A Tea Party for Two

The guest
Aren't they cute?
Elijah's artwork








He made tomato soup. He calls it Bob soup.
He said "Oh No!" and made this face
They are blowing on the soup and cooling it down. He said it was too hot.
He told me to wait!

He was flipping a pancake across the room and he thought that was the funniest thing. This is his giggle face.




Chef Elijah made a gigantic sandwich! I love that face!
He loves his horses.
I really like this one. He wouldn't hold still long enough to get both eyes in the pic, but I like the crop.
This is the best pic I could get of the both of them. They were moving constantly and there were arms and legs in the way.

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These are the Gifts I Give to Thee

This is a poem from a book called A Face for Me. The book is about a young women named Debbie Diane Fox who had a deformed face. The poem was written by Marion Peck. Grandma Jo shared this poem with me not too long ago. This poem is a great description of how people with disabilities have changed my life. This is what people with disabilities have given me. They are God's gifts to us! God slowly opened my eyes and changed my heart to see things the way they are described in this poem. That is why I am in disability ministry now. I cry every time I read it. Here it is.

I saw a child who could not see

Dear Lord, I cried, why should this be?

Never to look on the face of love…

Or the sun…or the trees…or the stars above…

Always to walk through eternal night….

Never to know the comfort of light?

I saw a child who no step could take.

Dear Lord, I cried, my heart doth ache!

Never to stand up straight or tall…

This child, though he tries, can only fall…

What did he do to be made this way?

'Tis every child's right to run and play!

I saw a child who could speak no word.

Isn't this cruel, I cried, dear lord?

And he cannot hear on top of it all…

Never can hear his mother call…

Never to speak…never to hear…

I turned my face to hide a tear.

I saw a child who could not reason.

Locked away for his whole life's season…

Locked away and all unaware

Of the world of the mind that others share.

Dear Lord, I said, Why this affliction?

Denying this child the mind's benediction?

Then spoke a voice through my heart to me:

"THESE ARE THE GIFTS I GIVE TO THEE"

That little child will take your hand

And lead you through this weary land...

And show you wonders beyond compare…

And beauty you never dreamed was there.

And that little boy so crippled and lame

Has courage, My son, that would put yours to shame.

He'll teach you to walk if you'll just hold his hand…

To walk upright with your fellow man.

And the little girl there whose tongue could not speak…

Can teach you the eloquence of tears on a cheek.

You'll learn that the heart can volumes tell

If it's warmed by love and care as well.

And that mindless one…hold the cup to His lips

And you'll find that God's love you also will sip.

Perhaps your mind's closed, but you hold the key

And when you open to him you open to me.

Dear Lord, I said, I humbly thank Thee.

I'll live for these children…who are your gifts to me.

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The Second Greatest Gift We Can Receive in this Life

7-10Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it's all you need.

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

~2 Corinthians 12:7-10 from The Message

I like this version because Paul refers to his handicap as a gift. I know that our disabilities and limitations are a gift from God to keep us humble and dependent on Him. How often do we pray selfish prayers and ask God to remove pain and other hardship from our lives? God says, I am enough, I am enough. I AM ENOUGH. He wants to take over every area of our hearts and lives. We must fight against our flesh daily.

When we are weak and allow God to take over, that’s when the transformation begins. I have learned this great lesson from people with disabilities. We have been talking about being strong at The Able Church. The theme for Camp Daniel this summer is "I Am Strong". I am blessed to be around people with disabilities on a daily basis.

I love it when Paul refers to his handicap as a gift because people with disabilities are a gift. Their weaknesses bring them to their knees before God. They can't do anything BUT look to God for strength. I continue to be in awe of their readiness and willingness to do this. We don't do that because we have so much stuff in the way. As a body, we need to start spending time with people with disabilities and learning from them. That is why people with disabilities are a vital part of the body of Christ. They are going to teach us how to get on our knees before the Lord, how to trust God, and how to come before God with a truly simple and childlike faith.

Once Paul heard from the Lord "I Am Enough," he saw his weaknesses as a gift. I don't see people with disabilities as disabled. I see them as my brothers and sisters, my friends, my teachers. That is how we will all see them as we spend time with them. We need to come to the realization that people with disabilities are a GIFT, and we need to open our eyes to see the important things they bring to the body of Christ. The first important gift you can receive is your salvation. The second greatest gift you can receive in this life is from people with disabilities.

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Get Serious

I was reading in James from the Message and this passage really struck me.

"So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet."
~James 4:7-10

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