[Faith-talk] Disability service

Mary L. flutteringmary at comcast.net
Thu Feb 22 14:13:25 CST 2007 

I  AM DISABLED AND WHAT I WAS TOLD AND PART OF MY BELIEF SYSTEM IS THAT WE ARE GIVEN SUCH CAHLLENGES SO THAT WE WILLL TURN TO HIM THAT LOVES US SO DEEPLY. WHEN I WAS INJURED AT WORK AND CAME TO KNOW I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO CONTINUE IN MY LIFES PROFESSION I INTUITIVELY KNEW THIS WAS A TIME FOR SPIRITUAL HEALING AND RENEWAL.

The other thing I discovered was I needed to learn to ask for help. The lesson did not end there though.  Because I have been so independant all my life the additional lessons were to learn to accept help and [this one was the hardest] to accpt that help in a gracious manner.

The key was first learning to accept. Accept who I was, regardless of my disability, accept I did not have to give up--accept I  could still share and fellopwship with others, accept the lessons God wanted me to learn and to learn them as best I could . 

Smith Wiggelsworth put it best in his writing in the book The Heart of a God Chaser in which he wrote:  "God has a special way of satisfying the cry of His children. He is waiting to open to us the windows of heaven until H has so moved in the depths of our hearts that everything unlike Himself has been destroyed."


Prayers for you

Mary Ann
           [aka: The Butterfly Woman]


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <cg2183 at columbia.edu>
To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion" <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 5:12 AM
Subject: [Faith-talk] Disability service


> Hello everyone,
> 
> How is everyone doing?  My name is Paul Grenier, I am a Masters of
> Divinity student at Union Theological Seminary in New York and I
> just joined up with the NFB a few months ago.  I am writing to
> introduce myself and to get your help.  On March 7th I will be
> leading a thirty minute chapel service on disabilities using the
> story of the healing of a paralyzed man in John 5:1-15.  I was
> wondering if anyone had any suggestions?
> So far I have been thinking about doing something around the idea
> that this man waited for 38 years to be healed by a magic pool when
> all he needed was Jesus.  This is similar to people who spend years
> of their lives and thousands of their dollars trying to find a cure
> for their blindness, when all they need is the proper skills to deal
> with it.  And of course Jesus is the one who can give them the hope
> and confidence they need to confront their blindness and overcome
> it through training and attitude.
> We have already thought of a couple ideas for the service.  We often
> do experimental things in Chapel, so we thought about passing out
> blind folds and ear plugs, so that people could experience the
> chapel with a simulated disability.  We also thought that for this
> service it might be interesting to recreate the experience of the
> paralyzed man by having an actual pool of water in the sanctuary. 
> We could then use this pool in some way to add an experiential
> activity to the worship service.  For example, people could either
> throw pennies into it, as a symbolic prayer, or we could have
> pennies in the pool already and the congregation could come and
> take them out, just as we should take our hope from things in this
> world and invest it in Jesus instead.  Do you have any ideas,
> either for prayers, scriptures, exegesis, or activities?
> Also, on a completely different subject, I thought it would be a
> neat discussion topic to find out what  people are doing for lent,
> if anything?  I am protestant but I have found a lot of power in
> the Lenten season, so this year I am devoting myself to an hour of
> prayer every day, and I am trying to have a vegetarian diet.  What
> about you?
> 
> Thank you,
> Paul Grenier
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence.
> --Mahatma Gandhi
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quoting Mary Ellen Sanchez <maryesanchez at grandecom.net>:
> 
>> Hello Penny.  I hope you are well.  I am doing good.  I would
>> like to ask
>> everyone please pray for me as I have been having somewhat of a
>> challenging
>> semester.  I can really use your prayers during this time thank
>> you.
>> Your Friend,
>> Mary Ellen.
>> Email: maryesanchez at grandecom.net
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf Of Penny Golden
>> Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 4:53 AM
>> To: Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion
>> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] hi all
>>
>> Greetings, Elisha,
>> We are near neighbors; for I live in Eastern Nebraska where I
>> teach
>> school--and try to get numerous boys to learn their history,
>> grammar and
>> literature.  The girls generally come along for the ride without
>> any
>> difficulties.
>> Nice to make your acquaintance.
>> I see my friend  Mary Ellen has also welcomed you.  I think my
>> next-door
>> neighbor may be associated with this list in some kind of
>> official
>> capacity--but she's sensibly sleeping at this hour.
>> Her name is Linda Mentink.  Her little ten-pound doggy and she
>> hold court
>> next door to my house.  And she is a very useful friend to have;
>> for she has
>> got lots of interesting things to share.
>> Now I'd better stop writing and get on with what the day holds.
>> The Lord bless you.  Where is your college?  we are about 400
>> miles east of
>> the Colorado border, give or take a few miles.
>>
>> At 01:21 AM 2/22/2007, you wrote:
>> >Hello, I am Elisha I am from New Mexico but attending Colorado
>> >Christian University currently. I am blind and A beliveer in
>> Christ. I
>> >just wanted to introduce myself and  Hope to get to know all of
>> >yousooon God bless elisha
>> >
>> >
>> >_______________________________________________
>> >Faith-talk mailing list
>> >Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>> >http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Faith-talk mailing list
>> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
>>
>>
>> --
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/696 - Release Date:
>> 2/21/2007
>> 3:19 PM
>>
>>
>> --
>> No virus found in this outgoing message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/696 - Release Date:
>> 2/21/2007
>> 3:19 PM
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Faith-talk mailing list
>> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Faith-talk mailing list
> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
-------------- next part --------------
I  AM DISABLED AND WHAT I WAS TOLD AND PART OF MY BELIEF SYSTEM IS THAT WE ARE GIVEN SUCH CAHLLENGES SO THAT WE WILLL TURN TO HIM THAT LOVES US SO DEEPLY. WHEN I WAS INJURED AT WORK AND CAME TO KNOW I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO CONTINUE IN MY LIFES PROFESSION I INTUITIVELY KNEW THIS WAS A TIME FOR SPIRITUAL HEALING AND RENEWAL.
 
