Weekly round-up {8/29/11}

Happy Monday! The last week included feeling the house shake from the Virginia earthquake, prepping for the impact from Hurricane Irene (which was minimal for us, as we pray for those who were hit harder), and participating in the Connecting Church and Home conference in Louisville, Kentucky. While God taught me a lot from each of the circumstances from the past week, I'm looking forward to a quieter and calmer week.

The Gospel and the Oncology Waiting Room: This thoughtful article by Mike Pohlman was a good reminder for me that God's glory is evident in oncology waiting rooms and in other places in which we're face to face with the truths that, "He gives us life and breath and all things, and, therefore, we are utterly dependent creatures; that sin is real and has a million tragic consequences; that pride is ridiculously ugly and meekness wonderfully beautiful; that we are called to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and weep with those who are weeping; that people are either saved or lost; that God’s grace is real, His Son all-sufficient, and through the cross, cancer will one day be no more."

'Deselecting' our children: This article made me want to vomit, beginning with the first paragraph. It describes exulting Danish headlines that declare success in efforts to create "a Down syndrome-free perfect society." This, my friends, is why the church needs to be speaking up in Denmark and here and everywhere else. People with disabilities were created by God and matter to God; the gospel is just as relevant and vital to their lives as ours. Killing babies with disabilities does not make a "perfect society" but rather a warped ones.

From a blog post on Kamping with Autism: "On the other end, where he has a high tolerance for pain, he is VERY sensitive to light and sound. At church there are florecent lights everywhere and Kamp is constantly trying to turn off the lights, which really helps the kids stay reverent. He does this because he can see the constant flicker of the lights. Often, flickers that ”normal” people don’t notice until the bulb is about to go out. We also suspect he can hear the slight hum, again, something most of us don’t hear. He hates when the organ at church is turned on and can’t stand stores that have bright colors. He trys to leave, or just screams until we take him out. When he is bombarded by these things, he goes into sensory overload and – more often than not – it usually ends up in a melt down. He feels REAL physical pain; something I’m just beginning to understand; it must be horrible to have to fight these things every day of his life."

Appropriate Language about People with Disabilities: Best ministry-related post I've seen on this topic!

Sensory What? A post from Jackie Mills-Fernald about how we can support kids in church settings who have sensory dysfunction disorders.

And, to close, news bits about faith groups doing life with people who have special needs: