Aching Joy (Book Preview)
In his honest wrestling with God along a journey of surprise, despair, faith, and aching joy, Jason leads his readers through key Biblical truths, important psychological reflections, and deeply personal insights.
In his honest wrestling with God along a journey of surprise, despair, faith, and aching joy, Jason leads his readers through key Biblical truths, important psychological reflections, and deeply personal insights.
I share my story, not because I need to be heard, but because people still haven’t noticed how hard it is for some bodies to be in a church building, or participate in corporate worship services or activities.
When policies and procedures are implemented merely out of compliance, they forget the heart of the matter. Accessibility is a heart issue first.
Receiving from Jesus means we understand he is inviting us into new rhythms of life that often demand we slow down and genuinely reflect upon what he is up to. In so doing, Jesus is actually revealing the gifts of our Christian discipleship- his kindness and gentleness.
In the four years since, I’ve had much to read, learn, and reflect upon. This new life God has given has challenged us on every front. From doing away with typical parenting milestones, to adopting wider and more expansive views of God’s grace and the beauty of his diverse people. Amidst all of this, my calling to pastor and minister continued. While learning this new life with its new language and new conversations, I’ve also had to continue to lead. At times that task has been beyond difficult and completely overwhelming.
I felt the presence of God so much more at the Family Retreat than I had anywhere else in recent years. Seeing so many people of all abilities joining together to make a joyful noise was a powerful experience. The love for God in that room was so strong that it was almost overwhelming. It felt like a preview of heaven.
My prayer for all five our children, those with and without autism, is that God would reveal himself in a way that they would understand.
Thank God for Brian, for my encounter with him and my continued relationships with people who are considered to be disabled. Brian is a whole person, with his likes and dislikes, his own personality and his own ways of contributing to the broader community.
In my endeavors to learn and be enriched, I cannot discount the experience I gain from being in relationship with others. I can acquire knowledge, capacity, and skills from academic study and reading and yet it has been when I have engaged in community and established friendships with people with exceptional needs that I have gained the most.
The world closes when the word disability creeps into one’s life because other people in the outside world do not see the abilities before the disabilities. I am a very capable person, but since I have lost my vision I am no longer viewed in this way.
Subscribe to our mailing list and receive our most recent articles and resources.