The other thing I discovered was I needed to learn to ask for help. The lesson did not end there though.  Because I have been so independant all my life the additional lessons were to learn to accept help and [this one was the hardest] to accpt that help in a gracious manner.
 
The key was first learning to accept. Accept who I was, regardless of my disability, accept I did not have to give up--accept I  could still share and fellopwship with others, accept the lessons God wanted me to learn and to learn them as best I could .
 
Smith Wiggelsworth put it best in his writing in the book
The Heart of a God Chaser
in which he wrote:  "God has a special way of satisfying the cry of His children. He is waiting to open to us the windows of heaven until H has so moved in the depths of our hearts that everything unlike Himself has been destroyed."
 
 
Prayers for you
 
Mary Ann
           [aka: The Butterfly Woman]
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: <
mailto:cg2183 at columbia.edu
cg2183 at columbia.edu
>
To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion" <
mailto:faith-talk at nfbnet.org
faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 5:12 AM
Subject: [Faith-talk] Disability service
> Hello everyone,
>
> How is everyone doing?  My name is Paul Grenier, I am a Masters of
> Divinity student at Union Theological Seminary in New York and I
> just joined up with the NFB a few months ago.  I am writing to
> introduce myself and to get your help.  On March 7th I will be
> leading a thirty minute chapel service on disabilities using the
> story of the healing of a paralyzed man in John 5:1-15.  I was
> wondering if anyone had any suggestions?
> So far I have been thinking about doing something around the idea
> that this man waited for 38 years to be healed by a magic pool when
> all he needed was Jesus.  This is similar to people who spend years
> of their lives and thousands of their dollars trying to find a cure
> for their blindness, when all they need is the proper skills to deal
> with it.  And of course Jesus is the one who can give them the hope
> and confidence they need to confront their blindness and overcome
> it through training and attitude.
> We have already thought of a couple ideas for the service.  We often
> do experimental things in Chapel, so we thought about passing out
> blind folds and ear plugs, so that people could experience the
> chapel with a simulated disability.  We also thought that for this
> service it might be interesting to recreate the experience of the
> paralyzed man by having an actual pool of water in the sanctuary.
> We could then use this pool in some way to add an experiential
> activity to the worship service.  For example, people could either
> throw pennies into it, as a symbolic prayer, or we could have
> pennies in the pool already and the congregation could come and
> take them out, just as we should take our hope from things in this
> world and invest it in Jesus instead.  Do you have any ideas,
> either for prayers, scriptures, exegesis, or activities?
> Also, on a completely different subject, I thought it would be a
> neat discussion topic to find out what  people are doing for lent,
> if anything?  I am protestant but I have found a lot of power in
> the Lenten season, so this year I am devoting myself to an hour of
> prayer every day, and I am trying to have a vegetarian diet.  What
> about you?
>
> Thank you,
> Paul Grenier
>
>
>
>
> Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence.
> --Mahatma Gandhi
>
>
>
>
> Quoting Mary Ellen Sanchez <
mailto:maryesanchez at grandecom.net
maryesanchez at grandecom.net
>:
>
>> Hello Penny.  I hope you are well.  I am doing good.  I would
>> like to ask
>> everyone please pray for me as I have been having somewhat of a
>> challenging
>> semester.  I can really use your prayers during this time thank
>> you.
>> Your Friend,
>> Mary Ellen.
>> Email:
mailto:maryesanchez at grandecom.net
maryesanchez at grandecom.net
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:
mailto:faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf Of Penny Golden
>> Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 4:53 AM
>> To: Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion
>> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] hi all
>>
>> Greetings, Elisha,
>> We are near neighbors; for I live in Eastern Nebraska where I
>> teach
>> school--and try to get numerous boys to learn their history,
>> grammar and
>> literature.  The girls generally come along for the ride without
>> any
>> difficulties.
>> Nice to make your acquaintance.
>> I see my friend  Mary Ellen has also welcomed you.  I think my
>> next-door
>> neighbor may be associated with this list in some kind of
>> official
>> capacity--but she's sensibly sleeping at this hour.
>> Her name is Linda Mentink.  Her little ten-pound doggy and she
>> hold court
>> next door to my house.  And she is a very useful friend to have;
>> for she has
>> got lots of interesting things to share.
>> Now I'd better stop writing and get on with what the day holds.
>> The Lord bless you.  Where is your college?  we are about 400
>> miles east of
>> the Colorado border, give or take a few miles.
>>
>> At 01:21 AM 2/22/2007, you wrote:
>> >Hello, I am Elisha I am from New Mexico but attending Colorado
>> >Christian University currently. I am blind and A beliveer in
>> Christ. I
>> >just wanted to introduce myself and  Hope to get to know all of
>> >yousooon God bless elisha
>> >
>> >
>> >_______________________________________________
>> >Faith-talk mailing list
>> >Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>> >http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Faith-talk mailing list
>>
mailto:Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
>>
>>
>> --
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/696 - Release Date:
>> 2/21/2007
>> 3:19 PM
>>
>>
>> --
>> No virus found in this outgoing message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/696 - Release Date:
>> 2/21/2007
>> 3:19 PM
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Faith-talk mailing list
>>
mailto:Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Faith-talk mailing list
>
mailto:Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk

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