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Archive for the ‘Scripture’ Category

God isn’t surprised by disability, or anything else.

Posted in Scripture, Sermons on November 1, 2011| 1 Comment »

Well-meaning preachers and writers will suggest that God never ’causes’ disability, but when disability shows up he is ready and able to do something about it.  I believe that most who say and write such things are hoping to protect God from being accused of doing bad things.

But God takes credit for even worse things than disability.  Like initiating the death of his own son.

And he does it for his glory and our eternal good.

Pastor John’s sermon on Sunday, Jesus Died to Gather the Children of God, landed with unusual power and helpfulness on our family.  The connections to God’s sovereignty – for our good – in really hard things was everywhere, like in the following (emphases in bold are mine):

Caiaphas prophesied (in John 11:49-52), that is, he spoke God’s words, and God said: “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” God said that. “Better that Jesus die.”Better. “Better than any other plan in the universe.” This is what God said.

Therefore, the death of Jesus was not mainly a tragic set of events which God turned for our good. It was a loving set of events which God planned for our good. God himself served the death warrant on his own Son. He did not just predict it. He unleashed it. This word of prophecy tracked Jesus down into Gethsemane and put him under arrest. There was no escape. This was the word of God. “It is better that he die.”

Pastor John concludes the sermon with five applications, of which this is the first:

Be strong in the face of hard times and seeming defeat, because God is not simply watching and waiting to turn it all for good. He is in it from the beginning planning it for your good.

From the outside, the words of Caiaphas simply looked like a hostile human plan that would bring the Messiah to ruin. But from inside, John shows us that the very words of execution were not just the words of Caiaphas, but God’s words— and God had a totally different plan for these events that anyone could see. And so it will be in your life, again and again. You will see the outside. It will look hostile and destructive. Inside God is at work—for your good.

Don’t judge by appearances. Trust the sovereign planning of God for your good. He gets many victories through apparent defeats.

God is never surprised, nor is he ever defeated.  The best plan ever initiated by God looks like total failure, for a season.  But everything, including disability, will work for your good and my good.  Eventually we will see that clearly, and we will praise him for eternity for it.

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Disability encourages missions

Posted in News, Scripture on October 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »

A few weeks ago I wrote a post for Desiring God expressing my gratitude that God has helped me to see that disability ministry is not in competition with other good things God is doing in the church.

But more recently I’ve been seeing evidences that God uses disability to encourage cross-cultural missions:

  • On Sunday we prayed for a family who are following God’s call for them to use their interpretation gifts for deaf people in Asia.  They have served our deaf members at Bethlehem for several years.
  • During Bethlehem’s missions emphasis Sundays, I saw the picture of a young woman who previously served as a sign language interpreter at Bethlehem who now serves in that capacity in South America.
  • Several friends from Bethlehem were part of a Joni & Friends short-term missions trip to Africa earlier this year.
  • The Elisha Foundation is exploring how to serve in Eastern Europe.  Justin (TEF’s executive director) and Tamara Reimer spent a couple weeks in the Ukraine this summer.  And their most recent update indicates other countries might be open to them!

My first reaction when encountering disability in my own family was to get really focused on me.  But when God lifts our eyes to see Jesus, he helps us see other things as well – like the needs of our brothers and sisters with disabilities in other parts of the world.  I find God’s ability to do that simply amazing!

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)

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Who gives us strength? The Creator who NEVER grows weary!

Posted in Scripture on October 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
(Isaiah 40:28-29 ESV)

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Read it again! “What is God sovereign over?” by Justin Taylor

Posted in Scripture on October 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I know most of you already follow Justin Taylor’s blog, Between Two Worlds.

But this short collection of verses on God’s sovereignty is worth reading again even if you caught it yesterday: What Is God Sovereign Over? 

Another member at Bethlehem, Phil Norris, has created a whole blog dedicated to God’s sovereignty as expressed in his Word.  Appropriately he has titled it God’s Good, Great & Awesome Sovereignty in His Own Words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Are you at the end of your strength?

Posted in Scripture on October 14, 2011| 2 Comments »

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.

But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

(2 Corinthians 1:8b-9 ESV)

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Looking deeper into the Word has benefits

Posted in commentary, Scripture on October 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

The journals I review on disability and theology are frequently disappointing because the authors don’t work very hard at understanding the scriptures.

Pastor John recently gave a chapel talk on that very subject, pointing out that laziness is frequently a better explanation for the conclusions people come to rather than ‘courageous’ insight.

But one writer, the parent of two children with disabilities, posted an article in The Journal of Religion, Disability and Health that produced some interesting insights because she worked harder to see and understand what God may be doing in a particularly difficult text: Leviticus 21:16-23.

Entitled Disability as Enacted Parable, Jennifer Cox concludes this about the Biblical text (paragraph format is mine):

People with disabilities are not different from people without disabilities in that each desires meaning and purpose in his or her life.  Many, no doubt, seek to make sense of the difficulties they face as a person with a disability.

If disability can be understood as having a positive purpose in Leviticus 21:16-23 there is no reason that disability cannot have a positive purpose in the present.

Many people with disabilities may be understood as living out an enacted parable that “speaks” a word from God to the world. Such a “word” would have far more impact when lived out in the life of a person with a disability than a word that is simply spoken.

Jennifer Anne Cox, “Disability as Enacted Parable” in The Journal of Religion, Disability and Health, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 2011, p. 252.

I agree with that conclusion!  My son has no spoken spiritual language, but God is glorified in his life in some really unexpected and unusual ways.  God has used him, and others with disabilities of all kinds, to have impact on my life and the life of the church.

I didn’t agree with everything in the Cox article, but I appreciated her engagement with the Word itself, and how it took her to an interesting, positive conclusion about God’s work in the world through disability.

Ironically, in the same issue of that journal, another writer dismisses Leviticus 21:16-23 in a few sentences, even indicting God at several points.  I know doing things like that can ‘feel’ courageous, but the contrast with the Cox article simply made this other writer look lazy.  This same writer also dismisses passages like Mark 2 (the healing of the paralytic) with a single sentence.  Why this is considered good scholarship is a little bewildering.

So, the discipline that Jennifer Cox brought was not because of her editors.  But, Lord willing, maybe that contrast will be noticed by others who will then be encouraged to dig deeper, question their own biases and motives (rather than easily and quickly believe they can understand God’s motives), and pray for discernment and insight.

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God deliberately does what is counter-intuitive

Posted in Quotes, Scripture on October 8, 2011| 1 Comment »

I have been reading a little treasure of great thinkers and preachers and writers on the subject of death – and experienced wonderful encouragement!  O Love that Will Not Let Me Go: Facing Death with Courageous Confidence in God is a fantastic collection of works by names like Piper, Keller, Owen, Edwards, Luther, Spurgeon and Calvin, all brought together by Nancy Guthrie.

It is full of God-centered gems of truth, helping put language to things my family has experienced and probably yours has as well.

Like this one on why God deliberately calls weak, hurting people to reach out to other weak, hurting people:

One of the great lessons I learned through my illness is that God will frequently call us to come alongside others who are facing the same circumstance we are.  I call it “incarnational illness.” God deliberately intersects our lives with the hurting at the very moment when we hurt. Why does he do this? Because he knows that weakness is the perfect soil for growing dependence in him.  Stripped of our own gifts and resources, we are perfectly positioned to trust him.

John Eaves, “A Witness in the Way We Die,” in O Love that Will Not Let Me Go, edited by Nancy Guthrie, p. 75.

John Eaves’ God-centered illustration drew me back to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, and encouraged me to rejoice in a wonderful truth – our weakness allows Christ to look even more glorious!

But he (the Lord) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV).

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God just continues to pour out hope through his Word!

Posted in commentary, Scripture on October 6, 2011| 1 Comment »

Reading through the Bible isn’t like reading other books.  I have a certain anticipation about what God might reveal.  Some days that takes work.

And then some days God simply says – enjoy!

I don’t have anything new or insightful in what follows.  I just soaked in God’s goodness in Ephesians 3:7-21 and invite you to do the same.  Here’s a little of what I saw:

  1. His free gift of grace.
  2. The fact that he created all things – like a little boy with multiple disabilities
  3. We have access to the Lord of all the universe!
  4. He strengthens us.
  5. He is doing things beyond what we ask – or even think!

