I wonder when did being sensitive get a bad reputation and why does being sensitive tend to make others uncomfortable? After all, Jesus showed us how to use gifts like sensitivity, empathy and compassion for the Kingdom of God.
As 2024 comes to a close, we look back at some of the most impactful events and relationships we were part of this past year, highlight new resources we helped create over the past twelve months and look ahead to opportunities for advancing the Gospel in 2025 through supporting local churches in their ministry with the disability and mental health communities.
Sandra Peoples grew up with a sister with Down syndrome and now has a teenager with level 3 autism, so she knows how different the holidays can feel for a family like hers. But they don't have to feel different at church! With a few steps of consideration, she shares how families can feel included and valued. Let's make sure special-needs families can hear the message of hope this Christmas!
Every child is wonderfully unique, created by God with love and intention. For kids who experience and process the world differently, hearing affirmations rooted in God’s truth can be a powerful reminder of their worth and purpose.
Disability ministry can be a fear-laden minefield. Families, volunteers, and congregations all carry the personal burdens of fear. In Colossians 2:1-2, Paul shares his hope for the congregation to become knit together in love. When the hearts of the people of God are knit together in love, we function as well as a World Series champion baseball team.
Do you have a desire to be involved with ministry in some way, but all the existing ministry options don’t seem to fit? If you’re interested in discerning where God is leading you, or just want to shorten the path to living out His purposes, we’ll share more details about how to recognize and pursue the path God is laying before you, not only from our perspective, but also with some ministry friends who have gone through this process.
In part two of his blog post, Tony D’Orazio from Jacob’s Ladder Fitness continues with this important question: what has humanity missed out on without all those people with Down syndrome in the world?
I hurt all the time. I have an autoimmune condition that causes elevated levels of pain, fatigue, and brain fog. Recently, as I climbed the stage to preach, I knew I didn’t have the physical strength to do it. But there is something really cool about having chronic pain—and I am different than who I was before chronic pain. Here’s what God has done for me.
By the numbers, Linda shouldn’t be here. Everything seemed to be stacked against her by worldly standards, and still seems that way. How could bullying, struggles with education, and psychiatric hospitalizations work for His plan? In part 2 of this series from Linda Bunk, see exactly how God is powerfully using all of these struggles to minister to people in Ukraine.
