Facebook Punishes Victims of Cyberbullying Yet Does Nothing to the Bully

So I got attacked yesterday based on my photo apparently as being a "poor person who doesn't pay for insurance under the ACA." I had simply defended against an idiot who said they wanted the ACA repealed because they didn't want to pay for poor people. They were called out for being a fundamentalist troll by someone prior. I simply said they weren't accurate and how the ACA allows me to not be the person who has to be stuck in an ER-charity care rut but that I do pay FULL PRICE for the policy I have. That's when they launched their attack on me based on my looks. Well, so I woke up this morning to find, guess what? I cannot post, like, comment, or do anything for 24 hours because apparently my calling the bully out for attacking a disabled person who benefits from the ACA protections was deemed inappropriate. Yes, my whole PROFILE is on lockdown because I defended myself against a bully on Facebook. And get this. The bully? Nothing happened to them. Facebook did NOTHING against the bully. The victim gets their entire profile on lockdown while the bully goes free. What kind of message does this send? In a day and age where cyberbullying is on the rise, what kind of message does locking the profile of the victim send? Well, I will be contacting the ACLU about this to make sure it does not happen again. In the meantime, there are some things I am supposed to be doing (social media blasts, sending my address back to some friends for Christmas cards, helping other disabled individuals and their families) that I can not do because the main source for doing these things has been disabled all because I called out a bully for being a bully. It's actually a gross situation too when you think about it. People get away with hate speech against the disabled on Facebook, reports about it go ignored, and the bullies still spread the hate speech. Yet when it's spam, scam, fake news, bullying a person of a different race, etc., they act and they act promptly. The double standard that is prevalent with this is appalling. Oh, and welcome to Trump's world. A place where the victims of cyberbullying are punished for defending themselves and for being disabled. A place where those who defend the rights of the poor, the disabled, the elderly, the veterans get attacked and called all kinds of things that are simply not true or right. A place where the ability to think freely and express one's opinion is no longer allowed without being the target of a bully and where you cannot stand up against the bully. A place where bitterness and hate and anger is now prevalent and love and peace and gentleness is no longer the norm. A place where the least of these among us are living in terror because they may lose the safety net they need to survive in this unjust country. A place where we have to pray for one last miracle to keep Trump and all those hateful people he is appointing out of DC. A place where the least of these among us cry in anguish wondering if they will still have insurance coverage the next day or if they will get the dreaded letter that says they are being denied or dropped. A place where the least of these among us wonder if they will still have a roof over their heads or food on their tables the next day. A place where the least of these is starting to pray that Jesus comes today because they don't want to suffer nor should they have to suffer. A place where even evangelical churches and their leaders showed their ugly side by standing up in support of the idiot elect knowing full well that the message he was sending was one of hate, not love. This world has become an ugly and terrifying place for the least of these. 

I leave these words from Jesus: "Whatsoever you did to the least of these, you did to me. Whatsoever you didn't to the least of these, you didn't to me." Jesus, it looks like You're going to have to remain naked, homeless, thirsty, hungry, sick, poor, and imprisoned. The Trump supporters have made their decision. They don't care about You or Your needs. They don't care about the least of these. And they are using Your name as their reason. "You shall know them by their fruit." That is some NASTY fruit. 

I have seen many vulnerable Christians who comprise the least of these among us essentially threaten to disassociate from other "Christians" since the election. They have decided that enough is enough and they no longer want to be associated with those who would support Trump and his party of hate. I disassociated myself from the party in 2010 when a group calling themselves the tea party infiltrated the party with hate for the sitting president over his skin color and his desire to help ALL of America as opposed to the 1%. I distanced myself from the party entirely after a sermon called SWOOP by a pastor in Birmingham in 2012 before that election. I listened to him as he shared how the 47% comment made by Romney was just wrong in principle. How it was judgmental. And then I listened to him explain how sometimes the woman gets an abortion because there's a law that says that if she needs help feeding her children that she cannot have another baby unless she can prove she was attacked or assaulted or she will lose the help she needs to feed her already living children. I listened to him as he said how it is wrong to judge that woman who got the abortion without knowing her story and how it is our duty as Christians to love that woman and to share God's grace with her. 

Let's dissect that message some more. How can you, as a "Christian" support someone who wants to throw people off of insurance that they need in order to stay out of the ER? If I lost both BCBS and Medicaid access today, I would lose access to three medicines that keep out of the ER, one medicine that is maintenance medicine so I don't get anymore sluggish than I already am, and I would certainly not be able to get IVIG for my immune deficiency. We would not be able to establish whether I have mast cell activation disorder or mastocytosis or what kind of mastocytosis I have. All of these conditions are manageable with the help of insurance coverage for prescriptions. And as my body adjusts to them, I have the potential to return to the workforce. But until then, I cannot work at all, hence the disability aspect of my life. I am among many that face this risk now. And some of them only have Medicaid because they literally cannot afford BCBS. 

Let's continue to dissect that message. How many disabled and elderly are on SNAP (aka food stamps)? Let's make that simple, if they are able-bodied, they are working under the re-implemented work requirements. So if they are not working and are on SNAP, they fall in one of less than a handful of categories which include disabled and elderly. At what point did Jesus say, here take this bread and this fish and feed everyone but don't feed them until they pee in this cup? At what point in His message about the least of these did He ever mention drug testing? Never? Then why do the "Christians" insist on doing this? Why do they keep cutting food benefits? 

Dissect it some more with regard to SS for the retired, SSI for the low income disabled who are still young, SSDI for the older disabled, Medicare for the elderly and some disabled and even veterans. We could on all day. 

Ask yourself dear "Christians" how you can support a party that wants to bring harm to the least of these that Jesus talked about and likened to Himself? Ask yourself how you can support an idiot elect who spread so many messages of hate and even encouraged his supporters to attack the opposition for spreading love? Ask yourself how you can have such a double standard? If Mr. Obama had done half of what Trump has been doing since the election, he would have been impeached or recalled before even being allowed to step into DC. Yet the same people have turned a blind eye to Trump essentially giving him the thumbs up. A man who spoke openly in the past about wanting to sleep with his daughter and grabbing women without their consent. A man who bashed the disabled, people of color, people of different ethnic backgrounds and different religions. A man who thinks being given $1 million by his daddy is a "small loan." A man who has bankrupted many times, stiffed his employees, makes them all sign non-disclosure agreements, attacks the very amendment that lets him show his stupidity, attacks the press for doing its job to report on his hot headedness and ignorance as well as his hypocrisy, a man who has been influenced by Russia and set to country on a sure path to WWIII.... If you support this, then not only do I call you out for not really being a true Christian, but I have no sympathy and no empathy for when you find everything that was predicted about Trump causes you to suffer. 

We have one last hope for a miracle from God in this matter and that is the antiquated Electoral College who is constitutionally charged to put forth faithless votes when a candidate proves to be a clear and present danger to this country. It is their constitutional duty to bar from office any person who proves to be grossly unqualified for such a position of power in this country. And it is actually illegal for any state to fine the electoral college members from fulfilling their constitutional duty. And of in the off chance any members of the electoral college happen to be reading this, I hereby charge you to uphold your duty to bar Trump from the office of president. He has done too many things that prove how unfit he is for the position and this country has literally flipped an ugly corner since the election.

This got long, and this went into some things that are not necessarily directly related to my main title, but this is the first time I have truly been able to focus my thoughts enough to write about it. I have been hurt by Trump supporters. And I have many friends who have also been hurt by Trump supporters. And the worst part of it all is that the victims get punished while the bullies do not. Facebook sent a horrible message with their actions today. A horrible message. Update, I reported the bully and of course, as usual, Facebook did nothing about it. They allowed the bully to remain unpunished. And I am still under punishment. For being a victim that had the nerve to stand up for herself. 

Who I Am

Matthew 1:21 - She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he save his people from their sins."

Matthew 1:23 - "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel."

Acts 2:28 - You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence."

Dear God, the Lord saves, God with us. The Lord saves, God with me. The Lord saves. God is with me. The Lord saves because God is with me. God is with me because the Lord saves. Thank You, God, for being Who You are. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Let Your Problems Lift You Up

Psalm 89:15 - Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face.

II Corinthians 4:16-18 - So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

II Corinthians 4:16 (ICB) - So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day.

