Resources for Christian Women, Encouragement for Families
Musings
“What is the dream I am supposed to dream? When I look at the life she has I wonder. But God can make beauty out of ashes.
When will I quit pushing my agenda on her or others? Does God need to smash me down again, ridding me of all my selfish pride?
I know God hears my prayers. Just yesterday hubby and I prayed for provision for a new garage roof. Now, there’s a bunch of shingle packs sitting on my driveway. I know they aren’t on the roof yet, but Mr. S. is coming back in a week or so to do that. And the price is decent.
In the book of Ruth, God used two broken women to shake up Bethlehem. Carolyn Custis James says in her book, The Gospel of Ruth, ‘The gospel (even in its most primitive Old Testament form) has the power to rescue a believer from drowning in herself by moving her to think of someone else. Energized by her vow to Naomi and her newfound faith in Yahweh, Ruth turns outward and mobilizes.’ (page 94)
I know God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Why do I think He can’t make sense of all this? Is my real question, ‘Am I ready for what He is doing and will do or am I chomping at the bit?’ “
Disability & the Gospel
My friend recently gave me a book by Michael S. Beates called Disability & the Gospel. Although I’m not quite finished reading it, I highly recommend it. Everyone could benefit by reading this book.
Our world and culture cries out for us to highly regard the status symbols of the day: health, wealth, nice car, the popular person. Christ calls us to embrace the lowly, the least of these, the blind, the crippled, the lame…the forgotten ones, the ones we want to overlook or shoo away. But Christ says, “Come to Me.”
When I was in grade school, the teacher wrote this on the board: chURch and asked what it means. I can remember saying, “The church you are.” She said I was close. “You are the church,” she exclaimed. We, the people, are the church. And we all really do need and benefit from one another. When someone with a developmental disability or mental illness comes to church, we must embrace and love them. We actually learn more of His great love as we learn how to best love each and every person.
Wrestling With an Angel
My friend Cheryl forwarded this video link recently. ?Cheryl wanted me to see the story posted on Desiring God?called ?The Glory of God in the Gift of ?Disability. ?John Piper was talking about…
Jesus says that the purpose of the blindness is to put the work of God on display. This means that for our suffering to have ultimate meaning, God must be supremely valuable to us. More valuable than health and life.?
But what if the intense suffering is happening to your child? Can God really be more valuable to a parent than a healthy child? Can there possibly be purpose to disability?
Listen to the tough policeman explain how his life was forever changed by God – using his adopted son.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/24147969 &w=470&h=310]
Greg Lucas, the policeman, and father of Jake tells the whole story in a new book, ?Wrestling with an Angel: A Story of Love, Disablity and the Lessons of Grace
This touched my life, and was a blessing to me.