Two of the biggest interests for me are the Bible and disabilities. When those two things come together, II am happy. That’s why I enjoyed Disability in the Hebrew Bible. Things can get complicated when […]
Disability in the Hebrew Bible – Review
Tag: Disabilities
Did Disabilities Win the Game of Thrones?
I found the final episode of Game of Thrones interesting on a number of levels. One of those was the way disabilities were portrayed, not just throughout the series, but in the conclusion. NOTE: SPOILERS […]
Reflections on a Recent Funeral
I recently did a funeral for a member of our church named Dianne. I didn’t know Dianne well, as her health didn’t allow her to attend much since I became the pastor. I did know […]
Redefining Perfect – Review
When a couple begins to have children, at least in the back of their mind, they are hoping for the “perfect” family. But what happens when a child is born with or an adult acquires […]
Good News: A Pastor Who Cares
Our son Logan has started attending a church in the city where his group home is. I have mentioned this before and we are thankful. I care as a father but I can also see […]
Disabling Mission, Enabling Witness – Review
I recently read Enabling Mission, Enabling Witness by Benjamin T. Conner and I absolutely loved it. I am currently doing some research into disability and theology and this book just got me more excited about […]
How Apologetics Intersects With My Interest in Disabilities
Two of the areas that I write on the most are Christian apologetics and disabilities. This makes sense. My faith journey includes a period of atheism and I am a skeptic by nature. In addition, […]
What Our Church Does For Disability Ministry
When people find out that I’m interested in disabilities, I often get asked what we do at our church for disability ministry. Like myself, people are always look for ideas. So when I get asked […]
Disability Stereotypes in Movies
One of the pet peeves of many people in the disability community is how people with disabilities are portrayed in movies and television shows. Very often, stereotypes are used for people with disabilities. People with […]
Why I Don’t Talk Much About Ableism
For years we have heard about sexism (discrimination against a gender, usually females) and racism (discrimination against a race, usually non-whites). People may be less familiar with ableism. What is ableism? The Centre for Disability […]
What is a Disability?
I recently asked a question on a couple of Facebook groups that I belonged to. One group was about autism and the other about sarcoidosis. I asked members whether they identified as disabled. Interestingly, many […]
Inspiration Porn
This past week, I was at the Summer Institute on Theology and Disability. There was so much that I learned but one of the terms I came across for the first time was “inspiration porn.” […]
An Important Question For Churches and Disabilities
Our church has a Bible study that takes place Sundays after the service. We were looking at Paul’s vision for the unity of the church in Ephesians 2. One of the participants asked a question […]
Caring for Special Needs People in Your Small Church
One of the most practical podcasts that I listen to is the 200 Church podcast. I was quite happy when I heard they were doing an episode on special needs. Co-host Jonny Craig has a […]
Stephen Hawking and Disabilities
Stephen Hawking just recently died. There is much about Hawking that I disagreed with. He denied the existence of God and thought heaven was a fairy tale. I suppose he knows the truth now. But […]
31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Embrace Those With Disabilities
Many churches have embraced the concept of disabilities. Churches want diversity of gender, ethnicities, age, economic status and others. But what about disabilities? I need to confess that I’m biased in this area. In addition […]
Good News: Churches That Get It
As a pastor and a father of two children with special needs, I know that it can be challenging for churches to minister to special needs family and challenging for special needs families to feel […]
Good News: Theology and Disability Paper
Two of the areas that I’m most interested in are theology and disabilities. When these two come together, I’m in my sweet spot. Some time ago I responded to a call for papers for the Summer […]
Breathe – Review
Last night I watched the movie Breathe, directed by Andy Serkis. The movie stars Andrew Garfield (Amazing Spider-Man) and Claire Foy (The Crown). The movie is based on a true story about Robin Cavendish, a […]
Don’t You Dare Judge!
One of the outcomes that some special needs families experience is that the children move into a group home. How that takes place depends on the situation. Ideally, the family is aware of the need […]
Stay Engaged With Your Special Needs Child (Part 2)
This is the first of two-part guest post by Bryan Stoudt. Visit Bryan’s website at the link found in his bio at the end of this post. You can find the first part here. Last time, […]
Special Needs Families Are Not a Monolithic Group
I speak often on the needs of families who are dealing with disabilities. My prayer to that the church will respond to those special needs. But the challenge is that the needs of each family […]
Stay Engaged With Your Special Needs Child (Part 1)
This is the first of two-part guest post by Bryan Stoudt. Visit Bryan’s website at the link found in his bio at the end of this post. You can find the second part here. Our special […]
5 Ways Churches Can Help Support Families With Disabilities
One of my passions is to help churches be welcoming and safe places for families with disabilities. I come at this both as a pastor and as a father of two children with autism. My […]
What Does Jesus Want Our Churches to Look Like?
