Weekly round-up {9/5/11}
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What Does Alternative Medicine Have in Common with Biblical Counseling? This article by Ed Welch makes a valid point: if modern medicine met every physical need, alternative medicine wouldn't be as popular as it is. In the same way, biblical counseling can offer something - Jesus - that medicine cannot.
Suffering: How to Steward God's Most Feared Blessing: Suffering? A blessing? It can be.
I've written about the plights of abortion of babies with disabilities, so it shouldn't surprise you that I found this interesting: Half-Aborted, Why Do "Reductions" of Twin Pregnancies Trouble Pro-Choicers? In the past week, I've talked with one friend who has quadruplets who aren't much younger than me, another who has triplet boys who just entered middle school, and another who has twin babies - one girl who is crawling, one boy who is content to wait a bit longer. I am thankful none of those mothers reduced their pregnancies.
Randy Alcorn's review of Why O God?: Suffering and Disability in the Bible and the Church: I haven't read this yet, but it's at the top of my to-be-read-next stack! Another great review that graciously mentions this blog and our church's ministry is this one from my friend Kim, who is also the Director of Family Discipleship at our church.
In this post, a mom and children's ministry volunteer talks about how children's ministry opens doors to your church. People will come to church for the sake of their kids, even if they aren't personally interested in the church scene. For example, we've had a few different family members who had no interest in church until their kids were born and they wanted them baptized as babies, just like each of them had been. This post isn't disability ministry specific, but oh! how it applies.
Ellen at Love That Max talks here about emergency preparedness for kids with disabilities. It's good for us to be mindful that those emergencies that are stressful to us can be much more stressful for people with disabilities and their families. This gives us an opportunity to come alongside them and do life together.
Surviving a stay in the NICU: A guide for parents: This is useful for those of us who may be called to minister to these families as well.
Pasco author takes time with girl losing her sight: Scott Smiley graduated from high school in 1999 and lost his sight in an explosion in Iraq in 2005; Sofia Martinez is nine years old and will be blind in a year as her rare genetic disease progresses. They met this past Thursday.
Motherhood is Application: This isn't about special needs ministry, but (a) there are parallels and (b) I'm a mom, as are many of you. If I quoted all my favorite lines, then I would be reprinting the entire post here. Here's just one paragraph I loved; read it and then go read the rest: "The gospel is not just something to talk about Sunday morning while you are in clean clothes and the kids are looking orderly. It is not limited to quiet times and reflective moods. It is something to apply while you are in a difficult position in the back of the car trying to buckle a child up who is playing the kazoo and needs their nose wiped."
As a Dominican nun, doctor offers unique perspective on stem-cell research: She's a nun. She's also a doctor of internal medicine. And she spoke about stem-cell research at St. Philip Catholic Church in Franklin, TN, last week.
And, as usual, a list of churches committed to welcoming people with disabilities:
Suffering: How to Steward God's Most Feared Blessing: Suffering? A blessing? It can be.
I've written about the plights of abortion of babies with disabilities, so it shouldn't surprise you that I found this interesting: Half-Aborted, Why Do "Reductions" of Twin Pregnancies Trouble Pro-Choicers? In the past week, I've talked with one friend who has quadruplets who aren't much younger than me, another who has triplet boys who just entered middle school, and another who has twin babies - one girl who is crawling, one boy who is content to wait a bit longer. I am thankful none of those mothers reduced their pregnancies.
Randy Alcorn's review of Why O God?: Suffering and Disability in the Bible and the Church: I haven't read this yet, but it's at the top of my to-be-read-next stack! Another great review that graciously mentions this blog and our church's ministry is this one from my friend Kim, who is also the Director of Family Discipleship at our church.
In this post, a mom and children's ministry volunteer talks about how children's ministry opens doors to your church. People will come to church for the sake of their kids, even if they aren't personally interested in the church scene. For example, we've had a few different family members who had no interest in church until their kids were born and they wanted them baptized as babies, just like each of them had been. This post isn't disability ministry specific, but oh! how it applies.
Ellen at Love That Max talks here about emergency preparedness for kids with disabilities. It's good for us to be mindful that those emergencies that are stressful to us can be much more stressful for people with disabilities and their families. This gives us an opportunity to come alongside them and do life together.
Surviving a stay in the NICU: A guide for parents: This is useful for those of us who may be called to minister to these families as well.
Pasco author takes time with girl losing her sight: Scott Smiley graduated from high school in 1999 and lost his sight in an explosion in Iraq in 2005; Sofia Martinez is nine years old and will be blind in a year as her rare genetic disease progresses. They met this past Thursday.
Motherhood is Application: This isn't about special needs ministry, but (a) there are parallels and (b) I'm a mom, as are many of you. If I quoted all my favorite lines, then I would be reprinting the entire post here. Here's just one paragraph I loved; read it and then go read the rest: "The gospel is not just something to talk about Sunday morning while you are in clean clothes and the kids are looking orderly. It is not limited to quiet times and reflective moods. It is something to apply while you are in a difficult position in the back of the car trying to buckle a child up who is playing the kazoo and needs their nose wiped."
As a Dominican nun, doctor offers unique perspective on stem-cell research: She's a nun. She's also a doctor of internal medicine. And she spoke about stem-cell research at St. Philip Catholic Church in Franklin, TN, last week.
And, as usual, a list of churches committed to welcoming people with disabilities:
- one offering a monthly "gentle worship" service, including a shorter length, lower lights, and quieter music, as well as information for those coming from other denominational backgrounds,
- one offering a drive-in style service to allow people with disabilities to stay in their vehicles during church (any thoughts on this? I don't know how this is much different from watching a service from home),
- one that just launched a special needs ministry blog, after beginning a ministry at the church this past November,
- one leading a book club for parents of children with autism, and
- one just beginning a special needs ministry that announced their launch on the church website last Wednesday
- a movement of churches and Christian organizations in Knoxville that are embracing people with disabilities
Finally, I enjoyed this protest sign, found here: