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Author Archives: Dr. G
Defining Brokenness
Brokenness is the experience of pain, suffering and despair used by God to remove our sense of self-sufficiency, deepen our dependency upon Him and prepare us for meaningful service in His Kingdom. Continue reading
JAM Session Rewind
I’ve had the opportunity to present at major international medical conferences, as well as regional and national ministry conferences. I’ll personally attest to the quality of the training and resources distributed during the JAM Session in Cincinnati and the JAM Sessions to come. Not only will you receive the opportunity to interact with some top-flight people, but you’ll benefit from the ongoing relationships you’ll develop with our trainers and your fellow participants. Continue reading
Thinking “Orange”…Communicating the Message
Kids (and not infrequently, parents) with hidden disabilities often have difficulty filtering out extraneous information to the point that they miss out on what’s important. One of the top two or three complaints I get from moms about their kids when they first come to our office is that they need constant reminders to do chores or complete homework because other things around the house (TV, the computer, the dog, their little brother) intrude upon their consciousness. Church leaders and volunteers are faced with the challenge of cutting through the information overload that characterizes modern American society with kids and parents with conditions that make prioritizing more difficult. Continue reading
Posted in Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Ministry Environments, Parents, Spiritual Development, Strategies
Tagged children's ministry, Family Ministry, Harmony Hensley, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, ministry environments, Orange Conference, Reggie Joiner, Think Orange, Vineyard Community Church
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Amanda Mooney…Newest Member of Key Ministry’s “Travel Team”
Key Ministry has been blessed with an extraordinary team of staff and volunteers who come with a remarkable depth of experience in serving kids with the most complex disabilities and their families in both the church world and the secular world and a passion that they would all experience the love of Christ through the ministry of a local church. We’re proud to announce the newest member of our travel team, making her debut on the road at Key Ministry’s inaugural JAM Session tomorrow in Cincinnati…Amanda Mooney. Continue reading
Making Sense of Brokenness
A cursory overview of Scripture suggests that profound and repeated experiences of brokenness appear to be a prerequisite for those used by God to accomplish great things. I’m hoping that readers of this blog and those coming to be a part of the events on April 3 will come away from the experience with a better understanding of God’s purposes in exposing us to times of profound despair, heartache and helplessness. Continue reading
“Thinking Orange”: The advantages of an integrated ministry strategy
When we think about ministry to the family as opposed to ministry to the child with a disability, collective intentionality is required to ensure the child’s disability doesn’t serve as an impediment to the ability of other family members to participate in activities and programs central to the church’s philosophy of ministry. Continue reading
Jim Tressel: Responsibilities of High-Profile Christians
Assuming that Tressel’s primary motivation was protecting his players (as opposed to trying to put the most competitive team in the field), do priorities change when one occupies a highly visible position of leadership in the Christian community? How do you deal with situations in which you feel compelled to break rules when doing so seems to be in the best interest of your kids but fear by doing so that you’ll undermine the credibility of your Christian witness?
“Thinking Orange”: Things Every Kid…With or Without Disabilities Needs
Why do I want churches to rethink their approach to ministry for all families, but especially families in which one or more kids has a disability? Kids with disabilities, their siblings and their parents are frequently starving for relationships because of the social isolation that results from the functional limitations of the disabilities in question, both hidden and visible.
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“Thinking Orange”: Libby Peterson on Partnering With Parents
We are coming to believe that every time we tell parents we are here to “equip” them in the faith training of their children we reinforce their belief that they are not adequate AND we feed the cultural lie that parents should contract out each aspect of their child’s growth and development. Parents need discipleship – to fall in love again with Christ – and encouragement to share what they know and are consistently learning with their kids. The church is here to HELP. Too often churches talk about partnering with parents when the church is in fact taking the LEAD and expecting parents to get on board with their initiatives.
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