Dear God, Sometimes the problems in life are stifling. They don't make sense in light of Your words. They are created by people who claim to have faith in You but then don't follow through on it. Like Tom. Or like the modern tea party extremists that have infiltrated and ruined the republicans. These are people who claim to be Christians and claim to practice grace and love and claim to have the best interests of people in mind, but then in a time when any if that is most needed, they back out. When conflict arises between two people, like with Tom, there is a mechanism that You prescribe that should be followed. The fact that he expressed unwillingness to do that evidences that he might not even be a Christian. The tea party claims to be about protecting the constitution, but they keep trying to rob from the poor and make them even more poor. They want to take resources away for access to food, medicine, healthcare, education, and a home away from veterans, disabled people, and the elderly. Although they claim to want to give more to the military which no longer makes sense if America is supposedly entering such peaceful times in terms of other countries, but the thing is considering that military families also rely on programs like SNAP, SSI, SSDI, the VA hospital upon completion of their service, and some end up on Medicare and Medicaid after exiting (possibly) and even yes, they may use the Pell grant as a supplement to whatever other education benefits they have to learn new skills upon exiting, when the tea party threatens to take away these things, they are actually also hurting the very people who are serving this country as well. I drew the conclusion that if they succeed with their hateful ways, they will end up with a bloated military prepared to defend this people if necessary but that the problem will be that there will be nobody but themselves to defend because the rest of the people will all be dead and piling up. Why? Because the poor, the sick, the disabled, the veterans, the elderly are all part of this country too. But if you take away our resources to access food, homes, education and healthcare and medicine, then you kill us off until we no longer exist. The worst thing is that they show their true colors and lack of understanding of Your Words when they spew things like "God helps those who help themselves." Guess what people?!? That is NOT Biblical! There is noting in the Bible that even hints at that. And when it was said that a person who does not work should not eat, what was meant by that was that if you are able to work, then you earn your keep, but if you are unable to work, then someone should help with your provisions. In other words, the rich CEO who really does nothing but sit in an office all day is not earning his keep, but the person who works for his company and sometimes has 12 hour shifts should be earning more than enough to take care of himself without having to ask the government for help. On terms of the government having established social programs to help people in need, I have no doubt that at some point some churches, maybe even the Catholic Church, approached the government and said, look we want to be able to help everyone, but we simply cannot. The disabled, the veterans, the elderly, the hungry all need our help. And look here, the Bible is full of passages where God instructed the kings and queens and the leaders of the countries to make sure that the basic essentials of food, medicine, healthcare, and education are provided for. After all Jesus spent the three years of ministry that are recorded in the Bible working with the disenfranchised, the least of these. If the tea party is going to claim to be about Christianity, then they need to stop trying to cut the social programs. The irony? Paul Ryan himself benefitted from the very same programs he is now trying to cut. As did the vast majority of all the politicians no doubt. Yet, they are hellbent on taking those very same programs away from everyone else because Gid forbid that someone might actually benefit from it and finally be able to dig themselves out of the hole they got thrown into and make a comeback such to the extent that they no longer need the help. Great job tea party. You just keep knocking us down when we are already down and you just keep beating the dead horse as though it will make it any more dead. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay. Fix it. If you only scream repeal it, then get the heck out of the game because we are done with your obstruction. As I discovered the other day, the tea party is full of bigots. Up until that, I never experienced it myself. But when that tea party candidate blocked and suppressed my First Amendment right to freely express and opposing opinion, he committed an act of bigotry. Well, these bozos are supposed to represent ALL their constituents and if he will not even allow opposing viewpoints, then he will not be representing the majority of his constituents at all. And he does not need to be running. Say good-bye to your political dreams Chad Mathis. You will never win since you are hellbent on such bigotry. You do not represent the majority of Shelby County, Alabama. I have seen with my own eyes because I am one of the ones who is hurting, but I have seen the fact that there are hardworking people out there struggling to make ends meet. They work two or three jobs and still cannot afford the food they need for their student. Many times it is the disabled grandparent that is taking care of their children too because someone has to be home when the bus drops the child off from school. There is a whole entire half of the county that is disenfranchised. And there are not enough resources in all the churches combined to help them all. The disabled get referred to Social Security and SNAP. The poor get referred to SNAP. The bop veterans get referred to the VA. Yet these programs are being threatened by the tea party in the name of "smaller government" and God. God, I am talking to You, but even I know that is the most illogical thing ever! You clearly state that they are to help those in need. And anything other than that makes them goats. And considering everything I have read in the Bible so far in both the Old and New Testament about your compassion for the poor, I can pretty much tell you that they are sinning when they claim cutting the social safety nets is what You would have them to do. God, teach me to consistently bring every problem to you though. No matter how big or small. If there are lessons to be learned by me, teach me. If not, then grow me. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Autism, Down Syndrome, Disabilities, and Hobby Lobby

Follow me please.

Most of you already know that Hobby Lobby is trying to assert itself as having religious beliefs and is opposed to birth control or contraceptives now. They were not opposed before the Affordable Care Act and now they are. Oh, and how can a for profit company be allowed to violate any part of any law it dislikes? And for that matter, although the CEO and founder can have religious beliefs because they are people, how can a corporation hold religious beliefs? It is not a person. Only people can hold beliefs. 

Well, their approach is a slippery slope that is too dangerous to go down. Why? Because if Wal-mart decides they don't want to cover women's care, they might suddenly cry it goes against their religion? Where in the Bible is birth control wrong? It is not in there. It is a grey area and it is legalism. 

Hobby Lobby would have a better chance if it clarified what it means by contraception as being just those forms that they think cause abortion instead of the broad term of contraception they are using. 

Contraception:

Shots

Birth control pills taken on a daily basis for a variety of reasons - don't want babies, have iron anemia, acne, hormone imbalance, heavy bleeding, irregularities 

Plan B - a three day dose of birth control to be taken within 72 hours after failed contraceptives or rape - prevents implantation - does not cause abortion

IUD

Patches

These are contraceptions used to prevent pregnancy.

I gave a scenario though:

Hobby Lobby historically has been one of the few places known to hire people with autism and other special needs. Now here is the deal. The girl with cognitive dysfunction gets a job at Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby gives her insurance. The doctor says she needs birth control because she does not understand sex yet. It is for her safety and protection. Also because she cannot handle having menstrual cycles. They can be very stressful. Suddenly Hobby Lobby says no because it violates our religious beliefs. Now they have done something illegal. They have denied a disabled person something she needs in order to have that job. They have now discriminated against her. It is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and subject to lawsuit. 

If they are going to cover Viagra, they have to cover birth control. And because no single birth control is necessarily right for all women, they have to cover all of it. Otherwise, it is gender discrimination. 

If Hobby Lobby gets out of this portion of law, what will be next? No hiring special needs? No hiring women? No hiring someone of a different faith? No hiring a red head? No hiring a person who is not white? No paying what they are supposed to? Where does it end? Give an inch and they will take a mile.

Supposedly they are threatening a tantrum if they lose--close the stores. Fine. They chose to commit business suicide over the fact they are legalistic anyway.

Now I want to say something.

I called out someone who inappropriately commented about someone's size by saying she looked like she had swallowed her last two children. It was rude and inappropriate. And I also pointed out that it was a milestone that I recognized it as a person with autism. Well, he then turned around and in response to the scenario said people with autism and special needs are pathetic.

Let me say this now:

It is autism awareness month and what we need now is autism acceptance. But when people hold that attitude, it is clear that people like me will never be accepted at church, school, work, or in the community. It is hateful. And this is the attitude of someone who probably calls himself a Christian. The Paul Ryan budget was just passed by the republicans. Yeah, the party of Christianity. Well, guess what? It is not reflective of Christian values. It is a violation of Matthew 25:31-46 and it makes the republicans goats. Those are the words Jesus used. 

Paul Ryan hit veterans by cutting healthcare and SNAP. Paul Ryan hit the elderly by cutting SNAP. Paul Ryan killed the disabled by cutting SNAP, SSI, SSDI, the Affordable Care Act, and Medicaid. Paul Ryan hit women by cutting WIC. He wants to force a woman to carry a baby she didn't plan on or want for a variety of reason and in the meantime he takes food and medicine away from her and the baby. So now we have a bunch of unwanted babies because they don't want us to be on birth control and refuse to give us healthcare and the babies are all starving because they don't want us to eat either. It is the Mitt Romney rhetoric of hate toward everyone less fortunate than them all over again, the rhetoric that caused them to lose and caused even the most evangelical pastors to cringe and say that if Christians held that attitude they needed to repent! The Paul Ryan budget is unethical, illegal, and is definitely against what Jesus stood for, the republicans just crucified Jesus all over again. And here's the thing, we are approaching Easter. A time to remember Jesus' life and ministry on earth and what he did for us on the cross. 

Autism awareness should lead to autism acceptance. And in some ways, although we have come a long way with regard to race, we have not moved forward with regard to disabilities. Dear church, what are you doing to effect a POSITIVE change? 

What Is Autism?

Autism is a processing disorder. Well, I don't know that I would call it a disorder anymore, now that the latest statistics are out. It seems that autism is more prevalent than what was originally though. And I know many people that seem like they have tendencies that are similar to autism. So let me back up. Autism is a different way of processing things. Let me try it this way.

You have a PC. I have a Mac (not yet, but I will one day). The bottom line operating system, though both might be able to run windows, the hardware is different. So they have to have programs that are compatible with their hardware. They now have Word for both PC and Mac. They are more compatible now than they used to be. But the platform on which they run is different. 

Okay, another example. 

Define glove. You would probably be satisfied to say it is a covering for the hand. But my filing cabinet in my brain says, what kind of glove? I have it broken down by function. By the generalized definition, I now have a mismatch. A mitten covers the hand, but it is not a glove. An oven mitt covers the hand, but it is not a glove. My blanket can cover my hand. Does that make my blanket a glove? No.... It is a blanket. Maybe a better way to define glove is something that covers the hand for some purpose but it has fingers. My mom said a baseball mitt would not be a glove. I said there are fingers inside of it. It is also sometimes called a baseball glove. But that is one of the ways that my brain is different than your brain.

Here is something I have heard a lot, but this morning I heard it again. If you see a person in a wheelchair, you know they need a ramp. But the problem is, you cannot see autism. Therefore, it is hard to know that someone is having trouble and how to help them. But I want to give an example based on something I experienced. This church sent me for testing to see if I had autism. Of course, that also meant they received a copy of the report. After they learned that I have autism, I got bullied by two of the people who were on the care team they placed me under. And they intentionally began to exclude me from participating in things rather than to find ways to include me. They used the autism as an excuse to exclude me. They used the autism as an excuse to isolate me. It was like they were afraid that the autism might be contagious or something. The one man said they tried to say they were trying to mainstream me and that it failed. No.... Excluding someone is not mainstreaming them. Therefore, attempts to mainstream me did not fail because there were no attempts to mainstream me. Mainstream means to include with or without reasonable accommodations. An accommodation for a person with autism might be as simple as a buddy. Someone who is identified and appointed as a person in an activity who can be trusted to not only understand about the way autism might impact the individual but also interaction with others and can run interference should a problem arise by assisting in appropriately removing the person from the setting that is becoming upsetting and taking them to a calming place. What they should have done rather than what they did was to talk to me about what I wanted or needed and not exclude me from anything. What he should have done when he recognized and acknowledged that what they were doing was wrong was stand up and say hey, wait a minute, we need to regroup and problem solve. But you see, too often, most places are doing it wrong. They do not SEE the autism or the ADHD or whatever other invisible handicap or disability exists and they either pass us over or they ignore us or they pretend we don't exist. Or they go the other way and they bully us until we get frustrated enough to give up. But the thing is, we canNOT give up or they will continue to bully us thinking that it is okay for them to do so because no one stood up against them for doing it. 

People with autism do not lack empathy. This is a common assumption that is made. We have empathy. We may not understand from the cognitive perspective why someone feels something, but we do feel what others feel. Remember my filing cabinet? That is where I have everything stored. If I have experienced it, it is in there. It is my reference for how to respond or react or handle things. If I am missing something then it is because no one has helped me acquire the right tool yet or the right data. I am supposed to start using signals. Signals to help people know when I have had enough. Because sometimes when I become overloaded, I cannot think clearly and therefore I cannot verbalize things well. Those signals are sometimes called cues. And sometimes I need a lot of cues.

I will ask this question a lot because I am in anticipation that by the time I send my letter that is overdue that I will have enough resources to share with the recipient(s) that they can and will end up saying yes to having a meeting to talk through things and to negotiate restoration and reconciliation. But what is your church doing to intentionally reach out to people like me who may be isolated in our very own communities because people do not understand autism or do not seem to want to understand autism? If they are not doing something, they need to. Matthew 25:31-46 is the main justification for being intentional in ministry and support to people like me and my mother who also has autism. After all, Jesus spent most of His time with the sick and the poor, so should not the churches also be doing that?

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. It is everywhere. Some countries are not in as good of a position to get support systems in place. And America is lacking in support systems for adults with autism. It needs to change fast because the children will be transitioning into adults and will still need support.

When God Created the Autistic Child

God took His time on the last day of creation. 

You see He had something very special in mind.

Unlike all the other creatures He had made, He decided He needed someone like Himself.

So He created man. 

But when He saw how lonely the man was, He had to act fast.

So He created woman.

But what most people don't know is that He created someone very special after that.

At some point in time, God got very frustrated that things were not going as planned.

So He cried. For forty days. 

That was the flood.

Shortly after that, one of the children that was conceived was created differently.

For this child needed to be one that God Himself could approve.

He created the child with musical gifting, bravery, courage, and a good heart.

This was the first child with autism.

Music gave him a voice as did his poetry.

His bravery killed a giant and saved a nation.

His courage kept him going even during the times he felt most sad and lonely.

And he most definitely was considered a man after God's own heart.

Is it possible that there were other children before this one who God created with autism?

Sure it is. But I chose this one.

Just as God chose to create some of us with pure hearts, innocence, love, beauty, giftedness, and an inner song, I chose David as an example of what God does when He chooses to create a child with autism.

I posed this question today in light of April being Autism Awareness Month. For one month, the whole world spreads awareness about autism. The numbers have increased again. And again, the numbers do not account for adults with autism, although it is very likely, the numbers would be the same for that particular age group. But those of us who have autism or have loved ones with autism have to spread awareness every day - 365 days a year - because we live with it. So I posed a question: What is your church doing to intentionally minister to and with an individual or a family faced with autism? And more so, an adult with autism? Is your church reaching out to them? If not, please change that now. I challenge anyone reading this to search his or her heart and to go back to his or her church leaders before it is too late. I say this because I was hurt by a church as soon as they got back the report that I have autism. And it is not fair what they did to me. And I do not want it to happen to anyone else ever again, whether it is there or somewhere else. I feel sad and lonely and hurt and frustrated and angry about it. I should be at church with my friends worshipping God just like everyone else and serving God just like everyone else. Not isolated and punished because of how God created me. I should still have my friend that is one of the pastors because he was the one who understood the autism and the way it impacted me and others the most and he was reaching in the most to pull me out so I could grow and shine. Oh how wonderful it would be if he would reach out a hand in forgiveness to me in light of what Jesus did for us on the cross! And how wonderful it would be if they would be wiling to meet with me and move toward biblical reconciliation for the same reason. 

Do I know for sure that David had autism? No. But I know that most people with autism tend to be a lot like David and Moses and Noah and Adam and Jesus too. I always say God must have autism. 

1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism everyday or it may still be 1 in 88 overall. Either way, God must have a reason for us to have autism. After all God is sovereign, right? 

God Has Autism Too or Why Churches Need to Minister to and With Special Needs Adults

God has autism. 

Why?

God is perfectionistic. He created a perfect world. His work was perfect. Then He created these people. Who flubbed up the perfection. 

So God had a meltdown. He punished the people who messed up the perfection. 

People kept screwing up and things got more flubbed up. So God had another meltdown. This time He flooded the whole earth and started over again after He calmed down enough to be more reasonable. 

But God still was not happy. It just was not the same ever again.

So God sent Jesus. 

Now here's the clencher: Jesus was no ordinary baby. Nor was He any ordinary man.

And churches who mess up in this might want to repent sooner than later because the end result will not be good for them.

Many churches do not minister to or with special needs individuals or their families. Particularly adults with special needs. 

This is a very sad reality. 

Anyone who has read earlier posts on here know what I just dealt with with one such church. 

I have been praying that they will see their mistakes before they hurt more people like me. 

If ever there was a more compelling reason for them to repent and try to repair the damage they caused me, and for that matter, a more compelling reason for them and really for EVERY church to minister to and with special needs children AND adults, here it is:

Most of Jesus' life ministry was spent healing the deaf, healing the blind, healing the leper, healing the woman with a bleeding issue. Jesus even said how you treat the least of these is how you treat Him (Matthew 25). And He basically said if you treat them fair and treat them well, then you treat Him fair and well and you will be a sheep. BUT, conversely, if you hurt them, you hurt Him and you will be a goat sent to the fire. He is talking about churches too as the churches are simply comprised of people. So, if your church doesn't minister to and with children AND adults with special needs and instead does what that church did to me, you might need to do one of two things:

1. Go to your leadership and talk to them and even complain and protest. 

2. Run far away from that church for failing to actually do the work of Jesus.

Because here's the thing: Jesus not only did or encouraged foreign missions, but He also did and encouraged special needs ministry. And if a church is lacking either of these things, then it is not really following Jesus at all, now is it? 

Don't get me wrong. I know some churches will claim that they just don't have the resources or the people to volunteer or the people who need it. WRONG WRONG WRONG. 

Let me take, no offense, but just because I am more familiar with them, so let me take Oak Mountain for example.

Excuse 1: Don't have the resources.

Wrong. 

Oak Mountain has over 2500 people by now. It is also in a predominantly affluent area. With the new campaign it is launching, some of the allocation or reallocation of funds can include special needs ministry to both children and adults? The focus is too much on the children. This fails to remember that children with special needs grow up to be adults who still have special needs. But in a church that size or larger, if the excuse is not having the resources, I would be more concerned that they are misappropriating some of the resources rather than that they truly don't have the resources.

Excuse 2: Don't have the people to volunteer.

Wrong.

Oak Mountain never asked. They never expressed the need. Therefore they do not have because they did not ask. If they would announce the need, they would have people who would step up. I know. Because I met several who are interested. But they have not been asked nor have they been made aware of the need. Why? Because as I have experienced, their leaders treat autism as though it is a sin which also means they treat God as though God is a sinner. Read some of my previous posts for clarity on that comment. 

Excuse 3: Don't have the people who need it.

Wrong.

I needed it and still need it. With autism diagnosis rates in children being 1 in 88 and 1 in 50 between ages 6 and 17, and adults being unaccounted for, a church the size of Oak Mountain definitely has the people who need it. And that's just autism! ADHD, ODD, OCD, dyslexia, Down Syndrome, Tourette's, SPD, MR, LD are others that can benefit. I read a statistic last night that bothered me as I have been made a statistic as a result of what they did to me: 95% of families with special needs are unchurched. A smaller percent (55%) was also given. If this excuse is used, I would be more concerned about why this is the case than about this being the case. Why? In my case, I was bullied and abused, more so after the diagnosis of autism came to their attention. And even the offending party (Tom) admitted that to my mom (the only truth he told her). We met others with similar stories with regard to the exact same church. Which means that they are literally doing something wrong. RUN people. Because that is NOT what Jesus would want. 

Why do I write this though? Because right now, believe it or not, bringing it to public light is the most gracious thing I can do under the circumstances. Because someone out there might read this and finally say aha! and might be able to call foul and help correct the wrong. Because no church deserves to be in a position that Jesus would deem as goat. Because every church deserves a chance to do right and repair damage they magnified or caused. Because every church deserves a chance to do better. And because these principles apply to EVERY church. 

Wake up churches! You're hurting people more than you understand right now. You're pushing them away from God rather than drawing them to God. 

By the way, I am a millennial with autism. Double whammy. Churches! Do you want to know how to effectively minister to people like me? Talk to me! 

I challenge each person reading this to evaluate his or her own church though and see if you can identify some of the things I pointed out here. Then do one of those two things. But if you talk and they still refuse, I would suggest running and warning others who would be negatively impacted as well. 

I would rather that NO church be like that with anyone. And the fact a church was like that to me at all is sad and gives me much grief. But grace is winning right now and telling me to give them one last chance to correct things before they can do more harm. They can choose to take advantage of this moment and reach out. Or the alternative is one I cannot fathom right now because it is even worse. 

My hunch is that the reason Jesus has a special place and consideration for people with special needs is because He knows that these are often the people who cannot even defend themselves against a world that can be so mean and cold. And since EVERY person alive is an image bearer of the Creator, then if a child or adult has autism or any of the countless other conditions that I named or even didn't name, then to some degree, God has those characteristics too. Because here's the ultimate deal: Anyone who actually gets to know me for me knows that I am creative, loving, caring, compassionate, loyal, real, honest, and sometimes even funny because I see the world differently. And the thing is, many of my characteristics are also ones that God has! And it's the same with any of us special needs people. If a church rejects us, it essentially also rejects God because we are also God's children. 

I know some of you may be scratching your heads some after this. GOOD! See the comment box below? Use it! Because I want this post to be conversational and to result in conversations. It needs to. And if you follow me on YouTube, keep an eye out for a similar video soon. 

An Easter Prayer

Dear God,

I was reading tonight in Jesus Calling A Bible Storybook about Jesus dying on a cross for my sins and coming back to life again. Honestly, I am somewhat baffled by everything. Why did You punish Your Son for what I would do?

I also read that if I put my trust in You and believe You that I would be saved for eternity. Sometimes I don't know if I am or am not.

My friend Tom, he is a good mirror of You. He said he's a weak example, but he is the main one I have right now. But God, if Tom is a mirror of You, then how much greater can You be?

God, I ask You to forgive me of my sins. For I know I am a sinner. I may not always openly act out, but I know I do sin, even in my heart. So I ask for Your forgiveness of my sins. I thank You for sending Jesus to die for me on the cross so I won't have to face eternity separated from You. I ask You to give me strength and mercy. I ask You to help me to trust You and to grow my faith in You. I thank You for the example Tom has been so far and will likely continue to be as You grow our friendship in the way that is not only appropriate but also the healthiest. Help us to both be open to each other and to listen with our hearts. I ask for complete healing of the corneal inflammation my right eye and complete restoration of total vision. I ask for Your provisions for my family - financially, physically, spiritually, emotionally, socially. Tom said that You created me the way You did for a purpose. So thank You for creating me with autism and ADHD and everything else I have. Help me to always remember that these things don't define who I am, but why I am the way I am. And for what's it's worth, I guess they don't do that, You do. Thank You for grace that does give many many chances and doesn't expect absolute perfection this side of Heaven. And please help churches understand people like me with autism so they can better minister to and with us and help us use our gifts to serve You. Thank You again for my friendship with Tom. Give him peace and rest as his daughter's wedding takes place soon. Help Tom be safe when he globe trots. Please let us have another in person quality time soon enough, if not before he globe trots then after. Help prepare my heart for the separation there will be when he's around the globe so I don't miss him too much. Thank You for being in my heart and please help me to learn to follow Your lead for me and my life-job, medical, church, social skills, friends, etc. I'm sorry for having too many words. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Prayer

