Changing Attitudes

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 Changing Attitudes

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  • Walking through Fears into the Wonder of Love
    <p>​All advent we were in the pregnant season of hope and expectation – perhaps with some anxiety and busyness too! At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ, the God who is here in body and spirit with us. And at Epiphany, we remember that three travelers sought out Jesus to honor him as King. In the gospel of Matthew, the story goes that three wise men from the east follow a star to Jerusalem and ask around to find out where they can find the newborn King of the Jews. King Herod gathers chief priests and teachers to learn the answer, and they say, “in Bethlehem.” Herod learns from the traveling Magi when the star appeared and asks them to report back to him when they find the child. They go, find Jesus, worship him, present him with valuable gifts, and, heeding a warning dream, avoid Herod on the way back home (Matthew 2&#58;1-12).<br></p>
  • Celebrating Love
    <p>​<em>This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' Matthew 11&#58;10</em><br></p>
  • Finding Joy
    <p>​In the Scottish town of Inverness, mental illness and addictions are on the rise. From an outsider’s perspective, it is curious. There is a relatively slow pace of life, relative security, and lots of beautiful nature and scenery, yet something internal is fueling unhappiness, depression and anxiety.<br></p>
  • The Prince of Peace
    <p>​<em>“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9&#58;6, ESV).</em><br></p>
  • The Least of These
    <p>​<strong>Deshawn’s Story</strong></p><div>It’s the year 1991 and it’s a typical school day for 8-year-old Deshawn. Deshawn is an African American youth in third grade. He gets on the bus and all the children around him are so excited to go to school. He wonders, “Why am I the only one so quiet? Why is everyone so happy but I feel sad and alone?” Deshawn gets to school, and he is unable to focus or concentrate. He begins to think of his grandmother who had raised him from an infant.&#160;<br></div>

 All posts on changing attitudes
    • A Church for All People
      Some congregations are finding that when they talk openly about mental health, it becomes natural to include mental health problems in the care and support they offer.
    • A Lot of Fun Miracles
      Tamara Gill shares how friendship with children with disabilities has changed her life
    • A Meaninful Role to Play
      Chou Gabikiny is a counselor, consultant, and mother to children with disabilities. She explains how churches thrive when everyone has a role to play.
    • And Who Is My Neighbor?
      Seattle Mennonite members are companions to neighbors who have been homeless, many of whom have a mental illness.
    • Anti-Ableism 101
      Learning from people with developmental disabilities to experience healing as a broken person
    • Can I Play Too?
      Adults have a unique opportunity to create a supportive climate for children with autism by educating typical peers about autism.
    • Come and See
      Learning from Mary-Anne to see prayer time as sacred and enjoyable once again.
    • Come Live with Me
      Five things I never knew about people with developmental disabilities until I started living with them. By Deborah Ferber.
    • Community Transformation at L'Arche
      Community transformation means offering a stranger a cup of cold water and through that cup of water transforming the relationship into a friendship.
    • Dancing with Alta
      Learning to contra-dance from a gifted young dancer with Down syndrome
    • God Can Turn Us to Hope Again
      In the ICU, you wait. Wait for a nurse to come turn you, wait for your next meal to be delivered, wait for pain to subside, wait for independence to return, wait for dignity to be restored.
    • Hear Then the Parable
      When we enter into authentic friendship with people with disabilities our worldviews and preconceived notions of humanity are confronted and transformed.
    • Hsi-Fu’s Gift
      Getting to know Hsi-Fu is an adventure, and once you form a friendship with him, you know you are holding a rare gem in the palm of your hand.
    • Ministry at L'Arche
      Deborah Ferber reflects on the connection between living at L'Arche and her seminary studies preparing for ministry.
    • My Brother Who Doesn’t Say a Word
      Even though Christopher cannot speak, Deborah has learned that togetherness can happen when they share a meal together, listen to good music together, or laugh at a good joke.
    • On Learning to Live a Lot
      Life lessons from living with people with developmental disabilities&#58; Learning to live a lot suggests that we haven’t giving up, that we are still breathing and moving forward.
    • Open Hearts, Open Doors
      Good news for people with disabilities is close to the heart of Jesus’ gospel message and the mission of Anabaptist Disabilities Network.
    • Perfect in God's Sight
      “Remember, you are perfect in God's sight,” athlete Tim Berta reflects, after surviving a traumatic brain injury.
    • Ready and Able
      Tony Walters, a deacon at Papago Buttes Church of the Brethren who happens to have autism, helps prepare for the congregation's love feasts.
    • Redefining Disability
      At First Mennonite Church, ability or disability seem irrelevant, as persons with disabilities contribute through leadership and other gifts.
    • Semester of the Heart
      A story of priorities reoriented by living in community with people who have developmental disabilities
    • Stigmatizing and Separating: A Parent's Plea
      A mother describes the world of stigma and injustice that her daughter with an intellectual disability faces. Stigmas towards those with disabilities need to change, and need begin in the church.
    • Thank You
      The words “thank you,” coming from a man who rarely speaks, embody God's hospitality and gratitude to a caregiver
    • The Messages of Community
      After spending time with friends with developmental disabilities, the author comes to realize their rare awareness and maturity.
    • The Point of No Return
      Dwight Roth paints a haunting word picture that challenges us to think about who we are and how we show compassion
    • The Weak are Indispensable!
      Could the Apostle Paul have been thinking about people with disabilities when he wrote, “The members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable”?
    • The Wisdom of God
      By choosing to become the scapegoat of humanity’s violence, Jesus radically identifies with the suffering “other”
    • To stare or to gaze
      How will we look at people with intellectual disabilities? with a stare or with a gaze?
    • Tragedy Opens a Door
      Pastor Bob Molsberry reflects on the hit-and-run bicycle accident that has left him using a wheelchair and how this experience contributes to his ministry overseeing congregations in Ohio.
    • Tribute to Aunt Debbie
      A tribute to a beloved aunt, who had many fondly remembered qualities, one of which was that she had Down syndrome.
    • Will you be my friend?
      For the first time I understood that people with developmental disabilities asked the same questions and shared the same hopes that I did.
    • Youth Ministry for All Abilities
      Resources and reflections from The Gathering Place on youth ministry that includes people with disabilities, from eight Anabaptist writers and speakers.

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