1st Corinthians 12: 12-27 “Who would like to lead us in some Christmas carols?” John, our pastor, stood up front with the microphone, trying to marshal everyone’s attention. It was Christmas Eve, and excitement filled the air. “Joel’s a really good singer,” Amy called out. Joel grinned and walked toward the front of the church. [...]
Growing up, Christmas was all about the presents piled under the tree. My favorite childhood Christmas was the year I unwrapped a brand-new pair of ice skates, a record player for my collection of 45’s, and “The Complete Sherlock Holmes.” Heaven! I still enjoy prettily wrapped presents under the tree. But these days my favorite [...]
“Our vocation is not only to do what the Word told us to do but also to say what the Word told us to say, until the whole world is transformed by the news.” Barbara Brown Taylor, When God is Silent Is there anything more beautiful than a walk in the woods in the middle [...]
To raise awareness of the proposed changes to eligibility for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waivers, I am including a letter I wrote to Medicaid Services. Under the proposed rules, farm communities for adults with autism (such as Safe Haven Farms, where our son Joel lives) would not be eligible for the waiver. Any “segregated” setting [...]
And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring [...]
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Joel needs a new church. Not only have we moved him from his childhood home, the neighborhood he’s lived in since the day of his birth, his beloved workshop, his familiar shopping malls, movie theatres and zoo; we’ve moved him from his church. We’ve moved him from all that’s familiar and plunked him down in [...]
For most of my life, autumn has been my favorite season. Until Joel entered my life, when it became a never-ending battle between us and them—us being me and Joel, them being soggy leaves dragged into the house by human beings and resident dog. Any time a two-legged or four-legged creature entered the house we [...]
Have you ever given birth? Remember the stage of labor called “transition”? Transition: “A period during childbirth that precedes the expulsive phase of labor, characterized by strong uterine contractions and nearly complete cervical dilation.” Ouch! I’m 57, soon to turn 58. It may be physically impossible, but here I am, in the throes of transition. [...]
“It’s can’t be much different than getting a kid ready to go to college!” I’ve heard that comment numerous times as I’ve prepared our 25-year-old son, Joel, for his move into his new home, Safe Haven Farms, a farming community for adults with autism located in Butler County. Wrong. Sure, we all shed a few [...]