I can't read my devotionals right now and I can't write what I learn. Hopefully I'll get time to do so this weekend. Right now my heart really aches for Heaven. As I join with many others whom Congress forgot they work for just to protect their pockets (they love money too much which is the root of evil), we, the least of these, cry out. Will the children with special needs still have services Monday? Will the disabled like myself ever have their day to fight for their disability because they received a letter declaring they couldn't work the jobs they had before because of their disabling conditions? Will they even still have a house when that day might finally come? Will they have food to eat tomorrow? Will they have access to services like voc rehab as they fight their disabling conditions to try to get ready to get a job that just simply doesn't exist for them because no one wants to hire someone who has medical conditions that cannot be insured until next year? What about the veterans like my mother who may not even have a job or access to much needed health services? What about everyone with mental health issues, asthma, allergies, immune deficiencies? Without the grants many of the doctors get now, some people, like me, may not be able to receive essential care. Why? Because of greedy politicians who forgot that the tax system was originally designed so that the more money a person earned, the more they paid in. Jesus said that how you treat the least of these is how you treat Him. The problem? Apparently no one has respect for Jesus anymore. They just threw Him out on the street, cold, naked, wounded, hungry, thirsty. And they left Him. To die. Here Jesus. I don't have much either but you can have some of what I do have. Where are the churches now? Will they finally step up to the plate as millions right here at home need them now more than ever? The churches I know of emphasize global missions for an entire week, yet home missions gets all of one day. ONE day! Why? If churches really wanted to equip people to go out and serve, it seems they would be in the business of home missions for more than just one day? But are they? I'm scared tonight. I'm scared of everything. I'm scared that there really is no church in my area that will ever accept and include adults with special needs. I'm scared that Tom is not really my friend even though he says he is. Because he and I have not had in person time in three months and will we ever? Or is it a dying friendship? I hope not but I'm scared. And I'm sick with grief. Too much injustice. You see, they call people who care about the least of these socialists and say there is no place for socialism in America. Sadly, if caring about the least of these makes someone a socialist, then Jesus was a socialist because he cared. But if there's no room for socialism in America, and many of these same people falsely claim that America was founded on Christian beliefs, then what they have basically said is that there is no room for Jesus in America. Oh how my heart aches for Heaven right now.

Second Month Days 5 Through 8

There will always be something that you will worry about: a big test, a new job, a big move, friends, family, health, money, weather, etc. But worrying can make you even more afraid and anxious. You can choose to worry or choose to trust God. In exchange for your worry, God will give you peace. So what are you worried about today?

Are you tired and weary? Go to Jesus. He will give you rest. Lift your hands in prayer to God and rest in His presence and His peace.

Pay attention to God and His direction for you. It won't be easy because there will be distractions: kids, pets, television, friends, telephone, Internet, etc. The devil will work to distract you from your focus on God. Does it seem like nothing is going right for you? God will use it for good. God is in control.

Are you in the middle of a storm in your life? Refocus. Look beyond the storm. Look to Jesus. And reach out in trust as you say, "Help me, Jesus!" Let Him pull you through the storm.

Dear God, help me! Help me feel Your calm peace. Even now as I have so many worries: doctors, finances, Tom, other friends, church-help me Jesus. I don't know all You have planned for me right now. Help me to feel rest and peace as I trust You more and more each day to work everything for my good. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

TobyMac and Theology

Unbelievable as it may seem, one of the most theologically sound singer/songwriters right now is TobyMac. Yes, TobyMac, of DC Talk fame. Presently, I have several of his songs on my playlist, including many from his latest album release, Tonight. So what do songs like "City on Our Knees," "Break Open the Sky," "Get Back Up," and a slightly older song, "Made to Love" all have to do with theology?

Well, "City on Our Knees" has a strong missional message. And missions is not just going to some foreign land. Missions can happen right in our own homes, our neighborhoods, and yes, even in the walls of our church.

"Break Open the Sky" not only has a missional message, but also an anticipatory message. We anticipate the work of Jesus, the work of God to supersede our own human efforts.

"Get Back Up" is a little more personal, but this song has held me up through some of my weakest times over the course of the past year. I don't want this to get too personal on this blog but I am now past the one year mark since I first got tested by my first immunologist who found that I have an incurable, untreatable immune deficiency that makes me more vulnerable to bacterial infections, but really any infection. It's when I first realized the importance of friendships and began to really reach out via Facebook and make connections online so that if God ends up superseding in His own way I can still have my friends. And now I can imagine half of any reader of this post is now going "Aha! So that's why...." But this song reminds me of how grace operates.

"Made to Love." Shorter Catechism Question 1: "What is the chief end of man?" Answer: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever." We truly were made to love God, and even though really only the elect were made to find God, we were made to find Him, just for Him, and to be loved by Him.

Amazing how sometimes music really makes theology click.