My post this week for Desiring God was heavy, and was prompted by an email from a young staff member who had stumbled across North Carolina’s eugenics program and couldn’t believe it was possible in the United States. Yet, it happened. He thought people needed to know.
My next post for Desiring God, at least as conceived today, will be about the role of church leaders in supporting the eugenics movement of the early 1900’s and the abortion movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It feels even heavier. It is a horrible, shameful part of the history of the church in the United States.
But not one without hope. There have always been good men who stood on the promises of the Bible rather than follow the latest intellectual or social movements of the day, and who then attempted to lead their people well. Most of them we will never hear about.
Over the past several days I’ve heard from Christian men in missions in Africa and Asia, and several pastors or leaders in the United States, all of whom are doing hard things for the sake of their people. In every case, it was a ‘small’ thing that nobody will ever hear about, except for the people they are engaging. But it might change everything for those people. All are connected to disability in some way.
They do it because of Jesus. I love these men.
I know it is just a burden on me, but I invite you into it, to pray for our leaders, that God will give them strength and joy in all that they do in serving us.
And I pray that we can be a joy to them, even when we need to ask for something to serve our members with disabilities. I know I can be hard on people when it comes to services for my son. But I’d rather be known for my reasonableness (Philippian 4:5), and I need God’s help for that. And it would be even greater for the entire community of people experiencing disability and their loved ones to be known for our love toward those who serve us.
And our respect:
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
(1 Timothy 5:17 ESV)
I hope you will join me in prayer.
The Works of God 
Yes, John, I have been praying a similar prayer for the leaders at my church and all around the world, that I and others with disabilities (& or families) would be a joy to those who are working hard in the Lord to serve the “least of these”. I’m glad to hear of these whom you are aware who are reaching out to the “unknown” places. It’s good to join with you and others in prayer with the very passion God has placed in my heart.