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Introducing Prenatal Partners for Life

June 8, 2010 by John Knight

A personal benefit I’ve experienced while writing for this blog has been heightened attention to what is going on in the church and the world with regards to disability.

But I still miss more than I catch.

So I was glad when Dianne recently heard and shared with me a brief radio announcement for Prenatal Partners for Life, a Minnesota-based, Catholic organization.  They exist to save pre-born babies with disabilities from abortion by focusing on getting parents accurate and helpful information.  Their mission:

Prenatal Partners for Life is dedicated to providing families, either expecting, or those who have just had, a special needs child, the support, information, and encouragement they need to make informed decisions involving their preborn or newborn child’s care.

We believe these children are unique gifts from God and have a special purpose in life that only they can fulfill.

Our goal is to provide honest, practical information about parenting a special needs child by linking expectant parents or new parents of a special needs child with other parents who have had the same diagnosis.

This is all that I know about them at the moment.  If anyone has had experience with them, please leave a comment below.

Dianne and I are thinking about attending their annual benefit to learn more, partly because of videos like this one where they look at disability, suffering and hardship squarely – and affirm that the little children should be allowed to live.

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“Don’t Waste Your Life” – The New York Times

June 7, 2010 by John Knight

Nicholas Kristof writes opinion columns for The New York Times and yesterday covered the subject of his own brush with cancer:

This is trite but also so, so true: A brush with mortality turns out to be the best way to appreciate how blue the sky is, how sensuous grass feels underfoot, how melodious kids’ voices are. Even teenagers’ voices. A friend and colleague, David E. Sanger, who conquered cancer a decade ago, says, “No matter how bad a day you’re having, you say to yourself: ‘I’ve had worse.’ ”

Floyd Norris, a friend in The Times’s business section, is now undergoing radiation treatment for cancer after surgery on his face and neck. He wrote on his blog: “It is not fun, but it has been inspiring. In a way, I am happier about my life than at any time I can remember.”

I don’t mean to wax lyrical about the joys of tumors. But maybe the most elusive possession is contentment with what we have. There’s no better way to attain that than a glimpse of our mortality.

Hezekiah knew what this glimpse felt like.  He was told by Isaiah, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover (Isaiah 38:1).”  But God heard Hezekiah and granted him 15 more years of life.

And Hezekiah understood something had happened beyond just giving him more years of life:

Behold, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but in love you have delivered my life
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
behind your back. Isaiah 38:17

The suffering that resulted in ‘great bitterness’ was for his welfare.  Hezekiah rightly calls it evidence of God’s love.  Most importantly, God cast all Hezekiah’s sins away.

I’m glad that Mr. Kristof’s scare with cancer was just that – a scare.  But will he need another scare in a week or a month or a year to be reminded how to be content?

Paul, writing under divine inspiration, taught us how to remain content no matter what:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13

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Looking forward to disability in heaven

June 6, 2010 by John Knight

Revelation 21 has good news for those called by God:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Not everyone looks forward to being made new.

Dr. Nancy Eiesland, who wrote an influential, frequently-cited book on God and disability, The Disabled God, does not agree that it is good news that all things will be made new.  In an article in Impact, Dr. Eiesland writes about why she hopes she will have her disability in heaven:

As a person with a disability, I could not accept the traditional answers given to my own query of “What is disability?” Since I have a congenital disability, I have had opportunities to hear and experience many of these so-called answers through the years. They included “You are special in God’s eyes, that’s why you were given this painful disability.” Imagine it didn’t seem logical. Or “Don’t worry about your pain and suffering now, in heaven you will be made whole.” Again, having been disabled from birth, I came to believe that in heaven I would be absolutely unknown to myself and perhaps to God. My disability has taught me who I am and who God is. What would it mean to be without this knowledge?

Dr. Eiesland also concluded that God is disabled; that’s a subject for a different post.

I don’t know what our new bodies will be like.  Like most people, I imagine these new bodies will be spectacular.  But the greatest thing isn’t that we will have new bodies.

The greatest thing is we will be in the presence of Jesus without any of our old sin-filled existence dragging on us.  For eternity we will enjoy Jesus purely, without any worry about sinful motives clouding our judgment, drawing our attention away from our Savior, or tempting us to do anything other than what Jesus would have us do, which is enjoy him.

So, I am expecting that none of us, even those who live a disability-free existence in this life, will have any relevant comparison point when we arrive in Jesus’ presence.  Sin has distorted everything in this life:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  Romans 8:19-23

So, as much as I look forward to knowing my Paul without all his disabilities getting in the way, I really look forward to being free of my sin.  And I take Dr. Eiesland’s perspective as a warning that anything can be used to distort our understanding of the age that is to come.

Our physical bodies here will not determine our eternity.  Only God does that, by the work of Jesus Christ.  And Jesus himself has said, “I am making all things new.”

Posted in Book Commentary, Scripture | 1 Comment »

Good news from Isaiah 35

June 5, 2010 by John Knight

Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

Isaiah 35:4-7

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Joni and Friends – New Website!

June 4, 2010 by John Knight

Joni and Friends has completely redone their website and launched it yesterday.  It is now much easier to access their materials, including all of the videos created for Joni and Friends TV.  All of the episodes can be watched online for free and without registration.

And if you didn’t see Joni when she spoke at the Desiring God 2005 National Conference, you can watch it right here!

Posted in News | 1 Comment »

Please Pray for The Retreat

June 3, 2010 by John Knight

The Elisha Foundation’s family retreat for families dealing with disability begins today, June 3.

Would you join me in praying for them these next four days as they seek to serve, provide refreshment for, and grow big affections for God in families experiencing disability?