I was preparing for an upcoming sermon and came across an interesting passage. He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, don’t invite your friends […]
Good News: One of the Best Weeks Ever
This past week was one of the best weeks of my entire life. Our family was able to attend the Christian Horizons Family Retreat at Elim Lodge. The initial reason for attending was that I was […]
Disabilities and the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
One of the hardest hitting parables that Jesus ever taught was the parable of the sheep and the goats from Matthew 25. There is a danger of protestants passing over this parable out of a […]
How Diverse Do You Want Your Church to Be?
I have listened to a number of podcasts and read some books that have argued for increased diversity within the church. I am all for this. One of the things that I love about Queen […]
Don’t Pet the Service Dog!
I was at the hospital today visiting someone. As we walked into the hospital, we saw someone with a service dog waiting to pay for parking. I also the person in front of us reach […]
Autism Awareness: 3 Areas For Improvement
April is Autism Awareness Month. Autism awareness has come a long way in the past few decades. More people than ever before are aware of autism. But there is more to be done. In this […]
My Problem With the R-Word
I was recently watching the Netflix series, Luke Cage. Throughout the series, I was bothered by the generous use of the N-word, even by the residents of Harlem. I have learned to have an uncomfortable […]
Disability and the Gospel – Review
One aspect of working through ideas about disabilities is to develop a theology of disability. The Bible has some important things to say about disabilities. But how do they fit together and what is the […]
Bullying Also Happens in the Church
People with disabilities are too often the target for bullying. Those who have communication or cognitive challenges are particularly vulnerable as they may have difficulty reporting the bullying. Ideally, the church would be a safe […]
Did Jesus Have a Disability?
People with disabilities have not always felt valuable. This includes the context of the church. Are disabilities just a reminder of all that is not right in the world? But what if Jesus had a […]
The Biggest Need For Families With Disabilities
I may be too presumptuous in making a judgment about all families with disabilities, but I’m at least confident that this applies to a good majority of families. I believe that the biggest need for […]
Preaching on Disabilities
I truly believe that the pastor needs to take the lead on helping a church to become disability-friendly. This can happen in many ways, but one is to preach on disabilities. There are a number […]
Where Do Autistic Children Belong in Sunday School?
What I’m going to talk about here is relevant to many disabilities, but since autism is my experience, I will focus there. If you have a child with autism in your Sunday school, should you […]
Feeling Uncomfortable Around People With Disabilities
I have two children who are on the severe end of the autism spectrum. They are considered disabled. But I must confess there are times that I’m uncomfortable around other people with disabilities. There I […]
The Assumption of “Normal”
It is common that when you meet new people, that you ask each other about family. I tell people that I have five children and they respond by asking about ages. When they hear that […]
Pastors, Church Culture and Disabilities
What is the culture of your church when it comes to disabilities? Does your church eagerly embrace those with disabilities? Or is your church embarrassed by the sights and sounds and frustrated by the interruptions? […]
Why the Church Should Care About People With Disabilities
Life to the Full Conference from Julie’s Photograph on Vimeo. You can find out more about the Life to the Full conference here.
One of My Angriest Moments
If you ever get a chance to meet me, you will find that I’m one of the easiest going people you will meet. I can think of perhaps a half dozen times in my 47 […]
Autism, Theology and Baptism
I recently had the privilege of baptizing my daughter. For context, I’m a Baptist pastor and so we baptize believers as opposed to infants. While Emma is our first to be baptized, she is the […]
Disabilities, Church and the Idol of Excellence
One of the most common core values for many contemporary churches is that of excellence. That is not necessarily a bad thing. We should want to do the things we do for God to the […]
Identity and the Challenge of Disability
In this video, Jean Vanier speaks on the subject of disabilities and identity. Jean Vanier is a powerful speaker who is worth listening to.
5 Things Pastors Need to Know About Autism
I have been contacted by a number of pastors lately about autism. I’m impressed with pastors who are proactive in seeking information. The truth is that it is important know something about autism before a […]
Psalm 139 Reflectors Reading
5 Reasons Churches Are Afraid of Disability Ministry
Is your church ready to minister to families with disabilities? Perhaps you want to but have some fears about how that would look like. The following are some observations from someone who is both a […]
The Apostle’s Creed
This is really good and worth watching. The Apostle’s Creed from Faith Church on Vimeo.
Oracle, Batgirl and Disabilities in Comics
As a father of two children with autism, I am very much interested in disabilities. Having said that, with all of the emphasis on being more inclusive in comics in terms of race and sexual […]
First Disability Pride Parade
The Buddy Ministry
I love how this church has developed a ministry to bless special needs kids and their families.
