The Works of God

One of those ways is showing up at conferences related to disability.

A friend of mine and a fellow dad in Alabama let me know about a conference he is attending on special needs ministries – and a couple of his staff ministers are attending with him!  I was encouraged and I don’t even know those men.

Another way is hanging in there with our unusual families.

For the next five weeks Bethlehem is focusing on Spiritual Parenting, and I’m really looking forward to the preaching from five different men.  Their topic isn’t disability and they probably won’t be making many references to disability, but I know their hearts and am grateful they will be filling the pulpit these next weeks.  Here’s why:

David Michael, Pastor for Parenting and Family Discipleship: he supervises the Disability Ministry and we couldn’t have a better, God-centered advocate for families in our situations.  He’s been walking with and advising me for more than a dozen years.

Kempton Turner, Pastor for Young Adult Discipleship: he’s the fellow on the cover of Just the Way I Am and a father of a multiply-disabled boy.  You can hear him preach on this subject of disability and bible here (and I recommend that you do!).

Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Seminary: Dr. Moore isn’t a pastor at Bethlehem, but I had the chance to ask him about his experience with disability a few weeks ago and he has plenty as a pastor.

Bud Burk, Pastor for Child and Youth Discipleship: Pastor Bud loves all the children under his care, ours included, as well as their families.  We had breakfast a few weeks ago to talk about some pretty difficult issues with regards to children with disabilities – and I saw again his heart for wanting all to experience the love of Jesus.

Pastor John finishes up the series on March 20/21.  You already know my affections for him.  If you haven’t listened to his sermon, Born Blind for the Glory of God, please pause now and do so.  You will be encouraged.

God is kind to provide such men in leadership who care about this issue.  May he multiply them in churches around the world.

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Sam Crabtree, one of my pastors, has started a blog at Bethlehem’s web site and talked about a recent turn of events that left him incapacitated for a time.  He was no longer ‘temporarily able-bodied.’

That term, ‘temporarily able-bodied’ shows up now and then in things I read.   Generally it is used to poke at anyone who thinks ‘normal’ physical and mental functioning is, in fact, the norm.  If we live long enough, most of us will experience a loss of function, and eventually we will all die.  Thus, being able-bodied is termed by some to be the temporary state of our lives.

Pastor Sam wrote two blog posts following his hospitalization that firmly state what he hopes in – and it isn’t physical functioning, normal or otherwise.  Here is an example:  

5.    My disappointment in this deteriorating body is soaked with hope. While in the emergency room I looked Vicki in the eyes and quietly said, “I might not be around tomorrow.” Because of Christ, we both know I’ll be around Tomorrow. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.—2 Corinthians 5:8

Disappointment – yes!  We do experience disappointment when our bodies fail us.  Or when we watch our children with disabilities struggle with their  bodies or their minds.

Soaked with hope – yes!  Like the post yesterday of Pastor John’s greeting, we can hope in God (Psalm 42:5) in all circumstances, particularly when things seem at their worst. 

Because of Christ, we both know I’ll be around Tomorrow – yes!  Our current state will be replaced with a great and permanent and increasingly joy-filled eternity with Christ.  But only because of Christ – not through anything we did or could hope to do to earn it.

Paul, writing to the Corinthians, put it this way:  sorrowful, yet always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10). 

Thank you, Pastor Sam, for living like you preach – with integrity, good humor, and deep affections for Jesus.  You are a great encouragement!

You can read his two posts here:  

Eight Ways to Not Waste the Blood Clots on My Lungs, Part 1

Eight Ways to Not Waste the Blood Clots on My Lungs, Part 2

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The man featured yesterday on the cover of Just the Way I Am is Kempton Turner, a pastor at Bethlehem.  God has made him into a remarkable man.

God gave a special gift to my family, which is echoed by all the families with disabled children, when he called Kempton and Caryn and their children to Bethlehem over two years ago.  They are a joy-filled, God-centered couple who fill up our network of families with encouragement in the word and confidence in God.  I count it a privilege to know them.  And I recommend Caryn’s blog as well!

Pastor Kempton was interviewed last year on a local radio station regarding his multiply disabled son and the sovereignty of God.  That interview was included in this week’s Bethlehem Star, our weekly church e-newsletter.

You can read the entire article here.

Here is an excerpt:

So, how are you able to hold up in the midst of such a heavy and painful and life-long trial?
We are not able to “hold up.” We are “held up” by the God of Isaiah 41:10 who says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Jesus, our Creator-Savior, who “holds all things together,” holds us up “by the word of his power”! (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3). Are we sometimes depressed and discouraged? Yes. But we preach the Word to ourselves, “Soul, hope in God!” (Psalm 42:5–6) and God’s word produces a happy hope in our hearts again and again, even unto this day.

So God allowed this (his son to be born with disabilities)?
No, God did it, not just allowed it. The Bible says so in passages like Exodus 4:11, Psalm 139:13, and John 9:3. It was God’s good and purposeful design to create Christian just the way he is for our good and His glory.

Now that’s the way to talk about God!

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