Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
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, I have two children with autism and so disabilities are close to my heart. But how do Christian apologetics and … Read More “How Apologetics Intersects With My Interest in Disabilities” »
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 what we do for disability ministry, this is what I tell them. Church. Yeah, that’s it. It is not because … Read More “What Our Church Does For Disability Ministry” »
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 child with special needs, so it was nut surprising. It was a helpful discussion with some people involved in special … Read More “Caring for Special Needs People in Your Small Church” »
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 welcome in churches. I have had two recent experiences that have encouraged me. A week ago, I had the opportunity … Read More “Good News: Churches That Get It” »
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 of a group home before hitting a crisis. They can then get on a waiting list and a place will … Read More “Don’t You Dare Judge!” »
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, we saw how hard it can be to stay engaged with our special needs child. But we also began to … Read More “Stay Engaged With Your Special Needs Child (Part 2)” »
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 are different. We cannot put such families into a neat and tidy category and then provide the solutions. I was … Read More “Special Needs Families Are Not a Monolithic Group” »
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 needs kids have a special place in our hearts. Each one is precious and unique, placed in our families as … Read More “Stay Engaged With Your Special Needs Child (Part 1)” »
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 asked to be the speaker for the retreat. My topic was “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” … Read More “Good News: One of the Best Weeks Ever” »
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 family with autism shows up at the church. As a pastor and as a father of two children with autism, … Read More “5 Things Pastors Need to Know About Autism” »
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 true but special needs parenting is still very difficult. Our two children with autism live in group homes. While that … Read More “Silver Linings Have Clouds” »
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 for including people with special needs. Watching this commercial made me think of the Church. The purpose of the event … Read More “Welcoming People With Special Needs” »
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 who has taken measures to save the lives of the many babies that are abandoned on the streets. The name … Read More “The Drop Box” »
One of my most personal projects has been How to Make Your Church Autism-Friendly. It has been available in Kindle for some time. However, I understand that it would be more helpful for the people who need this book to have it in print form. That is why I am thankful to announce that How to … Read More “How to Make Your Church Autism Friendly – Print Edition” »
My good news post is inspired by something today but is actually about a memory from years ago. Today Logan and Abby arrived for their weekly visit. Abby arrived in her poncho. That poncho is filled with memories. Abby received that poncho when she was in grade one. She is now in grade seven. … Read More “Poncho Memories” »
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 love of Christ can be expressed tangibly by the inclusion of those with autism in our services and our sensitivity … Read More “Inclusion In Your Church” »
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, it would be easier not to. If you would like a nice, professional worship service marked by excellence, it would … Read More “Why Should Your Church Care About Autism?” »
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 children with autism, I love to hear about how Christians are ministering to and with those with exceptional needs. I … Read More “Exceptional Ministry: A Conversation With Keith Dow” »
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 articles freelance but not that much. Nothing has scratched the itch that I have felt. Then yesterday I started a … Read More “Feels So Write” »
I have shared many times about our two children with autism. It has been a struggle dealing with all of the things that go along with autism. But that is not what I am talking about here. What you may not know is that our three youngest children were born addicted to crack. Their birth … Read More “When Children Look Normal” »
I made a terrible mistake last night. Right before bed I read the story that Doug Ford had commented on how a home for special needs teens was ruining a neighbourhood. As a father of two autistic children (one a teen and another almost there) in group homes, I was very angry. First of all, … Read More “Doug Ford and Special Needs Teens” »
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 have terminated pregnancies. However, as a father of two special needs children, I am very concerned with the trend of … Read More “Down Syndrome and a Father’s Heart” »