5 Characteristics of a Welcoming Church
A Conversation With Jean Vanier
Jean Vanier has been an advocate and friend of those with intellectual disabilities for many decades. He is the founder of L’Arche, a community that values respect for all apart for any disabilities. You can […]
The R Word
How often do you refer to something as “retarded”? It seems be a regular part of our communication. But is it right? In this video I share my thoughts on it.
Ministry and Disabilities Online Training
While much of what I do is encouraging churches to have the right attitude, there is an important need for training. As a result, I was very happy to see that Biblical Training is offering […]
Ban This Word from Your Church
Do you want to make your church both disability and autism friendly? Here is a simple but difficult step to take. STOP USING THE WORD RETARDED. Yes, I realize that ‘retard’ has entered the English […]
Does God Create People With Disabilities?
“The question arises, however, whether God creates people with disabilities. On the one hand—yes—insofar as people with impairments of one kind or another are persons created in the image of God. But on the other […]
Family Ties
I am angry and I will tell you why. Let me give you the back story first. Our two oldest children (14 and 12) both have severe autism. Both of them also live in groups […]
Silver Linings Have Clouds
As a parent of special needs children, I try to stay positive. I look at the bright side. I rejoice in the little victories. I celebrate those moments when everything works. All of that is […]
Becoming Pre-Autism Friendly
What if you want your church to be autism-friendly but you don’t have any families with autism in your church? I’m glad you asked! This is exactly the time to be thinking of these things. […]
Jesus’ Resurrection and Disabilities
Easter Sunday is the most important day for Christians. It is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Does this have anything to say about disabilities? When we think of the afterlife, we […]
Brian Doerksen and Special Needs Parenting
This is a powerful video by Brian and Joyce Doerksen on their experience as parents of special needs children. Brian Doerksen from Christian Horizons on Vimeo.
Helping Children to Understand
There has been a lot of work done to promote awareness, understanding and acceptance for those with special needs. That is wonderful, but most of that is aimed at helping adults. What about the children? […]
What is Disability Ministry?
What is disability ministry? For some churches, that may be a formal ministry with their own budget, volunteers and pastor. For smaller churches that may look much different. I recently wrote a post for the […]
Welcoming People With Special Needs
Samsung recently made a very touching commercial about a community that learned sign language in order to give a hearing impaired man one day where he would feel completely included. It is a powerful message […]
Why Autism is Important to Me
In this video, I share how autism came to be a part of my life and ministry. I also share about my resource, How to Make Your Church Autism-Friendly, which is available in both paperback […]
The Drop Box
I recently had the opportunity to preview the documentary, The Drop Box. Spoiler Alert: It is an incredibly moving documentary that everyone should see. The Drop Box is a documentary about a pastor in Korea […]
Inclusion In Your Church
A guest post by Ron Sandison. As the body of Christ, we should care for the physical and spiritual needs of each other and help those with autism to experience the love of Christ. The […]
Why Should Your Church Care About Autism?
Should your church care about people with autism? Should your church attempt to reach out to families touched by autism? Should autism and other disabilities be a part of your ministry focus? Let us be honest, […]
Exceptional Ministry: A Conversation With Keith Dow
I met Keith Dow when I spoke at a family retreat. While I found his background in philosophy interesting, I was even more interested in his work with Christian Horizons. As a father of two […]
Feels So Write
I have been trying to feel my way ever since I stopped working at Faith Today. Working as a padre and as a teacher has filled up some of my time. I did write some […]
Anatomy of a Special Needs Child
7 Things Churches Need to Know About Autism
One of my goals is to equip churches to minister to families dealing with disabilities, especially autism. I have an ebook planned on this very topic. This post is aimed at the mid-sized to small church […]
Confessions of an Autism Dad
Autism has been a part of my life for about thirteen years. As an autism dad, my experience has been similar but different from that of my wife. I would never want to impose my […]
What is ‘Normal’?
Churches, Pastors and the Disabled
When it comes to welcoming those with disabilities into a church, I come at it with two hats. One hat is as a father of two children with autism. The other hat is as one […]
Atheism and the Problem of Love
Atheism claims to have reason on its side. I think that is an incredible overstatement. However, I would like to look at something else. How do atheists explain love? According to atheists, love is just […]
39 Seconds of Sweetness
Autism and the Church
Statistics tell us that the autism rates are extremely high. According to the Autism Society of America, 1 out of every 88 births have autism. I would guarantee that the rates of children with autism […]
Down Syndrome and a Father’s Heart
I recently posted this picture on my Facebook wall and had an interesting response. I generally do not post much on abortion, although I am very pro-life. I have no desire to condemn mothers who […]