Posted in commentary on December 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »
If you haven’t heard the story of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Mounce before, you simply must watch the below video. What a beautiful picture of ‘this momentary marriage‘ – I want to be like this man!
Much thanks to Justin Taylor for posting this video a couple of days ago. Be sure to read the comments with Justin’s post; Joni also offers an encouraging word!
Posted in commentary on December 5, 2011| 1 Comment »
Mars Hill has created a whole series of short videos on the theme: The Rebel’s Guide to Joy.
I particularly enjoyed this one on Fanny Crosby, the prolific hymn writer who lived with blindness nearly her entire life:
Posted in commentary, News on December 3, 2011| 1 Comment »
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
(Psalm 139:14 ESV)
In August when Paul was in the hospital and hooked up to several different kinds of monitors, I had the chance to see his brain fire with activity even though he looked entirely out of it. This was especially true when his mother and his sister talked to him.
We all realized there is a lot going on in that head of his even when he couldn’t show it or respond to us.
I just finished reading an astonishing article on that subject: A Drug That Wakes the Near Dead in the New York Times Magazine.
There is no reference to God or spirituality in this article, but I found myself worshipping our God who creates and sustains such an elaborate mechanism as the brain. There is some amazing stuff in this article.
And some hard things, including reminders that parents are frequently the first and last protectors of their children with disabilities, including adult children. Things change in families that experience disability:
The Coxes have surrounded themselves with a new group of friends — other parents with children like Chris. The families in this informal group share strategies and trade information on emerging research and experimental treatments. They also talk of weariness and isolation. “At the end of the day, you feel like you’re a thousand years old,” Judy says. “And you have no idea how you’re going to get up and do it all over again tomorrow.”
Actually, I do have an idea, and I hope you do as well:
I have forgotten what happiness is;
so I say, “My endurance has perished;
so has my hope from the LORD.”
Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
(Lamentations 3:17-24 ESV)
Posted in commentary on December 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I don’t do political endorsements on this blog, so please don’t assume that’s the reason I’m recommending the clip below of Rick Santorum. It was just good to see a dad talk about his love for his daughter with disabilities, even though his feelings didn’t begin that way.
The clip is about six minutes long. If you only have two minutes, skip forward to the 3:45 mark.
Posted in commentary on December 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
If people weren’t asleep in my house when I read Darren Carlson’s post from Monday, I think I would have stood up and cheered! Maybe I should have anyway – this was something worth celebrating.
Darren is President of Training Leaders International and he and his wife are expecting a child in a few months. He wrote on Monday about receiving some hard news about their baby.
He observed that the doctor immediately stopped referring to their baby as a child, and started referring to this little one as a fetus.
A fetus that could be terminated.
Thankfully, the doctors were wrong and their little one is developing normally.
But more thankfully, the news didn’t change how Darren and his wife understood their baby: “in our eyes, nothing had changed.” It is clear, this baby would be welcomed into their family.
Thank you, Darren, for sharing your story! May every father and mother respond this way to such news!
Posted in commentary, Prayer Requests on November 29, 2011| 1 Comment »
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.
(Psalm 86:6-7 ESV)
A little boy we know is having exploratory surgery today. He lives with a persistent condition that is as yet undiagnosed.
His parents are wonderful; I’ve known the mom since she was a girl. The boy’s grandparents are pillars of faith, grace, mercy and hospitality. What God did through them for us cannot be measured.
All of them grieve over the pain this little boy lives with.
And the thing they wanted on Monday night was prayer. And we wanted to pray with them.
It really is amazing what God does through praying with other people. The one constant in every prayer was a cry for help, recognizing weakness in ourselves and clinging to promises.
Tears flowed. The sorrow is real.
After we finished praying, we talked and laughed and simply enjoyed each other. What a gift authentic friendship is.
And that friendship is fueled by going hard after God through suffering.