There’s more to enjoy, and I’ve included the full text below.

Yes, “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!”

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

(Ephesians 3:7-21 ESV)

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Helpful, but not the answer

Posted in News, Scripture on October 4, 2011| 1 Comment »

Thank you to @snappin_min who pointed me to @lovethatmax who linked to a study that was just released by the American Journal of Medical Genetics.

Brian Skotko has made his career working with families and children dealing with Down syndrome, and I’m very glad he has.  Once again, he has partnered with other researchers looking at various medical, social and cultural issues related to Down syndrome.  This time he and his collaborators were looking at the quality of life in families with a child who has Down syndrome.  Their findings are encouraging and have been reported in the article, “Having a son or daughter with Down syndrome: Perspectives from mothers and fathers.”  (Kudos to the American Journal of Medical Genetics for making this article available online for free!)

  • 99% reported loving their child with Down syndrome.
  • 79% report their outlook on life is more positive because of their child with Down syndrome.
  • Only 11% reported the child with Down syndrome was putting a strain on the marriage – exactly the same number who reported their children without Down syndrome were straining a marriage.

Articles like this are so important because women frequently report a negative bias on the part of their health providers when a diagnosis is first made.  Abortion is frequently anticipated by medical professionals before a conversation has even begun.  Expectant mothers are too frequently told the worst case scenario rather than given a fully-informed view based on the actual experiences of families who have a child with Down syndrome.

Dr. Stotko’s newest study is designed to help provide better information to both families and health care providers.

But, while helpful, this study is not the answer.  Those who make the case that families shouldn’t have to take on the ‘burden’ of parenting a child with Down syndrome will probably point to the following:

  • The average household income of people who responded was more than double the national average, suggesting these families have more financial means to deal with issues related to disability than a typical family.
  • Those reporting a connection to the Catholic church are over-represented in this study (34% of study participants vs. 24% of Americans as a whole); the Catholic church supports babies being allowed to live.
  • 88% of families in this study are married; only 4% reported being divorced (other categories were widowed, single, and living with partner).

Hardest of all, 4% of respondents regretted having their child with Down syndrome.  We should all hurt for those families – they need help.

But possibly the most limiting thing is the reliance on reports of feelings.  We all know that feelings can change, both for the positive or the negative.  And we know that we frequently need to preach to ourselves to remember the truth, to make sure that our fickle feelings don’t guide us down a dangerous path.

The truth is this: God knows the ends from the beginnings (Isaiah 46:8-11); makes all things turn out for good for his elect (Romans 8:28); and supplies every need (Philippians 4:19).  We can trust him when nothing else makes sense.

So, let us use studies like this to help save babies and encourage families!  But let us do so carefully.

For that 4% who live with regret about the life of their child with Down syndrome, let us pray for them and reach out to them with the truth that is far more glorious than their limited experiences.  And we can boldly yet humbly guide others as we have been guided, including health professionals, toward the truth and the certainty of the sufficiency and glory of Jesus Christ.

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God helps me through contrasts

Posted in commentary, Scripture on September 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »

As God has done many times for me, I was confronted by two contrasting views of God’s sovereignty over just a few hours.  One view was in a memoir by a parent about her child with disabilities; the other was an email from a dear family.

The memoir includes all the things we parents of children with disabilities understand: shock, anger, despair, contemplation, surprise, delight.  But there is a lingering assertion throughout: God, explain yourself in ways that make sense to how I want you to be.

The email from our friends came with news about a new and difficult diagnosis for their child. The options are limited; the side effects of some medications are incredibly hard to bear.  And there was a strong affirmation throughout: God, you are who you say you are, and we trust you.

The contrast was good for me.  One thought hard about experiences.  The other thought hard about scripture, and interpreted the experience in light of God’s word.

There are many things God chooses not to reveal.  But he did reveal the most important thing, the most beautiful thing, the most necessary thing – Jesus.  What God reveals in his word and when he grants us faith in Jesus, we know his goodness and love and mercy and wrath and kindness are so certain we can join with Paul in proclaiming:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

(Romans 11:33-36 ESV)

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