Tag: disability

January ramblings

by James, posted in Uncategorized

So, I’m a little behind with this month’s blog post. I struggled with a bit of writers block. I guess it comes from spending a lot of time in final book things. I had a couple topics, but they require a little more brain power than I could muster!

Some of the block was because January was another rough month in our house. For me, it started our with making my fourth trip from Colorado to southern Iowa in as many months. It was also the second funeral I have officiated in four months. Then we all got sick. We did not get tested, but from the symptoms I am sure we had Covid. I am not sure if we got it from Ben’s class or if I brought it back from Iowa.

The biggest disappointment from this month was canceling Daniel’s VNS surgery. The week we were all sick was the week the surgery was scheduled. The reality is we are not alone. The nurse made it sound like they cancel as many surgery’s as they actually complete right now.

This was the third time we had to cancel the surgery. Two were because Daniel was sick. The second time was different. He was exposed to a Covid positive child two hours into the school day after thanksgiving.

This has been on my mind a lot lately. A special needs classroom often has students with compromised immune systems. Yet it was another special needs parent who sent their child to school before their Covid test results came back.

Now I know their are extenuating circumstances. I doubt these parents meant any harm. To me, it is more indicative of the state our country is in. We have lost the ability, as a whole, to care about others. The idea of putting others first is foreign to many, even in the church. Covid has brought it to light in a major way. Personal rights, wants and desires have taken place of caring enough for others to put them first.

It’s sad that so many have lost the ability to think of others. For families like mine, who already fight for our kids, this is one more dangerous hurdle to overcome.

I have a challenge for February. I challenge all my readers to take this month to be conscious about how we really love others. Not just our family, but the people we encounter every day. How do you treat the cashier at the grocery store? The waitress? Our coworkers?

When our time on earth is done and the Lord calls us home, what will people say? Will they praise you with stories about how you lived and loved? Or will they struggle to find anything nice to say?

We are in control of the legacy we leave. So what kind of legacy are you building?

The Other Project

by James, posted in Ministry

I promised an update on the other project I have been working on. So here it is,

I wrote a book!

Well, to be honest, I finished one of the two I have been working on. I was waiting to get a good idea of when it will be published before writing this. That has not quite gone as I had planned. 

A couple weeks ago I found out I missed an important part of the timeline, so I had in my head it would be finished sooner than possible. I also found out we had a substantial setback in the process, which delayed the publication date by a couple months.

I was frustrated at first, but this may be a blessing. Everyone is pushing to get their book in stores by the Christmas. So instead of potentially getting lost in the crowd, mine will be in print after the rush has died down. God had a better time in mind than I did.

So what is it about? Disability ministry of course. I think the best way to sum it up is with a few sentences taken from the introduction.

“My wife is constantly telling me to not reinvent the wheel. Then one day I was struck with the overwhelming idea that maybe, just maybe, we have to reinvent the wheel. One morning I was sharing a thought I had with my wife on reinventing the wheel. Over the course of the discussion she shared something she noticed. I know the “how” of special needs ministry and can share that with ease, but the why is another story. Her take was if more pastors, elders and congregations knew why having a disability ministry was so important, they would be more willing to support that ministry to its fullest extent. That conversation got me to thinking about the why.”

The how is easy for many of us in disability ministry. The why is, not so much. The book is about the why. Why it matters to Christ, the church, and the family.

Now the next big question. When will it be available? I wish I had a good answer, but right now I do not. Best guess at the moment is mid to late February, based on the amount of time the setback delayed things. Right now the editor has it for the first round of editing. It will go through a second round before going to the production stage.

I will share more when the publisher starts the production work!