Yes, it is good to experience 2 Corinthians 6:10 with other people and live with gratitude to God for all things: as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
Posted in commentary, News on November 28, 2011| 20 Comments »
It happened again, this time in Australia.
A woman was advised that one of her twins would have serious medical issues, so she decided to abort that twin.
The hospital made a mistake during the procedure. The twin without medical issues was killed. And then the other twin was also aborted.
It has also happened in Italy and the United States. Here are the headlines for each:
Australia: Hospital kills wrong baby, aborts twin.
Italy: Italian police to investigate abortion of wrong twin
United States: Doctor loses license after aborting wrong twin
Every headline is mistaken. There is no ‘wrong’ twin in any of these circumstances. Only helpless unborn babies, every one of them.
The only reason any of these babies was chosen to be aborted was because of potential disabling conditions.
The answer isn’t better medical tests or more specific hospital guidelines, but changed hearts that rush to help mothers and babies rather than destroy them.
And where were the fathers?
Lord, please, change our hearts for the sake of the little ones!
Posted in commentary, News on November 27, 2011| 3 Comments »
Regions Hospital has announced that it is closing the GYN Special Services Clinic as of December 9. This clinic performed abortions within the Regions Hospital complex off of downtown Saint Paul.
Of course this is good news – one less facility to kill our babies is always good news.
There is another reason to rejoice. The ‘clinic’ was located in the same complex as one of the best medical facilities in the world for children with disabilities. Gilette Children’s Hospital is also located in the Regions Hospital complex. For more than 100 years they have been serving children with many different kinds of disabilities. We have used their clinics and have received excellent care.
How many children with disabilities – the kinds that are treated effectively by Gilette Children’s – were aborted over the years at Regions?
No longer after December 9, thanks be to God.
Planned Parenthood was asked their opinion of this closure:
Planned Parenthood is not troubled by Regions’ decision, said spokeswoman Jen Aulwes. “Regions notified us about this several months ago,” she said. “We are not concerned. Women will still have access to the full range of services as they need them.”
I thought that phrasing was strange – ‘not troubled.’ Isn’t that like asking McDonalds if they are troubled when a mom-and-pop burger joint goes out of business? Planned Parenthood will obviously get more referrals now. And their new ‘clinic’ off of University Avenue, conveniently located on the new light rail line and several major bus routes, will be ready for those referrals soon.
I assume the reporter was wondering if they were troubled that their own abortion business could be at risk of closing. I’m afraid they aren’t that worried about it at present.
Lord willing, someday they will be.
Posted in commentary on November 25, 2011| 7 Comments »
Paul has his nights and days backward again, and his medications already make him sleepy. So, he slept through the Thanksgiving gathering.
But he was in the middle of it!
His cousin, who is also multiply disabled, seemed to enjoy everything, however.
God is good.
And our family patriarch enjoyed himself as well!
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers (Proverbs 17:6 ESV).
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6-7 ESV).
The Works of God 
It’s nice – even convicting – to hear that people include us because they are pursuing their own happiness in God
Posted in commentary, Helpful things, Quotes on December 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes I am tempted to think in terms of what the church ‘should’ do for its weaker members because of disability. The old legalist in me finds that line of thinking comfortable. You can measure what the church ‘should’ be doing.
But I received a good reminder yesterday from the pastor I referenced for my Desiring God blog post this week. He’s a godly man and I like him a great deal.
He reminded me that there’s something better than meeting a legal requirement to serve – the call to joy! Pastor Chris reminded me he doesn’t serve Kristina out of reluctant obligation, but out of the benefits he receives and likes, for himself and his church:
I believe it; I’ve been in his church and seen Kristina work a room. She doesn’t care one bit about economic standing, physical ability, age, race or anything else when it comes to sharing her affections!
And it’s nice to see leaders understand that she may live with complicated disabilities, but she is all gift to the body of Christ, from God himself.
The same God who commands us to pursue our joy in him!
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