The Knight family has had the privilege of attending two Joni & Friends Minnesota Camps – we know all about the positive benefits of this kind of retreat!  God’s goodness is reflected in unique and helpful ways during these times away from the normal family routines.

And I am grateful God is raising up more opportunities for families to learn more about God and his good purposes in disability through The Elisha Foundation:

  • Justin Reimer, their Executive Director, loves God and his word
  • Their camp chaplain for the weekend, Paul Martin, believes in and preaches on the sovereignty of God
  • Justin and Paul are both fathers of children with disabilities
  • BBC member and Desiring God Director Matt Perman serves on their board

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John Piper – “Welcome to the seminary of suffering.”

June 2, 2010 by John Knight

On Sunday I had the great privilege of attending the graduation ceremonies for Bethlehem College and Seminary.  It was a God-centered evening that accentuated why I am so grateful to God for this vision of a church-based seminary and college.

One of the graduates recounted how, during their orientation, Pastor John welcomed them all to the ‘seminary of suffering’ that is Bethlehem Baptist Church.

What a picture those words create.  I had never heard that phrase before but immediately liked it.  And Pastor John was right – Bethlehem is full of hurting people.

But not a defeated people.  The suffering is real, and the rejoicing in the power and worth and beauty of Jesus Christ is even more real!

Another student spoke of Pastor Tom Steller, who is the original architect of The Bethlehem Institute which has become Bethlehem College and Seminary.  This student recounted Pastor Tom exhorting them to ‘have a painward ministry.’

Again, what a picture!  And how appropriate to encourage these young men to orient themselves toward pain, for the sake of the people with and to whom they will minister.

I know he means it.  Pastor Tom was the first of Bethlehem’s pastors to walk up my front step the day after our Paul was born, with a note from Pastor John.  These men know what it means to walk into the fire that is human suffering, trusting in God to provide what they will need in that moment.

So I’m grateful to God they are preparing the next generation of young leaders to walk with us as we deal with disability.  The pain is real, we are not always going to be the nicest people with whom to minister, and God uses it all for his glory and for our good.

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Thank you to America’s Disabled Veterans

May 31, 2010 by John Knight

Memorial Day exists to remember those who died in military service.  It is good and right to remember the sacrifices made, and their impact on society as well as individual families.

I think it is also appropriate to recognize all those who are disabled because of their service, a number many times greater than those who die in combat.

The Department of Defense has reported slightly more than 4,400 military deaths in Iraq as of May 28.  Numbers of those disabled in this war are harder to come by.  But as of 2008, about 181,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were receiving disability benefits from the Federal government.

When disability comes, often suddenly and violently, on mostly healthy young men, the response can be one of intense questioning of the goodness and sovereignty of God.

Yet, God’s word demonstrates both his sovereign intentionality in our lives and the opportunity for hope, no matter the situation:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

Nothing ever has or ever will catch God by surprise in our individual lives and circumstances:

In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  Psalm 139:16

And no situation that results in disability, whether from a genetic anomaly, a sickness or disease, an accident or an act of war, has the final word on the glorious reality that awaits those who are trusting in Jesus:

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

So, thank you to all veterans and those currently in active military service.  May Christ’s church welcome you gladly, helping you see the glorious goodness of God in all circumstances.  Especially those of you living with disability because of your service.

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Old Testament reminders that God cares about disability

May 29, 2010 by John Knight

We are working our way through Proverbs at work and came to this verse in Proverbs 31:8:

Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.

None of you will be surprised that I immediately thought of this:

Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exodus 4:11)

And because I had just spoken to some young people on this topic, this verse also came to mind:

You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:14)

I marveled at what God was reminding me of on Thursday morning:

1.  I create, intentionally, some who will live with a disability (Exodus 4:11).

2. I appoint some to protect those who are vulnerable because of their disability (Proverbs 31:8).

3. I remind you that what a blind person cannot see or a deaf person cannot hear, I will both see and hear.  If you are tempted to abuse someone with a disability, fear the one who will repay all wrongs done to them (Leviticus 19:14, Deuteronomy 32:35, Hebrews 10:30-31).

God’s word is amazing.  It is relevant in its entirety and frequently specifically helpful for those of us dealing with disability.

Posted in Scripture | 2 Comments »

Indispensable revisited: I need him more than he needs me

May 28, 2010 by John Knight

Jan’s post from yesterday has been rattling around in my head along with this video that Noel Piper posted on her blog a few days ago:

At about the 1:05 point of the video comes this quote: “I bought into the lie that circumstance defines happiness.”  What a great reminder for those of us dealing with disability!

I need all kinds of reminders.  I could feel some grumbling rising in my spirit yesterday morning as I began to calculate the thousands of times we have already needed to dress Paul.  Everyone else in the family can do that without assistance.

The Lord brought this to mind in that moment:

On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. . . (1 Corinthians 12:22)

“On the contrary,” I could hear the Lord saying to me in my grumbling, “this boy is indispensable to your knowing who I am – and I have done a great deal more for you already than you will ever do for him.”

Then that final phrase in the video came to mind as well, altered a little:  I need Paul more than Paul needs me.

Blind, autistic, small, unable to feed or dress himself, completely dependent on other people for almost everything in his life.  Or put another way, an example of my helplessness before an awesome, holy and just God.  Yet God never gets tired of my dependence on him.  Quite the opposite – I glorify him when I point to how great he is and how much I need him for everything.

Yes, I need Paul more than he needs me.  And I need to trust the Father like my son trusts me.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me this boy!

Posted in commentary, Scripture | 2 Comments »

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