog, The Works of God Displayed.  Thank you, Shannon, for leaving a comment and a link to your blog!

We share some values, like this statement from her blog a few days ago:

If you want to minister to and with people with special needs, I don’t suggest that you study disabilities first.  Study people instead.

Become a student of your families. Ask questions about strengths and weaknesses, about what the person does and doesn’t respond well to. Don’t make assumptions based on what you know about the disability; learn all you can about the person. . .

All of the books and methods and strategies out there recommending formulaic ministry are missing one truth: Jesus didn’t use formulas. He loved people. 

Shannon has an MAEd in Special Education, which is obviously helpful in thinking about a disability ministry.  But she also recognizes that God provides help for those he calls:

While my background helps and while I know other special needs ministry coordinators with similar backgrounds, it’s not necessary. Because, experienced or not, it’s God who is ultimately in control. If we truly believe that there is a biblical basis for special needs ministry, then we also can believe that God is able to provide and equip the right person to lead it at your church.

I frequently reference 1 Corinthians 12:22 here (On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable) and usually I’m referring to those who live with disability, especially developmental disabilities.

But I would suggest it also refers to people who don’t feel qualified to be in this ministry for any number of reasons: lack of experience or education, unfamiliarity with disability, the fear of doing or saying something wrong, prior bad or difficult experiences.

Most people feel entirely unequipped to be part of this ministry.  Yet, that’s who God delights to equip!  It shows him to be even more glorious when he takes scared, inexperienced, uneducated people who trust him, and then they frequently develop deep affections for the people God has called them to serve.

And those same unequipped people frequently discover this secret – they are served as well, often believing they are the ones getting the greater blessing!

Of course, he also delights in those who seriously prepare themselves for their vocations through education and professional engagement – and who ultimately trust in him to provide what they need as they serve.  God will always know a whole lot more than anyone ever will about disability and his purposes.

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