Loving Life

In the midst of God's love I find my life.

In the midst of my life I find God's love!

I went to Maryland for a prayer retreat a couple of weeks ago.  I took the red eye from Seatac at 5pm and arrived in Maryland early the next morning.  I arrived the day before Hurricane Sandy hit.  I got to the retreat center in the afternoon and spent the early part of the afternoon, before the retreat began, in the Peace Garden in the middle of the trees with the wind blowing and the leaves falling, but the storm yet to come on shore.

I remembered another hurricane that I traveled through some 35 years before.  While living in Tokyo as a high school student my brother and I were invited with a Danish friend of ours to go on a bicycle trip around the northern island of Hokkaido by one of the local college students.  We jumped at the chance and prepared for the trip.  The day we were scheduled to depart by boat a hurricane hit shore (typhoon actually, being in the Pacific).  We had to ride our bikes to the boat and we did so in the eye of the storm.  Of course the eye passed before we actually made it to the boat, but we did get to the there safe and sound, albeit wet and wind-blown.

The trip around Hokkaido was incredible.  It was a once in a lifetime experience and well worth the risk and excitement of riding our bikes through a storm to get there.

When I headed out to Maryland for the retreat, people asked - surely you aren't going out there.  The storm will make the event impossible.  The retreat I attended was on Courage and Hope in contemplative leadership.  For the forty of us gathered together we couldn't imagine a better focus or a more fitting consideration than this theme in the middle of a storm.  Once again it was well worth the risk and excitement to get to this profound and life enhancing experience.

This activity just reminded me so deeply of what I already was so aware, with the love of God completely and totally involved in all aspects of my life and the lives of those around me in every moment of everyday.  That the big moments of crisis are merely a very real part of a greater whole of life.  That the common, mundane, everyday, seemingly meaningless routine is filled with blessings and incredible joy.  That each and every moment is a gift filled with possibilities and hope waiting to be seen and realized.

So often I fail to be aware of this very important truth: God is as close as God will ever be in this moment right here right now.  We don't need a crisis to see that God is at our beck and call.  We don't need our ongoing familiar routines as a distraction from this impactful truth.  God's love is truly in the midst of my life all the time.  All the time my life is in the midst of God's love.

This moment is not about abilities or lack of abilities; it is not about issues or illness; it is not about struggles or accomplishments; this moment is about the grace of God, the love of Christ, and the connections we share in God's Spirit.  This is not merely a focus for a ministry - sharing the love of Christ with folks with disabilities and those without.  This is the focus of life that makes life worth living for everyone!

Disability of the Heart

We hear a lot of talk about many different kinds of disabilities: Physical disabilities people are born with or that result from an accident, developmental disabilities that can have a mental and/or physical impact from birth or early childhood, and a variety of mental illnesses that can render a person unable to function as expected in mainstream society. But one thing we don't hear much about is disability of the heart.

Disability of the heart, or DOH, is that disability so many unfortunate people have that keeps them from caring about their fellow human beings. It makes them care only about themselves, their status in society and having a good time. It is a very serious disability, and I think it's about time we focus on it more, because it actually has a greater negative impact on the world than all the other disabilities put together ever could.

A person who has DOH may appear to be normal. They may be very successful financially, have great careers, beautiful homes, relationships and families. They may be very popular and widely admired for their accomplishments. They may even be regular church attendees who think of themselves as Christian! It is only upon closer inspection or in hindsight that people realize something very important is missing in them: Concern for their fellow human beings.

People with DOH can be found at all levels of society, but they tend to be fond of positions of power, prestige and influence, so they can often be found in leadership positions in places such as government or municipal or school district offices as elected or appointed officials or supervisors. And it's not unusual to find the 'fox in the henhouse', so to speak, where ironically the person with DOH is actually placed in charge of vulnerable populations.

People with DOH have even been famous world leaders. Sometimes it's not until they start killing masses of 'imperfect' or 'undesirable' people and burying them in piles in big holes in the ground that other people perceive their DOH. This is unacceptable. We need to get better at detecting this problem early and giving these people help overcoming their disability, because when it is unchecked and taken to its extremes it becomes a much bigger problem.

There are many ways we can identify people with DOH, and one of the easiest is their treatment of those who live with other types of disabilities. Maybe by something they do, such as cutting program budgets for people with disabilities in their workplace, church or government. Perhaps they take steps to exclude people with disabilities from their school, workplace or church. Perhaps they simply choose to harm where they could help, or withhold needed assistance where they could opt to provide it if they wished. Sometimes you can identify them by things they say. For example, if you ever hear people talking about how those with disabilities are a burden on society, and they never should have been allowed to live or should be put out of their misery, just know that you are hearing folks who have DOH and need intervention.

In fact, we need to create an early intervention program for people with DOH, the same as we do for other disabilities. We need to catch them while they are young, and set them on the right path. The first time one of them bullies people with other disabilities or tries to exclude them from activities, we should write up an Individual Education Plan for them and get them on the road to understanding - at least, as much as is possible for them. And, of course, by identifying these folks we will ensure that the rest of us will know we need to make allowances for their disability.

We need to develop special educational programming for people with DOH, such as Empathy Training Programs and the Science of Altruism. The program should include volunteer service in hospitals, schools and other institutions that serve those with disabilities so that they can witness the complex challenges these folks face, and hopefully realize their commonalities and learn to appreciate them as human beings. Those elements that are missing in their makeup need to be deliberately trained into these students. It is only in this way that they have a chance of becoming fully functional participants in our society - at least in a way that is good for society as a whole.

When they complete school we can evaluate the DOH students and determine if their education has helped them overcome their disability sufficiently to function constructively in society. The higher functioning DOH students may be able to function fairly well independently in a number of capacities. However, DOH is a disability, and not every person who has it will succeed at overcoming it to any great degree. For those who cannot, an appropriate job placement in a properly supervised work environment can minimize any negative impact on others in society.

In all we do, we need to remember that DOH is a disability, and we must treat those who have this disability with compassion - guide them, care for them, and above all, pray for them. It's not their fault they have this disability, and we shouldn't blame or berate them for it. We must include them in our churches and offer them spiritual training to try to help them develop empathy.

But one thing for certain, putting someone with DOH in positions of power or leadership is a dangerous thing. We must be very careful because the consequences of making a mistake can be grave. They could hurt themselves or others; most likely both. We must never forget that they are missing that basic fundamental trait that is essential in a good and effective leader - Compassion.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, 

forgiving each other, 

just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

Sitting Ducks

Earlier this week I saw a bizarre news story about a naked man attacking a girl who has autism and her brother at a local park. They were walking around a lake together while their father rode around on a bike. Out of the blue, a man no one knew suddenly charged the girl, knocked her down to the ground, and attacked her brother when he came to her aid. When the police came and tried to arrest him, he jumped in the lake and tried to swim away from them. They had quite a job taking him into custody.

I recognized the family in the news video as people we serve at Bridge. This family frequently attends our events, and I had just seen them at our most recent event on August 12th. So I gave the father a call yesterday to check on them and make sure they were doing okay. It was interesting to hear the story of what happened that day from his perspective.

Because of his own disability the father could not walk far, so he rode a bike around the lake while his teenage kids walked around. They'd walked about a quarter of the way around the lake when he made his first circuit. It was a calm, peaceful day, and they were enjoying the fine summer weather.

By the time he rode around a second time and caught up to them, the scene had changed dramatically. There was a fire truck there, a woman he didn't know was comforting his daughter who was on the ground, and his son was bleeding from a split lip. He was shocked to learn what had happened in the few minutes it took him to bike around the lake a second time. It had all happened in broad daylight with many people right in the area watching. It was entirely unprovoked, and they had no idea why they were attacked.

When I asked him why he thought the attacker did it, he responded that he thought the man had a mental illness and needed help. He bore him no ill will despite what he had done, and hoped he would get the help he needed. He went on to tell me there were lots of people at the lake enjoying the beautiful day: Elderly people, people walking with canes, small children, people of all ages and abilities. He thought of all the vulnerable people he saw that day; people who could be easily hurt by an attacker.

Sitting Ducks.

After our conversation I reflected on the fact that we are all, in a sense, Sitting Ducks in this world. There are many forces beyond our control which can injure us and from which we have no defense. Whether it's illness, disease, aging, accidents, natural disasters, injustice, foul play or attackers, we are all vulnerable all the time. We never know when misfortune may befall us, when we may be hurt in some way or even killed. And there is often no rhyme or reason to it, no rational process by which we could avoid harm - we're just blindsided - like this father riding a bike at a busy park on a sunny day.

Like him we may have the sense that we're safe, and it can be a great shock when something happens to shake our sense of security. These are times that can challenge our faith. Especially if we pray, and many of us do, for God's protection. We may then ask ourselves, why didn't God protect me? Why did God let someone or something harm me? We may strain to see the sense in it, and search for a way to explain it: Maybe God allowed this so that I would become more aware of and compassionate towards victims like myself and their needs -  maybe I'm supposed to do something to help these people. There must be some reason.

Or we may look for a way to prevent it. This father said he thought they needed more police at the lakeside park to protect the people who come there. I remember musing that the attacker obviously was not making rational decisions, so I wasn't sure police presence would make a difference in that case.

It's not a comfortable being a Sitting Duck.

We human beings prefer certainty, safety, a feeling of invulnerability. We Christians often like to feel that we have God on our side and that nothing can hurt us because The Almighty has our back. When bad things happen to us we cry out: Why has God allowed a bad thing to happen to a good person?! How could a family already struggling with the challenges of disability being attacked possibly be a good thing on any level?! It's easy to get wound up thinking about things like this, and not really feel like you're getting anywhere. 

Perhaps a better question for us to ask is: Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people? After all, every one of us falls short of the glory of God, and yet God offered the beloved Son as a sacrifice that we might have eternal life.

In the final analysis, we are not God and we don't have God's omniscience. Therefore, we cannot know why God allows things to happen the way they do. We can only have faith that, whatever the reason, if it's God's will there is a good reason. We are called to place our hope and trust in God, regardless of the vagaries of life.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to God,
    who will direct your paths."                                                                                               

                                                          Proverbs 3:5-6 

Summer Time

                       
It is great to have fun.  For some folks having fun is great work.  Organizing all the aspects of the food, the tables, the details can be a bit of a task.  I hear often that we want to make sure we get everything covered and that everything works.  We trust this is true and we strive hard to make this happen.
  

Still, whatever takes place in the perfect completion of hard sought plans, or intermittent mishaps that cause concern and turmoil for a time, each event happens with joy and celebration!

I can’t help but think back to an interview I heard with an Olympic athlete last night on the television  where the question was posed to the athlete something like this:  You worked hard and you were just a heartbeat from getting the gold medal in your event you must be devastated.  To which the athlete just joyously replied - I was just so thankful to be able to compete in these games, and to have a medal is such an honor and a joy.

This is it, isn’t it?  We strive to do great things and make everything work to the best of our abilities!  Still, it comes down to the same thing over and over again:  it is great that we have this day, this party, picnic, or barbeque.  It is great that we have this moment to be who we are where we are as we are.  Celebrating this together is the joy we have through our faith in Jesus Christ.  “God made us as we are;” we are sheep of God’s pasture says the writer of my favorite psalm.

This is our goal to “make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth!!!”  We come as we were made, as ourselves, to joyfully share together: 

“For the Lord is good;

God’s steadfast love endures for ever,

and God’s faithfulness to all generations.” 

We are here as we are, where we are, who we are, forever!!!

“Give Thanks to God, Bless God’s Holy Name!” Psalm 100

Celebrating Freedom

With freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and do not be entangled again in a yoke of bondage.  Galatians 5:1

Celebrating Freedom is indeed at the center of life. This is not true merely as citizens, but as people - as ourselves. We are free in Christ. We are free in God’s love. We are free!

This is just as true for those with disabilities as it is for everyone else. Celebrating life in God’s love keeps us, sustains us and calls us to enjoy life with others.

This doesn’t just mean seeing those with disabilities at the fireworks display or the public park. This means that we share in our friendships and close relationships with people that are often ignored, dismissed or even excluded.

Those with physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities and those with mental health issues are fully able to celebrate life; they too have the freedom promised and provided by our loving God.

Freedom is a gift we can cherish and share, or a gift we can neglect and deny. We have the freedom to choose. This is true for those with disabilities as well. They have the freedom to choose to be friends with others, or to not like someone, just as we all do. Yet their choices are often so limited that some never have the opportunity to establish real friendships outside of the care-giving environment.

We have the ability to change that and it only takes awareness and the willingness to respond to that realization. It is up to us to initiate, encourage, foster, and relish relationships with those with disabilities.

For more information feel free to contact us at Bridge Disability Ministries, through our website or in person. We'd love to hear from you.

Please, let us join in celebrating freedom for all people!

The Joy of Serving

One of the benefits of my job at Bridge is that I meet some of the most giving individuals I've ever seen here. Within the past few months, for example, I've seen not one but three volunteers come out to help at our events while enduring treatment for cancer. Ever seen a 70something woman straight out of the hospital leaning on a walker while orchestrating an event for a huge roomful of people down to the last detail? I have. It has been mind-blowing to see her and others like her worrying about things like serving a tasty, hot meal to the folks we serve while undergoing such harrowing experiences as chemo, radiation and surgery.  I've also seen volunteers struggling with serious chronic disease conditions such as Parkinson's and lung disease continue to work in our Mobility Center, providing reconditioned equipment like wheelchairs to those in need. And this is just in the past few months, mind you. I could tell you of many, many more instances if I reached back further. Simply amazing.

Since being involved with Bridge I've found it's actually not as uncommon as I'd once thought for people to make great personal sacrifices for others. I see it a lot here. I see parents of people living with developmental disabilities sacrificing nearly everything to try to provide well for their beloved family members, and even reaching out to help others in the same boat. I see volunteers who have their own health and other life challenges giving their limited time and energy to others. I see donors who have little to live on themselves giving whatever they can spare to those less fortunate. I see churches who are experiencing budget challenges in this difficult economy still continue to open their fellowship halls and provide meals to those we serve. And I see Bridge staff, who have also been impacted by budget cuts, still continue to give a good deal more of their time than we can afford to pay them for. I've even seen someone who has endured a lifetime of major health issues, who requires the help of a wheelchair to get around, and who cannot even feed herself, do fundraising to support Bridge programs for people living with all kinds of disabilities.  Not content to merely receive from others, she wants to give as well. Simply amazing.

I'm also a witness that these selfless servants drive home that old adage, "It is better to give than to receive." Now who was it who said that? Oh, that's right! It was Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ, who by his very life demonstrated the truth of that statement. The selfless servants I have met through Bridge have all learned this truth - and they live it - and they give joyfully. We who observe them learn about the joy of giving to others by their example. That's right, I said the JOY of giving. Because that's the real reason people give of themselves the way they do. They've discovered the secret  -  it brings them joy. It might seem counter-intuitive at first, but it is true. Giving to others does bring joy. Why? Because we were built that way. It's one of the clever ways God blessed us humans.  Simply amazing.

So - try it! You'll be hooked in no time. Instead of just going to the coffee shop for another latte, or going out to eat at a restaurant one more time, or shopping for yet another pair of shoes you'll hardly ever wear, or getting a new car this year even though last year's model runs just fine  -  or whatever transient material desire it is -  why not try adding something new and different? Try touching the life of someone who is blessed by your smile, your touch, your attention, your goodwill, your support. You'll agree, I'm sure. Simply amazing.

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” - Acts 20:35 NIV

Here................ We Are!

What is it that catches us in this moment?

Right here and right now I have meaning at this time, because I am here. Being here it seems may very well be everything.

I attended a wonderful dinner last night here in Bellevue at a local church known as Highland Covenant Church. We gathered together and there were many folks that were different from everyone else. This is always the case, but in this instance the differences were obvious in physical nature, verbal ability, and spiritual openness, too.

We ate a simple meal made lovingly and shared for everyone in this caring environment. Still, what struck me most was the caring people that all sat at each table with open hearts and open spirits. Yes, they had open mouths and forks full of food, but there was something more in our midst than just a great meal and an entertaining evening.

Just being there. Just being willing to be there together.  Seeing each other as we are with our uniqueness is what we do.  Listening to each other in this context is more than enough:  it is everything! 

I had to leave a family gathering in Kirkland to attend this evening's celebration.  I had a difficult time pulling myself away from my family who had gathered to hear about the incredible mission trip of my niece as she used her skills as a nurse going and working in Haiti recently.

I have to admit I went to our Sunday Evening Celebration reluctantly and a bit grudgingly, that is of course until I got there.  When we see each other's hearts and spirits there is a special kind of family connection going on.  It isn't because we were born here to these people, but because we were born here to God's people.

This was an amazing time as I sat with various people and shared the grace of God as we met in this place!

Listening to someone who can't speak is incredible. Seeing someone with a smile that is shared just because you are there is great. Just being there, WOW that is absolutely what it is all about.

I was so glad that I was THERE!!!

Amazing!

Blessings!

Dave

Singing in a Snowstorm

We've had a long, cold, stormy winter in the Pacific Northwest this year. We've all been grumbling about it. We're tired of the cold. We miss the sun. We don't like being stuck inside. But winter also brings snowstorms. And marvelous things can happen in a snowstorm.

As we prepared for a recent winter Celebration, I was not at all surprised to hear from a guest's mother that she would not be able to attend after all. Disappointing because she had offered to play piano for us when a musician cancelled, but not a surprise. First, this is a young lady who lives with autism, which in itself often presents challenges. Add to that the fact that a snowstorm was dumping on us, and two metro buses were stranded on the hill next to the church where we were scheduled to gather. Traffic was mayhem with people slipping and sliding and colliding everywhere. Thick snow whirled in the air, blinding people who were trying to get from place to place. As we prepared for the gathering, we really weren't sure anyone would come.

But guess what...she came anyway. Yep, that's right. She wanted to play piano for us so badly that she convinced her mother to drive from a distant city through a snowstorm to the church. What's more, I found out later that the heater in their car wasn't even working. So there was ample reason not to expect her arrival, yet arrive she did, and promptly filled the Fellowship Hall with a joyful sampling of classical music as folks trickled in and sat down to enjoy a hot meal. We tried to get her to stop playing long enough to eat, but she said she could eat later. Instead she provided accompaniment so those of us who fought our way through the storm could all sing together. She performed with energy, passion and enthusiasm, a big smile lighting up her face, the blizzard outside and all other troubles forgotten. Amazing.

But that's the way it is with our events. People really, truly do need and appreciate those times of fellowship. So much so that we often see them go to great lengths to get there. I can easily think of many instances of folks going to what many of us would consider superhuman lengths to get to our gatherings.

As another example, one of our regular program attendees has to have a caregiver take her to a Park and Ride lot on the boundary with King county to get to our Sunday events since accessible transportation is not provided where she lives on Sundays. She's an elderly lady whose body will often not do what she wants due to physical disability. What's more she requires the assistance of a wheelchair to get around. What's more she is blind. Yet despite her vulnerability, she strikes out across two counties on her own, changing transport in a cold, lonely, noisy concrete Park and Ride lot, traveling many miles strapped in a wheelchair, jolting down the roads in a van that's hardly plush, with people she does not know and cannot even see...to attend our gatherings. Amazing.

As a part of my work at Bridge, I often see people take risks most folks would shrink from, travel long distances, endure long waits patiently, bear discomfort and pain stoically - all so they can participate in community and spiritual life. Yes, I think it is safe to say this is important to them.

And if you doubt it, ask yourself: What would it take to bring YOU out in a snowstorm? How much would YOU endure? These folks inspire me. I feel that they give me so much more than I could ever give them in return. They have taught me to sing in a snowstorm.

"...so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed."
          - Romans 15:32